Earth Intruders (the Galactic Space Boogey remix)

by pressdbtwnpages

Summary:

Kara never claimed to be a diplomat.

Kara isn't all that surprised to find herself in a brig. The room might be nicer than any on Galactica, but she knows a prison when she sees one.

No one had really expected Kara to find Earth on her trash scow - except maybe the admiral - but she's pretty sure they at least expect her to come back. It's been long enough now, long enough since Helo sent the last report, that Galactica has to know something is wrong. Adama will send someone after them - after her - Kara knows it. Lee will be missing her. It's not like him to just let this lie.

But then, a lot of things Lee has done lately are not like him. Giving up his wings, letting her go without him, letting her go with Sam... Still. As much as Kara hates to admit it, she needs rescuing. Lee will come. She knows it.

Kara stares at the ceiling of the brig, tries to ignore Sam pacing, and remembers.

*

Her command of the Demetrius had gone badly from almost the start. She had still been recovering from her death and listening to her heart and Leoben instead of her crew.

They had been about to mutiny, Sam had shot Gaeta, when Athena found something on DRADIS.

It was a galaxy. Populated with numerous planets capable of sustaining life. None of them had matched the map to Earth that had been found in the Tomb of Athena, but there was evidence of human settlements on several planets.

And on one of those planets, humans. Humans who spoke a botched version of Kobolian. Who had heard of Earth.

They gave Kara's crew directions through some sort of wormhole to a place called Atlantis.

Atlantis, as it turned out, was a city. An amazing, huge, incredible city with technology surpassing any on the Twelve Colonies.

The crew had been debriefed, their injuries tended to, and then locked away in the brig, Kara raging and screaming and cursing that their friends would come for them, that they would be sorry, that Adama would make them pay.

Kara never claimed to be a diplomat.

They should have left out the Cylons, Kara thinks, recalling the way the woman in charge had reacted to a description of machines that could disguise themselves as human.

*

It is just shy of their third week imprisoned on Atlantis, when the commotion begins.

Gradually the crew of the Demetrius has been allowed out of their cells. They must be accompanied by armed guards and certain areas of the city are forbidden, but it's better than being stuck in the brig all day.

Colonel Sheppard runs by, then Doctor McKay and Teyla in the opposite direction, then Lorne who is Kara's accompaniment this morning answers a call on his radio and steers Kara back to the brigs.

"I'm needed elsewhere," he replies to her irritated look. "Your walk will have to wait."

"Can't someone else watch me?" Kara teases. She likes Lorne, he reminds her of a laidback Lee. "Or am I so much trouble that only a Major can mind me?"

Normally Lorne would tease her back, but today he's short with her. "Weir needs my team. There's no one to spare."

Kara shrugs. She's used to the brig. A few more hours in it won't kill her. Nothing else seems to.

The brig is empty of guards after Lorne leaves and Helo and Sam are debating what's going on.

"Wraith," Sam says certainly. "Atlantis is under attack."

But Helo is equally sure that Galactica has finally come for them. "It has to be them. We'd know if the city were under attack."

Kara hopes Helo's right. She's tired of waiting patiently and being treated like a pet who needs feedings and walkings. She wants to get back to the fleet, to make their way to Earth.

A series of rapid fire jolts that shudder through the city seem to contradict Helo's theory.

"Ha! I knew we- " Sam starts to crow about being right, but then seems to recall that being attacked by Wraith means a horrible painful death as they suck your lifeforce out of you.

The city is still after that.

*

Nothing happens for hours and hours. It's night by then and the brig is dark. Kara can hear prisoners being marched in, and muffled orders being exchanged.

Whatever happened, Atlantis clearly has the upperhand now.

*

The guards come to take the Dedalus crew to breakfast as usual the next morning. Kara feigns being asleep. She doesn't want to banter with Lorne or debate with Helo or placate Sam. She just wants to know what's going on.

After several minutes a single pair of footsteps echoes into the brig.

"How is your throat?" It sounds like Teyla's voice.

"It's fine," a husky male voice answers. Even Kara doesn't believe him.

"I apologise for Colonel Sheppard's behaviour. He is very protective when it comes to Earth. We have many enemies who wish to know its location."

Kara feels a pang of guilt at what she may have done, leading the fleet and by default the Cylons here. She hasn't ever considered what the Cylons would do to the people of Earth and wonders if the admiral and president have made the same oversight. She has a feeling that they have not.

"Yeah," the male voice agrees. He sounds a little bit like Lee. All this time in the brig must be making Kara go crazy. "Yeah, so do we."

"You are referring to the Cylons?" Teyla asks the unknown brig occupant.

Kara jerks up from her feigned nap. How would the stranger know about Cylons? Panic races down her spine.

"They followed us here. Or we followed them. I'm surprised we managed to lose them for this long."

"You still believe they are coming."

"You can count on it." Kara knows that tone. It threatened to slap her in the mouth. It told her he loved her. It. It. It's Lee.

"Then we will help you fight them." Teyla tells Lee. "And when the Wraith next arrive, I hope you will help us."

"Sheppard. Is he ... are you ..."

"We are just friends."

"Yeah," Lee says quietly. "I've got one of those."

Lee is here. But they're both in the brig. He loves her. But Kara is married.

In the end, there's really no question about what to do. Kara begins to shout.