Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Battlestar Galactica. The characters and the universe of the BattlestarGalactica do not belong to me. I make no profit from this story.
Thanks for the reviews and the tips regarding the paragraphs. I rewrote this chapter again and I hope it's easier to read now.
Did you miss me?
By Silwyna
"On behalf of Galactica, I'd like to welcome you aboard, Apollo. It's an honour to have you with us."
Those were exactly the words Captain Lee "Apollo" Adama never wanted to here in his live. He had been ordered to participate in the decommissioning ceremony of the Battlestar Galactica, one, if not the oldest battlestar left in the colonial fleet. And the exact same battlestar which had been commanded by his father for years. His father who he had no contact with for over two years. And he had no plans to change that. Hadn't the order to participate come from Admiral Ngala himself, Apollo would have tried to get out of this one. But as things stood he had no other chance than to follow his orders.
While Apollo landed on the flight deck his thoughts turned away from his father to someone else stationed on this ship. Kara Thrace – his oldest friend and fiancée of his dead brother. Since she accepted the position on the Galactica he hadn't spoken to her either. He had been angry at first. He had felt betrayed by her. How could she work for the man who was responsible for her fiancées death? Later he had understood her reasons but then it was too late. Too many things had changed and he had simply been too much of a coward to call her up and explain everything to her. Well, he was going to change that. He had a few hours to spent on the Galactica before the ceremony began. He would find Kara and explain it to her. Everything. She would give him a beating, he was sure of that. But, well, he probably deserved that much.
After leaving his viper he was approached by a crewman who introduced himself as Chief Tyrol. Lee introduced himself but was still so deep in thoughts over how and what to tell Kara that he didn't notice the Chief following him. When he realised the Chief was still talking to him, he tried to get Kara out of his head for some time and listen to what the man was telling him.
"... meet you Sir. I'm sure you've heard this before, but I'm a great admirer of your father. The service is going to miss him when he retires."
"Well, I'm sure someone will." Lee answered coldly. This is just what he needed. Another fan of the great Commander William "Husker" Adama. This day just got worse every second. "Is your auto-landing system down? I was hands-on for the whole approach." He tried to change the subject. It didn't work as planned though.
"It's all hands-on here Captain. There are no auto-landings on the Galactica. Commander Adamas orders." Tyrol replied hostile.
He obviously felt offended by Lees words. Well, he couldn't change that. In fact, he didn't care.
"Is that right?" was all he said. Then he turned away from the chief and left the hangar bay leaving a stunned Tyrol behind.
On his way to the visitors quarters he asked a passing pilot where he might find Lt. Thrace.
"The brig, Sir." The pilot answered, trying to hide a grin.
Of course, Lee thought, were else would she be. Some things just never change.
After the pilots briefing for the ceremony was over Lee went directly to the brig to see Kara. When he approached her cell he had to suppress a smile. He had missed her. She was doing push-up's so she didn't notice him coming near her. He watched her for a few seconds.
"This seems familiar." He said not being able to hide the smile on his face any longer.
Surprised Lt. Kara "Starbuck" Thrace looked up at her unsuspected visitor. Then she got up, put her hands to her waist and replied jokingly:
"Captain Adama, Sir. Sorry I wasn't there to greet you with the rest of the squadron. Did they kiss your ass to your satisfaction?"
While talking Kara walked over to the bars and were standing directly in front of Lee now, looking challengingly at him. But Lee had decided long ago that it was best to just ignore comments like that from her.
"So, did you miss me?" he asked instead giving her a small smile.
She slightly shook her head. Then she looked back up at him. "Every second." She replied, grinning at him.
Gods, he really had missed her. He looked around the brig for a second.
"So, what's the charge this time?"
Giving him one of her trade mark grins Kara replied: "Hmm, striking a superior asshole."
Lee tried not to laugh out loud. "Ahh, I bet you've been waiting all day to say that one."
She nods slightly then replied laughing: "Most of the afternoon."
"Yeah, right.".
They just stood there for some time looking at each other. Then Kara smiled, grabbing one of the bars with her hand, closing in on Lee a bit more and asked: "So, how long has it been?"
'Here it goes' Lee thought. His chance to tell her why he hadn't called her for so long. "Two years." He hesitated, searching for the right words.
But Kara was quicker then he. "Two years? We must be getting old. Seems like the funeral was just a couple of month ago."
"Yeah." He stiffened. Frak, that's not something he wanted to think of right now. And he still had no idea how to tell her. 'How difficult can it be, Lee Adama? Just get it out.' he thought, starting to get angry at himself.
"Your old man's doing fine. We don't talk about it much. Maybe two, three times a year. He still struggles with it though ..."
Great, he should have known she wouldn't let go of it.
"I haven't seen him ..." he quickly replied. He better stop this conversation before it went out of hands. They stared at each other for some more time.
"Why not?" Kara asked. When Lee just looked at her without saying anything she let out a small laugh. He could see she was angry.
"Kara, don't even start."
"How long are you gonna do this?" she snapped at him.
"I'm not doing anything."
"He lost his son, Lee..." Kara said sadly.
"And who's responsible for that?" he snapped back at her. He saw her taking a step back. Frak, this is so not what he wanted. He took a deep breath and tried to get his emotions back under control.
"Same old Lee ... you haven't changed either." Kara went on.
"Zak was my brother."
That gave him a cold look from Kara. "What was he to me? Nothing?" she sounded really pissed now.
"That's not what I meant. And you know it ..." he said.
"You know what? You should go! I'm getting the urge to hit another superior asshole." She looked angry at him.
Well, he was just as angry now. He tried to force a smile, then turned around and left. He would just tell her some other time. Or never. Whatever, he didn't care anyway. He angrily walked away.
An hour later Lee stepped into the conference room where some photos for the press were supposed to be shot. He was already awaited.
"Oh, here he is." A brown haired man, probably in his mid thirties, acknowledged his presence. "If you'd just like to, uhh ... do a little space" he waved at some reporters standing in the middle of the room to let Lee pass between them.
"Captain, thank you for joining us." The man offered his hand to introduce himself. "Hi, Aaron Doral." Then he went straight back to business.
"If you'd just like to stand up there, we'll get a few shots of you and the Commander." He pointed towards the podium in the back of the room.
Lee walked towards the designated area when he suddenly became aware of his father standing in the shadows behind the podium.
"Captain" Commander Adama said as he came forward, nodding shortly at his son before standing next to him.
Lee suddenly felt nervous being so close to his father again. He just wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible.
"Great" Aaron Doral cut into his thoughts. "Um, Gentlemen, could you maybe stand a bit closer?" he asked, slightly confused at the attitude both Adamas showed towards each other.
Lee and his father hesitantly moved closer.
"Fantastic. Uhm, Commander, could you put your arm around your son?" Doral went on.
Adama did as he was asked. He just hesitated slightly before actually putting his arm on his sons shoulder. They had been apart for so long. He wasn't used to be so close to his son. He noticed how Lee tensed up at the unfamiliar close contact with his father.
"Great, perfect" Doral said.
While the reporters took their pictures Lee tried to force a smile on his face. When all the necessary pictures were taken, Adama quickly left the podium. As the reporters were starting to leave the room, guided by Doral, Lee watched his father expectantly for a moment. When Adama didn't seem to take any further notice of him he decided it would be best to just follow the reporters out. But before he could step over the threshold his father called out to him.
"You want some, uh, coffee?" He was already pouring some in a cup in front of him.
"No Sir, thank you, Sir." Lee replied coldly and continued to step out of the room.
"Why don't you sit down?" Adama tried again. At that Lee turned around and looked surprised at his father.
"Congratulations on making Captain. Sorry I wasn't there." Adama went on after a few seconds.
"Thank you, Sir." Lee replied, still coldly. There was some uncomfortable silence as father and son thought of what to say next.
"How's your mother?" Adama broke the silence first.
"Getting married." Lee noticed how his father seemed to freeze at this. 'Good.' he thought. 'At least he feels bad about something.'
"Good for her." Adama quietly said. "We spoke about a year ago. Had a real heart to heart, it was good." He continued.
"I'm glad to here that, Sir. Will that be all?" Lee had had enough. He just wanted to get out.
"Why don't you talk to me, Lee?" his father asked frustrated.
Lee let out a small hard laugh. "Wha ... What do you want to talk about?" he replied angry, taking a deep breath. He hated to loose control in front of his father.
"Anything. You've been here for an hour." Adama bit his lip. He hadn't meant to sound accusatory towards his son. He didn't want to push him away again.
"Well, I don't have anything to say. My orders said report here and participate in the ceremony, so I'm here. And I'm going to participate in the ceremony. It wasn't ..." He let out a deep breath. "... wasn't anything in my orders about having any heart-to-heart-chats with the old man." Lee continued coldly.
Sadly Adama looked at his son. He had to make this right somehow. "Accidents happen ... in the service." He quietly said.
"Dad listen, I ..." Lee started but was interrupted by his father. "In all the things that you talked to me about, the last time we were together ..."
"I really don't want to do this." Lee cut in.
"... at the funeral" Adama continued as if he hadn't heard his son's words. "... they still ring in my ears after two years."
"Good" Lee yelled. "Good, cause, cause you know what? They were meant to."
Adama felt like he was slapped to the face. "Zak had a choice. You both did."
Lee snorted. "A man isn't a man until he wears the wings of a viper pilot! Does that sound at all familiar to you?" he shouted at his father.
"It's not fair son ..."
"No, it's not fair." Lee cut in. "Because one of us wasn't cut out to wear the uniform."
"He earned his wings. Just like we all did." Adama tried to argue with his son.
But Lee was too furious now to even listen what his father was saying.
"One of us wasn't cut out to be a pilot. One of us wouldn't have even made it into flight school if his old man ... his Daddy ... hadn't pulled the strings!" he kept shouting in his fathers face.
"That's an exaggeration. I did nothing for him that I wouldn't have done for anyone else." Adama tried to explain. Why wouldn't Lee understand? It hadn't been his fault.
But his fathers words only made Lee more angry. "You're not even listening to me. Why, why can't you get this through your head? Zak did not belong in that plane. He shouldn't have been there. He, he was only doing it for you. Face it. You killed him."
That last part was said in such a harsh ice-cold tone it made Adama shudder. He bit his lip again and just stared at the wall. Without looking at his son again he quietly said: "That'll be all, Captain."
Lee felt the tears began to well up in his eyes. He had to choke. He tried to regain his composure, then walked out of the room, leaving his father behind in pain.
„Well this went just great" Lee thought after he stepped out into the corridor. Just what he had not wanted. Talking to his father. Fighting. First with Kara, then with his Dad. He shouldn't have come here. Frakking orders he thought angry. Why couldn't his father get it? Why ...
„Daddy" he heard a child's voice from behind.
'No way' he thought. But when he turned around he saw his one year old daughter Nia running towards him. Before he could even begin to understand what his daughter was doing here, on his fathers battlestar, the last place he ever would have expected her to be, she had flung herself into his arms.
"Hey pumpkin" he said to her, slightly confused, giving her a welcome kiss on her forehead.
"Miss me?" his daughter asked, her blue eyes sparkling with joy at seeing her father.
He let out a small laugh. "Every second."
Then he turned to his wife Alicia, who came walking towards him right behind their daughter. "What are you doing here?" he asked her utterly confused.
"We thought you could use some company today" she answered smiling. "Are you okay?" she continued quietly. Alicia had noticed the tears still glistening in his eyes.
He swallowed. "I am now" he said, smiling at her before giving her a long kiss.
His daughter giggled in his arms. This day might not end so bad as he had expected.
William Adama was still shocked by his sons outburst. After all this time ... He had hoped Lee would have changed his opinion over what had happened. He thought Lee would eventually understand that all William ever wanted was the best for his sons.
Still deep in thought he left the conference room and stepped out into the corridor. But when he turned around the corner he stopped shell-shocked – surprised to see his son tightly embracing a dark haired woman and having a child in his arms. They seemed to be close. He just stood there, stunned. While watching his son and the woman beside him he thought that she looked kind of familiar. He tried to remember when or where he had seen her before. Then it came back to him. Zak's funeral. She had been there with Lee, standing always by his side, following him outside after his outburst towards his father ... No, he didn't want to think about that again. But if Lee had known her for that long than the child in his arms might be ...
"There you are, Bill. It's time. The Secretary is already waiting. Apparently she still has some more questions." Col. Saul Tigh interrupted Adamas thoughts.
"Yes, thank you, Saul. I'm on my way." William answered his friend and XO.
"You're ok?" Saul asked him.
"Yeah" William sighed. "I just want this day to be over quickly." He looked in his sons direction a last time before walking away to meet again with Laura Roslin, Secretary of Education.
Lee, Alicia and Nia had made their way to the mess hall to spent the little time they had left together.
"I'm sorry we don't have that much time left. If I had known you were here ..." Lee said but was interrupted by his wife.
"Then you wouldn't have argued so much with you Dad?" She said giving him a warm smile.
"How do you know?"
"Everyone in a 100 meter radius around that conference room probably knows." Alicia explained dryly.
"Oh ... "Lee was embarrassed that other people might have heard the exchange with his father. He watched his daughter for some time playing with her doll she took everywhere with her. "So, how's it going at home?" he asked.
"Great. Your mother is busy planning the wedding. Her sister is making her go stir crazy. She should have become a wedding planer." Alicia laughed.
"I can imagine. Aunt Beth always loved planning thinks." Lee replied laughingly. "And how are you doing?" he asked more earnestly.
"I'm fine, Lee. Stop worrying. The new meds are really helping. I almost feel like a new person." She assured him.
"That's good." Lee was glad the new medications were working for his wife. The last ones she had taken had made her sleepy and almost apathetic all the time. He had been worried she might get another relapse.
"Did you know we came here on the same shuttle as the Secretary of Education? You're mother arranged that for us."
"Really, I'm impressed." Lee smiled at her.
"Yeah, but I think she just wanted me out of the house for some time. Mark finally returned from his last business trip. Caroline abandoned your Aunt from the house for a week. I think they both need some time alone." Alicia explained. She looked thoughtful for a moment.
"Maybe we should get our own apartment now. These new pills really are helping. I feel great. I'm sure I could handle living on my own now." She went on excited.
Lee looked sceptic. He knew Alicia hated to be dependent on his mother or any other person for that matter. He felt the same way. But with the medication and treatment being so expensive he couldn't afford taking a job planetside now to live with his family. And he felt better knowing there was someone watching over his wife and daughter he could trust.
"I don't know, Ali, lets wait a bit with that."
"But Lee ..."
"Captain Adama please report to Hangar Bay. Captain Adama please report to Hangar Bay." Was heard over the PA speaker.
Lee looked up then sighed heavily. "I'm sorry. I have to go. We talk about this when I get back to Caprica."
"Alright." Alicia looked disappointed.
"I love you." He gave her a long kiss.
"I love you too." Despite her feelings she smiled warmly at him.
"And you I love the most." He laughed at his daughter while taking her in his arms, giving her a warm hug.
Then he said goodbye to his family and left the mess hall. At the hatch he looked back at them, watching for a few seconds how Alicia played lovingly with Nia and her beloved doll. He sighed. He hoped she was right and the medication would finally help. Then he turned around and stepped through the hatch.
After the ceremony began, there was an air display of manoeuvres held by Galacticas vipers and raptors, lead by Apollo. They were watched by the people participating in the ceremony.
Lee sat in his viper when his father held his speech that was transmitted through the whole ship and also to the vipers and raptors surrounding the Galactica at the moment.
"The Cylon War is long over." Adama began. "Yet we must not forget the reasons why so many sacrificed so much in the cause of freedom. The cost of wearing the uniform can be high. But ..."
Lee heard his father stop for a moment. 'Great' he thought bitter. 'Another one of Dads high appraisals to the Colonial Fleet.' But then he was surprised as his father continued to speak.
"...sometimes it's too high. You know when we fought the Cylons we did it to save ourselves from extinction. But we never answered the question: Why? Why are we as a people worth saving? We still commit murder because of greed, spite, jealousy and we still visit all of our sins upon our children."
As Adama continued Lee wondered if their fight from before had inspired his father to this speech. Did he finally felt some responsibility for what happened to Zak?
"You cannot play god then wash your hands of the things that you've created. Sooner or later the day comes when you can't hide from the things that you've done anymore."
Adamas words left Lee deep in thought for a while. He thought again about their fight earlier, his heated discussion with Kara, his family. He knew he had made mistakes in life too. But at least he was taking full responsibility for them. Why couldn't his father do the same?
Lee had been ordered to escort the Secretary's shuttle back to Caprica. It killed him to be so near his wife and daughter and not being able to spend some time with them. As soon as they had reached Caprica he would have to return to Galactica and change this old piece of junk – of course they had to make him fly his fathers old Viper Mark II – against his new Viper Mark VII. He would be glad to finally fly in his own Viper again. He didn't really trust this old bird. Even though Galacticas Chief had assured him that she was as good as new he still had this feeling she would fall apart around him every second.
Inside the shuttle the passengers were greeted by their Pilot.
"Ladies and Gentleman, we are now on route back to Caprica. If you'll look out the starboard window, you might be able to see one of Galacticas old Mark II Vipers which will be escorting us home."
Alicia had to smile at these words. Lee had told her about his feelings regarding flying his fathers old Viper. Everyone had expected him to feel proud when in reality he would have preferred to rip that ship apart. She looked down at her daughter who was too busy playing with her doll to notice anything around her.
"Look Honey, that's your Daddy flying in this Viper out there."
Immediately Nia's eyes turned out the window. "Daddy?" she called out.
"Yes, that's your Daddy."
Nia had put a hand on the window and was watching her father fly next to the shuttle. Her doll was all forgotten. When it came to her father there was nothing more important.
Adama sat in his office going over some reports. Finally the ceremony was over. He hated the idea of retirement but he certainly wouldn't miss all this military pomp. He was truly tired and glad that this day finally lay behind him. His thoughts went back to Lee. Had this child really been his? If he were a grandfather surely someone would have told him. He reflected on his conversation with Lee today and suddenly he didn't feel so sure about that anymore. His thoughts were interrupted by his phone ringing.
"CIC to Commanding Officer."
"Go ahead." He replied.
"I'm sorry to disturb you, Sir, but we have a priority 1 alert message from Fleet Headquarters. It ... was transmitted in the clear." Lt. Gaeta reported to him.
"In the clear?" What does it say?" He noticed Gaeta slightly hesitated before he read the message to his Commander.
"Attention all Colonial Units, Cylon attack underway. This is no drill."
There was a short silence on the phone as Adama tried to comprehend what he just heard. He closed his eyes for a second. He had known they would come back some day. He just wished he had been wrong.
"I'll be right there."
In CIC Adama met with Col. Tigh who looked like he just fell out of his rack.
"What have we got? Shipping accidents?" Tigh asked. 'There are always problems when civilians are involved,' he thought to himself.
Adama handed him a paper. While Tigh was busy reading the document Lt. Gaeta approached them.
"Condition 1 is set. All decks report ready for action, Sir." He reported.
"Very well." Adama answered quietly.
Tigh couldn't believe what was happening here. "This is a joke!" he called out. "The Fleet's playing a joke on you, a retirement prank, come on."
"I don't think so." Adama answered calmly.
Tigh looked at him in disbelief as Adama picked up a microphone to announce the current situation to the crew.
"This is the Commander." Adama began. "Moments ago this ship received word of a Cylon attack against our home world which is underway. We do not know the size or the disposition or the strength of the enemy forces. But all indications point to a massive assault against Colonial defences. Admiral Ngala has taken personal command of the fleet aboard the Battlestar Atlantia following complete destruction of Picon Fleet Headquarters in the first wave of the attacks. How, why, doesn't really matter now. What does matter is that of this moment, we are at war!"
He paused shortly.
"You've trained for this. You're ready for this. Stand to your duties. Trust your fellow ship mates. And we'll all get through this. Further updates as we get them. Thank you." Adama finished, putting the microphone down.
Everyone in CIC stood still for a moment, looking at their commander before they all went back to work.
In her cell Kara listened to Adamas words. She was shocked. How could this have happened? How could the Cylons just show up and destroy headquarters. And Caprica was under attack. 'Lee is on his way to Caprica' she thought terrified. Then she called for the guard.
"Let me out" she demanded.
"I'm afraid I can't do this, Lt. I have my orders."
"There is a frakking war going on. You really think the Commander wants his best pilot to sit in a cell?" she yelled at him.
"I'm sorry, Lt. I can't let you out." With that he turned around and left her just standing there.
She yelled at him to come back. When she couldn't see him anymore she turned quiet and frustrated looked around herself. "This is just frakking great." She hissed. "We're at war and I'm stucked in this frakking cell." She let out a frustrated sigh. "I always screw up at the worst possible times."
5 Minutes later the guard returned and opened her cell. "You are ordered to report to CIC ASAP."
Kara got out immediately. When she passed by the guard she gave him an angry look. He didn't dare to meet her eyes. Then she quickly made her way to CIC.
When Starbuck arrived at CIC the first person she saw was Col. Tigh. She couldn't resist the notion to taunt him despite the circumstances. She touched her cheek at the same area where she had hit the Colonel only hours ago. He had a visible bruise on his cheek. She smiled at him mischievously. Then she went straight to Commander Adama and saluted to him.
"Commander. Ready for duty, Sir."
"Good." Adama replied.
"Where the hell did the Cylons come from?" Starbuck asked angrily. She needed to know what was going on here.
"All we know for sure is they achieved complete surprise and we're taking heavy losses. We lost 30 Battlestars in the opening attack."
Kara had so swallow the lump that was building up in her throat. "It's a quarter of the fleet." She said shocked.
Adama looked at her seriously. "I need pilots and I need fighters."
"Pilots you got. There's 20 of us climbing the walls down in the ready room. But fighters ..." She shook her head slightly, looking on the floor.
"I think I seem to remember an entire squadron of fighters down on the starboard Hangar Deck yesterday."
Starbuck looked surprised at Adama, then she smiled. "Yes, Sir." She saluted, then quickly left CIC.
Alicia sat shocked, holding her daughter tightly in her arms, as she listened to the Pilots words.
"Once again, we are processing the information that we have been given and I ... urge you all ... to try to stay calm. As we get more information, I will pass it along to you. We appreciate your patience. Thank you."
With tears in her eyes Alicia looked outside the window searching for her husband. He was nowhere to be seen.
"Mommy?" her daughter asked her scared when she saw her mother crying.
"It's okay honey. It's okay. Just keep playing with your doll, yes?" She pressed her daughter more tightly to her for a second before releasing her so she could play with her doll.
In his Viper Apollo tried to get a hold of the situation. The Cylons had attacked the Colonies. Caprica was under attack so for the moment they had nowhere to go. They were already too far away to return to the Galactica. He had to protect that shuttle, his wife and daughter, and all he had was a 20 year old viper which could break apart any second.
"Any luck, Captain?" he heard the shuttles pilot over the comm.
He had tried to get more information over military channels. "No. Just picking up a lot of confusing chatter." He sighed. This was getting them nowhere.
"Well, to be honest with you, I'm kinda glad you're sticking around. Makes us all feel better just seeing you out there."
Apollo let out a frustrated sigh. "Well, don't get too comfortable. This old junker I'm in was meant for show, not combat. If we run into a problem, well, I'll do what I can to protect you. But the first sign of trouble you pull on the speed and you run." He ordered the pilot. There really wasn't much he could do to defend them.
"Don't worry about that. I've got my hands on the throttle, it hasn't left since I got that first message. Colonial Heavy 798 out."
But Apollo did worry. Of course he was glad that Alicia and Nia weren't on Caprica at this time. They would probably be dead by now. The pure thought sent cold shivers through his body. But they were not really safe on that shuttle either. If the Cylons were going to attack he couldn't do much to protect them. He'd rather preferred to be on the Atlantia right now where he could actually help. He would get in his Mark VII and kick some Cylon ass. All he was able to do here was waiting for the Cylons to kill them all.
Some time later Alicia clasped her daughter tightly to her again. She could hardly follow what that woman in front of them was saying to them. While the people around her were starting to scream and cry out for their loved ones she was unable to move or just think of any reasonable thing to calm down her daughter who sat crying in her arms, scared at all the commotion around them.
The woman, Laura Roslin, Secretary of Education, tried to calm down everyone.
"Please, stop ... Please. I'm trying to reach the government right now and get more information. In the meantime, we should all be prepared for an extended stay aboard this ship. ... Okay, so, uhh, you, please. And you." She showed at some people. "Uhm, take an inventory of the emergency supplies and rations ..."
Suddenly she was interrupted by a brown haired man who questioned whether she was in charge at all.
This was all too much for Alicia. She couldn't stay here on that shuttle. She had to get back to Caprica. She tried to call out that they had to return home immediately but she just couldn't find the words. She was scared to death. She held on to her daughter more tightly and let the tears run down she had been trying to keep in order to comfort her daughter. But she just couldn't be strong anymore.
As if the Cylons had read his thoughts two Raiders showed up on Apollos Dradis. He quickly informed the shuttle's pilot of the new situation then sped up to meet the Cylons before they could reach the shuttle. But it was too late. They had already sent a missile in the shuttles direction. He managed to shoot down the Cylon Raiders fairly quickly then he manoeuvred his Viper in front of the missile, hoping it would go after him instead the shuttle. His plan seemed to work. He led the missile away from the shuttle, then quickly turned around his viper and fired with everything he had at the missile which was now directly in front of him. The missile got destroyed but the detonation hit Apollo's Viper with full impact. His ship shook wildly around before it lost all power. 'Frak' Lee thought.
"Krypter, krypter, krypter ..." he called over the comm. "This is Apollo to Colonial Heavy 798. I'm declaring an emergency. Flight systems are offline. Need assistance." He let out a frustrated sigh. He sat dead in space.
It only took the shuttle crew a few minutes to get Apollo on board. After he left the Viper he was approached by the same man he had met at the photo shooting earlier that day. Doral, he thought the man's name was.
"Captain, are you alright?"
"I'm fine." He answered then went passed the man. He had seen something behind his viper that looked interesting. He ignored Doral who kept following and talking to him.
"What are these things?"
Apollo finally took notice of the man beside him. "Electric pulse generators from the Galactica." He said, studying the generators in front of him.
"Really, that, that's interesting." Doral didn't really cared about these things right now, he had other things on his mind. "Captain, I can't tell you how glad I am to see you."
Surprised Apollo looked up. "Oh? Why is that?"
Relieved to finally have the Captains attention Doral went on. "Well, personally I'd feel a lot better if someone qualified were in charge around here."
"Is something wrong with your pilot?" Apollo asked.
"No, it ... it's just that he's not the one giving orders."
Apollo glanced one last look at the generators then walked away to see what was going on on the shuttle. Doral followed him quickly.
"This is ... it's bad situation, isn't it, Sir?" he asked.
"Yes, it is." Apollo answered while he kept quickly leaving the Cargo Bay. This man was starting to get on his nerves.
As Lee entered the passenger area he looked out for Alicia and Nia. He saw them sitting in the middle of the room. Alicia held tightly on to their daughter and both were crying. He quickly walked over to them.
"Ali ..." he called out before embracing them both tightly. When he let loose again he saw his wife looking up at him with a relived expression on her face.
She grasped his hand tight. "Lee, thank the gods. I couldn't see your viper out there anymore. What are you doing here?" She sniffed, the tears were still rolling down her cheeks.
"Long story, but I'm okay." He looked worried at his wife. "Ali, you have to calm down." He stopped, searching for the right words.
Before he went on he took his daughter in his arms and gently began stroking her back. That usually calmed her down. She immediately slung her little arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder. He forced himself to turn his attention back to his wife. "Do you have enough medication with you?" he asked her.
"Yes." She said in a tiny voice.
"Good, when are you supposed to take the next pill?" He swallowed once.
"I don't know. What time is it?"
Quickly he checked his watch. "Half past nine."
"Oh Gods, I should have taken one over two hours ago."
Lee let out a small breath. "Ok, take one now. Do you need some water?"
"No. Lee, I'm sorry." She looked at him afraid.
"It's ok, don't worry. Just take your pill." Lee looked up at Doral who was waiting impatiently for him before turning back to his wife. "Listen, I have to take care of something. I'll be back as soon as I can."
Alicia closed her eyes for a second. When she opened them again she seemed to have found some strength again. "Alright, give me Nia back. I can take care now."
He nodded shortly, then handed her his daughter back.
"No, Daddy, don't go." Nia called out for him.
"I have to go, sweetheart. Mummy is gonna watch you again, okay?" It broke his heart to see his daughter crying out for him. He just wanted to hold her close to him and never let go again. But instead he stood up, gave them both a quick kiss and left with Doral to see what was happening on this ship.
When they entered the next room Apollo saw three people, two men and a woman, sitting around a table. Apollo recognised the woman as Laura Roslin. When they noticed them enter the room the older man got up and offered his hand to Apollo. According to his uniform this man must be the pilot, Apollo noticed.
"Captain, it's good to see you again." He was greeted by Roslin.
"Likewise." Apollo replied before turning back to the Pilot. "Thanks for the lift."
"Ah, you should thank her." The Pilot showed in Roslins direction.
When Apollo looked down at her again she was already back to discussion with the younger man sitting next to her. "Start the cargo transfer and prep A3 for survivors." He heart her say.
He was quite surprised by her words. "I'm sorry, survivors?" he asked.
"As soon as the attack began the government ordered a full stop on all civilian vessels. So now we got hundreds of stranded ships in the solar system, some are lost, some are damaged, some are losing power. We have enough space on this ship to accommodate up to 500 people and we're going to need every bit of it."
While Roslin explained this the young man who had sat next to her – probably her Assistant, Apollo thought – got up to take out her orders.
"But we don't even know what the tactical situation is out there." Doral cut in, shocked by what he was hearing.
"The tactical situation is that we are losing, right Captain?" She looked questioningly at Apollo.
He slowly nodded. "Right." She was right. There was nothing else they could do. It was over.
"So we pick up as many people as we can, we try to find a safe-haven to put down. Captain, I'd like you to look over the navigational charts for a likely place to hide from the Cylons. That's all." With that Laura Roslin left the room.
When Apollo looked back at Doral he had to grin at the mans shocked face. "Lady's in Charge." He said while walking pass him.
While Apollo checked the navigational charts as Roslin had asked him to he listened to an incoming transmission from the Government that all ministers and officials should go to case orange. Questioningly he looked at Laura Roslin who sat in a seat behind the co-pilot.
"It's an automated message. It's designed to be sent out in case the president, the vice president and most of the cabinet are dead or incapacitated." She explained in a thin voice.
There was some silence following her words as everyone tried to comprehend what that meant.
Then Roslin turned to the pilot. "I need you ... to send my ID code back on the exact same frequency."
"Yes Ma'am." The Pilot answered solemnly then began to tape the code she gave him. After he was done Roslin nodded and got up quietly to leave the cockpit. Apollo watched her with a worried expression.
After checking on his wife and daughter again Lee went on to look after Roslin. He found her in an almost deserted passenger aisle, sitting in one of the seats. She looked tired and exhausted. He took a seat opposite from hers and they both stared at each other in silence for some time.
"How far down"? Apollo finally asked.
"43rd in line of succession. I know all 42 ahead of me from the president down. Most of them served with him in the first administration. Some of them came with him from he mayors office. I was there with him on his first campaign. I never really liked politics. Kept telling myself I was getting out, but ... He had this way about him ..." Roslin said in a low voice. "I just couldn't say no."
At this moment the pilot approached the two of them and handed a piece of paper to Roslin.
"Thank you." She nodded at him, trying to hold her tears back. "I'll need a ... priest." She quietly said.
Apollo knew exactly what that meant. He gave her a sad look as she walked away.
10 minutes later he watched with his wife beside him and his daughter on his arms as Laura Roslin, former Secretary of Education, was sworn in to President. Raising her right hand Roslin repeated the Priestess words.
"I, Laura Roslin, do now avow and affirm that I accept the office of the .. that I accept the office of the president of the 12 colonies of Kobol. And that I will protect and defend the sovereignty of the colonies with every fibre of my being."
She looked like she would break down every minute but she stood straight throughout the ceremony, only wiping away a tear at the end of her vow. Apollo thought he had never seen a stronger woman in his life.
Half an hour later their shuttle was approached by another colonial vessel.
"Geminon Liner 17 0 1, this is Colonial 798 ..." The Pilot stopped. He slightly looked at the President standing behind him before he went on. "No, strike that, this is Colonial 1."
Roslin gave him a thankful look. She still couldn't quit comprehend what happened. Never in her wildest dreams would she have seen herself in a position like this.
While the Pilot was still in contact with the other vessel another transmission came over the printer. Apollo pulled it out, glanced a short look over the paper, then handed it to Roslin.
"What is it?" She asked him.
With a pressed voice Apollo read the message out loud. "To all Colonial Units. I am taking command of the fleet. All Units ordered to rendezvous at Ragnar Anchorage for regroup and counter-attack. Acknowledged by same encryption protocol. Adama."
Lee was relieved his father was still alive. But did it have to be him to take command over the fleet? Then a thought crossed his mind. If his father was alive then there was a good chance that Kara was also. He clinged to that thought. He didn't know what he would do if Kara was dead. Even if he hadn't spoken with her for the last two years the knowledge that he simply had to pick up the phone to talk to her had always giving him a warm feeling.
When Apollo looked back at the president he knew what was coming next.
"Captain Apollo! Please inform Commander Adama that we are currently involved in rescue operations and we require his assistance." Roslin ordered him as he had already expected she would. "Ask him how many hospital beds he has available and how long it will take him to get here."
Apollo looked at her uncomfortably. "I, uhh ..."
"Yes?" She looked at him questioningly.
He suddenly felt like a ten year old. He tried to regain his composure. "I'm not sure he's gonna respond very well to that request." He replied carefully.
"Then tell him ... this comes directly from the president of the 12 colonies ... and it's not a request." She said sternly.
"Yes Sir! And Sir ... Apollo's just my call sign. My name is Lee Adama." He hesitantly told her.
"I know who you are. But Captain Apollo has a nice ring to it, don't you think?" She winked at him, then smilingly left the room.
Apollo smiled back. He still felt uncomfortably but went to take out her orders immediately.
When Commander Adama received the message from Colonial 1 he couldn't believe what he was hearing. He felt relieved to know that his son was alright but he couldn't be serious with this. He asked if Colonial 1 was in voice range. He would end this before it went too far.
On his order his Communication Officer, Petty Officer Dualla, Dee, as he usually called her, picked up the microphone.
"Colonial 1, Galactica! Galactica actual wishes to speak with Apollo." She listened to the response for a second than handed the microphone to Adama.
He suddenly felt nervous and searched for the right words to say to his son. "Are you ... Is your ship alright?"
Apollo felt taken aback by these words. "We ... We're both fine. Thanks for asking." He replied coldly. He tried to ignore the odd look the Pilot shot him.
"Is your ship FTL functioning?" Adama went on.
Apollo turned to the pilot who nodded. "That's affirmative."
"Then you're ordered to bring yourself and all of your passengers to the rendezvous point. Acknowledge?" The worried father was gone. Adama was full back to being a Commander.
Apollo let out a small sigh while he thought of how to respond to this. "Acknowledge ... receipt of message." He knew his father wouldn't except that. And he was right.
"What the hell does that mean?" He could clearly hear the anger in his fathers voice.
"It means ... I heard you."
"You're gonna have to do a lot better than that Captain." Adama had to take a deep breath to stay calm.
"We're engaged in rescue operations."
"You are to abort your mission immediately and proceed to Ragnar!" Adama ordered.
"The president has given me a direct order." Apollo replied.
"You're talking about the Secretary of Education! We're in the middle of a war and you're taking orders from a school teacher?" Adama yelled into the microphone. He couldn't believe his son could be so blind.
Apollo just sat still for a second. He didn't know what to say to this. He didn't even notice the President enter the cockpit listening to the last words his father said – or better screamed.
Suddenly the controls were starting to beep. While Apollo still thought of what to answer his father the Pilot cut in. "We got trouble."
"Stand by Galactica ... What?" He cut the transmission and turned to the pilot.
"Inbound Cylon fighters." The pilot reported scared.
"How long till they get here?" Roslin asked. Surprised Apollo noticed that she was in the cockpit.
"ETA 2 Minutes."
Apollo turned to the President. "He's right. We have to go. Now!"
"No."
"Madam president, we can't defend this ship." Apollo tried to reason with her.
"We're not going to abandon all these people." She looked him straight in the eye.
"But Sir, if we stay ..." he tried again.
"I've made my decision, Captain."
Apollo looked at her in disbelief. "You're the President." He said sharply.
"Alright then." Roslin sighed.
Suddenly Apollo got an idea. "Permission to go below?"
The president just nodded shortly at him.
Adama couldn't believe his son had just cut him of like this. Fuming he stared at the microphone still in his hands. Suddenly he heard Lt. Gaeta yell.
"Sir! We have a remote sensor telemetry at Captain Apollo's location and two enemy fighters closing in on their co-ordinates."
After leaving the cockpit Apollo ran straight downstairs to the Cargo Bay. On his way there he passed Alicia and Nia. He ignored their calls for him. It hurt but he had no time to loose. When he reached the Electric Pulse Generators he found a few hours earlier he pushed some buttons on the panel.
After hearing Gaeta's words Adama quickly picked up the microphone again.
"Colonial 1! This is Galactica! Apollo, you have inbound enemy fighters coming towards you ... Get out of there! Apollo! Apollo! Lee get ... Lee!" he yelled but didn't get any respond.
Desperately Adama looked at the Dradis Console and watched in horror as the dots that showed Colonial 1 position enveloped in a great blue cloud which disperses to show an empty screen. All Personal in CIC stood in shocked silence.
"50 kiloton thermonuclear detonation." Gaeta reported in a quiet voice. "Cylons moving off ... Sir."
Adama felt tears well up in his eyes. Still shocked he stared at the Dradis Console. His son was dead.
Tbc ...
A.N.: I hope you liked it so far. This is my first attempt at writing fanfiction. I have to apologise for any grammar or spelling mistakes. I'm from Germany so English is a foreign language to me. But I tried my best. Please read and review. Thanks.