Suspicion curled through her belly as Lee Adama slowed in front of her. Laura had asked for a
quick break from their walking tour of Galactica, but she hadn't expected to do so in one of
Galactica's main briefing rooms. She told herself she was being silly; Lee knew the ship's ins
and outs better than she did, of course. Perhaps this was the only space free. Besides, her
feet were begging her to sit down. Comfortable shoes had not been among the accouterments in
her luggage.
Laura raised an eyebrow as he grinned slyly. Before she could ask what he was thinking, he was
pounding on the door with his fist. As it opened, he turned to her with a slight bow.
"President Roslin," he said.
Definitely suspicious. "Captain Apollo," she answered in kind, then walked through the door despite
her better judgement.
"Surprise!"
Laura reeled backwards half a step, brushing against Lee as she did so. Her heart hammered. She
brought a hand up to her mouth, then to her throat to feel the life pulsing underneath her fingertips.
About twenty people were squeezed into the room, clustered in front of the chairs and table that had
been pushed to one side. She spotted the Commander at the front of the group, alongside Billy and Kara
Thrace.
"What?" she managed to squeak out.
Lee was still smiling beside her. "We thought you should have a proper inauguration party."
She looked at him in disbelief. "What? We can't afford to waste time, or supplies..." She trailed off
as he took her elbow and led her into the room.
"Relax," he whispered into her ear. "There's no buffet."
As she looked around, Laura could see that while obvious effort had been made, nothing was extravagant.
At all. A few of the precious potted plants had been brought in to decorate the table and corners of
the room. Cloth napkins, folded into rosettes, adorned the wall and chairs haphazardly. 'Best wishes
President Roslin' was scrawled across the white board on the far wall.
It was enough to bring tears to her eyes. She blinked hastily.
Billy cleared his throat and stepped forward. "Madame President, on behalf of the people of the Colonies,
I would like to thank you for your tireless effort since taking office. We are all in your debt."
The crowd clapped, some whistling and cheering. Even the Commander applauded, though he had a wry look on
his face that she still didn't know how to interpret.
She smiled at them all, her face flushed with pleasure and embarrassment both. As the applause died down
she searched for words, knowing that as always she needed to both guide and inspire.
"Thank you," she said. "Though I can assure you my effort has not been tireless." Several people chuckled
in appreciation, and she felt more at ease. Always go for humorous self-deprecation in a pinch, Adar had
told her once upon a time.
"I appreciate your thoughtfulness, but this should be a celebration for every one of you. Without your
bravery, your knowledge and hard work, nothing I have said or done would mean a thing." She paused, taking
in the smiles and nods of the people in front of her. Good people, every one of them, whether they served
in the military or her makeshift cabinet. "So please, everyone, turn to your neighbors and say thank you."
They were slower to respond this time, but they did it. William Adama cocked an eyebrow at her before
turning toward Dr. Baltar, who as usual was looking rather adrift. Initial awkwardness passed, and the
small crowd soon buzzed with conversation and laughter. Laura tried to take advantage of their inattention
to slip from the center of the room, but Kara spotted her.
"Wait! Don't forget the main event," she called out.
Laura's question was answered before she could voice it. Music started up, the scratchy sounds of a tape
cassette being played on some of Galactica's antiquated equipment. It was a slow song, one that had been
popular among young people on Caprica a few years ago.
William Adama stepped forward, his hand extended. "It is your inaugural ball, after all."
She supposed she should be used to the sensation of being constantly shocked, after the constant influx
of changes since that day weeks ago. At least she had gotten quicker with responding to new situations.
Laura took his hand and allowed him to draw her into a dance.
"I'm surprised you went along with this ridiculousness," she finally told him.
His shoulder shrugged under her hand. "An armed force needs something to fight for besides their own lives,
or after a certain point even that ceases to matter."
Laura went dead cold inside, goosebumps springing up along her arms and neck. It was a grim reminder of
how far their people had been pushed. Worse, the thought that some of them might find her a type of
figurehead...It didn't bear thinking about.
"They should fight for the civilians in the fleet who would die without them," she told him.
He nodded as he steered her around another couple. She looked over his shoulder; Lee and Kara were
laughingly trying to figure out who was leading.
"They do," he said after a long moment.
They danced in silence after that, but Laura couldn't get rid of the cold that his words had released. If
it were true that some of the fleet looked to her in that way, it would be doubly hard when she left them.
She needed to find a better cause for them to follow.
The song ended, and they spun to a graceful stop. She smiled at the commander as he bowed his head in the
manner of a high society gentleman.
"I'll leave you to your party," he said. "I need to see what's happened in my absence."
"Thank you, Commander," she said. "My words from before, they go doubly for you, you know."
He nodded, then left without fanfare. She noticed others drifting toward the door, doubtless needing to
get back to their duty stations as well. She shook their hands and thanked them as they went. By the
time she was finished there were only a few stragglers left, some clustered in the corner talking, others
dancing in the small open space. Laura smiled as she saw that Billy and Dualla were dancing. His face was
pink, but he looked happy.
"May I have this dance, sir?"
She turned to see Lee smiling at her, his hand extended almost exactly as his father had done. She let
him pull her into a dance as well.
"You're quite pleased with yourself, aren't you?" she teased him.
Instead of answering he spun her around in a fancy maneuver. Laura laughed when she returned to his arms.
"So, is it you or Billy who is to blame for this attempt to embarrass me to death?" she asked.
His eyes were mischievous, but he didn't crack under her glare. "I'll never tell," he said. "Don't tell
me you didn't enjoy it, though."
"I told you I don't go for pomp," she shot back.
He smiled. "Did you? I don't remember that."
Laura sighed and smiled at him. "I suppose it's good to see people having something to be happy about,
even if it's at my expense."
Lee laughed, and Laura joined him. This was what the fleet needed, moments to relax and enjoy being
alive. Unfortunately the need to survive outweighed any opportunities to do so. She sighed and pushed
her heavy thoughts away. Yes, something needed to be done for the fleet's morale. But for now, she'd
enjoy this dance.