Fic: Lost in Space on a Desert Island (1/3)

[callmeonetrack]

Title: Lost in Space on a Desert Island (1/3)
Author: merrykk
Characters: Kara, Boomer, Dee, Cally
Spoilers: None, set pre-series
Length: 10,500 words
Rating: PG-13 for language and action violence
Summary: Kara ends up stuck on a Raptor repair flight that has a lot more trouble than the brochure indicated, and she has to work with a new team if she's going to get them out of the trouble in one piece.

For lyssie, who asked for “Kara, Athena and Dee on a recon mission, possibly shooting down some Cylons or human pirates. C'mon, there had to be human pirates at SOME point. (Athena flies the raptor, Dee's there for communications and also it's her turn on the roster, and Kara's there to mock raptors for their inefficiency and general lack of sexiness) - OR, Boomer could be there, which could put it pre-series or season one.”


Part 1

“And that, sir,” Kara finished, leaning back in her rec-room chair, the environment around her settled to near-silent buzz of listening excitement, “is the Thracian equation of leadership, and the explanation of your shockingly low score.” She flashed a quick smile, staring straight up at Colonel Tigh. “See, sir, I always knew those math courses would come in handy some day.”

The fire in his eyes glinted sharply towards her, causing the sweet taste of triumph to rise in her mouth, and she mingled it with the high-quality ambrosia in her shot glass. Nothing new here, as she could guess by the usual quick bets being murmured back and forth among fellow pilots off behind Tigh.

As for the Colonel, he took two seconds, no more. “I need you off my ship, Captain,” he said in a low voice.

Kara blinked, ignoring the quick exchange of bets in her peripheral eyesight. “Sir?”

“Off my ship, next flight,” said Tigh with dark determination. “You walk down to the hangar, take the next Raptor out of here, and I don’t want to see or hear you for the rest of today. I assume, with that brain of yours, you can understand that as well as your math?”

She danced her eyes fiercely back at him, their gazes sparring in mid-air for a second. “Yes, sir,” she said, without an ounce of the appropriate meaning.

Tigh just stood, and Kara gritted her teeth and, forcing herself not to push the issue further, rose. She let her shot glass drop with a clink. “See you later, then,” she said with a nonchalant glance to Crashdown and Racetrack, the other denizens at her table.

She almost tossed a last barb to Tigh at the door to the rec room, turning around and staring at his back for a pregnant second-but it was a good day after all, and she’d expected this. It was worth it. This wouldn’t exactly be a punishment anyways.

So, with an emotional state entirely lacking chagrin, she smoothly made her way down to the hangar bay where all the action was happening. Chief had a CAP out already, and the refueling mission had just finished, so she had to walk past a good deal of the bustle before seeing a way to fulfill her task.

One Raptor stood in the outgoing area, door open, about ready for takeoff. Kara raised her eyebrow as she didn’t recognize the officer standing with a flightsuit and a clipboard. Or, rather, she’d seen her before, at a briefing maybe, just not where any of the older members of Galactica’s crew would be. A newbie, then, Kara assumed. Not bad at all.

Hands in her pockets, she strolled up to the Raptor door just as she saw someone she did know, Lt. Dualla.

“Got stuck on the bottom shift, huh Dee?” she called warmly. “Who’s the new Raptor monkey?”

The new girl blinked, tensed a little, her small frame prepared to bristle. They always misunderstood; it was cute, Kara thought.

“Don’t listen to her, Sharon, she’s just a viper jock, it’s her job to insult you,” Dee said, rolling her eyes as she turned to the Raptor pilot and ignoring Kara’s other question. Like Sharon, her hair was pulled back tight, her uniform fitting neatly, while Kara’s tanks hung slightly ruffled, her hair in need of a trimming.

“Sharon Valerii?” Kara asked, tossing a knowing glance to Dee, with whom she’d always shared a back-and-forth acquaintance. “Karl mentioned you, I remember now.” She offered her hand with a smile. “Kara Thrace, viper jock, and don’t listen to Dee, I hang around too many Raptor monkeys for my own good.”

Sharon gave a smile, slightly unsure, but shook Kara’s hand firmly. “Lt. Valerii,” she answered. “I think I’ve heard of you too.”

“Not surprising,” Kara answered, then glanced between them. Dee had climbed aboard the Raptor, adjusting something, and she came out to point at something on Sharon’s checklist. “So, XO’s sending me to cool my heels on the first flight out; what’re we headed for?”

Sharon blinked a little, but Dee didn’t look surprised at the lack of permission asked. “We’re waiting on Specialist Henderson,” Sharon said after a brief pause. “She’s the deck officer for this mission. The FTL on this Raptor has been shifty, nothing dangerous, but there could be some kind of bug or malfunction. Chief can’t figure it out while it’s landed, so we’re doing field tests.”

Other than the way she might have been reading it from an official report, Kara approved of Sharon’s news. She nodded. “Fun,” she said, with a dance of her eyebrows.

Sharon cracked a tiny smile then, a little relieved. “Yeah,” she said dryly.

“Are you Lt. Valerii?” came a voice from behind Kara. Turning around, she saw another person she only knew by sight, though more frequently. The small woman with dark bangs looked a little out of place in her flight-ready jumpsuit, large toolbox in hand.

“Yes,” Sharon said, quickly pulling herself back to crisp professionalism.

“Specialist Cally Henderson,” the other woman said, nodding, looking ready but slightly discomfited. “Chief sent me.”

“Good, thank you for being on time,” Sharon said. She glanced around. Dee was already back in the Raptor. “That’s the full bird, then. Captain Thrace, are you ready to go?”

Kara nodded, then poked her head around the Raptor. “Wait, Dee, what are you doing on this ride?”

“Backseat,” Dee answered, wiping her hands as she walked into Kara’s eyesight. “More electronics, though, making sure the programming is correct, or at least matching what Cally is doing with the physical engine.”

“Yup,” Cally said, a little more brightly, smiling at Dee who returned it freely. Apparently Dee knew everyone on this ride, a fact that shouldn’t surprise Kara even though it always did, the more she knew Dee.

“Guess I’m copilot, then,” Kara offered, equally bright, as Sharon walked in and closed the door behind her.

“I can handle things,” Sharon assured quickly.

“I’m sure you can,” Kara answered, only half mollifying. “But so can I, and there’s really not room for three back here.”

Sharon glanced around at the group, and even though Dee and Cally were both compact in size, Kara was clearly right. There was a bit of uneasiness in her look anyways, and she looked to Dee.

“Oh, she’s not here for true punishment,” Dee said, catching on. “Kara likes pissing off Tigh; he just needs a few hours free of her. She won’t cause any problems.”

“’Course not,” Kara said, even as her grin belied the firmness of her tone. “Besides, Karl’d have my ass if I did, not to mention the Old Man.” She raised her eyebrow, indicating the front. “Shall we?”

Sharon nodded. “Right. Let’s get this mission started.”

Kara settled herself in the right seat, clipping the belts in place out of protocol’s sake, thinking that Sharon had been shocked by enough of her for a few minutes at least. It’d been a while since she’d had this much space in a cockpit, and though it didn’t feel like home, it wasn’t bad for a day. Sharon buckled in a little more formulaically, pressing the controls in textbook order. Again, Kara found her behavior a little cute.

“Okay, are we ready back there?” Sharon asked, as she started moving the Raptor to the airlock.

Kara tossed a brief glance back. Dee was sitting at the computer station, headset on, looking just as she did in CIC. Dee was a constant wherever she went. Cally sat on the bench, toolbox at her feet and hands in her lap, looking vaguely nauseated.

“We’re ready,” said Dee.

There was nothing quite like the movement of a spaceship, even still in a pressurized environment. Kara forgot that this trip was anything but her idea as they moved out, and as space appeared ahead, offering a cool and thorough embrace. The airlock closed behind them, and Sharon made sure everything locked in. Kara glanced at the controls on her side, but wasn’t expecting to see anything.

“And, we are ready for departure,” Sharon said into her headset. The affirmative crackled over the radio, which Kara now settled lightly over her ear. Then the outer airlock doors opened, and Sharon released the last brake.

There was a bump on takeoff, and Kara surreptitiously gripped the side of her chair, her peripheral telling her that Sharon’s pursed lips meant that she at least knew about the error. That was the main problem with Raptors, you were never sure to get the control seat. Karl said it made for more efficiency, and promoted cooperation. Of course, they’d always been a little tipsy when the discussion went that way, so Kara did not think she’d heard the best explanation. Regardless, Vipers had an individual charm that needed no cooperation for harmonization. Kara wouldn’t say it out loud, but it was what she was thinking as the Raptor flew out of Galactica.

There was nothing around them now as Galactica orbited Tauron, the refueling ship having moved along. A fair distance out, Sharon steadied the Raptor in space.

“Galactica, this is Boomer, Raptor 204,” she said into her radio. “Permission to carry out mission 31845?”

The voice that would usually have been Dee’s drifted back. “Permission granted, Boomer. Carry on.”

Sharon-and Kara stopped for a second to wonder how she’d gotten the callsign ‘Boomer’ exactly-flicked her transmitter off, then looked back at the rest of her crew. “Okay, we’re going to start off with a test jump, just a couple hundred meters. Ready?”

“Yes sir,” Dee answered, at the same time as Cally.

Kara watched the controls, half interested as Sharon carefully set coordinates in place as the FTL wound up. Kara liked the sound, the feel, of the FTL. It was what she fondly called space magic, and made her feel alive.

“And...mark,” Sharon said.

A pulsing, contracting, and then they were in another part of space. She glanced at the controls at the same time as Sharon.

“Slightly off course, as expected,” Sharon said. “Readings up here look accurate, though. Dee?”

“Hmm,” came the communications officer’s voice behind them, and the rapid clicking of computer keys. “I’m collating the jump data now.”

Kara glanced back after a second, saw Cally looking a little pale but not as tense now that the jump was over, and she was tapping her fingers on her knees.

Dee’s lips were neatly pressed together as she scanned the screen. “Nothing in particular here,” she said slowly. “Can’t know for sure, but it wouldn’t be too hasty an assumption to consider a physical malfunction at this point. Cally?”

Cally perked a little, standing up. “Can I get some help with the compartment door?”

Dee turned from her computer to help.

Kara had no interest in repairs, really, and she turned back to Sharon who also had nothing to do now, until there was any news. Kara didn’t prop her feet up in front of her, but she did move the lever to scoot her seat, leaning back and putting a hand behind her head. “So, how’d you end up on this joy ride?”

Sharon glanced at her, slightly awkward. “Everyone else had missions already scheduled.”

“Lowest on the roster,” Kara translated, nodding.

“It’s only my third day on Galactica,” Sharon said, a bit of a fluster about her. “Or any battlestar.”

“First battlestar, nice,” Kara said, going easy on her. “Galactica was mine too, going on six months now.”

Sharon’s bit of hasty defense wavered, and Kara waited, much preferring her conversations to be a little less like interviews. There would be a time to needle her later, once it was all good fun in the rec room. “So, it doesn’t take that long to fit in?” Sharon asked hopefully.

Kara laughed. “Oh, this is my first battlestar, not first post. I was probably teaching Basic Flight right around when you were graduating.”

“You taught, really?” Sharon asked, curious and much less tense, eyes finally meeting Kara’s.

Not that Kara was in the habit of talking about this, but hey, it was no secret either. “Snatched right out of my graduating class,” she said, a slight grin coming as the memory surfaced. “The morons thought I had a particular kind of talent.” Better for leading, not so great on the following. Kara’d always figured, with a perverse pleasure, that the move was as much for the fleet’s benefit as for hers in staying out of it.

“But you...didn’t?” Sharon asked cautiously.

Kara paused, and there was a reason this subject wasn’t her favorite. She glanced out the windshield for a second before answering. “Oh, I was hella good, just not enough to do it long-term. The Old Man offered me a place here, I took it. Knew Karl from way back, so transition was easy.” She added a slight finality to the words, pushing aside memories.

Thankfully, Sharon got the hint. “Karl’s a good man,” she said, nodding.

“He likes to give that impression, yeah,” Kara answered, throwing her a sudden grin. “You still haven’t said how you got here.”

But as Sharon opened her mouth, Dee poked her head from the back. “We’re about ready to give it another go.”

With a nod, Sharon turned quickly back to the controls to input another minor jump. Kara glanced out the window, waited for the pulse, and again they’d moved. However, the unplanned shift was even more significant now. She frowned at the controls. “Shifty. Right.”

“Whoa, hey, what was that?” Sharon asked, looking back at the technicians.

“Maybe we’re going the wrong direction with the adjustments,” Cally offered.

“I’m not sure these readings are right after all,” Dee said, a frown in her voice. “But it’s just a little bug, if anything. I can do a basic cleanup so we can finish with diagnostics, then Gaeta can do a full sweep of the program when we get back.”

“There was another thing we could try with the engine,” Cally said, “Because I don’t think we were wrong, there’s something off about this drive.”

Kara’s eyebrow wavered in its high position. “Don’t-kill us,” she cautioned dryly.

Dee and Cally barely nodded before ignoring her and getting on with their work. Kara knew that they were competent, but still, they were as close as Galactica got to dregs for something as pointless as this kind of job.

“Does this happen often?” Sharon asked in a low voice.

Kara smiled at her, glad for the diversion. “Weren’t you told? Galactica kisses the ass of the totem pole, so we get all the sucky equipment. Everything’s old, crappy, and getting spare parts is a pain. If Karl’s whining is anything to go by.”

Sharon gave a light laugh. “Sounds like where I grew up.”

“Or my apartment planet-side,” Kara said, tipping her head towards Sharon. “Guess we have a thing for sad sorry messes.”

“Well, fixing them,” Sharon added. Kara noticed that she was settled back in her seat, and without the tension of the need to perform, she looked a lot more professional; too bad for her that she didn’t seem to know.

“You don’t fix Galactica, though,” Kara said with a fondness wavering in her voice. She patted the side of her seat. “Sometimes being broken is its own charm.”

Sharon gave her a strange look and a half smile.

“Okay, I think I’m ready for another test,” Cally reported from the back, and both Kara and Sharon turned to see.

“Just a second,” Dee said, “and I’ll have a workable jump program. It’s cleaning up fairly well; I think we have a maintenance problem, that’s all.” She frowned a little at the screen, then added a few lightning-fast key-clicks.

Kara pursed her lips, tapping the edge of her seat.

“Jump ready,” Dee said a minute later, leaning back and glancing to Cally.

Sharon looked to Cally, who still had the engine panel open.

“I need to watch the workings,” Cally said with a shrug.

“Okay, let’s try this again,” Sharon said, turning back around in her seat. She input the coordinates, blinked a little, then glanced at Kara. “When you said this happened often, did you mean missions like this?”

Kara chuckled. “Only if you stay at the bottom rung.” Of course, the variety wasn’t always the pleasant kind, but no point in frightening the girl...

The jump pulse was immediately followed by a loud zap, and a sharp cry from Cally. Kara and Sharon quickly twisted in their seats, looking back. Cally had flown back from the engine, hitting the wall, grabbing at her arm. “Frak!” she said in a tight, high voice.

Sharon swallowed nervously.

“Cally?” Dee asked, concerned, stepping from the computer.

“Frak!” Cally swore again, cradling her hand, and Kara could see a red welt forming. “No, I’m fine, it just hurts like hell.”

Kara knew exactly what that felt like, having slammed her head against a Viper cockpit on multiple occasions in response to faulty wiring. But Cally was right, it wasn’t too much a danger. She turned back in her seat, calling as she did so, “Hey-hey, Sharon, mission command here.”

The controls seemed off again, but out of the corner of her eye Kara saw something that wasn’t Galactica. She frowned, about to look up.

“Oh gods,” Sharon breathed out, eyes fixated by the window.

Kara just stared at the sight in front of them, the deep blue of the planet beneath swirling white clouds, that was most definitely not the Tauron landscape they’d been viewing until moments ago. The outrageousness of the situation was going to impress her in a moment, she knew, but right now- “I’m not always able to say this, but I’m completely sober and yet that looks suspiciously like Aquaria.”

“Did you say Aquaria?” Dee asked behind them, stunned.

Sharon was shaking her head, breathing a little off, a near-frenzy in the way she looked at the control buttons. “We jumped way off course this time, but all I did was input return coordinates; the computer does it automatically, so there’s no error.”

Kara could confirm that at least. Dee had stepped up towards the cockpit, and gasped.

“Dee, what the hell did you do to the computer?” Kara demanded.

“Look, this shouldn’t be possible,” Sharon insisted, throwing up her hands. “The system is supposed to stop any jump if there’s even a threat of malfunction.”

Kara’s eyes kept darting back to the giant planet that they were just barely orbiting, that shouldn’t be there.

“It isn’t a malfunction,” Dee said, scratching her head. “The data’s perfectly accurate, which it wasn’t last time. According to the computer, the bug was fixed.”

Kara chortled-oh yes, the humor was definitely hitting her now. “This is like a weekend special movie,” she said, rolling her eyes. “What, did we get zapped to an alternate universe?”

“We are right above Aquaria,” Sharon answered, tapping at the computer screen. “The back side of Aquaria, no civilization, but it’s got all the normal readings.”

“Um, sirs?” Cally’s voice drifted up, nervous. “We’ve got a huge problem here.”

All three heads darted back.

“The engine here’s making all sorts of weird noises and they aren’t good ones,” Cally said, with a deep breath. A spark and a whine burst in to emphasize her point.

Kara snapped to emergency mode; she knew this too well. “We do not want that thing to blow up,” she ordered. “Valerii, get us landed now; we get out, figure the rest out there.”

“There’s nothing near enough,” Sharon said, eyes wide, waving at the board in front of her.

“Not civilization, just a scrap of land,” Kara elaborated shortly.

Sharon barely needed a second, and then they were almost in a free fall, the atmosphere burning past them.

“Crap, this is not good!” Cally said behind them, as the Raptor structure shuddered a little around them, and the FTL drive buzzed and continued to whine.

“We’ll make it,” Dee said over the noise.

The planet’s surface started flying up towards them, a vast expanse of ocean. Kara remembered how much she hated water and water worlds.

“Sharon?” Kara tried to gauge her projectory.

“It’s just a little island, we can land just fine,” Sharon insisted.

Seconds might matter, though-Kara didn’t think twice as she unbuckled. “Get to the back,” she ordered, and with nothing more than a widening of her eyes, Sharon slipped out of her seat and obeyed. Kara usually went for the improv, but she did know how to lock in a flightpath, and did it in a few short seconds.

“Are we going to jump out?” Cally asked as Kara came back and looked the door up and down.

“Safety precaution,” Kara said over the chaos of noise around them, with a wild grin.

“Oh gods,” Dee muttered, as they all positioned themselves by the door. Kara looked up towards the windshield, counted down the seconds.

“Be glad it’s a beach!” Kara called, a cackle of perverse humor at all this, as she turned the handle of the Raptor door. Oh yes, this was the kind of mission she did well on.

The Raptor barely leveled off before Kara saw an opening, and waved her arm. “Out, out, out!”

Cally first, then Dee, then Sharon, then Kara leapt out and met the wind with her face. They were a few feet above ground, a Raptor malfunctioning above them, out in the middle of nowhere.

Part Two