9 – Decisions

“I’ll take that under advisement Doctor…” Bill stopped as Laura stepped closer to him.

“Commander. You can take it under advisement all you want. But. We need to get out of here. Together. And we need to start having babies.” She held his gaze levelly. “We need to survive, and we need each other to survive.”

He stared at her for a long moment before swinging his gaze to the others. “Mister Gaeta, go ahead and start finding a place for the fleet to jump to. Starbuck will be at the edge of the cloud soon, we’ll see what we’re dealing with at that point.” As the hatch swung open, they turned to watch Richard step through. “President Adar?”

“I was tired of waiting on your decision.” He lifted an eyebrow at the group gathered. “Is there a meeting that I should have been invited to?”

Laura sighed inwardly. “Not at all. Commander, Colonel, President Adar, if you’ll let us…” she gestured toward Gaeta. “Finish what we need to; we’ll have a report for you soon. Commander, we’ll need the information that Kara…Starbuck, gets, as soon as she has any from her reconnaissance.”

“Who is Starbuck?” Richard frowned. “And why wasn’t I notified of any reconnaissance missions?”

“It was a military decision.” Bill gestured toward the door. “You’re welcome to remain in the CIC while we wait for the report from my pilot.”

“I’m fine here.” He glanced around the room. “I noted that Doctor Baltar is out there, wouldn’t want it to be too crowded.”

“Still.” Bill glanced at Laura, who had bent back over the table, gazing at some sort of figures with Felix Gaeta. As he watched, she glanced up at him for a brief moment before returning her attention to the figures, but it was enough. “Mister President, have you made arrangements for any of the ships with faulty jump drives to transfer their passengers…”

“One of my aides is doing that.” He waved and stepped closer to the table.

“President Adar.” Saul stepped to the side, cutting off Adar’s path to the table where Laura and Gaeta were working. “If you would accompany me back to the Briefing Room, I’ll make sure you receive all the updated information from the different areas. It would be more accessible to you in there, as opposed to in here, where Doctor Roslin and Mister Gaeta have only their part of the information organized.”

“I…” Richard took a deep breath, his eyes narrowing at Saul. “I do expect the military to do the bidding of the government, and I would expect that to be to attack the remaining Cylons so that we would be able to return to…” He broke off as a loud crack was heard from the center of the room.

“For frak’s sake!” Laura had slammed a clipboard down on the table, drawing all of their attention. “Richard, don’t be an ass! There is nothing to return to, and if you’d take the time to read the reports and to listen to the briefings you were just given, you’d understand that. What we’re trying to do here is survive. We are currently waiting until we get the most current briefing information so that we can make an educated suggestion so that you can actually have people to govern. So get your ass out of here and let Felix and I do what we need to, let the Commander and Colonel do what they need to, and go do what you should be doing. Reassuring our peoples that we will have a solution; that we will provide them with information and answers as much as we can, when we can. The Military is no longer serving at the whim of the government, this is a time of war…while they won’t be operating under martial law…yet, but they will be working with you, not for you! So get the hell out of here, all of you.” Glasses flung down on the table, where Felix sat staring up at her in shock, she glared at the other men. “We all have jobs to do.”

“Mister President.” Saul Tigh blinked, biting his lip to hold back a grin as he gestured toward the door. “Shall we?”

“We’ll talk about this later.” Richard stared at her, his gaze icy. “Laura.”

“When we’re alive to, fine.” Her eyes narrowed. “Mister President.” Waiting until he slowly followed the Colonel out, her gaze swept toward Bill. “Command…” Suddenly, she blinked and started to fall, Felix stumbling to his feet to catch her as Bill moved around the table to catch her on the other side.

“Easy there.” Sinking to the floor with her in his arms, Bill looked up at the younger man. “Get me some water. And for Gods sake don’t say anything about her collapse within earshot of him.”

“Yes sir.” As he disappeared out the door, Bill looked back down at the woman in his arms.

He’d seen her eyes flutter just before she’d collapsed, and while he’d grabbed a ration bar while waiting to enter Ragnar Station, he had a feeling she hadn’t eaten anything since the entire thing had begun. “Laura?”

“Hmm?” Cocooned in warm arms, a gentle touch on her cheek, Laura stirred slightly, her eyes slitting open against the harsh light. “Happened?”

“Have you eaten anything?” Without the frames of her glasses to distract from her face, he realized she was paler than he remembered, the auburn waves that had escaped from her ponytail framing her cheekbones. “You collapsed.”

“Gods…no.” With a groan, she slowly sat up, wincing at the cold metal under her legs. “Who saw?”

“Mister Gaeta and I were the only ones in here.” Brushing her hair back from her face, he smiled gently, one part of his mind screaming at him that he didn’t have time for this right now, he had an attack to plan…”Have you eaten anything since this started?”

“No.” Struggling to her feet with his help, she slid into her chair as Felix returned with a glass of water, which he handed to her. “Thank you.”

“I’m calling down for something for both of you.” Bill stated gruffly. “Doctor, just sit here for a moment before you try to get up again.”

“Sir?” Felix beckoned to him out of Laura’s line of vision, and when Bill moved to his side to pick up some conveniently spilled papers, bent toward the Commander’s ear, “the President isn’t happy. With us, or with her. He was talking about it in CIC, rather loudly.”

“No surprise.” Laura’s voice startled them. “I can still hear you. The acoustics in here are amazing.”

“I wouldn’t imagine he would be. Happy with any of us at this point.” Bill sighed, “is he still out there?”

“No sir, Colonel Tigh took him to the Briefing Room, but he was…” Felix thought for a moment. “I don’t know, I saw him in the corridor, he was saying something about Doctor Roslin…”

“Red head.” She sighed as they turned toward her. “Temper.”

“Don’t apologize.” Bill shook his head.

“Hadn’t planned on it.” She set the empty glass down and picked up her glasses, sliding them back on her face. “I was right and he’s not prepared for what he’s going to have to face. He’ll get there, eventually, but he’s a planner. He doesn’t do well with the unexpected. But when he gets his feet on the ground, so to speak…”

“Hold on.” Bill held up a hand and strode to the hatch. Pulling it open, he scanned CIC and nodded. “Specialist Duella, join us.” When she entered, he closed the hatch behind her and turned to them. “Doctor Roslin, raise your right hand.”

“Excuse me?” She blinked at him.

“I’m swearing you in as an officer, special case.” He raised an eyebrow. “We need to have you remain on Galactica as long as you’re willing. I don’t think that the President would agree to having you remain voluntarily, and he would make a case that you’re not military. As he already has.”

“But..” Laura shook her head. “Commander, flattering as this is…”

“Situation is,” Bill took a breath and let it out. “You now have knowledge of the fleet’s resources as well as our military readiness. That, as well as your background and knowledge of the government makes you a solid candidate for a special assignment in Fleet logistics and strategy. As a civilian, the President would be within his rights, or at least make a case that you should remain on a civilian vessel. Based on what I just witnessed, I don’t believe he would make it a very pleasant stay. Wherever it was. We need you and your mind here. The only way we can keep you here legally, is either through giving you a civilian specialist commission, or by you being the spouse of an officer.” His lips twitched. “So, you can marry me, something that I have a feeling President Adar would take all too personally, and distract him too much from putting our society back together, or, take the commission.”

“And what if I’d rather marry you?” Laura stated, one eyebrow lifted as he swallowed a grin.

“Then we would.” He shrugged. “But, he could still raise the fact that you’re a civilian.”

“Frak.” Laura sighed and raised her right hand. “Just do it.”

“Do you, Laura Roslin,” Bill began, “accept the temporary position of Military Specialist for strategy and military advisory needs, to be stationed on Galactica until the military needs are met?”

“You just made that up.” She smiled. “But yes.”

“Specialist Duella, Lieutenant Gaeta, do you witness this appointment?” As they chorused a ‘yes’, Bill continued. “Specialist Duella, make a note in the ships log of the official appointment. Specialist Roslin, welcome aboard.”

“Glad to be here.” She sighed. “We need to get that information.”

“Done.” Bill nodded at them. “Dee, get them the info piped in here as soon as Starbuck reports in.”

“Yes sir.” She turned on her heel and left.

“Lieutenant, call down to the galley and have them send up something for you both.” Bill waited for him to pick up the com handset before stepping toward Laura. “You need to stay out of his way. This is more than you ignoring his advances. You understand that?”

“Yes.” Laura closed her eyes for a moment before re-focusing them on him. “I shouldn’t have let it out the way I did. But, he needs to understand…you both do. Commander, we need Kara’s information so we can find a way out of here, to get away…somewhere.”

“I’ll take it under consideration.” He nodded and stepped back as Gaeta returned to the table. “Once you two get me the information. I’d rather stay and attack, but like you, I’m not sure what we have to defend.”

“We have humans to defend.” She stated wearily. “For now.”

“Commander…” Saul opened the hatch, “you need to get out here, Doctor Baltar…”

As the hatch closed behind them, Laura and Felix gazed at each other for a moment before he spoke. “You all right?”

“I’m fine.” With a sigh, she pressed a control on the side of the table. “How do we reset this to show where we are? Not where…” as he pressed a control, the lit map of the colonies faded, causing her to swallow deeply. “Good.”

“This…” he indicated a wavy line with a shaded area, “is the outline of the cloud protecting us, for now.”

“As soon as Kara reports back, we’ll need to start filling in information.” Laura gazed wistfully at the clear area of the star chart. “Much as I wish that it would remain that clear, I doubt it. How much time and space do we need for the ships to jump?”

While he quickly explained the basic physics of the jump requirements, Laura slowly moved around the table, the list of ships and passenger numbers in her hand, making notations on the table as she did. When Kara’s voice sounded from an unseen speaker, she jumped slightly before starting to add the information Kara was relaying, information that didn’t make their situation any better. “Felix, what’s the minimum time we need?”

“If the ships start spooling up their jump drives before they leave the cloud, that will shave a few seconds, but basically, they’ll be sitting targets until the jump drive kicks in.” He pointed at the marks Laura had made to designate the Cylons that Kara had described. “They’re lined up…”

“So I see.” She sighed and looked up as the hatch opened again and Bill stepped through. “Yes?”

“I want to send the vipers out.” He stated softly, his eyes moving to the table. “If they go out first, will that give us enough time to get the civilian vessels out? The vipers, followed by Galactica. We can shield some of the smaller ships…”

Laura leaned on the table, studying it, absently tracing a line with her finger. “If we use every second…they’re out there. They know we’re in here…”

“We’ve arrested Doral.” Bill stated as they looked at him. “He’s in the brig. Doctor Baltar suspects him of being a Cylon. We found a device…”

“Which would be how they tracked us here.” Gaeta finished.

“One way.” Laura sighed. “Who knows what other devices or ways they have…”

“I’ve plotted a jump that takes us past the red line.” Felix hesitated. “The Prolmar sector.”

“Get on the com. Transmit the jump coordinates to the other ships…” Bill glanced at a wall clock. “We’ll commence the jump in ninety minutes. That will give us enough time to brief the pilots and get ready.”

“Yes sir.” Tuning on his heel, he left the Ward Room, leaving the hatch slightly ajar behind him.

“Commander…” Laura took a hesitant step forward, “you know…”

“I know I’m sending some of those kids out there to die.” He moved to stare down at the table, absently tracing the line of the cloud. “I’ve planned war games on this table, strategies for the pilots to follow. Never have I had to gaze down at it and know that some of the pilots I’m sending out aren’t going to come back. Ever.”

“I’m sorry.” She whispered, having moved to stand next to him. Resting her hand on top of his, she sighed. “I wish I could find another way…”

“They knew what they were signing up for.” Bill took a deep breath. “You were right. We need to get out of here and start having babies.”

“You changed your mind?” Still staring at the table, she waited.

“This time. We’ll get the fleet out of here, regroup, and then see what happens. We’ll need to run, and I’m not sure where to. We’ll figure it out.” Glancing at her, he watched her gaze at the table. “I should send you to Colonial One, just in case.”

“No.” Laura shook her head. “That was the point of what you did a bit ago. And besides, the only point of sending me to Colonial One would be to have my knowledge of what you can do, safe. However, if you…Galactica, doesn’t follow us, it’s a moot point anyway. I’m staying here.”

Bill nodded. He’d anticipated the answer, but in watching Adar’s aide, Billy, and Duella a few minutes ago, he’d begun to fear he’d railroaded Laura into remaining, and had wanted to give her the option. “Thank you.”

She took a deep breath. “So this is war.”

Turning his hand over, he caught hers and squeezed it lightly before stepping away from her and toward the hatch. “This is survival.”