This story begins directly after Hand Of God.


Apollo sighed heavily as he stared down into his mug
of ale.  A full sectarie had passed since he had crept
onto the base star with Starbuck to ensure the
Galactica's victory.  The Galactica had returned to
the convoy, but an unexpected find of spare parts on
the surface had Blue Squadron overseeing a recovery
team on the planet for several centares before Red
Squadron relieved them.  Dozens of shuttles had come
and gone from the Galactica carrying everything from
electronics to fuel.

Apollo knew that he should be exhausted after such a
long duty, but his mind kept wandering back to the
celestial chamber and the mysterious snip of data they
had received.  He was certain that the short
transmission hadn't come from the base star.  The
creative mind needed to come up with such a strategy
simply wasn't in the Cylons programming.

When Adama had insisted that Blue Squadron take a few
centares of downtime, Apollo thought that he would
have his chance to get back to the navigation chamber,
but an impromptu awards ceremony had been the catalyst
to drag him away once more.  Afterwards, the
celebratory atmosphere of his shipmates in the shadow
of such a long-awaited victory cajoled him into
joining everyone in the officer's lounge to raise a
glass with the crew.

Sheba caught his attention as she teased Starbuck and
her words from the sectarie before came echoing back.
"Did you ever think about the fact that maybe two
people who snap at each other for no reason are doing
it to hide their real feelings?"  He felt a flutter in
his chest, but quickly drowned it with a gulp of ale.


It felt like a lifetime had passed since he had lost
Serina, but the memories of her were still so fresh in
his mind.  Apollo took another quick shot of ale to
stop his thoughts from opening that old wound.  He
knew that Serina would want him to move on, that she
would want him to be happy, but he wasn't sure he
wanted to risk that kind of pain again.

"Apollo?" Sheba said softly as she looked up at him.
He had perched himself next to her on the arm of the
lounger when he had joined their squadron for drinks.
"Are you okay?" she asked with concern.  "You've
hardly said a word since you got here."

He smiled at her as he let out a slow sigh.  He knew
that he needed to talk with her, but the officer's
lounge with all of their friends surrounding them
didn't exactly elicit intimate conversation.  "I was
just thinking of that gamma transmission we received,"
he returned.  "Dr. Wilker is working on a recording
device for me so that I don't need to be in the
celestial chamber to catch another transmission."

She gave him a comforting smile.  She knew that it was
more likely that the transmission had been a lure from
the Cylons, but she liked his unfailing optimism.
"That would certainly prove it wasn't from that base
star."

"Finding the source will be the real challenge,"
Boomer interjected.

"Hopefully that signal booster you gave me will help,"
Apollo returned as he lifted his mug to Boomer in a
subtle toast.  "Once I have the recorder hooked up as
well, finding the time to go over the disk will be the
first hurdle."

"Sounds like a great way to kill some time on a long
range patrol," Sheba suggested and received and
appreciative nod from Apollo.

"I hadn't thought of that," Apollo returned then
looked over at his one computer savvy comrade in the
room.  "Boomer?"

"I'll see what I can rig up," Boomer promised before
Apollo could even ask for the favor.

Starbuck gave a discouraging groan at the thought.
"There's not a whole lot of room for extras in the
cockpit of a viper," he said as he expressively waved
his fumarello while he spoke.  "How are you going to
fit in a recording device?"

"I might be able to make a player small enough to
carry on you," Boomer said to Apollo.

"That would be fantastic," Apollo returned, his
enthusiasm showing through.  "I could listen to it
every spare centon I can find."

"Good luck with that," Starbuck returned
pessimistically.  "With all of the spare parts we
found on the planet surface, Colonel Tigh is going to
have us working repair stations around the clock."

"It will be worth it though," Athena chimed in.  "Once
we convert the Cylon technology and repair the damaged
ships in the fleet, the convoy will be able to move at
a much faster pace."

Starbuck conceded.  "Yeah, it will be nice not to feel
so much like a sitting duck."  As if on cue, the
claxon sounded and the lights in the officer's lounge
changed from glaring white to alert status red.
"Frack!"

*  *  *

"By our count, it's little more than half a garrison,"
Omega reported, turning slightly to look up at Adama
and Tigh standing behind him.

"The remaining fighters from the base star?" Tigh said
suggestively as he looked to the commander.

"Most likely," Adam returned thoughtfully.  "But they
should be out of fuel by now."

"Could we have missed a fueling depot on the planet?"
Tigh asked, echoing Adama's thoughts.

"Let's hope so," the commander returned as he watched
the approaching ships on the monitor.  "The
alternative is that there is a base star somewhere
nearby."

"Commander," Omega interrupted.  "Lieutenant Jolly is
reporting three Cylon raiders heading out of the solar
system."

Adama straightened and clasped his hands behind his
back.  "Have Red Squadron pursue and destroy," he
ordered.  "And tell Jolly to make sure to jam any
transmissions from those Cylon ships."

Colonel Tigh studied Adama for a long moment.  The two
of them had worked together for so long that they
could practically read each other's thoughts.  "The
raid on the Galactica is a diversion for those
escaping Cylons?"

Adama nodded.  "That's my guess," he returned.  "They
must be out of communication range for their nearest
outpost."

"Or base star," Tigh added.

"Omega, alert the fleet," Adama ordered.  "They are to
resume course immediately.  We will alter course after
we get out of this quadrant.  Tell the commanders to
stand by for new coordinates."

"Blue and Silver Spar Squadrons, ready to launch,"
Flight Corporal Rigel reported after tapping a few
keys quickly to verify all ships were on standby.

"Launch," Adama said simply.

"Blue Squadron, launch when ready.."

*  *  *

Apollo's head slammed back against the seat in his
cockpit as he hit the thrusters on his viper.  Microns
later he cleared the Galactica and was launched into a
sea of Cylon ships.  "Holy frack!" he exclaimed as he
turned hard to the left to avoid hitting a raider
bearing down on the Galactica.  He fired off a single
volley and the sky around him lit up with a brilliant
explosion.  "Blue Squadron watch yourself.  Cylons are
right outside the launch tubes."  Apollo blinked
several times.  The explosion had been too close.

When Bojay launched, he came out firing and took out
another raider.  "You weren't kidding," he remarked
then pulled a hard left.  "Apollo!  You've got one on
your tail!"

"I've got him," Sheba announced and deftly eliminated
the Cylon closing in.  "You okay Apollo?"

"I will be in a micron," he returned.  "That Cylon was
right on top of me when I fired."

"Boomer, on your starboard," Athena announced.

"Got him," Boomer returned then fired several volleys
to take out the Cylon ship.

"Brie look out!" Starbuck yelled when he saw her
launch directly into a Cylon fighter.

Brie crunched down into her seat when she felt the
jolt of the Cylon ship clipping the dorsal wing of her
viper.  "What the."  She wasn't able to finish when
she was forced back into her seat and started
spiraling upward from the Galactica.

"Brie, kill your thrusters!" Starbuck ordered when he
saw her heading straight for another viper.  He sighed
in relief when he saw her respond and the other viper
was able to pass safely out of the way.  "Are you all
right?" he asked as he moved in to cover her.

Brie punched at the buttons on her panel.  "I can't
seem to get the stabilizer working," she returned.
The spin that her viper was in was starting to make
her sick.

Starbuck made quick work of a Cylon heading in their
direction.  "Veer right and see if you can pull out of
the spin."  The controls were sluggish, but Brie was
able to do as Starbuck suggested and her viper slowly
moved in next to his.

Brie jumped when a spark came from her control panel.
"Something's wrong Starbuck."  She jumped again.  "My
control panel is sparking."

"Can you make it back to the Galactica?" he asked as
he glanced over at her in time to see another flash
from her cockpit.

"I think so," she said with more assurance than she
felt.

"All right.  I've got you covered," he told her.

"There's three closing in on the bridge," Apollo
announced as he hit his thrusters.

"I'm right with you Apollo," Sheba returned.  The two
of them easily took out the trio.

"Where are they all coming from?" Deitra asked as she
took one out from behind.

"That's a good question," Apollo returned.

"And where's Red Squadron?" Athena added as she
glanced in the direction of the planet where the squad
had been overseeing the transportation of supplies
from the surface.

"Captain Apollo to the Galactica," he said,
redirecting his attention to the thought of a fueling
station on the planet.  "Has anyone established a base
for these incoming raiders?"

Colonel Tigh signaled Rigel to transmit the
coordinates.  "Lieutenants Jolly and Greenbean picked
up several Cylons launching after the initial assault
on the Galactica," he explained to Apollo over the
com.  "The coordinates for the launch sight have
already been relayed to your viper.  Red Squadron has
engaged the Cylons leaving the system."

Apollo's eyes danced as he assessed the information
Colonel Tigh had passed along.  "A diversion?" he said
with some skepticism.

"Your orders are to investigate the planet and destroy
any Cylon reinforcements," Tigh concluded.

"Consider it done Colonel," Apollo returned.
"Starbuck?"

"Yo!" Starbuck responded as he watched Brie ease her
way towards the landing bay.

"Sheba and I are going to check out the surface of the
planet," Apollo informed him.

Starbuck sent off several volleys to take out a Cylon
heading in his direction.  "We've got it covered
here."

"Has Brie made it back to the Galactica?" Apollo asked
as he tried to spot Starbuck's viper near the landing
bay through the field of ships.

Starbuck grimaced as he watched Brie turn listlessly.
"Brie ease down.  You're coming in too high."

"I'm trying to Starbuck," she said, the desperation
evident in her voice.

"Starbuck to Galactica.  Prepare for emergency
landing," Starbuck ordered.  He glanced at the sky
around them to make sure there were no Cylons close-by
then his gaze focused on Brie's viper.  She had
managed to dip slightly, but was still too high to
land safely.  "Come on, come on," he whispered.
"Brie, you're listing to the left."

"I'm on it," she returned in frustration.  She jumped
when her panel flashed again and caused her viper to
overcorrect to the right.

Starbuck held his breath when he saw Brie's viper
disappear into the Galactica then he saw a flash of
brilliant light and closed his eyes.  "Fire in the
landing bay," he reported with a twist in his stomach.

~~~

commented on the large craters pockmarking the planet.


"All of these peaks and valleys aren't going to make
our job any easier," Apollo returned as he checked his
instruments for any variation in the landscape.

Sheba looked around at the dull gray scenery.  "I can
understand why earlier patrols missed the fueling
depot.  We've got the coordinates and still can't find
it."  Just as the words came out of her mouth, a
series of laser streaks shot by their vipers from
behind.

"Looks like they found us," Apollo returned before
bringing his viper around to find the source of the
incoming fire.

Sheba came in beside him and they were easily able to
make out the small landing bay tucked into the wall of
one of the craters.  "You would think by now they
would be smart enough not to give away their position
by firing at us."

Apollo chuckled.  "Let's hope they never figure that
one out."

Apollo and Sheba simultaneously opened fire on the
small bay and set off a series of explosions on the
surface before pulling up.  They circled around once
more to ensure that they had destroyed their target.
Apollo let out a sigh.  "We got `em.  Let's head back
to the Galactica."  They both hit their thrusters and
launched back into space.

~~~

Apollo and Sheba walked quickly across the bridge to
join Adama and Colonel Tigh at the helm of the
Galactica.  "Reporting in Commander," Apollo said as
he watched his father finish a report with one of the
flight crew.

When the crew member walked off, Adama turned his
attention to his son.  "Were you able to find the
launch bay?"

"It was well hidden, but we were able to take it out,"
Apollo returned.  "Blue Squadron?" he asked in short.

Tigh interrupted to answer.  "We lost Flight Cadet
Thompson, but the rest of Blue Squadron has checked
in."

"Brie?"  Sheba breathed her name, surprised that
Colonel Tigh hadn't mentioned her.

"She's badly hurt, but she will recover," Tigh replied
then turned his attention to something Omega was
saying to him.

Apollo and Sheba exchanged a startled expression.
"When Starbuck reported a fire in the landing bay, we
assumed the worst," Apollo said.

Adama nodded.  "Her viper struck one of the fueling
canisters we had collected from the surface.  Her
viper was badly scorched, but it's repairable."

"And the landing bay?"

"Luckily, just minor damage.  It will be fully
operational within a sectarie."

Apollo breathed a sigh of relief.  "So what's next for
Blue Squadron?" he asked, prepared for a new
assignment.  "Will the fleet be altering course?"

"Already underway," Adama confirmed.  "Silver Spar
Squadron is covering our outer perimeter.  Blue
Squadron is to stand down for the next sectarie."

"But Commander."

"Apollo," Adama interrupted as he grasped his son's
shoulder.  "Blue Squadron has spent more time in a
viper than out in the past several sectaries and it's
time you got some rest."  When Apollo started to
protest once more, Adama straightened and gave him a
serious look.  "That's an order Captain," he insisted
then smiled.  "Besides, Boxey is waiting up to tell
you about a class project they worked on today."

Apollo smiled at his father.  Boxey was the one person
he wanted to see most at the moment.  "I can't
remember the last time I got to tuck him in."

"From the look of you, I'd say Boxey will be the one
tucking you in," Sheba teased and chuckled when
Apollo's mouth dropped open in surprise.

"Commander," Tigh interrupted.  "Bojay is reporting in
with a problem on the Celestra."

"Thank you Colonel," Adama returned, but his gaze
remained on Apollo.  "Starbuck is with Cadet Brie at
the life station.  I expect you will want to check in
on her before going to your quarters."

"Yes sir," Apollo returned.  He knew there was no
point in waiting around to see what was wrong with the
Celestra.  His father's statement was intended more as
an order than a suggestion.

~~~

Apollo and Sheba were whispering quietly as they
entered the life station, careful about disturbing any
patients who might be resting.  As the doors parted,
they both stopped dead in their tracks at the sight of
Drs. Wilker and Salik arguing with each other.

"What do you expect us to do then?" Dr. Wilker asked
as he leaned toward Dr. Salik.  "Just stop eating it?"

"I suppose you would use the entire fleet as test
rodents," Dr. Salik returned.

"Why don't we just let the council decide?" Dr. Wilker
countered.

Dr. Salik straightened as he clasped his hands behind
his back.  "Since we are still under military rule,
Adama is the one who should be consulted."  With that
statement, both of the doctors looked at Apollo.

Apollo's eyes grew as he glanced between the two.  He
had no idea what their argument was about, but he had
a feeling that he didn't want to get into the middle
of it.  "The Commander is on the bridge overseeing the
fleet's deployment," he said slowly.

"Fine," Dr. Wilker said, gesturing with a set of
research disks in his hand.  "I'm sure that Adama will
appreciate the benefits of my research."  He quickly
brushed passed Sheba and marched out of the room.

Dr. Salik heaved a sigh and gave Apollo an apologetic
look.  He wasn't looking forward to the debate with
Wilker, but he was too cautious to risk even one life
in the fleet.  "This should be interesting," he
commented and gave Apollo a pat on the shoulder before
following Wilker out of the room.

Apollo held his hands out wide as he looked at
Starbuck and Cassiopia on the other side of the life
station with Brie.  "What was that all about?" he
asked as he walked over to them.

"Don't ask," Starbuck returned, an unlit fumarello
clenched between his fingers.  "Those two have been at
it for the past fifteen centons."

"Try the past two sectaries," Cassiopia corrected him,
shaking her head as she slowly moved a scanner over
Brie's still form.  "You know what the two of them are
like when they disagree about something."

"How's she doing?" Sheba asked as she stepped over to
Brie's bedside and lightly stroked her bare shoulder.

Cassiopia's eyebrows rose.  "She was pretty banged up
when they brought her in.  Two broken legs, several
broken ribs and her left hand is badly burned."

"I could see her control panel flaring up from my
viper," Starbuck informed them.  "She must have been
fighting with those controls the whole way in to get
those kinds of burns."

"It's a miracle she's alive," Apollo said softly as he
looked down at Brie's angelic face.  She seemed even
younger while sleeping.  "You did a great job bringing
her in, Starbuck."

Starbuck waved off the compliment.  "I didn't do
anything.  It was all Brie."

Apollo smiled as he grasped Starbuck's shoulder.  "You
talked her out of that spin and covered her while she
got back to the Galactica.  I'd say that's something."
 Apollo was amazed that, even with Starbuck's ego, he
had no clue how much Blue Squadron depended on his
leadership.  The new recruits had formed a special
bond with Starbuck and they hung on his every word.

"Yeah, well.  Just doing my job."

"Hey Dad!" Boxey said as he galloped into the room
with Muffit close behind.  He launched himself up into
his father's arms.  "The Commander said you would be
here."

"The Commander?  And just what were you doing up on
the bridge?" Apollo returned in his best stern parent
voice.

"I went up there with Athena," he said innocently as
he scratched at his nose.  "She's trying to find
something for instructional period tomorrow.  Grandpa
said that you get to spend some time with me now.  Can
we go see the newborn rebines in the animal
sanctuary?"

Apollo chuckled.  His father had made sure that Apollo
got some downtime by pitting Boxey against him.  "Of
course we can, but only after you have your sleep
period."  Apollo chuckled again when Boxey groaned.

"It looks like Boxey isn't the only one who could do
with a sleep period," Cassiopia commented as she gave
Apollo a sly look.

Apollo looked at Sheba then at Cassiopia, wondering if
there was a conspiracy afoot.  "Do I look that bad?"
he dared to ask.

Starbuck cleared his throat as he shifted slightly.
"Well, when you go a couple of sectaries without
sleep, it starts to show."

Apollo looked at Starbuck and sighed.  "Thanks for the
support buddy."

~~~

Athena groaned as she jabbed at the computer keyboard.
 She had hoped that the Galactica's extensive library
would be of some help, but she just wasn't finding the
answers she needed.

"I thought you were ordered to take a rest period,"
Adama said with a note of censure in his voice because
Athena was on the bridge.

Athena sighed as she leaned back in her chair and
looked up at her father.  "I'm just trying to get my
lessons together for tomorrow.  I can't seem to find
what I'm looking for on the computer."

"Well, maybe I can help.  What do you need to know?"

Suddenly Athena's frustration seemed to melt away.
She didn't know why the thought of speaking with her
father hadn't occurred to her.  His knowledge of the
Colonies' history was as probably more extensive than
even the Galactica library.  "I know that our laws
date back hundreds of yahren and that the Book of the
Word is even older than that, but I can't seem to find
any reasoning behind why the laws were established and
why certain ones were set aside as our primary ways of
life.  There doesn't even seem to be any specifics
about who made the laws."

Adama's eyebrows shot up.  "That seems like it's going
to be quite an intellectual discussion for someone as
young as Boxey and his classmates."

Athena sighed as she stared at the monitor for a
moment then she closed out the archive she had been
searching and stood to face her father.  "To tell you
the truth, Father, there are a lot of things that I
have been curious about concerning the Book of the
Word.  I almost feel like there's some sort of hidden
meaning behind some of the old writings."

Adama smiled broadly.  "That's very astute of you,
Athena," he said cryptically.  "Perhaps I can be of
some help.  There's someone I want you to meet."

"Commander!" Dr. Wilker nearly yelled as he walked
onto the bridge.  "There's something very important
that I need to talk to you about."

"That we need to talk to you about," Dr. Salik
corrected him as he followed on Wilker's heels.

"By all the lords," Adama murmured under his breath as
he rubbed the crease between his brows.  He
straightened and turned to face the doctors.  "I
assume that this is important?" he asked.

"It could mean life or death to every person on the
Galactica," Dr. Salik returned.

Dr. Wilker gave Salik a disbelieving look.  "Stop
being so dramatic."

~~~

Errors-To: bsg-fanfic-bounces-
airys=mirarialpacafarm.com@lists.eyrie.org
X-UIDL: %_C"!UeA"!T<,"!<YF!!

Adama rubbed at his temples as Drs. Salik and Wilker
launched into yet another technical debate on the
fundamental properties of the food the fleet was
consuming.  Adama had moved their conversation into
his private quarters, but now he was regretting that
decision.  The sound of their voices echoing around
the smaller room was giving him a headache.  "Please
gentlemen," he said in exasperation as he rose from
the chair behind his desk.  "Can you break this all
down into simpler terms?  Are the food stores safe or
not?"

"We've got no way of knowing what the long term
effects will be," Dr. Salik stated.

"But we have no reason to believe that there will be
any negative side affects," Dr. Wilker countered.
"All of the tests have been positive.  Beyond
positive," he corrected.  "All of the test subject
have improved strength, agility, memory.."

"All of that within such a short period of time has to
be suspect," Dr. Salik argued.

"It has to be studied," Dr. Wilker insisted.

"And just who do you suggest we submit to your
studies?" Salik asked as he stood toe-to-toe with
Wilker.  "Our warriors?  Our children?  Maybe you
would just like to force feed our elders."

"A cross section of everyone in the fleet would be
needed to."

"That's insanity Adama!" Salik insisted as he turned
to the commander for support.  "He's talking about
subjecting our entire fleet to a product enhanced by
an alien presence we know nothing about and that we
have absolutely no control over.  It's bad enough that
we have no choice to eat food that could eventually be
harmful, but to prescribe a diet that's strictly fruit
and vegetables from the affected agro pods could cause
irreversible harm."

Adama held his hands out in a gesture to calm down.
"What effects have you seen from a medical standpoint
up till now?"

Dr. Salik shifted slightly.  "To be honest with you,
Adama, in the last few sectons, the only people we
have been seeing in the life station are those injured
in the line of duty.  We haven't had so much as a
person with a cold walk through the door.  Even the
kidney patients that I have been treating have had a
remarkable recovery."

Adama's eyebrows rose.  "All of them?" he asked in
surprise.

Salik nodded hesitantly.  "That's what concerns me
Adama," he said in softer tones.  "What's going to
happen to these people when that source of nutrition
is cut off?"

"We have no reason to believe that it will ever be cut
off," Dr. Wilker argued.  The plants are still
producing perfect specimens of nutrition and they're
still abundant in their crops."

"And what about the seedlings?" Dr. Salik asked in
challenge.

"Granted the cuttings we have tried to produce have a
less than perfect strain," Wilker conceded.

"How much less?" Adama asked.

Dr. Wilker hesitated for a moment.  "Less than half
the nutritional substance from the original plant is
retained in the new plant."  When Adama sighed, he
went on to explain.  "This was just our first attempt
at reproducing the plants.  We need more time to
experiment and, hopefully, we can figure out what
spurred their growth to begin with.  That would
provide us with an endless source of food for however
long we're on this trek through the stars."

Salik gave Adama a long look.  "I can't stress enough
how detrimental this kind of experimentation can be on
our warriors, on our people.

Adama paused thoughtfully as he rubbed at the diamond
medallion at his throat.  He had relied on Dr. Salik's
professional opinion many times, but Dr. Wilker posed
a strong argument with few negative results from his
current testing.  Adama's decision was turned by the
simple fact that it had been over eighteen sectons
since the alien lights had visited them and the fleet
had been consuming the crops from the visit for nearly
that long without incident.  In fact, it appeared that
the fleet personnel were actually benefiting from the
diet.   "I will allow the testing for now on two
conditions.  All of your test subjects must be
volunteers and all of them will report to Dr. Salik on
a regular basis for monitoring."

Dr. Wilker smiled and held his hands wide.  "That's
fine with me," he returned then walked out of the
commander's quarters, radiant in his victory.

Dr. Salik stared down at the floor for a long moment.
He knew that Adama had made the only choice he could
make under the circumstances, but there was one tidbit
of information that he had deliberately kept from Dr.
Wilker.  "Just so you know there was a couple on the
Gemini freighter that I was treating for infertility.
I have been treating them for some time with no luck.
The woman came into the life station about four
sectons ago.  Pregnant."  He gave that a moment to
sink in before adding.  "Judging from the term of her
pregnancy, the fleet had been eating the food from the
agro pods for approximately a sectar."  He stepped
closer to Adama.  "Either that or the pregnancy is
coming along at an accelerated rate."  He hesitated
just once more.  "If Wilker were to find out that this
woman is pregnant."  Salik left the implications
dangling when he saw the understanding in Adama's
eyes.

As Salik left the room, Adama reached up and rubbed
the insignia at his throat once more.  He knew that
the wiser course would be to heed Salik's warning, but
the possibilities were too much for even him to
resist.  Some otherworldly source had brought Count
Iblis into their lives and it had changed them.  There
were those who still believed in Iblis and had
developed a cult following that were reported to
practically worship the bounty of food produced by the
spectral lights.  Adama had to wonder if they were now
receiving the blessing for casting out Count Iblis and
his treacherous ways or if this was another twisted
plot by the Count.

~~~

Apollo bounced down the corridor with Boxey on his
shoulders.  A full sleep period had been just what he
needed to rejuvenate him and he had spent the morning
following Boxey's lead.  They had checked out the new
babies in the animal sanctuary and Apollo had helped
Boxey with one of his school projects, then they had
gone to the atrium for an all out game of tag.  "Watch
your head," Apollo warned his son even while he
crouched down to avoid hitting a crossbeam himself.
When Boxey reached up and grabbed the crossbar, it
brought them to a screeching halt.  "Hey!"

"I've got you now, ha ha," Boxey said in a wicked
voice then laughed.

Apollo moved to get under his son again when he
realized Boxey had pulled himself up and off of his
shoulders.  Apollo turned around to see his son
dangling from the ceiling and laughed.  "Well that's
some predicament you've gotten yourself into," Apollo
teased.  "Now what are you going to do?"

Boxey thought about that while Muffit barked and
jumped up in an attempt to reach him.  "Maybe I'll
drop on the next unuspecing person that comes by.
Hehehe."

"It's unsuspecting and where did you learn a word like
that?" Apollo asked with his hands on his hips.

"In our history lessons," he explained as he started
swinging back and forth.  "The colonies were
unuspecing when the Cylons attacked.  Just like
Starbuck."  Boxey suddenly threw himself back and was
caught by the startled lieutenant.

Apollo felt his heart lodge in his throat one second
when he saw Boxey swing away, then he could only stand
in stunned silence as he watched Starbuck frantically
grasping onto the nimble boy.

"Hey!  What is this?  A sneak attack?" Starbuck asked
as he mentally assessed his vital parts for injury.
"Where did you come from anyway?"

"How ya doing Starbuck?" Boxey asked in return then
slipped down out of Starbuck's arms.

Starbuck gave half a laugh.  "I'll be doing much
better once my heart gets out of my stomach."

Apollo sighed.  "I know how you feel."  He squatted
down to be at eye level with Boxey.  "You okay?"

"Captain Apollo report to the Galactica bridge."
Rigel's voice filtered down through the corridors.
"Captain Apollo to Galactica bridge."

Apollo sighed as he looked at Boxey.  "Perfect
timing," he said.  "Your instructional period starts
any centon.  Do you want me to walk you there?"

Boxey gave him a surprisingly adult look.  "I'm old
enough to take care of myself now Dad."

Apollo let out a soft chuckle.  "You're not too old
for a hug, are ya?"

Boxey smiled and fell into his father's arms.  "Thanks
for taking me to see the rebines," he said and was on
his way down the corridor.  "Come on Muffit."

Apollo chuckled as he watched his son hurry off.
"He's growing up so fast I can hardly keep up with
him."

"Yeah, kids have a way of doing that," Starbuck
returned then plopped his unlit fumarello into his
mouth.  Only then did he realize it had been snapped
in two.  Apollo chuckled at Starbuck's expression when
he saw that his fumarello was held together by a
single thin leaf and groaned.  "You think Boomer can
fix it?" Starbuck asked only half in jest.

Apollo laughed once more.  "I think that's a little
out of his area of expertise."  He shook his head when
Starbuck gave his fumarello a longing look.  "Care to
join me on the bridge?" Apollo said as he gestured
down the corridor they would take.

"Uh, I thought you'd never ask," Starbuck returned
with a sarcastic note.

"Greetings.  I am Dr. Wilker, analyst to the Council
of Twelve."

Starbuck and Apollo stopped abruptly when Dr. Wilker's
image came over the Intra-Fleet Broadcast channel.
They exchanged a worried look as Dr. Wilker continued
to recite his credentials then turned back to the
screen when the doctor continued with his reason for
the broadcast.

"Since the visitation from the ships of light, we have
reaped enormous benefits from the food supply.  Simply
take a look at the person next to you and you will see
someone who is stronger and healthier than ever
before.  People who were once sick are now healthy and
working in the service of the fleet.  Our children are
no longer plagued with illness, but are energetic and
happy."

Apollo's gaze darted up the corridor where Boxey had
disappeared and his breathing increased.  It had never
occurred to him that the primaries they were eating
would have any kind of unusual affect on them.  When
he realized that Dr. Wilker was still talking, he
turned his attention back to the monitor.

"In short, we need volunteers.  If you think that you
can maintain a diet of strictly agro pod produce or if
you are already on such a diet, I would like you to
report to me on the Electronics ship.  With the
miraculous findings we have collected thus far, there
is no telling just what our people will accomplish and
we need your help to document our research.  It
doesn't matter if you're young or old, healthy or
sick, we want you."

Apollo looked at Starbuck as the transmission ended.
"I think I know why we're being called to the bridge."

Starbuck's eyebrows rose as his broken fumarello
dangled from his fingers.  "Yeah, Adama can't be too
happy about this."

~~~
Errors-To: bsg-fanfic-bounces-
airys=mirarialpacafarm.com@lists.eyrie.org
X-UIDL: "NE"!NR:!!&[o"!ae`"!

Apollo and Starbuck walked onto the bridge to see
Adama glaring down at one of the monitors.  "Of course
I had Council approval," Wilker said over the com,
trying to keep the smug expression off of his face.
"The IFB as more than happy to accommodate research
sanctioned by both you and the Council."

Adama straightened.  He hated feeling like a puppet to
anyone.  "When I gave you approval, it was for the
research, not to broadcast it all over fleet
channels."

Wilker gave a dismissing shrug.  "What better way to
get a cross section of the fleet than to address the
fleet?"

Adama fought to keep his temper under control.  "Any
further information is to be brought before the
Council and not broadcast over fleet channels.  Am I
understood Doctor?"

"Absolutely Adama," Wilker returned with a smile.  He
had already been instructed by the Council to do the
same.

"Galactica out."  Adama turned away from the monitor
and removed his headset as he looked to Apollo and
Starbuck standing close behind.

Apollo pointed to the monitor where Wilker's image had
been only microns before.  "You approved his
experimentation?" he asked his father in a breathless
voice.  He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

Adama sighed as he tried to get his anger with Wilker
under control.  "Under the circumstances, it's only
prudent that we investigate the affects our food
supplies are having on the fleet."

"Did you see his broadcast?" Apollo asked.  "He's
talking about experimenting on the elders and
children!"

"We're all a part of his research regardless," Adama
countered.  "The food from the agro pods is one of the
main sources of our nutrition.  We can't escape
consuming it.  Dr. Wilker is simply monitoring the
results."

"And what is a strict diet of that food going to do to
our people?" Apollo shot back.  "You know that Wilker
has the ear of the Council.  What if they decide that
the entire fleet should subsist on nothing but agro
ship food?  What will happen to our warriors?  To our
children?"  Apollo sighed in frustration.  "To Boxey."

Adama's gaze quickly locked with Apollo's.  His son
had driven the point home.  There was nothing that
Adama wouldn't do to protect his grandson, but there
was no way of shielding him from the very food they
ate.  "I share your concerns Apollo," Adama said
softly.  "Which is why I would like you and Starbuck
to collect data on the fleet personnel yourselves.
You were the ones that helped with the initial
inspections when we left the Cyranis.  You will have a
skeptical eye to Wilker's claims.  We need to know if
there are any ill effects caused by the amplified
vegetation."

"We'll get on it immediately," Apollo returned.  He
wasn't happy with Wilker's experimentation, but it was
obvious that there was nothing he could do about it.
Yet.

"Omega," Adama said simply and the bridge officer
handed him a data pad.  Adama passed the pad to his
son.  "I had Omega bring up the original research that
you collected so that you will have something to
compare your findings to."

Apollo glanced at the data then looked back at his
father.  "If there is anything detrimental to the
fleet, we'll find it."

~~~

Starbuck groaned as they passed through a narrow
passageway to get to the civilian quarters.  "How many
more of these ships do we have to do?"

"Sixty-two," Apollo returned.

Starbuck groaned again.  "We've been at this for two
sectaries Apollo.  Haven't we collected enough data
yet?"

"We need to speak with everyone in the fleet, not just
a select few.  Commander Adama wants to know how
everyone is fairing with the altered food supply."

"I'm supposed to be meeting with Chameleon on the
Celestra.for dinner," he added quickly when Apollo
gave him a suspicious look.

Apollo smiled knowing that the two of them would most
likely be testing out a new formula for playing
pyramid.  "I'll tell you what, we'll finish up with
this ship and then head back to the Galactica.  We can
visit the rest of the fleet tomorrow."

Starbuck perked up.  "I can go along with that," he
said as if he had a choice.

Apollo opened the portal to the next chamber and found
a large communal room where the remainder of the
ship's inhabitants was located.  Apollo watched
Starbuck close the hatch to effectively mute the roar
of the engines before turning to the people they were
there to talk to.  "Could I have your attention
please!" Apollo said loudly to be heard above the din
of conversation.  Once most of the eyes in the room
had turned in their direction, he began again.  "I'm
Captain Apollo from the Galactica.  This is Lieutenant
Starbuck.  We are here to ask you a few simple
questions about your personal well being.  If you need
anything or have any suggestions on how we can better
accommodate you, please let us know when we speak with
you.  If you can bear with us, we will go through the
questions as quickly as possible so that you can go
back with what you were doing."

Apollo and Starbuck gave each other a nod then began
collecting data from everyone in the room.  Nearly two
centars had passed before they were finished.
Starbuck walked back over to Apollo as he was speaking
with a young woman.  "That's spelled with a Y," the
woman told Apollo as she leaned closer and stroked her
hand down the lapel of his jacket.  "Has anyone ever
told you that you look good in brown?" she asked
flirtatiously.

Apollo glanced back at Starbuck who gave him a
lopsided smile.  "You really do, you know," Starbuck
teased.

Apollo rolled his eyes at his friend then smiled at
the young woman.  "Ah."  He glanced at his data pad
trying to remember where he had left off while the
woman's hand trailed up his thigh.  "Do you know of
anyone else that we might have missed on this ship?"
Apollo asked as he tried to discretely move away, but
he was pinned with the woman in front of him and
Starbuck behind him on the small staircase.

She shrugged her shoulders as she leaned closer once
more.  "There's no one in my chambers," she whispered
suggestively.

"Uh, okay.  Good."  He cleared his throat and forced
himself to look down at her information on the pad.
"Oh, there is one other thing," Apollo added and
stumbled back slightly on the stairs as he continued
to ease away.  He gave the woman another smile and
completely ignored the smug expression on Starbuck's
face.  "Um, it says here that you were born with
epititis, that you've had skin lesions for most of
your life.  Are you in need of any medical attention?"

The woman took a step back and held her bare arms out
wide for inspection.  "There hasn't been a mark on me
in sectons."  She put her foot up on the railing of
the stairs and slowly slid her hand up her calf, then
her thigh, uncovering her flawless creamy-white skin.
"You can touch it if you like."

Apollo quickly put his hand up on Starbuck's chest
when he leaned in.  "That won't be necessary," Apollo
said and gave Starbuck a censoring look.

"What?" Starbuck returned innocently.  "She offered.
I was just.being polite."

The woman smiled at Starbuck as she slowly covered her
leg.  "I love a man who knows what he wants," she
purred.

Apollo darted a glance between the two.  "Uh, is that
normal?" Apollo asked trying to finish with his
questions before the woman outright propositioned them
both.  "To go so long without any symptoms?"

"Hmm?"  She gave Apollo a distracted glance as she
reached up to stroke the material on Starbuck's
sleeve.  "Oh.  No, not really.  My skin has always
itched regardless of any sores.  That is, until
recently."  She ran her hand up her own arm as she
locked eyes with Starbuck.  "Soft as a baby's bottom,"
she whispered.

Apollo and Starbuck exchanged a glance then Apollo
started to back away.  "Okay then.  Thank you for your
help."

There was a flash of disappointment in her eyes then
she smiled invitingly to both warriors.  "Drop by any
time."

~~~

Adama looked across the bridge at Athena.  She was
once again doing research for her students and he had
to smile at her dedication.  She never once complained
about having the extra duty.  She actually seemed to
thrive on developing new and interesting ways to teach
the Galactica's children.  He couldn't be more proud
of either of his children.

Adama dropped his head for a moment as he sent out a
silent prayer for Athena's safety.  He didn't want to
involve her in something that was little more than a
theory, but he couldn't rob his daughter of the
possibility of something wondrous either.  His heart
was torn by her safety and her potential.  He had to
trust that her logic would save her.  Just as it had
saved him.

"How are things going with you and Gaea?" Adama asked
his daughter quietly as he walked up behind her.

"She's amazing Father," she returned with an excited
tone.  "In just the past few sectaries, she has taught
me things that I would have never believed possible.
I don't know why you've never introduced us before."

He smiled reassuringly.  "Because you weren't ready
before."

Athena tilted her head to one side.  "And what makes
me ready now?"

He reached out to pat her hand.  "Your curiosity."  He
chuckled when she seemed confused.  "You've opened
your mind up to the possibilities and you have
developed a thirst for the knowledge of our ancestors.
 Gaea can be an excellent guide for you if you can
trust her and accept that guidance."

"You almost make it sound like a mission," she joked
and was surprised by his reaction.  He seemed almost
startled by her words before he composed himself
microns later.  She was right?

"I can see that there will come a time when I will
stand in awe of my own daughter," Adama said softly as
he took her hand into both of his.

"What are you talking about, Father?" she asked with
the lilt of humor in her voice.  "I've always been the
one to stand in awe of you and Apollo."

Adama shook his head slowly.  "If I'm right Athena,
you will be able to venture places and do things that
Apollo and I couldn't even imagine."

Athena looked at her father with a sense of
wonderment.  Could it be possible?  Was there
something that she could do that her own father
couldn't?  "What is it that you need me to do?" she
asked, hoping for some enlightenment to her father's
statement.

Adama looked down at their joined hands as he gave a
silent prayer that he was making the right decision.
"By now I'm sure you've heard of the experiment that
Dr. Wilker is working on."

She gave him half a smile.  "Since Dr. Wilker
broadcast over the IFB that he needed volunteers,
everyone in the fleet knows about it."

Adama gave a small grunt.  He wasn't happy with the
way Dr. Wilker had handled that situation, but there
was nothing that he could do at that point.  He took a
deep breath and looked back at Athena.  "What I'm
going to ask you to do may have serious repercussions
for you personally.  We have no way of knowing what
kind of affect Dr. Wilker's experiment will have on
everyone.  There could be mental and physical changes
which are unalterable."

"But you want me to volunteer for the experiment,"
Athena said softly.

Adama was able to contain his surprise, but he was
certain there would be many more occasions where
Athena's intuitions would serve her well.  "With
Gaea's guidance, I believe that you will be able to
exceed boundaries that limit us all."