Categories > TV > Battlestar Galactica > Battlestar Galactica, Dawn, Part 3: Starbuck's Journey To Redemption
II
Early 2023
“President Roslin will make the formal request to the U.N in two weeks”, Captain Thrace advised President Bond. “She will request that The Fleet be given a permanent seat at the United Nations under the name New Caprica. Some nations are pushing back a bit but the President believes they're just jockeying for some kind of quid-pro-quo.”
Justin Bond stifled a mild snort of derision. “Goddamn, I hate politics sometimes, Kara. Such maneuvering is just so petty.”
“I know, sir”, she said in full agreement. “You've read the crap that went on with Tom Zarek and the Quorum, even with Roslin's attempt to sabotage an election during our journey here. It sucks.”
“Let me ask you something, Captain”, he said, using her rank for a reason. “Has anyone talked about the future of the Colonists beyond The Fleet? What about a permanent home on Earth?”
“I think in private the President and Admiral have discussed it with the Quorum”, she conceded. “I think right now they don't want to rock the boat. Some nations are still not fully trusting of us quite yet.”
The President shook his head angrily. “We're building a shipyard in Arizona to build a new Battlestar; we're getting ready to start another shipyard in Spain? What more in the way of proof do they want for Christ's sake?”
Rarely did The Boss get this upset. She had never heard him use his Lord's name in vain. Something was driving his anger right now. “Sir, something else is behind how upset you are, isn't it?”
The President smiled. “Bill Adama said you've got a good feel for reading people. He was right.” He took a breath. “Yeah, why aren't the Admiral and President Roslin pushing for an Earth-bound nation for the Colonists? Are your people just supposed to hang out in Earth orbit forever and ever, Amen?”
“As I said, sir, they don't...” The President cut her off.
“Don't want to rock the boat, I heard you.” Kara blushed at the mild rebuke, and the President noticed it. “I'm sorry, Captain Thrace, I didn't mean to bite your head off like that. Maybe Laura and Bill can't rock the boat, but I think I damn well can.”
“Sir?”
He didn't answer her, instead, he depressed the intercom on his phone. “Terri, inform the Secretaries of Defense and State, Adellyn and Robert at the U.N. I want them in for a meeting at 11 am tomorrow morning. Have the Chief of Staff adjust my schedule accordingly."
“Right away, Mr. President”, came the crisp reply.
He looked at his young attaché. “Kara, if you will, contact President Roslin and advise her that I would like to hold a meeting with them at their earliest convenience on board Galactica.”
Kara grinned widely. “And may I advise them of the subject?” She was pretty sure she knew what it was.
“Yes, it's about getting your people off that collection of ships and into a permanent home on the planet.”
“With pleasure, Mr. President”, she stood up and saluted him.
“Oh, I almost forgot, Kara. When you get a few free moments, Abby wants you to go see her for a few moments when she gets home from school. She has something she wants to ask you.”
Kara smiled thinking of the President's young daughter. “I'll do that right after I call Galactica sir.”
________________________________________________________________________________________
After finishing her assignments, she called Abby and asked if she could come to see her. Of course, Abby became giddy again, which made Kara laugh.
When Kara arrived at Abby's room, she knocked. She heard feet literally bounding across the floor, opening the door. “Hi, Starbuck!”
Kara laughed. “Hey Abby, I hope I'm not interrupting homework or anything?”
Abby blushed. “I...do have some homework to do, but it isn't much. Thanks for coming up. Do you want a Coke or something?”
“I've finally gotten used to soft drinks, so yeah, I'll take one.”
The Captain and the younger girl sat down. After talking about school for a short while, Abby finally clued her in on what she wanted.
“I was wondering if Saturday night you'd like to come down to the White House movie theater and watch a movie or two with me?”
“Movie theater?” Kara didn't believe her. “There's a movie theater, here, in the White House?”
“Oh yeah, it isn't often we can go out for our entertainment, obviously”, Abby said with some regret. Her parents had tried to give she and Nick as normal a life for the two teenagers as they could, but some allowances would have to be made.
Kara nodded, “Makes sense.” Then Kara smiled. “I think that would be a blast, Abby. I understand popcorn and soft drinks are a must at a movie?”
Abby laughed. “Oh, yeah, Starbuck! I am addicted to buttered popcorn.”
Kara smiled at the younger girl. “You know Abby, you can call me Kara. When I'm on duty, you father calls me 'Captain', but when it's he and I it's 'Kara'.”
“Thanks, Star.....thanks Kara”, they both laughed. “So how about 2000 Saturday night?”
“You could have just said 8 pm, kiddo”, Kara deadpanned. “I know how to tell regular time.”
Abby blushed but laughed. “Hey, I'm a military brat, remember-just like you.”
Kara stayed around another half hour or so, getting to know the young lady even better, coming to the conclusion that she and the youngest member of the Bond family would become good friends.
______________________________________________________________________________________
The following day, Captain Thrace flew President Bond up to Galactica. She already knew that when the President felt strongly about something he didn't wait long to act on it. He obviously felt strongly about this issue.
After they arrived they wasted no time in seeing Admiral Adama and President Roslin.
“Thanks for seeing me Bill, Laura”, he said urgently. “I needed to get up here anyway, but the Epiphany I had the other day talking to Captain Thrace made it seem more urgent.”
“So what has Kara talked you into, Mr. President”, Laura Roslin twinkled over at the younger woman. Kara blushed.
“Nothing, Madam President”, he said with a chuckle. “We had a conversation and it has me thinking about your upcoming presentation at the U.N for formal recognition as a nation. I'm a thousand percent behind that I'm sure you know.”
“Thank you, Justin”, President Roslin said, not expecting anything else. She cocked her head sideways. “I hear a rather large 'but' coming, am I right?”
“Yes, Laura you're right.”
“Does this have to do directly with our petition, Justin?” Bill Adama trusted Justin Bond implicitly by this time. He knew he had sound judgment and was perhaps the most vocal supporter of The Colonists on Earth.
“Yes it does, Bill.” He took a sip of water. “What I'm proposing is entirely up to you and the Quorum, Madam President, but I'd like to run an idea by you.”
President Roslin and Admiral Adama had their jaws on the floor by the time Justin Bond had finished his five-minute dissertation.
Laura Roslin shook her head. “That's far beyond what we have even talked about, Mr. President.”
Bill Adama chimed in. “You'd be putting your own political ass way out on the cutting board, my friend.”
“Do you think you deserve to be a nation who lives on these ships? Or one that should enjoy the chance, on land, to fulfill your destiny as a people? I'm serious. I will put forth a resolution before the U.N to work on finding you a permanent home on Earth-one where you can keep and share your traditions and history as a people with all of us. You've been on these goddamned ships for what? About seven Earth years? It's time to put down roots.”
“Frack me”, Kara almost said to herself, making President Bond smile. “Madam President, Admiral: the President is right, we need to get off these ships and anchor ourselves here. This is home now, not the ships in space.”
They were all silent for a moment, contemplating this bombshell. Finally, President Roslin spoke up. “Justin”, she said softly, “you believe you can get your Congress behind this?”
“Yes”, he said without hesitation. “Absolutely.”
“Where would we live on Earth?” Bill Adama brought up the next obvious question.
“I'm sure there'll be no shortage of offers from nations around the world for you to locate your nation in or near them”, he said sardonically. "There will be a bidding war, I guarantee you.”
“Will the United State bid?” Kara was looking at the American President right in the eye.
“No, I won't Kara”, he said, dropping formalities for a moment. “This decision is yours and yours alone. I won't discourage you from looking at the U.S for a home but I won't try to influence the decision in any way.”
“Besides Laura”, Bill Adama interceded, “If Justin were to bid, and with the new Battlestar shipyard being constructed already in Arizona, there'd be a lot of hard feelings. I agree with President Bond on that point.”
“Should we postpone our presentation to the U.N?”
Adama shook his head. “No, we need to make the formal request as scheduled I believe. It's not like this is going to happen in a week, after all.”
The next day, President Roslin made her pitch to the U.N for formal recognition of The State Of New Caprica; on Friday morning, Justin Bond let the other shoe fall and announced his support for The Colonists to live in their own nation on Earth.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
That Friday Night
Kara came back to the White House after showering and changing at her apartment that was a few blocks away, arriving at 7:45 pm for “Movie Night” with Abby. The President and Mrs. Bond were spending the weekend at Camp David, where Katee would fly the next morning for a briefing and update on his idea for a permanent nation for The Colonists. Nick was out with his friends for the evening.
Starbuck was a familiar figure at the White House and didn't need an escort after clearing the security gate. She went right to the family quarters to let Abby know she was there. She knocked on the door. “Come in!” said the female voice on the other side.
“Hi Abby!”, Kara said with a smile on her face, “I'm a few minutes early, hope that's OK.”
“Hey Star....hey Kara”, she said blushing, making them both laugh. “No worries, it's not like there's an official start time to this you know.”
“OK, I've seen like movies on board Galactica before, but this will be my first Earth movie experience. I have no idea what to expect. What will we be watching.”
The two headed out of Abby's room to the elevator that took them to the main level of the White House, then they headed towards the East Wing of the White House.
“We're going to watch a double-feature”, Abby said excitedly. "I figured I'd show you two of my all-time favorite movies: the first one is called E.T.”
“What does E.T stand for, Abby?”
Abby started to laugh. “E.T: The Extra-Terrestrial.”
“A movie about aliens?” Kara almost doubled over in laughter. “I don't know kiddo, that might be a hard one to sell on The Fleet!”
Abby blushed. “It's cute, and it'll give you an idea how us nerdy Earthlings saw 'aliens'. This one is from about forty years ago."
“Oh, this ought to be funny.”
“Actually, it's pretty sad, but no more spoilers!”
“What's the second one?”
Abby grinned, “It's from about eighty-five years ago. It's called The Wizard of Oz. Abby stopped Kara before she began. “No, not about aliens. Actually, it's the first movie other than cartoons that used color in it.”
“Hmm, this is going to be...interesting”, Starbuck said, realizing that she really liked Abby Bond. Like a little sister I never had? Makes me think of Kat...
_____________________________________________________________________________________
By 1 am, the movies, as well as several large bags of popcorn, had been completed. The Colonial Captain and the daughter of the President had shared a wonderful, fun evening.
“I'm not one to cry easily Abby”, Kara admitted, “but the end of E.T. broke my heart! How dare you make me cry!” They both laughed.
“I told you it was a good movie, Starbuck”, she said with some satisfaction. “I love the Wizard Of Oz as well, although when I was younger I hated it for a while.”
“Why? It was wonderful!”
“I've always been on the small side, and Nick always called me Munchkin.” Abby saw Kara's eyes light up. “Oh no, Captain Thrace”, she said, eyes going wide, “you're not....”
“Munchkin! That's a perfect nickname for you!” Abby looked at the older woman like she could kill her. “Hey, if you're gonna call me Starbuck, then you need a Call Sign. You're like the Munchkins: feisty, full of life, happy.”
Abby thought for a moment, then looked at Kara. “You know coming from you it doesn't sound so bad.” She sighed. “OK, Munchkin it is.”
Kara laughed. “It's a term of endearment, you know that Abby? You're a great young lady.”
Abby blushed again. “Thanks, Starbuck. You're pretty cool yourself.”
Early 2023
“President Roslin will make the formal request to the U.N in two weeks”, Captain Thrace advised President Bond. “She will request that The Fleet be given a permanent seat at the United Nations under the name New Caprica. Some nations are pushing back a bit but the President believes they're just jockeying for some kind of quid-pro-quo.”
Justin Bond stifled a mild snort of derision. “Goddamn, I hate politics sometimes, Kara. Such maneuvering is just so petty.”
“I know, sir”, she said in full agreement. “You've read the crap that went on with Tom Zarek and the Quorum, even with Roslin's attempt to sabotage an election during our journey here. It sucks.”
“Let me ask you something, Captain”, he said, using her rank for a reason. “Has anyone talked about the future of the Colonists beyond The Fleet? What about a permanent home on Earth?”
“I think in private the President and Admiral have discussed it with the Quorum”, she conceded. “I think right now they don't want to rock the boat. Some nations are still not fully trusting of us quite yet.”
The President shook his head angrily. “We're building a shipyard in Arizona to build a new Battlestar; we're getting ready to start another shipyard in Spain? What more in the way of proof do they want for Christ's sake?”
Rarely did The Boss get this upset. She had never heard him use his Lord's name in vain. Something was driving his anger right now. “Sir, something else is behind how upset you are, isn't it?”
The President smiled. “Bill Adama said you've got a good feel for reading people. He was right.” He took a breath. “Yeah, why aren't the Admiral and President Roslin pushing for an Earth-bound nation for the Colonists? Are your people just supposed to hang out in Earth orbit forever and ever, Amen?”
“As I said, sir, they don't...” The President cut her off.
“Don't want to rock the boat, I heard you.” Kara blushed at the mild rebuke, and the President noticed it. “I'm sorry, Captain Thrace, I didn't mean to bite your head off like that. Maybe Laura and Bill can't rock the boat, but I think I damn well can.”
“Sir?”
He didn't answer her, instead, he depressed the intercom on his phone. “Terri, inform the Secretaries of Defense and State, Adellyn and Robert at the U.N. I want them in for a meeting at 11 am tomorrow morning. Have the Chief of Staff adjust my schedule accordingly."
“Right away, Mr. President”, came the crisp reply.
He looked at his young attaché. “Kara, if you will, contact President Roslin and advise her that I would like to hold a meeting with them at their earliest convenience on board Galactica.”
Kara grinned widely. “And may I advise them of the subject?” She was pretty sure she knew what it was.
“Yes, it's about getting your people off that collection of ships and into a permanent home on the planet.”
“With pleasure, Mr. President”, she stood up and saluted him.
“Oh, I almost forgot, Kara. When you get a few free moments, Abby wants you to go see her for a few moments when she gets home from school. She has something she wants to ask you.”
Kara smiled thinking of the President's young daughter. “I'll do that right after I call Galactica sir.”
________________________________________________________________________________________
After finishing her assignments, she called Abby and asked if she could come to see her. Of course, Abby became giddy again, which made Kara laugh.
When Kara arrived at Abby's room, she knocked. She heard feet literally bounding across the floor, opening the door. “Hi, Starbuck!”
Kara laughed. “Hey Abby, I hope I'm not interrupting homework or anything?”
Abby blushed. “I...do have some homework to do, but it isn't much. Thanks for coming up. Do you want a Coke or something?”
“I've finally gotten used to soft drinks, so yeah, I'll take one.”
The Captain and the younger girl sat down. After talking about school for a short while, Abby finally clued her in on what she wanted.
“I was wondering if Saturday night you'd like to come down to the White House movie theater and watch a movie or two with me?”
“Movie theater?” Kara didn't believe her. “There's a movie theater, here, in the White House?”
“Oh yeah, it isn't often we can go out for our entertainment, obviously”, Abby said with some regret. Her parents had tried to give she and Nick as normal a life for the two teenagers as they could, but some allowances would have to be made.
Kara nodded, “Makes sense.” Then Kara smiled. “I think that would be a blast, Abby. I understand popcorn and soft drinks are a must at a movie?”
Abby laughed. “Oh, yeah, Starbuck! I am addicted to buttered popcorn.”
Kara smiled at the younger girl. “You know Abby, you can call me Kara. When I'm on duty, you father calls me 'Captain', but when it's he and I it's 'Kara'.”
“Thanks, Star.....thanks Kara”, they both laughed. “So how about 2000 Saturday night?”
“You could have just said 8 pm, kiddo”, Kara deadpanned. “I know how to tell regular time.”
Abby blushed but laughed. “Hey, I'm a military brat, remember-just like you.”
Kara stayed around another half hour or so, getting to know the young lady even better, coming to the conclusion that she and the youngest member of the Bond family would become good friends.
______________________________________________________________________________________
The following day, Captain Thrace flew President Bond up to Galactica. She already knew that when the President felt strongly about something he didn't wait long to act on it. He obviously felt strongly about this issue.
After they arrived they wasted no time in seeing Admiral Adama and President Roslin.
“Thanks for seeing me Bill, Laura”, he said urgently. “I needed to get up here anyway, but the Epiphany I had the other day talking to Captain Thrace made it seem more urgent.”
“So what has Kara talked you into, Mr. President”, Laura Roslin twinkled over at the younger woman. Kara blushed.
“Nothing, Madam President”, he said with a chuckle. “We had a conversation and it has me thinking about your upcoming presentation at the U.N for formal recognition as a nation. I'm a thousand percent behind that I'm sure you know.”
“Thank you, Justin”, President Roslin said, not expecting anything else. She cocked her head sideways. “I hear a rather large 'but' coming, am I right?”
“Yes, Laura you're right.”
“Does this have to do directly with our petition, Justin?” Bill Adama trusted Justin Bond implicitly by this time. He knew he had sound judgment and was perhaps the most vocal supporter of The Colonists on Earth.
“Yes it does, Bill.” He took a sip of water. “What I'm proposing is entirely up to you and the Quorum, Madam President, but I'd like to run an idea by you.”
President Roslin and Admiral Adama had their jaws on the floor by the time Justin Bond had finished his five-minute dissertation.
Laura Roslin shook her head. “That's far beyond what we have even talked about, Mr. President.”
Bill Adama chimed in. “You'd be putting your own political ass way out on the cutting board, my friend.”
“Do you think you deserve to be a nation who lives on these ships? Or one that should enjoy the chance, on land, to fulfill your destiny as a people? I'm serious. I will put forth a resolution before the U.N to work on finding you a permanent home on Earth-one where you can keep and share your traditions and history as a people with all of us. You've been on these goddamned ships for what? About seven Earth years? It's time to put down roots.”
“Frack me”, Kara almost said to herself, making President Bond smile. “Madam President, Admiral: the President is right, we need to get off these ships and anchor ourselves here. This is home now, not the ships in space.”
They were all silent for a moment, contemplating this bombshell. Finally, President Roslin spoke up. “Justin”, she said softly, “you believe you can get your Congress behind this?”
“Yes”, he said without hesitation. “Absolutely.”
“Where would we live on Earth?” Bill Adama brought up the next obvious question.
“I'm sure there'll be no shortage of offers from nations around the world for you to locate your nation in or near them”, he said sardonically. "There will be a bidding war, I guarantee you.”
“Will the United State bid?” Kara was looking at the American President right in the eye.
“No, I won't Kara”, he said, dropping formalities for a moment. “This decision is yours and yours alone. I won't discourage you from looking at the U.S for a home but I won't try to influence the decision in any way.”
“Besides Laura”, Bill Adama interceded, “If Justin were to bid, and with the new Battlestar shipyard being constructed already in Arizona, there'd be a lot of hard feelings. I agree with President Bond on that point.”
“Should we postpone our presentation to the U.N?”
Adama shook his head. “No, we need to make the formal request as scheduled I believe. It's not like this is going to happen in a week, after all.”
The next day, President Roslin made her pitch to the U.N for formal recognition of The State Of New Caprica; on Friday morning, Justin Bond let the other shoe fall and announced his support for The Colonists to live in their own nation on Earth.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
That Friday Night
Kara came back to the White House after showering and changing at her apartment that was a few blocks away, arriving at 7:45 pm for “Movie Night” with Abby. The President and Mrs. Bond were spending the weekend at Camp David, where Katee would fly the next morning for a briefing and update on his idea for a permanent nation for The Colonists. Nick was out with his friends for the evening.
Starbuck was a familiar figure at the White House and didn't need an escort after clearing the security gate. She went right to the family quarters to let Abby know she was there. She knocked on the door. “Come in!” said the female voice on the other side.
“Hi Abby!”, Kara said with a smile on her face, “I'm a few minutes early, hope that's OK.”
“Hey Star....hey Kara”, she said blushing, making them both laugh. “No worries, it's not like there's an official start time to this you know.”
“OK, I've seen like movies on board Galactica before, but this will be my first Earth movie experience. I have no idea what to expect. What will we be watching.”
The two headed out of Abby's room to the elevator that took them to the main level of the White House, then they headed towards the East Wing of the White House.
“We're going to watch a double-feature”, Abby said excitedly. "I figured I'd show you two of my all-time favorite movies: the first one is called E.T.”
“What does E.T stand for, Abby?”
Abby started to laugh. “E.T: The Extra-Terrestrial.”
“A movie about aliens?” Kara almost doubled over in laughter. “I don't know kiddo, that might be a hard one to sell on The Fleet!”
Abby blushed. “It's cute, and it'll give you an idea how us nerdy Earthlings saw 'aliens'. This one is from about forty years ago."
“Oh, this ought to be funny.”
“Actually, it's pretty sad, but no more spoilers!”
“What's the second one?”
Abby grinned, “It's from about eighty-five years ago. It's called The Wizard of Oz. Abby stopped Kara before she began. “No, not about aliens. Actually, it's the first movie other than cartoons that used color in it.”
“Hmm, this is going to be...interesting”, Starbuck said, realizing that she really liked Abby Bond. Like a little sister I never had? Makes me think of Kat...
_____________________________________________________________________________________
By 1 am, the movies, as well as several large bags of popcorn, had been completed. The Colonial Captain and the daughter of the President had shared a wonderful, fun evening.
“I'm not one to cry easily Abby”, Kara admitted, “but the end of E.T. broke my heart! How dare you make me cry!” They both laughed.
“I told you it was a good movie, Starbuck”, she said with some satisfaction. “I love the Wizard Of Oz as well, although when I was younger I hated it for a while.”
“Why? It was wonderful!”
“I've always been on the small side, and Nick always called me Munchkin.” Abby saw Kara's eyes light up. “Oh no, Captain Thrace”, she said, eyes going wide, “you're not....”
“Munchkin! That's a perfect nickname for you!” Abby looked at the older woman like she could kill her. “Hey, if you're gonna call me Starbuck, then you need a Call Sign. You're like the Munchkins: feisty, full of life, happy.”
Abby thought for a moment, then looked at Kara. “You know coming from you it doesn't sound so bad.” She sighed. “OK, Munchkin it is.”
Kara laughed. “It's a term of endearment, you know that Abby? You're a great young lady.”
Abby blushed again. “Thanks, Starbuck. You're pretty cool yourself.”
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