Fic: Don't Count Stars (4/?)
Title: Don't Count Stars(3/??)
Rating:K
Characters/Pairings: Adama/Roslin
Summary: Adama and Roslin and have a daughter. 'Nuff said really. Basically just imagine season three or two but with the whole story arc slowed down. AU obviously.
Comments are worshipped like the sun :)
Previous Chapters: One, Two and Three
Galactica
Prior to the Attack.
The fleet was quiet, so in turn CIC was quiet. Dradis’ beeping was steady showing nothing more than the slowly drifting colonial markers and the encircling cap. Only the occasional order rose above the muted murmur his crew automatically adopted near him.
At the moment Admiral William Adama would have welcomed even the direst crisis to avoid this unoccupied time. His crew were all busily doing whatever tedious chores they’d ignored during the previous turbulent weeks. Besides he had a feeling that most of them would probably die of fright if he tried to start a conversation during their shifts. Tigh was busy scaring some poor nuggets who’d had the nerve to ignore orders. Not even Laura was there to grant a reassuring touch or even a steely order. All that was left to him were his thoughts and they seemed intent on replaying the same images over and over again. Oura bleeding on the hangar deck, her little form on one of the sick bay beds and finally a series of memories of his younger son, Zak.
It was the memories of Zak that really brought the punch in. He’d thought he’d managed to deal with the painful nature of his son’s death. The Viper Incident, as Lee had started to term it, must have cut too close to that he rationalized.
But the thought of his daughter dying in some misguided attempt for glory was just too much. And Starbuck…Starbuck- how could she have not seen this coming? Once he’d yelled at her for a good half an hour the truth had started to spill out. Months! She’d been risking Oura’s life for months! He gripped the nearest control board in an effort to restrain the new anger that boiled at the thought. It was a miracle that Doc Cottle said the injury wasn’t serious. All that blood…he set his teeth and forced the thought out of his mind.
Oura was fine now. His punishment for ‘the viper incident’ had made his usually hot-headed daughter unnaturally reserved. Bill picked up a wayward report and absently flicked through the pages. Maybe he was being too hard on her. Laura certainly seemed to think so. She’d told him twice point blank this week that this treatment of their daughter couldn’t continue. “Just talk to her, Bill. Your officers can take this silent treatment- heck, even I’ve had to deal with it once or twice. But Oura isn’t one of your deck crew, or petty officers and she cannot understand this!”
But he hadn’t explained or shown forgiveness to Oura yet. He needed her to understand that what she had done was not to be taken lightly. He needed her to somehow understand the fear she had created within him. Bill ground his teeth at the irony of it- the Admiral of the Colonial Fleet- who had survived several crises, an assassination attempt or two and a endless number of bloody battles - made afraid by a girl whose feet didn’t touch the ground when she sat.
Another image flashed by his mind’s eye- Oura’s sad little manner at her birthday dinner when he’d barely spoken a single word to her-not even to wish her a happy birthday. He would talk to her tonight over dinner he resolved-maybe he could even invite Lee over. Just to make up for the birthday dinner.
And Kara? The voice in his head which always asked the hard questions demanded. All the anger he had been harbouring toward Captain Thrace became seemingly wafer thin. Bill could feel the old affection for his half-wild other daughter overriding all his rational claims to anger. Kara would be there too he decided. She was part of his family; he couldn’t let this destroy that. Bill smiled to himself feeling oddly at peace. His family. He looked around at the concentrating faces surrounding him feeling a warm rush of affection for them all.
“Dradis Contact!”
Bill’s head snapped back to the dradis console screen all fond thoughts forgotten.
“Report”
He listened to Gaeta’s report detailing a sizable Cylon fleet heading right for them feeling the familiar rush of fear, adrenalin, anger and a tinge of annoyance.
Snatching the receiver however the Admiral swiftly silenced all these surplus emotions.
“The fleet is at condition one. The Cylons have found us.”
CIC
Later
Bill couldn’t believe he’d been wishing for a crisis just over an hour ago. The Cylons had really put the term crisis to shame with this assault. He stopped and found himself staring at the layout map of Galactica. Boarding the ship- actually having the nerve to board the ship! He still had trouble getting his head around it.
“Sitrep.” He finally demanded through gritted teeth. The Cylon Baseships had received their last returning raiders ten minutes before, but Admiral Adama still felt an almost overwhelming sense of foreboding when he looked at the little red dots indicating where they’d sealed off the ship.
Lt. Dualla pressed her hand over her earpiece as if to hear the incoming reports better and the Admiral found himself getting increasingly worried.
“There is a minimal breach in the hull confined to an airlock in deck 13 but there seems to be no other damage.”
Adama grimaced in retaliation to the look of relief that spread over his crew’s faces at Dee’s words.
“Dispatch marines to the affected sectors, I want them to search every square inch for Cylons and clear all personnel out of there.”
His grim tone instantly restored the worry in his subordinate’s features. Once the order had been given the Admiral waited in uneasy anticipation of what the marines would find.
“The President’s raptor is en route to Galactica.”
Bill glared angrily at the dradis contact showing that his wife had just departed the Carina. He would rather that she’d stay aboard the Civilian vessel until he was sure Galactica was all clear. His chest constricted painfully at the thought of Laura in danger. But he was also sure that if he mentioned any such thing he would be looking out the next airlock before he could say “for your own safety”.
“Man down” The marines muffled report alerted him back to CIC.
“Any sign of the Cylons?” Col. Tigh barked into the receiver. Bill hadn’t even noticed him entering.
“Negative, sir. He’s one of ours.”
“Any other casualties, Lieutenant?” Adama held his breath not daring to believe they’d gotten so lucky.
“Negative, Sir.”
Adama shared an ominous glance with Tigh.
“This doesn’t feel right,” the latter grumbled “Why would the frakkin’ toasters go to all that trouble just to bonk some petty officer over the head?”
Adama wasn’t sure he really wanted to know.