Lessons In Allegiance
Virtual Seasons 2, Episode 14
September 21, 2005

By Lisa Zaza and Maggie Hutchison

Note: The time frame of Lessons In Allegiance starts the morning after
the murder was solved in Bones, but before that story officially ends.


Chapter One

     Starbuck walked briskly down the corridor.  One secton.  That was
all that stood between him and full flight duty.  Well, okay, one secton
and four rogue cadets.  He sighed as he recalled in his day if they had
trouble with a cadet, they'd just fire him out on his astrum.  Apparently
the Council had been issuing directives affecting the training of this
latest bunch of cadets.  Of course, it couldn't have anything to do with
the fact that Sire Who's It's son was one of the offenders.  No, that was
just a coincidence.  Yeah, right.
     He tried to tell himself it wouldn't be that bad.  After all, this
wasn't the first time he had taught cadets.  Actually, the first time had
been a great experience, considering most of their fellow Warriors were
in Life Station with a life threatening illness, and it was left up to
Apollo and him to whip a bunch of shuttle pilots into shape to defend the
Fleet.  Female shuttle pilots he reminded himself fondly as his mind
wandered back to standing in a room surrounded by several beautiful women
in their pressure suits. Ah, yes, there is always some good along with
the bad.
     Besides, this had been the toughest sectar of his career since he
had been put on restrictive duty for stepping out of line on the bridge
when Commander Adama had been about to call off the search for Sheba.  He
just couldn't stand there and let them all give up on her.  Frak, Apollo
had looked like he had already resigned himself to Sheba's death.  Well,
Starbuck hadn't and, as usual, he didn't have a problem letting anyone
know that.  Colonel Tigh had come down on him hard.  He was making a
point that he was not going to tolerate any breach of discipline in the
ranks, and especially not by a deputy squadron leader.  Whatever.  Still,
Starbuck supposed that was primarily why he was stuck with this
assignment.  Perhaps the Colonel thought it deliciously ironic to assign
the Lieutenant to four disruptive cadets.
     Starbuck chuckled as he wondered what Lieutenant Deitra had done to
land in the same situation.  Deitra was a consummate professional. 
Starbuck was impressed with her confidence and ability.  It was Deitra
who had contacted him the previous night to suggest he write up the
course plan while she look over the cadet's evaluations so they knew what
they were up against.  She was a born organizer, which was good, because
until Tigh had suddenly requested a course outline, Starbuck had been 
planning to wing it.
     He reflected that perhaps he wasn't taking this very seriously.  He
half intended to make a quick assessment to see if these cadets were
salvageable and then get enough incriminating data on them to have them
expelled from the program.  Yeah, that whole son-of-a-Councilman
situation didn't sit well with him.  He was sick of seeing undeserving
Warriors elevated above their peers simply because of who their father
was.  Admittedly, there was a lot less of that on the Galactica than
there had been back in the Colonies, to which he gave full credit to
Commander Adama.  Still, it angered him that the Council had the power to
make decisions like this that should be strictly military, as far as he
was concerned.
     Starbuck walked into the nearly empty space that was supposed to be
their classroom.  Deitra sat there alone at the desk.  He looked up at
the chronometer on the wall and saw it was 0800 centars.
     "Well, I'm glad you made it.  I was beginning to think I would be
the only one." Deitra smiled ruefully at him.
     Starbuck grinned and handed her a java, "Not exactly a bunch of
keeners."
     "No." Deitra agreed, taking the java.  "Thanks.  How'd you fix it?"
     "Strong and black." Starbuck replied.
     "Perfect." Deitra nodded and took a sip of the hot beverage noting
the fact that Starbuck's java was twice as big and almost empty.  "Needed
a little pick-me-up this morning?" Deitra asked as she indicated his cup.
     "To say the least," he rubbed his tired eyes.  He had been up late
putting together the course outline and then in the early centars, when
it had felt as though he had just fallen asleep, he had ended up in Life
Station after Boxey had been attacked by some madman.  Starbuck was still
a bit confused about everything that had happened, but it had to do with
Sergeant Decker, who was apparently really a former member of the
Thirteenth Directorate called Tabor, who had killed a Major Dorian, also
with the Thirteenth Directorate, deca-yahrens ago.  Commander Adama had
been suddenly accused of his crime based on a beating he had given Dorian
on the date he disappeared.  Starbuck didn't know the old man had it in
him.  It turned out that the turbo flush incident that Starbuck had been
chuckling about the night before was Apollo's facilities blowing up from
an explosive device that was meant to kill the Captain.  Lords, what a
way to go!  Starbuck had looked on in shock and horror as missing pieces
of the story were revealed by a charred, broken figure of a man who was
trying to seek absolution for his crimes in the last moments of his life. 
He reminded himself to buy a decent bottle of ambrosa to share with
Apollo so he could get the rest of the story out of him when things had
settled down again.
     "So, since we're all alone, what did you do to get stuck with this
duty?" Starbuck asked her as he sat on the edge of the desk gulping down
more of the strong brew.
     "Stuck with it?  Is that how you think of it?" Deitra asked,
chuckling.  "No, don't answer that.  Of course, you'd feel that way.  I
didn't do anything.  I thought it would be a good experience for me."
     Starbuck shook his head giving her a pained expression.  "You
volunteered?"
     "Well, not exactly, but I do value the opportunity to use some of my
leadership skills." Deitra replied.
     Starbuck grinned at her.  "Fill your boots, Deitra." He wouldn't
mind taking a secondary role if she wanted the invaluable experience. 
Yeah, this secton wouldn't be too bad at all.  "I'll follow your
lead...if you really want the opportunity."  He winked at her.  He could
just sit back and watch, adding his voice of experience when it was
really necessary.  He went to take another sip of java, but his cup was
empty.  Ah, the story of your life, Bucko, he thought wearily.
     "Sounds good, Starbuck." Deitra replied confidently.  "Sheba was
supposed to do it, wasn't she?" Deitra asked.
     "Yeah, well, she was reassigned," he replied.  Apollo had actually
taken Sheba with him to break the news to Starbuck about this assignment
when it appeared they would be working together.  He assumed that when
Adama had been charged, Apollo had conscripted Sheba's aid to defend his
father.  Starbuck sighed as he realized there was a time not that long
ago when it would have been him at Apollo's side.
     "What's she doing?" Deitra asked, truly curious.
     "Danged if I know." Starbuck bluffed easily, as if playing a hand of
cards.  If word of the scandal made it out, it wouldn't be because of
him.  He looked at his chronometer.  0803.  "Seems like our cadets are as
unimpressed with this extra course as we...make that, I am."
     "I studied their files.  Kyna, Jada and Kefira actually have high
academic marks.  Pelias is average.  The problem with all of them seems
to be they have no respect for authority. Pelias, in particular, also has
a problem with women in authority, not to mention women as Warriors. They
also have no use for teamwork." Deitra filled him in as she handed over
the datapad.
     "So, why the frak are we wasting our time with them?" Starbuck
asked.
     "Good question.  Why don't you ask Colonel Tigh the next time you
see him?" Deitra replied with a smile.
     Starbuck sniffed in amusement.  He'd just as soon stay clear of Tigh
for a while. "I..."
     He broke off the comment as the first of the wayward cadets strolled
in as though she didn't have a care in the universe.  She glanced briefly
at Deitra and Starbuck and then took her place at one of the four tables
in the room.  She stretched out her long, slender legs after taking her
seat and poked at the datapad that lay in front of her while brushing a
tendril of black hair from her eyes that had escaped its tether.
     "Cadet...?" Deitra asked the slender, young woman.
     "Jada." She replied lightly as her dark, brown eyes met Deitra's.  
     "You're late, Cadet Jada." Deitra told her briskly.
     "Well, on a geologic time scale, it's barely discernible." Jada
replied indifferently with a shrug, as two more cadets started to walk in
the room.
     The short, stocky women stared at each other with intense dislike as
one brushed against the other coming through the hatch which distracted
Deitra from the swift reprimand she had been about to direct to Cadet
Jada.
     "Watch where you're going, Kefira." The first woman snapped, green
eyes blazing.  Her fair, freckled complexion burned with a redness that
accented her short and wavy auburn hair 
     "Me?  You bumped into me, Kyna.  You always were an oaf." Kefira
replied.  While she had the same stocky build and light colored
hair-dusty blonde, tied into a tight knot, in her case-that was
characteristic of Virgons, her features were darker and her eyes were
light brown.
     "Hey, that's enough!" Deitra told them.  "Take your seats.  You're
late."  She raised her eyebrows at Starbuck as he watched the scene
unfold with something akin to amusement on his face.  He started
reviewing the cadet's evaluations as the women took their seats as far
away as possible from each other considering the size of the room. 
According to their reviews, these women had clashed before.  In fact,
they seemed to thrive on harassing and haranguing each other.
     The last cadet, Pelias, sauntered into the room and stopped in his
tracks as he took in his fellow classmates and instructors.  He actually
backed up and looked at the room number before again coming through the
hatch with a look of utter contempt and boredom.  For a moment he stood
arms crossed, using his height to gaze down upon everyone in a pose that
they could tell was well-practiced.  His stance might have been more
impressive had he not had his arms folded across an extra layer of
padding.  "Pelias, take your seat." Deitra told him as she stood beside
the desk.
     "Who are you?" Pelias asked her with a note of disdain evident in
his voice.  "I'm accustomed to having people introduce themselves before
they address me."
     Deitra took a deep breath before replying.  "Lieutenant Deitra,
Cadet.  Lieutenant Starbuck and I are your instructors for the next
secton."
     "A woman?" Pelias asked as he stood with his arms still crossed and
feet firmly planted.
     "Well, at least your eyes check out, Cadet," replied Deitra,
struggling to cap her annoyance.  "You get full marks for discerning my
gender."
     "Is this some kind of a joke?" His eyes swung to Starbuck. 
"Starbuck?"
     Starbuck could feel the entire room fill with tension as every woman
present bristled from Pelias' words.  "That's Lieutenant Starbuck,
Cadet."  Starbuck returned evenly.  "Take your seat."
     Pelias hesitated, as if to strike home a point, before strolling
over to the last available table.
     Deitra gritted her teeth together as she watched Pelias sit down. 
Even knowing beforehand that the young man was a chauvinistic creep, she
wasn't quite prepared for the frontal assault.  She saw Starbuck give her
a questioning look and she nodded to him briefly and walked to the front
of the class.
     "Now, I'm sure you all realize that you're doing this extra
component to your training because your instructors have identified you
as having some deficiencies in regards to discipline and teamwork." 
Deitra coolly appraised the cadets.  "Apparently, there are also some
'attitude adjustments' that we need to work on." Deitra looked directly
at Pelias, who simply raised his eyebrows and stifled a yawn with his
hand.
     "How much of our overall mark does this course make up?" Kyna
interrupted. 
     "You will address me as Lieutenant Deitra when you wish to ask a
question.  Saying 'excuse me' or simply raising your hand are both
appropriate means by which to get my attention." Deitra added calmly
while staring down the cadet. "This is not grade school."
     Kyna hesitated as she looked at her instructor in surprise.  "Excuse
me, Lieutenant Deitra.  How much of our overall mark does this course
make up?"
     "This course determines whether you proceed with or leave the
program. It's not a percentage of a grade, it's a major determining
factor in your future."  Deitra told them as her eyes connected with each
cadet looking at her...which, of course, excluded Pelias.  "As such, we
expect you to take it seriously and that includes arriving on time."
     A snort of derision came from the back corner where Pelias was
seated.  "You can't grade us on the time we arrive in class," he sneered.
     Deitra took another deep breath instead of drawing her laser and
shooting him dead, which was her first instinct.  "Cadet Pelias, since it
doesn't state in your file that you have a hearing impairment, I must
assume your are either impertinent or stupid.  Which is it?"
     "You can't speak that way to me!  Don't you know who my uncle is?"
Pelias stood up outraged.
     "I don't care who your uncle is and I am not the one being evaluated
here." Deitra replied calmly.  "You are here by virtue of the fact that
the Council believes you deserve another chance to convince us that you
can behave in a disciplined manner and can learn to work together as a
team.  Both of those qualities are necessary for you to become Colonial
Warriors."
     "There are several examples of great men in history who haven't
always been team players, Commander Cain for example.  Even Lieutenant
Starbuck has a history of not always following orders and he's one of our
fleet's greatest heroes." Pelias returned while trying to stroke
Starbuck's ego, bureaucratic inclinations having a tendency to run in his
family.
     Starbuck looked up in surprise, as he was suddenly included in the
indolent snitrad's argument.  He had just been looking at Pelias' file as
he listened to Deitra berating and briefing the cadets on their
situation.  Frak, he had thought Pelias was the son of a Councilman, not
just a mere nephew.  He started to open his mouth, but Deitra cut him off
with a look that plainly stated his astrum is mine!
     "Cadet, you have a very long way to go before you attain the
experience and respect of either Lieutenant Starbuck or Commander Cain.
If you continue down this current flight path you won't even be fit to
clean their boots.  Despite your bureaucratic connections, you will not
graduate as the Commander of a Battlestar, and therefore, you will treat
your superior officers and your peers with due respect. Now, was any of
that unclear?"
     Pelias stared back at Deitra insolently.  "I guess we'll see about
that."
     "Your connections must be much higher up than your uncle if you're
getting command of a Battlestar," Jada chuckled.  "Last time I looked,
Commander Adama had the only one around here."
     "Must be nice to have family in high places. Some of us have to earn
our way through life." Kyna snarled.
     "Yeah, why do we even have to put up with this highbrow if he's
going to graduate whether he deserves to or not?" Kefira demanded.
     "Because," Deitra interrupted, "he's a quarter of the four equal
parts of this little equation. I see that you all excel in mathematics,
so let me pitch it to you like this.  For you to graduate you need to
pass this course.  Now, just to clarify, I'm not talking to just three of
you.  All of you have to pass this course.  If preferential treatment has
indeed existed in any way, shape or form up until now, it stops here. 
Now, as I said before, you need to learn to work together.  Lieutenant
Starbuck and I have decided that the best way to do that is to give you a
group mark." Deitra smiled as four young faces stared back at her in
shock and horror.  She just hoped Starbuck would maintain his trademark
game face and wouldn't give her impetuous decision away.  "Yes, that will
be a pass or fail mark.  To succeed in this course you will be required
to work together and support each other through each and every obstacle
we throw your way.  You will treat us and each other with due respect at
all times.  There is a rough coarse outline on your datapads for your
convenience.  That is, of course, subject to change at our discretion. 
Any questions?"
     "Lieutenant Starbuck hasn't really said much." Pelias muttered. "I'd
like to know if he agrees with the way you conduct your class.  It seems
a bit draconian to me." 
     Starbuck restrained himself from asking, Is that all right,
Lieutenant Deitra?  He rose from the desk to stand beside Deitra.  "You
didn't end up here because you need a gentle push in the right direction. 
You're here because you need a good, swift kick in the astrum to realize
your potential.  Frankly, we don't believe any of you deserve this
chance.  We're Colonial Warriors because we wanted to be just that, and
we were willing to work our astrums off to get where we are today."
Starbuck saw Deitra nodding in agreement.  She looked more resolved than
ever.  "Despite our appraisals however, you have another chance.  So,
either you help each other get into shape or you all get ready to ship
out.  It's as simple as that.  Does that clear it up for you, Cadet
Pelias?"
     "Yes." Pelias replied.
     "Impertinent or stupid, Cadet?" Starbuck retorted, glaring at the
man.
     Pelias took a deep breath.  His nostrils flared in resentment. 
"Yes, sir, Lieutenant Starbuck." He drawled, every word dripping venom. 
He had not found an ally in the only other male in the class.
     Starbuck nodded at him.  "Good.  Now, if you take a look at your
datapads, you'll see that after our five centon introduction...which you
were all late for, we were scheduled for a little pretest."
     Four consecutives groans echoed through the room.
     "Ah, the first sign of teamwork, Lieutenant Deitra.  Isn't that
encouraging?" Starbuck smiled at her.  "By my chronometer, I'd say we're
running roughly twenty centons late due to your inane little display of
rebelliousness, so you have approximately ten centons left in which to
complete your assignment."
     "That's not fair!" Pelias insisted indignantly.
     "No, but neither is life and that's what I'm going to teach you. It
isn't fair when a single Viper gets jumped by ten Cylons, but it happens,
so dry your eyes, and focus. Not only have you wasted our time, but you
have wasted your own." Starbuck replied.  He looked at his chronometer
again.  "Nine centons.  You'd better get started, Cadets."
     With an array of withering and scornful countenances, the cadets
activated their datapads and started furiously working their way through
the pretest from Hades Hole.  Starbuck knew that there was a remote
chance that they'd finish it in nine centons.  Oh well, so much for his
theory on sitting back and watching.

* * * * *

     "Well?" Deitra asked Starbuck as the last of the cadets sauntered
out of the classroom.  The first half of the class had been one exercise
in frustration followed by another.  Deitra calculated that it had taken
her about one centon to lose her temper, but reminded herself that at
least the cadets didn't know that.  Outwardly, she had maintained her
poise and had continued to display the esprit and self-control that had
helped earn her the position of the Silver Spar deputy squadron leader.
     "Hmm," Starbuck muttered as he entered marks into his datapad while
sitting at the desk.  "I'm thinking we should start the second half with
crash landing Vipers.  We skip the simulation training entirely and
proceed planet-side.  After all, Jada is cocky enough to believe she can
do it, Pelias is idiotic enough, and Kyna and Kefira will likely blow
each other out of orbit before we get there anyhow." 
     Deitra chuckled.  "I don't think the Colonel will like losing four
Vipers.  He may also be reluctant to lose the cadets." She sat on the
desk and looked over his shoulder at the datapad.
     "Well, he hasn't met them, has he?" Starbuck grinned up at her. 
"I'm telling you, this plan has definite possibilities."
     Deitra shook her head.  "You're supposed to be the voice of
experience here."
     "Frak, I keep forgetting." Starbuck dramatically slapped a hand to
his forehead.  "All right, first we make Kyna and Kefira wingmen."
     "Please tell me you're still joking." Deitra begged him.  Kyna had
enlightened them to the fact that the young women were rival gang members
on Virgon.  Their animosity had run deep for yahrens.  Oddly enough,
Deitra's speech about them now coming together in a mutual purpose to
defend the people of the fleet hadn't impressed them one iota.
     "No.  I'm not.  What better way for them to learn to work together
and trust one another?" Starbuck asked her candidly.
     "You're the one who said they're just as likely to blow each other
out of orbit." Deitra reminded him.
     "Yeah, so either way it's a win-win situation." Starbuck grinned at
her.
     "I think I missed that class in leadership training," Deitra
commented wryly.
     "No, that's my voice of experience." Starbuck explained patiently.
     "Oh, sorry.  My mistake."
     "Don't be so hard on yourself, Lieutenant." Starbuck shrugged.  "So,
by default, that puts Pelias and Jada together."
     "Well, at least Jada's more likely to hit him with witty retorts
than her lasers." Deitra commented.  
     "What's her story?" Starbuck asked.
     "She was an orphan.  You may have noticed she has a bit of a chip on
her shoulder." Deitra told him.  "I think she's hesitant to get too close
to people.  She seems to use her wit as some kind of psychological
barrier to keep others away."  
     "Oh." Starbuck answered briefly.  He'd seen Jada's type before. 
Hades, he'd been just like her at one time, consumed with resentment and
mistrust.  She made light of everything and treated it all with a casual
indifference.  It was as though she felt she was owed something for what
life had dealt her thus far.
     "Any thoughts on how to handle her?" Deitra asked. "Beyond the
'crash landing Vipers' plan?" She added with a grin as an afterthought.
     "I didn't major in psychology at the Academy." Starbuck evaded her
question and her searching gaze.
     "No, but you were an orphan too.  I thought maybe you would be able
to relate a bit as to how she feels." She suggested.  After all, Jada had
a couple Starbuck-like tendencies.  Deitra noticed that even though
Starbuck had finished his data entries, he continued to peer down at the
datapad as if somehow it mystically held the answer to her question.
     "It's hard to say really.  I remember...acting the same way when I
was her age.  When you're an orphan, relationships are generally
temporary.  Your friends get transferred or the odd lucky one gets
adopted." Starbuck told her quietly.  "As a Warrior, it can be the same;
here today, gone tomorrow."
     Deitra looked down at him in surprise.  Though she had been looking
for a serious answer, she didn't actually believe Starbuck was likely to
give her one.  "I guess I never really thought of it like that before. 
How do you get past it?"
     Starbuck wondered about that himself.  Had he moved past that?  No,
probably not.  Wasn't that why he had so much trouble truly committing
himself to a relationship?  Wasn't that why he surrounded himself with as
many friends as possible, so it would be less noticeable when
one...disappeared from his life.  Okay, Bucko, she's asking about Jada,
not you!  "Time and a thick skin, I guess." He shrugged.  "I think it
helps to actually feel like you belong to...something that endures."
     "You mean the Colonial Service?" Deitra prompted.
     "Yeah, that and Humanity.  It just helps you put things into
perspective about how small a piece of the big picture you really are."
Starbuck replied in a measured tone.
     "Why do I feel I should be buying you a drink?" She had never seen
this reflective side of Starbuck before.
     He grinned up at her.  "I feel more like you should be lighting me
up a smoke and lying your head on my shoulder."
     Deitra groaned aloud at his analogy.  Lords, but how quickly his
serious side was withdrawn behind his usual bravado!  "Just don't let
Pelias catch you saying something like that, or I'll have to kill you in
front of him simply to prove a point."

* * * * *

     Pelias made his way quickly to the Rising Star and ultimately, his
uncle's quarters.  Lords, he was not going to stand idly by while
Starbuck and that...woman, destroyed his chance at a fast-tracked career
in the military.  His family had a long history of both civil and
military service.  Admittedly, none of them had worked very hard to
achieve their ambitions, however, when your family could trace their
roots to the original aristocratic descendents of Kobol, one should not
have to work very hard.  Their bloodline determined their rights and
their destiny.  It was as simple as that.  A commoner like Starbuck
couldn't comprehend that, but he could take orders, as was his station.
     Pelias signaled his entrance and was soon admitted to Sire Feo's
chambers.  He could feel tension drain from his body as he entered the
opulent surroundings.  There was something so calming about familiarity. 
Pelias had been raised in a home that was palatial compared to the
quarters that Feo now maintained.  In contrast, the starkness of the
recruit quarters on the Galactica was an oppressive reality that he
really hadn't come to terms with.  He reminded himself it was only
temporary.
     "Pelias, my boy, you're looking well." Sire Feo told him fondly as
he grasped his nephew's forearm.  Feo and Pelias were all that was left
of their distinguished family line.
     "Thank you, Uncle, as are you." Pelias smiled and bowed his head to
his patriarch in respect.
     Feo nodded.  The boy knew his place, as he should.  "I thought you
would be involved in your studies, son.  Isn't this the secton you
have...personalized instruction?" He had pushed for this in Council.  It
hadn't been difficult to gain his contemporaries' support, after all,
most of them came from distinguished bloodlines themselves, or at least
professed to.
     It was evident to Feo that the careful preparation and moulding of
the young aristocrat was not being properly attended to by the hastily
assembled team of Warriors that made up the current faculty.  The Academy
had paid special attention to the individual needs of the privileged
class.  Feo had been disgusted when it had been brought to his attention
that his only heir had been lumped in together with a group of problem
cadets.  The Council had decided that the deputy squadron leaders would
personally handle these cadets.  In particular, Lieutenant Starbuck was
to personally supervise Pelias' additional training to give the young man
the necessary extra credit to continue in the program.  While lacking
birthright, the Lieutenant had distinguished himself as a recipient of
the Gold Cluster and an outstanding officer coming out slightly ahead of
his counterpart, Lieutenant Greenbean, in Feo's opinion.
     "Well, actually, Uncle, that's why I came to see you.  It was my
understanding that this specialized training would be largely ritualistic
and more of a formality." Pelias suggested.
     "Well, that goes without saying, my boy." Feo declared grandly
waving his hand in the air.
     "Apparently not." Pelias contradicted him.  "Lieutenants Starbuck
and Deitra are sharing a cozy little class of four.  I have been teamed
with three common-women and collectively we have been informed we are to
work together to achieve a group mark of pass or fail.  This will
determine whether we continue in the program." Pelias stated
acrimoniously.
     Sire Feo narrowed his eyes.  Apparently, the Council's intent had
not translated well through the chain of command.  "Obviously, a lack of
communication is the problem, Pelias.  I'll handle this personally."  

* * * * *

     Starbuck couldn't help but smile as Kyna, Jada and Kefira filed back
through the hatch with five centons to spare before their meal break was
concluded.  Now, that was more like it.  Even Deitra had a smile playing
on her lips as she realized that they had made some progress with the
wayward cadets.  Kyna and Kefira even desisted from heckling each other
as they walked into the classroom, but both women paused when they
noticed the tables had been arranged differently.
     "From now on, you will be seated with your assigned wingman." Deitra
informed them as they arrived.  "Kefira, you will be Kyna's wingman. 
Pelias will be Jada's."
     "What?  Surely you realize that she'd be more likely to annihilate
me than protect me!" Kyna exploded.
     "Well, then you have a problem." Starbuck suggested as he crossed
his feet on the desk and linked his fingers behind his head while he
sought to achieve the perfect balance in the precariously tilted chair. 
"Especially in combat.  It will be a real pain in the astrum if you have
to evade Kefira's lasers as well as the enemy's." He added nonchalantly.
     "We thought you would have covered it by now, but your fellow
Warriors are not the enemy.  Trusting your wingman is critical for your
survival." Deitra told them as she perched on the edge of the desk.
     "Well, in that case, does anyone know a decent little
non-denominational prayer they can offer at my funeral service?" Jada
asked with a grin.  "Here lies Jada, victim of a son-of-a-Councilman."
     "Nephew." Kyna corrected.
     "Yeah, well, it kind of loses its effect with nephew." Jada
shrugged.
     "Speaking of Pelias," Deitra looked at her chronometer, "he's late."
     "Well, that's a switch." Jada interjected.
     "He's not exactly getting into the spirit of our group mark, is he?"
Kefira asked the others.
     "It's not our fault if he doesn't show." Kyna averred before
suddenly looking doubtful and asking, "Is it?" 
     "Not your fault, no." Deitra replied.  "However, the parameters that
we first outlined for you specifically stated that you need to work
together and support one another.  That's difficult to demonstrate if
Pelias isn't here."
     "That son-of-a..." Kyna started as she curled her hands into fists.
     "Councilman." Jada finished smoothly as she noted Deitra's
disapproval.  "So, what if we go find our...fellow cadet and remind him
of his duty to us?"  She looked to Deitra for her approval.  "After all,
I should really keep an eye on my wingman.  I'd hate for him to get
himself into any more trouble than he already is."
     "Do you have any idea where he is?" Deitra asked skeptically. They
had already wasted enough time, however, at least the women were
beginning to work together, even if it was to unite against their
classmate.
     "Probably went running to Daddy." Kefira stated.
     "Uncle." Kyna corrected.  "Where would that be?"
     "Where most of the filthy rich people reside in the Fleet, the
Rising Star." Jada told them.  "Are you with me, ladies?"
     "Wouldn't miss it," Kyna told her.
     "Gotcha covered, Jada." Kefira winked at her.  "In place of your
wingman, of course."
     "You have one centar." Starbuck added.  "After that, class is done
for the day.  There's a shuttle leaving for the Rising Star in..." he
looked at his chronometer," eight centons."
     "We'd better run for it," Jada suggested as she lead the way.  Kyna
and Kefira followed hard on her heels.
     Soon the three cadets were jumping off the turbolift and racing
across the launch deck towards the Rising Star Shuttle.  They stopped
short as they saw Pelias strolling obliviously towards them.  The three
women stood abreast as they watched recognition flicker across his
features when his gaze settled on them.  His languid stride slowed even
further.
     "Hello there, wingman." Jada smiled icily.  She stood flanked by
Kyna and Kefira.
     "So, did Dr. Salik forget to remove the anal probe during your
prostate exam?  Is that your problem?" 
     Pelias could feel his jaw muscles begin to twitch as he considered
the three very angry women before him.  He knew he was late for class,
but as Feo had pointed out, that was irrelevant now.  Lords, he wished
his uncle would hurry and clear things up with Commander Adama.  How he
yearned to be present to see Starbuck and that she-devil, Deitra, get
dressed down by Colonel Tigh for their treatment of him. 
     "You have the pedigree of an inbred daggit, Jada." Pelias told her
acerbically. 
     "Yeah, well, I'm hardly your type anyhow.  I'm not mechanized or
inflatable." Jada returned calmly.
     "I swear she gets more likeable with every micron," Kyna commented
to Kefira who nodded her agreement.  "Listen, you spoiled little Daddy's
boy..."
     "Uncle's..." Jada and Kefira corrected her with a grin.
     "Oh, I have a good idea that Daddy started it." Kyna rolled her eyes
at them.  "We have a bad feeling that you don't grasp the concept of a
group mark, Pelias.  Now, either you get in line with the rest of us or
we're going to make your life hotter than Hades Hole." Kyna stepped
forward until she was almost eye-to-eye with him.  Unfortunately, it lost
some of the effect when she stood on her toes.
     Pelias snorted in her face.  "Don't waste my time," he replied
derisively.  "You don't understand that there are two sets of rules in
this life.  One for people like you and one for people of distinguished
lineage."
     "You heard Lieutenant Deitra.  The preferential treatment is over,
Pelias." Kefira told him.
     Pelias chuckled.  "Perhaps she can recite that to herself while
she's helping to fertilize the agro ships.  Now, get out of my way or
I'll report you to our commanding officers for assault and intimidation."
     The women held fast as if they were a defensive force protecting
their positions.  "We're not stopping you, Pelias.  Nothing to report
here.  Just walk around us." Jada told him as her dark eyes stared into
his, daring him to act.  She would strip naked and run laps around the
launch bay before she'd be intimidated by a snitrad like Pelias.
     Pelias raised his hand in frustration as he glared at the defiant
woman.  Oh, how he'd like to slap that smirk off of Jada's face.  His
hand actually tingled with the desire to strike her.
     "You touch her and we'll all deck you," Kyna promised him.
     "You deck me and you'll get thrown out of the program." Pelias
rejoined.
     "It will be worth it." Kafira informed him seriously.
     Pelias lowered his hand slowly.  He could feel sweat beading on his
brow from his tension.  "It doesn't matter.  In the end, I'll win. 
You'll see."
     Jada grinned.  "Oh, you'll get it in the end all right, Pelias. 
We're sure of that."  She could swear her foot was itching with the
temptation of a good, swift kick in the astrum.
     Pelias glowered as he stepped around them and strode briskly to the
turbo lift.  He could hear their laughter resound across the bay.  It
didn't matter.  He would have the last laugh.

* * * * *

     Pelias strode down the corridor and smiled as he caught sight of
Deitra heading in the opposite direction.  Of course, the Lieutenants had
probably thought they would get a reprieve before beginning their class
again.  After all, those three tramps were poised to take a shuttle to
the Rising Star to track him down.  He chuckled as he imagined himself
sitting coolly in the classroom when Deitra returned and patiently asking
where everyone had gone.  Oh, that would get her panties in a twist!
     Pelias was still wearing the smug grin as he stepped into the
classroom, but it flew like a startled avian as he saw Starbuck sitting
in front of the desk with his feet resting on it.  
     "Welcome back." Starbuck said as he put down the data pad and
studied the cadet.  "Seems you're late. Again."
     "Sorry...sir." Pelias returned briefly.  He sauntered over to the
tables and raised his eyebrows as he noted their new positions.  "What's
this?"
     Starbuck raised his arms and linked his hands behind his head.  He
calmly waited with an expectant expression.
     Pelias sighed.  "Lieutenant Starbuck, why have the tables been
rearranged?"
     "You've been paired with Jada as her wingman. You'll be sitting with
her, Cadet."
     "Her wingman?" Pelias glared at Starbuck.
     Starbuck couldn't suppress his grin.  "Kind of ironic, isn't it?"
     "Do you really think you're going to get away with treating me like
this?" Pelias walked over to the desk.  He was so damned tempted to kick
Starbuck's chair out from under him.  Again, the Lieutenant was balancing
it precariously on two legs.
     "You mean like the other cadets?" Starbuck asked lazily.  "Do you
have a problem with that, Cadet?"
     "Yes." Pelias put his hands on the desk and leaned down to stare at
Starbuck.  "I can assure you that Sire Feo, honourable member of the
Council of Twelve, will be speaking to Commander Adama posthaste
regarding my treatment and my inclusion in this class of misfits."
     "Good." Starbuck replied coolly.  He slowly swung his feet off the
desk and stood up.  He placed his hands on the desk and leaned across so
his face was millimetrons from Pelias.'  "Then the Commander can clear up
this ridiculous idea you seem to have about how we do things here on the
Galactica.  Cadets who deserve to graduate do graduate. It's as simple as
that. Commander Adama doesn't pander to your blue blooded theories on
your right of succession. Do you really think he wants your lazy astrum
defending his grandson or making decisions that could get the boy
killed?"
     Pelias faltered as he looked into Starbuck's eyes. The Lieutenant's
gaze was locked on his as though he was taking aim and shooting to kill. 
However, Pelias had been raised to manipulate people to his way of
thinking...or at least to instill a measure of doubt in their argument
and he wasn't prepared to give up yet.  "Sire Feo has socialized with
Commander Adama for many yahrens.  I think he knows his mind better than
a mere Lieutenant in the service." He scoffed at Starbuck.
     Oh, to be able to wipe that smirk off of Pelias' face!  Starbuck
slowly smiled at Pelias and shook his head.  "I've served under Commander
Adama for almost a deca-yahren.  I've seen the way he treats people and I
know he believes firmly in discipline, duty and responsibility.  There is
no room for spoiled children in Adama's ranks, Pelias."
     "You sound very sure of yourself, Lieutenant.  But then, I hear
you're a bit of a card player, and as such, you can probably tell a
convincing lie." Pelias guessed.
     Starbuck sniffed in derision.  In truth, he only hoped that the
Commander was up to a confrontation with Feo.  Adama had been to Hades
and back after being charged with Major Dorian's thirty-yahren-old
murder.  Add to that, Sheba's altercation with Tabor, Apollo's
turbo-flush exploding, and then Boxey's apprehension and subsequent
injuries, the last thing their old man would need would be a visit from a
bureautician demanding privileged treatment for his precious heir.  Then
again, Adama was from a distinguished bloodline himself.  How well did
Starbuck truly know him?  Maybe Adama would surprise him?  Hades, Adama
had been one of the only constants in his life in his recent yahrens. 
He'd be very disappointed in him if that was the case.  He must remember
to tell him that.
     "There are very few sure bets in life, but Commander Adama is one of
them, kid.  You'd best remember that."  Starbuck replied evenly.  "I told
you once before and I hate to repeat myself.  Shape up or ship out.  I
want you to take your seat and keep your festering gob shut unless you
have a reasonable question.  You will treat your instructors and fellow
cadets with respect.  You will work as a team with you flight leader and
other cadets and then maybe you will survive this little course.  I don't
want to hear another mention about Sire Fee Fie Foe or anyone else you're
related to.  I don't give a rodent's astrum about that.  I just want to
know you can do your job well and you're not going to endanger your
fellow Warriors." Starbuck stepped closer, glowering down at Pelias with
a face like a killer in a dark alley. "If you can't do that you'll end up
back on your civilian ship so fast they'll think I sent you through the
launch tube.  Do you understand?"
     Pelias watched the man's face carefully through his entire speech. 
Starbuck didn't hesitate or flinch.  Either he was very good, or he spoke
the truth. 

* * * * *

     Sire Feo was not as well prepared for this particular encounter as
he had hoped to be.  He had stopped by his neighbor's quarters before
departing for the Galactica, but Sire Antipas was not as helpful as Feo
had hoped.
     It had seemed a natural decision to seek Antipas' assistance when he
was going up against Adama.  After all, Antipas' machinations were an
example of bureaucratic artistry at its finest.  The man had the tongue
of an angel and the soul of a demon.  Feo admired him greatly.
     Of course, the other reason Feo sought Antipas' help was he was too
damn lazy to do the research himself.  He needed something to motivate
Adama to see things his way.  Oh, Antipas probably had something on the
Commander, but as soon as he'd begun making his pitch to the Libran, Feo
got the sense that Antipas wasn't going to share it with his fellow
Council member.  Antipas had seemed strangely less energetic than usual,
as if his mind was preoccupied with something else.  Finally, when Feo
had finished, he had simply smiled and said, "I'm afraid you're on your
own.  I cannot help you." 
     Feo had really hoped to have an advantage over their illustrious
Commander.  Mind you, according to the scuttlebutt, there was something
happening involving Adama, he just didn't know the details.  Hmm, this
might work after all.  Adama wouldn't expect Feo to blatantly challenge
him anyhow.  That was simply not how it was done in their circle.  He
might be able to bluff his way through this encounter...as he had most
things in his life.
     "Enter." Adama's voice called as Feo signaled his arrival.
     Feo squared his shoulders, raised his head and entered the lair of
his rival.  Adama looked surprised as he saw who his visitor was.  The
expression was quickly controlled as he rose to feet and put a tight
smile on an obviously weary face.
     "Sire Feo, this is an unexpected...pleasure." Adama told him,
carefully trying to control his emotions.  The last thing he needed was a
visit from a Councilman, especially this one.  Feo would be there for one
reason only; he needed something.  At this point, Adama's energy had
waned completely and he had only wanted to decompress following his
absolution of charges in the termination of Major Dorian and the
subsequent death of Lieutenant Tabor.  Thankfully, Boxey was recovering
from his traumatic series of events, as only a resilient child could, and
his release from the Life Station was expected the following day.
     "Commander Adama." Feo nodded as he crossed the space between them. 
"I do hope I haven't disturbed you.  I know you must be in need of
some...solitude after your recent misfortunes."  Feo watched carefully
for Adama's reaction.
     Adama raised his eyebrows as he considered the pudgy, waxen-faced,
balding man before him.  He wondered if Antipas or Lydia had somehow
caught wind of his recent predicament  and had seen fit to share the
information with Feo.  Of course, Adama, Antipas and Lydia shared other
secrets, such as the true identity of Claudia, a humanitarian worker
aboard the Senior's Ship.  She had been tried, exonerated in a secret
tribunal, and absolved of any involvement in her husband's treasonous
activities.  Her husband had been Baltar, and to complicate matters she
was now involved with Chameleon.  Should her identity be uncovered, the
repercussions to Chameleon and by association, even Starbuck, could be
disastrous.  So how much exactly did Feo know?  Or perhaps this was a
bluff?  Adama narrowed his eyes almost imperceptibly as he studied the
man in front of him.  Lords, but he was truly too tired to be playing
these bureaucratic games right now.
     The Commander had spent much of the day reflecting on how the
secrets of his past had come back to haunt him, especially where Dorian
was concerned.  Not only had his past decisions caught up with him, but
they had endangered his family.  He had discovered a lump in his throat
every time he thought of what could have happened to Boxey if he had not
landed on the thickly padded alien shuttle and had instead plummeted to
the hard deck far below as had Lieutenant Tabor.
     "I assume you're referring to my grandson's recent fall." Adama
returned.  He noticed a slight tightening around Feo's mouth.  That was
not the response he had hoped for.  "Thankfully, the Lords have been
gracious and he is expected to make a full recovery.  I do appreciate
your concern, Sire Feo."
     "Well, as you are aware, I am also a family man, Adama." Feo smiled
gently as his opponent provided him the perfect opening to discuss
Pelias.  "In fact, it is my concern for my nephew that has delivered me
to you at this difficult time.  Of course, I would have left you to
reflect on your own...difficulties, shall we say, if it was not of the
utmost urgency that I speak to you." Feo nodded empathetically at their
shared concern for their families.
     Adama realized he must be truly exhausted as he could not discern
whether Feo really knew something and was attempting to subtly threaten
him...or was so full of felgercarb that he could fertilize the agro ships
for the next yahren.  He took a deep breath and broached the topic that
Feo obviously wanted to discuss.
     "Pelias."  Adama nodded as he recalled the tortuous meeting of the
Council of Twelve where the young man had been discussed at length.  "I
believe the Council agreed he was to be given another opportunity to
prove himself with the assistance and specialized attention of the deputy
squadron leaders."
     "Yes, but apparently Lieutenants Starbuck and Deitra have
misunderstood how Pelias is to be handled." Feo informed him, slightly
relieved that Adama recalled the event.
     "How so, Feo?" Adama asked, truly curious.
     "He has been placed in a squadron with three baseborn females and
has been informed they are to be graded by a group mark." Feo protested,
while trying to control the fury that rose within him at the mere thought
of his heir's treatment.
     Adama stared at the aristocrat.  He blinked as he realized that Feo
was asking for preferential treatment for Pelias.  Certainly, he was
aware of the tradition in Colonial Society, but that had been a vastly
different time and place in which inane desk jobs and ceremonial duties
were plentiful.  Personally, Adama had never agreed with the tradition
and had only contempt for the blue blooded individuals that felt it was
their privilege to hold office or rank based purely on birthright. 
Despite his own aristocratic ancestry, Adama had earned his position and
had proven he was worthy of the ultimate responsibilities he was given. 
He was proud to say that his own children had done the same.  "And what,"
asked the commander, measuring his words to maintain the tentative hold
on his composure, "would you have me do?"
     Feo's face went red with frustration.  Apparently, Adama was a bit
more obtuse than he was given credit for.  "Isn't it obvious?  You need
to speak with your subordinates and explain to them that someone in
Pelias' position will not be subjected to the humiliation of working for
a 'group grade' with these commoners."  He fairly spat the last word in
distaste at the thought of what his nephew was being forced to endure. 
Surely, Adama would understand how inappropriate this was and set things
straight.  The Sire took a deep breath to ease his ire and graced Adama
with his most ingratiating smile.  "Of course, you of all people
understand that this was not what the Council intended.  Obviously, there
has simply been a miscommunication that I'm sure you won't hesitate to
correct.  After all..."  Feo paused to puff out his chest in confidence. 
"like you, I simply want what's best for my family."
     Adama stared unblinking at the man.  He wasn't sure whether to throw
him out on his astrum or to laugh at him, for his utterly ridiculous
misconception that the commander would ever...ever...compromise the
training of the Fleet's cadets to cater to some spoiled, soft... Had he
not been utterly exhausted and drained by the recent events, he would
have chosen the latter option.  But at the moment, the sight of this fat,
privileged councilman, oozing of sickly false compassion was just too
much...
     "Sire Feo,"  Adama began through gritted teeth.  "I most certainly
will speak with my Deputy Squadron Leaders..."  Adama paused as the
Councilman grinned from ear to ear.  "And I will most definitely inform
them..."  Feo was hanging on his every word.  Adama took a deep breath. 
"That they are to be commended for their superiorly creative approach to
handling this group of renegade cadets.  Group grade?  Brilliant! What
better way to instill in them the importance of working as a team."  
     "But..." Feo sputtered, his eyes wide.  "But you can't be
serious..."
     Adama narrowed his eyes and drilled the councilman.  "I most
certainly am serious.  What you proposed-- exempting a cadet from meeting
the training standards that I have established, training that could at
any moment decide the fate, not only of their own lives, but the fate of
the entire Fleet-- because you think that he is entitled to it simply
because of his blue-blood, pampered, spoiled upbringing-- is..."  Adama
pulled himself to his full height.  "Is beyond my utter contempt!" he
roared.  "Now, get out!  Out!"  He waved towards the exit as Feo, his
eyes bulging in shock, nearly stumbled over a chair in his haste to
leave.
     As the doors hissed shut.  Adama sank back into his chair, exhausted
beyond words, but, he managed a weak smile to himself.  Damn the
consequences.  Lords, but that had felt good!

* * * * *

     Lords, but he was ready for this class to end.  Starbuck rubbed the
back of his neck where an increasing pressure was building and climbing
up his skull.  If a cadet stepped out of line just once more, he was
certain the top of his head would blow off.  He took a deep breath as he
wondered yet again why the Gods had conspired against him to land him in
this predicament.  Oh right, that was you, pal, not the Gods.
     Deitra was winding things up with the pain-in-the-astrum cadets. 
Starbuck admired her patience and ability to remain calm in the face of
overwhelming idiocy and rudeness.  Ah, that described Pelias perfectly.
     Despite Starbuck's discussion with the obnoxious cadet, he had
persevered in making things difficult, especially where Deitra was
concerned.  It wasn't so much what he said, but how he said things, that
clearly communicated a disdain and disregard for his female instructor. 
On the other hand, Pelias was treating Starbuck with a smarmy respect
that made the Lieutenant want to race for the turbo wash after spending a
day in the man's presence.  
     To Jada's credit, she had shaken off her previous nonchalance and
applied herself to the lessons at hand, after returning with Kyna and
Kefira from their encounter with Pelias.  Starbuck could see a new
confidence in her, as she bantered with her recently acquired friends
while sitting beside her assigned wingman.  He recognized in her a need
to belong, which she balanced with a total disregard of Pelias' intense
dislike for her.  After all, she didn't like him either.  
     Even Kyna and Kefira seemed to be tolerating one another as the
three women united against their nemesis at every opportunity.  If it
wasn't so entirely justified, Starbuck might have felt the tiniest bit
sorry for Pelias, but frankly, the man had dug his own grave.  However,
the frequent digs directed towards and from Pelias were now constantly
disrupting the class.  Starbuck could see even Deitra was at the end of
her rope.
     "Enough!" Starbuck shouted as he stood up from his chair, knocking
it over by the violent motion that propelled him upward.
     All four cadets froze as they watched Starbuck glare at them from
where he stood with his fists clenched at his sides.  Even Deitra snapped
her mouth shut in response to his outburst.
     "Frak, I'd rather be training daggits to fly vipers!  What is wrong
with you people?  Don't you get it?  This isn't about three of you
ganging up on the other one.  This is about how you are failing to work
together.  Lords, Deitra, let's just call it a day and write these
useless excuses for cadets off as hopeless.  I've had enough.  I'd rather
go back to desk duty than spend another frakkin' micron with these
morons." Starbuck raved.
     Deitra turned her back on the astonished cadets to watch Starbuck in
action.  He was beautiful.  It was pure artistry as he stood there
berating them and insisting they weren't worth the spit or the polish on
his boots.  She didn't have to see them to know they had turned several
shades paler, as they contemplated their furious instructor, who was
determined to send them back to their playpens so he could focus on
helping serious, ambitious recruits realize their dreams, instead of
wasting his time with this lot.
     "Uh, Starbuck, maybe we should talk about this in the corridor."
Deitra suggested delicately when he paused to draw a breath.
     Starbuck sighed elaborately as his gaze flickered over the subdued
cadets.  Even Pelias looked like he needed a change of pants.  He nodded
at Deitra and followed her to the hatch, but not before directing another
disdainful glare at the nervous youngsters.
     Deitra closed the hatch behind him and considered him thoughtfully
with a wry smile.  "Very inventive."
     "But was it effective?" Starbuck asked as he leaned against the
wall.  "Frak, this is so much worse than I thought it could be.  I really
am tempted to just fail them all and move on."
     "Do you really mean that?" Deitra asked as she stood across from
him, arms crossed.
     Starbuck shook his head slowly as he reconsidered.  "No...the girls
will probably be fine.  Unfortunately, we're going to have one Hades of a
time trying to get them to work with Pelias.  Frak, I wouldn't want to
work with him either."
     "You know what really gets to me about Pelias?" Deitra commented. 
"He knows the answers to just about every question we send his way. 
Technically, his recall is almost perfect.  If he could just apply
himself, he might end up as an officer under his own momentum."
     "Possibly, but I knew a few guys at the Academy who could
practically quote the text books, but couldn't apply the information when
it counted." Starbuck replied skeptically.
     "I guess that's what Pelias has yet to reveal." Deitra returned.
     "Yeah," he agreed.  "It does rile that this guy seems to know it
all, but doesn't want to expend any unnecessary energy to excel.  It's
strange that the people who these things come easily to always seem to
appreciate it the least."
     Deitra smiled and nodded.  "All right, do you think they've had time
to reflect on their moronic tendencies in the playpen?"
     Starbuck grinned back at her, "A little over the top?"
     "Let's just say it wasn't exactly in the leadership guidelines in
the manual." She responded.
     "There's a manual?" Starbuck asked agog.
     Deitra shook her head in mock dismay.  "You're going to owe me a
cold one in the Officer's Club after this class, Starbuck."
     "Sorry, sweetheart.  I can't tonight.  Have to wash my hair."
Starbuck winked at her.  "Seriously, I have a few things I need to do
that have already waited too long."
     "Well, then, I'll just go to the OC myself and put it on your tab."
Deitra chuckled in return.  "Oh, and Starbuck, if you ever call me
sweetheart again, I'll shove you in an air lock with Pelias and weld the
hatch shut."

Chapter Two

     Pelias strode down the corridor angrily as he replayed in his mind
the last centar of the class.  When Starbuck and Deitra had returned, the
trinity of trollops had transformed into an obedient and attentive trio. 
Even Pelias had had his doubts about how much his uncle could achieve
after Starbuck had threatened to fail them all.  The young nobleman had
put on his best bureautician's face and had listened attentively to his
instructors, who, when they weren't being interrupted and heckled by
their students, had proven themselves to be informative and relevant. 
Pelias reflected that if learning about basic geodetic surveys was
something that actually interested him, instead of boring him into a
semi-comatose state, that he might have actually benefited from the
lesson.
     The truth was that if Pelias was still in the Colonies he would be
attending the Caprican Art Institute, instead of learning about observing
and recording astronomic and solar azimuth data.  Unfortunately, when his
cousins and older brothers had died in the Destruction, it had fallen on
him to hoist the family coat of arms high above his head and follow in
the footsteps of his ancestors, as had his forefathers.  Bloody Hades
Hole, but he'd rather be painting.  He sighed.  That was over now.  Oddly
enough, the Council had yet to reestablish an Art Institute.  No, their
priority was war, not virtuosity.
     He hurried towards the closest shuttle to the Rising Star.  He
really needed to speak with his uncle to find out if he truly had to
tolerate Starbuck and Deitra's draconian tactics, or if he could skip the
remainder of the classes and plan on early graduation with a subsequent
cushy assignment.  Perhaps he could become a liaison between the
aristocrats and the military?  Yes, then he could prevent the
preposterous reoccurrence of his own situation befalling other young
bluebloods.
     Pelias was still shaking his head as he thought about the following
day.  They were to begin a survival-training mission on Agro Ship One in
the Desert Environment Dome.  The cadets were supposed to meet Deitra and
Starbuck at 0800 centars at the Supply Office to get their equipment for
their adventure.  Pelias groaned inwardly as he thought about spending
three days with Jada at his side.  Lords, that woman was annoying.  
     "Pelias!" 
     Pelias turned in surprise to see Feo scurrying to catch up to him. 
The older man fairly waddled along as his legs became entangled in his
own flowing robe.  There was perspiration on his face from his unusual
exertion and he was flushed.
     "Uncle, I was on my way to see you.  What did Commander Adama say?"
Pelias asked eagerly, as he unconsciously smoothed his uniform as if to
somehow make amends for his kinsman's disheveled appearance.
     Feo stood panting at Pelias' side.  His quick eyes swept the area to
ensure their discussion would remain confidential.  He smoothed his
thinning hair back into place and pulled a linen cloth from his robes to
fastidiously blot his brow.  "I'm afraid we don't have the Commander's
support, my boy."
     Pelias stared at his uncle in shock.  Throughout his entire life,
either his father or uncle had been able to manipulate a given situation
to get him what he wanted.  Certainly, there was a slim possibility that
Pelias would have to toe the line, but the young man had simply not
prepared himself for it.  "What are you saying, Uncle?" he demanded.  He
suddenly felt a little lightheaded as the enormity of the situation hit
him.
     "If you want to succeed as a Colonial Warrior with a future in the
military, you'll have to knuckle down and do it the old-fashioned way."
Feo explained patiently.  After all, the boy had the brains; he just
needed to apply himself.  Certainly, he would prefer not to...that went
without saying, but in this case he would have to make an exception.
     "But..." Pelias stammered, "they can't treat me like this!  There
has to be something you can do!"
     "Alas, it is out of my hands.  I went to the very top, dear boy. 
While you are in your training, you will be under the authority of your
instructors.  As much as you dislike it, you will have to deal with it."
Feo returned a little briskly.  The insolent little snitrad didn't even
appreciate the effort or the humiliation his patriarch had suffered for
him.
Pelias closed his eyes and shook his head ever so slightly.  Deal with
it.  That was the best his patriarch could offer in this centar of
discontent.  The man didn't even appreciate the sacrifices he had made to
carry on in the family tradition.  Now he was about to spend three days
dealing with crawlons, serpents, extreme heat and discomfort to prove to
a couple uppity Lieutenants that he was able to be part of a team.  For
the first time since enlisting, he wondered if tradition was really so
important and just why he felt the obligation to endure the utter
felgercarb they were shoveling upon him.

* * * * *

     "Oh my God!" wailed Athena, as she loosened her grip on Boomer, his
muscles still taut beneath her fingers, his breathing still ragged. Her
head lolled back onto the sparse padding of his flight jacket, and when
she at last opened her eyes, she beheld the stars over them through the
transparent Celestial Dome. Slowly the rumble of the ship's main drive
penetrated her awareness, and she felt her own body begin to relax from
the waves of pleasure coursing through it. She closed her eyes again,
letting her heart slow and her breathing along with it. When she opened
them again, she saw Boomer looking at her, his eyes still alight with
hunger, but his face relaxed in contentment.
     "Well," he said, after a few moments.
     "Yeah," she replied, taking a deep breath. "Not quite the afternoon
we had in mind."
     "Oh?" He asked with a look of hesitant uncertainty.
     "Not that I'm complaining," she laughed. 
     Her laugh sounded magical in his ears, and he kissed her again,
stroking her thick, dark hair off of her forehead.  He could feel her
lips quirk beneath his and lifted his head to be included in the joke. 
"Hmm?"
     "However, I doubt the designers of this place would ever have
dreamed of it being used for this." She grinned up at him devilishly.
     "Who cares? Of course, if Apollo ever finds out..." Boomer's voice
trailed off as he studied her relaxed features so full of mischief...and
happiness.
     "Oh yeah," giggled Athena. "He'll have us both cleaning out thruster
nozzles on the Hegal until we reach Earth."
     "Without spacesuits," added Boomer, raising up on one elbow. For all
his professed liberal-mindedness, he knew just how old-fashioned the
Strike Captain could be at times. Especially when it came to his one and
only sister.
     Then, of course, there was the Commander...
     "Well, I don't care Boomer," said Athena, stroking his cheek with
her left hand. Lords, but he's handsome. Like a sculpted demi-god! "It's
how I feel."  It was so good to feel again.  Being felt again didn't hurt
none either, she grinned to herself.
     "I know, babe," replied the other. As a matter of fact, the
intensity of Athena's emotions surprised him no small bit. After their
unexpected consummation on Ki, they had agreed to "hold off" as it were,
to see where their relationship was headed. Had it been a mere rush of
emotions, in the face of what had seemed like certain and immanent
annihilation? Boomer had not realized how attracted to him Athena had
become, in the sectars since their narrow escape from the fire that had
nearly killed them in the suicide attack on the Galactica. It was not her
usual nature to wear her heart on her sleeve, especially after Starbuck
had so unceremoniously dumped her the way he had. She had kept her
feelings about Boomer well and truly undercover.
     Until one fear-filled night in a miserable cave on a planet called
Ki. 
     She had called him, a few centars ago. He'd been up in the Celestial
Dome, doing some routine maintenance and adjustments to the antique comm
gear, as per Apollo's request, and invited her to join him there. A
sexual encounter hadn't occurred to him, partly because they had kept
things pretty much on a "friendship" basis since Ki, and partly because
the Celestial Dome, closed in and full of electronics, hardly struck him
as a prime location for a lover's rendezvous.
     She'd wanted to "discuss things". At first, that had been all it
was. She'd talked about Ki, about how their respective duty watches
rarely seemed to mesh of late. (Partly due to Starbuck's being taken off
flight status, partly due to Sheba's recent absence from the flight
roster as well as the rosters having to be redone.) And, of course, the
recent events with finding the murderer and saving the Commander. But
she'd gotten into other things as well. Her feelings about family, about
her growing up and being known at school as "Adama's kid", with all the
fun and joy that implied. Her own confused feelings after the Holocaust,
and the loss of Starbuck, which she admitted was as much her own fault as
his.
     One thing that Boomer did not, and figured he probably never would
understand, was the female mind. His father had warned him about that at
an early age.  Sure, all those things had played a part in making Athena
the person she was today. Hades Hole, he had a lot of baggage himself, if
he cared to think back on it. His first girlfriend, and the bitter sting
of betrayal. The accident as a child that had nearly killed him. Watching
his father die in his arms at the hands of a doped-out street punk too
long without a "fix". Burying his mother at a young age. His own failed
attempts at romance. But how did all that sort of felgercarb fit into the
future? He and Athena needed to go forward from this point on, not dwell
on the past, and all the ugly...
     Then, she had stopped his reply by boldly leaning forward, and
kissing him. After a few moments, surprise was replaced by something
else, and before he was fully aware of it, the two were being held ever
tighter in the grip of passion. She was all over him, or perhaps it was
the reverse? In any event, several centars had passed by unnoticed before
reality settled back into place, and they lay still entwined, but spent.
     "So, what do you think we ought to do?" he asked her after a few
more quiet moments, taking her hand and kissing her elegant fingers
lightly.
     "Yeah." She replied watching him closely. A million thoughts seemed
to be running through her head at the same time.
     "Yeah? Kind of non-specific," he teased. "But I'm serious, Athena.
We need to decide what we're doing, where this is going. I mean if we
keep this up, Boxey's going to have a new niece or nephew to play with."
     "Well, actually that's not very likely," she said, turning over onto
her side. Admitting to him that she had started taking birth control on
their return from Ki made it sound like she had planned all of this. 
Then again, she had planned all of this.  Sort of.  At least in her mind.
She had found herself thinking about how she would seduce Boomer at the
oddest times, whether while on the bridge or working out in the fitness
center.
     "Say again?" Boomer asked, as he moved in behind her and pulled her
back against him.
     Athena paused as she thought about how to respond.  Oddly enough,
his powerful body stretched out fully against her had a way of
distracting her.  And that hand of his that was running slowly up her rib
cage towards her breast..."Hey, if you really want me to answer you, you
had better stop that," she replied lightly as she captured his hand in
her own.
     The sight and feel of her lithe and toned form just about made him
forget the conversation, but he bit his lip, and thought of cold showers
and prostate exams.     "Sorry," he chuckled. "No, I'm not sorry really,"
he admitted and he knew by the slight shake of her shoulders that she was
sharing his mirth.  "Are you saying you're using birth control?"
     Athena sighed and rolled back slightly to see his face.  Oh, she
could drown in those eyes.  "Yes.  When we came back I...wasn't sure what
to expect.  I didn't know what you wanted...I didn't know what I wanted. 
I just didn't want the complication of a pregnancy getting in the way of
figuring all of that out.  And yes, I'm impulsive. Like just now. I was
hoping for this sort of outcome today, I'll admit. I mean, it's been so
long since..."
     "Yeah, I know. For me too, babe." He was quiet a moment, choosing
his next words carefully, but she beat him to it."
     "It's just that I'm afraid, Boomer." Lord, that was as hard to admit
to Boomer as it was to herself.
     "Afraid? Of?"
     Athena looked at him tentatively. It was that same old fear that had
torn apart her relationship with Starbuck.  "Losing you. Of getting ever
closer, than maybe you go out on a mission, and never come back. Of the
uncertainty of relationships in the middle of war.  I just don't know if
I'm strong enough to go through all of that again." She could feel tears
prick the back of her eyes and blinked several times to ward them off. 
She had lost so many people; family, friends and...her lover.
     "Hey, Baby," he said, stroking her face gently, "remember, we're all
equally at risk, especially in this new region of space where we know
diddly about what's ahead. Any of us could be lost, any moment. But if we
are to have any kind of future, and I mean the whole Fleet, we have to
push forward doing normal things. Plant, in the hopes that we may get a
harvest, like the Book Of The Word says. It's...like in combat. Hesitate,
and you can evaporate. You know that as well as I, or anyone who's ever
been in a cockpit." He leaned down and kissed her gently. "And, I'm not
Starbuck, Athena. I'm not the sort to...toss people over when it gets to
close to the bone. Hate to talk about a friend and fellow Warrior like
that, but..."
     "I know...I..." she turned her head slightly and burrowed it into
his strong chest.  She really didn't want to be thinking or talking about
Starbuck right now.
     "You worried about it. Thought about it. Hey, even some of us
thick-skulled micro-brained male types can figure that out."
     "Really?" she laughed as she looked up at him again.  No man had
ever understood her like Boomer did.  Well, at least as much as any man
could.  Her face again grew somber.  "Yes, I couldn't help but think
about...all that felgercarb with him." She sighed. "Boomer, I guess I'm
just a bundle of contradictions at times. Sometimes, I sit there on the
bridge, fantasizing about you...us, when I should be paying attention to
work. Other times, I want to deny what I'm feeling.'
     "And what are you feeling, Athena?" he gently stroked her breast,
relishing the sound of her gasp. "I know what I'm feeling. And I'm not
talking about lust, either.' He looked up at the stars sliding by, and
took a deep breath. "I'm thinking about the future. Our future, Athena. I
mean, look...Apollo and Sheba. They're smart, looking ahead, no matter
what may come. The Cylons, the Ziklagi, another disaster with the Agro
Ships. Anything might happen, but they're still making plans."
     "Boomer?" said Athena, an uncertain smile crossing her face as she
took it all in.  She knew this would be the perfect romantic setting. 
Well, at least it was private and the view was second to none.  "Are
you...pro..."
     "Attention," came a voice over the speaker. Colonel Tigh's.
"Lieutenant Athena, report to the bridge, please. Lieutenant Athena,
report to the bridge."
     Athena growled something through her clenched teeth that would have
done Commander Cain proud, and got to her feet. Boomer tossed her her
uniform.
     "Some people have no sense of timing," he said, grabbing up his own
uniform.
     "Oh, I don't know," she replied, pulling her boots on.  Maybe this
interruption was a good thing.  Sure, she was hoping for some passion,
but she had not counted on a proposal.  She needed to give this some
thought.  "Your, uh, timing is great." She smiled an impish grin at him,
then headed for the hatch.

* * * * *

     One and a half sectars.  Yes, this trip was overdue - long overdue. 
Sure, he'd sent a message to him just as soon as he had been released
from the Life Station, after three days of treatments and grueling
physical therapy (was that a perverse gleam he had seen in the
therapist's eye every time he had started a session?) for his injured
back and knee, but that was vastly insufficient, at least in Starbuck's
mind.  No, he needed to see Copernicus, to talk to him, if possible, and
to do whatever he could to make his situation better.  The man had, after
all, saved his life. 
     And he would have visited him the day he had gotten out of the Life
Station, but Colonel Tigh had had other plans for him.  Although he was
placed on light duty for five days, he had still been immediately shipped
over  to the Orphan Ship, to complete his two-secton tour of duty.  It 
was an a assignment that he had received partly because he had missed a
mandatory briefing, but mainly because it, like so many of the ships in
the Fleet, sorely needed repairs and upgrades.  The tour of duty had been
worthwhile, he admitted, and something for which he would volunteer
without hesitation in the future, but it had left him with no available
time to visit Copernicus and his caretaker, Tarnia, aboard the
Sagittarius.  Thus, he had vowed to make that trip the day he returned to
the Galactica.  
     Well, first he had had to submit to one last torture session at the
hands of Dr. Paye to be declared 100% fit for full duty status, and then
Apollo, to welcome him back, had grabbed him as he had exited the Life
Station to inform him that they were on patrol in 30 centons.  As much as
the prospect of finally climbing back into a cockpit and blasting into
space thrilled him, it also nudged up his frustration level.  The trip to
the Sagittarius would once again have to wait.  Over another sectar, it
turned out, for this had been the patrol that had led to the encounter of
the nearly destroyed Zorhloch ship.  Thus, he and the others had been
fully occupied with what had culminated in a fierce battle between the
Galactica and the Ziklagi, with the help of their new Zorhloch allies.
     It was in that battle that Sheba's ship had disappeared and had been
feared lost.  As Starbuck replayed in his mind yet again that moment on
the bridge, when he had let his anger and frustration override all lines
of authority and military codes of conduct, the stubborn conviction that
he would change absolutely nothing only strengthened-- even though it had
landed him on report and restricted duty for a sectar, and even after
spending his first complete day with the rogue cadets.  Especially
Pelias.
     At the thought of that weasily, spoiled son of a...nephew of a
Councilman, he snorted and refocused on why he had boarded a shuttle
headed towards the Sagittarius, as opposed to relaxing in the O.C. with
Deitra and the other pilots.  Or engaging them all in a round of
Pyramid...or seeking out his favorite medtch, who he happened to know was
off duty, too.  Hmmmmm, and who'd promised to wait for him to return...
Starbuck grinned at the lingering thought of Cassiopeia bedeck in a
translucent, flowing gown, so silky as it slipped off her smooth
shoulders...Focus, old boy!
     He chomped down on the end of his unlit fumarello and gazed around
the shuttle; it was packed with an assortment of civilians and military
personnel, most of whom were awaiting the shuttle's first stop, the
Rising Star.  Few, he figured would be heading on to the Sagittarius,
which was actually the shuttle's only other  stop before returning to the
Galactica.  Starbuck sighed. The whole trip would take him 40 centons to
just get to the Sagittarius.  In the past, he would have just hopped into
his viper - after clearing it with Apollo, first, of course - and zipped
over to his destination in about 5 centons.  No longer.  Fuel shortages
and strict rationing had ended that, and although they had replenished
their fuel supply on Ki, the regulations had been tightened; vipers were
to be used strictly for duty-related assignments.  For personal trips,
now even the hotshot pilots had to wait in line for crowded shuttles,
just like the rest of the Fleet, as well as even Pelias and the other
blue-blooded aristo-rodent astrums... 
     Starbuck bit through his fumarello.  He'd have to thank Colonel Tigh
for this assignment from Hades, because it would be a true test of his
resolve - could he survive the secton with the wannabe cadet or would he
land in the brig because he had plastered the snitrad's face across the
flight deck?  Yes...he could just picture Tigh laughing every time he
thought of the lieutenant's situation.
     As predicted, when the shuttle docked at the Rising Star for 10
centons, all but three people filed out.  No one boarded.  Given that it
was only 1900, it was hardly surprising; no one left the luxury liner
that early.  Starbuck let out a long, slow breath as the shuttle launched
again, finally on its way to the old, rickety Sagittarius, not too
affectionately known to some as Old Saggy.  Kind of the opposite end of
the spectrum when compared with the Rising Star.  
     Was it getting hot in the shuttle?  Starbuck wiped at his moist
brow, but his forehead felt cool.  Starbuck suddenly realized that his
heart was thumping against his chest.  Frak, he felt like a cadet faced
with his first patrol.  Why in Hades was he nervous?  This was
ridiculous.  Yet... he knew why.  The last time he had been on the
Sagittarius, he had been seriously injured by a panicking mob, following
an explosion on the ship - a deliberate act of sabotage--  and then faced
with the madman, Sherok, who had been intent on offering the lieutenant
up as some sort of sacrificial ovine.  Starbuck would not admit it, not
even to Cassiopeia (or especially not to Cassiopeia...), but he had been
having night terrors about the incident.  The gaunt, sickly face with
penetrating eyes that send shivers through the soul.  The man's
determined look as he ranted on about salvation and such, as he had stood
above the helpless, injured Colonial Warrior.  The long, evil-looking
blade of the dagger that he had drawn above his head, intent on plunging
it into his chest--
     Starbuck shook the thought from his head as a shiver ran through him
and forced himself to look around the shuttle, to study the three other
passengers - anything to divert his mind from the vision.  Why should it
bother him, anyway?  He had flown into basestars, taken on 10 Cylons at a
time, dropped into the heart of a Cylon city.  That had never bothered
him.  Why should this--
     Stop!  He studied his broken fumarello, wondering how it had become
so crushed, then realized he had squeezed it in his fists.  Frak...He
tried to concentrate on guessing why the other passengers would be
heading for the Sagittarius.  One was obviously a technician who had
completed his work for the day.  The other two were a father and his
young son, presumably.  The boy looked to be about Boxey's age, and
perhaps he attended Instructional Periods while his father worked
as...maybe a maintenance worker or custodian, from the look of his hands. 
The boy lay dozing with his head tucked against the man's shoulder.  The
other gently stroked his son's hair and was humming, Starbuck realized. 
A moment of serenity midst a life of uncertainty and sometimes chaos. 
     Something I never got. Lucky kid.  
     The lieutenant gazed at the pair for a moment and chewed his lip. 
The one subject that he was trying desperately to avoid was about to
break through his defenses. Like father, like son, Starbuck thought
bitterly; I'm avoiding it, or denying it, or so Boomer and Apollo and
Cassie and even the commander keep telling  me.  And you know what? 
They're damned well right.  Just what I am supposed to think of a man
that won't admit that he's my...Hades, if I'd knocked up Athena, or
Cassie, or even Aurora, I'd at least have acknowledged it.  Starbuck
closed his eyes and exhaled slowly.  Father. Chameleon is my father. 
There, he'd said it.  Or at least thought it.  And sure enough, along
with that thought came a rising fury about the lie.  The Lie. The. Lie. 
Why?  In the name of the nine Lords of Kobol...why?  Perhaps you should
ask him, a part of his mind reasoned.  Perhaps.  Perhaps it was time. 
Maybe. Now don't get too hasty, Bucko.
     Before he could talk himself into - or out of - taking that step to
contact Chameleon, a docking bell signed their arrival at the
Sagittarius.  Saved by the klaxon!  He followed the other three off,
watching as the man nudged his son awake and guided him out.  As he
stepped out onto the deck, he paused for the briefest of moments,
pondering what lay ahead.  He would be meeting Tarnia in the Commons Area
in - he glanced at his chrono as he started walking - 45 centons, but
first, he needed to talk to someone else.  
     He had figured that he could killed two avians with one spear and
had arranged to meet them before Tarnia arrived.  He inhaled, then
exhaled slowly.  He had not seen  nor spoken with Mairwen since that
fateful day, either.  In fact, he did not know  if she was even aware of
what had happened to him after he left her quarters.  He supposed he
would find out, once she arrived.  He did owe her, though.  She had
convinced him to see the situation with Chameleon through Cassiopeia's
eyes, to see how she had been trapped by circumstances.  Trapped by
Chameleon's cunning - stop.! 
     He chewed his lip. Maybe he did need to see the old man.  He wanted
to hear his explanation of how he could lie about something like this,
and then persuade Cassie to lie for him, too.  Yeah, he wanted to hear
it, needed to hear it...before he decked him one.
     "Hey, Starbuck!"
     The excited voice broke through the lieutenant's musings.  He looked
up to see that he had entered the Commons without even realizing it. 
There were few people about at the moment, he noticed.  A couple dressed
in bridge uniforms, a man in a non-descript robe, and the huge
maintenance worker, Lou, that he had seen on his previous visit.  The
huge black man, wrench over one shoulder and tool-belt jingling, tipped
his hat to the ladies, and passed Starbuck on the way out, giving the
Lieutenant a nod. 
     Without missing a beat, though, Starbuck spread his arms to catch
Cassy as she leaped at him, her eyes bright with joy.  He pulled her
tight in an ursa hug and swung her around.  The girl squealed with
delight.  
     "Hiya, Cass,"  He gave her a kiss on the top of her blonde head 
before plopping her back down.  "How's it going?"  He glanced up to see
Mairwen, her face calm and a slight smile on her lips,  waiting quietly a
few steps away.  
     "Great!"  shouted Cassy as she scampered up onto a bench.  Starbuck
noted that she appeared to be wearing a new dress and held a new doll,
which she whipped around by the arm.  
     "She's right," said Mairwen as she sat down next to her daughter. 
"Things are going much better, now that I've got the job at the java
stand.  Siress Belloby has been wonderful with Cassy.  Almost like an
aunt, really."
     "I don't doubt it. Starbuck said, grinning.  He propped a foot up on
the bench and leaned on his knee to gaze at the two; they both looked so
much happier than when he had first encountered them aboard the ill-fated
Spica.  One small victory, but it felt *good.*
     "How are you?" Mairwen asked, studying the lieutenant.  "How's your
knee...and your back?"
     "Ah, so you knew.  I'm fine now.  Have been for a while."  He
narrowed his eyes.  "How'd you find out about my back?"
     Mairwen smiled.  "Captain Apollo and Lieutenant Boomer stopped in to
see me the day after the riot, to make sure that we were okay.  They told
me that you'd been injured but didn't give a lot of details."
     Starbuck sighed, pursing his lips.  "Suffice it to say that it was
not a fun incident," he said at length.  He gazed at his fingers,
suddenly at a loss for words as intrusive memories tried to impinge on
their reunion. 
     Mairwen did not fail to notice the dark shadow that  had passed over
his face.  "They said you got mixed up with that madman, Sherok...are you
sure you're okay?  He gave me the chills."
     Starbuck flashed her a big grin. "I'm fine.  And--" he pulled an
envelope from his flight jacket.  "I want to thank you for helping me
that day.  I owe you--"
     "No you don't!"  Maiwen protested.  "You've done so much for Cassy
and me.  I can't even begin to repay you."
     Starbuck snorted.  "I'll call it even, then.  Because you really
helped me screw my head back on straight where Cassiopeia was concerned."
     "So...things are okay between you and her?"  Mairwen's smile
waivered as she  studied his face again, this time fighting back a sudden
desire to *not* know the answer.  She inhaled and pulled Cassy close,
hiding her reaction as she kissed her daughter's cheek. 
     Starbuck was oblivious to her momentary discomfort, however.  "We
are more than fine," he stated with a grin.  He held out the envelope. 
"Here.  It's four passes to the Rising Star and four vouchers for dinner
in the Astral Lounge - full meal compliments."
     Mairwen stared at the lieutenant, her mouth hanging open.  "How did
you...?"  She shook her head in disbelief.  "You didn't have to!"
     "No, but I wanted to it.  Let's just say that I have my ways.  I've
been stuck doing some desk work lately, and I had to put my time to good
use, somehow."  When  Mairwen frowned at him, not understanding.  He
said, "Don't ask.  Just enjoy them."
     "Okaaaaay."  She gave him a dubious look, then surprised even
herself by jumping up to hug the lieutenant.  "Thanks," she whispered,
blinking back the tears that threatened to flow.  "Thank you for
everything."
     Starbuck returned the hug then pulled back.  "No big deal."  For a
moment, he watched Cassy, who was climbing up and down on the bench,
flipping her doll around, lost in make-believe.  He nodded towards her. 
"That's all the thanks I need."  He turned to look into Mairwen's green
eyes.  "Let's call it even, okay?"
     She nodded.  "Deal."  She said, a bit  breathless, suddenly aware of
her heart pounding against her chest. Lords, he felt good...too good. 
"You'll still visit, won't you?"  She looked away as she felt her face
grow hot  - and then flushed even more when she realized that she was
blushing like school girl.  She turned her back to him  quickly to gather
up Cassy but listened attentively for his answer.
     "You bet I will," he answered easily, but noticed she seemed to be
avoiding his gaze.  . He stretched out his arms to take Cassy for one
last hug - and spin - then handed her back.  Mairwen looked suspiciously
self-conscious.  Oh frak, she wasn't considering him as a
prospective...no, don't be ridiculous.  After all, she was helping him
reconcile his problems with Cassie not long ago.  She was just a friend. 
Wasn't she?  "Take it easy, will ya," he said quietly as he watched her
closely while trying to figure out exactly what was going on. "And
contact me if you need to. Okay?" 
     "Okay," she said, nodding, taking a deep breath to regain her
composure.  She smiled warmly at him.  "And you take care, too.  Good
luck with Cassiopeia and--" she paused to catch his eye, now that her
face had returned to a more normal color.  "Your father."
     "Yeah, that too," he said, his smile fading as he watched the two
walk off towards their quarters. Great.  One more possible complication
in his life he wasn't counting on.  He pulled out another unlit fumarello
to chew on as he gazed around the Commons, looking for Tarnia.

* * * * *

     There were very few times in her life when Deitra could remember
really needing a long, tall, cold glass of courage, but this was
definitely one of them.  She strode down the corridor leading to the
Officer's Club with determination in her step and Sagittarian Ale on her
mind.  What a terrible day. Oh, how she regretted her daft little speech
to Starbuck about challenging her leadership abilities before she knew
what she was getting into. What a complete idiot you are, Dee. What were
you thinking?
     Damn, she took her career way too seriously at times.  She should
really take a page from Starbuck's handbook and try to relax a bit
instead of jumping up to embrace each challenge thrown her way. 
Starbuck.  She smirked as she recalled him jumping out of his chair and
blasting the cadets.  Now that was something she would never have the
guts to do.  You couldn't pull it off, girl, face it.  It's just not you. 

     She brushed her dark hair back off her face as she entered the noisy
taproom.  Most of the usual suspects were present as she headed towards
the bar.  She leaned against the counter and scanned the room as she
waited to catch the barkeep's eye.  The man was pouring drinks at the
other end of the bar and chatting up Brie.  Brie was doing the hair-flip
rounded out with the wide-eyed giggle and head-tilt.  Oh, it was going to
be a while before she received her drink.
     "Deitra, we don't often see you in here." Greenbean commented as he
leaned up against the bar next to her.
     "Well, sometimes a girl needs a drink." Deitra shrugged at him.
     "What's your poison?" Greenbean asked.
     Deitra picked up an imaginary glass in her cupped hand and toasted
him.  "Nothing so far.  Seems Assault 9 is busy."
     "ASSAULT!!" Greenbean shouted down the bar. He added a shrill
whistle for good measure just in case the barman from Proteus had missed
the first indication that someone wanted his attention.
     "Keep yer shirt on, Greenbean!" Assault yelled back as he made his
excuses to Brie and moseyed to the other end of the bar.  
     Greenbean ordered them both an ale as he picked at some nuts on the
bar.  "So, how goes the coveted assignment?"
     Deitra picked up the proffered glass from Assault and took a long
drink.
     Greenbean raised his eyebrows as he looked at her sideways.  "That
good, eh?"
     Deitra grinned as she lowered her glass.  "Oh, you were so wise to
let me take this one.  How did you know?"
     Greenbean took a gulp from his own glass. "Easy. Starbuck's been on
disciplinary duty and he was assigned to this. The Colonel is wa-y-y-y-y
beyond choked at him, so it would only follow that this duty would be
ugly."
     "Why didn't I figure that out?" Deitra asked morosely as she took a
slower, more cautious sip from her glass. It was sad that the diluted
brew was actually beginning to taste good to her after not having any of
the good stuff for several sectars.
     "You're poisoning your body with meat. Clouds your judgment."
Greenbean replied with a wry smile.
     "Lords, are you trying to convert me or something?  Next thing I
know, you'll be wearing a dress uniform and knocking on doors offering
samples of veggie protein on little sticks...complete with pamphlets."
Deitra teased him.  She was well aware that Greenbean was a vegetarian.  
     "I never hand out pamphlets. paper's too precious." he took another
sip. "Besides, it is a well-known fact that the Ninth Lord of Kobol was a
vegetarian."
     "Oh, so that explains why they fled Kobol!" she replied, stifling a
belch.
     "Is he pushing the veggies again?" Jolly asked from her other side
as he joined them at the bar.
     "I don't push veggies." Greenbean denied.  "I have been known to
dice them and serve them with dip, however."  He chuckled to himself,
knowing full well that the frequently discussed mystery meat in the mess
was textured veggie protein.
     "Dip? Well, if they come with dip, I might be willing to try them."
Jolly volunteered as he patted his ample abdomen. "The problem with veg
in the mess is nothing seems to be quite the right color. Dip is an
excellent solution."
     "Jolly always was a dip man." A voice claimed from behind them. 
Giles squeezed in between Deitra and Jolly.  "We went out to a dance club
once in Caprica City. Jolly seemed to like the dip.
'One-two-three...Dip!' Or maybe he was just a dip. I keep getting them
confused." He grinned the too-happy grin of a man who may have had one
drink too many.
     "Are you celebrating something, Giles?" Deitra asked in amusement as
she took in his flushed appearance.
     "I won the bet. Let me buy you a drink, Deitra." Giles signaled
Assault, who didn't appear to notice.  "Hey, Assault!" he shouted.
     "I don't think he can see you over the bar, Giles." Greenbean told
him across Deitra.  "I told you to bring the stepstool when you come to
the OC with the big boys."
     "Hey, Stilts..." Giles started.
     "Actually, I have a drink, Giles. Thanks though." Deitra
interrupted. "What was the bet you won?"
     Giles glared at Greenbean and curled his lip disdainfully before
returning his attention to Deitra...who was looking rather lovely. 
Funny, he hadn't noticed that before. "The bet about Sheba and Apollo.
You know, the one about their first big fight."
     Deitra looked blankly back at him and shook her head.
     "The bet was when they would have their first big fight, who would
start it, and who would apologize first." Jolly clarified. He sighed as
he breathed in the stale air that smelled of old ale, body odour and
smoke. Somebody was obviously tardy in changing  the air filters around
here. Still, he would have never believed he could appreciate that smell,
but after his recent experience on that Hades-hole called Boron-Din, he
found that even the simple experience of sitting here, gassing with the
other pilots, took on an intensity, a vitality, that he'd never known
before. The food tasted, the ambrosa hit, even the aroma of someone's
smoldering weed stung with an almost searing immediacy that only now did
he seem to truly notice. And the ladies...well, even the sound of their
voices made him feel glad to be alive, to savor the lyrical music that
was the female voice, and the sheer artistry that they were to look at.
He watched a gorgeous redhead, her name escaping him for the moment,
enter the OC, and cross to the bar. For a moment, he let himself revel in
the very sight of her; voluptuous and sensual in her movements without
seeming to even be aware of it. He envied Apollo his relationship with
Sheba, and for the first time in his life, began to consider what he was
missing.
     "Thanks," Jolly said, as Freeman, aka Assault 9, brought them all
another round of drinks. He let his gaze linger on the redhead a moment
longer, before tearing his mind away, and returning to the here-and-now.
     Deitra considered the drink that had been firmly placed in front of
her. Maybe another wouldn't hurt. Two was her limit though. "I hope Sheba
doesn't hear about this. She'll kill whoever set up that bet." Deitra
couldn't help the giggle that escaped her lips.  It was actually kind of
funny...in a completely immature male sense.
     Giles giggled along with her.  "Speak of the devil, where is
Starbuck?  I smell him, but I don't see him." He chuckled at his own
incredible wit. Funny that Starbuck, Boomer and Apollo were all
mysteriously absent from the club.
     Deitra shook her head. She should have known Starbuck would have
something to do with that bet. The eternal teenager. "He had some things
to do. Couldn't make it."
     "I hope he's finding us a place for the next big card game."
Greenbean guessed.
     "Ah, the mysterious rotating card games." Dietra commented.  It had
been a long time since she had relaxed in the OC with a couple drinks and
some totally inane conversation. Now, she felt herself beginning to get a
bit...happy. "So, how does a lady get in on a game?"
     "You play cards, Deitra?" Giles asked in surprise.
     "Oh, I used to dabble a bit." Deitra returned, enigmatically.  She
wasn't about to admit she used to be a dealer at the Oasis Chancery in
Caprica City.  It was a seedy little joint in the heart of the red light
district.  However, the pay was decent, the tips were great, and it
helped pay her way through school.
     "You want in?" Greenbean asked her grinning.  Fresh meat...uh,
veggie protein.
     "Absolutely. This isn't just for the boys is it?" Dietra asked. She
wasn't about to let them know that several of her fellow female pilots
also had a penchant for gambling and they had organized a sectonly game
in the women's billet.
     "We're an equal opportunity group of guys, Deitra", Giles assured
her as he stared into her eyes which were as dark as a deep abyss and
just as easy to lose yourself in.  Her hair was as glossy...frak, he
couldn't think of a good simile for that.  He took another drink and
signaled Freeman for another ale as he tried to hold Deitra's attention.
     Oh frak, Dietra thought as she watched Giles try to gain her
attention by smiling with all the charm and alacrity of a Piscon King
Serpent.  Oh, if only the piece of...what was that anyhow??... wasn't
stuck between his teeth.  Then at least it would be more tolerable. 
"Well, I might be able to get a few players from the billet if you give
us some notice." 
     "Notice?" Jolly asked. "Hades, Deitra, it's all about rushing off at
the last micron to a secret location to play a game of cards.  It
wouldn't be any fun if we gave people notice. Besides, that would be like
a predetermined omen that Colonel Tigh would find out."
     "Well, how can you know you'll be able to make it if you don't know
when it is?" she asked.  Men were definitely from a different gene pool
than women.
     "You don't.  You just drop everything else to make it to the game."
Greenbean responded matter-of-factly.  
     "Everything?" Deitra asked.
     "Well, except patrol." Greenbean replied.
     "And girlfriends." Giles added meaningfully with a wink.
     Deitra rolled her eyes at Giles. Lords, how come when you combined
testosterone and alcohol it turned into a lethal substance that turned
the nicest guys into the biggest equines astrums she had ever seen?  Mind
you, it seemed to have a similar effect on estrogen and alcohol
combinations, so maybe she wasn't being fair here. Yeah, it had been a
long time since she had unwound in the Officer's Club.  If Giles didn't
pass out soon, it would be a long time before she did it again.

* * * * *

     "Don't you think he should at least give it a try?"  Starbuck asked,
trying hard - and not quite succeeding-- to keep the exasperated edge out
of his voice as he glanced at the dark-haired woman who strolled next to
him down the corridor that led to one of the Sagittarius' maintenance
shafts.
     "I don't know," responded Tarnia once more, shaking her head.  "It
wouldn't be nearly as easy as you make it sound."  She stopped as they
reached the portal and tapped in an activation code. The shaft they were
about to enter led to the lower decks of the ship, and following the
incident with the Sherok and the Il Fadim, access to those levels had
been blocked by locking the hatches.  Only authorized personnel - and two
civilians - possessed the necessary activation code.  Captain Tovar, in a
demonstration of trust, as well as for the man's protection, had
permitted Copernicus to continuing living in his makeshift abode on Deck
F.  
     Tarnia swung the hatch open but paused, turning to face the
lieutenant.  "Look.  I appreciate your desire to help, and so will
Copernicus, but..."
     Starbuck let out a long breath and gazed at the ceiling.  Tarnia had
met him in the Commons Area only a few centons after Mairwen and Cassy
had left.  He had beamed at her as she approached and motioned for her to
sit on the bench.  She had raised her eyebrows at his obvious excitement
as he had informed her that he had some "good news" for Copernicus and
her.
     "What news?" she had asked, studying the lieutenant, who was
grinning like the Caprican feline. *  (*From an old Caprican folk story
called "Alyssa in Wonderland")
     Starbuck withdrew the fumarello that had been clamped between his
teeth.  "I have arranged," he said, waving his smoke as he spoke, "for
you and Copernicus to be transferred to the Galactica.  There's a
position in the Life Station available for you, and Copernicus could work
in Dr. Wilker's lab..."  his voice trailed off and the smiled faded into
a frown.  "What's wrong?"  he asked, gazing at the expression on Tarnia's
face.  Far from being excited, she looked...troubled.
     "I know you mean well,' she had said, "but I don't think it would
work."  Her face had flushed in embarrassment and she had stood and
looked away from him.
     "But this would be a chance for Copernicus to really apply his
knowledge."
     "Lieutenant--" Tarnia began, turning back to face him.  Her eyes
were clouded, he noticed.
     "Starbuck," he said, interrupting, "please call me Starbuck."
     "Starbuck," she began again, slowly, choosing her words, "I am very
grateful for this offer.  I know you must have worked hard to arrange all
this, but..." She shook her head slightly.  "I'm afraid you don't realize
just how difficult such a move would be for Copernicus."  She gazed into
his eyes and spoke softly.  "Did you consider that?"
     "I, well, sort of..." Starbuck sputtered.  "I figured it might be a
bit difficult--"
     "Very difficult, is more like it," said Tarnia.  
     "But this could be a chance for Copernicus to show everyone just how
smart he is!"  Starbuck insisted.  "Given a real laboratory, who knows
what all he could do?  I saw how creative he was with just a pile of odds
and ends."
     Tarnia chewed her lip.  "You may be right, but Copernicus is happy
right now - happier than he's been in a long while. Asking him to change
all that is something that he will resist.  Strongly."
     "Well, can we at least ask him?"  Starbuck stood, as well, and held
out his hands, shrugging.
     "Yes, of course," replied Tarnia, motioning for him to follow.  "I
just don't want you to be upset if he turns down the offer, all right?"
     "It's deal," Starbuck answered, smiling again.  
     It took nearly ten centons to travel from the Commons Area to
Copernicus' habitat on Deck F, and throughout the trip, Starbuck and
Tarnia had repeated the same conversation.  He felt frustrated that
Tarnia would not be more insistent that her friend at least try the move
and the job in Wilker's lab.  After all, they could always return to the
Sagittarius if they so chose.  Tarnia, each time, had repeated that the
lieutenant simply didn't understand how difficult such a move would be
for Copernicus.  Finally, they had lapsed into silence as they approached
the man's habitat.
     As they rounded the turn in the corridor that led to the area where
Copernicus had made his abode out of a few blankets, crates, and an old
mattress, Starbuck was once again amazed at what he saw; if possible, the
man had even more piles of electronic gadgets and broken equipment, with
parts and pieces strewn about.  Copernicus sat on the floor with an array
of tools spread about and was humming and muttering to himself as he
tinkered with some device, holding it up for inspection, then making
another adjustment, then pausing once more to examine it.  Starbuck had
to admit that he did look quite content.
     Tarnia turned to face the lieutenant.  "Take a look for yourself,"
she said quietly.  "The whole reason he chooses to live down here is
because he can't handle dealing with people - the noise, the confusion,
the...unpredictability."  Her voice trailed off.
     Starbuck gazed at the man for a silent moment, watching him work.
     "You remember the incident in the Commons Area, don't you?" the
woman added.  "Most people don't even try to understand him."
     Starbuck, noting the bitter edge to her voice, glanced at Tarnia. 
"Yes, I remember," he said softly.  And he did remember - the service
worker shouting at Copernicus because he was too slow, Copernicus
screaming, lost, unable to deal with the situation, and Tarnia's
pleading, desperate look.  "But..." Starbuck gazed into the woman's
troubled eyes.  "Not everyone's like that, especially on the Galactica. " 
He watched her reaction, the fear and uncertainty that flitted across as
she seemed to once again consider the offer.  "I think," he said quietly,
"that you're almost as scared as Copernicus might be."
     Tarnia shrugged, not denying it.  "Why don't we talk to Copernicus
and see what he says."  With that, she motioned for the lieutenant to
follow once more and walked up to her friend.  
     Copernicus lost in his work, did not notice her.
     "Hey, Copernicus!"  Tarnia tapped him on the shoulder.  She glanced
at her chronometer.  "It's 2000.  Did you remember that I was coming?" 
She spoke loudly and distinctly.
     The man stopped working but did not look up.
     "I've brought a friend who wants to talk to you," she continued.
     Watching from behind, Starbuck saw the man's back stiffen, and the
device in his hand clattered to the floor.  For a moment, the warrior
thought that he was going to flee.  However, instead, Copernicus turned
slowly to stare at the lieutenant, unblinking, his face expressionless. 
Starbuck felt acutely uncomfortable, as if the man's gaze was a laser
beam, penetrating to his soul.  After nearly a centon, he shuffled from
foot to foot and grinned.  "Hi!" he said, at a loss as to how he should
react under such scrutiny.
     Copernicus frowned ever so slightly, as his gaze turned inward, as
if he were concentrating, remembering...or running a memory through his
mind like one might watch a vid.  Starbuck cleared his throat and was
about to say something else, when all at once, Copernicus hopped to his
feet, his face erupting into a broad grin. "Hi, Starbuck!"  Before the
lieutenant could react, he rushed forward and embraced him in a hug that
nearly pulled him from his feet and knocked the wind from his lungs.
     "Oof!" Starbuck struggled to wriggle free, then almost stumbled to
the ground when the man abruptly released him.  Steadying himself and
pulling at the bottom of his flight jacket, Starbuck took a step back. 
"Hi to you, too, Copernicus," he said at last.
     "You okay?" the older man asked, but didn't wait for an answer. 
Instead, he swung around and grabbed up the device that he had dropped. 
Shoving it towards the lieutenant, he said, "Tell me what you think."
     Starbuck took the object.  It was a compact cube with various
switches, lights, and a small keypad.  He studied it, turning it around
and peering at it before saying, "Uh, it looks great...what is it?"
     "It's a music synthesizer."  Copernicus took the cube back, punched
in a series of numbers and letters on the keypad, then handed it once
more to the warrior.  From a set of speakers on opposing sides came the
strands of a rousing orchestral piece that Starbuck vaguely recognized as
a famous work from Sagittarius.  Mouth agape, he stared at the device as
the music swelled and floated around him.  It was crystal clear, almost
as if the orchestra sat before him, playing.  
     Starbuck switched his gaze to Copernicus.  "This is
synthesized...and not a recording?"  he asked.
     "Computer generated," answered the man, grinning at the lieutenant. 
"The different instruments have been programmed into the device using
mathematical algorithms and precise equations based on the frequency,
pitch, and resonance of each.  Then, each separate sound is assigned a
programmable code sequence, whereby allowing the computer to precisely
replicate any sound.  Combinations of sounds are also given codes.  Thus,
provided the correct sequence is entered using the keypad, the computer
can duplicate any musical composition."
     Starbuck just stared and swallowed the "huh?" that threatened to
escape.  He blinked and managed to say, "Wow..." Then he carefully handed
the device back to the man.  
     "And I'm working on holoprojecting the orchestra, too. Here, let me
show you more!"  
     Copernicus started to grab something else from his pile of
electronics, but Tarnia caught his arm.  "Hold on.  I need to you listen. 
Listen, please."  She said distinctly.  
     The man stopped and turned to his friend.  He stared but said
nothing, waiting.  It was obvious that this was a routine: when she said,
"listen," he knew to concentrate on her words.
     "Starbuck has something to ask you.  That's why he's here,"  
     Copernicus switched his gaze to the lieutenant, and suddenly his
eyes reflected an anxious tension.
     "Well, I..." Starbuck wasn't sure how to broach the subject anymore. 
"I have an offer," he said at last.  It didn't help that Copernicus' gaze
now drilled right through him again.  "A question..."  
     "Go on," said Tarnia when the man said nothing.  Whereas someone
else would have known to use the pause to ask a probing question,
Copernicus just continued to stare.  
     "Would you be interested in working in an electronics lab on the
Galactica and having the chance to do real research?  It's not approved
yet, but I don't think it'll be a problem...if you agree to it."
     When Copernicus still said nothing, Tarnia leaned in close and
re-explained what the lieutenant had said.  Starbuck couldn't quite hear
her words, but he watched as the man's eyes went wide in comprehension
and his lips curled into a frown.  
     "No," he said at last.  "I can't leave here.  I can't.  I can't.  I
can't" As he muttered the words, he had begun to rock on his feet.
     Even though Tarnia had warned him, Starbuck was taken aback by not
only the man's refusal, but also by the look of...shear terror in his
eyes. 
     Hey!" Starbuck said.  "It's not even approved yet.  You wouldn't
have to move there.  You could just take the shuttle...frak."  
     He realized that Copernicus was not listening; he had sat down on
the floor, squatting on his heels, as he continued to rock and chant, "I
can't."
     Starbuck turned pleading eyes to Tarnia, who was watching her friend
and chewing her lip.  "Look, can you explain that it's just a...an
option?" 
     Tarnia was polite enough - or too worried about Copernicus-- to not
give an "I-told-you-so" look.  Instead, she sat down next to her friend
and started talking to him, quietly.  After several centons, he stopped
rocking and chanting and looked like he was actually listening to her. 
Several times, he shook his head vigorously.  Tarnia persisted, still
speaking so low that the lieutenant could not discern her words, but her
hands became more animated.  She was obviously trying to make a point. 
Finally, after nearly five centons, Copernicus gazed up at Starbuck and
said, "Maybe.  Maybe I can do that."
     "Do what?" asked a perplexed Starbuck to Tarnia.
     "He has agreed to at least visit Dr. Wilker's lab to see what he
thinks of it."
     Starbuck broke out into a relieved grin.  "Thanks!" he said,
"How...and why...did you manage that?" he asked, confused, given her
earlier resistance.
     "I thought about what you said, about me being scared," she said
quietly.  "And you're right.  I wasn't necessarily thinking about what
might be best for Copernicus.  I realized I was being resistant to
change, much like he is."  She paused.  "And I realized that you might be
right.  Maybe he could learn to do well in a place like a laboratory. 
But we'll never know if we don't try."
     Starbuck looked at Copernicus, who was waiting in silence, studying
the warrior.  "You'll love Dr. Wilker's lab," he said.  "He's got even
more electronic stuff than you have!"
     Copernicus furrowed his brow as he processed the lieutenant's words,
then all trace of his earlier tension evaporated as he broke out into a
smile.  "Does he?  Maybe I can show him my music synthesizer.  Maybe he
can help me tune some of the sequences which are not quite right.  If he
has a tone modulator, then I can..."
     Copernicus' words became an incomprehensible monologue, at least to
Starbuck, as he rambled on.  He gawked at him as the technical words
flowed from his mouth as if he were a professor giving a lecture on a
topic that was kilometrons above the warrior's head, by his reckoning. 
Maybe Wilker could understand him, but he felt like a primary school kid
sitting in a university class.  Starbuck shook his head and marveled that
this was the same man who, only moments ago, was rocking on the floor,
consumed by panic.  It was also difficult to remember, by watching and
listening to him now, that he had problems with auditory processing,
which was why Tarnia often had to explain spoken language to him, or it
took several microns to for him to comprehend even simple statements.
     "Incredible," Starbuck finally muttered.  He turned to Tarnia. 
"Look, I still need to talk to the commander...and to Dr. Wilker, but
I'll be in touch, okay?"  She nodded.  "It's getting late," he said,
glancing at Copernicus, who was still describing...something.  "I need to
get back."
     Tarnia tapped her friend on the shoulder several times before he
stopped in the middle of a sentence and turned towards her.  She
whispered something to him.  He nodded, and then gazed at Starbuck. 
"Goodbye.  I'll see you soon!"  He waved, then sank back to the floor to
continue his work.
     "See ya," Starbuck mumbled, but Copernicus was once again buried in
a pile of circuits and wires, oblivious to everyone and everything.

* * * * *

     Drowning. Drowning, being pulled beneath the surface as the swells
rush over the head and the current drags down, down, down. The crushing
pressure against the chest. Suffocating...but it is not water. Pulled.
Being pulled, pulled in all directions. Hands. Hands grabbing, pushing,
tearing. And arms. Elbows. Legs, feet, bodies. Bodies jolting and
jarring. Pushing, flailing against the maddening throng, helplessly,
futilely, for protection, to escape. The panic swells from within and
explodes into terror as the chaotic mass of angry, hysterical people
overwhelms. The frenzied, raging mob aboard the Sagittarius. The noise is
deafening. Senses scramble under a fierce barrage of pounding, kicking,
trampling, suffocating, crushing sea of bodies. A swirling human
kaleidoscope as the mind twirls dizzily. Then a sharp, blinding, piercing
pain rises with the deafening roar and crescendos into an explosion of
nothingness.
     Darkness. And cold, a cold that penetrates to the bone, numbing.
Trying to move, and a sudden, fierce fire burning through the center of
the back and radiating out through every nerve. A soundless cry of agony.
Gasping, gasping...the pain fades and eyes open. All is a blurry, greyish
black, shadowy...then tiny, flickering yellow flames break the darkness,
eerie pinpoints. The shadowy blackness floats, swirls...Fear swells with
the struggle to make sense of it, to comprehend, to regain control.
     A shape hovers above, a bearded face beneath a shroud, eyes
reflecting the yellowish orange flames. He desperately tries to look
away...But his gaze is locked, frozen, on the shadowy image above. The
face smiles, coldly, cruelly, as light glints off the long, jagged blade
that is poised to kill...Sherok, the madman, with icy, vacant eyes that
sear to the very core. Paralyzed, arms and legs cannot move; his eyes can
only watch, watch in a fascinated, terrified horror as a slow mirthless
smile spreads across the madman's face. "You will die." The voice is
cold, flat, mechanical. Human, but not. Gasping, short, panic-filled
breaths as the heart races. Sweat burns his eyes as it slowly trickles
down. His mind is screaming, "No!" But the words soundlessly choke in the
throat. A flash as Sherok slashes down, down - 
     And light explodes as eyes squeeze tightly shut. Breathing stops. A
deafening silence. A void...
     "Just wait! Just you wait!" 
     The face above him glares in anger. "Wait until your father gets
back!" She shakes a finger at him.
     He glances down at the shards of pottery at his feet and the bright
orange ball that lies amongst the ruins, then back at the face. He feels
his ears and cheeks burn and the tears well. His lip trembles and he
gulps, unable to hold back the sobs. It was an accident, he wants to
scream, but can't. He knew better than to throw the ball inside, he
did...and now he just wants to erase the horrible mistake that lies at
his feet. Her favorite pitcher, the one that used to be Granna's. Why?
Why'd it have to break? He hates her for yelling at him and he hates
himself. And he was NOT going to be around when his father gets home.
     He whirls and sprints out the door, running as fast as his small
legs will carry him. He'll run away, run forever. Out. Out into the
forest. He'll disappear. They'll never find him, never. Ever. The world
bounces as he runs. He hears her voice calling behind him, calling.
Fading. But he keeps running. Into the dark forest, through the thin
break in the brambles, over the bovine trail. His foot hits a fallen
branch and he stumbles onto his knees and palms. 
     The sting of the biting thorns stops his flight. He looks around at
the shadowy woods, listening to the suddenly scary sounds, the strange
hoots and cries. The lups...How could he forget?
     He turns, terrified, scrambling to his feet to run back the way he
came, but...it is too dark, now. He can't see the scraggly path. Can't
see the dim light from the setting sun. He screams. But the darkness
swallows up his voice. 
     It is black. Completely. He can see nothing. Feel nothing. Hear
nothing. Nothing...Nothing. Except a faint, rhythmic beat. Thump-thump,
thump-thump...
     A flash, blinding, ripping apart the blackness, followed by a
deafening explosion. Then another. And another. Until the night is ablaze
with cold, blue streaks of death, raining down as the world explodes in
hot, orange, searing flames.

     Lieutenant Starbuck awoke with a jolt, gasping, disoriented, the
dream a dreadful, frigid feeling just beyond his grasp as he jerked
upright. For several microns, he stared around in panic, until he
realized that he was in his squadron's billet. Breathing in gulps, he ran
his fingers through his hair and down his sweat-drenched face. He settled
back down onto his bunk, thankful that no one seemed to notice the
disturbance. It was a dream, Bucko, just a dream, just a dream...As he
stared at the bottom of the bed above him, as his racing heart eventually
slowed and the adrenaline ebbed from his system, a cold foreboding-- the
elusive shadow of the nightequa -- gnawed at his stomach. Sleep did not
return. 

Chapter Three

     The water hit Starbuck with an icy blast that he hoped would
reinvigorate him after a lousy sleep.  Every time he had closed his eyes,
his mind would return him to the series of unsettling images that
repeated endlessly from his nightequa.  Finally, he gave up and headed to
the turbo wash.  As he stood there thinking about just how much java it
would take to return the clarity to his brain, he became aware of a voice
intruding through the noise of the fine jets of water hitting him.
     "Huh?" Starbuck asked as he opened his eyes to see Boomer peering at
him.
     "I said, you have a message waiting for you, Bucko." Boomer
explained.  "It's from Chameleon."
     "What are you doing up?" Starbuck ignored his words as he readjusted
the water to a more humane temperature.  Boomer looked different somehow. 
He looked way too happy for any man at 0500.  "Did you get lucky or
something?"
     Boomer turned his back on his friend as he headed for another
station for his own turbo wash.  "Early patrol," he commented lamely as
he ignored his friend's other question.
     Starbuck grinned as he saw Boomer retreat.  "So...you and Athena are
heating things up?"
     Boomer's reply was a bar of soap that sailed through the air with
all the precision of a well-aimed laser blast, smacking Starbuck in the
chest.
     Starbuck laughed as the soap hit the floor.  "I guess that's a
'yes.'"
     "So...are you going to contact Chameleon?" Boomer asked.  Two could
play at this game.  Boomer didn't want to talk about Athena to Starbuck
just like Starbuck didn't want to talk about Chameleon...to anyone. 
Especially Chameleon.
     "I don't know.  Eventually, I guess." Starbuck answered and then
stuck his head under the hot water once more as he intentionally missed
Boomer's sage reply about the importance of family or some such
felgercarb.  He shut off the water in time to hear Boomer's final words.
     "...nothing more important in the universe.  You know that, don't
you?"
     "Right." Starbuck returned as he grabbed his towel.  "So...does
Apollo know?"
     "About Chameleon?" Boomer returned obtusely with a smile.
     "Athena." 
     "Why are you so certain that something's going on with me and
Athena?" Boomer asked him.
     "I am all-knowing and all-seeing." Starbuck replied, grinning as he
dried off.  
     "Then why haven't you talked to your father?" Boomer replied
watching Starbuck's grin disappear and an irritated scowl take its place.

     "I'm only going to say this once, Buddy, and I'll deny it if anyone
asks." Starbuck said evenly as he met his friend's searching gaze. 
"Athena is a wonderful woman and deserves that elusive thing we call
happiness.  If you hurt her, I'll be second in line to kick your astrum
all the way to Earth."
     Boomer watched Starbuck turn and, without uttering another word,
enter the bunkroom.  It had never occurred to him until then, that maybe
Athena wasn't the only one who had felt a great loss when their
relationship had ended.  It was ironic that in a conversation where so
little was said, he could learn so much about a friend.

* * * * *

     Deitra carefully balanced the overfilled extra-large cups of java as
she watched Starbuck approach the Supply Office.  He looked rather
distracted as he neared her, but his face relaxed into a smile of
appreciation when he saw the life-giving beverage in her hands.
     "My turn," Deitra told him.  She wasn't about to tell him that it
was her third cup that morning.  The two-drink limit she had imposed on
herself in the OC had somehow turned into a one-drink-too-many increase
as she sat relaxing in easy camaraderie and friendship with the other
pilots.  While she knew she hadn't over-indulged, she still felt a bit
lethargic from the ale she had consumed the night before.  Enough that
she wished she had stuck to her original self-imposed limit.
     "Thanks," Starbuck smiled as he took the java.  He wasn't about to
tell her that this was his fourth cup.  Chameleon's unread message had
been weighing heavily on his mind.  He wasn't sure why it was so
difficult for him to open the message when all it would have taken was a
tap of his finger on the control device of the squadron's messaging
system.  He had sat in front of the screen staring at Chameleon's name
and had become paralyzed by the array of emotions he was experiencing. 
Lords, how could something that he had hoped for all of his life turn
into something that he seemed so inclined to avoid?  Oh, you know the
answer to that, Bucko.  You're afraid of what he's going to say.  You're
terrified that you're the reason he didn't tell you who he was.  He would
read the message after the survival mission.  He was too busy to see
Chameleon right now anyhow.
     "Ah, Lieutenant Starbuck, you're back." Corporal Ximen said as he
walked down the corridor.  Ximen had been surprised when the Lieutenant
had shown up at the ungodly centare of 0600; impatient to organize the
equipment needed for a survival mission in the desert dome on Agro Ship
One.  It was unusual for Ximen to even be there at that time, but he had
decided to get an early start on his day and begin the tedious task of
doing his inventory.  Starbuck had cajoled him by convincing him there
would be a lot less to count after he collected the necessary equipment
for six adults on a three-day mission in a desert-like environment. 
There was also a discussion about Ximen joining the next rotating card
game which Starbuck had hinted might even take place in the Supply
Office.  "Everything is ready, Sir.  Just sign here."  Ximen handed over
his datapad and watched as Starbuck wrote his signature to authorize the
transfer of goods.  "There's a little something extra at the bottom of
the green pack which I think you might enjoy, Sir." Ximen whispered and
Starbuck's smile in reaction ensured the Corporal he would be included in
the next round of cards.
     "Well, this is a surprise," Deitra commented.  "We're ready to go?"
     "Yeah.  I was up early." Starbuck replied.  
     "Jolly's snoring?" Deitra asked.  Apparently, the man's snoring was
legendary.  At least, that was what she had heard from Greenbean last
night.
     "I swear the bulkhead was shaking from it." Starbuck replied with a
grin.
     "I think you're probably exaggerating." Deitra returned as Starbuck
gave her his most innocent Who me? look.  "Ah, here comes the first of
our eager students."
     "Good morning, Lieutenants." Jada grinned at them as she walked down
the corridor.  She couldn't believe that she was actually looking forward
to this, but it was going to be the first camping trip she had ever been
on!  Of course, the crawlons and serpents might put a bit of a damper on
her excitement when she arrived, but she had heard they tended to stick
with their own kind; therefore, she knew that they would immediately be
drawn to Pelias.  At least that was her story and she was sticking to it.
     "Mornin', Cadet." Starbuck replied.  Her enthusiasm was contagious,
probably because they hadn't seen any enthusiasm from any cadet since
this assignment started.
     "Kefira and Kyna are right behind me." Jada assured them as she
watched Deitra's eyes flicker beyond her looking expectantly for the
others.
     "Have you seen Cadet Pelias?" Deitra asked her.
     "No, but the advantage of that was I was able to keep my morning
nutrients down." Jada replied lightly.  She was also concerned that
Pelias was going to pull one of his hardheaded, half-witted stunts and
not show up.  "Ah, here they come."
     Kyna and Kefira were approaching the Supply Office about six paces
apart from each other.  It was obvious to all of them that the women had
once again been bickering.  Kyna's face was flushed and her green eyes
flashed with anger as she walked ahead of her wingman.  Kefira's face was
pinched from her chin to the tight knot in her hair, and Jada could
almost hear the woman's teeth grinding.  Oh, great, here we go again!
     Deitra gave Starbuck a sidelong look as she heard his sigh.  Time to
gather their resolve and begin anew.  She wondered how long it would take
for Starbuck to blow a gasket this time...even if it was just a ploy to
intimidate the cadets.  "Grab a pack, ladies.  As soon as Pelias gets
here we'll head out."
     Kyna nodded her response and Kefira murmured a "yes, Lieutenant
Deitra" as the two headed for their packs.  Once again they were
exchanging annoyed glances and the tension in the air was palpable.
     "Hey, did you two ever go camping on Virgon?" Jada asked, trying to
lighten the mood.
     "Camping?  Is that how you think of this?" Kyna asked, shaking her
head in amusement at Jada's perception of a survival exercise.
     "Sure.  We have tents and packs.  Did we bring any mushie-mellows?"
Jada grinned.
     "Damn, I forgot to mention the omission of mushie-mellows to Colonel
Tigh after the last survival test." Starbuck grinned at her.  He had to
give her credit; she was doing her best to improve the mood of her fellow
students.
     "Well, once again we raise the bar by surviving in a desert without
roasting mushie-mellows." Deitra replied wryly.
     "By the way," Jada interjected.  "Why in Kobol's name do we have a
desert dome on an Agro Ship?"
     "It's one of our efforts to preserve what we could from the colonies
in the way of flora and fauna." Deitra responded.
     "It's all about favouritism." Kyna grinned.  "I hear desert serpent
is a delicacy on Borallis."
     "Coincidentally, that will be your first assignment.  Catch enough
Black-Hooded Serpents for our midday meal." Starbuck teased her.
     "How do you season that?" Kefira asked, getting into the spirit of
things.
     "Well, you saut‚ it in a little Ta-kill-ya." Starbuck replied.  "So,
after you catch the serpents, we'll be learning how to distill alcohol
from the blue agave plant."
     "This mission is really looking up!" Jada gushed.  "I don't recall
this part in the course outline."
     "Well, sometimes you just have to wing it." Starbuck winked at her. 
"That's really what survival is all about.  Using all your skill,
knowledge, experience and instinct to remain alive when the odds are
against you."
     "I was hoping we could do better than remain alive after this is all
over." Jada interjected.
     "Well, it's really the best you can hope for." Starbuck replied with
a chuckle, which turned into a hearty laugh after looking at the
horrified expression on Kefira's face.
     "Oh, look, the sunshine of my life is finally here." Jada said as
she saw a sour looking Pelias heading their way.  "Good morning, wingman! 
Are you ready to catch some Black-Hooded Serpents?"
     "What are you blethering about now, Jada?" Pelias replied with a
sneer. 
     "Grab your pack, Cadet Pelias," Deitra interrupted, wanting to
prevent another battle between cadets before they had even entered the
shuttle.  "Let's move it out."

* * * * *

     "Patience. Patience," he told himself, as he waited to board the
shuttle in the Galactica's Beta Bay.  There was some sort of delay, it
seemed.  A minor mechanical problem, someone had said.  They'd have to
wait a little bit longer before boarding.  Part of him didn't mind, he
decided, as he leaned back in his seat.  It gave him a little extra time
to study the Humans around him. 
     He was at present in the guise of a maintenance worker, one of a
crew of such menials that had completed their assigned shifts aboard the
huge warship, and were headed back to their various billets across the
Fleet.  He was thankful there were so many of them; it made it easier for
him to hide.  He was just another grimy mechanic this time, though he had
learned from his earlier mistakes.  Careful scanning of the data he had
been able to steal had given him a surfeit of possible identities to lose
himself in.  No corpse to be found later and raise an alarm lay behind
him this time. His ID was totally real...if just not actually his.  Now
well insinuated into the Human Fleet, Over-Lieutenant Korax of the
Ziklagi, had no serious need to kill in order to hide.
     For the moment.
     He turned at a sudden, screeching voice, and saw a female, dressed
in what he had learned was a military uniform, apparently arguing with
another female, her uniform somewhat more elaborately decorated, over the
contents of a pile of equipment. Backpacks, carryall bags, canteens.  It
was all very familiar to Korax from his own training. Survival gear.  He
listened some more, his eerily acute hearing letting him pick up every
word.  Ah!  One of the females, the younger one, was it seemed a trainee,
and was arguing with her superior about the contents of the equipment
stash.  He had to fight to keep the smirk of contempt off this alien
face.  Not only did these Humans permit akfsh to serve in a military
capacity, but also they permitted them to talk back!  On his homeworld,
anyone who did that to a superior wouldn't live to hit the ground! 
     Weaklings!  No wonder these Cylon creatures defeated them!  As will
we!
     IF the Fleet ever gets around to attacking!  What in the pit are
they waiting for?
     He was jostled a moment, and had to bite back a sharp retort, as the
man next to him bumped him nearly off the bench.  When he turned back, he
saw that the two akfsh had been joined by two males, also in uniform.  A
moment later, another male joined them, carrying more equipment.  Only
this one was a pronounced blue in pigmentation.
     Eridese!  So, there are some aboard!  Interesting!
     The Zohrloch joined the group waiting to board, and Korax kept
watching him. Pondering what this might mean, he heard the announcement
that the shuttle would be boarding in one centon.  Sure enough, the bulky
Human craft taxied out to the launch position, and the hatch opened.  As
they began to board, he noticed at the far end of the Bay, two Humans in
black uniforms.
     Security.
     They were checking people's identities.  Of all times to...He looked
around, and quickly insinuated himself into the line of people getting
aboard.  Jostled by the crush, no one noticed as his face subtly shifted,
the grizzled, middle-aged Human of a moment ago now gone, replaced by
another non-descript visage.  Korax would never know just how fortunate
he was, since the lead Security man had decided it was too much of a
bother to hold up the shuttle any longer, looking for a stolen ID.
     But Reese was like that.
     As the engines whined to life, Korax looked around, and he fixed his
gaze on the small group of Colonial Warriors.  Headed for the Agro Ship
One, someone said.  As they shot out into space, he studied them.  The
females were beneath his notice, but the males...hhmm.... The leader was
obviously a man to be reckoned with.  Starbuck, wasn't it?  A dangerous
one to tangle with, from all he'd heard.  But the second male...soft,
slightly overweight, indolent-looking.  It would be a blow to his pride,
but now that another identity was apparently needful, perhaps the slow
moving one might just be what he needed.  An easy mark.
     Korax smiled.

* * * * *

     Frak, it was hot.  Yeah, yeah.  I know.  It's a frakkin' desert
dome.  It's supposed to be hot.  Starbuck wiped his brow as he watched
the cadets struggle to set up their tents.  Not a lot of campers in this
bunch, he reflected ruefully and he could tell Deitra was thinking the
same thing as she stood with an amused grin on her face.  . But, he
reflected, his idea of an outing was furlon in a luxury hotel, with room
service up the... 
     "Uh...excuse me, Lieutenant...?" a hesitant voice from the other
direction started.
     Starbuck blinked when he turned to see...a man, just a little
shorter than himself.  At least he thought it was a man.  He was dressed
in filthy coveralls and despite the heat, was covered from head to toe,
including equally dirty gloves.  Beneath the floppy hat that he sported
sprouted an unruly growth of what should have been hair.  It really
looked like some kind of flora that could have been growing off the side
of a rock somewhere.  His beard was equally unkept and Starbuck noted
pieces of twigs, leaves and...stuff...smattered within it.  Bushy
eyebrows that would have made a Borellian Noman proud, stretched from one
side of his head right across to the other.  Beneath the...brow...were a
pair of startling aquamarine eyes filled with clarity and intelligence. 
He must have borrowed them from somewhere.
     "Yes?" Starbuck asked, wondering how long he had been staring at
the...man.
     "We're having an emergency and were wondering if you could help?"
The man asked.  He had trouble meeting the Lieutenant's eyes.
     "What kind of emergency?" Starbuck asked.  This could be
interesting.  Maybe they could bypass most of their itinerary and throw
the cadets into some really important work right away.  
     "Well, the purple panthelons aren't being pollinated by nature's
usual methods as many of the apions were tragically terminated by a
problem in the environmental control system.  It only lasted a mere
centar before the engineers were able to correct the fault in the
Vandergrampff Generator, but the apions are very fragile and we lost
ninety-percent of the apiculture.  Now the panthelons are at a crucial
point in their reproduction cycle and if I don't artificially pollinate
them in the next twenty-four centars, we may lose the majority of their
species." His eyes bore into Starbuck's as he relayed his tale.
     Starbuck wondered if his eyes had glazed over as much as his brain
had.  "Uh, what's your name?"
     "Eldritch." 
     "If you don't mind me asking...why is that an emergency, exactly?"
     "Haven't you heard of the purple panthelon?" asked Eldritch, as if
everyone had.  His bushy eyebrows disappeared under his floppy hat as he
stared at the botany-challenged Lieutenant.
     "No." 
     "It's a rare and beautiful flower that has both anti-fungal and
antibiotic properties.  It has existed for countless millennia and is
still commonly used to treat a wide variety of ailments." Eldritch
explained.
     "Oh." Starbuck looked around.  Sand, rock, cacti, crawlons...oh, and
more sand.  There wasn't a beautiful flower to be seen anywhere. 
"Purple...pantaloon?" 
     "Panthelon." Eldritch corrected him, as though he were a child. 
"Please Lieutenant, if I could just have a few centars of your time,
together we could save the specimen from certain extinction."
     "Look...Eldritch," Starbuck patted the man's shoulder and a cloud of
what the Lieutenant assumed and hoped was mostly dust, spread through the
air surrounding them.  Starbuck coughed briefly and cleared his throat,
fighting the impulse to wipe his hand off.  "Eldritch, I'm really sorry,
but I'm here on a mission with this group of young people whose sole
purpose is to learn about the skill set necessary to survive in a desert
environment.  We really don't have the time right now to...do, whatever
it is you want us to do."
     A disappointed Eldritch blinked back at him.  He nodded briefly. 
"Manpower.  What I need is more manpower.  There is just too much to do
and not enough people to do it."
     "Pal, I know just how you feel." Starbuck empathized.  
     "Thank you for your time, Lieutenant." With that, Eldritch turned on
his heel and walked away, murmuring.
     "What was that all about?" Deitra asked as she wandered over from
where their guest speaker was waiting to begin.
     "I'm still not sure," Starbuck replied, "But if I ever figure it
out, I'll let you know."  He brushed his dusty hand off on his pants. 
"How are they doing?"
     "Slowly, but surely." Deitra replied.  "Emphasis on slowly. 
Sargamesh is just about ready to do his lecture."  The blue-skinned
Zohrloch was watching skeptically as the cadets struggled to set up camp.
     "Good.  Then maybe we'll all know what in Hades we're supposed to be
doing out here." Starbuck replied, once again wiping the sweat from his
brow.
     It had been Deitra's inspirational idea to have Sargamesh, who had
been one of the many slaves liberated by Jolly from the gladiatorial
arenas of Boron-Din, to start their day off with a lecture on survival
skills.  He came from Eridu, a harsh, desert world, and his knowledge and
skills, even in the somewhat tamer desert dome setting, were a valuable
asset to add to the cadets' experience.
     "I wonder if the Zohrloch's blue pigmentation somehow deflects the
heat?" Deitra pondered as Sargamesh stood , apparently comfortable in the
somewhat garish-looking Zohrloch uniform he had cobbled together from
bits and pieces. Of a heavy blue fabric, it had long sleeves, a high
collar, bits of shining braid, and seemed to fit like a paint job. It was
topped off with a gold sash at his waist, but in deference to his
currently civilian status, the Zohrloch forbore any weapons. To
everyone's irritation, he looked totally comfortable in the wilting
temperature.
     "Funny, I was wondering if they make regulation cryo-packs for my
shorts." Starbuck replied as Sargamesh walked over to join them.  
     "Lieutenant Starbuck, might I ask a question?" asked the Zohrloch.
     "Sure." Starbuck replied as he reached into his pocket to remove the
fumarello he had brought for the Zohrloch.  Much to Starbuck's envy, the
alien's skin was sweat-free.
     "It seems strange to me that someone of such pasty pigmentation
would be assigned to this survival exercise in a desert environment."
Sargamesh commented objectively.  "Lieutenant Deitra's complexion would
seem to contain a more appropriate amount of...uhh...melanin to survive
the harsh exposure to potential solar ray damage."
     "I'm with you on that one." Starbuck told him handing him the
fumarello as he listened to Deitra chuckle quietly beside him.  "I told
the Captain I was the wrong man for the job, but he told me, pasty or
not, Starbuck, you're going." 
     "Well, we all must bow to authority," replied the other, stroking
his elaborately groomed beard. He looked from Starbuck to Deitra, and
raised an eyebrow, inviting her to answer his question.
     "According to what we know and theorize," she began, "back on Kobol,
my immediate ancestors lived in the tropical and equatorial regions of
the planet, where extra protection against solar radiation was vitally
important. People like Starbuck, however, resided in more northerly
climes, nearer the poles, where the sun's energy was less intense. That,
at least, is the generally accepted theory."
     "I see. And this Kobol's sun was a powerful star?'
     "Once," she replied, "before it began to die."
     "What about your planet?" asked Starbuck, perplexed that Sargamesh
seemed comfortable.
     "Well," he said, with just the barest hint of a smile, "this reminds
me of a comfortable day in the plains near Tamak, when I was a boy.  Or
an invigorating outing in the Khigoor Hills." He waited a beat. "I always
enjoyed autumn." So said, he turned and headed back towards the cadets.
"Well, are we ready?"
     "Autumn?" asked Starbuck, as the sweat trickled down his back.
     "That's what he said," sighed Deitra, certain she could now relate
to a mushie-mellow.
     "Hot?" came Sargamesh's voice. "A nice, pleasant day like this?
Trust me, Mister Pelias, you have never seen hot!"

* * * * *

     Eyes glinting with hostile intent watched them, the mind behind them
biding its time.  
     Patience. Patience. 

* * * * *

     "Frak!" Athena banked hard to port, blasting lasers as she went. Her
screen indicated one, and then two kills, before the one on her tail let
loose. Sucking in air, the Lieutenant jabbed the reverse thrusters. Her
Viper shot backwards, the volleys of Cylon laser fire just grazing her
dorsal fin. Suddenly she had two more tinheads in her sights. "Woo hoo!"
she whooped as she flipped her thumb to the lasers and watched two more
enemy fighters blip out of existence. Four down, two more to go, but
where--
     All at once her instrument panel erupted in a blaze of lights.
Vaporized. She was history. With a groan and a few choice words, she
popped the canopy, and removed her helmet. How could I forget about that
maneuver? She chided herself as she slipped out of the simulator. Frack,
but she needed to do this more often. A first yahren cadet could have
performed better!
     "Hey, that trick still gets me every other time."
     Athena snapped her gaze up but managed not to gasp. She has been so
focused on mentally replaying her mistake that she had not noticed
Lieutenant Boomer standing next to the vid monitor. "Were you spying on
me?" she growled, still irked by her defeat and annoyed that she had not
noticed him there because that was yet one more error-- inattentiveness.
     Boomer was undeterred. "Not spying...just checking out the
competition," he said with a grin as he leaned on his elbow against the
monitor. "You ought to enter the Viper Sim Competition next sectar."
     "Some competitor I'd be!" Athena scowled. "I was obliterated on
level 4."
     Boomer placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Hey, the last time I
started out on this thing--" He waved a hand toward the mock up of the
Viper cockpit. "I got zapped on level 2. By a move that I should be able
to beat in my sleep. It's not as easy as it might seem. Of course, I have
also been shot down by a fire-breathing draco. They should put that in
the simulator."
     Athena gazed into Boomer's dark brown eyes and felt her frustration
fade. Her scowl softened into a smile. "Yeah, I know. It's just that..."
     "What?" asked the Warrior quietly. He motioned towards a bench. "Got
a centon to talk about it?"
     Athena bit her lip and looked around. The chamber was deserted,
except for them. And, to be honest, she did want to talk about...them.
She glanced at her chrono. "Yeah, I'm not due on the bridge again for
another forty centons."
     Boomer nodded. He knew that. He'd actually been looking for her for
a good centar, and could have kicked himself for waiting so long to check
out the simulator room.  After all, he was aware, after events on Ki,
that she wanted to improve her piloting skills and was missing being in
the cockpit. He followed Athena as she moved to the bench and they sat
side by side.
     "What's on your mind?" Boomer asked her as he took her hand.
     Athena sighed. Where to begin? She had been thinking about herself
and Boomer since their passionate encounter in the Celestial Dome. The
problem was that now that they were finally ready to move forward
together...well, she was worried he wanted to move a little faster than
she did. Hades, he had been so close to proposing when she had been
summoned to the bridge. It had been a narrow escape.
     Athena winced at her thoughts.  Lords, if she was wincing, how was
Boomer supposed to feel?  Boomer had been so patient with her, but how
much patience could the man have? Their relationship had started with a
friendship between fellow professionals, warriors posted together, and
had turned passionate so suddenly, and somewhat unexpectedly, for both of
them.  Then they had cooled things off after returning from Ki to sort
out their feelings.  Well, maybe Boomer was better at that than Athena,
because hers still needed a little sifting and shuffling. She sighed
again.
     "I take it this isn't about the battle simulation?" Boomer asked her
as he ran his thumb across the back of her hand.  He knew they had better
have this conversation before they joined Commander Adama for his dinner
party that evening.  Despite Athena's light manner when leaving the
Celestial Dome for the bridge the night before, he sensed that something
was bothering her. He sensed that maybe he should have just proposed,
instead of unromantically beating around the proverbial Battlestar about
it.
     Athena smiled gently as she looked upon his strong features.  "No. 
It's about you and I. I'm just not sure how to say it."
     Boomer nodded.  "You don't need to, Athena.  I should be doing the
talking right now.  Last night..."
     "No!" Athena interrupted him.  "I need to say this, Boomer.  Look, I
don't want to hurt you, but..."
     Boomer looked at her in surprise.  Holy frak!  Talk about having the
wrong spin on things!  "But..." he prompted as he felt her hand pull out
of his.
     "Oh, frak!  That came out wrong.  Look, Boomer, everything is
happening so fast all of a sudden."  She looked into his eyes, which were
wide with surprise...and hurt.  If only she had spent more time thinking
about what it was she wanted to say to him and less time worrying about
killing simulated enemy ships.
     "Uh...which part exactly?" Boomer asked her calmly; though his heart
was pounding so hard he could feel it in his throat.  Frak.
     Athena took a deep breath to steady herself.  She was not going to
scare away another man that she loved because she chose the wrong words
at the wrong time.  "Boomer, I love you." That was a good start.  She
could see him visibly relax as she reassured him with three simple words
that meant so much.
     "But..." Boomer prompted again.  Yeah, okay, he had come here with
the idea of asking her to be his wife so they could announce their
engagement at the dinner party tonight.  However, at this point, he was
happy to go into a fallback position. Yep, you're in love all right,
boyo. 
     "I'm just not quite ready to get engaged.  I want to...just be with
you.  Be a couple.  Go dancing.  Go for dinners.  Have romantic evenings
getting to know each other while our friends and my family have a chance
to get used to the idea of an us."
     "I'm not sure if this is about us or them?" Boomer asked.  "I
thought we knew each other pretty well by now."
     "Yes, as friends mostly. Please, Boomer, all I'm asking for is some
time. Maybe I still have a...problem with making such a big commitment,
but it's only because when I take those vows, I want them to last
forever. Isn't forever worth a little more time now?"  Her eyes filled
with tears as she waited for his answer. She prayed that Boomer thought
she would be worth the wait.  Starbuck hadn't.
     "Well, Athena...I've got to say that, for me..."
     "Lieutenant Athena, please report to the bridge."  Once again,
Colonel Tigh's voice came over the speaker summoning her to her station. 
"Lieutenant Athena, report to the bridge."
     "Frak!" Athena jumped to her feet in frustration, kicking her helmet
across the floor as hot tears spilled down her cheeks.  This time there
was not the slightest inkling of relief of being pulled away from their
conversation. "I don't believe this."  She inhaled sharply and covered
her face trying to regain control of her emotions before reporting to the
Command Center. She briskly wiped her cheeks and moved towards the hatch. 

     Boomer's grip on her arm stopped Athena as she retreated from him
physically and emotionally.  He was not going to make the same mistake
twice. The Colonel could wait.  "Athena..." He felt her pause and took
her hands into his own as she turned towards him.  "I love you too.  And
I'll wait as long as I need to if it means at the end of it, you'll be my
wife." He pulled her to him, and their lips pressed together, shutting
out the world.
     "La dee da, dee dum dee...Uhhh...I am sooo out of here," muttered
Croad, stepping through the hatch, and then stepping back out.

* * * * *

     Sargamesh shook his head, wondering how these cadets could ever make
it through the course.  Naturally, the abbreviated course they were
undergoing, due to the Colonial's current circumstances, was nothing like
what they would have undergone back home.  He smiled again, inwardly this
time, as he reflected that, had this been the military academy of his
world, probably none of them would have lived.
     "Yes, Cadet Pelias," he replied.  "I did say 'salt.'  Given the
assumption that you have crashed, or otherwise been stranded on a desert
world, fluids become a pressing matter.  That is why, if you will
examine...again, the contents of your survival packs," he waited as they
complied, "such as are loaded aboard each Viper craft before launch, you
will find sodium chloride tablets.  You will need to retain every
molecule of water possible, in order to extend your survival time. 
Assuming you don't find a convenient salt lick at your crash site,
these," he held up the packet containing the tablets, "can not only help
retain fluid, but replenish vital minerals you sweat out."  He went
through a somewhat tedious list, and as expected that young pup, Pelias,
was the first to let his attention waver.
     Bad move.
     "Excuse me, Cadet Pelias?" he said, tossing the sodium chloride
package back into the open kit.  Pelias did not at once reply.  Sargamesh
repeated himself, and at last, Pelias turned to regard him.  "Do I...yes. 
Good.  I think you ought to know, should you ever find yourself in this
situation for real, that other sources of fluid might be found."
     "Oh.  I see," answered the other indolently.  "Such as?  I sure
don't see any babbling brooks around here."
     "Around here WHAT?"
     "Around here, Sir," replied Pelias, a bit snottily.
     "Well, I shall personally ask Colonel Tigh to see to it that you
only crash on well-watered, rainy planets.  Would that suit you, Cadet?"
     "Look, I..."
     "Yes.  Look." Sargamesh knelt down and ran his hand gently over the
surface of the sand.  After a few moments, eyes half-closed, he plunged
his hand into the hot sand, and plucked out a small lizard, about the
size of a loaf of bread.  With a deft movement that was almost a blur, he
brought the struggling creature up hard against his other hand.  A short
loud snap betokened the neck breaking, and before anyone could speak, he
brought it to his mouth.  Everyone took a deep breath in shock. 
Sargamesh bore down; drawing the fluid into his mouth, then tossed the
thing at Pelias.  Whether out of shock or reflex, the young blueblood
caught it, staring down at the bloody thing.
     "Uhh..."
     "Have some, Cadet," said Sargamesh, his smile...accentuated by the
stains on his lips.  He wiped the red fluid away.
     "I...I mean..."
     "Well, remember this, Cadet.  What I have just shown you could very
well make the difference between living, or dying of dehydration.  In
such a situation, cultured refinement and squeamishness must be
jettisoned, if you want to survive.  If you have the guts to survive." 
He continued to stare at the Cadet, who, perhaps from morbid curiosity,
still held the bleeding reptile.
     "This is disgusting," Pelias said at last, dropping the dead animal.
     "What, Cadet?  Not all nicely boned, sliced and prepared by the
butcher?  Not sufficiently braised in a sweet sauce, is it?"  While he
never lost his smile, everyone, except it seemed Pelias, could see that
he had crossed the line with Sargamesh.  Like most of his race, the
Zohrloch had a somewhat...narrow view of what constituted an insult.
     "I don't have to take this felgercarb..." Pelias began, but almost
too fast to see, Sargamesh had crossed the distance between them, and
gripped the young dandy by the throat, lifting him off the ground, his
boots dangling in the air.  Both senior Warriors prepared to step in if
needed.
     "Of course, there are other sources of fluid, Cadet Pelias," said
Sargamesh, almost nose to nose with the kid.  "Do you know what one of
those sources might be, Cadet?"  
     For an instant, Pelias was certain he was looking death in the eye. 
"N... no, Sir."
     "You, Cadet Pelias.  Should you not survive impact, you might
yourself help your fellow castaways survive."  He set Pelias back down,
gently, but bared his teeth.  "Posthumously, of course.  Am I clear,
Cadet?"  He left the shaking cadet and returned to his place, smile back
on his face.  "Alright, students.  Assuming we have found a supply of
potable water, we will now turn to using the debris from your craft to
build a fire."
     "Excuse me, Sir," said Jada, now much more respectful.  She didn't
fancy being part of Sargamesh's next demonstration.  "But why would you
need a fire in the desert?"
     "Ever hear of night, Cadet?" replied Sargamesh.  "On my world, it
can drop far below freezing at night, even in the deep desert.  It would
be a pity to have come this far, only to freeze to death."  He looked
from Jada, over to Pelias.  Much to his surprise, the indolent aristocrat
was now giving him his undivided attention.  Excellent.  He looked over
at Starbuck and cast him a wide grin.  Turning back to the cadets: "Now,
we will assume you have found no wood or other kindling material,
therefore..."

* * * * *

     Starbuck noted Deitra looked refreshed and cool upon her return from
the other, more temperate, agro dome.  He had been wondering what in the
universe had possessed him to add the desert dome to his course outline
when he had drawn it up a couple nights before.  Lords, what an idiot he
was!  Combined with a deplorable excuse for sleep the night before, the
heat was hitting him hard.  Surely to God, the genius that designed the
dome should have ensured there was a proper oasis before signing off on
the project!  "Did you find them?" he asked wearily.
     Following Sargamesh's lecture, Kudur-Mabug and Pili, the former
cavemen from Ki, were scheduled to demonstrate the handcrafting of
weapons and tools from available and simple materials found in abundance
in nature.  Upon realizing they had disappeared, Deitra moved with all
the speed and enthusiasm of a Deputy Squadron Leader whose uniform was
sticking to her in all the wrong places for all the wrong reasons.
     Deitra had spoken briefly with the Kians in the shuttle, and she was
well aware they had spent some time in the lush environment of the other
agro dome on Agro Ship One when they had first arrived in the fleet,
helping to cultivate and catalogue the variety of botanical specimens
that had been brought from Ki.  As such, the likelihood that they would
have retreated to the familiarity of those surroundings was all it took
to have Deitra moving hastily in that direction.  Well, that and the fact
that her bodily fluids were about to come to a boil.  All of them.
     The serenity and beauty of the dome was truly breathtaking.  Deitra
couldn't help but think what a romantic setting it was beneath the lush,
green foliage that seemed even more attractive to the eye in contrast to
the barren, harsh, inclement reality of the desert dome.  That was when
she found Kudur-Mabug and Pili and, suffice it to say, they were thinking
the same thing.
     "They'll be along in a centon," Deitra told Starbuck as she watched
him take a deep drink from his canteen, trying to hide her grin.
     "Good, the children are getting restless.  It almost makes me wish
Sargamesh had stuck around.  They were as obedient as hypnotized daggits
when he was with them."
     "Pelias especially," Deitra recalled.  "I swear he was as scared as
a petrified rodent in a room full of felines, after Sargamesh put the
fear of God into him."
     "At least he listened.  I hope he actually learned something, Dee."
Starbuck took another gulp of water and handed the canteen to his
partner.  She took a long swallow as well.
     "Oddly enough, I saw Sargamesh waiting for the shuttle in the other
dome.  He did mention that he found it cool." Deitra informed him with a
grin, handing the canteen back.
     "No doubt, he figured he was testing his mettle.  This reminds me of
a fine winter's day near Tamak, when I was but a tot, skewering my first
snowmonster." Starbuck imitated the Zohrloch.
     "My, my, you are getting testy." Deitra laughed.
     "Yeah?  Well, I didn't have the benefit of a romp in the
rainforest." He returned.
     "Hey, I had my challenges as well.  Oh, here they come now." Deitra
added meaningfully, as the Kians walked towards them.  "Kudur-Mabug,
Pili, right this way.  We're ready to begin."
     Surprisingly, the Kians had made startling advances in their
language skills in the three sectars that they had been in the fleet. 
Though Pili still wore one on her belt, just incase, a languatron was no
longer crucial for meaningful discussion with the pair; now, with
patience, fortitude and a sense of humour - on both sides - the Kians and
Colonials could understand each other...usually.
     "Is there a particular weapon the women of your clan use, Pili?"
Jada asked as she rotated a finely crafted blade in her hand. 
Kudur-Mabug had sported it on his own belt, and she had asked to see it. 
It had been crafted from some kind of streaked multi-colored stone.
     Pili concentrated closely on her words and smiled in appreciation as
Jada paraphrased her question and spoke more slowly.  "Yes.  Me use sling
'n stone.  Throw very far.  Kill very dead."
     "It would be redundant to say kill very dead.  Something is either
dead or it is not." Pelias corrected her as he rolled his eyes at her
ignorance.
     "That's not necessarily true." Jada responded, angry that he would
purposely bait the Kian woman.  "If a human dies and is found right away,
he has a good chance of being resuscitated.  If he is very dead, he does
not."
     "Leave it to you to have difficulties discerning between man and
beast, Jada." Pelias replied with a condescending smile.
     "I admit since meeting you, the boundaries have become less
discernable." Jada responded, back deliberately turned.
     "Ah, so I bring out your feral nature.  That's likely why you are
getting along so well with the barbarian." Pelias' eyes glittered with
his enjoyment of their sparring.
     "Pelias, you are such..."
     Pili's gentle touch on Jada's hand stopped her short as she prepared
to blast Pelias into the next solar system with language that would make
a longshoreman's skin crawl.
     "Me show?" Pili asked with a tentative smile on her face.
     "Yes, please do." Jada replied.  She had never seen a sling 'n stone
in action and was truly curious to witness the woman's proficiency with
her weapon of choice.
     Pili nodded vigorously and walked several paces from them.  She
pulled a few stones from her pouch and weighed them carefully in her hand
as she searched for a target.
     "Well, this should be absolutely fascinating," Pelias drawled
sarcastically as he stifled a yawn.  Sweat poured from his skin and he
felt miserable.  Not for the first time, he regretted the attitude he had
exhibited to get him into this situation.  If he had just bitten his lip
and towed the line until graduation, as he knew his uncle would have done
in his place, he wouldn't now be melting in the closest thing his
superior officers could find to Hades Hole.  
     Jada noticed Pili give Pelias a look of disgust.  "Yu not nice," the
Kian told him.
     "Oh, really?" Pelias droned.  "Have I offended you?  Terribly
sorry."
     Pili nodded uncertainly as the insincere apology was delivered.  She
quickly noted Jada's look of anger as well as the dangerous glare
Kudur-Mabug was darting in the thickset cadet's direction.  She shook her
head briefly at her mate before setting a stance to demonstrate her
skill.  "No move.  Verr-y danger."
     Pelias chuckled as the words were delivered.  He moved forwards to
get a better look at the savage's weapon.  How pathetic.  Now they were
learning to throw rocks.  A far cry from the sophisticated technology of
the viper.
     Pili reached again into the small pouch she wore at her side.  Her
fingers gripped a small stone.  It was perfect for her target.  She
pulled it out and fingered it lightly as she stretched out her sling. 
The stone was placed in its harness with the deftness and economy of
motion of someone who was long accustomed to the routine.  Pili pointed
to a small rock that was balanced atop a larger one, as though it was a
landmark of some significance.
     The cadets, officers and Kudur-Mabug gathered behind her to watch as
she nimbly began swinging her sling while she eyed her goal.  Suddenly,
she let the stone fly, only to...
     "Frak!" Pelias cried out as the stone hit him squarely in the
forehead.  Oh, it was small, but it still stung like a son-of-a-..."Why,
you snitradeous she-devil!" he exploded.  "You frakkin' did that on
purpose!"
     Pili looked him in the eye coolly.  "Terr-blee sorry," she stated
before again striking a stance, but this time nodding at her man as she
set the stone in the sling and began to swing it in a graceful arc above
her head.
     Kudur-Mabug leaned over and picked up another stone, which he tossed
into the air high above them, as though it were following the path of a
wild avian.  Pili let loose her stone and the two connected mid-air with
a resounding crack, before dropping to the ground.
     All eyes gazed upon the Kian woman with new respect.  Predictably,
however, the first to speak was Pelias.
     "Well, I could..."
     "Also use...umm...bolos," said Pili.  She reached down to her belt,
and unfolded what had looked like a wad of cord.  As it unfurled, they
could see it was in fact three small stones, with knapped edges, tightly
wound, and connected to a central point by more cord.
     "And just what the Hades is that?" asked Pelias, struggling to
redeem his wounded ego.  Without answering, Pili raised it over her head,
setting it spinning too fast to see anything more than a blur.  She threw
and it sailed across the sand, striking a scrawny cacton plant.  The spin
wound inwards, winding itself around the plant...and the top part fell to
the ground with a thump.
     "Effective," said Kudur-Mabug, grinning at Pelias.
     From that point on, Pelias ceased to ridicule Pili...and began to
play Kyna off against Kefira.  He took every opportunity to encourage the
former opposing gang members to harass each other.  It was almost as if
he thought that diverting the Lieutenants' attention to the women would
allow the 'flesh wound' to his all important ego to heal without further
incident...or attention.
     Even Jada's attempts to equalize the playing field by trying to
unite Kyna and Kefira against Pelias failed as the young nobleman
purposely joined forces with Kefira, sensing in her the need to follow a
naturally born leader...which was exactly what he was.  At least in his
own mind.
     Starbuck and Deitra responded by separating the four and moving the
teams out to practice first response medical situations.  This seemed to
be going well, and the Lieutenants were actually enjoying five centons of
solitude when Pelias wandered back into camp...without Jada.
     "Where's Cadet Jada?" Deitra asked, as Pelias dragged his feet while
approaching them.
     "I don't know." Pelias lifted a shoulder indifferently.
     "Correct me, if I'm mistaken, Cadet Pelias, but wasn't your
assignment to perform first response medical interventions on your
partner and assist her to return to camp?" Deitra demanded.
     "Yes, but then she...disappeared." Pelias returned.  
     The cadet's face was scarlet red, but whether it was from anger,
embarrassment or the heat, Deitra was uncertain.  She took a deep breath
and looked at Starbuck.  One more centon of this cadet and she'd be
admitted to the Life Station with a mental disorder of the sociopathic
persuasion.
     "I'll go." Starbuck shrugged.  Dee looked to be reaching her limit,
and to give her credit, she had dealt with the most difficult cadet far
more than he had.  He hadn't realized she had masochistic tendencies
until then.  "You stay here and wait for the demonic duo."
     Deitra nodded thankfully and silently made a mental note to buy him
an ambrosa of the most aged vintage she could find...in the Officer's
Club.
     "C'mon, Pelias.  Let's go find her." Starbuck led the way back to
their assigned area.  How the frak could Pelias have lost her?  He rolled
his eyes as he trudged through the barren, sandy terrain, keeping an eye
out for the elusive cadet.  "Okay, I'll go this way, you go that way."
Starbuck told him as he realized quickly that two could cover the
territory much quicker than one.  Besides that, they were in the desert
dome and it was highly unlikely the young woman had met with any serious
difficulty.  Well, she had better have a good explanation for this sudden
absence, because if she didn't, Starbuck would have her sorting grains of
sand by colour until it was time to leave.
     Pelias nodded and headed off as indicated.  What a fracking waste of
time!  One centon he was trying to decide if Jada's simulated injuries
were minor enough to return to base camp and the next he was searching
the perimeter for the missing cadet.  Honestly, he hadn't looked that
hard.  The best plan, he decided,  was to return to their superior
officers and drag them into this mess.  After all, he really didn't much
care what had befallen Jada.  Likely it was some kind of female problem
anyhow and he sure as Hades didn't want to deal with anything like that. 
He continued along the path as thoughts bounced through his mind like a
Triad ball in full play.  Perhaps that was why he was totally unaware he
was being watched...and followed.
     Pelias climbed up another dune, removed his sunshades, and wiped the
sweat from his brow.  Lords, this dome was much bigger on the inside than
it appeared from space.  He caught a glimpse of something moving and
whipped around to see a serpent side-winding its way through the drifting
sand.  Frak!  He wondered if it was venomous and tried to recall what
Sargamesh had said about the local serpents living in this ecosystem. 
Something about the coral colouring on its head...or was it the tail?  He
supposed it didn't matter much since the slimy, slithering wonder of
nature was moving away from him.  He moved down the dune, following the
serpent at a safe distance.  Suddenly, the toe of his boot caught on the
edge of a rock and he found himself airborne, tumbling down the dune head
over heels.  He felt something cold and slippery make contact with his
right hand and he cried out as he remembered the serpent in his path.
     The next thing he was aware of, he was lying in a heap at the bottom
of the dune.  He groaned as he slowly sat upright.  Frak, he was covered
in sand.  He wiped his hands off on his pants as he slowly pulled himself
to his feet, assessing himself for damages.  He carefully searched the
skin on his right hand ensuring that the serpent had not bitten him.  It
seemed to be okay.
     Pelias looked around to see a large outcropping of rock.  It
extended right up the dune along the path of his recent fall.  As he
turned to consider his options, a slight movement caught his attention
from the corner of his eye.  He turned quickly back, but saw nothing. 
Nothing but rock and sand anyhow.
     "Jada?" Pelias asked hesitantly as he rose cautiously to his feet. 
He was sure he had seen something lurking in the rocks.  He hesitated
before moving forward, reminding himself that this was the desert
environment dome, not a horror holovid that he was starring in.  Again,
he moved forward as, for the first time, he wondered if Jada could really
be hurt.  After all, there were venomous serpents and crawlons in the
dome.  He felt the skin prickle at the nape of his neck, which, in
combination with the sweat trickling down it, gave him an even more
uneasy sensation.  His stomach began to tell him that the survival
rations he had eaten for his last snack didn't agree with his delicate
nature.  At that precise moment, he heard a rustling of dried brush from
just over a metron away.
     "Jada?" Pelias croaked again, his mouth and throat suddenly dry.  He
stopped on the spot and simply listened.  He could feel his heart
pounding in his chest and it seemed that each and every one of his
forefathers shouted sagely from the heavens, "Run!!"
     He simply froze as he heard the rustling get closer...

* * * * *

     Pelias was certain his heart had stopped and he definitely wasn't
breathing.  So, how could it be that he was still standing there rooted
to the same spot, quivering in fear as it approached?
     Suddenly, from behind a rock, Jada jumped out with the biggest, most
maddening self-satisfied smile on her face.  In about a micron, Pelias
went from thinking he would have a cardiac arrest to knowing he was about
to blow a gasket.
     "Gotcha!" she yelled triumphantly, slightly disappointed that while
he had been clearly terrified, he still maintained full bladder control. 
Must be losing your edge, Jade.
     That was it!  He'd had enough!  Pelias lifted his hand, opened his
palm, and aimed for her face.  With a measure of satisfaction, he saw her
eyes widen in surprise and she seemed to take a step back as his hand
swung towards her face.  In the back of his mind, he realized that things
seemed to be happening in slow motion.  Maybe it had something to do with
the adrenaline that was suddenly released into his paralyzed body.  His
blow never connected.
     Somehow, Pelias was once again on his back, staring up into space. 
He closed his eyes and concentrated on trying to catch the breath that
had been knocked from him when his legs collapsed beneath him and he
landed flat on his back.  When he could finally force the air back into
his starved lungs, he opened his eyes to see the furious countenance of
Lieutenant Starbuck staring down at him.  Oh frak.
     Starbuck was brushing the sand off his uniform and glaring down at
Pelias.  He had heard the young man cry out in alarm, and had busted his
astrum running through the thick sand because he had thought that
something was truly wrong.  "Did I actually need to go over the you never
hit a woman rule?  I thought the bluebloods taught you that in your charm
and etiquette schools."  He glanced at Jada who was looking as guilty as
Baltar before her features went carefully blank and she tried to appear
affronted.  "Oh, don't try to con me, Jada.  We generally try to dissuade
putting the fear of Diabolis into our wingman.  Frak, what am I supposed
to do with you two?  Get your astrums back to camp, or I'll have you
shoveling mong for the rest of the survival exercise!"
     That was all it took for Jada to move into hyperdrive and head back
for camp.  Pelias followed more slowly, casting a glance or two back. 
His continued unease was evident.  Starbuck fell in behind them, his eyes
boring into their backs, and trying to psyche himself up for the
motivational survival speech Dee had asked him to present.  
     Korax watched the cursed Lieutenant's progress as he headed back for
camp.  The Ziklagi had come so close to his mark only to have two humans
intrude.  The akfsh, he knew he could have handled easily, but then the
experienced warrior had appeared.  He reminded himself once again to be
patient.  His opportunity would present itself.  When dealing with beings
as ignorant and emotional as Humans, it was inevitable.

* * * * *

     "Okay, the first rule of survival is not to panic."  Starbuck looked
at Pelias.  "Stay calm.  In fact, your first challenge is to overcome the
usual instinct to panic.  How you handle your emotional response will
determine your success or failure in almost any planetside emergency
situation." Starbuck told the cadets as he paced in front of them.  "You
need to think.  What do you have at your disposal both mentally and
physically, in your survival packs, that can help you?  Most of all
remain positive and your chances of survival will increase
exponentially."  Frak.  Kyna and Kefira were at it again!  Lords, he was
getting sick of this.  How was he supposed to give an inspirational
speech on remaining positive when all he wanted to do was take those two
cadets and bang their heads together?  Hard.  Yep, hard enough to shake
those tiny, little neurons back into the usual pattern that sane,
responsible people had.  All systems go, synapses firing.  Eyes forward,
mouths closed, attention on the instructor.
     "Kyna, Kefira, am I interrupting something?" Starbuck asked them as
he took two quick steps and was suddenly standing between them.  He
glared at them with the fury of a man who was hot, tired, and resentful
of being forced to waste his time on the likes of them.
     "Lieutenant, I would like to file a formal complaint against Kyna."
Kefira informed him.  "She's purposely trying to sabotage my learning
experience."
     Starbuck gaped at her in surprise as Pelias' words rolled out of her
mouth.  He was tempted to look up to see if somehow the son-of-a-daggit
was hovering above her pulling her strings.  Instead, he glanced in
Pelias' direction to see a look of smug satisfaction crossing his
features.
     "Denied." Starbuck stated as he pivoted to return to his previous
position.
     "You can't deny my official complaint!" Kefira stated.
     Starbuck whirled around once again to face her.  "Look around, kid. 
Do you see any TE514's?" he asked her.
     "What's a TE...?" Kefira asked, suddenly unsure of herself.
     "514." Starbuck finished.  "That's the form I need to fill out to
file your complaint against Cadet Kyna.  Let me remind you, we are in a
survival exercise here.  This is exactly the psychological felgercarb I'm
trying to teach you to overcome.  Maybe if you were paying attention
instead of bickering with Kyna, you'd know what I'm talking about."
     "Uh...well, it's just..." Kefira stuttered.
     "What?" Starbuck asked, voice dangerously low.
     "I guess it just doesn't seem real.  After all, we know we're on the
Agro Ship, what's the worst that could happen?"
     Jada laughed at that.  "She's got a point, Lieutenant."
     Starbuck stared at them as all four suddenly wore silly little grins
on their faces.  He could feel Deitra moving in to stand beside him and
knew that she would support whatever it was he was going to do.  The
image of a dirty, scruffy, maladjusted botanist flickered through his
mind as his eyes met each of the cadet's.  Jada, Kyna and Kefira all
dropped their gaze one after the other, but Pelias continued to stare him
down as if daring him to do his worst.
     So, he did.
     "It was recently brought to my attention that we are having an agro
emergency here on Agro Ship One.  Now, in the spirit of the Colonial
Service, I have decided to volunteer the four of you to assist in anyway
necessary to curb...this potential catastrophe."  Starbuck watched as
Pelias' eyes narrowed and the cadet looked around at the others
uncertainly.  It was a monumental effort to restrain the smirk that
fought to gain control of Starbuck's face.
     "What kind of emergency, Lieutenant Starbuck?" Jada asked.  She
wanted to know exactly what she was in for.
     "A botanical emergency.  The Purple Pantaloon...or something like
that, is at risk of extinction.  You will be proud to know that your
efforts today may save the species." Starbuck explained as he saw the
looks of disgust cross their faces.  "Lieutenant Deitra and I will leave
you under the direct supervision of Agro Supervisor Eldritch while we
return to the Galactica to complete the organization of the second part
of this component of your team building training." 
     Deitra stepped forward.  "Of course, upon completion we expect a
full report of your duties while under Eldritch's guidance.  He will, in
effect, be your superior officer during this exercise and you will
address him as Sir and immediately comply with his directions.  Failure
to do so will result in disciplinary action.  And if you think it's hot
now..."
     As if the strange individual they were discussing could read minds,
he suddenly appeared, striding towards them, waving at Starbuck. 
Starbuck met him half way, well out of earshot of the cadets.
     "Eldritch, I have some help for your emergency." Starbuck ceased his
announcement as he spotted something large and hairy in the man's grasp. 
"Uh, what's that?"
     "This is a rare species of crawlon called the Quietus.  I'm trying
to encourage it to mate with a male, but when we introduced some of the
new botanicals from Ki a small insect that we call a Musca, seemed to
somehow interfere in the mating ritual of the Quietus Crawlons.  Now, if
we don't get them to mate, the species may become extinct.  I need to
artificially stimulate them with..."
     Starbuck held up his hand.  "Do you need some help with that?"
     "Uh...yes.  Yes I do." Eldritch peered back hopefully at the warrior
from under his bushy...brow.
     "I have just the man for the job." Starbuck returned with a grin,
looking back at Pelias.  "The three ladies will also be at your disposal. 
Anything you need done, my friend, these kids will do it."
     "Are there any restrictions I should be aware of?" Eldritch asked,
not quite believing his good fortune.
     "None at all.  There is no job too dirty, grueling or disgusting for
them.  Do you get my drift?" Starbuck asked meaningfully as he raised his
eyebrows.
     Eldritch's green eyes opened wide, first with surprise and then
understanding.  As a long ago discharged warrior himself, he knew exactly
where the Lieutenant was coming from.  "I believe I do, Lieutenant." He
nodded and smiled at the Colonial Warrior.
     "Starbuck.  Call me Starbuck."

Chapter Four

     "So, are you going to tell me what the second part of the team
building component of this little exercise is?" Deitra asked Starbuck as
they boarded the shuttle for the Galactica.
     Starbuck grinned at her as he sat down.  "You know, Dee, we make a
great team.  You don't play cards, do you?"
     "Well...maybe." Deitra grinned back at him.  He was right.  They did
make a great team.  In fact, for every example of the cadets displaying
poor decorum there was a dichotomous example of Starbuck and Deitra
closing ranks.  Hades, maybe they should just make a holovid of
themselves and play it repeatedly for the incredibly dense cadets until
they understood what teamwork was all about.
     If possible, Starbuck's smile actually grew as he thought about
potentially teaming with someone of Deitra's intellect and instinct at
the next big card game.  Hades, he hadn't done that for a very long time. 
Oh, it would be beautiful if they played following each other's lead and
took the pot between them.  The guys wouldn't suspect a thing.  Visions
of glittering cubits danced in his head as...
     "Deitra to Starbuck, come in Starbuck." Deitra quipped.  He looked
far away.
     Starbuck returned to the present with a rueful smile.  "Sorry.  Just
thinking."
     "You were parsecs away.  Does that always happen when you think?"
she teased him.  She was beginning to understand him better, which many
might consider a scary thing.  She knew that he would be the first to
laugh at the taunt directed his way.  Especially, when it came from
someone who had as much respect for him as she did.
     "You know it." He replied, trying to remind himself that there would
be time to plan the next big game later.  "Okay.  I think the problem is
they're not taking the survival mission seriously because of the sense of
security the location gives them.  If we take them to a planet or an
asteroid, the unknown enters the quotient, and then maybe they'll shape
up."
     "Will Colonel Tigh approve that?" Deitra asked him.
     "Only one way to find out." Starbuck replied, grinning.  
     "Shouldn't we ask Captain Apollo about it first?" Deitra suggested. 
After all, protocol dictated that the chain of command should be
followed.
     Starbuck paused.  That chain of command felgercarb.  Dee was right. 
However, Apollo was astrum deep in family responsibilities right now. 
Boxey needed Apollo's support after being terrorized and nearly killed by
the deranged Lieutenant Tabor.  Sheba probably did too, though she'd be
less likely to admit it.  Hades, even the Commander could use a strong
shoulder after the recent events.  Nah, protocol schmotocol.  They'd go
straight to Tigh on this one.  
     "Uh...not this time, Dee.  Trust me on this." Starbuck told her.
     "Hmm." Obviously, he was aware of something that she was not.  "By
the way, you're getting awfully comfortable with calling me Dee...Bucko."
     Starbuck chuckled.  She was starting to loosen up.  He knew she had
it in her all along.
     "So...just how big would the pot be in this big card game you're
planning?" Deitra asked as they sat side by side discussing the event as
they came in for a landing on the Galactica.
     Starbuck brushed some sand off his uniform distractedly as they
approached the bridge.  Frak, just how bad did he look?  He stopped short
as he imagined the Colonel's response if he appeared before him covered
in sand and smelling as though he'd just played a game of Triad.
     "What?" Deitra asked.  She noticed his eyes flicker over her from
head to toe.  Well, it had been sectars since Starbuck checked her out,
but...
     "Uh...how do I look?" Well, now he felt like an idiot.  Deitra
looked pretty well put together, but she hadn't been rolling in the sand
recently while trying to come between Pelias and Jada.
     Deitra smiled at his look of unease.  After all, he had been in
Colonel Tigh's bad books for so long that he obviously didn't want to do
anything to provoke the wrath of the executive officer of the Battlestar,
especially since he was breaking the chain of command with his request. 
She took a good look at him and began brushing some stray sand, flora and
some unidentifiable material from his uniform.  Well, so much for
Starbuck checking her out.  "Okay, you'll do.  Just don't get too close
to him; you smell rather...robust.  What about me?"
     "Yeah, you stink too." Starbuck grinned back at her affronted
response.  "You look ravishing though."  He noticed her eyes warm
immediately and the hint of a smile hover on her lips.  Yeah, you've
still got it, Bucko.  A sudden image of Cassiopeia flashed before his
eyes with the force of a boraton blast.  Just kidding, Cass, just
kidding.  He really needed to try and make an effort to see the beautiful
med tech before leaving the Galactica.
     The bridge was the usual flurry of activity as Starbuck and Deitra
entered.  Still, it took Tigh only about half a micron before he noticed
their presence.  It took only a quarter micron more to take in Starbuck's
appearance.  He looked as though he was engaged in a survival exercise in
the Desert Environment Dome. 
     "Lieutenant Starbuck, Lieutenant Deitra."  Tigh nodded at them as he
approached.  "I thought you would be supervising your students aboard
Agro Ship One."
     How was it that Tigh could turn a question into an accusation so
easily, Deitra wondered, as she held herself erect and waited for
Starbuck's reply.
     "Colonel, the cadets are currently assisting Agro Supervisor
Eldritch with an agricultural emergency, Sir." Starbuck explained
somewhat elusively.
     "Is this an emergency that I should be aware of, Lieutenant?" Tigh
asked, though he suspected he knew the answer to that already.
     "No, Sir." Starbuck replied briskly.  He really didn't think that
Tigh wanted to hear about Purple Panthelons and Quietus Crawlons.
     "Then...why are you here?" Tigh held himself back from his usual
blustering tone reserved for an officer that had been in his disfavour
for an extended period and then appeared before him, purposely ignoring
the chain of command, and looking, by all appearances, like he had rolled
over a couple of sand dunes, before finding some particularly foul
porcine slop to atomize himself with.  After all, as one of Captain
Apollo's best friends, Starbuck was aware that Adama's family needed some
privacy right now.  And that was the only reason he wasn't dressing
Starbuck down. 
     "Colonel, we need to request a change of location for the remainder
of our survival exercise.  The cadets aren't taking the experience
seriously, knowing that they're in the relatively safe environment of the
Agro Ship.  We would like to request an assignment out of the fleet."
Starbuck told him.
     Tigh shook his head disapprovingly.  In his day, these cadets would
have already been blasted out of the program.  Adama had briefed him on
Sire Feo's visit.  The Commander had been furious about the situation. 
He had instructed Tigh to support their Deputy Squadron Leaders anyway he
could.  
     "Very well.  Your cadets are focusing on team building.  Correct?"
Tigh asked.
     "Yes, Sir." Deitra replied, surprised that it could be this easy. 
Apparently, the reasons Starbuck had for avoiding the usual protocols,
Tigh was also well aware of.
     "We are organizing a preliminary mining survey on this asteroid." 
Tigh led them to the navigation board to pinpoint the coordinates as he
talked.  "We need a team to assemble six Mining Stabilization Units to
ultimately drill for core samples.  Tylium, as well as some unidentified
substances that have pinged the scanners.  I know it's not a survival
experience, but teamwork will certainly be necessary as there is a time
restriction involved."  He turned to look at both warriors.  "Do either
of you have any experience in this field?"
     "Yes, sir," they both replied.  Finding and extracting tylium was
simply one more job description in a long line of additional duties that
Colonial Warrior was now synonymous with.
     "Very well.  Request approved, Lieutenant.  Coordinate with Chief
Geological Technician Lindenbrook, and have your team assembled at 0600
centars for a final briefing." Tigh instructed further.  "And Lieutenant
Starbuck, do us all a favour and visit a turbo wash...soon."

* * * * *

     Jada was certain her back was going to break.  Her right hand began
to cramp painfully and she extended her fingers to relieve the pressure
as she stood to stretch out her back.  She had been bending over hundreds
of Purple Panthelons and hand-pollinating each one of them for the last
excruciating centar.  Lords, she was never going to be finished.  Sure,
the flower was beautiful, but just how important in the scheme of things
could a flower really be?  This was a punishment detail, purely and
simply.  She sensed movement behind her and turned to see Eldritch
watching her.  
     The man was downright eerie.  His eyes bore through her like laser
beams through the density of his facial hair.  He raised his thick
eyebrow which went from the lateral edge of one eye clear across to the
other, as if in question.
     Rather than wait for the man to ask his question, Jada once again
kneeled down and restarted the process that would save the Purple
Panthelon from extinction.  Frakkin' flower.

* * * * *

     As the door swooshed closed behind them, cutting off the flurry of
bridge sounds, Starbuck flopped back against it, letting out a long, loud
breath. He then paused to make a mental note of all the preliminary work
he and Deitra needed to do before returning to Agro Ship One to retrieve
the cadets. Another weary sigh escaped as he noticed the lieutenant
waiting patiently. "Okay," he said at length, "First, we need to contact
Lindenbrook."
     "Deitra's lips curled into a half-smile, and she wrinkled her nose.
"No, first, you hit the turbo wash while I find the chief technician. You
can catch up with me later."  
     Starbuck glanced at his chrono. They still had several centars
before they needed to relieve the cadets from their "emergency" duties,
which gave them plenty of time to coordinate the mission details. And
maybe time to find a certain med tech. No, wait. She would be getting
ready for the dinner party in Adama's quarters. A celebration of family,
well deserved after all that the commander and his family had been
through in the past few sectons.  
     Deitra waited once more for a response, quietly watching Starbuck's
weary, distracted face as his mind obviously drifted once more. Lords,
but he looked as tired as she felt. And thoughts of a quick, hot turbo
wash of her own, before anything else, suddenly beckoned irresistibly. 
After all, Colonel Tigh was too much of a gentleman to tell her she
smelled almost as bad her fellow instructor...Starbuck, however, had felt
that honesty was the best policy.
     As if reading her mind, Starbuck flashed the lieutenant a grin.
"Let's both head for the billets, and I'll meet you--" He broke off,
switching his gaze to the turn in the corridor a pace from where they
stood and suddenly looking uneasy. 
     Deitra caught the sound of footfalls headed towards them, and a
moment later Commander Adama appeared, stopping short at the sight of the
two warriors. The lieutenant pulled herself to attention, while at the
same time wondering briefly how Starbuck knew it as their commanding
officer approaching.  Perhaps it was yahrens of experience with
organizing secret, rotating card games, and avoiding his superior
officers at all costs.  "Hello, sir," she said. She did not fail to note
the tiredness in Adama's eyes. A glance at Starbuck, concern etched
across his brow, left her wondering yet again what recent events had left
such a mark on such a seemingly unshakable man.
     "Commander," Starbuck said, his voice easy, even as he pulled
himself erect.
     "At ease," Adama said with a smile and a nod towards Deitra. Then he
turned a questioning look to Starbuck. "I had thought that you were on
assignment this evening on Agro Ship One. If that has changed, you are
still welcome to join us at the dinner later." If he had noticed the
lieutenant's unique aroma, he was ignoring it, apparently.
     "Well, sir, actually, the lieutenant and I--" He glanced towards
Deitra. "are in the middle of organizing a mining expedition for the
cadets."
     "A shame," said the commander. "Your presence shall be missed."
     "Sir," Deitra said, sensing the importance of the commander's
planned gathering, even if she did not know why. "I can handle the
preliminary details for this mission." She turned to Starbuck. "Go on.
You can meet me in the shuttle bay later. After all, we don't need to
retrieve the cadets until 2000, or so." 
     Starbuck's expression was a mixture of relief and...embarrassment.
"You sure you don't mind?"
     Deitra grinned. "I insist.  Besides, you made all the arrangements
for the desert dome, so really, I owe you one.  If you'll excuse me,
sir." 
     The lieutenant nodded to the commander and strolled off before
Starbuck could say anything further. He stared after her - or rather,
stared at the turn around which she had disappeared - then switched his
gaze to the commander, who was grinning at him.
     "I gather this assignment is presenting some challenges for you and
Lieutenant Deitra."  It was not a question, and Starbuck shifted
uncomfortably under Adama's scrutiny as he analyzed the warrior's
appearance and...aroma...to accurately assess the situation.
     Starbuck returned the grin, shaking off the discomfort.  "Nothing we
can't handle, sir."  He cocked his head to one side.  "By the way, aren't
you off duty for the day?  Why would you be heading for the
bridge...sir?"
     "Yes, I am, but I thought I would just see how things are going." 
Adama admitted ruefully.  His not being on the bridge was as bad
as...well, Starbuck not being in a viper.  A timely analogy, to be
certain.
     "Well, I wouldn't let Colonel Tigh catch you there."  With Deitra
gone, Starbuck easily slipped into a more informal mode with his
commanding officer.  "I have plenty of experience with the 'wrath of the
colonel,' believe me.  I don't imagine that he would appreciate even you
disobeying his strict orders."
     Adama cleared his throat, looking uncomfortable for the barest of
microns.  It was obvious that the lieutenant had been talking with Apollo
recently, because Colonel Tigh had, indeed, 'banned' the commander from
the bridge until he could get a full day's rest. Well, he had desisted as
much as he could, but the increasing restlessness of not knowing what was
going on had finally driven him to take a few centons to...just check in. 
However, he could well imagine his friend and colleague's displeasure if
he walked through the door in front of him.  Perhaps this wasn't such a
good idea. 
     Instead, he focused on the young man in front of him.  "You, of all
people," he said with a playful glint in his eyes, "certainly spend a
large quantity of time in the colonel's daggit house."  His expression
softened.  "I am, however, glad that you will be able to join us for
dinner this evening.  It will be a comfort to have all of my children
with me."
     "Uh, yes sir." Starbuck replied a little uncomfortably as he gazed
at the ceiling, then the floor, while the burning memory of a certain
unread message flashed through his mind. For the longest of time, Adama
had, indeed, been as much a father to him as to his own children. Still,
Starbuck had always had a deeply buried yearning to know about his
biological family.  In the span of a couple of days, his meeting
Chameleon aboard the Rising Star had let that desire explode to the
surface, envelope him in a emotional turmoil that had led him to briefly
reject even his closest friends, and then had crashed into an empty,
aching chasm when the paternity test had been - according to Cassie at
the time, several sectars ago - negative.  He had resolutely and
determinedly buried the vast disappointment, vowing to accept his life as
it was.  Who needed further complications of family, anyway?  He got
plenty of that just hanging around Apollo.  And who could ask for a
better friend and - yes - father figure than Commander Adama? With Cassie
in his life, who needed anything more?  Nope.  Not him.  So he certainly
didn't need the added complication that - low and behold!-- Chameleon
actually was his father...the lying son of a Boray...  He suddenly felt
Adama's eyes studying him and realized that his mind had drifted off yet
again.  Lords, he was tired for that to happen right in front of the
commander!
     "Have you heard from Chameleon?" Adama asked quietly, as if he had
been reading the lieutenant's chain of thoughts, which, with the
commander's astuteness, was quite likely.
     "Uh, no, sir," Starbuck denied.  After all, the word "heard" implied
he had had a conversation with Chameleon.  He wasn't about to mention
that unread message. As he scrambled for a way to divert the
conversation, a thought hit him. "Oh, Commander. I had a request."
     "Yes?" Adama raised an eyebrow. 
     "I've submitted a proposal for both Copernicus and Tarnia to be
given work assignments aboard the Galactica.  Tarnia has enough knowledge
to be a great addition to Dr. Salik's team, and Copernicus... well, the
man's a genius!  Surely he could make outstanding contributions if given
the chance to work in Wilker's lab.  I mean, if you could just see what
he's accomplished from just a pile of discarded electronic parts and
pieces. It's incredible!  Anyway..." He paused for a breath.  "I was
wondering if you'd had time to consider the proposal?"
     Adama smiled warmly at the lieutenant's open enthusiasm - not to
mention his intent to persuade...and distract the commander from the
topic of Chameleon. It took little effort for him to remember that
Copernicus and Tarnia were instrumental in Starbuck's rescue from the Il
Fadim leader, Sherok.  "No, but I will look into it soon.  In fact," he
said, glancing at his chrono, "I just might have time before we meet for
dinner." He placed a hand on Starbuck' shoulder.  "I'll see you at 1800."
     "Right.  See you then, Sir." Starbuck smiled to himself, noting as
he strolled off down the corridor, that he did not hear the door to the
bridge open.

* * * * *

     "My God, this smells awful!" Kyna complained as she bent down to
fill her shovel once more.  Just their luck that a fresh shipment of
manure had simultaneously arrived from the livestock ships.  Oh, it was
fresh all right.
     "Which part of this constitutes an agro emergency again?" Kefira
asked her, spreading another spade full of mong.  Her eyes watered from
the smell drifting over her.
     "The evil glint in Starbuck's eye as he turned us over to Eldritch,
if I remember correctly." Kyna responded.  
     "I think it had more to do with Pelias." Kefira returned.  
     "He put you up to that official complaint felgercarb, didn't he?"
Kyna asked her as she paused to lean on her shovel and wipe her brow, not
from the heat, but from the exertion.
     "Yeah, what an astrum I am, falling for that.  Sorry 'bout that,
Kyna." Kefira apologized.  
     Kyna nodded briefly.  She would have never believed that she could
be standing there with a former rival gang member, sharing an experience,
albeit a disgusting one, and potentially forming a friendship.  Things
could sure change when you took a couple gang members out of their
familiar environments and put them in a situation where they had to work
together or...fail together.  "S'okay."
     "You know we're supposed to help fortify a riverbank when we're done
here, don't you?" Kefira added.
     "Well, at least that should smell better." Kyna replied.  A shadow
fell across her path and she turned to see Eldritch watching them.  He
was a strange man who gave her an uneasy feeling.  Kyna met Kefira's gaze
and, on queue, they began shoveling once again.

* * * * *
     "You are absolutely breathtaking." Boomer told Athena as she opened
her door.
     Athena smiled in return and turned slowly in a pirouette to give him
the full effect of her ivory dress, which hugged her in all the right
places and provocatively left her left shoulder, slender neck and shapely
back bare.  She wore her hair up, simply and elegantly.
     "I love a man in dress uniform." Athena told him as she greedily let
her eyes roam where her hands wanted to be.
     "I hope you're talking about me." Boomer grinned.  He had never
considered himself particularly handsome.  It was quite the revelation
that the beautiful woman before him both desired and loved him.
     "You'll do." Athena winked at him and gave him a quick peck on the
lips.  She paused a centimetron from him before deciding he would make
the perfect aperitif and kissing him again, this time slowly and
sensually.
     Boomer put his arms around her and pulled her closer.  He could feel
her arms entwine around his neck as their kiss intensified.
     "C'mon, do I have to hose you two down with six tons of boraton, or
would you just like to take it inside?" A familiar voice suggested from
the corridor.
     Boomer and Athena looked up to see Starbuck grinning at them from
behind a fumarello.  Athena could feel an unwelcome heat spreading up her
neck and face.  Frak!  Why was she reacting like some schoolgirl?
     Starbuck quickly leaned in and gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek. 
"Glad to hear the good news, Athena.  He's a great guy, go easy on him."
He winked at her and turned to go.  "See you at the party!" he tossed
over his shoulder as he hurried to make his own romantic rendezvous.
     "Go easy on him?!" Athena repeated as she watched him stride down
the corridor, his dress cape billowing behind him.  "Just what did you
tell him?" she asked Boomer.
     "I really didn't tell him very much.  He just drew his own
conclusions." Boomer replied with a shrug.
     "He makes me sound like some kind of..." Athena started.
     "Hey, he didn't mean it like that.  In the billet he told me that
you were wonderful and if I did anything to hurt you, he'd kick my astrum
all the way to Earth." Boomer admitted.
     "Starbuck said that?" Athena asked in wonder.  Lords, maybe she
wasn't the only one who had grown up since they had taken separate paths. 
Somehow, their past was finally being reconciled.  
     "He also said he'd deny it if anyone asked." Boomer pointed out.
     Athena laughed.  "Well, now that sounds more like Starbuck.  What's
he doing here anyhow?  I thought he was training cadets and couldn't make
it."
     "Change of plans.  They're going down on the mining mission
tomorrow.  I guess the cadets are still a problem.  Starbuck says they
aren't leaving that rock until the mission is completed and the cadets
are whipped into shape." Boomer grinned.  He had found Starbuck standing,
fresh from the turbo wash, staring down at the monitor for the Squadron's
messaging system.  He had a weary look of contemplation on his features
as he considered the still unopened communication from Chameleon from a
safe distance of a metron or so.  It had been on the tip of Boomer's
tongue to once again ask him if he was going to read it, but instead,
Boomer had enquired as to how his friend's assignment was going.  It was
as if they had a new understanding between them.  An unspoken agreement
just to let sleeping daggits lie.  
     "So, are we taking this inside, as suggested, or are we going to the
party?" Athena asked him as she softly caressed his face.  She nipped at
his lower lip as she waited for his answer.
     "You heard the man, go easy on me." Boomer quipped as he pulled her
close once more for another fiery kiss.

* * * * *

     The Quietus Crawlon was almost as big as the palm of a man's hand. 
It was the largest and hairiest crawlon that Pelias had ever seen.  It
was definitely the ugliest.  Eldritch had explained to the horrified
cadet that a pheromone secreted by the flying Musca from Ki had
effectively curtailed the mating activities of the Quietus Crawlon. 
Apparently, the air was so pungent with pheromones that the males were
unable to locate the females for mating.
     Well, Pelias had failed to understand how this could be a bad thing. 
Eldritch had then gone on to explain that the weight of insects eaten per
year by crawlons exceeded the total weight of the human population.  Left
unmolested, those insects devoured millions upon millions of tons of food
plants per yahren, a commodity the Fleet could not under any
circumstances treat lightly.  Eldritch admitted that those statistics
came from Caprica and that they may be slightly decreased now that they
were a part of a fleet of ships, still, that was a lot of insects.
     Therefore, Pelias now found himself bent over a female crawlon,
carefully applying an almost undetectable pheromone to its back.  This
was the twentieth crawlon he had performed this little procedure on, and
he had yet to see any amorous males present themselves for some crawlon
copulation. 
     A flutter of activity caught his attention and he looked over his
shoulder to see Eldritch pointing towards one of the webs.  Pelias
approached cautiously, well aware that the Quietus was a venomous variety
of crawlon, and despite Eldritch's reassurances that he had an adequate
supply of antidote, he would just as soon not get bitten.
     Surely enough, a male had begun moving across the web, approaching
the female.  Pelias watched in fascination as the male began a courtship
dance before joining with the female in their mating ritual.  Strangely,
the male then seemed to somersault itself forward onto the female's
mouth.  Pelias peered closer trying to comprehend what was happening.
     "She's sinking her fangs into him." Eldritch explained as Pelias
stared at the arthropods in morbid fascination.  "She will extrude
digestive enzymes on him and begin to ingest him.  This is a rarity in
the crawlon species as a whole."
     "Unlike the human species as a whole." Pelias returned emphatically,
as he thought of Jada, Kyna, Kefira and Lieutenant Deitra.

* * * * *

     Deitra briefed Starbuck on the mission details as they returned to
Agro Ship One to collect their wayward cadets.  They both had had a long
day and it was beginning to show on Starbuck's face.  His eyes were half
closed as he listened to her monologue, and only the occasional nod or
question let her know that he was indeed listening, as his body tried to
mold itself into the uncomfortable seat on the shuttle that was not made
for relaxing.
     "You look as tired as I feel." Deitra commented, wishing she had
thought to pick up some java for their flight.  The in-flight service
certainly had room for improvements.
     Starbuck smiled in reply.  He wasn't tired.  He was wiped.  He had
even caught himself checking his chronometer a couple times at the
Commander's dinner party, wondering when he could politely excuse himself
and get the rest of this day over with.  Of course, being heckled by the
six-yahren-old boy sitting at the table hadn't exactly improved his
disposition.  Still, at least the kid had a sense of humour.
     He had promised Cassiopeia that he would return to see her after
dealing with the cadets.  Then there was still that message from
Chameleon...his father.  He still hadn't looked at that.  At least not in
the open context of the message.  He had stared at it long and hard a
couple times now, but couldn't quite bring himself to take that extra
step.  Ah, the great, brave warrior.  Survivor of capture, crash
landings, and Baseship raids. Afraid to read a message from...him.
     "I feel as tired as I look." Starbuck admitted to her.  Lords, he
could use a good sleep!  It had been too long since he had a decent
night's rest.  He smiled to himself as he reflected that perhaps
Cassiopeia's chambers was the wrong place to go if sleep was what he
needed.  Oh well, plenty of nights left for catching up on sleep. 
Besides, too many hours of consecutive rest was obviously overrated.
     "We'll make this quick." Deitra told him.  "We'll be back to the
Galactica within the centar."  She could tell by the shuttle's approach
that they were preparing for a landing.
     "Promises, promises." Starbuck replied, as he briefly shut his eyes. 
She was right.  Collect the cadets, break camp and, what the heck, they
could quickly brief them on the return flight to the Galactica.  He would
be back in Cassie's arms soon.
     Centons later, they were aboard the Agro Ship and searching for
their cadets.  Instead they found a very pleased looking Eldritch coming
to meet them.
     "Lieutenants!  This has been just the manpower boost I needed to
save the Purple Panthelons and the Quietus Crawlons.  Thank you so much
for your help.  I'm personally contacting the Galactica to let your
superior officers know what a blessing you've been to my projects. 
Again, I can't thank you enough!" Eldritch heartily grabbed Starbuck's
hand and began pumping it up and down.
     "Hey, easy there, pal." Starbuck laughed.  Eldritch was positively
animated, like a child opening presents on his Natal Day Celebration. 
"So, they behaved?"
     "They were reluctant, but efficient." Eldritch returned fairly,
releasing the warrior.  Indeed, the young people had worked their
collective astrums off and had done a good job.  "If you have cause to
assign more of your cadets here in the future, I would be happy to find
similar experiences for them to help build their character."
     "I'll bet." Starbuck grinned.  "Eldritch, if word spreads around the
recruit quarters tonight like I suspect it will, hopefully we'll never
have cause to send our cadets your way again."
     "I believe I did all in my power to make the experience...the stuff
that legends are made of." Eldritch replied with a smile.
     "Well, then it's us who should be thanking you." Deitra added with a
smile.  "Where are they?"
     Eldritch led them through the dome until they came across the four
exhausted cadets.  They looked like they had been through a natural
disaster.  They were filthy, sweaty, and the stench coming off them could
only be described as a form of chemical warfare.  All four were collapsed
in various positions on the ground and, for the first time, were looking
like they were enjoying a companionable silence.
     "Lords, any way we can strap them to the hull of the shuttle on the
way back?" Starbuck asked Deitra, holding his nose.  This was worse than
Giles' socks!
     "The air filtration system should make a difference, I should
think." Deitra replied with a smile, wrinkling her nose.  
     "Only if we can cram the four of them inside it." Starbuck retorted.
     "Now you know how Colonel Tigh felt.  Isn't the irony fascinating?" 
From the look he gave her, she assumed he didn't think so.  "All right,
listen up, cadets." Deitra told them.  "We will be immediately breaking
camp in the Desert Environment Dome to return to the Galactica.  At 0600
centars, we will be attending a briefing and, shortly thereafter, we'll
be on a shuttle heading to an asteroid to set up six Mining Stabilization
Units in preparation for the extraction of mineral cores.  I'll brief you
on the rest of the mission in the shuttle.  Come on. Home and turbo
washes.  For once you deserve it.  Let's move it."
     A chorus of groans was the only reply, as the cadets began rising to
their feet and trudging towards the camp with dreams of turbo washes and
bunks forefront in their minds.  Starbuck and Deitra followed the cadets
with slightly more energy.
     As the six Humans made their weary way to the shuttle bay, they
failed to detect the eyes upon them.  Slithering in the form of a
Borellian Sand Viper, camouflaged perfectly with the sandy environment,
the Ziklagi trailed silently behind its quarry.

* * * * *

     "You're not supposed to actually fall asleep."
     The words tickled his mind, and he gradually became aware of her
soft, warm body flesh pressed against him.  Frak.  "Did I doze off?" he
whispered, cracking an eyelid to gaze at the beautiful countenance of
Cassiopeia. 
     Her blonde hair cascaded around her face as she rested her chin on
his shoulder.  She smelled of sweet mielberry, and her touch was feathery
soft as she stroked his chin.  Her eyes twinkled in a mock pout.  "'Fraid
so, my love."  She pulled herself up to breathe into his ear, her body
sliding sensuously across his skin.  "One moment, we're basking in the
Caprican sun, in a field of soft, fragrant lilicans," she purred,
referring to one of her socialator practices of painting a vivid scene as
one whispered into the other's ear.  "The next..." She nipped his ear,
hard enough to evoke a wince, "You're snoring like a porcine."  She
nibbled on his earlobe. "A drunken porcine."
     Starbuck gathered her in his arms.  "I'm awake now," he murmured as
he buried his face in her hair, finding her own tender earlobe, licking,
kissing, feeling his heart pounding against his chest.  He inhaled
deeply, running his fingers over her skin, then exhaled slowly.
     Cassie relaxed into his embrace with a long sigh, pressing herself
against his body, savoring his warmth, the strength of his arms and chest
as his hands massaged her back...her lips found his.  Lords, but he felt
good!  And thank those very Lords that her roommate worked the alternate
shift from her tonight, thus affording them some precious privacy. 
     Starbuck let his hands slide down Cassie's thighs and was rewarded
with a soft moan.  He could feel her heart pounding against his chest, in
rhythm with his own.  Her breaths had become short and intense as they
hungrily kissed... devoured...each other.  The frustration of the endless
day had evaporated into one intensely perfect moment.  It had been eons,
it seemed, since they had had a chance like this.  Never mind Cassie's
unpredictable work schedules; Starbuck had been on disciplinary
assignment for so long that they had barely seen each other.  All the
frustration, all the impatience from having to wait, all the fears and
worries from such an uncertain life as refugees, however, had dissipated. 
Nothing mattered but now.
     Their bodies rocked as one, breathed as one. 


     Cold.  The ground is cold.  And wet.  Dewy wet.  The smell of damp
earth.  Then the overpowering stench of smoke and burning flesh sears the
nostrils.  Child's eyes open to see a scorched laser pistol, dimly
visible in the pre-dawn light, the metal twisted and smoldering, lying in
the cold, dewy grass.  Cries, piercing, wailing cries.  So many of them. 
Small hands press tightly against ears to shut out the terrifying
screams. Explosions vibrate through the ground and through the soul.  A
shower of flashing laser fire rips through the dark, and a myriad of oval
attacking ships swirl through the starry, deep violet sky, seeming to
brush the dark red light of dawn behind them.  Dawn dripping blood in the
Thorn Forest of Caprica. 
     Paralyzed by the fear, the all-consuming panic envelopes his small
frame. Huddling, curled tensely and rigidly, eyes squeezed shut, trying
vainly to escape...The intense, agonized, wordless cry for parents...
     And suddenly warmth.  Warm hands lifting, embracing, his face
pressed against a chest.  The steady, rhythmic beating of a heart
drowning out the screams and cries. So warm, a radiance against cheeks. 
Held tightly, tightly and securely.  Rocking and swaying as the body
moves.  So safe, so safe at last.  Tears flow in hot streams down the
cheeks in a feeling of intense relief.  A familiar scent swells and fills
nostrils, washing away the pungent, smoky smell; the sweet, maternal
fragrance permeates and envelops the senses. 
     Then a jolt. And jarring. 
     Feet begin to run.  The heart beats faster.  Breaths come in gasps. 
Pounding, pounding, jerking, shaking.  The vibration through the chest of
a rising, moaning cry pierces through his head.  It crescendos into a
shrill scream.  The fragile, comforting cocoon of security disintegrates
as a low, icy, mechanical sound swells louder and louder.  The fangs of
fear bite through his heart. 
     "Die." The voice is cold, flat, inhuman.
     And light explodes. 
     A dizzying rush, falling.  Impact!  A sharp, shocking, stabbing pain
radiates from the back out through arms and legs, as the heavy, heavy
weight of a body falls on top of his tiny frame, suffocating...And
darkness.  Then a voice, low, cold, and mechanical. Still stunned, he
grabs desperately but is too weak to grasp as his mother's weight is
lifted off and a blinding beam strikes his eyes.  And behind the white
beam, the oscillating, scanning, red lights, mesmerizing,
traumatizing...The cold, emotionless voice: "This human is too weak to
survive.  Do not waste the energy on killing it."
     Blinding darkness as the lights vanish and the enemy turns away. 
The dull thud as her body drops close.  It is warm, still warm, so
warm...and the terrified young boy huddles close, desperately clinging to
the fading warmth, wailing shrilly, hollowly, as an indefinable, barren
feeling envelopes him, and slowly, slowly, the chill penetrates to the
bone...and through the soul.


     Starbuck sat bolt upright, arms flailing, fingers clawed, gasping
for breath as a tightness squeezed his chest; he felt as if he were
trapped in an airless void. 
     "Starbuck, what is it? Starbuck?  Hey..."
     "ARRRRRRRGH!!
     "STARBUCK!!!!! WAKE UP!!!!!"
     Finally, the words penetrated.  His eyes focused on Cassie's worried
features. Get a grip!  He chided himself.  It was a dream, just a
dream...Lords, but he felt dizzy.
     "Hey," Cassie said, rubbing his shoulders, "take it easy.  You're
hyperventilating."
     He made a conscious effort to slow his breathing, closing his eyes
for a few breaths, and eventually, he could feel his heart was back in
his chest, instead of pounding in his ears.  He gazed at the med tech. 
"I'm fine," he said, the words still a bit breathy.  "It was...just a
dream."
     Cassie studied him.  "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked
quietly.
     "Not really," he mumbled, closing his eyes.  The images hung on the
edge of his consciousness, just beyond his ability to remember them; yet,
he could vividly feel the terror they had invoked.  He opened his eyes
again to find Cassie.  "It's - they're - It's just--" he broke off,
unable to explain in coherent words, even if he had wanted to. 
     "It's okay," Cassie murmured, massaging the tight knots in his
shoulders and leaning forward to kiss his earlobe. "Let me take your mind
off whatever it was." 
     "Hmmm." Starbuck felt her breasts press slowly yet firmly against
his back, stroking his skin temptingly.  He turned, enveloping her in his
arms..."Oh Lords..."
     Later, as Cassie slipped into a peaceful, tired slumber, Starbuck
cradled her next to him, savoring her warmth and security as he stared at
the ceiling.  Sleep, he vowed, with all its lurking demons, would not
come back to haunt him again this night.

Chapter Five

     Starbuck began to relax as he noted with increasing relief that the
cadets were acting responsibly and efficiently.  He wondered if launching
them into space was what it finally took to bring out the rational and
professional side of these kids.  And perhaps their present attire helped
to drive home the point that, unlike their exercises in the desert dome,
this was the "real deal." Each warrior was dressed in about half of their
specialized Extravehicular Mobility Unit: their inner pressure and
temperature-regulation body suit, which covered all but their faces and
hands and had built in bio-monitors and connectors for life support and
communication systems, and their Lower Torso Assembly. A connection ring
around the waist would connect the assemblage to the Hard Upper Torso
shell once they were ready to exit the shuttle. They would also have to
don flexible sleeves, gloves, helmets, and their life
support/communication systems. Amazingly, the entire EMU, once assembled,
was not as bulky as it might seem, even under normal gravity, because
Colonial technology had long ago created an incredibly lightweight, yet
durable material for the suits that protected the wearer from the extreme
radiation and micrometeorite bombardment, yet allowed a fair range of
movement. Working in the micro-gravity environment of the asteroid, the
EMU would feel only slightly more restrictive than standard uniforms.
     Starbuck chuckled to himself. Quite a list of electronic felgercarb
in order to place a few mining rigs! The most unique feature of the suits
was working in Wilker's newly improved Anti-Gravity boots. Until one got
used to them, each step created a "sinking" sensation as the AG sensors
made the automatic adjustments.
     The technical gear was only a part of the cadets' new attitudes,
though, the lieutenant reflected. Even during the centar long briefing on
the mining rigs by Chief Geological Technician Lindenbrook, the cadets
had studiously listened as the procedures were reviewed for operating the
Mining Stabilization Units, which conveniently served as surface
transport vehicles, as well as a mining rig. They also reviewed how to
scan for the tylium, secure the units for drilling, and drill into the
tylium deposits.  All of this was in preparation for the Mining
Extraction Ships, which would come once all the preliminary work was
completed.
     Starbuck had actually heard they were still refitting the Mining
Extraction Ships with new laser technology for obtaining the precious
resource.  Rumour had it the ships might be delayed by the functional
test specialist who was still putting the new equipment through the
paces.  That was just fine though.  In addition to being their first
experience in zero gravity, this was to be the cadets' first time
interpreting geotechnical surveys and operating mining units.  The
Lieutenant suspected they would need every extra centon afforded them.
     Starbuck sat back, shifting to find the most comfortable position in
the EMU pants, and listened as Deitra quizzed Kyna and Kefira while the
cadets piloted the heavily laden shuttle towards their destination.  The
drone of the engines was almost mesmerizing and he found his eyelids
growing heavy despite the steady infusion of java, in which he had
indulged in since leaving Cassie's quarters.  Only a few more days and
things would be back to normal, at least as far as his career went.  As
for his personal life...and his father, well, he'd just as soon worry
about that later.
     "Can I join you?" Jada's eager voice asked.
     Starbuck opened his eyes, not realizing they had actually closed,
and nodded at the young woman beside him.  "Am I apart?"  He winced as he
said it.  Yep, he really needed to get some more sleep.  It was obviously
affecting his repertoire.
     Jada just grinned in reply.  She liked Starbuck.  He was good at
what he did, but still had a sense of humour.  She appreciated that.  "I
was listening to Pelias go on about his family.  Thought I'd pass."
     "I think we've all heard enough about Pelias' family." Starbuck
agreed.  He sat a bit more upright as he realized he had begun a gradual
slide down the seat while trying to find a more comfortable position.
     "Do you remember your family?" Jada asked.  She had seen Starbuck
featured on Warrior of the Centar.  She hesitated as she saw the look of
unease cross his face.  "Sorry, maybe you don't like to talk about them."
     He smiled at her.  Finally, a person who could respect that.  She
was a good kid.  "Do you remember yours?" Starbuck asked to change the
subject.
     "Oh, yes.  I was six when they died.  Hovermobile accident.  I have
a lot of great memories of them." Jada smiled reminiscently.  
     "Really?" Starbuck asked in surprise.  "I guess I assumed you didn't
remember them.  That must have been really rough.  Having it all and then
losing them."
     "Yeah, it was rough.  But, now I just think about how lucky I am to
have some memories of them.  A lot of orphans didn't.  It changed my
perspective on life and made me appreciate each day and live it to the
fullest.  My Dad used to tell me, 'Jade, you have to make your own
happiness in this life, no one else can do it for you.'  I try to think
about that when times are tough."
     "He was a bit of an idealist?" Starbuck asked.
     "Remember, I was six yahrens old.  I may have a slightly askew
memory of him." Jada grinned in reply.  "Besides, it offsets my natural
tendency towards cynicism."
     "Achieving the perfect balance?" Starbuck grinned.  She was so
young!
     Jada winked at him, "You might try it yourself, Lieutenant."
     "I'm comfortable with my cynicism." Starbuck replied with a smile. 
"It's like a second skin at this point."
     "I'm not suggesting you change, just exfoliate." 
     Starbuck laughed aloud.  The kid was good for his sanity.

* * * * *

     Humans! They must be the most inattentive species in the entire
universe! mused Korax, as he waited for the proper moment. Still
concealed, he watched the vermin as they unloaded ground transport
vehicles and what looked like some sort of drilling equipment. Though not
well versed in such aspects of the engineering sciences, Korax had seen
similar devices often enough to make the connection. Why in the Pit did
the gods ever bother...?
     Of course, concealing himself in the bulky transport had been easy.
While not the most comfortable of forms, the Desert Viper had proved
useful for ensconcing himself in small places while the craft made its
flight to this piece of rock. Once they had landed and the Humans had
disembarked, Korax had assumed the form of a pitiful species that they
had conquered, subjugated and eventually obliterated long ago. The alien
was bipedal, roughly the size of a Human. They were incredibly strong,
though, fragile, of little value as a labor force because they had had so
little endurance. He felt not one shred of remorse that the aliens had
all perished beneath the rule of the Ziklagi. They had had, though, one
redeeming characteristic as a form to imitate - their unique skin
reflected light, thus camouflaging them in any environment and creating
an illusion of invisibility. Only if one actively looked could one
discern the creature, especially if it were stationary. 
     Thus, Korax stood motionless between a row of seats, confident that
he was not visible, as one of the Humans re-entered the craft. Though he
could not see through the faceplate clearly from this angle, he could
read the nameplate affixed to the environmental suit. It read "JADA". She
was opening one of the cases stacked in the shuttle, apparently looking
for something. Ah. One of the akfsh. Easily...
     Korax instinctively moved toward her and then froze, as another
entered, and joined Jada. This one was "STARBUCK." Yes, the experienced
Warrior. Swallowing his annoyance, Korax continued to watch, waiting for
his chance. Within moments, the two Humans left, and the shuttle hatch
closed. He slowly emerged from his hiding place, and stood up. Closing
his eyes, he took a deep breath, and concentrated. At once, he felt his
tissues begin to slide and morph, till he was once more in his natural
shape. Opening his single eye, he looked around the shuttle. Out the
ports, he could see the Humans working on whatever it was they were
doing. He turned, and began studying the shuttle controls in earnest. The
communications suite in particular. He knew that he had little time.
     Yes, it will be crude but should be effective.
     It took a mere four centons to complete his task. Now, one more
technical detail remained before he could implement the rest of his
plan... with reluctance and disgust, Korax assumed a humanoid form and
pulled himself into one of the emergency evacuation pressure suits. The
Humans, from what he could tell, were still removing gear from the
shuttle's cargo hold, which was located aft of the passenger compartment.
The main hatch was to the rear, as well. Exiting through it unseen would
be difficult; however, there was another way. Korax grinned coldly to
himself. The "jump hatches" were located opposite the main exit and
opened under the shuttle. Perfect. He could make the transition between
environments, then find a suitable location from which to watch his prey.
     He turned, and -
     The airlock hissed open again, and a tall Human lumbered in, headed
for a storage compartment.
     As much as he loathed hiding, especially from such an ignoble race,
Korax ducked down once more between the forward seats; hindered by the
compression suit, he could not transfigure without destroying the
material. However, should it be necessary, he would greatly enjoy - nay,
savor!-- killing this weak creature. It would mean a battle, most likely,
with the others - one, he had no doubts, that would be pitifully short -
but it would disrupt his current plan.
     The Human - the weak cadet male, he decided from his size and build
- fumbled with the latch on the compartment, removed several lasers, then
lumbered back to the airlock. As the door hissed closed, Korax emerged
from behind the seats. Ah, so they will be armed. No matter. For the
creature he had in mind, such a weapon would be inconsequential.
     Snorting in derision, the Ziklagi moved quickly to one the jump
hatches. A moment later, he was gone.

* * * * *

     "Lieutenant Starbuck and I will remain with the shuttle while each
team places their three MSU's. Then we'll verify that the units are ready
to go." Deitra paused to stare at the cadets but could not read their
facial expressions beneath the tinted visors. "While working with your
partner, remember to use your assigned comm channel-- Beta for you two. "
Deitra nodded towards Pelias and Jada.  "And Gamma for you."  She
switched her attention towards Kyna and Kefira.  "Each team has a
separate frequency." Dietra pointed to a control on the suit's front
panel. "Should you need assistance or in case of an emergency, switch to
Comm Channel Alpha. Otherwise, the lieutenant and I don't want to hear
your chatter. Got it?"
     Deitra smiled to herself as a chorus of, "Yes, Lieutenant," greeted
her. My, but they all sounded serious - and more than a little bit
nervous. Good. She turned to Starbuck, who was lounging against the
shuttle. "Anything else, Lieutenant?"     
     "Just a reminder that precision is vital. The Fleet is counting on
you to accurately place the Stabilization Units over the Tylium deposits
so that the Extraction Ship can do its job." He paused to give them time
to ponder the importance of their assignment, then continued. "It
shouldn't take you longer than a couple of centars to place each rig, so
you'll have plenty of oxygen. In other words, work carefully. Any
questions?"
     The cadets answered, almost in unison, "No, sir."
     Deitra pointed towards the shuttle's cargo hold where the six mining
rigs sat.  "All right, then, after you make your final equipment check,
go for it!"
     A sudden burst of chatter filled the frequency, and Starbuck winced,
shouting over the din, "Whoa! Switch comm channels, please!" A moment
later, only the sound of Deitra's chuckle filled his ears. "What's so
funny?" he asked.
     "Oh, nothing. Except it's refreshing to not have to deal with their
cockiness and arrogance, for once."
     "Agreed!" Starbuck settled back against the shuttle to watch the
cadets. Kyna and Kefira, he noted, were following directions and doing a
final check of their equipment. Jada and Pelias, however, had already
started up the first MSU and were heading out, lurching and bouncing in
the purely functional seats, as they moved across the rough surface of
the asteroid.
     Deitra had noticed them, as well. "That was quick," she commented.
It was Starbuck's turn to chuckle. "What?" she asked turning to peer at
him.
     "They'll be back."
     "Oh? Why do you say that?"
     "Because they obviously didn't go through their checklist, and..."
Even beneath the tinted visor, Deitra could see his grin. "I removed the
master control from each unit, just to make sure that they were paying
attention."  Though the Stabilization Units were fully functional from
driving the machinery right through to securing it to the asteroid, which
prevented the usual complications that arise with a zero-gravity
situation when an Excavation Ship starts drilling, the unit's master
control locked the programmable data to prevent any unforeseen tampering. 
The unit was not fully operational until the simple code was entered on
the device.
     Deitra jabbed him on the shoulder. "You're evil."
     "I prefer to think of it as pragmatic.  Besides, they deserve it,"
Starbuck said dryly. "After--" He stopped, waiting. The tiny ping that he
had just heard indicated that one of the cadets had switch comm channels.
     "Lieutenant?" It was Kefira's voice.
     "Yes, Cadet?" responded Starbuck.
     "Ah, sir..."
     "Is there a problem?" He noted that the girls almost visibly
squirmed in the suits. Good!
     "Uh, well, we seem to be missing something."
     "And that would be what?" He deliberately added more than a little
impatience to his tone.
     "The mining unit's master control! I know it was secured before we
launched, but it's not there now--"
     "Good job, cadet!" Starbuck cut her off before she panicked too
much.
     "Sir?"
     The lieutenant pointed to a storage crate secured to the outside of
the shuttle. "I might have what you're looking for. Congratulations on
following procedures and completing your final equipment check."
     Ten centons later, after only a tiny bit of grumbling, Kefira and
Kyna were also heading out in their first MSU. Starbuck glanced at his
chrono and smiled. He figured he'd being hearing from the other team in
another centar, or so.

* * * * *

     Jada noticed that over a centar had passed since they had situated
the MSU over the tylium vein noted on the geotechnical scanner.  It had
taken all of that time to go through the sequences outlined in
Lindenbrook's briefing to properly assemble and prepare the unit for
activation.
     Surprisingly, when they got down to the task at hand, Jada was
shocked to discover they worked well together.  Jada had a firm grasp of
the overall project while Pelias, oddly enough, had a keen mind for
details.  Unfortunately, one minor detail they had both omitted was the
pre-check of their supplies.
     "Frak!" Jada cursed as she poured through the last storage
compartment on the MSU looking for the missing item.
     "What?" Pelias asked as he continued to work.
     "The master control, I can't find it." Jada complained.
     "Are you sure?" Pelias joined her to start looking in the exact same
places she had.
     "Yes, I'm sure.  I loaded it in the shuttle bay.  I know it was
here." Jada put a gloved finger in a small, secured compartment.  "Right
here."
     Pelias let out a slow, deep breath of frustration.  For the first
time, they were working together as a team.  It was fate that something
would go wrong.  "I guess we better check in with our illustrious
leaders."
     "I'd flip a cubit for it, but it would undoubtedly make it back to
the Galactica before we did." Jada remarked.
     Pelias shook his head.  He didn't want to hear Starbuck's voice when
he admitted they hadn't done their pre-check, as they had been instructed
to, any more than Jada did.  "At least Starbuck likes you.  What about if
one of us just goes back to get it?  It would also make sense to pick up
the next MSU at the same time."
     "And skip procedure.  No way.  They'd kill us both." Jada replied. 
"Besides, Starbuck said we're supposed to stick together like melted
mushies."
     "You weren't on the flight deck when Deitra scanned our lush and
scenic vacation spot and then also checked with the Galactica to confirm
that there were no life signs.  The only trouble we can get into down
here is waiting for us back at the shuttle." Pelias responded.  "Hey,
we're just wasting time if both of us go back, especially when I could be
finishing up here."
     "Ah, I see you've decided whose going back!" Jada snorted.
     "Well, as you've probably noticed, I seem to be having a bit more
luck getting these damn tools to cooperate." Pelias returned.
     She was forced to admit, his manual dexterity with the tool kit,
while wearing the gloves, was better than her own. "Still, I think we
should just check in..." 
     "What if I make it worth your while?" Pelias asked.
     "Now, how do you expect you could do that?" Jada wondered what
Pelias had that she could possibly want.
     "I could get you a pass for the Rising Star." Pelias returned. 
"Just think, the finest food, the best entertainment, a little
recreational gambling...I could even supply accommodations for the night
in case there is a certain stout-hearted lover-boy you would care
to...entertain."  He just hoped his uncle would be able to come through
for him on this.  Mind you, if he successfully completed this mission,
his uncle would deny him nothing.
     Jada grinned as she thought about going to the Rising Star.  Talk
about living life to the fullest.  Well, it didn't get any fuller than
that!  Yeah, Starbuck and Deitra would be choked, but she would figure
out a way around it.  A little humour, some slagging directed towards
Pelias...it would all work out.  "Okay, you have a deal."
     Unexpectedly, Pelias cursed. Starbuck's name, Jada noted, figured
prominently in the sentences.
     "What is it this time, Pelias?" she asked, already weary of his
renewed grousing. 
     "This spar," he said, showing her. "It's bent, and it won't slide
into the fitting, which means we can't secure it with the bolt."
     "Okay, it's bent. Why lambaste Starbuck for that?"
     "I'll bet he bent it. Just like that dirty trick with the master
control. This is another one of his surprises."
     "Look," said Jada, leaning closer, and shining her helmet light on
the offending part, "it would take a lot of strength to bend that spar.
And I doubt even Starbuck has that kind of..."
     "Well, he could have stuck it in a hydraulic press before we left,"
Pelias offered with a grumble.  
     Men!  "Well, this is why we're here, Pelias," she sighed. "To figure
out how to not only do the job, but overcome the unexpected."  It would
be a relief to spend a little time on her own walking back to base.  She
knew it would only take about fifteen centons during which she could
spend a few centons coming up with an adequate excuse for the lieutenants
and the rest of the time imagining herself on the Rising Star with...Adon
on her arm...no, perhaps Cullen would be a more striking partner and he
didn't have two-left feet.  Yep, after what had seemed a genuine change,
Pelias was back to his interminable, incessant whining!  A nice walk on
the asteroid would be perfect.
     Jada set her pace as she walked across the desolate terrain.  She
grinned to herself as she reflected on the 'sinking feeling' she
experienced with every step in her AG boots.  Within a couple centons,
she grew accustomed to the motion and could start thinking about the
topic at hand.  Now, let's see, what would it take for Starbuck to...
     She turned, as something caught her peripheral vision. A hint of
movement, off to her left. At first, it looked like nothing so much as
more and more asteroid. Composed mostly of an iron/nickel/silicate mix,
the asteroid had a rocky outer crust, varying from a few centimetrons to
several tens of metrons deep. Lindenbrook's preliminary analysis said
that it was part of the remains of a planetary breakup, sometime in the
last few hundred yahrens. The abundance of water ice in the crust
confirmed as much.
     She began to cautiously walk towards where she had thought she had
seen movement. She reminded herself that their scans had shown no
indication of life on this rock, about the size of Mount Pelops, back on
Virgon, but one never knew when dealing with the unknown. Starbuck had
said as much, during one of their lectures, and she remembered it now.
She slowly drew her laser, checked it, and began walking across the dusty
surface. Above, half the sky was awash with stars, shining and pulsing in
all their many colors. The other half was partly obscured by a nebula,
itself lit from inside by many stars, and roiling with blues, reds, and
greens. Low on the horizon, smaller than an old-fashioned pencil eraser,
was the star this forgotten rock orbited. It would take over fifty
yahrens for the asteroid to come back around to where it was now. She
shook her head at the incredible vastness of the universe, then nearly
jumped, as something struck the side of her boot. She looked down...
     It was merely a few small stones, rolling down from the "hill" a few
metrons away. She laughed at herself for her fear. Shaking her head, she
turned and...
     Jada gasped in shock at what stood before her.  Her eyes grew wide
as the beast towered a metron above her.  Its vicious claws flew at her
far faster than should have been possible in zero gravity and she felt
her flesh rend from chest to belly as the alien slashed through her EMU. 
She heard the rush of air shrieking out of her suit and vaguely recalled
learning that the next ten microns would likely be her last.  She opened
her mouth to scream when suddenly her breath caught in her throat as a
sudden burst of electromagnetic energy surged through her.  She could
feel her hair stand on end and her skin feel as though it was being
peeled back over her entire body.  She was briefly aware of a loud
crackling that seemed so loud that it echoed in her mind.  Still, she
managed to raise her weapon, her last thought a concerted effort to
squeeze the trigger, even as her entire body convulsed...
     I'll get you...
     ... before dropping limply to the ground.

     Korax could feel the energy surge through him as he stared down at
the body of the akfsh called Jada.  Her body continued to twitch and he
acknowledged he would have to decrease the intensity of the current
substantially if he were to apprehend a prisoner.  The female had been a
good test subject, though her dying laser shot had connected. Fortunately
for him, his hide was proof against a single shot from the Human weapon.
     Returning to Ziklag with captives that could be tortured for
information, would give him not only prize money, but also an elevated
status.  He briefly recalled that when an akfsh went missing in the
Desert Environment training mission, an officer soon followed.  If the
Gods smiled upon him, the officer would be the one called Starbuck.
     He would be prepared this time.  The Rekka, the huge, horned,
cyclopian form he had chosen, had been the perfect creature for what he
had in mind.  A native of the deep caverns on an unpleasant planet in a
remote part of the Empire, not only could it survive in a virtual vacuum
environment for a considerable period, but it sported a thick, tough hide
that protected it from heat, cold, and radiation, and could also generate
a powerful electrical jolt, which it could use to stun or kill its prey,
depending on the intensity of the current.
     Of course, the sheer size of the Rekka was overwhelming to a Human
and its claws were as useful as knives for tearing through the woefully
inadequate protective suit the feeble race wore in an environment suited
for a sturdier species.  Leaving her corpse in plain sight as a
mesmerizing and horrifying lure to his prey, he again took position
behind the rocks...and waited.

* * * * *

     The last bolt had been tightened on the Mining Stabilization Unit
and Pelias stood back proudly marveling at the fact that he had
single-handedly...uh, well, maybe with a little help, prepared the
efficient piece of machinery before him to deliver precious fuel to the
fleet.  He once again checked the mounting and the leveling jacks to
ensure they were secure.  That was absolutely crucial in the absence of
gravity since the power forcing the massive drill into the hard rock
could effectively launch the entire mining apparatus into space if it
wasn't firmly attached to the surface.
     He looked at his chrono and wondered for the third time in as many
centons what had happened to Jada.  Attempts to reach her over the comm
line had failed, but if she were communicating with Lieutenants Deitra or
Starbuck, that would make sense: she'd be on channel Alpha. Or maybe...He
cautiously looked over his shoulder waiting for her to jump out at him
once again from behind one of the many boulders as she had on the Agro
Ship.  Pelias shook his head and checked the time yet again.  It had been
forty centons since she had left.  And that was only approximate.  He
hadn't really been keeping track of how long she was gone until he was
finished preparing the MSU.
     He took a few steps in the direction she had taken as if pulled
along by a strange force.  No.  This was stupid.  She was okay.  She was
just jerking him around again.  That was it.  Frak!
     He stopped and took a deep breath.  He could feel perspiration
running down his temples despite the cooling properties of his
Extravehicular Mobility Unit.  He should really contact Starbuck and
Deitra just to ensure his partner was okay.  After all, Jada was probably
sitting in the shuttle with her feet up exchanging amusing anecdotes with
Starbuck.
     Pelias sighed and switched over to comm Channel Alpha.  "Lieutenant
Starbuck, come in please."
     "Lieutenant Starbuck here, Cadet." 
     His voice sounded chilling over the comm and Pelias wasn't sure
whether it was an effect of the transmitter or as a result of anger. 
"Lieutenant, has Cadet Jada reached you yet?"
     The silence was deafening as Pelias waited for an answer.  He held
his breath, not really understanding why.
     "And why would she do that, Cadet?  Especially after explicit orders
I gave to stay with her partner and to contact us if any problems came
up."  The words were clipped.
     "Uh...we seem to be missing the master control and she returned to
get it, Sir." Pelias explained.
     "Did you try contacting her?"  he asked, more than a little
disapproval in his voice.  And concern.
     "Yes, sir, there's no answer.  I had assumed she's switched to Alpha
Channel..."  It suddenly occurred to Pelias that if she were using this
channel, she'd be hearing the conversation, too.  "Jada, are you there?"
he asked, feeling a growing sense of both frustration and anxiety. 
Silence greeted them.
     "Exactly how long ago did this happen?" Starbuck asked.  His voice
was even, controlled.
     "About forty centons ago, Sir." Pelias replied.  His breaths were
puffing through the comm line.
     "Stay put and stay alert, Pelias.  Monitor Beta Channel in case Jada
comes back on air.  I'm on my way.  Starbuck out."
     Pelias wondered if the sudden lack of formality was somehow a bad
omen and he slowly drew his laser.

* * * * *

     "Frak, Dee, its like those two have difficulty understanding
Colonial Standard!" Starbuck ranted while pulling the thick straps of the
jetpack over his shoulders and fastening the harness.
     "She might just be playing another prank.  I wouldn't put it past
her." Dee commented, helping him, though privately, she was just as
concerned as Starbuck.  
     "Yeah, I know.  How much trouble can she get in?" No life signs,
that's what the scanners had said.  It could be a malfunction with her
suit though.  But why wouldn't she contact them?  Maybe that burst of
radio static from her suit's comm unit meant her radio had failed. Frak,
a micrometeorite could take someone out in the blink of an eye if it was
large enough to penetrate the suit.  The odds were astronomically against
it, although this asteroid was the only gravity source around here.
Obviously, they should have set up the portable scanner before starting
work.  Frak, kid, what in Hades happened to you?  
     Normally, he would have gone to just about any lengths to try out
Hummer's new jet pack.  The wiz kid technician had promised him more
maneuverability and control with the added bonus of 'not charring your
astrum.'  The problem with the old one was you spent so much time
constantly correcting your trajectory that it simply was a waste of time
and an exercise in frustration, hence its uncommon use.  Then, of course,
there was the incident during the early testing stage where Starbuck's
pack had overheated and his EMU had ended up singed black from mid-back
to astrum.  Luckily, his suit had protected him from the heat.  This one
used a pair of miniaturized gravity repulsion emitters, making lift-off a
snap. The combination of the two systems reduced the use of fuel, making
it possible to stay aloft longer and increasing control.
     "This better work," Starbuck groused, as Deitra double-checked his
suit seals.
     "And if it doesn't?" 
     "Then I'll complain to Hummer. Okay, she's all green lights." He
hefted the laser rifle that he had pulled from the shuttle's weapons
cache.  "I'm off."
     Deitra nodded.  "Just a little bit," she added, just to see his grin
flash at her once again before firing up his systems and heading out. 
She wished she was going with him.  Lords, she had a bad feeling about
this.

Chapter Six

     "Do you see anything, Starbuck?" Deitra's voice came over the comm.
     "Dee, I can still see you.  I just left." Starbuck replied lightly. 
He could tell she was concerned.
     "Don't mess with me, Starbuck.  Keep talking." Deitra ordered him.
     Starbuck grinned at her tone.  So, this is what it's like to have a
mother.  "I can't see anything yet.  I'm only about a third of the way to
the MSU though."
     "Remember, your peripheral vision is impaired.  Take a good look
around." Her voice was tense.
     "Yep." Starbuck replied.  He was only a few metrons off the ground
and could see quite well.  So far, the new Hummerized jetpack was a
success.  He couldn't believe the precise maneuvering and how the power
level was controlled and continuous.  She handled like a dream, far
better than the older model.  "I'm switching to Beta Channel, Dee."
     "Okay." Dee replied.  She knew he had to check in with Pelias and
realized she should be doing the same with Kyna and Kefira.
     "Pelias, Starbuck here.  Any word?" Starbuck asked after switching
channels.
     "No...Sir," Pelias' voice faltered.  Lords, if Starbuck didn't get
there soon, he was going to wet himself.
     "Hold it together, kid.  I'll be there in a couple centons.  Have
you re-checked your perimeter?" Starbuck asked, just to keep him talking. 
He didn't need the cadet to have an anxiety attack right now, whether it
was warranted or not.
     "Yes, Lieutenant.  I didn't see anything unusual.  I found Jada's
path out, but followed your orders and stayed put." Pelias took a deep
breath.  It made him feel a little more secure knowing the unshakable
Lieutenant Starbuck was on his way.
     "Good work, Cadet." Starbuck noticed he sounded a bit better.  He
needed to keep Pelias focused.  "Tell me how it went with setting up the
Stabilization Unit."
     Starbuck continued to survey the area as he listened to Pelias
prattle on.  At least the cadet's voice was steady now.  He was surprised
at the technical detail Pelias went into as he described their
assignment.  Starbuck had assumed that Jada would carry the team, perhaps
he had underestimated the son-of-a-... 
     A flash of white caught his eye and he maneuvered down to the
surface.  He powered down the unit, and his boots settled into the
asteroid's dust. He began slowly walking towards the flash.  Realization
hit him like a laser blast as he drew closer.  He took a slow, deep
breath to steady himself, but his heart was pounding in his ears.  There
was no mistaking the prone body lying there.  It was Jada.
     He could still hear Pelias blethering on in his ears, but the sound
seemed further away somehow.  He woodenly moved towards the body as if in
a dream.  Standing over her, he was no closer to finding out what had
happened.  For a long centon, he stared at her still form.  His eyes felt
strangely moist and he reflexively moved his hand to wipe at them, only
to encounter the unyielding surface of his visor.  He snorted mirthlessly
at his oversight as he kneeled down beside her.
     "Jada," Starbuck said quietly.  Oh, he knew she was dead, but an
overwhelming desire to know why impelled him to turn her over.  He rested
the laser rifle across his legs as he reached across her, gently gripping
her by the shoulder, and rolling her towards him.
     The torso of her suit was ripped open wide.  He forced himself to
look at her face, as the gruesome sight that used to be her body was
swollen and distorted from decompression.  He blinked several times and
tried to find his voice as he became aware of Pelias calling his name.
     "Lieutenant!  Starbuck!  Are you there?" Pelias' voice had risen an
octave and he was practically shrieking, desperately praying that his
commanding officer would answer.  The last word the Lieutenant had
spoken, the cadet could have sworn, had been 'Jada.'
     Jada's dark eyes stared back at Starbuck full of shock and fear. 
They told him the story of her pain and suffering, as she endured her
last conscious moments. During that time she would have been alert, but
suffering with an increasing agony as her tissues started expanding
grossly.  All the time she would have known she was about to die.  Her
eyes seemed to be accusing him of not being there for her.  After all,
she was his responsibility.
     "St...Starbuck here."  A perfunctory check of Jada's suit showed no
obvious mechanical or electronic flaws that could have done this, and
while micrometeorites were an ever present possibility, he could see no
indication of one. That left just one possibility, as he saw it. He
cleared his throat as his eyes began to search the perimeter.  No
frakkin' life signs!  "I've found Jada." He saw her tracks in the dust,
and something else's. His pulse shot up, and his hands again gripped the
powerful weapon.  He started to pivot around, a sudden urgency propelling
him to move.
     A brilliant flash filled his vision and his body convulsed as every
muscle contracted in response to the electrical jolt passing from his
life support systems right through his body.  He crumpled to the ground
over the body of the fallen cadet.

* * * * *

     "Status report for the training mission?" 
     Athena jumped slightly at the sound of the Colonel's voice and
realized, as her face flushed, that her mind had drifted. However, she
covered her slip by typing in a few commands to bring up the shuttle's
status on her screen - even though she already knew what it would say.
"The training team will be out of communications range for the next 5.7
centars, due to the asteroid's rotation. The last telemetry readings from
thirteen centons ago showed everything green, Colonel."
     "Very well," responded Colonel Tigh as he turned to request data
from a different duty station.
     Athena turned back to her screen and adjusted her headset. She
chewed her lip, chiding herself for her mental lapse. No, it was not
professional to let one's mind wander during duty periods, and Athena
prided herself on being a consummate professional. Problem was, her mind
seemed have formed its own independence, lately, apart from her rational
brain. Over the past couple of days, she had had to force herself to
focus on more than a few occasions. In fact - 
     She snorted in disgust. She was doing it again! Athena pressed her
headset against her ear and scanned the readings in front of her. The
data from the computer analysis of the latest long-range patrol scrolled
up the screen. Frak, could she help it if studying the numbers suddenly
seemed so dry compared with her other thoughts? Not that she didn't enjoy
her duties - she did! Normally, she found the mathematical readings
intriguing (something that many a potential male suitor, fascinated by
her elegant beauty when she was studying at the Academy, had found
difficult to believe; hence their first date became their last date). But
now...
     Certain thoughts persistently intruded: thoughts of strong yet
tender arms embracing her, firm lips pressed against hers, the feel of
his heart beating against her chest--
     "Must be exciting data."
     Athena jumped and swung her head in the Lieutenant Boomer's
direction. He was leaning against the back of her chair, staring over her
shoulder. This time there was no hiding the hot flush that spread up her
cheeks. "Don't do that!" she rasped, glaring at him.
     "Do what?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.
     "Don't sneak up like that!" she whispered fiercely.
     "I'm sorry," said Boomer, looking taken aback. "I honestly wasn't
trying to surprise you." He shrugged apologetically. "It's just that you
were so engrossed in your scans that I could have been  banging a tambor
at a revival meeting, and you still wouldn't have heard me."
     Athena stared back at her monitor as she felt the blush deepen.
"Sorry about that," she said, entering in some display commands at
random. "Was there something you needed?" Her tone was casual once more,
and she finally risked casting a smile at the lieutenant. "Or does
Colonel Tigh need to give you more duties, seeing that you have all this
free time." She grinned at him, her embarrassment gone.
     Boomer chuckled. "No thanks! I just stopped by on my way to the
commissary to see if there was any news from the training mission."
     "Nope! Not a peep. Why? Were you expecting centarly reports on how
close Deitra and Starbuck are to ejecting one or more of the cadets out
into deep space?"
     Boomer sighed, feeling just the tiniest bit sorry for his friend.
Better him than me! "No, and I'm glad I'm not one of those cadets. From
the way Starbuck talked, he and Deitra were out for blood. Those four
will either cut the felgercarb and work as a team, or they'll be finding
out how long you can survive after your oxygen supply runs out. "
     "They wouldn't keep them out there that long...would they?" Athena
gazed at Boomer's smirking face.
     "I don't know... Starbuck sounded pretty determined that they were
NOT leaving that asteroid until they worked as a team. I can see it now -
'Sir, but we've only got ten centons of air left!'" Boomer mimicked a
high, panicked voice. Then he did a fair imitation of Starbuck. "Well,
you'd better get that mining rig running now!'"
     Athena snickered at the thought of Starbuck grinning in his
nonchalant way at the wide-eyed cadets. "Yeah, he would do that!" She
turned her attention back to her monitor for a moment as a thought struck
her. When Boomer made no indication of leaving the bridge, she nodded to
herself, certain she knew why he had really come to see her. He wasn't
all that worried about the training mission. Starbuck and Deitra were
probably enjoying every centon of the cadets' discomfort. No, he must
have been reading the latest patrol roster.
     Boomer cleared his throat.
     "Was there something else?" Athena asked, turning to study his face.
"I am supposed to be working here." She smiled at him.
     "Well...actually..."
     "Yes?" she asked.
     "It's just that..."
     "You've been looking at the latest patrol roster, right?"
     "Uh, yes, and..." Boomer gazed around the bridge and fidgeted with
his flight jacket.
     "Spit it out, flyboy!" Athena teased.
     "I see that you're back on the roster and scheduled to fly a
short-range patrol with Greenbean later today."
     Athena narrowed her eyes and dropped the playful tone. "You don't
have a problem with that, do you? Please tell me you're not going to get
all protective on me, now that we're involved as more than friends. I get
enough of that from my brother."
     Boomer shook his head. "Not me! " he said quickly; although, that
was exactly how he had felt - surprise and more than a little nervousness
when he had spotted her name on the roster. "Trust me," he said with a
smile, "I appreciate the desire to fly a Viper. There's nothing quite
like it. I was just surprised, that's all."
     "Oh, okay." Athena was not fooled for a micron, but she decided not
to mention that.  Instead..."Then I'm glad you understand. It's about
time I had a man in my life who is willing to support my decisions. 
Besides, I worked it out with Colonel Tigh so that I can split my duties
between the bridge and flying patrols. After that session on the
simulator, I think it's important to keep my Viper skills honed by
actually flying."
     "As do we all, Athena," Boomer answered, and this time Athena
believed him. 

* * * * *

     His entire body seemed to be tingling as if every nerve ending had a
life of its own.  He gradually became aware of his arms being wrenched
behind him and something applying an incredible pressure to the middle of
his back as his wrists were secured.  He opened his eyes to stare down at
a gloved hand.  For a micron, he wondered how his hand could possibly be
in front of him if his arms were behind him.
     What the frak did you drink last night, Bucko?
     The pressure released from his back, and he felt a tourniquet-like
sensation surround his ankles.  What in Hades?  His head was pounding as
though he had drank far too many Orion Sunsets.  Where was he?
     His mind tried to tell him to move, but the electrical current had
been severe enough to scramble his senses and his motor functions.  He
felt like a child's doll as he was manhandled and restrained.  His body
just wasn't responding.
     Starbuck realized he was vaguely interested to find out whose hand
was in front of his face and who was binding him hand and foot. 
Sometimes the little things matter.  Like the number of hands.
     His head spun dizzily as suddenly what was down went up and vice
versa.  He found himself staring up into the ugliest visage he had ever
laid eyes upon.  His eyes opened wide in shock at the single eye that
stared back at him.  It had massive horns like a bovine bull which would
make a deadly weapon.  The creature's mouth was immense and the jagged
teeth gave the impression that he was carnivorous.  However, by virtue of
the fact that he was still alive, the beast was evidently not hungry...
yet.  For a fleeting micron, Starbuck wondered what the carnivore was
doing on an asteroid with no life.  Or air, for that matter. Oh, yeah,
right.  Frakkin' electronic felgercarb. 
     The creature lifted him up by his suit and held him up to its eye so
that the membrane actually touched Starbuck's faceplate.  The eye clearly
manifested great intelligence.  A chill went down his spine as the
Lieutenant realized this was very much a sentient being and it was
letting him know he was its prisoner.  Bile rose in his throat as the
pain in his skull pounded relentlessly.  He closed his eyes against the
horror and ugliness of the beast and the agony of his aching head. 
     Suddenly, he was shaken like a toy in the grip of a temperamental
child.  He could hear his teeth chatter with the sudden whiplash
movement.  His eyes opened again to see his captor lean towards him, and
it ran its long, rough tongue over his faceplate leaving a smear
of...green scum.  Nope, that couldn't be good.
     Starbuck tried to say something, but his mouth refused to cooperate. 
Lords, the Colonel would get a bang out of that.  His tongue felt swollen
and foreign in his mouth, and, like the rest of him, was still tingling. 
He jerked suddenly and it dawned on him that it had nothing to do with
the creature this time.  His muscles were twitching at random.
     Korax growled low in the throat of the Rekka.  Oh, it was satisfying
to gaze upon the dazed and fearful countenance of his enemy.  It had been
almost too easy.  He had hoped the warrior would have put up more
resistance.  Still, he had been surprised that the Human had been aware
of him at all at the last moment when he had turned around. But it was
already too late.  By then, Korax had released a current of energy into
the environmental suit's life systems which had followed an ionic path
into the Human.
     Korax lowered the Human to the ground and placed it down facing the
dead akfsh.  For some reason, death unsettled their kind.  He knew if the
warrior called Starbuck was staring into the deceased face of his
subordinate, if would fill him with fear, thus disabling his mind as
efficiently as the restraints disabled his body.
     Starbuck stared through the visor into the face of the obviously
dead young woman.  He knew that face.  Lords, his brain just wasn't
functioning quite right.  Who in Hades Hole was she and how did they come
to be on this Godforsaken rock?
     Korax picked up the remains of the jetpack that he had pulled off
the warrior.  It had proven to be a useful piece of equipment.  The
Ziklagi had used the straps to bind the Human hand and foot.  Now, he
used the impressive strength of the Rekka to pull apart the metal frame. 
He needed to secure the warrior to something so he could return for him
later.  After all, time could be a factor and it wouldn't due to have the
Human attempting to escape in the zero-gravity environment.  The Human
was puny and inferior, yes,  but obviously resourceful.  He might just
manage to elude him.
     Rock, rock and more rock surrounded them.  He twisted the frame to
form a 'U' shape as he fitted it over the warriors ankles, metal bars
down.  He simply drove the metal into the ground using brute strength. 
Ah, the Rekka was indeed a useful form.
     He stood above the Human and watched him squirm in fear and
confusion.  Another victory.  The Ziklagi moved towards the Colonial
transport to finish his mission, glancing back once towards the mining
rig and sparing a thought for the young, indolent male.  Just as quickly
Korax discounted him.  He was, even by Human standards, a coward, pure
and simple.  He would not figure into the equation. 

* * * * *

     "Starbuck!" Pelias screamed again.  Still there was no answer.  He
could feel his heart beating erratically and each pounding pulse echoed
through his skull.  Starbuck's last words ran over and over in his mind
followed by the slight choking sound the lieutenant had made before
Pelias had lost contact with him.
     Sweat ran off his forehead and poured into his eyes as a vague beep
beep beep penetrated his panic.  He vaguely recalled that there was an
alarm to indicate when vast quantities of CO2 were being expelled so
quickly by the occupant that the EMU's primary Life-Support subsystem
couldn't keep up with its removal.  He was hyperventilating.
     Your first challenge is to overcome the usual instinct to panic. 
How you handle your emotional response will determine your success or
failure in almost any planetside emergency situation.  Starbuck's words
came to him like a lifeline as he was overcome with vertigo.  He sat down
on the mining rig and slowly lowered his head between his knees,
consciously trying to slow his breathing.
     Starbuck's words ran through his head like a mantra.  Over and over
until his panic attack subsided and he was breathing normally.  He raised
his head and slowly looked around.  Good work, Cadet.
     Pelias blinked his eyes several times before his training finally
kicked back in.  He switched to Alpha Channel.  "Lieutenant Deitra, come
in please."
     The silence was almost enough to start him hyperventilating again. 
He could feel his anxiety battling to overcome him once again.  He seemed
to be his own worst enemy.
     "Lieutenant Deitra!!  Come in!!" he repeated, his voice changing in
tone and pitch.  Lords, what if whatever had happened to Jada and
Starbuck had happened to Deitra too!
     Again, an eerie silence hung over the comm line and he realized he
could very well be alone as he climbed to his feet.  It wasn't fair. 
This was supposed to be a mindless training operation!  He gripped his
laser in his hand and hesitated as he looked towards the path that Jada
had taken back towards base.  The path that had led to her... Frak!  He
didn't even know what had happened to her.  Starbuck hadn't said, but the
Lieutenant's voice had been shaky as he reported he had found her.  A
seasoned veteran like Starbuck wouldn't react like that unless... Lords,
it must have been bad. 
     Pelias squared his shoulders and took one more calming breath as he
started out.  As much as he wanted to find a rock to hide under, the
simple fact remained that he would eventually run out of oxygen. 
Besides, Jada was probably dead and Starbuck could be too.  Deitra wasn't
answering so... Frak!  What an idiot he was!
     He switched over to Gamma Channel and could immediately hear
Deitra's voice...her wonderful, controlled, calm voice...instructing Kyna
and Kefira to stay on guard because Jada had gone missing.  "Lieutenant
Deitra, Cadet Pelias here."
     Deitra stopped mid speech as Pelias came on air.  "What's happened,
Pelias?"
     "Something's happened to Lieutenant Starbuck." Pelias started.  "He
reported finding Jada... He didn't sound quite right.  Shaken." He
thought about his words as he tried to give an accurate account of the
events without mentioning his subsequent panic attack.  "Then I lost
contact with him.  He made this choking sound before the line went dead." 
Dead.  What a bad choice of words!
     "Where are you now, Pelias?" Deitra asked.  Frakking festering
felgercarb, I just knew something was going to go wrong!
     "I'm heading towards base.  Uh, I sort of feel like a sitting avian
in hunting season out here alone, Lieutenant." Pelias admitted.  He
prayed she wouldn't order him to hold position.
     "Alright.  Everyone listen up.  High tail it back to base.  Keep
alert.  Lasers on kill.  Switch to Alpha Channel on three.  One.  Two. 
Three." Deitra switched over to Alpha with the others.  If Starbuck was
still alive, he would likely try to contact them on Alpha.  As for
Jada... "Okay, I want you to stay in constant communication.  At this
point, we don't know what has happened, but we have to assume the worst--
that we are under attack.  Lords, grant it that I'm wrong, and there's a
simple explanation, but..." Deitra paused to gather her resolve, then
continued, "This is where we separate the wanna-be's from the warriors,
people.  You have the knowledge and the training; now is the time to
apply it.  Rendezvous in twenty centons here.  Do you copy?"
     "Yes, Lieutenant." Kyna and Kefira's voices came through
simultaneously.
     "Yes..." Pelias' followed a moment later.

* * * * *

     Deitra hurried to the shuttle.  She knew her first priority now that
she had the cadets on their way to base would be to contact the
Galactica.  Her stomach was doing its best to tie itself in knots as she
entered the air lock.  She always had this feeling before going into
battle.  The only difference here was, she didn't know exactly what she
was battling.
     She made her way to the flight deck and immediately started
transmitting.
     "Lieutenant Deitra to the Galactica, come in please."  She looked
down at the communication suite to realize the instrument panel seemed to
be frozen.  Oh, of the frakkin' times for something to go wrong!
     Deitra quickly started running through the routine procedures that
would return control of the console to her.  Despite her many attempts to
bypass the problem, the computer refused to cooperate.  She slammed down
her fist in frustration.  The console blinked once.  She grinned to
herself and pounded it again.  Maybe she'd been spending too much time
with Starbuck...
     She reached under the console to pull off the panel as worry for her
fellow warrior flashed through her mind.  Focus, Dee!    If she couldn't
get the computer to respond with her technical prowess she would use one
of Boomer's tricks and hotwire the frakker!  The panel also refused to
budge.
     Deitra bent down to find that some genius had decided to bolt the
panel shut.  She gritted her teeth and let out a growl that would have
chilled the hydraulic fluid of Centurions had they heard it.  She jumped
to her feet, searching for the tool kit which would expedite the
procedure.  Bloody Hades Hole!  It was outside!
     Back through the air lock and out into the foreboding landscape of
the asteroid she marched, determined to contact the Galactica and get
help on the way ASAP.  As she turned to reach for the toolkit, she
stopped dead in her tracks and sucked in her breath.  It was just
rounding the side of a boulder, heading straight towards her.  And as
soon as it knew she had seen it, it doubled its speed. 
     "Holy Lords..." Deitra muttered as all of her training kicked in and
she instinctively pulled her weapon and took aim.  There was no doubt in
her mind that this thing meant her harm.  Peaceful intentions generally
didn't take the form of a three-metron tall, horned biped with vicious
teeth and one eye, barreling towards you faster than one should be able
to in zero-gravity.
     She fired.
     "Lieutenant Deitra here.  I am under attack.  I repeat I am under
attack!" Deitra warned the others as she watched the laser fire hit the
creature.  Its hide seemed impenetrable as the beast continued to advance
without even pausing to acknowledge the hit.
     "Lieutenant, we're almost there!" Kyna shouted, forgetting she was
using a communicator.  
     "Sooner would be better, Cadet." Deitra returned as she backed away
from the creature, still firing.  At least this time, her enemy slowed
its advance, as though the repeated shots were somehow making a
difference.  Maybe.  She concentrated her fire on its chest as it pressed
forward.
     Korax could feel the pain intensify as the akfsh narrowed her fire
to the Rekka's chest.  He would not have thought she had the wherewithal
to comprehend the significance of his reaction and then to be able to so
quickly adjust her defensive strategy.  He harnessed his energy with deep
concentration and lunged forward to disable her before she disabled him.
     Deitra dodged to the side as he came for her.  Her A-G boots and the
lack of significant gravity slowed her usually quick reflexes.  In her
favour, the beast also moved slowly, mainly due to its immense size and
her repeated shots, and she evaded its grip, going down on a knee and
pivoting back to take yet another shot at its chest.
     Korax growled aloud as another blast hit the thick hide of the
Rekka.  He reached out with one of his rangy arms and managed to almost
grasp the warrior's suit, but she again twisted out of his reach. 
Another laser blast hit his chest as she again sighted and fired.
     Korax stumbled before bursting forward and, this time, connecting
with the puny warrior's right shoulder.  She must have had some warning
to have defended herself thus far.  His ego would not believe otherwise;
after all, she had by far surpassed the performance of the alpha male
called Starbuck.
     Again he harnessed his energy and felt her body convulse as the
electrical current passed through it.  He pulled her up and stared into
her eyes as she sunk into oblivion.  His only regret was that he didn't
have a chance to see her cower in fear.
     More laser fire hit him from behind, and Korax stumbled again in
shock, dropping the warrior.  He turned quickly to see the other younger
akfsh advancing on him, lasers firing.  Their aim was not as true and he
knew he would be able to kill them, but at what cost to himself?  Enough
shots, and he would lose his hold on this form, sentencing himself to
death in this vacuum as surely as he had sentenced the dead Human. He
roared silently in frustration. No, this was not possible!  He still
needed to be able to pilot the shuttle to return to the Ziklagi fleet.
     He reached down for the akfsh, quickly analyzing the situation and
forcing himself to acknowledge the truth: he needed to minimize his
losses since he might not be able to return for the male.  However, the
two akfsh dropped quickly to one knee, firing madly in an effort to abort
his attempt.  It reminded him of a posture used in his own training in
firearms, and he realized their shots had indeed improved in accuracy. 
Again, they were shooting for his chest and his pain, as well as the
realization that vital organs resided in that region, impelled him to
lunge for the shuttle.
     "Keep firing, Kefira!  I'm going for the Lieutenant!" Kyna shouted
to her wingman, as she recovered her feet still firing, and struck out
for their commanding officer.  The creature seemed to be heading for the
shelter of the shuttle.  It was certainly an effective physical barrier
to their lasers.  Kyna also reflected it probably thought that they
wouldn't fire on their ship for fear they would damage something. 
Luckily, the beast looked as big and dumb as a lummox.  They should be
able to reach the weapons cache and blast the Hades out of it with a
laser rifle or grenade launcher.
     Kyna ran to the side of the Lieutenant as she listened to Kefira
give Pelias a quick update over the comm.  He had been farther away and
the chunky aristocrat wasn't exactly athlete material, she reminded
herself.  To his credit though, he sounded concerned and was obviously
out of breath as his constant puffing echoed on the frequency. 
"Lieutenant Deitra, can you hear me?" Kyna asked.
     The cadet rolled the woman onto her side in a rescue position.  She
glanced at the EMU's life support systems and accessed the bio readout to
see Deitra's heart was still beating, however, somewhat erratically.  She
was clearly out cold.  Kyna sat back on her haunches and took a couple
deep breaths to steady herself.
     "How is she, Kyna?" Pelias' voice puffed.
     Kyna leaned over the bio readout.  "She's unconscious.  Her pulse is
high and irregular.  Her blood pressure is also elevated.  I don't know
what it hit her with, but she's going to need medical intervention."
     "Holy frak!" Kefira's voice interrupted.  "The creature!  It's
inside the frakkin' shuttle!"
     "What?" Kyna shouted in disbelief.  She half turned to see the
creature...no, a creature...wait just a micron... "What in Hades
half-hectare is going on?" she posed to whoever was listening.  The
horned creature seemed to be changing shape before her eyes as it peered
out at them from the flight deck.
     "What's happening?" Pelias' voice shouted to them.
     "The creature...it's changing its form!" Kyna shouted back at him.
     "But...puff...that's not possible!" Pelias returned, his voice
crackling in Kefira's helmet.  Then:  "Lords... I've found them."
     "It's changing frakkin' shape, you idiot!  I don't give a flying
frak if it's possible or not.  It's happening!" Kyna shouted, not even
hearing him as she watched the horns melt into the rest of the beast, its
immense mouth shrinking in size and its height altering to seemingly
accommodate girth.  All that remained consistent was its single eye.  At
least with what they could see from their vantage point.
     "I've found them." Pelias repeated.
     "What?" Kefira asked, feeling her heart rate accelerate even more,
if that were possible.  "Are they alive?"
     "Give me a centon." Pelias told her unexpectedly.  And then, Pelias,
of all people, started to mutter a prayer.  Oh, dear Lords!  Kefira could
feel tears welling up in her eyes as she listened to his words.  It could
only mean one thing, she surmised.  Death.  Her eyes flitted back and
forth between the creature in the shuttle and the still form of
Lieutenant Deitra on the ground beside Kyna.  There was really only one
way things could get worse.
     Dust blew up around them as the engines of the shuttle roared to
life.

Chapter Seven

     Pelias closed his eyes as he said his prayer.  It had been yahrens
since he had dropped to his knees to commune with the Gods, but an
overwhelming need for divine guidance had him reciting the litany he had
learned as a child, as he sought the psychological strength and
conviction to press forward.
     He had rounded a turn in his route only to stop short as he saw the
two warriors lying face to face on the ground.  He swore his heart had
stopped beating as he felt the dread overcame him.
     Starbuck and Jada.  Never had he met two more annoying people in his
life, so his reaction to their deaths astounded him.  He admitted he had
grown to have a grudging respect for both of them; one, as a superior
officer whose words had inspired him in recent times of crisis, and the
other, as a peer, whose determination to improve her lot in life had
impressed him...though he would not have conveyed either admission to
them.
     He opened his eyes and moved forward one bound at a time.  His eyes
were playing tricks on him.  It almost appeared as if one of the bodies
was moving.  Wait!  It moved again!
     Pelias spurred himself onward until he was on his knees, leaning
over the moving warrior from behind.  Starbuck was alive!  He felt a wave
of relief until he took a better look at Jada.  "Oh, Gods..."
     Pelias propelled himself backwards on his astrum until he was a
metron away.  His body began to tremble from head to toe, and he wondered
about the ability of his EMU's filtration system to remove vomit as
opposed to carbon dioxide.  He shook his head to dispel the mental image
of the bloated, deceased young woman, whom he had so recently encouraged
to cast caution aside and return to the shuttle on her own.  Lords, he
had needled her into taking on their superior officers in exchange for a
night aboard the Rising Star.  Frakking mong, this...no denying it. It
was his fault!
     'Fault' is both a strong and overrated word, Pelias, his father's
voice echoed in his head.  His entire life he had been instructed in the
fine art of manipulation for personal gain, and the cost to others be
damned.  His throat tightened as he concentrated on the back of the
Lieutenant.  
     Starbuck gazed in horror at the pale, lifeless face in front of him. 
He knew her.  Lords, he knew her! His whole body felt sluggish, still,
like trying to move in a dream.  And his brain refused to release the
information he knew was there.  Dark, unseeing eyes drilled into his 
...Jada.  Oh, frakking son of a...He choked back a sob-- only to feel his
lungs burn tightly as his flow of oxygen simply and suddenly ceased.  His
life-support subsystem, he though vaguely. He struggled, pushing himself
back and gulping in the remaining traces of oxygen and exhaled CO2. 
Inexplicably, his ankles seemed glued to the rocky surface.
     Pelias was still staring at the lieutenant's back, trying to pull
his wits together, when the man began to struggle.  Briefly, Pelias
pondered what could have caused the change.  Just a moment before, he had
been lying as still as the dead cadet across from him.  
     Perhaps Starbuck had just awakened and had opened his eyes to see
the staring, dark brown eyes of Jada gaze blankly back at him.  That
would be enough to set the cadet off.  Or...maybe he was in trouble.
     Pelias leaned forward and crawled back to the Lieutenant's side.  He
tried to pull  the Lieutenant towards him maneuvering around to stare
into panic stricken eyes as the man continued to struggle.  Lords, what
was wrong?  For one, you idiot, he's bound by the ankles, but how--
     The blue eyes stared at him desperately, trying to convey an unknown
message.  His mouth was open and gasping.
     Frak, he couldn't breathe!  Pelias twisted him on his side and
looked at the life support systems.  The bio readout stated his heart
rate was racing, but more importantly, the systems analysis reported his
oxygen had stopped flowing.  Pelias entered access codes and tried to
reboot his systems all the time watching as Starbuck arched his back,
holding onto his last agonizing breath for as long as he could.
     In frustration and recklessness, Pelias simply slammed his fist down
on the electronic felgercarb, as he felt tears of helplessness roll down
his cheeks.  He held the rigid warrior in his arms from behind in an
attempt to comfort a fellow human being in his death.  He cursed the day
he had applied to the Colonial Service, and his lack of prescience that
would have forestalled the time when he would see men and women, such as
Starbuck and Jada, die while he watched uselessly from the sidelines. 
The lieutenant stopped struggling and sagged against him. Oh, by the
Lords of Kobol... 
     Pelias roared in fear and fury as his mind sought to find a rational
reason for these deaths.  This wasn't something he could buy his way out
of.  His connections were simply not good enough this time around.  He
bowed his head pulling Starbuck against him, as great wracking sobs
threatened to break free.  Suddenly, he realized that Starbuck's chest
was again rising and falling rapidly, as oxygen resumed flowing from the
primary life-support subsystem unexpectedly.
     Starbuck lay awkwardly on his side, pulled back against Pelias, with
his ankles still pinned to the rock.  But at least he wasn't face to face
with...He sucked oxygen into his starved lungs, his head spinning. 
Whatever the cadet had done had restarted his life-support subsystem. 
Starbuck couldn't ever remember being so terrified, and he had one Hades
of a lot to choose from, when he thought about it.  To have your air flow
suddenly stop, but not from some Ursus from Hades Hole who was trying to
squeeze it out of you, but from a simple lack of existence.  He had come
so close to death that he had almost accepted it.  A brief thought that
he should say a prayer had entered his mind, but, instead, it was regret
that had run through his head in his 'last ' microns.  His eyes were
moist as visions of Cassiopeia, Apollo, Boomer and...admit it,
Bucko...even Chameleon, had flickered through his consciousness.  Now, he
pushed those thoughts away, as furiously as if they were a weakness that
could betray him to his enemies.
     "Pel...sss." Starbuck muttered, his tongue still thick and
uncooperative.  He closed his eyes, his headache coming back full force,
as he felt the cadet lower him back on his side. 
     Feeling spurred by a renewed determination, Pelias scrambled to find
some way to free the lieutenant.  Lords of Kobol, but was that a part of
the jetpack nailing him to the asteroid?  What could ever - he cut off
the thought and forced himself to focus on how to free him. He fumbled
through the tools on his tool belt. Yes!  He grabbed a long, flat-ended
knife that was meant for use as a screwdriver - and for prying.  
     Now, he needed to place the lieutenant back into a prone position,
but...Jada's body was so close, she was practically right beneath him. 
Pelias lumbered to his feet and sucked in a deep breath as he reached for
her.  He closed his eyes and pulled her out of the way, muttering, "I'm
so sorry, Jada..."
     Lords, but it was almost too much.  He breathed in jagged breaths as
he turned back to Starbuck.  Through his faceplate, his eyes were closed,
his brow creased as if in pain.  But he was alive!  Gently he rolled him
on his stomach, then set about prying him loose.  He wedged the tool
between Starbuck's boots and the thick metal bar, and leaned on the
handle.  At first, nothing happened.  The metal seemed immovable.  Frak
it all!  Pelias threw what little weight he had in the current
environment against the pry bar and groaned as he channeled every
centilitron of energy he had into making it move.  No, he willed it to
move with a guttural cry. Fortunately, given the asteroids tiny gravity,
he was many times stronger here than back in the Fleet, and as he
strained his tired muscles...There!  The metal slipped.  A tiny bit. 
Then more.  Then the piece snapped off and spun away.
     Panting, Pelias knelt beside Starbuck and pulled the Lieutenant
against him, supporting him as his breathing slowed.  Finally, he
realized that the man would likely be trying to communicate with him on
Beta Channel.  He switched frequencies to hear nothing but the sound of
his own breathing echoing through his helmet.  "Starbuck?" Pelias settled
Starbuck back down on the ground and looked at his face.  "Starbuck?" He
repeated slowly and clearly, giving him a little shake.
     Starbuck shook his head at the cadet.  He could see the cadet's lips
move, but the comm wasn't functioning.  He squirmed slightly to remind
the cadet he was still bound hand and foot.
     Pelias nodded and grabbed the long, flat-ended knife again.  Its
primary function was as a tool, but the lateral edges of the blade were
jaggedly sharp. He gently pushed Starbuck onto his side and worked the
knife beneath the bonds.  He pulled up swiftly and the Lieutenant's hands
were free.  He then crawled down to Starbuck's feet and repeated the
process.
     The blood began to flow back into Starbuck's extremities, which at
first seemed positive, until the return of circulation translated into
nerve endings protesting vociferously that they had ever been starved for
energy.  His hands and feet felt as though they were about to explode as
every nerve tingled in pain, reminding him that he was indeed alive.  He
gritted his teeth until the pain subsided somewhat, and then looked up to
see a concerned cadet again mouthing his name.  Hades, he hoped Pelias
wasn't going to roll him around again! 
     Starbuck struggled to get himself into a seated position.  He felt
as weak as a baby felix, and soon felt the supportive arms of Pelias
helping him once again.  Lords, who would have thought?  Pelias again
came almost faceplate-to-faceplate with him and mouthed something that
Starbuck didn't catch.  Starbuck shrugged his shoulders dramatically to
show his confusion.  
     Pelias backed off and held his hand up, joining the tips of his
index finger and thumb to make an 'O' shape while leaving his other
fingers straight.  He pointed at Starbuck with his other hand.
     Starbuck shook his head as he gazed at the familiar hand signal.  He
knew it meant something, but damned if he could figure out what right
now.  He raised his hands to his aching skull to rub his throbbing
forehead, only to once again encounter safety glass.  He groaned in
frustration.
     Pelias grabbed Starbuck's hands pulling them back down and pointed
to his eyes.  He followed that up with tapping his chest.  He nodded at
Starbuck in encouragement.
     "Wha...frak...?" Sometimes life was funny.  The first word he could
successfully complete was frak.  Starbuck exhaled deeply and
concentrated.  He nodded back at Pelias, feeling like a six-yahren old
boy in an Academy lecture.
     Pelias repeated his signals; first he pointed to his eyes and then
his chest.
     Starbuck nodded.  He vaguely remembered this game.  Athena used to
make him play it at parties.  He hated it.  There were other games he had
wanted to play with Athena at the time, and a crowded room full of people
wasn't conducive to his plan.  He felt his hands gripped again.  Uh,
apparently his mind was wandering.
     Pelias again repeated his actions.  He was looking a little
frustrated.
     Look at me.  That was it.  Look at me.  Starbuck grinned as if he
had just scored the winning points for his team, and nodded vigorously.
     Pelias nodded back and smiled.  This time he pointed to Starbuck and
again touched his index finger to his thumb while keeping his other
fingers extended.
     Me okay? Starbuck tried to say, but it came out more like 'monkey.' 
He could see Pelias gazing back at him, completely baffled.  With some
effort, Starbuck tightened his hand into a fist and raised a thumb, in
the other universal symbol for 'okay.'
     Pelias raised both eyebrows so far that they disappeared under the
faceplate.  He clearly didn't believe him, Starbuck realized.  Maybe the
kid was smarter than he gave him credit for.  The Lieutenant leveled out
his hand, splaying his fingers, and holding it horizontally to the
ground, palm down.  He waggled his fingers from side to side to indicate
he was 'so-so.'  This time Pelias nodded.  He could believe that.
     Pelias got up and moved in behind Starbuck.  Again, he looked at his
primary life-support subsystem to assess the damage.  This time he
noticed an almost burnt appearance to the casing and he examined it
closer while resting a hand on the Lieutenant's shoulder.  Burned? What
could have caused...If they were back on Caprica he would have guessed a
bolt of lightening had hit the man, or contact with an exposed electrical
system.  But that wasn't possible on this airless rock...Was it?  After
all, he was very much alive.  But Jada wasn't...
     As much as the idea repelled him, Pelias stood up and again returned
to Jada's side.  The bile rose in his throat once more as he leaned over
her.  He could feel Starbuck's eyes on him as he turned the young woman
over to check her suit's life support systems.  Unlike Starbuck's, they
were fine.  The casing was as intact and immaculate as it had been when
they left the Galactica.  Pelias took some deep breaths as he considered
what he could do to repair Starbuck's systems with Jada's.  Similarly to
flying vipers, his instructors had taught him the tedious electronic
details that could repair vital functions should the need arise...and you
didn't run out of oxygen first.  With skeptical blue eyes watching his
every move, he began scavenging her primary life-support subsystem.

* * * * *

     "We have to stop it!" Kyna screamed, Pelias' revelation forgotten,
as she watched the shuttle power up in preparation for take off.
     "Oh, sure, you grab the front end, I'll grab the aft!" Kefira
shouted in response, even as she joined her wingmate in running towards
the shuttle, lasers firing.  Though the shuttlecraft was not generally
used in battle, it was still fortified beyond the capability of most hand
held weaponry.
     The women let loose repeated shots, more in desperation than in any
hope that they would prevent the shuttle lifting off.  After all, she was
their lifeline to the Galactica and the fleet.  Without her, they had no
transportation, no communications and no air.
     "Oh, Gods!  We're going to die!" Kyna screamed as she watched the
transport break away from its landing site.  She felt a hand rest on her
shoulder and turned to see the equally devastated face of Kefira.
     "Don't you dare do this to me, Kyna.  Don't you dare fall apart
now!" Kefira blinked back her tears.  "We still have to find Pelias,
Starbuck and Jada."
     "Why?  What's the frakkin' point?  Whoever isn't dead now is going
to be soon, when our oxygen runs out." Kyna replied, her green eyes
blazing with disbelief and anger.
     "Mong!  We're going to get out of here.  All of us!  We've been
trained by some of the best warriors in the history of the Colonies, and
I'll be damned if I'm going to disappoint them by sitting here sobbing
until my life-support systems cut out!  Now pull it together, and let's
put our training to the test! Suck it up, Cadet!" Kefira ranted back at
her.
     "Frak you, Kefira!  You have to argue with me to the end, don't
you?" Kyna returned, but her voice softened as her anger dissipated. 
Cold reality was setting in.
     "You have more guts than most people I know, Kyna.  You're better
than this.  I'm not letting you give up." Kefira told her.  "It's not our
way." She said, referring to the code of the streets on Virgon.  It was
cowardly to concede, no matter which gang you belonged to, no matter what
the cost.  That was exactly why the violence persisted between rival gang
members for deca-yahrens on end.  There was simply no room for
conciliation or forgiveness...until the destruction of the Colonies.
     Kyna pulled herself loose as she thought about Kefira's words.  She
turned away from her wingman and moved towards the lieutenant, still
unconscious on the ground.  If Deitra was lucky, she would remain that
way until her oxygen stopped flowing, never knowing that death was only
breaths away.  Ah, stop with the melodrama!
     "Alright.  What do we do now?" It seemed strange to be asking
Kefira, who, up until now, had usually followed either her or Jada's
lead.  Jada...
     "Try to raise Pelias.  I haven't heard a thing from him since the
felgercarb hit the rotaries."
     "Pelias, come in." Kyna shrugged.  It was definitely better to be
doing something rather than nothing.  "Pelias, do you read?"  Nothing. 
Her heart began to race as she contemplated the fact that they may have
lost Pelias too.  But he was with Starbuck and Jada when the creature had
attacked, so that didn't make sense.
     "Try Beta Channel.  Isn't that what Pelias and Jada were using?"
Kefira reminded her gently, as she passed her and moved to kneel beside
Deitra.
     "Right." Kyna switched channels, looking up at the relay tower
they'd set up on landing. Higher than the surrounding "hills", it was
supposed to keep them in constant communication, when they lost
line-of-sight with one another. She willed herself to calm down, though
she could still feel the pounding of her heart through her suit.  It was
comprised of thirteen layers, she reminded herself.  "Pelias, come in,
please.  I repeat, Pelias, come in."
     "Pelias here.  Was that the shuttle that just took off?" his voice
was at an unnaturally high pitch for a young man in his twenties.
     "Uh, yeah.  The creature took our bird, Pelias.  We're stuck." Kyna
returned in a much calmer voice than she thought was possible,
considering her state a few centons ago.
     Silence.
     "How could...but...I don't understand..." Pelias finally stammered
over the comm line.
     "How are Starbuck and Jada?" Kefira asked to change the subject and
the mood.  She didn't want to repeat the panic scene with Pelias.  Her
own panic was too close to the surface to stay subdued through another
emotional encounter.
     Pelias cleared his throat.  "Jada's gone.  Starbuck's alive, but not
good.  He's not thinking straight and he's really weak.  He's in pain
too, but he won't admit it.  Also, his life-support subsystem's damaged
and I'm trying to get it fully operational again."
     "What do you mean Jada's gone?  Do you mean dead gone or missing
gone?" Kefira asked in a low voice, her stomach tightening and the acid
ascending her throat.  She took a deep, jagged breath and tears again
pricked at her eyes as she focused only on the first half of his message.
     "She's dead, Kefira." Pelias told her, his voice breaking slightly.
     Kyna, who had zeroed in on the second half of the message, felt at
least half of her tension drain from her body with the words, Starbuck's
alive.  "How far from base are you?"
     "About a kilometron." Pelias returned, calmer now.  "M...maybe less. 
I...I'm not sure exactly."
     "Do you think he can walk that far?" Kefira asked.  "We could take
one of the rigs to pick you up."
     "I don't know if he can walk period." Pelias replied.  "Hold on a
centon.  I just need to switch a couple more circuits and it's a bit
tricky.  If it works, Starbuck might be able to get in on this
conversation."
     "And if it doesn't work." Kyna asked, though she knew the answer
already.  Starbuck's systems could short out until Pelias could reboot
them or until the lieutenant was dead.
     "It'll work." Pelias insisted.  "Here we go."  A faint ping was
heard on the frequency.
     "Hos...Dee?" Starbuck's voice came across thick and distorted.
     Kefira ventured a smile at Kyna as she listened to her commanding
officer's voice.  "She's out cold, Lieutenant.  Her vital signs are
stable though.  We don't really know what the creature did to her.  It
just seemed to grab her and she dropped."
     "Har...you?" Starbuck asked after a pause.
     "We're fine.  A little shaken up, but fine." Kyna replied.  It was
almost like listening to the Kians again.  Starbuck was working hard to
just get his words out.
     "We...come...to...you." Starbuck told them.  This time, each word
was carefully formed and enunciated before he uttered it.
     "Maybe one of us should pick you up." Kefira offered.  "There are
still four MSU's here."
     "No.  Stay...'gether." Starbuck ordered.
     "Are you sure you can walk?" 
     A brief chuckle filled the channel.  "Pel.. ss... can...caree...me."
     "Thanks a lot." Pelias' sardonic reply followed.

* * * * * 

     "I thought you were kidding about me carrying you," Pelias
complained.  He had one arm around the lieutenant and Starbuck was
leaning on him heavily, stumbling along beside him.  Of course, had it
not been for the fact that there was virtually no gravity, he would have
been leaning a lot heavier.  But that wasn't the problem.  "Sir."
     "Yer NOT...carry...ing...me." Starbuck returned grumpily.  Lords, he
felt like an invalid!  He was having trouble keeping his feet on a
straight path, and was well aware he was treading on the cadet's AG boots
like a dance partner with two left feet.  His head continued to throb,
but at least he was starting to verbalize more easily.  Now if he could
just walk straight!
     "Well, then, perhaps I should let you have a go on your own?" Pelias
suggested half-heartedly.  He didn't really mean it.  Starbuck and he had
been spending the last few centons pestering one another so both could
avoid what was really on their minds: they had left Jada alone.
     Guilt had hung heavily over both of them when they took their last
look at Jada's makeshift grave.  Starbuck stood quietly by while Pelias
said a short prayer, once again returning to his religious roots, seeking
comfort...and hopefully bringing it to Jada's soul.  Pelias had covered
her body with a pile of stones, in the hope that they would be able to
return for her.  But just in case they couldn't...
     "Yeah, right.  I can weave...back to base...in two or...three days. 
Tops." Starbuck concentrated on his words.  Yeah, this was getting much
easier.  Just keep thinking about forming words, Bucko.  Don't think
about Jada.  Don't frakkin think about how you left her there on some
Hades Hole of a rock in the middle of nowhere.  Frak!
     "Yahrens would be more like it." Pelias returned lightly.  He was
learning to appreciate Starbuck's self-deprecating sense of humour. 
Admittedly, it didn't come out often, but timing was everything.
     "Lieutenant Starbuck!" Kyna's voice interrupted them.  "Lieutenant
Deitra is starting to wake up!"
     Starbuck had a strong feeling that the creature that had attacked
him had also attacked Dietra, but for whatever reason, she had been out
cold a lot longer.  Kyna and Kefira had described the beast to him and
the subsequent events that had it boarding the shuttle, changing form in
front of their eyes and then taking off.  It sure as Hades sounded like
the monstrosity that had jerked him around like a rag doll and had then
left him for dead.  But where in Hades Hole had it come from? All their
scans had shown this tumbling tuber of a rock to be completely void of
life. Not even bacteria had survived the breakup of its parent planet.
That, and there were no indications of any vessels, active or crashed.
Such a creature had no business being here. And now...Good riddance to it
was all he could say now.  
     "How is she?  Is she on...Beta or Alpha?" Starbuck asked.  It hadn't
taken long to determine that Starbuck's damaged comm unit  was stuck on
Beta Channel.  They had all switched over by necessity.  
     "Frak, I forgot, she's on Alpha." Kyna replied.  "I'll switch her
manually."
     A low moan filled the frequency as Deitra came on air.
     "Easy, Lieutenant." Kefira's voice soothed her.  "We've got you. 
You're going to be okay."
     "Wha...pen?" Deitra's voice was thick and hoarse.
     "You were attacked by an alien life-form of some sort, ma'am. You've
been unconscious for almost forty-five centons.  Try not to talk.  You
need to rest." Kyna told her.
     "Frak...dat." Deitra responded slowly, but determinedly.
     Starbuck chuckled over the line.  "How are ya, Dee?"
     "Star...buck?  Tot you were...dead." Deitra groaned aloud.
     "Stay still, Lieutenant." Kyna directed her.
     "No." Starbuck responded. "Jada's dead, Deitra."
     "Frak." Deitra sucked her breath in through her teeth.  "Hurts,
Bucko.  Like being hit by an electric eelon, only worse."
     "Where?" Starbuck asked, more to keep her talking than because he
believed he could do any good.  "Your back? Legs?  Headache?"
     "Left arm...shoulder." Her voice was clearer now, but she was in
obvious pain.  "I can stand. Pretty much," he heard her grunt, as she
struggled to regain her feet. "One Hades of a headache."
     Abruptly, Pelias stopped, swaying with the lieutenant with the
change in momentum. "Starbuck..." His voice, low and insistent
interrupted.  "Oh sweet Lords have mercy..."
     Starbuck looked at the cadet who had his face turned to the right. 
He followed his line of sight to see...Blast it to Hades Holes!!   The
one-eyed monstrosity that had attacked him was coming straight for
them...or at least one that looked just like it.  "Another one? Let me
go!" Starbuck ordered him.  
     "But..." Pelias started.
     "Shoot the frakker!" Starbuck shouted.  "That's an order, Cadet!"
     "What's going on?" Kyna's voice shrieked.
     Pelias dropped his arm from around Starbuck and pulled his laser. 
His hand was shaking so hard he felt like he was having a seizure.  He
aimed and fired.  The shot went wide by metrons.
     "Two hands!  Steady your arm!" Starbuck shouted as the creature
advanced.  He slipped to the ground on one knee and struggled to pull the
laser rifle over his head and off his shoulder.  His hands still felt
numb and unresponsive as he gripped the weapon.
     "Holy blessed Lords of Kobol..." Pelias shouted as he changed his
grip and stared in horror at the terrifying beast advancing on him.  It
was huge.  With the horns, it must have stood three metrons tall.  Its
hideous single eye stared at him murderously. Suddenly, his mouth was dry
and his pants were wet.  Lords, I'm going to die...
     "Stop praying and shoot!" Starbuck shouted back as he willed Pelias
to pull the trigger.  The rifle fell from Starbuck's clumsy fingers to
the ground.  "Frak!  Pelias!!  SHOOT!"
     Starbuck's voice penetrated Pelias' consciousness at the last micron
and he pulled the trigger as the creature was upon him.  He fell ever so
slowly to the ground with the beast on top of him, and stared into its
face, wide-eyed and screaming for mercy.  Then the electrical current hit
him like a stun blast, and he escaped from his terror into a blissful
insensibility.
     Starbuck again pulled the laser rifle into position.  He gritted his
teeth as he released the safety and pried his numb fingers into position. 
It was fully automatic; all he had to do was pull the trigger.  He knew
he only had microns.
     "What's happening?" Deitra's voice croaked in desperation.
     The creature barreled into him as if it recognized the weapon for
what it was, and as if it was fully aware of the danger.  Starbuck could
feel himself propelled backwards with the creature on top of him, along
for the ride.  His entire hand jerked in response to the message he tried
to send his trigger finger, but that was enough to send a barrage of
laser fire into the beast.
     The beast opened its mouth as if screaming in pain.  It tore the
weapon from Starbuck's grasp and pulled the lieutenant to him, as its
momentum continued to carry them skidding over the surface.  With
malignant intent it glared at the warrior, as it released a low-level
current through his body.
     Every voluntary muscle in Starbuck's body started contracting and
his body quivered from head to toe as it stared at him balefully.  He
took short gasping breaths as the beast held him tight and watched his
reaction to its attack.     Just as abruptly as it started, the current
ended, leaving Starbuck stunned.  The creature dropped him and held its
chest as if in pain.  Moments later, he vaguely noticed the ground
passing under him as the creature grabbed him by his arm and dragged him
roughly along for over a hundred metrons.  In the back of his mind, he
could hear voices shrieking over the comm, but they seemed distant,
unintelligible. And the blur of the rocky terrain, along with the swaying
and bumping, had his head spinning and his stomach churning. Eventually
and without warning, the motion stopped. Starbuck squinted through his
visor, and he blinked as he suddenly recognized the shuttle...So it was
the same creature.  But why had it come back? 
     The creature boarded, pulling him roughly through the air lock. 
Moments later, as the pressure equalized, the artificial gravity also
kicked in.  Starbuck sucked in a breath as his stomach did several more
somersaults and the pounding in his head quadrupled in magnitude.  The
second hatch hissed open, and the creature dumped him on the deck. 
Starbuck wasn't sure whether to be relieved or disheartened when the
beast flopped the hefty Pelias on top of him.  Apparently, it had been
dragging both of them along.  
     Starbuck struggled to move Pelias' body off of him as he felt the
shuttle's engines roar to life.  Lords, he weighed a megakilon!  The
shuttle pitched roughly as it took off, and the two men slid across the
deck.  Once again, Starbuck cursed the corpulent cadet as he lay crushed
between Pelias and the weapons locker.  Well, whatever was in store for
them, they'd have a better chance together...he hoped.

Chapter Eight

     Boomer exhaled slowly and glanced around the bridge. He really had
no reason to stay there any longer, and in any micron, Colonel Tigh was
sure to point that out, but... just watching Athena from behind, the
graceful moves she made and the faint scent of lilian that reached his
nostrils...he hadn't felt this way in a long time. And it felt good. 
     "I thought you were headed to the commissary?" Athena grinned at him
from across her shoulder, pausing as she made some adjustments on her
comm panel. She didn't mind his presence behind her; she could feel him
there and it warmed her soul. 
     Boomer cleared his throat. "Well, I was wondering when you might be
getting off for a break. After all, you have to eat sometime, especially
if you're flying patrol later."
     Athena glanced at her chrono. "Ten more centons." She shifted her
eyes briefly to note that Colonel Tigh was frowning in their direction.
"Maybe I should meet you in the commissary." She twisted around and
smiled. "Save me a seat, huh?"
     "You got it!" Boomer turned to leave, then noticed that Athena's
smile had vanished as she pressed her headset against her ear. "What is
it?"
     "That's funny," she said, typing in several commands to refine the
sensors. "The shuttle just took off from the asteroid. I thought the
mission was supposed to last at least until 1500. It's only 1240 right
now."
     Boomer snorted. "Maybe Starbuck threatened to cut their oxygen
supply if they didn't haul astrum and get the job done."
     "Well...my sensors show that the shuttle is heading--" Athena
frowned up at the lieutenant. "Away from the Fleet."
     Boomer furrowed his brow. "Maybe it's something he and Deitra threw
in as a part of the training." Something, however, was setting off a
warning klaxon in the back of his mind.
     "Maybe..." Athena turned and motioned to towards Tigh. "Colonel!"
     "Report, lieutenant."
     "Telemetry indicates that the mining team's shuttle just launched
from the asteroid, but their heading is away from the Fleet."
     "Away from the...any communications from them or distress signals?"
     "No, sir." Athena knew that the shuttle would not transmit a
long-range communication to the Galactica, unless absolutely necessary.
The fewer signals being beamed out into open space, the better, even if
the likelihood that the Cylons - or another unfriendly race - might
intercept them was slim.
     Tigh narrowed his eyes as he considered the situation. "Monitor
their status for ten centons. Keep me updated if anything changes. It's
probably just another part of the training that Starbuck added at the
last centon."  It wouldn't be the first time Lieutenant Starbuck had been
impulsive.
     "Yes, sir." Athena flipped several switches, and the shuttle's
telemetry scrolled slowly up her monitor. 
     From over her shoulder, Boomer stared at it. "I just don't like
this," he muttered.
     "What are you thinking?" Athena asked without looking up. Then:
"Interesting. Sensors indicate only three sets of biosigns from the
shuttle, and one of them is highly erratic."
     "This doesn't make sense." Boomer muttered. "Remember what Starbuck
said?"
     "What?"
     "That there was no way in Hades that they were leaving that rock
until the mission was complete and the cadets were whipped into shape. 
Doesn't it seem a bit premature for raw cadets, and screw ups to boot, on
their first field training mission to be finished setting up six mining
stabilization units?"
     Athena remained silent. The same thought had been nagging at the
back of her mind. "If they keep heading the way they are," she finally
said, "they'll be out of range of the Fleet in..." she ran the figures
through her head. "Twenty centons."
     "This doesn't add up!" Boomer whispered fiercely. He banged his hand
against the back of Athena's chair, then located Colonel Tigh. "Sir!"
     "What is it, lieutenant?" 
     "I think the training mission is in trouble."
     "What makes you think that?" Tigh stared at the lieutenant with
faint annoyance etched on his features.
     Boomer knew that he was stretching it in the first place with his
presence on the bridge. "Something Starbuck said last night. He was
adamant that they would not take off from the asteroid until the mission
was complete."
     Tigh chewed his lip. "Status report?" He didn't like basing command
decisions on a hunch.
     Athena felt her heart thumping against her chest, but her voice
remained calm. "Sir, same heading, Delta 9-0-5, away from the Fleet, and
sensors show only three life forms, one of which is...odd."
     "Odd?" asked Tigh, eyebrow raised. The Colonel was famous for
preferring reports to be more definitive than "odd".
     "We can't get a complete reading at this range, but the computer is
interpreting the signal as..." She frowned at her monitor.
"Unidentified."
     Tigh narrowed his eyes as he ran through the possibilities.  He had
to rule out the obvious. "Have you run a sensor check? The scans of the
asteroid clearly showed no life signs."
     "Doing so now," replied Athena. A moment later: "All green on sensor
operations."
     "Can you scan the drill-site from here?"
     "No sir. It's on the other side of the asteroid from us at present. 
Its rotation won't bring it back into our line-of-sight for
another...three centars."
     "Sir?" Boomer said abruptly. "Request permission to take a shuttle
to investigate, in case the team is unable to communicate. These readings
just don't make sense."
     "Agreed," breathed the colonel. "Permission granted. Take a med tech
with you, as well, and--"
     "Sir?" asked Athena. "Request permission to accompany Lt. Boomer.
I'm off bridge duty in five centons anyway, and Greenbean and I are next
on the flight roster."
     Tigh considered it for a moment. "Very well. Notify the Life Station
to have a med tech meet you and Lt. Boomer in Launch Bay Alpha. Also,
inform Lt. Greenbean that he'll be flying Viper escort."
     "Yes, sir!" Boomer nodded; fidgeting while he waited for Athena to
perform those tasks, then log off her station. A centon later, both were
hustling towards the launch bay.
     Tigh watched them go as he considered informing the Commander.  The
possibilities were simply too remote that this would be...No, he'd wait
for Lieutenant Boomer to make his report.

* * * * *

     "Starbuck!  Come in, Starbuck!  Pelias, do you read?" Deitra
repeated.  Lords, she was going to vomit if she didn't sit down.  Her arm
and shoulder were burning with pain and her head was throbbing.  She
cradled her left arm against her, as she propped herself against one of
the Mining Stabilization Units.
     "Lieutenant!  I can see the shuttle's running lights.  She's lifted
off again." Kefira informed her, as she pointed to a small set of lights
northwest of their position.  There was a flare, as the main thrusters
fired, then it faded into the distance while they stood and watched it in
silence.
     "Do you think it took Starbuck and Pelias?" Kyna asked. 
     "Yes." Deitra replied briefly.  She closed her eyes and took a deep
breath through her nose, exhaling through her mouth.  Don't puke, Dee. 
It would be bad form.
     "Why?  And how did it know how to fly the shuttle?  And where in
Hades did it come from?  I thought the scanner said there were no life
signs down here." Kyna shook her head in bewilderment.  
     "It did," Deitra answered her.  Oh, what she wouldn't give for a
hypo spray right now.  Or maybe a dozen of them.  Too bad theywouldn't
penetrate the fracking suit.  Whose bright idea was it to make the damn
thing thirteen layers thick anyhow?  Who in Hades cared about
micrometeorites if you were dying of pain and nausea?
     "Then how..." Kyna started.
     "Lieutenant, are you alright?" Kefira asked her, coming up beside
her.  Deitra was leaning heavily on the MSU and was starting to begin a
downward slide, though she had apparently not noticed.
     "Dandy." Deitra returned between clenched teeth.  She gasped in pain
as Kefira grabbed her around the shoulders to support her.  "Lords..."
     "Here, sit down.  You're not going to do yourself any good if you
pass out." Kefira chastised her.
     Sitting down seemed like the best idea anyone had had for centars. 
Deitra let herself be guided to the ground with her back leaning against
the rig.  She closed her eyes and concentrated on breathing.  She knew
she must have sustained some sort of severe electrical burns, by the
level of pain in her arm and shoulder.  She also knew if they were going
to survive this and get Starbuck and Pelias some help, she had to get
past the pain.
     "Lieutenant," Kefira kneeled down beside her, trying to get her
attention.  "I want to elevate your arm.  It might help with the pain and
swelling.  We'll try to manually adjust the environment in your suit to
cool the area locally.  It should also help the pain a little bit."
     Deitra opened her eyes to see the cadet holding a pack.  She nodded
as Kefira helped lift her injured arm and support it while propping the
pack beneath it.  Kefira then reached behind her and began adjusting the
settings on her suit's temperature-regulator.  Within a few centons, the
arm and shoulder felt cooler.  "Thanks." Deitra told her as she held the
cadet's eye.  Kefira was really keeping her head.  The strong and silent
one.
     Kefira nodded.  She watched as Kyna paced back and forth,
occasionally stopping to check on her wingman and instructor.  "What do
we do now?"
     "We need to contact the Galactica." Deitra told her.  "You two need
to find a way to do that.  How much oxygen do you have left?"
     The cadets checked their gauges.  
     "I have 8880 kilons per square centimetron." Kefira told her,
looking a little surprised.
     "Uh, I have 7850 ksc." Kyna replied, looking worried.  "We should
have more than that, shouldn't we?  We should be good for another three
or four centars.  At this rate, we'll be lucky if we have two centars
left."
     "You utilize more oxygen when you're running, fighting..." Deitra
started to explain.
     "Panicking." Kyna finished.  She had been the worst offender.  If it
hadn't been for Kefira, she would have lost it entirely.  Lords, she had
to get it together.  They were running out of time...and oxygen.  "How
much do you have left, Lieutenant?"
     Deitra checked her gauge.  "9880 lsc."  She had a lot more
experience than the cadets with space walking.  Even with her
overexertion and her injuries, it had not surprised her that she had far
more oxygen left.  "Okay.  We need a plan.  Tell me how we're going to
get the Galactica's attention."  She swallowed the bile rising in her
throat and rested her throbbing head against the rig.
     Kyna and Kefira looked blankly at one another.
     "Wait.  Remember Starbuck's speech in the Desert Dome?  We have to
think about what we have at our disposal that can help us survive." Kyna
reminded her wingman.
     "Right.  And remain positive.  That was another thing." Kefira
added.  "So, what do we have that can get the Galactica's attention?" 
The cadets looked around them.  Supplies, toolkits, four MSU's and a
relay tower surrounded them.
     "The MSU's.  We could blow one up." Kyna suggested.
     "Do you think they would pick up a small explosion while we're out
of communications range?" Kefira countered.  "We're facing away from them
right now, remember."
     "Good point.  Well, we only have the master control that was
programmed for the three rigs we were setting up.  Lords, knows where
Ja...Pelias' master control is now." Kyna looked away as she avoided
Jada's mention.  There would be time to mourn her friend later.  Not now.
     "If we rig two of them to explode right next to the other two, we'll
likely get a chain reaction.  It would blow all four.  They'll be able to
see it from Earth, never mind the bridge." Kefira added with a grin.
     "Uh...who wants to tell Colonel Tigh they blew up four perfectly
good MSU's when two would have sufficed?" Deitra asked them.  Well, they
were keen, she'd give them that.  "How are you going to blow them up?"
     "I don't suppose we have any explosives?" Kefira asked.
     "Some solenite," Deitra nodded her head.  She had organized this
mission.  She was aware of every supply item on the list.  
     "Could we get them to just overheat?" Kyna asked, not particularly
comfortable with handling explosives.  "Didn't Lindenbrook say one of the
reasons they were mechanized was the potential for overheating with
subsequent ignition of the unstable raw tylium they were drilling into
to?" She pointed out.
     "Yes!  What if we had them side by side drilling into the same
deposit.  The centrifugal force may get them to ignite the tylium!"
Kefira suggested.
     Deitra made an attempt to interrupt, but the cadets' enthusiasm
prevented her getting a word in edgewise.  And the pain...Oh, frak!
     "But there are safety override features to prevent that." Kyna told
her, so caught up in the discussion, she didn't notice Deitra's attempt
to speak.  "The sensors detect a release of gases from the tylium when it
begins to heat up too much.  The MSU responds by releasing nitrogen to
cool the tylium and the drill automatically stops.  We'd have to bypass
the safety features."
     "We'd also have to make sure the deposit is isolated enough that the
explosion doesn't blow this asteroid apart.  If I remember correctly, the
shuttle was practically on top of a small, isolated deposit that wouldn't
have been worth drilling into."  Kefira added.
     "We're really going to have to hurry.  It took us a good seventy
centons to set up our first rig." Kyna reminded her with concern evident
in her tone.
     "With that in mind, I'm not sure this will work.  After all, it
would be beneficial if we were all still breathing when the rescue party
arrives."  Deitra told them.  "I have an idea involving the use of
solenite.  I also know a couple short cuts that can help.  They're
against procedure, but as Starbuck always says, 'following procedure
doesn't always get you to back to the OC before last call.'  This time
it's all about efficiency."
     "Yes, Ma'am." Kyna and Kefira smiled at their superior officer,
appreciating her amusing line about the missing Lieutenant.  Though his
antics were legendary, they had not seen much of Starbuck's rebellious
nature.  They were also curious what Deitra's plan would involve.
     "Now get to work."  Deitra struggled to regain her feet.  There
needed to be an explosion within a centar if they were going to get help
in time.  It was still going to be close.

* * * * *

     Their departure from the Galactica had been timely.  The two
assigned med techs had wasted no time in arriving in the launch bay for
the excursion after getting the word from Dr. Salik.  In fact, Cassiopeia
had jumped off the turbo lift a mere centon after the warriors, with her
medical kit in her hand, and concern plainly etched on her features. 
Behind her was Med Tech Tone, also carrying a full kit. 
     Within centons, the small crew had launched and knowing that the
asteroid was still forty centons away, Boomer and Athena took the time to
brief the others.
     "So, it sounds like this is more of a hunch than fact based,
Boomer." Greenbean commented over the comm line from his viper as he flew
escort for the unarmed transport.
     "It just doesn't add up, Greenbean." Boomer told him. "Why would the
shuttle leave the asteroid heading the wrong way with only two humans and
one questionable life form aboard?"
     "Could be the readings are off.  After all, where did this other
life form come from?  Didn't you say the Galactica's sensors reported no
preliminary life signs?"
     "Yeah, and the shuttle's sensors confirmed that on approach to the
asteroid, according to the telemetry." Boomer added as Athena nodded her
agreement from the pilot's seat.  "Hades, I'm as baffled as you are, I
just have this feeling that something's wrong."
     "I'm with you, Boomer; physically and philosophically." Greenbean
replied.  Never mind the justifications, Deitra and Starbuck were out
there with four cadets.  Whether they needed assistance or not, they
would all feel better when this little mystery was cleared up.  Suddenly,
the viper's sensors beeped.  "Boomer, are you getting this?" 
     It was Athena's voice that replied, "Sensors indicate some kind of
explosion either from or near the asteroid."
     "Isn't that hunk of rock comprised of a fair whack of tylium?"
Greenbean asked in alarm.  After all, that's why they had sent a mining
mission there in the first place.
     "It sure is, " Boomer confirmed, "but it seems the explosion was
contained.  Otherwise there would have been a chain reaction."
     "Like on Carillon," Greenbean added.
     "Exactly." Boomer agreed.
     "It may be a signal from our team." Athena suggested.
     Cassiopeia moved closer to watch and listen.  "A distress signal?" 
     "Possibly." Boomer scanned the area ahead. "Make that definitely.
I'm picking up solonite and oxygen signatures in the blast. It can't be
natural".
     "That would make sense," added Tone.
     "How much longer until we can contact them?" Cassie asked, standing
behind Athena.
     "We've been trying to make contact.  There's no response on any
frequency from the shuttle...or anyone else whose still on the asteroid."
Athena told her, not missing the look of distress that crossed the med
tech's features before she quickly composed herself and nodded briefly.
     "Well, someone just blew a hole in that rock to get our
attention...or more likely the Galactica's." Boomer added.  "That means
someone is still down there.  Let's go find out who."

* * * * *

     "By all the Lords, I hope they got the message," Kyna whispered as
the explosion fizzled out in front of their eyes, the flames abruptly
smothered by a lack of oxygen.  Debris was spreading out slowly in the
micro-gravity.
     "How long again before a shuttle could get here?" Kefira asked,
though she knew the answer.  
     "Forty centons." Kyna replied as she made a concerted effort to slow
her breathing and calm her nerves.  "First they have to make a decision,
put together a team and then launch." Lords, it wasn't looking good for
her.  She blinked back tears.  They had given it their all, but they had
just taken too much time to blow the rigs.  Deitra might have a chance,
but she and Kefira would definitely run out of oxygen by the time the
shuttle arrived.  If it arrived.
     "We were too slow." Kefira muttered to her...friend.  She smiled
ruefully to herself as she realized that they had indeed become friends
and then shook her head as she comprehended what lengths it had taken to
bring them together.  Hades, all of them.  Pelias had actually sounded
choked up about Jada's death.
     "We did our best, Kefira." Kyna replied as she shifted from foot to
foot.
     "Maybe we should have tried just blowing one rig."
     "Then we'd be standing here wondering if they even picked up the
explosion.  At least this way..." Kyna sighed as she looked over at
Deitra.  They had finally decided, since their region of the asteroid was
facing away from the Fleet, and would not come back into line-of-sight
until after their oxygen was exhausted, that something desperate and more
expedient was required. The relay tower for comm signals was already as
high as it could go, and trekking across the asteroid to reposition it
would likewise take time and oxygen they did not have. So, as the cadets
discussed blowing the rigs, Deitra had started thinking. 
     Working as fast as two inexperienced cadets and one injured warrior
possibly could, they had uncoupled the drill assemblies, and piled them
into one of the mobile rigs. Saving a single oxygen cylinder for each of
them, they had then activated the entire load of solonite charges brought
with them, placing them in the rig as well. Knowing they would have but a
single chance, Kyna had hit the remote control, firing the emergency
escape rockets under the first rig. With the latches still clamped down,
the entire rig had begun to lift off the surface, easily escaping the
asteroid's minute gravity. One by one, the other rockets had fired, the
impromptu construction gaining speed. Kyna had waited until it had risen
sufficiently to catch the light from the distant sun.
     "She's at a thousand and accelerating," Kefira had reported, looking
at her scanner. "Fifteen hundred."
     "Just a little bit more..." Deitra had rasped from where she sat at
another MSU's control panel. "We have to make sure she's in line of sight
with...with the Fleet."  
     "Two thousand," Kefira then said. "Uh oh. The thrusters have cut
out. She'll fall back on us."
     "No," Deitra had said, and pointed to the remaining drill assembly.
Kyna then pressed a button on the side, and the laser drill hummed to
life, if upside down from its normal position. The blue beam of energy
had lanced up into the sky, and struck the spaceborne pileup dead center.
     It had flared into a bright blossom of light, as the fuel, solonite
and oxygen aboard ignited. The whole mess blew apart spectacularly, as
the cadets cheered.
     "Now let's hope they saw it," Kyna said. "Lieutenant?"  
     The lieutenant had of course done her best to help them and had in
fact shown them a few time-saving short-cuts, but she was injured badly
and the pain was simply too much for her.  Her movements had slowed
imperceptibly at first, but soon she had been breathing hard and had
finally slumped over the control panel of the MSU as her body refused to
carry on through her agony.
     Kyna crossed over to Deitra.  The lieutenant was awake again and her
jaw was rigidly set as she tried to hold back her groans of discomfort
while trying to sit up.  Kyna put an arm behind her to help and then
quickly changed her tact, as Deitra's face paled beneath her visor and
her eyes began to roll back in her head.  "Kefira!"
     Together they gently lowered her down to a supine position and
checked her biofunctions on her life support system.  "Her pulse and
respiratory rate are racing." Kyna told Kefira.
     "She looks like she's going into shock to me." Kefira added.  The
lieutenant appeared pale and diaphoretic beneath her faceplate.  
     "What do we do?" Kyna asked, her mind trying to recall her first
response training.  
     "Elevate her legs and wait for the shuttle." Kefira responded as she
looked for something to prop her commanding officer's legs up on.
     "We're going to be dead by the time the shuttle gets here." Kyna
told her as she pushed one of their thick packs under Deitra's legs.
     "I know." Kefira replied stoically.  It wasn't the first time the
thought had flickered through her mind.  "If we do this right, maybe
Deitra will survive."
     "I hope she has something good to say about us at the OC." Kyna
smiled, trying to keep it light.
     "How could she not?" Kefira flashed her a smile as she thought back
over the misery they had put their commanding officers through since
their specialized course had begun.
     "Do you think she's going to make it?" Kefira asked after a moment
of silence between them.  Silence was bad.  Too much time to think.
     "I honestly have no idea, but she'd better..." Kyna stopped
mid-breath as her eye caught a light that seemed to be moving towards
them.  "Kefira..." She pointed in the direction of the light...no, not
light, but lights.  Several lights, as a matter of fact.  Running lights! 
"Is that a shuttle or has my oxygen just run out and I'm hallucinating
from too much carbon dioxide?"
     "Holy frak!  It's a shuttle!  Kyna, we're going to make it off this
Godforsaken rock after all!" Kefira shouted.  The dread that had
previously threatened to choke her, lifted to be replaced with a sense of
euphoria.
     Nothing in their limited lifetimes had ever looked so beautiful! 
Flying escort was a viper.  The girls embraced enthusiastically and then
moved back to Deitra's side to ready her for transport.  
     "Lieutenant Deitra, hold tight, help is on the way." Kyna whispered
down at the unconscious woman, hoping she could somehow hear her message. 

     The shuttle pilot set her down with both skill and precision.  The
cadets watched impatiently as the ship touched down and the dust settled
around her.  Within microns, the cadets had gently lifted the lieutenant
and were heading through the air lock.
     "Warrior down!" Boomer told the others as he watched two warriors
carrying a third into the ship.  "Cassiopeia..."
     "I'm ready, Boomer.  Right here." Cassie felt the familiar dread
that set in every time she had to face a warrior being carried into Life
Station.  Would it be Starbuck?  Or one of her other friends?  The
familiar tightness in her chest eased with her routine three deep breaths
and she once again checked her emergency supplies as she awaited her
patient.  Please, Lord...
     The warrior was gently lowered onto the medical stretcher. 
Thankfully, Boomer was bent over and removing the helmet as Cassiopeia
chewed her lip.  She couldn't even access her patient with the suit in
place!
     Boomer stood up and pulled off the helmet to reveal the face of
Lieutenant Deitra, her usual dark complexion, ashen and clammy.  "I need
her out of that suit, Boomer." Cassie told him as she started hooking up
her biomonitor.  Her eyes flickered over the other two encased warriors,
quickly noting that neither of them was Starbuck.  She had been on the
flight deck when the shuttle had scanned the asteroid for life signs. 
Only three sets were detected on the surface.  She pushed her concern for
Starbuck out of her mind and got to work as the suit was slowly
disassembled and removed from the injured warrior.
     Boomer stood back and got out of the med tech's way as he watched
her set up intravenous lines and start giving life sustaining fluids to
her patient.  He grimaced as he watched Cassie expose the destroyed flesh
that had once covered Deitra's arm.  His stomach churned and he took the
cadets, who looked equally disturbed, forward towards the flight deck.  
     "Are you two okay?" Boomer asked then with concern , as Tone began
examining them.  
     "Yes, sir." Kyna replied as a distracted Kefira watched Cassiopeia
begin to pick pieces of cloth and necrotic tissue from Deitra's arm.
     "And you?" Boomer asked the other cadet.  His mind searched for a
name.  "Cadet Kefira?"
     "Uh, sorry, Sir.  I'm fine...just worried about the lieutenant."
Kefira replied, pulling herself erect.
     "Where are Lieutenant Starbuck and Cadets Jada and Pelias?" Boomer
asked as he motioned for them to have a seat.
     "Jada's dead, Sir." Kyna replied briefly as she sat down heavily,
not used to the gravity.  Abruptly, her eyes filled with tears which
rolled down her cheeks, as a wave of emotion washed over her with the
power of a tidal wave.  She realized she wasn't going to die after all. 
Her throat constricted as though someone had their hands wrapped around
it and powerful sobs threatened to escape her.
     "Easy, Cadet," Boomer soothed her.  He felt Athena's presence before
he saw her.  Suddenly, she was there, pressing a beverage into Kyna's
hands and reassuring her she was going to be all right.
     "Lieutenant Boomer," Kefira croaked.  She was very close to losing
her own tenuous grip on her emotions.  "Starbuck and Pelias were...taken
by this...creature.  It overpowered us all.  Our weapons didn't seem to
affect it.  We don't know where it came from, but it attacked Lieutenant
Deitra, and despite our best efforts, it took the shuttle." She watched
as his face reflected disbelief.  "It's true, Sir.  I think it also
killed Jada and attacked Lieutenant Starbuck.  Then, just as we thought
it was gone, it landed the shuttle and took Starbuck and Pelias...sorry,
Lieutenant Starbuck..." She relaxed as she saw Boomer shrug indifferently
at her little lapse in protocol.  "At least we think it did.  I guess we
didn't really check, but just assumed...I'm sorry." Her tears began to
flow down her face and she realized with disgust that, as usual, they
were making her nose run unattractively.  
     "We picked up the shuttle's departure from the asteroid.  It
identified two Human life signs on board.  They were both there." Boomer
assured the distraught young woman.
     "And alive..." Kefira blinked furiously.
     "Boomer!" Cassiopeia called to him from the rear of the shuttle.
     "And alive." Boomer nodded to Kefira as he squeezed her shoulder and
headed aft.
     "Deitra has second and third degree burns to her arm and shoulder. 
We really need to get her back to the Galactica's Life Station as soon as
possible." 
     "Life threatening?" Boomer asked.
     "I believe so.  The medical imaging scan has identified extensive
tendon, nerve and even bone damage from the burns.  It's exactly like a
severe electrical burn, though I don't understand how it happened.  She's
been left untreated for quite a while from what I can tell by the extent
of her hypovolemia and electrolyte imbalance.  My concern is the
permanent extent of the damage which we can of course minimize with the
regenerators in the Life Station, providing the circumferential edema
doesn't necessitate fasciotomies before..."
     "Cassie, uh, Colonial Standard please." Boomer begged her, as he
noticed the Cadets hovering nearby with Med Tech Tone in attendance once
again.
     "Sorry.  I'm concerned that she's going to need surgery because of
the gross amount of swelling.  If the swelling continues, it will
constrict her circulation completely and she could lose her arm.  She
needs a doctor.  Not a med tech." Cassiopeia told him honestly.  "What
did it use on her?" she asked the cadets.
     "Don't...don't know, ma'am," said Kyna. "As far as we could see, it
just touched her, and she went down."
     "I agree with you, Cassiopeia.  It looks like some kind of
electrical blast," said Tone. They all looked at him. "Some creatures can
actually generate and inflict massive electrical jolts with no harm to
themselves. They use it to kill or stun their prey. I remember back home,
electric eelons and sea rays were a serious danger. This looks a lot like
one of those kinds of injuries, only much more intense. And you're right.
The complicated twist with electrical burns is the massive deep tissue
destruction which causes the release of myoglobins into the blood.  We
need to compensate with a huge amount of fluid replacement so she doesn't
go into acute renal failure.  If not handled properly, she could
potentially die." 
     Both cadets gasped sharply, reacting to his final words, not the
part in the middle which sounded alarmingly like 'blah, blah, blah,
blah.'  Kyna realized for the first time she really needed to just sit
down for a while.
     "Then let's get going," nodded Cassie, as if that was the only
possible plan of action, especially after Tone's detailed elucidation of
Deitra's injuries.
     Boomer nodded woodenly at her.  As much as he knew they had to get
Deitra back to the Galactica, he hated to abandon Starbuck and Pelias. 
Frak!  Lords, he wished he was flying the viper!

* * * * *     

     Slowly, Pelias felt his scrambled senses begin to clear, and he
tried looking about.  He was on the shuttle, that much was clear from the
ceiling he was staring at, and he was still in his environmental suit. 
He half-turned, and felt himself pressing into something.  After a
micron, he realized it was Starbuck, also still suited up.  As he
concentrated, he could feel the vibration of the shuttle's engines
through the deck beneath him. 
     He had fainted.  That much he remembered with clarity, and it was
with a sense of shame that this memory shot home.  He, Pelias, scion of
one of the most ancient and noble lineages in all the Colonies...fainted,
like a frightened girl.  He wasn't sure which emotion was strongest right
now, shame, or anger.
     Then, it was fear.  Fear, as he remembered why he had fainted. 
Fainted at the sheer horror of the thing that had attacked both he and
Starbuck, and killed Jada, as much as the electric jolt it had delivered. 
The hulking, impossible monstrosity that had dragged both of them across
the asteroid's surface, and stuffed them in the stolen shuttle.  A
shuttle now heading...where?  He half-rolled, trying to get to his knees,
and reached for the comm unit on his helmet. 
     "Starbuck?" he said, or tried to.  It sounded more like a croak in
his ears.  He cleared his dry throat,  "Starbuck?"  Still no answer.  His
comm unit was dead, it seemed.  Gathering strength, he reached out for
his CO, and turned the still form over.  Starbuck was alert, it seemed,
and looked directly at Pelias through his smudged faceplate.  The
Lieutenant was shaking his head as best he could in the constricting
helmet, then began blinking his eyes rapidly.  It took a few moments for
Pelias to get the idea that Starbuck was trying to signal him...
     All further communication with his CO was interrupted when something
gripped him by the shoulder, roughly pulling him away.  He plopped to the
deck smack on his tailbone, and looked up...
     To nearly lose his lunch the other way.  He was staring into
the...face of the most hideous creature he could imagine.  If the horned
thing that had grabbed them on the asteroid's surface was horrid, then
this being was truly some Hades spawn vomited forth from the Infernal
Regions.  Cyclopean like the horned beast, it was a greenish-gray color,
its skin slick and sickly-looking.  Its "hands" sported three long,
suckered fingers, and there were three of them.  It was looking down at
him with some alien expression Pelias could not fathom, only the eye
betokened intelligence. Pelias felt himself shudder with a cold chill. 
Try as he might to recall everything he had ever learned about
exobiology, he could not recall ever having heard of such a species. 
Before he could find speech, one of the tri-dactyl hands reached out, and
grabbed him again.  With surprising speed, he was dumped into one of the
shuttle's seats, to be quickly joined by Starbuck.  He stared at the
thing in morbid fascination for a few moments, then reached up to open
his helmet.  The creature made no move to stop him.
     "Who or what the frak are you?" he demanded, his anger and
humiliation momentarily getting the upper hand against his fear.  As he
spoke, the creature restrained both Humans into their seats securely.  "I
demand that you let me go!  I demand..." Pelias stopped, as the creature
began to shake, its body violently moving as if in the grip of some sort
of seizure, as it made a long series of weird screeching noise. Pelias
momentarily wondered if it was ill, or dying, or what, until it hit him
like a cold bucket of water.
     It was laughing at him!  This alien...thing was laughing at him. 
Pelias felt his anger build towards this foul monstrosity that had the
temerity, the absolute...bollocks to treat him like a joke.
     "Frak you, you piece of Boray mong," he shot at it, not caring
whether it could understand him or not.  "Let me go!"
     "Now why would I do something as foolish as that?" came the reply,
in perfect, if heavily accented, Colonial Standard.  Pelias stopped what
he was about to say, and stared at it in surprise. 
     "My God, you..." 
     "I thank you for the compliment, but sadly, I cannot make claim to
deity, Human," said the other. 
     Pelias could not help but stare in morbid fascination at the alien
"face". The multi-lensed Cyclops eye, the head like a short, lumpy
elephon's trunk, and the mouth beneath.  Hearing his own language come
from it was unsettling, to say the least.
     "Who or what the frak are you?"  Pelias managed to get out at last. 
No matter how frakking astrum-ugly this thing might be, he wasn't going
to show fear.  Or disgust.  Not again.
     "I am Over-Lieutenant Korax, of the Imperial Ziklagi Fleet, and you
both are prisoners of the Ziklagi Empire, against which you have
committed various and wanton acts of war."
     "You're the frak what?"
     "You have a most...colorful language, Cadet Pelias. Yes, I know who
you are, as well as this other one."  Korax kicked Starbuck's foot.  
     For his part, the Lieutenant was as still as a rock.  Pelias
wondered why, since Starbuck had looked so alert only moments before.  He
took a quick look to see if the lieutenant was still breathing.  The last
thing they needed was for his life-support systems to fail again,
especially with breathable air just a helmet seal away.  His chest was
rising and falling steadily.
     "Thanks," sneered Pelias with concerted effort, even as a stifling
anxiety threatened to overwhelm him.  "I try. Now where the Hades are you
taking us?"  He indicated the instruments.
     "Home, Cadet Pelias," replied Korax, moving back to the pilots'
station.  He examined the instruments a moment or two.  "We are on
course."
     "Course?"
     "For home, Cadet.  Are you perhaps as dense as the rest of your
retarded species?  I am taking both yourself, your companion, and this
craft back to my people, as prizes of war.  Both you and it will bring me
a not inconsiderable sum."
     "Sum?  As in money?" He swallowed the considerable lump in his
throat.
     "Oh," sighed Korax.  "May the gods preserve us all from such
intellectual depth. Yes, Human.  Money.  Prize money.  I shall collect a
tidy sum for capturing you two.  You shall be sold, then interrogated for
information. If you are very fortunate, you will be put to death before
you are dissected by the scientists."  Korax turned to look at Pelias
again.  With satisfaction he watched the horror flicker across the
cowardly Human's features before he successfully reined in his fear. 
"You might wish to consider telling me what I want to know now, Cadet." 
The alien's face seemed to twist slightly, and Pelias instinctively knew
that Korax was smiling.  "Rather than later."


     Greenbean scanned, at last locking on to the shuttle.  It was a
considerable distance ahead of him, almost to the other side of this
solar system in fact, but he was surprised that it wasn't moving any
faster.  It was, in fact, almost two points below normal velocity.  Odd. 
As he drew closer to it, he scanned for life forms again. 
     Yes, the other scans had been right.  Three life forms aboard.  Two
Humans, and one unidentified.  He ran it through the Viper's computer,
but the fighter's limited database had nothing like it.  Well, he mused,
maybe he'd get more data once he got closer.  He activated every bit of
ECM his Viper possessed, lest whoever was in charge of the shuttle should
detect his approach too soon.  His orders from Colonel Tigh were to
follow and track the shuttle, but to take no action unless ordered,
except in self-defense. The assumption was that the alien being was in
command, and was hostile.  Somehow, Greenbean had gotten the feeling that
Colonel Tigh and, presumably the Commander, knew more about what was
going on then they were telling.  But what could they possibly know about
this...whatever it was?
     Weird.

* * * * *

Chapter Nine

     Adama waited in his office for his executive officer, who had called
for this meeting, to the immense surprise of the Commander.  After all,
it had been at Tigh's insistence that Adama took a little time off and
spent it with his family following the tumultuous events surrounding the
discovery of Major Dorian's body on the Orlop deck of the Galactica.
     "Enter," Adama called out as he heard the entry chime.
     Colonel Tigh entered with Captain Apollo on his heels.
     "Commander, again, I apologize for disturbing you, but..." Tigh
started.
     Adama waved off the apology and motioned for his old friend and
wingman to have a seat.  "Tigh, I know it must be important.  What is
it?"
     Tigh remained standing.  "Sir, it's the mining training mission
being led by Lieutenants Starbuck and Deitra.  The shuttle lifted off
inexplicably from the asteroid with two Human life forms and one
unidentified life form on board."  He paused as he watched the
commander's brow knit ever so slightly in puzzlement.  Then he continued
with measured words.  "We sent a shuttle out to check on the team's
status.  Lieutenant Boomer has reported that they have picked up
Lieutenant Deitra and Cadets Kefira and Kyna from the asteroid, and are
now returning to the Galactica.  Lieutenant Deitra has sustained serious
injuries after being attacked by...an unusual creature."
     "What kind of creature?" Apollo asked, his brow furrowing in
consternation.
     Tigh sighed.  "A creature that can change its form at will." He
watched the other men's faces alight with shock and disturbing
recognition.  "Yes, a shape-shifter."
     "From the asteroid?" Apollo asked, seeking clarification.  He, like
his father, had been off duty and was unaware of the details of the
asteroid mission.
     "No." Tigh replied.  "All preliminary scans, both from the Galactica
and the shuttle on approach, indicated that there were no life forms on
the asteroid."
     "Are you saying it boarded the shuttle from the fleet?" Apollo asked
as a sickening feeling settled in the pit of his stomach.  
     "I think so.  Yes." Tigh replied.  "There's more.  It seems that
Cadet Jada was killed by the creature."  He inhaled slowly before
continuing as Adama closed his eyes briefly at the news.  "And," he
quietly added,  "Lieutenant Starbuck and Cadet Pelias have been
apprehended by it and are currently in the shuttle and on a course
heading, Delta 9-0-5, away from the fleet.  Lieutenant Greenbean is
pursuing by Viper."
     "Father, request permission to launch Blue Squadron to bring back
our shuttle and our men." Apollo leaned over his commander's desk.
     "Apollo, I understand your concern, but I think our first priority
is to wait and see if that shuttle is on course for a scheduled
rendezvous.  Tigh?" Adama checked with his executive officer.
     "Yes, Commander.  Lieutenant Greenbean has orders to use Electronic
Counter Measures to avoid being detected for now."
     "Then let me take a squadron out to give Greenbean support in case
he comes up against hostiles." Apollo suggested, his body tense with
urgency.  
     Adama drew a deep breath.  "How long would it take for Captain
Apollo to rendezvous with Lieutenant Greenbean?"
     "Oddly, the shuttle hasn't attained maximum speed.  About fifty
centons at full thrust, excluding turbos." Tigh replied.  "One more
thing, Commander.  The shuttle is transmitting an encoded message on a
gamma frequency.  We picked it up shortly after it lifted off the
asteroid."  
     "I don't like it, Tigh." Adama shook his head.  "Is there somebody
out there already waiting and watching us that the shape-shifter is
trying to contact, or is the signal simply a desperate attempt to make
contact with its people as it flees the fleet?"
     "I wish I knew, Adama.  But military prudence would dictate that we
must assume that someone is waiting and able to pick up the transmission. 
From the captured star charts we got from the Ziklagi vessel, the signal
is being directed towards a star cluster where their Empire has a base.
Now, and we don't know why, the signal is not being sent on a
hyperchannel.  It's speed of light only.  All I know for certain is we
have to stop that signal."
     "Are you suggesting destroying the shuttle with Starbuck and Cadet
Pelias aboard?" Apollo asked directly.
     "That may be our only choice if they are prisoners of this
creature." Adama returned evenly.  "And even with so slow a signal, we
can't be sure that a ship or even a relay station might not pick it up,
and find us."
     "Shouldn't we first attempt to make contact with the shuttle and try
to force the creature to return to the fleet?" Apollo suggested. 
"Request permission to launch Blue Squadron,"  he repeated.
     "Apollo, why send out an entire squadron to retrieve an unarmed
shuttle, when surely one Viper would suffice?" Adama disagreed calmly. 
"Besides, with an ongoing need to conserve fuel, I don't believe it will
necessarily make an impact on the situation.
     "If I could take the squadron, the presence of more than one fighter
may be daunting enough to this creature to intimidate it to return to the
Galactica."   The Strike Captain's voice was rising.  "Father, we owe it
to Starbuck.  I almost had to fire on his ship once in a similar
situation, only this time, we know he's in that ship and that this is
beyond his control."
     "Perhaps not, Apollo," said his father, his voice even and calm. 
"But don't underestimate Starbuck.  You of all people should know what
he's capable of.  He is one of our best." Adama reassured his son. 
     "And as one of our best, he deserves our full support, Father.  Not
us hoping he can turn the situation around to save his own skin while we
watch safely from the Galactica.  Hades, he could very well be injured,
or dying.  Especially knowing Lieutenant Deitra's condition, not to
mention Cadet Jada's.  Let me launch, Father.  Even if we can't affect
the outcome with Starbuck by the time we reach the shuttle, Greenbean
will still need backup if there are Ziklagi ships out there."  Apollo's
eyes blazed with intensity as he pled his case.  This was his best friend
out there.  He was well aware that by withholding the data on the
shape-shifter's existence within the fleet, they may have signed
Starbuck's death warrant.  He'd be damned if he was going to sit on the
bridge and watch as the events unfolded.
     Adama was suddenly flooded with memories.  Memories of a young
Ensign Adama, practically begging his Commander to allow him to go and
make one more search for a lost pilot.  A pilot named Tigh.  He nodded. 
"Very well.  Launch Blue Squadron to rendezvous with Lieutenant
Greenbean."
     "Thank you, Sir." Apollo nodded curtly and left to assemble the
squadron.
     "I hope to God he can make a difference," said Tigh, after the door
was closed. "After all, this creature is responsible for the deaths of
Corporal Metz, and Fred, the custodial worker, from the Rising Star. Now
Cadet Jada, and God knows who else."
     "Colonel Tigh, Omega here. The shuttle from the asteroid will be
landing in four centons."
     "Thank you, Omega," replied the Colonel. "I'll be there presently.
Commander?"
     "I'll join you," said Adama.

* * * * *

     "Go frak yourself with a Viper, you...ugly freak!" spat Pelias,
feigning a courage he didn't feel at all.  The alien just stared at him
for a moment, then returned to his perusal of the instruments.  It did
not escape Pelias' notice that the creature seemed quite well acquainted
with the shuttle's flight control systems.  How in Hades had that
happened?  They'd only just encountered this...thing after landing on the
asteroid. Surely...
     Or had they?  As he watched the alien from his seat, Pelias recalled
part of a conversation he'd overheard between his uncle, Sire Feo, and
someone over the telecom.  He didn't know who his uncle had been talking
with, but the words "this alien, running around", and "strange ability,
from what..." came back with sudden force.  Had this creature been aboard
the Fleet, and his uncle known about it?  That might explain a few
things, like how it had gotten to the asteroid.  But, he'd shrugged it
off at the time, being more interested in twisting his uncle's ear to do
something for him, as usual, and hadn't recalled it until now.
     Twisting.  Seems like you're always twisting and manipulating, you
fat idiot. You'd try and wheedle the Gods on Judgment Day!  Okay,  let's
see you try and twist your way out of this one.
     And, speaking of twisting, as he worked on the bonds, he thought he
felt the belt slip slightly.  Maybe...
     He looked up, as the creature uttered a string of words loudly in
rapid-fire succession.  At least Pelias assumed they were words.  He had
no Languatron, and he doubted the thing would permit him access to one. 
Pelias drew in a long, slow breath, struggling to quell the sickening
feeling in the pit of his stomach.  An intense terror  lingered just
beneath the surface, and he could feel it building, growing, threatening
to consume him.  He had felt this way only once before.  The morning of
the Great Destruction.  He closed his eyes briefly, as the scene outside
the shattered remains of his bedroom window momentarily came back full
force. The burning buildings, the screaming fighters, the dying people. 
He had survived that.  He could survive this.  Had to.  So focus! 
Drawing upon every last bit of strength he had to push back his fear,
Pelias opened his eyes, and stared at the hideous alien, concentrating. 
And as he watched his foe closely, the words of Sargamesh, in that
horridly hot training session, came back to him.
     Study your enemy.  Watch him as much and as closely as you possibly
can.  As often as not, if you do, your enemy himself will show you the
key to victory.
     Not sure just what it was he was looking for, Pelias began doing
just that.  For the moment, Korax was bent over the instruments,
concentration fully engaged.  He strained a little to his left, and saw
what it was that appeared to fascinate the alien so. The shuttle's comm
suite.  The creature was fiddling with the unit, speaking from time to
time into the mic, and from what Pelias could hear, was getting only
static and crackle in return.  Since the alien would hardly be trying to
contact the Galactica, Pelias reasoned, it must be trying to contact its
own people.  Obviously, from the way it was reacting, it was having
little success.  For the moment at least, things were not entirely going
the alien's way.
     Okay.  He inhaled slowly. How to exploit that?


     "Ah, finally. The cavalry," muttered Greenbean, as he heard a soft
ping from his computer.  He had been feeling increasingly frustrated and
useless as he watched the shuttle from a distance, wondering what the
next move would be.  Ever present in the back of his mind was the signal
the shuttle was transmitting and the foreboding fact that he might have
to fire on her.  On Starbuck.  He switched scans, and saw several Vipers
coming up behind him.  They were in single file, and were running as
"quietly" as possible.
     Greenbean?  The words flashed across his vid screen, with the Strike
Captain's ID icon.  No ship-to-ship voice communication.
     Here. Captain Apollo?
     Yeah, it's me, Green.  What's the status of the shuttle?
     No change, sir.  Still on the same heading. 
     Life forms?
     No change there either, sir.  Two Human, one unidentifiable. 
     Signals?
     Still the same.  I'm jamming as best I can, sir.  If I crank the
power up too high, I could be detected.  Any orders from the Commander,
sir?  Greenbean's heart pounded in his chest as he awaited the next
transmission.
     Still waiting, Greens.
     He nodded though no one could see him and exhaled a sigh of relief. 
Temporary reprieve, Starbuck.  Now help us out here.


     Something is wrong, Pelias told himself as he looked around the
shuttle, careful that the foul creature wasn't observing him.  Something
didn't...
     We're not going full tilt. Why not? The engine sound...it isn't
quite right. Wait a micron! What if...
     Pelias' musings were cut short by yet another outburst from his
captor. It was clear that the alien was angry about something. But
what...
     Of course! The shuttle! It's damaged somehow! The firefight with
Deitra and the girls.  Hades, that must be it. 
     The alien's back still to him, Pelias tried to get a clearer look at
the controls. Squinting and craning his neck as much as possible, he
focused on the instruments.  The alien moved slightly, and then he saw
it.  A small flashing light, red, just to the left of the pilot's
station.  He tried to remember everything from shuttle instruction about
the layout of the ship's controls.  At least all the parts he hadn't been
daydreaming or outright snoozing during.  Now he really wished he had
volunteered to pilot with Jada on the way to the asteroid, instead of
deferring their turn until the return flight.  Jada.  He swallowed the
sudden lump in his throat.  Breathe, Pelias, breathe.
     Okay, now... The port engine main fuel pump.  When it goes off-line
for any reason, the back-up pump kicks in, and the warning light flashes. 
The main pump has greater capacity, so with only the backup working, the
engine's total thrust is reduced by...frak!  He couldn't remember the
exact amount, but he knew it was fairly significant.  With the other
engine automatically throttling back for balance...
     Right, that buys us some time.  But how much?  With the engines like
this, we're below light speed, but how much below?  Should have paid
attention, you fat astrum! That blue alien guy was right.  The tiniest
detail could end up making all the difference.
     Working his way up to a slightly higher position in his seat, Pelias
craned his neck the other way, trying to get a view out of the shuttle's
ports.  The helmet didn't help his view much, and he popped the neck
seals.  Suddenly, the alien turned around.
     "What are you doing?" Korax demanded.
     "Just trying to get more comfortable is all," replied Pelias quickly
as his heart hammered in his throat.  Frak, the beast was intimidating in
its ugliness.  "This helmet gets rather confining after a while."
     "Uhh," was Korax's reply.  He went aft, snatched up the helmet, and
carried it with him back to the pilot's seat.  Pelias cursed inwardly,
focusing on his anger to quell the fear.  He had planned to try and use
it as a weapon, provided he got the chance.  Obviously, Korax had had
much the same idea.  Fuming, the cadet tried to look out the ports.
     What the Hades...a Viper!  There, just barely visible, was a Viper,
pacing them. He couldn't tell if there was just one, or more were there,
beyond his view.  But he had to admit, it was a welcome sight.  Were they
going to fire on the shuttle?  Why had Korax missed them?  After a
moment, he looked over at Starbuck.
     Hmm.  Centars of tedious training came back to him.  Okay, you can
do this.
     He reached over, looking back to make sure Korax was otherwise
occupied, and got his fingers on Starbuck's suit radio controls.  As
before, it was stuck on beta channel.  He fumbled, caught his breath as
his adrenaline spiked, then willed his fingers to press the transmit key. 
Hopefully, this close, whoever was in the Viper would pick it up, and
hear... 
     "What are you doing?" demanded Korax. 
     "Just loosening his helmet," Pelias lied.  Lied quickly, though his
stomach flip-flopped.  It fleetingly crossed his mind just how quickly
and easily lies came to him.  Always had.  Yahrens of careful molding for
a career in bureaucracy were finally paying off.  Maybe, now, if he
could...
     As before, Korax relieved him of Starbuck's helmet.  As far as he
could see, the Lieutenant was still under, from whatever it was Korax had
done to them.
     "What in Hades did you hit him with, anyway?" asked Pelias angrily,
pretending to examine the limp lieutenant.  The entire time, the
proximity of the Ziklagi sent shivers down his spine.
     "A mild electrical shock is all.  Like you, he will recover in time. 
Apparently, the cumulative effect has caused a more severe reaction to
his last...treatment."
     "Mild?  You call that mild?  About as mild as a Base Ship point
blank! You damn nearly killed us.  You did kill Jada!" Real fury at the
savage treatment of his fellow cadet was simmering beneath his fear.
     "A miscalculation on my part, Cadet.  I was uncertain as to the
level of intensity of the current your species could endure.  The one you
call Jada was an unfortunate byproduct of a needful experiment.  It
matters not."
     "You are sick," said Pelias, truly revolted at this being's callous
evil.  
     "And you are weak and contemptible," Korax shot back.  "Be thankful
both for your gender as well as your connections, Cadet.  The female was
of no real value to me. You and the Lieutenant are.  For that reason
alone you still live."
     "How..." began Pelias, switching tacks, "did you do it?  On the
asteroid?"
     "My race possesses the ability to alter our form at will, Cadet. 
Within certain limits, of course.  What you saw on the asteroid was what
is known as a Rekka.  A creature from a desolate and inhospitable planet. 
It has the ability to store huge amounts of oxygen inside its body, and
can endure low pressure or even vacuum for several of your centars.  As
you saw, its hide is highly resistant to many forms of radiation, as well
as heat.  Hence your puny weapons did me scant harm."


     Captain?
     Yeah, Greenbean?
     Are you picking this up? There's a signal on a low-band Beta
Channel. I think it's coming from the shuttle, sir. It's Cadet Pelias.
     Switching.


     "You won't succeed," said Pelias, trying to sound braver than he was
feeling.
     "Oh really?  And who, pray tell, is there to stop me, Cadet?  You? 
Your friend, there?  Perhaps the ghost of Cadet Jada will show up, and
crush me?"  Once more, Korax smiled his hideous smile.
     "The shuttle is damaged."  He was silent a moment as his mind raced. 
"Yes, I know.  All those shots, from the rest.  They hit something.  Your
speed is down, oh, at least twenty percent."  Pelias had no idea how far
down it was, but it sounded good.  There had to be an element of truth in
any convincing deception.  His father had taught him that.  "You can't
even make light speed." 
     "Then it will be a somewhat longer ride, Cadet," replied Korax,
somewhat testily. 
     "Get real!" spat Pelias, the fury and desperation erupting over the
fear.  "Without light speed drive, we are yahrens away from the next
solar system, or one of your bases, or wherever it is you're headed. Face
facts, Over-Lieutenant.  Your only hope of survival is to turn around,
and head back towards the Fleet."
     "Oh yes.  Of course," sneered Korax.  "How obtuse, how utterly
brainless of me, not to have seen this.  Return to your Fleet, and
surrender myself.  Brilliant, Cadet.  Just brilliant."  With a snort,
Korax returned to the controls.  He studied them, trying to make sense of
everything he'd learned about this craft.  The cruel facts were just
that.  Pelias was right.  In its current state, the shuttle could not
accelerate into light speed, certainly not without running the pressure
in the pumps and manifold up so high it risked explosion.  Korax had no
particular desire to die in something as inglorious as an explosion
aboard an alien shuttle.
     The fact was, for all his experience and expertise, Korax was not a
particularly skilled pilot.  Though extensively trained in the Ziklagi
military on a variety of craft, he had washed out of fighter pilot
school, and his attempts to get around the restrictions had earned him
the ire of higher-ups.  Hence, his most recent assignment was aboard a
fleet slave runner, which had landed him in his current situation. It was
for this, as much as for various cultural imperatives, that compelled him
to his current actions, in a voracious and unquenchable thirst for status
and recognition. Of course, he wasn't going to tell this Human worm any
of that. 
     And Pelias being correct did not improve his mood any.


     Jolly?
     Yo, Skipper.
     Relay this back to the Fleet. I want the Commander to hear this.
     Right away, sir.
     Jolly.
     Yes?
     Quit calling me Skipper.
     Okay, Little Buddy.


     "It beats dying out here in the middle of nowhere," said Pelias.
"And my uncle is a member of our ruling Council of the Twelve. He wields
considerable influence. If you release us, I am sure that something can
be arranged, regarding you.  Perhaps even...a pardon, if I am returned
unharmed..."  He tried to remember every trick, every bit of skill at
wheedling and charm his father and uncle had ever shown him. "You need
not die." Maybe, just maybe, if he could get at this creature's ego,
maybe...
     "You might just die, if you don't stop your incessant prattle!"
snapped Korax, temper clearly fraying a bit.  
     With bile rising in his throat, Pelias realized he would have to
tread carefully.  "And deprive you of your prize money? Your
recognition?" replied Pelias, pouring the oil into his voice as much as
his condition permitted.  "You said it yourself, Korax.  We are, alive,
worth a lot more to you than dead."
     "That is OVER-LIEUTENANT KORAX to you, Human!" roared the Ziklagi,
rising from his seat, and taking a step or two towards his captives.  One
fist was doubled, as if to strike.
     He's getting angry. He won't be thinking rationally. Try and use it. 
Still a terrifying suspicion that the alien would simply bludgeon him to
death started his heart racing once again, as he struggled to keep his
features carefully neutral.  
     "Over-Lieutenant," said Pelias, almost obsequiously.  His fear made
the tone of voice achievable as much as he despised the subservient role
he was playing.  However, as Sargamesh had said, sometimes you must use
your enemy, against your enemy.
     "That is better." Korax sat down, and returned to the controls.
     "M-maybe we could...make a deal?" Pelias had put his voice into
whiney-astrum wheedle light-speed.
     "And what, precisely, could you offer me that I do not already have
control of? Eh, Cadet?  Your hand is notoriously light, to use one of
your gambling expressions." Korax looked at him. "Well?"
     "You and I both want to come out of this with a whole skin.  I could
help you...do that?"  He stressed the final words just enough to make
himself seem even weaker than he actually felt.  Which was about akin to
that of a baby felix.
     "And just what do you have in mind, Cadet? What in the Pit do you
have to trade?"
     "I could go outside, and...repair the damage," offered Pelias
hesitantly.  Actually, the idea of crawling around the outside of a
shuttle, in a damaged spacesuit was about as inviting as being ruled by a
woman.  But, here, one must bend to the situation.  "After all, I am a
fully trained shuttle pilot and technician."  For now, his ingrained
talent at manipulation was holding his fear at bay.  He focused on that,
trying to imagine that Korax was no more of a threat than any of the
Councilmen and aristocrats that he had dealt with since coming of age. 
It worked...sort of.
     "Oh, really," drawled Korax slowly. "And after I let you go outside,
you sabotage the ship even more."
     Ha!  Even more.  He admits it's damaged!  Got him.  Still, his heart
was pounding against his chest and he prayed that the beads of
perspiration in his hairline wouldn't give him away.
     Damn, but I can lie well.  Good work, Cadet.  Father would be proud.
     "That would be irrational, now wouldn't it, Over-Lieutenant?  I
sabotage the shuttle, and I'm stuck here too.  I'm just as anxious to
return to my people as you are to yours.  But neither of us is going
anywhere if the shuttle gives out.  And we don't have the fuel or
life-support for yahrens of travel."  Somehow, the fact that he would be
dead before ever being subject to dissection by Ziklagi scientists was
strangely comforting.
     Korax seemed to consider the options.  It was true, at their current
speed, the next nearest star on this course was close to two yahrens
away.  And while he could shift into something that could hibernate,
neither Human would survive that long.  He was sending out a signal
towards the Fleet Base in the Derdrin Cluster, but the signal was fairly
weak compared to Ziklagi standards.  Someone picking it up fairly soon
was problematical, at best.  He looked back at Pelias.  The two-eyed worm
was desperate to survive.  Perhaps, just perhaps, it would be foolish
enough to believe a promise?
     Xegex's Left Foot!  What a choice!
     "You can do this?" he asked at last, voice carefully neutral.
     "I can try." There was a long silence. 
     "Very well," said Korax, and moved to Pelias' seat.  He unbound him,
and took him by the arm, setting him in the co-pilot's seat.  "Look." 
     Pelias did so, giving the instruments a thorough once-over.  He was
surprised at how much mortal danger could sharpen one's wit and memory. 
A fleeting thought of all the useful words of wisdom from peers, superior
officers, his patriarchs and...that blue guy, flashed through his mind. 
I must remember to thank them all, Lords give me the chance.
     He glanced over at the shuttle's scanner briefly.  Most of the
ship's scanners were directed forward, Korax seeming to have chosen to
ignore what was behind him. Whether this was because of his utter
arrogance, an expectation that rescue ahead was close, or merely an
unfamiliarity with the tracking equipment, he had no idea.  But, it meant
that the Vipers trailing them were almost invisible on the scanner.
     "Well?" barked Korax, after a bare centon.
     "Alright, here," said Pelias, indicating the propulsion readouts. 
"This is fuel remaining, this is fuel pressure, and this is manifold
pressure."
     "I am aware of that.  You said..."
     "Wait.  This indicator shows the port engine's main pump.  If I can
restart it, we can increase speed in the port engine.  The starboard one
will automatically compensate, and we can go into light speed.  But, the
pump is not responding to the controls.  I'll have to go outside the
shuttle to do it."
     "I see.  Very well, Human.  But understand this..." He picked Pelias
up with his ugly, three-fingered hand, and held him nose to "nose".  "If
you can succeed in this, I will spare you.  You have my word."  An easy
promise, since he had no intention of keeping it.  Promises were a
weakling Human concept, after all.
     "And Starbuck?"  Pelias again looked towards the unconscious
officer.
     "I shall consider it," said Korax, quietly, yet with a cruelty that
told Pelias that he had no intention of living up to it.
     "Then we have a deal," said Pelias, wondering just how much further
this could be stretched.  Lords, if only Starbuck were awake and could
handle this.  Why...No, stop!  He bit his cheek as the panic suddenly
swelled.  He concentrated desperately on controlling his breathing.  He
could do this.  He'd never needed the help of the likes of the lieutenant
before.  He didn't need it now. 
     Or so he tried to convince himself.
     "Yes, Human. We have a...deal," Korax said, almost a hiss. "Pray I
do not find reason to alter it."


     He's up to something, Sir.
     I know, Greenbean. But what?
     God, can he sling the felgercarb or what? I felt like I was in a
Council Session!
     Me too, Grumio. Me too.
     Look, Skipper! The hatch is opening!


     One part of his training that Pelias had surprisingly enjoyed was
learning to space walk.  He found that he actually liked the feeling of
weightlessness, the freedom of his limbs from gravity.  Given a choice,
he would have preferred to do so in an undamaged (not to mention clean!)
spacesuit, but one must adapt.  As he slid out the opening jump hatch, he
felt the gravity vanish, and saw the stars in all their brittle clarity.
Solidity disappeared from under his feet, and he grabbed hold of the
handgrip on the shuttle's hull.
     He also saw the closest Viper, the light from the distant sun
reflecting off the canopy, barely discernible in the darkness.  Okay, you
can do this!  He took a deep breath and reached into his tool belt,
withdrawing a laser welder.  Pointing it at the Viper, he clicked it off
and on several times.
     "Cadet," said Korax, voice dangerous, over the comm link.  Pelias
nearly lost his handhold at the sudden intrusion into the silence. "Get
to work."
     "On my way," answered Pelias, breathing deeply to calm his racing
heart.  Come on!  Frakking concentrate!  You're acting like a frightened
lepus.  Gritting his teeth in renewed determination, he put away the
welder and climbed over the shuttle's surface, passing between the
thruster bells, until he came to the access hatch atop the craft.  He
took another slow, deep breath, and studied the machinery.

* * * * *

     "What in heaven's name is he doing?" said Tigh, watching the relayed
telemetry from the Vipers.  Although a bit fuzzy, it was clearly someone
in a suit, doing an EVA on the shuttle. 
     "Repairs, it would seem," said Adama.  "He's got something up his
sleeve for sure. I..."  He turned, as Sire Feo, all his seventh of a ton,
arrived on the bridge, and demanded to know what was happening.  As
usual, word had slipped out, despite orders, and the adipositous
bureautician was literally throwing his weight around.  Having scant
choice at the moment, Adama had to fill him in on the situation, which
did little to sooth the ruffled Councilman.
     "How could you let this happen, Adama?" accused Feo, as though it
was all Adama's fault.  "Letting him face this...this thing alone?"  
     "Sire Feo, I..."
     "If anything happens to my nephew, Adama," thundered the fat man,
"I'll personally see to it that you..."
     "Commander," said Tigh. "The signal has been cut off!"


     Skipper?
     Yeah, Jolly. The transmission has quit. He's done something.
     If this works out, the drinks are on me.
     Ooo, be still my beating heart!
     Can it, Giles!  We still have two men on that shuttle in danger!


     "I have the access hatch open," said Pelias, pulling up the cover
plate.  He grimaced.  The inside was a mess.  One of the girls' laser
shots had struck dead on.  Not only had the access plate been hit
resulting in a sizable hole, but underneath a junction, where numerous
wire trunks and conduits joined together, was scorched badly. He pulled
out a tester and tried to plug it in to the circuit box.  Nothing.
     He also looked up at the main antenna array.  The housing was
likewise scored by a laser hit, the cable partly burned through, hence
the comm unit switching to the backup antenna.  Good shot, girls!  Now,
if he could just...
     "Cadet!" called Korax, the alien's voice making his skin crawl. 
"Your progress?"
     "I'm trying to get the cover off," lied Pelias, who was grateful the
creature couldn't detect his rising blood pressure.  "It took a direct
laser hit, and the latch is fused."
     "Then unfuse it, Cadet. At once."
     Anger flared over fear.  By your command, astrum orifice!
     "Working on it," he lied again.  While making what he hoped were the
appropriate heavy breathing and grunting noises, he once more drew the
laser welder from his tool belt, and ran it up to maximum. Reaching as
far as he could, he aimed it at the antenna. 
     Do this right, and you buy some time.  Frak it up, and you and
Starbuck are toast. Okay...
     His aim was true, and the long antenna was sliced away, leaving only
a stump. Pelias just hoped the alien didn't suddenly feel inspired to
recheck the comm unit.  With no antenna now, sooner or later the standing
wave would build up in the machine, and burn it out.  At least no one
could hear Korax's call for help now.  The alien shut the engines down,
and the shuttle slowed, still coasting its way out of the solar system. 
     "Oh frak!" he said.
     "Cadet?" called Korax.
     "This is one Hades Hole of a mess." He shone his light deeper into
the shuttle engine. 
     "I do not need picturesque descriptions, Cadet.  Be more specific!"
demanded Korax.
     "The field coil housing is ripped open," he replied. 
     "Explain."
     "The shuttle uses a series of pulse generators or field coils,
powered by the tylium reaction, to initiate light speed.  The housing for
the coil assembly on this one is burned through.  I'm surprised the whole
frakking shuttle didn't blow up."  Korax did not at once answer.  "Did
you...
     "I heard you!" snapped Korax.  He was silent a few moments more.
     He's frakked!  Pelias wasn't sure whether to feel victorious or
worried.  He's in a box, and he knows it!  Now, if...
     "What can be done?" demanded Korax.
     "Well," began Pelias, trying to keep his voice fearful and cowardly,
and not having that much difficulty pulling it off, "I could try and
daisy-chain the remaining coils together, and see if I can re-energize
them.  The control circuits seem okay."  A lie.  The control assembly had
a nice hole where the cable usually was. Still...
     "Daisy chain?" said Korax with disdain.  "Explain."
     "Just an expression.  It means attempt to bridge the damaged
section, and link the remaining coils together."  Korax was silent for a
while.
     "Proceed, Cadet.  But beware, at the first hint of treachery..."
     "You don't need to remind me," said Pelias.  "We're all in the same
boat remember."
     The idiom made absolutely no sense to Korax, and he shrugged it off
as another bit of Human idiocy.  He got up, went to the water dispenser,
and downed a few cupfuls. He then turned his attention to his other Human
captive.  While he had given the Lieutenant a respectable jolt, he would
have expected him to have recovered by now.  He got up, and went over to
Starbuck, roughly grabbing his head, and turning his face to look at him. 
The Lieutenant appeared to still be insensate, but this one had a
reputation for a certain low cunning.  Korax slapped him, then took him
by the shoulder and shook him.  The Lieutenant stubbornly remained
motionless.  Snorting, Korax took the drinking cup and crushed it in his
fist, slashing Starbuck's cheek with one jagged piece.  Slowly, the
Lieutenant began to move. 
     "Awake are we at last?" he said, feeling good to be inflicting pain
once more.  He snarled in disgust at the color of the Human's blood, but
kept his horrid gaze on Starbuck.  He dropped the broken bit, as he
grabbed the Lieutenant's face again.
     "What the Hades Hole..." began Starbuck, playing it as cool as he
could.  He'd barely kept the scream in when Korax had cut him and could
now feel his blood dripping down his face.  "Where...?"  The period he
had seemingly remained limp had given his mind and body the precious time
needed to clear the haze fogging his throbbing head, and to regain
control of his motor functions.  His extremities, however, still tingled
from the effects of the latest electrical burst.
     "You are my prisoner, Human," declared Korax, standing over Starbuck
like a sadistic Drill Sergeant.  He repeated what he'd said to Pelias,
and Starbuck was unimpressed...having essentially heard it all before.
     "Well, can I ask when exercise period is?" Starbuck needled.  "I do
hope we get our packages from home soon.  I haven't had any chocolate
chip cookies all secton."     Korax just stared at him, and wondered at
the Human capacity for the inane.
     "I see you've earned your reputation for flippancy, Lieutenant,"
said Korax, scowling. "While you may find it entertaining, I do not, and
it will avail you nothing here."
     "Oh, that's too bad," said Starbuck, with an indifferent shrug. 
"And I had a whole list of new wisecracks to try out.  They're really
good, too.  A few about your mother.  Wanna hear 'em?"  He was cut off by
a whip-like hand grabbing his throat and wrapping itself around his neck.

     "No," hissed Korax, yanking hard, and pulling Starbuck almost to eye
level. Starbuck felt something crack in his back, and his ability to draw
a breath abruptly ceased.  "I do not.  Now either shut up, or as I am in
need of a new boot jack, I may find it necessary to use your jawbone." 
Korax shifted his grip to Starbuck's jaw.  "Do I make myself clear?"  He
squeezed with his incredible strength, as he toyed with the idea of
crushing the porous osteochondral tissue beneath his grip to simply drive
the point home.  The Lieutenant's body betrayed his sudden pain and fear
as he tensed from head to toe, while desperately trying to take a gasping
breath.  It would have warmed Korax's heart, if he had one.  It was
enough...for now.  "Good."  He thrust the feeble Human back against his
seat, and returned to the controls.
     Starbuck sucked a breath deep in to his lungs.  Frak!  That didn't
go so well.  Lords, save us from sociopathic aliens with no sense of
humour.
     However, two things had, indeed, gone in his favor, unnoticed by
Korax.  In pulling so hard, he had loosened the strap that bound the
Lieutenant.
     And the jagged piece of plastic was now resting unseen in the palm
of Starbuck's left hand.
 


     Apollo cranked up the magnification on his ship's optical scanners
as much as he dared, and focused in on the form of Pelias.  The cadet had
his head buried in the shuttle's engine, and was obviously deep into his
plan.  Apollo couldn't help but be impressed.  From all the fitness
reports on Pelias that he had read, from his initial induction to Deitra
and Starbuck's most recent evaluation, he wouldn't have thought the cadet
capable of what he was now doing.  Had it been his to decide, he would
have bounced the aristocratic jerk before he ever saw the inside of a
barracks.  He had to admit, space walking in a moving shuttle while it
was under the command of a hostile alien took some major guts.  Had they
all been wrong about the kid?  Did he, beneath all the pudginess and
attitude, actually have the makings of a Colonial Warrior?  Hades, if
they all made it out of this mess, he was tempted to recommend the kid
for a...
     Captain!  It was Greenbean.
     I see it, Greeners.  He's signaling again.
     Right.
     Apollo watched the flashes of light from the shuttle.  Pelias was
using the laser welder once more as a kind of signal lamp.  The code was
old, and Apollo did not at once recognize it.  He turned it over to the
Viper's computer.  It turned out to be an old form of communication known
as Morrison's Code, dating from even before the invention of radio.  Long
ago, wooden ships at sea would use their lamps to send messages this way,
and the very first electronic signaling machine, the teletapper, had
utilized it. Virtually unheard of today, Apollo was surprised that the
young cadet even knew of it.  He watched his screen as the translation
scrolled across.
     Ready to go in.  Wait for signal.  Move in when engine blows. Fire
across bow. Pelias.
     You guys all get that?
     Got it Skipper, but I'm not sure I understand what he's talking
about.
     I think I do.  When we see whatever it is, we move in.  Attack
pattern Epsilon Iota 5.
     Acknowledged, sir.
     They all acknowledged, and punched the pattern into their computers.
     And waited some more.


     "When the engines blows?" spewed Sire Feo.  "You mean...explodes?"
     "That is what the message said, Sire Feo," replied Adama.  The
Commander wasn't sure if he could handle much more of the corpulent
Councilman and his accusatory tone.
     "He...he could be killed, Adama! My nephew and only surviving
kinsman could be killed if that shuttle blows up!"
     No mong, Megabrain! thought Tigh as he recalled a happier time when
civilians were not permitted access to the bridge.  Of course, come to
think of it, Feo hadn't exactly asked for permission.
     "Adama, do something! I insist that you..."
     "Do what?" shouted Adama, rounding on Feo. "That shuttle is almost
to the other side of this solar system, Sire Feo.  What would you have me
do?  Order the alien to just stop?  Even at light speed, it would take
the Galactica almost a full twenty centons to reach them."
     "But..." spluttered Feo, unused to being spoken to so
condescendingly. "My nephew..."
     "Is doing his job.  As a Warrior, he is taking action to safeguard
both a fellow Warrior, and the rest of us.  That is the role he signed on
for, if you recall.  Now Sire Feo, I do not want to be rude, but if you
do not..." Adama stopped, looking up to see Siress Tinia at the entrance
to the bridge.  He uttered a silent prayer of thanks to whichever Lord of
Kobol was on duty just now, and by his expression bid her enter.  She
moved with her casual grace over to where Feo stood next to him. 
     "Sire Feo, well, I was just looking for you," she smiled. 
     "Ah...uhh, Siress Tinia. I..."
     "Council business, Sire Feo. You don't mind, Adama?"
     "Not at all, Siress." He tried not to either smile, or whoop, as
Tinia led the lathered Feo away.  Lords bless her!  He returned to the
monitors.
     "There it goes, Commander!" said Tigh.


     Pelias watched the indicator over the hatch, as it cycled to match
the shuttle's interior pressure.  It seemed to take bloody forever, but
in reality it was only about half a centon.  He took deep, calming
breaths as he waited.  Okay, so far so good.  The hatch opened, and he
saw Korax at the controls.  As he had expected, the slimy alien had not
deigned to help him out of his suit, but that "suited" Pelias just fine. 
If this worked out as he hoped it would, he'd need it.
     If it didn't, he might still need it.
     "Well?" demanded Korax, turning to look at him. 
     Once more, Pelias wanted to woof his mushies at the sight of the
horrid alien creature.  Lords of Kobol, who the Hades beat this thing
with an ugly stick?  He puffed himself up again with a little false
bravado.  Unfortunately, he could see past his own charade.
     "Done," reported Pelias, his mouth as dry from his tension as it was
from inhaling the oxygen of the environmental suit. "I've linked up
what's left of the pulse generator coils, and provided the main control
circuits don't overload and burn out, we should be able to jump into
light speed."
     "Excellent," said Korax, with all the enthusiasm of a clogged drain.
     "But we'll have to take it slow and easy," warned Pelias.
"Increasing the power gradually.  Bit by bit.  Do it too fast, and we're
stuck here permanently."
     "Pray to your Lords of Kobol that this does not happen, Cadet,"
warned Korax, voice ominous. 
     "Pelias?" said Starbuck, staring at him with shock and surprise.
"What the frak are you talking about?"
     "I'm getting us out of here, Lieutenant," replied Pelias, his voice
wavering.
     "By helping...that?" He indicated Korax with a jerk of his head. 
     "The Cadet is being sensible, Lieutenant Starbuck," interrupted
Korax.  "He is pursuing the only course open to him."
     "He's a traitor!" spat Starbuck, face filled with rage. "I knew you
were a spineless," he hesitated as he searched for the perfect words,
mixed with just the right scathing tone of voice,"...Jelly-Belly, Pelias,
but I never guessed you'd sell us out. Your own people."
     "Lieutenant, I..." Pelias took an involuntary step back.
     "Just like Baltar!  Lousy trailer-trash.  Treasonous, filthy
son-of-a-councilman..." Starbuck struggled to rise, but the bonds still
held him fast.  Korax pushed him back into the seat.
     "Calm yourself, Lieutenant." He looked down at Starbuck. "Or I shall
be forced to calm you myself. Do I make myself clear?" Starbuck made no
answer save a murderous glower at Pelias.  Korax once more grabbed him by
the face, and leaned close.  "Do I make myself clear?"
     "Y...yes..." Starbuck managed to grunt, as the creature's foul
breath blew in his face, and his stomach lurched.  Korax released him.
     "Good."  He returned to the controls, motioning for Pelias to join
him.  Pelias did so, his skin still crawling at the proximity of such a
horrid thing.  "Now. Shall we begin?"
     "Right," said Pelias, unable to wipe his sweaty palms through his
suit gloves.  Well, at least Starbuck seemed to be drawing most of the
alien's malevolence in his direction...for now.  He thanked the Lords for
the warrior's tenacity, and prayed that his peculiar choice of insults
reflected the lieutenant's capacity to read his mind.  He studied the
controls a few moments, double-checking that everything was exactly as he
intended.  He, or rather they, would get but a single chance at this.  If
he blew it, well, hopefully his uncle wouldn't...
     "Well?" said Korax, voice oily smooth this time. 
     Does he suspect?  I tried to cover my tracks, but what if..."Okay,
now," said Pelias, pressing the appropriate control.  The shuttle's
engines began to hum, then...

* * * * *

     Okay, that's our signal, guys, said Apollo. Fall back, then move in.
     Roger, sir.
     And for Lord's sake, don't hit him!


     Korax watched as the shuttle slowly began to pick up speed, the
indicator moving up and up. he smiled. The Human vermin had actually kept
his word. Maybe he should make his death a little less drawn out than
usual.  Maybe...
     No.
     "Excellent, Cadet," he said, pushing Pelias away from the controls.
He reached up, gripping the main throttles, and pulled back...
     Eeeeeeeeeeeeeooooyyyyyyiiiiiiiii!!!!!!!!!!!! screamed Korax, as the
control panel in front of him erupted in a shower of sparks and smoke,
hitting him directly in the face. Blinded by the explosion, he recoiled
in pain and rage.  Almost at once, he felt a sharp blow...
     "Eat mong and die, you freak!" shouted Pelias, striking Korax as
hard as he could across the "neck" with both fists joined.  "Starbuck!"
he cried desperately, praying the lieutenant could offer some assistance.
     "With ya, kid!" shouted the Lieutenant, tearing away the remaining
shreds of his bonds, and joining his younger charge.  Pelias had struck
three blows to the alien, but the hulking creature was not out yet. 
Heaving himself out of the pilot's seat, he lunged for Pelias, hands
extended.  His aim might have been excellent, but the shuttle at that
moment chose to buck wildly, and he was thrown wide, hitting the deck and
rolling. The shuttle seemed to tip wildly up on her beam ends, and about
half the lights went out.  The control panel continued to burn, and the
engines were shrieking like a soul in torment.  Starbuck lost his
footing, and fell next to Pelias, barely missing him.
     "What the Hades did you do?" he demanded, but got no immediate
answer, as Korax was suddenly upon him, slimy hands wrapped around his
throat.


     "My God, Adama, look at it!" said Tigh, pointing to the telemetry
relayed from Apollo's squadron.  The shuttle had spouted a jet of flame
from the port thruster, then gone into a wild tumble as the starboard
engine kept firing.  Fuel was venting violently from the savaged port
engine, forcing the shuttle into a wild spin. 
     "He's done it!" said Adama.  He at once ordered the Galactica to
change course, and rendezvous. 


     "Let...go of him!" screamed Pelias, as he kicked Korax again and
again with his boot.  He could hear the Ziklagi take pained breaths, but
the alien monster's hold on Starbuck was unyielding.  Thrown against one
of the cargo crates by the ship's tumble, Pelias grabbed something long
and hard in the half-light.  He headed back for the struggling pair.  He
raised up, but his first swing missed.  The object, a long steel pole,
pulled sparks from the deck plate.  Trying to right himself, he swung
again.
     Korax squealed like a leaking Triad ball, and let go of Starbuck. 
In spite of the pain, he tried to find his other antagonist as he rolled
away.  Another close miss from Pelias indicated his location, and
gathering his strength, he leapt towards the fat Human.  He found his
mark, exerting all of his strength against the puny creature.  Pelias
found lying flat on the deck himself staring up into the hideous face of
Korax.  If he'd thought the alien was uglier than the Imperious Leader's
astrum before, it was even worse now.  Injured by debris from the
explosion, it was covered in the Ziklagi's blood, a horrid gash laid open
across it.  Pelias struggled, all his adrenaline kicking in.  Even so, he
felt the steel bar fall from his grasp, as the creature clutched at his
throat, alien hands slippery with its own blood.
     "I will rip your entrails out slowly for this!" hissed Korax, voice
thick with his own pain. "You'll watch me eat your puny geni..."
     "Frakking go to Hades!" gurgled Pelias, struggling to his limit, as
the shuttle once more tumbled.  He spat in the alien's wounded face, and
one did not need to know the language to understand a shriek of pain.
"You are...dead, you frakking slug!"
     "Then I'll take you with me, Human!" hissed Korax through a rictus
of fury.  He squeezed harder, and Pelias' vision began to blur. "Die! 
Die and feed the worms in the Pit!" 
     Suddenly, there was a bright flash outside the port, and Korax was
distracted for a fraction of a millicenton.  Then it happened again,
followed by the sight of one of the Human fighter craft, racing by the
shuttle, firing across her bow.  There was obviously no hope of escape,
now.  But, he could still offer the gods this Human as a sacri...
     Korax screamed as something slammed down hard across his broad back.
Starbuck, momentarily forgotten, had recovered, and taking up the steel
bar, brought it crashing down on the distracted Ziklagi.  Korax tried to
roll, but Starbuck was like a daggit on a vulpon hunt.  He struck Korax
again, then again, giving the alien no surcease.  Then, he stumbled, his
foot slipping on the bloody swath on the deck, and he fell heavily, the
bar flying.  Slowly, Starbuck struggled to his knees, and blinked
furiously trying to clear his vision as blood and sweat stung his eyes. 
Korax was a hulking shape in the dim light, and he moved closer.  He
raised his fist...
     And Korax's powerful grip closed around his wrist, slowly crushing
it.  Starbuck cried out in agony as the bones were pressed closer and
closer together, at last having nowhere else to go, and still Korax
squeezed.  The alien looked at him, face truly something out of the
nethermost pits of Hades Hole, and then leapt atop of him, knocking the
wind from him.  Korax spat out something in his horrid language, and kept
on squeezing as he wrenched Starbuck's arm high above his head. 
Abruptly, the creature screamed, snapping up like a spring.
     Korax screamed again, as Pelias swung down, stabbing and stabbing
the creature with the piece of broken plastic Korax had dropped earlier. 
He slashed and tore and ripped, and Starbuck was at last able to heave
off the disgusting mess.  Korax, spurting blood and Lords knew what else,
tried to turn on Pelias, but Starbuck smashed his face with a doubled
fist, screaming himself as the pain rocketed up his arm.  But he was
drowned out by Korax, screaming even more hideously than before, as
Pelias stabbed and ripped his face and eye with the impromptu knife. 
Korax, now crazed with pain, rolled away, and tried to regain his feet,
all the while covering his face with his hands, blood and tissue oozing
between the fingers.  His screams rose, his whole body thrashing madly,
until Pelias, retrieving the steel bar, smashed him again and again,
until at last the vile creature was still. 
     "P...Pelias..." gasped Starbuck on one knee, trying to focus, as he
cradled his throbbing wrist against his chest.  Then, he crumpled to the
deck.  Slowly, Pelias became aware of a voice.
     "Pelias?  Starbuck?  Someone, answer me! Report!"
     Pelias stood over his enemy, chest heaving, hands covered in blood
as they grasped his makeshift weapon in a death grip.  He stared at the
mutilated body of the alien with horror.  His entire body began to
tremble and he fell to his knees, dropping the bar.  "Oh Lords..." he
gasped as a lump settled into his throat.  He doubled over, face covered
in bloody hands, as sobs wracked his body.  
     "Starbuck!  Pelias!  Come in!  Damn it, that's an order!"
     Awareness penetrated his emotional breakdown and he raised his head
slowly, hands still trembling as he stared at them mere microns from his
face.  It was Captain Apollo.  But how could that be?  He looked around
blankly as his overwhelmed mind tried to comprehend the significance of
the strike captain's voice.  But where...Yes!  The helmet speaker must
still be open.  Pelias climbed slowly to his feet as he tried to find it,
then remembered the shuttle.  He staggered towards the controls.  The
shuttle was still out of control, her instruments almost all fried to
scrap.  Some part of his brain remembering that he had better act soon,
he reached up, over the pilot's station, and opened a small hatch. 
Inside was a handle, and he grabbed it.  Pulling with all his strength,
in spite of his screaming injuries, he yanked down.  There was a loud
bang, and the shuttle shook as the entire drive section was jettisoned. 
Then, free of the damaged section, the tumbling began to slow, and he
could see a Viper, coming alongside. 
     "Captain Apollo. Sir...I..." heaved Pelias, as the emergency lights
kicked in at last.  Then oblivious to all, he collapsed.

Chapter Ten 

     It was like a warmth, a blanket of security, surrounding him. 
Protecting him from the horror...the screaming...the violence...and the
blood.  A crackling voice from the distance infiltrated the relative
safety of his inertia, pulling him back reluctantly from the comforting
arms of insensibility.
     "Starbuck.  Pelias.  This is Captain Apollo.  Do you read?  I
repeat, do you read?"
     Starbuck's eyes flickered open with a start.  He groaned as he
rolled over and sat up, quickly taking in the gory scene around him. 
Korax remained deathly still, surrounded by his own blood.  Pelias lay on
the deck at the foot of the comm suite, apparently unconscious.  
     "Jolly, how long until the Galactica...?" The Captain's voice was
brisk and tense.
     "Fifteen centons, Skipper.  Can you see anything?" His voice
hopeful.
     "Negative, Jolly.  No movement.  Okay, I'm going to link up with her
and stop her tumble. The rest of you get ready to put a line on her." 
     "Roger, Skipper." The rest of the squadron pulled back as Apollo
brought his Viper closer to the shuttle, firing his altitude thrusters
until he matched her velocity and spin. He shook his head for a moment,
finding the wild spin stomach-churning as Vipers appeared and disappeared
in the space of a few heartbeats. That done, he extended his landing
gear, until he made contact with the shuttle's underside. Then he
magnetized the gear, and the Viper and shuttle were locked together. 
Again maneuvering his ship, he brought the shuttle to a virtual stop,
making her "level" with the other ships.
     Starbuck saw the tumble stop at last, then heard the thump of the
tethers connecting.  Reasonably safe now, he took a deep breath as he
took stock of his injuries.  He wiped his blood stained hair out of his
eyes, careful to keep an eye on Korax as he slowly regained his footing. 
But not for long.  His right leg and back hurt like Hades, and he slid
back to the deck, holding onto the cargo crate for support. He flexed his
right hand cautiously, noting he still had good movement, despite the
discomfort.  It was already swelling, but if it was broken, it wasn't
that bad.
     He crawled forward to the controls, keeping his right hand splinted
against his chest, and leaned down beside the fallen cadet, feeling for a
pulse.  He sighed with relief as a steady, strong bounding was palpated
beneath his fingers.  He licked his dry lips and took a deep, steadying
breath as he reached for the comm, lifting himself carefully into the
pilot's seat.
     "Starbuck here.  Come in, Apollo."  Static.  He tried again.  Still
nothing.  He swore, then it slowly crawled back into his dazed brain that
Pelias had done something to the shuttle's comm gear.  Even if he hadn't,
the instrument panel was a charred, smoking pile of wreckage.  He heard
Apollo's voice again, and then Greenbean's. Was that Cree's too?  He
looked around, at last finding the source of the voices.  It was his
helmet, right next to his foot.  Or had it been Pelias'?  Frak, who
cared?  He grabbed it up.  "Star...Starbuck here."
     "Starbuck!" Relief was evident in Apollo's voice.  "What's
happening?  Are you okay?"
     "We're okay."  His gaze again returned to the inert creature as
suddenly his thoughts returned to the other half of his team.  "Sort of. 
Apollo, Deitra needs help..."
     "Boomer's already picked them up, Starbuck.  They're safely on the
Galactica.  All three of them." Apollo replied, quickly reassuring his
friend.
     Starbuck nodded numbly, his attention fully on the horrifying
creature that had called itself Over-Lieutenant Korax of the Imperial
Ziklagi Fleet.  He thought he had detected a faint movement out of the
corner of his eye.  One thing he had learned about his foe was not to
underestimate him.  For an astrum-ugly, humourless, shape-shifting blob
of a life form, the creature was cunning, dangerous and deadly.
     "Starbuck!  Are you still there?  Starbuck!" 
     Apollo's voice shook him out of his reverie.  "I'm uh...yeah,
sorry." He covered his eyes, as if rubbing them in exhaustion, never
letting his vision drop from the alien.
     "Where's the creature?  What's its condition?"
     "I'm not sure exactly. I think it's either dead...or damn close to
it." Starbuck replied as the events of the previous centons replayed in
his mind.  They had practically beaten it to a pulp with a steel bar.  On
the other hand, perhaps it was just waiting for him to move closer to it. 
His eyes flickered to the weapons locker.  The frakkin' piece of
felgercarb was right below it.  There was no possible way he could reach
inside to grab a laser without it attacking him again, if, indeed, it was
biding its time.  Waiting for him to make a mistake.
     "What about your suits? Can you get in them, and blow the airlock?
Make sure it's dead?" Even as the words left his mouth, he knew he should
be thinking about taking the Ziklagi as a prisoner and interrogating it,
not blowing it out an air lock.
     "Love to, Apollo." Starbuck replied wearily after a moment's
hesitation, as he waited for the Captain to countermand his suggestion. 
"But one helmet's got a busted faceplate, and both our suits are damaged. 
Besides, it managed to survive on an airless asteroid somehow.  I
wouldn't even trust vacuum."
     "Understood. Okay, Starbuck, the Galactica should be here in...about
eight centons.  We've attached a line to tow you to the landing bay."
     "Have a med tech standing, Buddy.  Pelias is out cold." He once
again checked the cadet's bounding pulse and nodded with satisfaction. 
The creature's blood was smeared all over the cadet's face, environmental
suit, and hands.  He was a frakkin' mess.
     "Already on the way, Starbuck.  What about you?"
     "I need about half a yahren in a turbo wash and a very large
ambrosa, preferably old and smooth.  A couple bumps and bruises.  Just
minor," he lied.  "I'm going to secure this frakker, Captain.  Stand by."
     "All right.  Starbuck, keep your guard up, Buddy." 
     "Duh." Starbuck responded, without thinking.  He shrugged to himself
as he slowly and painfully stood up, casting aside the helmet.  The
captain would shake his head and ignore the comment while making a mental
note to mention it to his wayward wingman later.
     Now...he limped over to the storage locker and pulled out a length
of rope.  His eyes flickered back to Korax and again he had the sense
that the frakker had moved.  His mind ran over the casualties that the
Ziklagi was responsible for.  Deitra was hurt, Pelias insensible,
Jada...dead.  Rage filled him as he considered the alien.  Easy, Bucko. 
Stay in control. Where the frak did he come from?  A ship?  Did he land
on the asteroid while we were there?  Is there a base nearby?  Or a
battleship of some sort?
     He hefted the rope over his shoulder as his eyes ran over the other
supplies in the locker.  His gaze settled on a long coiled wire.  A slow
smile spread across his face.  Sometimes the Goddess of Luck smiled upon
him in mysterious ways.
     Starbuck dropped the rope and grabbed the coil, unwinding it, as he
walked slowly towards the Ziklagi.  His internal klaxon had him tense and
ready as he approached the enemy.  He could feel the sneer upon his face,
as he moved ever closer.  I dare you.  Move.
     He leaned over the creature, the wire quickly maneuvered into place. 
He was battle-ready and his adrenaline surged into his veins.  He looked
down at the mutilated eye, its lid partially closed, as he tightened the
garrotte around Korax's thick neck.  "Wake up, you frakkin' piece of
mong."
     Korax startled in shock as the biting wire cut into his throat.  He
had assumed Starbuck thought him dead...or dying.  Apparently, the
lieutenant had been misleading his commanding officer when he reported
his condition to the captain.  His eyelid flew open in a spontaneous
response, but distorted blotches and flickering lights stared back at
him.
     For the first time, Korax felt a twinge of fear as he realized that
perhaps not all humans were as weak and vacillating as he first surmised. 
As he registered Starbuck's malignant presence, he recognized the same
deadly intent that he had seen in his own race many times before.  He
screeched in rage as the wire dug into his neck, cutting off his breath,
and turning his howl of protest into a sad and pathetic gurgle of
desperation.  Korax's clawed appendages reached towards the lieutenant's
face, bent on loosening his noose in the most expedient way possible;
that of pain.
     Starbuck ducked back out of the way of the reaching hands.  He had
doubled the wire around the creature's neck, so the motion only tightened
the garrotte, as a light green liquid oozed from beneath the wound. 
Ziklagi blood.  A cold, menacing calmness came over him, as he watched
the flailing appendages try to reach him only to finally return
desperately to the garrotte, while it choked on its own saliva and tried
to suck in one more life-sustaining breath.  For a moment, deadly purpose
consumed Starbuck with an intensity he had never experienced before.  He
could taste it and feel it pulsing through his veins, as his desire to
see the life force extinguished from the being beneath him urged him on. 
Even the pain shooting up his forearm did not deter him from his course
of action.
     The Ziklagi's body bucked wildly as Korax tried to unseat the man
straddling him.  He could feel Starbuck's legs squeeze his torso and the
garrotte tighten even further as the Human let out an animalistic growl
refusing to be diverted.  The Ziklagi's remaining vision began to blur
even more and his extremities started to tingle as oxygen ceased to
refuel his vital systems.  With fury and more than a little fear, he
realized he would soon be facing his Gods.
     Starbuck felt the creature's body weaken beneath him.  He clenched
his teeth and sucked in a deep breath as he forced himself to release the
pressure cutting off the creature's air.  He bent down over the limp
alien, whose tortured lungs were now sucking in gulping breaths of air. 
His voice was a menacing whisper.  "Where the frak did you come from?"
     Korax began to relax as he realized this Human was as stupid as all
the rest.  Their infernal thirst for knowledge was one of their numerous
flaws.  Still, he would not underestimate this warrior again.  The
Ziklagi pulled at the wire around his throat, only to have it jerked
tight against his skin once again.  His enemy would not allow him to
insert a barrier between his throat and the deadly garrotte.
     "Where did you come from?" Starbuck demanded, even as he heard
Apollo's voice sputtering over the abandoned helmet radio once again. 
Starbuck, come in.  Starbuck!  In hindsight, he reflected, he could have
put the mangled helmet on so the Captain could stay in contact.  However,
it would have decreased his hearing and peripheral vision, both crucial
when taking on a despicable creature like Korax.
     Korax was filled with a satisfying sense of guile as he sensed the
determination  of the Colonial Warrior.  The Human still didn't know he
had concealed himself within the Human fleet for sectars.  He wished he
had the ability to chortle in elation, but a malevolent sneer was the
best he could manage as he spat his words back at the lieutenant.  "I
boarded your transport from the Galactica itself."
     "That's a frakkin' lie!" Starbuck snapped as he once again tightened
the noose.
     "I watched your pathetic little group train in your Desert
Environment Ship." Korax rasped, wishing his could see the lieutenant's
reaction to his words.  "How do you think I learned to fly your craft? 
To speak your tongue?"
     The lieutenant's silence was answer enough.  "Ah, you hear the truth
in my words now, do you not?" Korax jeered.  "Yes, your people are easily
penetrated.  Easily killed.  They will be crushed under the mighty force
of the Ziklagi Empire."
     Starbuck snorted in reply.  "Yeah, well, sorry if I'm not impressed,
Pal, but I've heard it all before.  You're not the first mighty force to
come our way.  So far, we're holding our own." His mind reeled at the
information revealed to him even as the casual words of derision poured
from his mouth.  Frak!  He had to tell the Commander.  Lords, what if
there were others like this monstrosity hidden within the Fleet.  It
could be disastrous!  "So you decided to strike out on your own?  Life in
the Colonial Fleet not agree with you?  Not enough mushies in the broom
closet?  Or did your own people write you off?" He sensed the creature
tense beneath him.  
     "Was that it?" Starbuck's eyes flickered to the destroyed comm of
the shuttle.  Realization hit him that Pelias had been trying to stop a
signal of some sort.  Well, by the looks of the control station, the kid
had done a fair job of it.  He smirked as he watched wisps of smoke waft
through the flight deck.  Nice, kid. A bit drastic perhaps, but nice.
     "You will get no further information from me, lieutenant.  I am a
prisoner of war and, as such, expect to be treated with the appropriate
consideration of your species." Korax replied coolly, annoyed that the
Human had come close to the truth.
     Starbuck stared with renewed fury down at his prisoner.  "I'd be
happy to, bub.  I'll treat you with the same consideration you showed my
team." He tightened the garrotte once again and watched with cool
detachment as the greenish tinged blood again began to seep from around
the noose as the creature struggled beneath him.  "It's
over...Over-Lieutenant."  A drop of Starbuck's own blood landed on
Korax's face and began to blend with the Ziklagi's.  Starbuck wondered
abstractly if their blood types were at all compatible.  Probably not.
     Come in Starbuck!  Do you read?  Starbuck, answer me, that's a
frakkin' order, Lieutenant!
     He blew out a short burst of air, humourlessly, as his conscience
reminded him of his duty.  The creature was rearing up, struggling to
draw precious air into its chest.  So frakkin' tempting.  Lords, if he
was a praying man he might be seeking a little guidance about now.
     Korax's body spasmed violently as he fought desperately against the
puny Human.  How could it overcome him?  He should be able to overpower
the warrior easily, but...
     The creature went limp beneath him.  Starbuck stared down at it,
devoid of all emotion.  It occurred to him it might be dead. Yeah, right. 
Tell me another one, pal.  He slowly unwound the wires from his hands,
which were bleeding from his efforts.  He closed his eyes briefly,
drawing a deep breath and clenching his fists.
     Starbuck!  Come in!
     His eyes opened again and he looked over at Pelias.  The cadet
continued to lie prone on the flight deck, but his eyes were wide open,
staring at Starbuck with awe and... a little fear.  He nodded briefly at
the younger man as he rolled Korax over and began to tightly bind his
hands, wire biting into the tough flesh.  Only when he was certain that
the inert creature was secure, did he climb slowly to his feet and return
to the helmet.  He would get the cadet's help to stuff the creature into
the jump chute to contain it, providing the kid was mobile.  He wasn't
taking any chances.
     "Starbuck here."
     "What the frak is going on?  Are you okay?" Though the line on the
helmet comm was still open, all the Strike Captain had heard were bestial
cries and sounds of a struggle, as he waited the long centons for
Starbuck to respond.
     "Yeah, just had a little...trouble securing the alien, Captain. 
Pelias is awake.  I'll get him to help me stuff the frakker in the jump
chute.  Where's the Galactica...?"
     "Should be here any micron, Starbuck.  The jump chute's a good idea. 
I want you and Pelias to report directly to the Life Station after decon. 
Is that clear?"
     "Negative Apollo.  I don't know how much you heard over the comm,
but I need to report to the Commander ASAP.  I'll send Pelias on to the
Life Station."
     "Starbuck!" growled Apollo quietly. "One of these days you're going
to learn to obey orders, or I swear... "
     "What's that, Captain?" replied Starbuck. "Say again, you're
breaking up. Please..."
     "Breaking up my astrum," muttered Cree. Apollo heard it, but said
naught.

* * * * *

     "Can you get up, kid?" Starbuck knelt down beside Pelias.  "How
badly are you hurt?"  He gently rolled the stunned cadet onto his back.
     Pelias tried to rise, groaning as his exhausted body protested
vociferously any further movement.  He looked up at his CO in wonder as
he took in the transformation of the man.  Starbuck looked hideous.  His
face, hair and suit were covered in blood, some of it, the lieutenant's
own.  Despite that, his mien was concerned and kind as he placed a hand
gently on Pelias' shoulder.  It was a stark contrast to the cold-blooded
assassin the warrior had been a few moments before.  An involuntary
shudder ran through the cadet as he realized he had also been mad with
blood lust as he bludgeoned Korax with a steel pole and then slashed him
with the jagged piece of plastic.  But Starbuck...Lords, he had seemed so
calm and focused as he coolly leaned over the enemy and strangled him to
death...or not.
     Pelias glanced over to where the Ziklagi lay.  "Is he dead?"
     "Wish I knew for sure." Starbuck replied.  "Don't know squat about
it, and I can't find a scanner right now. Frankly, I doubt it." The
creature had not moved since Starbuck had removed the garrotte and bound
its hands.  Even when he returned with more wire to bind its legs, Korax
remained still.
     "You want to put him in the jump chute?" Pelias asked.  A vague
recollection of Starbuck mentioning something to that effect over the
helmet comm came back to him.  "Closest thing we have to a brig. Sir."
     "Yeah.  Are you up for it?"
     "Anything that gets that piece of mong further away from me, I'm up
for it." Pelias heaved himself into a sitting position, wincing as his
sore muscles ached.  He felt Starbuck's hand grip him beneath his arm and
support him as he stood.
     "You look a little green, kid.  You okay?" Starbuck held him as the
cadet swayed unsteadily.
     "Wasn't ready for the altitude adjustment quite yet." Pelias took a
deep breath broadening his stance.
     "You always did have an altitude problem," Starbuck quipped gently.
     "Did I hear you wrong, or did you really call me a Jelly-Belly back
there?" Pelias' lips quirked as he took in Starbuck's sparkling blue eyes
so close to his own.
     "Yeah, I know.  I definitely need some new material." Starbuck
returned, pleased to see the colour returning to the previously ashen
cadet.  However, the kid still looked like Hades, covered with the
Ziklagi's blood and tissue.  He didn't smell very good either.  "Deitra
and the girls are safely aboard the Galactica, Pelias.  We will be too,
within centons.  Captain Apollo and the squadron have us in tow right
now, and the Galactica is rendezvousing with us.  Just one more job to
do." He looked from Pelias to Korax.  "Stuff this piece of detritus into
the jump chute.  Are you with me, kid?"
     "I'm with you, Starbuck," Pelias replied, nodding in relief to hear
about the rest of their team.  "Uhhh, I mean sir."
     They approached the creature from either side, both men favouring
injured and sore body parts.  Starbuck met Pelias' eyes and gave Korax a
vicious kick in what could have been his genitals.
     "What was that for?" Pelias asked.  "Making sure he's out?"
     "Uh...sure."  He kicked him again.  "He's a tough
son-of-a-salamander."  He nodded once and they moved in together,
surprised to meet with no resistance as they dragged the creature over to
the jump chute.
     "Maybe he really is dead." Pelias suggested hopefully, straining
against the dead weight of the creature.
     "We can hope, but don't let your guard down. Not for a micron."
Starbuck muttered warningly as he opened the chute and helped the younger
man stuff Korax inside.  He sealed the chute, eying the switch that would
open the jump hatch and drop the alien into space.  His hand started to
move of its own accord towards the red switch which beckoned like a
siren's song.
     "Starbuck, the Galactica!" Pelias exclaimed as out of the corner of
his eye he caught the movement of the immense ship coming into sight.  He
had never before thought of the warship as beautiful, but that she was. 
Aye.
     Starbuck pulled back his hand as he watched his base ship appear. 
"Sit down, kid.  I'll grab the med kit." Starbuck commented as he located
the regulation issued kit.  Lords, there had better be something for a
headache in there!  Pelias, however, had not as yet complied. "That's an
order, Pelias."
     "Yes, sir," he obeyed. "I think I might kiss the deck," Pelias
muttered as he sat down heavily in the co-pilot's seat watching the
Galactica draw nearer.
     "Sometimes, she even kisses back." Starbuck retorted with a faint
grin as he joined the cadet, opening the kit and searching through it.  
     "I never thought I would be so glad to see her again." Pelias
whispered throatily.  "Never thought...I would see her again." He became
aware of the vipers towing them towards the closest landing bay as he sat
silently lost in thought, holding his head in his hand.  Above, they
could hear the clunk of Apollo's ship detaching.
     Starbuck's hand settled briefly on the hypospray already thinking
ahead to the next obstacle.  Apollo.  No, you need to be sharp for this. 
What the frak ever happened to a couple tablets for a headache?   He
discarded the hypospray and reached for a disinfectant and a thick
dressing, wiping his face.  He grimaced at the collection of vile colours
and textures on the formerly white pad.  Why did you look?  Just like a
kid blowing his nose, for Sagan's sake.  He grabbed another pad and
pressed it to the deep cut on his face, applying pressure and attempting
to stop the bleeding.  "You okay?"
     Pelias was quietly staring ahead at the approaching runway,
oblivious of the disgusting accumulation of sludge and slime on his face
and environmental suit.  He blinked a couple times and continued to study
the landing lights.  "How do you do it?  Day in, day out.  How do you
keep going?" his voice was strained, and he at last looked away, and
towards Starbuck.
     "I just do." Starbuck shrugged.  "I've done it for so long, I never
really thought about it before, I guess." He reached over and squeezed
Pelias' shoulder.  "You did great, Pelias.  You saved my astrum.  You may
even have saved the whole Fleet. Thanks, Cadet."
     "Now what happens, Lieutenant?" the cadet asked woodenly, his
adrenaline expended and a numbing exhaustion setting in.
     "We get brought aboard by manipulator arm. It's a part of your
training that comes later, but have a look." Pelias did so, watching as
the Vipers detached, and the shuttle was caught in the Landing Bay's
magnetic beam.  Drawn in slowly, it was grabbed by a long extending
manipulator arm, and gently guided the rest of the way in. They listened
as the crippled shuttle was set down in a cradle, and they were aboard.
"Okay.  Decon first.  We'll use chambers 11 and 12.  They're both
equipped with disinfectant  turbo washes.  There should be a generic
flight suit in there.  Just dump your gear in the bin.  After that, I
want you to report directly to Life Station.  There should be a med tech
in the bay to escort you."
     "What about you?" Pelias asked.
     "I need to report to the Commander.  We only have a few centons. 
Tell me what you did to disable the shuttle and scramble the comm suite."

* * * * *

     You'd think that after Lords knew how many enough yahrens of
decontaminating Colonial Warriors that they would have come up with a
more comfortable, warmer, less corrosive form of disinfectant spray in
the turbo wash, Starbuck reflected as he stood under the spray in Decon
Chamber 11.  The spray was like some kind of power wash found at a
Hovermobile wash station planetside in the Colonies.  Then again, if a
guy was going to get in and out of the facility in the military time
constraint designated by command, it was probably more expedient for him
to exfoliate several layers of skin at the same time the scunge came off. 
At least he got to wear goggles, and keep the muck out of his eyes.
     He felt more like an elephon at a zoological park than a Colonial
Warrior, as the lukewarm liquid pelted his skin.  The lacerations on his
face and hands stung like Hades from a combination of the disinfectant
and the backsplash of the spray.  His sore and bruised body wasn't too
happy about it either.  Well, at least it was invigorating, especially on
his lower back.  Hmm...maybe he could get Cassie to give the area some
special attention sometime soon...
     He sighed as he counted down the preset microns that were left in
the treatment as he mentally designed his own version of a Decon Chamber. 
First of all, the liquid would be hot and comforting as it gently sprayed
his battered body.  It would be specially formulated to be comforting to
torn and contused skin, not caustically designed to eat its way through
any potential microorganisms that could be missed by the ultrasonic and
light treatment that followed.  Oh, sure, the bugs would still be dead,
but they wouldn't take half his face with them.
     There would be a mini-bar with a nice array of ambrosa and ales. 
None of that peely-wally swamp water that they served in the OC as they
got closer to closing time.  Lords knew he could use a drink about now. 
A nice Gemonese sweetberry liqueur, I think. The 7300 vintage, if they
have it. 
     And how about some comfortable furniture to lounge about on while
waiting for Colonial technology to de-bug you?  Yeah, this decor, four
grey walls in a stark room was more reminiscent of Early Base Ship, than
the welcoming little room appropriate for the Colonies' finest warriors.
     The spray shut off abruptly and a low hum, and a soft reddish glow
filled the small room to indicate that ultrasonic and radion part of the
decontamination had commenced.  Starbuck reached into the recessed
cubicle and pulled out a towel, briskly drying his skin.  
     A fine selection of fumarello's would be a nice touch.  Yeah, light
up a smoke as you counted down the final few centons until one could
escape this enchanting little crypt.  He looked at the chrono above the
spray nozzles.  Just another centon and he'd be on his way to his
debriefing.  The chrono reached 0000, and everything shut off. 
Starbuck's eyes flickered over the green indicator light that signaled
the end of the process, as he removed the goggles.  A hatch opened, and
he moved into the next cubicle, and pulled out a light set of coveralls
from a locker, pulling them on.  His nose wrinkled as he realized the
seldom used coveralls smelled like damp daggit...or maybe that was just
him.  Someone definitely needed to talk to Laundry about this.  Wasn't
there people who took care of this sort of thing?  He shook his head as
he zipped up the suit, and looked for the disposable footwear. 
     He quickly finger-combed his hair into place and shifted his weight
restlessly from one foot to the other as he thought back to his departure
from the shuttle.  He had felt stiff as a board as he made his way off
the shuttle with Pelias behind him.  Still, as he always said, better
"stiff as a board" than "bored as a stiff".  Apollo had made it clear
that they were to leave the alien for the Elite Forces squad that would
be standing by upon their arrival.  It had been a direct order that the
Strike Captain pointedly repeated.  Normally, the lieutenant would have
argued giving up custody of his prisoner, but this time he had decided to
make an exception.  Frankly, he felt like mong.  Old and fragrant mong.
     Starbuck had gently pushed Pelias ahead of him towards Decon Chamber
12 while he struggled to hide his all too apparent limp.  His hamstring
muscle had been twisting in knots from just above his knee to the middle
of his astrum.  He didn't know what muscle extended from his astrum to
the middle of his back, but it had been aching as well. He had also been
well aware the trickle of blood down his cheek had not stopped, and when
he rubbed the wound he could feel a strange grit beneath his fingers. 
Almost as if something was pushing its way up through the wound.  Grit. 
Microbes.  Some form of festering felgercarb that had come from the
Ziklagi and would be undoubtedly eradicated by decon...he hoped.  He had
expected to have the seeping laceration under control when he saw the
Captain; he was certain that it looked worse than it really was.  
     Starbuck had taken a quick look around to see if he could spot the
Strike Captain amongst the multitude of bodies before he entered decon. 
The Elite Force was taking up positions around the shuttle, each man
standing out from the rest with his two-toned black and red left sleeve,
and black jackets.  As on Boron-Din, they were entombed in their armor
and other equipment. They parted to reveal Apollo engaged in deep
discussion with Major Croft.
     Starbuck had hesitated between talking with his friend and getting
de-bugged so he could get on with his objective.  Just then Croft nodded
abruptly and shouted some orders to his men.  Apollo caught sight of the
lieutenant.
     "Starbuck!" he had called out.  Apollo had briefly grasped Croft's
shoulder adding a couple more words and then strode quickly towards his
friend, catching up with him just short of Chamber 11.
     Starbuck had stopped with his hand paused on the control.  His head
and arm had continued to throb and his fervent wish had been for a turbo
wash and then his bunk...but duty called.  "Thanks for the assist."
     "Anytime, Buddy.  Are you sure you're up for a debriefing?  You look
like utter mong."
     "And it is a joy to gaze upon your smiling face as well, O My
Captain. You're just jealous because Ziklagi bodily fluids are all the
rage this season and I've cornered the market on them." Starbuck had said
sardonically.  "I promise, I clean up really nice.  Just ask Cassiopeia."
His pulse had accelerated just a bit as he had wondered if Apollo was
going to order him to report to the Life Station first, which was the
usual protocol.  He really need to report the Ziklagi's presence in the
Fleet to the Commander.
     "How are you really?" Apollo had asked earnestly.  
     "Stiff.  Sore.  Dirty.  My bladder might explode if you hold me up
any longer.  Really, I'm fine.  This is important, Buddy.  The commander
needs to hear it.  I can go to the Life Station afterwards to get checked
out."
     Apollo had sighed and nodded.  "Okay, if you're certain."
     Starbuck had flashed him a grin and stepped towards the decon
chamber, moving more like an old man than the vibrant young warrior. 
Before the door had swooshed closed, the lieutenant had noticed Apollo
shake his head at his friend's stubbornness and then turn to give Croft
and his team the 'go-ahead.'
     The soft glow of the overhead lights suddenly flickered, abruptly
ending his reverie.  He blew out a breath impatiently and pounded the
control as he waited while the annoyingly slow automatic door slid open.
     The landing bay was in total chaos.  Elite Forces swarmed the
shuttle and the landing bay in a precision search.  Major Croft barked
off orders to his men as he orchestrated the action.  The shuttle was
being gone over from bow to truncated stern, and others were scanning the
bay in every direction.
     "Frak," Starbuck muttered, getting a bad feeling in the middle of
his gut.  His heart began to race.  He could clearly see Apollo, also in
the middle of the action.  Starbuck's adrenaline kicked in and, his
discomforts momentarily forgotten, he paced the short distance to the
Captain. "What the frak's going on?" he demanded, as he placed a hand on
Apollo's shoulder and physically turned him around.  As he did so, he saw
both the Commander and Colonel Tigh enter the bay.
     "The alien's escaped." 

Chapter Eleven

     The alien's escaped.
     Cold fury had filled Starbuck as he heard those words.  Hades, after
all they had gone through, the frakker had simply...disappeared.  After
watching the captain exchange a few brief comments with his father,
Starbuck had accompanied Apollo, the colonel, and the commander directly
to Adama's office. Throughout the silent turbolift ride and march down
the corridors, Starbuck had felt the fury settle into a numb resignation
that the alien had, as he had feared all along, simply been feigning
death and biding its time.  What, he wondered, did it take to actually
kill the piece of mong?  As the door to the office had closed, the
lieutenant took a deep breath and wasted no time in relaying the more
pertinent parts of his story, revealing the unbelievable information that
the Ziklagi had been concealed within the Fleet for some time before
boarding the Colonial Shuttle.
     "Korax didn't say anything that implied there are any more of them,"
Starbuck said as he ended his report. "But shouldn't we do a security
sweep of the Fleet..." His voice trailed off as he finally took stock of
his superior officers' faces. He had expected surprise, shock, anger, or
deep concern. Instead, to his disbelief, Commander Adama simply pursed
his lips and nodded briefly. The Colonel cleared his throat and looked
away, shifting from foot to foot.
     What the...and then it hit him. No way...
     "Why do I get the feeling that you're not surprised by any of this?"
Starbuck asked after a pause.  He narrowed his eyes, studying his
superior officers.
     Commander Adama sighed after exchanging a look with Tigh and Apollo. 
"Starbuck, we were...aware of the shape-shifter's existence within the
fleet."
     Starbuck felt as if the deck had suddenly vanished from beneath his
feet as his mind swirled in confusion.  "What?  And you didn't think the
rest of us would benefit from this information?" He felt the breath catch
in his throat and shook his head in disbelief that Adama would have kept
this to himself.
     "Starbuck, if this kind of information had leaked out, the civilian
population would have panicked..." Apollo started reasonably as he went
to place a hand on his friend's shoulder.  "Above all, we have to..."
     "What?  You knew too?" Starbuck stared at him in shock, as he pulled
back out of reach. "Sagan's Sake, Cadet Jada died..." His voice broke,
but he swallowed the lump in his throat and steadied himself.  "Horribly.
Burned and torn like..."
     "For which I am truly sorry, Starbuck, " Adama told him,
"Nevertheless,..."
     "What the frak do you mean by 'nevertheless'?" Starbuck's choice of
words reflected raw emotion.  "I took those kids down there thinking it
was a standard training mission.  We followed procedure.  We checked out
the asteroid.  We weren't warned to be looking for our enemy from within
the fleet!" His body tensed with mounting fury as he stared at the three
officers in disbelief.  Lords, he had never felt betrayed by his
commanding officers before...until now.
     "Lieutenant Starbuck, just calm down and listen." Colonel Tigh told
him patiently as he watched the officer tread dangerously close to
insubordination once again.  "We had legitimate reasons..."
     "Reasons?"  Starbuck returned disdainfully, his voice barely above
an enraged rasp, as he clenched his fists at his sides.  His heart raced
as his mind's eye replayed the day's events.  "What possible reasons
could you have had?  Unless they include the fact that subordinate
officers and cadets are considered expendable?"  He watched them wince in
response to that, but it simply wasn't enough.  If they could feel just a
fraction of the betrayal and fury that he was experiencing, then they
might possibly understand how he felt.  His body was so tight with anger
and tension he was certain he was about to explode.
     "Starbuck..." Adama began, recognizing the intense emotion in the
young man.  The lieutenant had been to Hades and back.  Starbuck flashed
him a look that stopped his words short, as he glared at the commander in
resentment and, something Adama had never seen before on those familiar
features, distrust.
     Tigh could feel his anger rise, but reigned it in despite the
accusation that he did not care about the men and women under his charge. 
"Lieutenant, do I need to remind you that you just spent a sectar doing
disciplinary duty..." 
     "Remind me?  Hades, no!" He snorted in disgust.  "Well, at least I
know you won't dump the difficult trainees on me again.  We all know I
can't frakkin' well keep the cadets alive until graduation!" Starbuck
shouted in return.  Visions of Jada's bloated, disfigured body hit him in
the conscience like a laser blast, as he glared back at the Colonel.  He
was as close to the edge as he had ever been, and didn't care whether he
simply jumped over or was pushed.  It wasn't the first time in his life
he couldn't care less what happened next.  He knew it wouldn't be the
last.  
     Tigh drew himself fully erect and took a deep breath, as he prepared
to try again. He reminded himself that Starbuck had been through a
traumatizing experience, as he felt the muscles in his jaw twitch with
his own rising temper.  He felt a restraining hand placed on his
shoulder.  Adama.
     Discipline in the ranks had become a joke, the council had informed
the commander over a sectar ago.  Following the destruction of the
Colonies, moral had been practically nonexistent.  It had been the black
humour in the dourest of situations that had helped pull the men through. 
It had been the humour, the practical jokes, the witty retorts, the
illicit card games, the bootlegged liquor, the post-curfew parties, and
the general camaraderie of the ranks that had transformed the battered,
savaged remnants of the offensive force of the Twelve Colonies of man,
into the existing organized, skillful, courageous squadrons of the
Battlestar Galactica.
     Command had been more than understanding at first.  Hades, they knew
the men needed to vent their frustrations as much, if not more, than the
civilians.  But finally, when new cadets spurned discipline based on the
tales, if not examples, of the seasoned veterans, it was time to amend
the situation.  Starbuck's disciplinary duties had been one of the first
examples of the fact that strict discipline in the ranks was being
enforced once again.  They would no longer tolerate the men speaking out
of turn, showing up late for patrols, skipping briefings, or any other
breach of duty.
     In a quick glance, Adama could tell the next few microns would
either make or break the young man before him; a man that Adama had known
since he was a carefree young cadet in the Academy.  Adama barely
recognized him as he considered him now.  Starbuck was positively
trembling with pent up frustration and emotion as he stood facing them
all, purposefully distancing himself as though he was facing the enemy
and wanted to keep them in his line of sight.  His hands were clenched
tightly and his breaths were uneven as he fought to maintain some
semblance of control.
     "Starbuck, you did everything possible given the situation." Adama
tried to reassure him.  "It wasn't your fault." He took a step towards
the lieutenant.
     Starbuck reflexively retreated from Adama.  He gulped in a deep
breath and clenched his teeth together as he felt his emotions engulf
him.  He shook his head as if to ward off both his unwanted feelings and
his commander.  He wanted to shout in outrage.  He wanted to throw things
across the room and see them break into a million pieces.  He wanted to
kick the furniture until it cried for mercy!  Mercy...
     "I was in command.  I... should have been there." he choked out as
he stared helplessly at Adama, who looked back at him with compassion. 
Starbuck's eyes flashed to Tigh, who looked uncomfortable with the
circumstances, but stood steadfastly by.  Apollo, on the other hand,
looked concerned and nodded his head in understanding as he tentatively
moved towards his friend.  Lords...
     Starbuck turned his back on the men as he felt his entire body begin
to shake.  Heat engulfed him and he felt his guts twist as a wave of
dizziness hit him.  He put out a hand to steady himself and the agony
that shot up his arm was intolerable.  He felt his shoulder hit the wall
of Adama's office as he cradled his forearm against his chest.  He
twisted slightly so his back rested against the hard surface, supporting
him as the three men approached him as one.  They appeared to be reaching
out for him.  His vision seemed distorted. He held up his uninjured hand
in a self-defensive posture even as he started to slide down the wall. 
"No..." he protested, refusing to give in to the vertigo that threatened
to suck him into the depths of Hades Hole once again...
     "Colonel..." Adama had only to say the word before he heard Tigh on
the comm urgently calling for a med tech.  The commander noted that
Apollo was already on his knees beside his friend, but Starbuck continued
to hold his hand defensively before him, keeping them at bay.  By all the
Lords, he hadn't seen the likes of this for yahrens...then again, perhaps
there was simply something physically wrong with the lieutenant if the
painful arm was any indication...
     "Easy, Buddy, help is on the way," Apollo told Starbuck as he
watched the man's eyes flicker wildly around the room as he took gulping
breaths.
     Starbuck fought back the desperate urge he had to scream in outrage
as he tried to focus on something...anything.  He couldn't lose it
here...not in front of Adama.  His reputation as a competent warrior
would be shattered if that happened.  His career would be in ruins.  He
closed his eyes and tried to force back the rising panic that was
threatening to consume him.  "Frak..."
     Visions of Jada and the shape-shifter penetrated his consciousness
as he tried to will himself to calm down.  His breath caught in his
throat as memories of losing his life support systems on the asteroid
flashed back to him.  It was like a culmination of his worst nightequas,
only he was wide-awake!  His eyes flew open to escape the visions and he
locked his gaze on Apollo who was muttering incomprehensible sounds as if
he was speaking to a small child...as if he was talking to Boxey.
     Suddenly, that struck Starbuck as funny, especially since he could
still feel the ire at his friend's lack of trust simmering beneath the
surface.  He sniffed in amusement as he listened to Apollo yammer
comforting words to him.  It was exactly the distraction he needed as a
ridiculous picture of Apollo cradling him in his arms pervaded his
thoughts.  He felt his body begin to relax as he focused on the Captain
and his preposterous murmuring.  
     Apollo continued to whisper reassurances as he noticed his friend's
transformation.  Starbuck's body gradually ceased to tremble and his
breathing eased.  He stared seemingly transfixed on Apollo until a smirk
appeared, the corners of his mouth lifting in apparent amusement. 
"Bucko?"  
     "I'm okay," Starbuck told him, believing it to be true.  His
emotional miasma was again under tight control.  "I...uh..., guess
I...should have reported to the Life Station."  Despite his discomfort
over the situation, he had not forgotten their deception regarding the
shape-shifter.  He looked over at Adama and Tigh who were quietly
speaking to each other, but kept their eyes on him.  No, he would not
lose it, not here, not anywhere, despite the burning in the pit of his
stomach at the knowledge that his superiors had withheld such vital
information.  He sucked in a slow breath. 
     Apollo looked at him questionably.  "What's going on, Starbuck?"  He
watched his friend carefully as the familiar insouciance again masked all
emotions.  
     Starbuck raised both his hands, this time looking at the backs of
them and noting the tremor than wouldn't stop.  His right hand was
swollen.  "Frak..." He looked up to see green eyes staring intently into
his own.  He suddenly felt like he was playing the hand of his life.  He
couldn't let Apollo know how close he had come to falling apart.  As
difficult as it was, Starbuck met the searching gaze as he clenched his
hands into fists, grimacing at the abrupt pain in his right arm.  At
least the pain brought him entirely back into the moment.  "Uh, I think
maybe I should go to the Life Station, Sir.  Not feeling that
great...Captain."
     "No kidding." Apollo replied as he heard Med Tech Tone enter the
room.  He squeezed Starbuck's shoulder and then moved out of the way, not
missing the cool politeness directed his way.  
     Tone squatted down beside his latest patient and began running his
medical scanner over the lieutenant.  "What happened?" he asked as he
assessed the man. 
     "I...uh...just felt kind of...dizzy..." Starbuck replied evasively. 
     "Anything else?" Tone asked Starbuck.
     Starbuck shook his head, not particularly wanting to share his
meltdown with the med tech, or anyone else for that matter.
     Tone raised his eyebrows in doubt and then looked at the captain.
     Apollo nodded hesitantly, almost feeling as if he was betraying
Starbuck's confidence.  "He went ballistic.  Started shaking and..."
Apollo looked at the commander and colonel for confirmation and saw them
nodding encouragingly.  Starbuck, on the other hand, looked at him
accusingly.  "He was having trouble catching his breath.  Then he reached
out for the wall with his right arm and just...collapsed against it."
     "Landing here on his astrum?" Tone asked as they nodded their
agreement.
     "Lieutenant, you should have reported directly to Life Station." The
tech berated him as he recognized the familiar results on the medical
analyzer that verified Starbuck had been another victim of the alien
creature's electrical bursts.  Starbuck tightened his jaw as he began to
feel like a particularly anomalous mutation of microorganism being
examined under a microscope.  
     "What's wrong with him?" Apollo asked, eager for information. 
Something about Starbuck's sudden recovery wasn't sitting right with him.
     "He must have been subjected to the same electrical current that
Lieutenant Deitra was.  It was just less intense.  It scrambles the
central nervous system." He replied to the captain as he tipped
Starbuck's chin up and shone a light into his eyes.  Starbuck jerked his
head back in response and closed his eyes, wincing in discomfort. 
"Headache?"
     "Yeah," Starbuck replied.  The dull throbbing in his head had
persisted for so long, he had almost forgotten about it.  At least until
the frakking light had reminded him.  He felt a wave of nausea and closed
his eyes for a few moments waiting for it to pass.
     "You also have a hairline fracture in your right arm.  Can you walk,
Lieutenant?  I'm certain Dr. Salik will want to do some more extensive
tests on you." Tone disturbed him from his reverie.
     "Of course I can walk," Starbuck replied indignantly as he looked
back at the tech.  He felt Tone grab him under one arm and Apollo under
the other as they pulled him to his feet.  The room dipped to his right
and he felt their grasp on him tighten as his knees threatened to buckle
beneath him.  His back and leg began to ache once again.  C'mon, Bucko. 
You eat Base Ship's for lunch!   Pull it together!
     He gritted his teeth and forced himself to remain erect while trying
to maintain his nonchalance.  "Thanks." He muttered to them as he
shrugged himself loose.  Okay, you're on your feet.  That's better.  You
can do this.
     Apollo stayed close as he noted the brief look of determination that
crossed Starbuck's face.  "Are you all right?" 
     "Perfect." Starbuck replied briskly, not bothering to meet Apollo's
gaze.  
     "Lieutenant Starbuck, please accompany Med Tech Tone to Life Station
for a complete physical evaluation from the attending physician." Colonel
Tigh instructed him.  Starbuck looked tense, caught between wanting to
continue the debate and wanting to escape their company.  "We'll complete
the debriefing when you've been released from medical care.  Any
questions?"
     Starbuck turned to look at the Colonel and pulled himself erect. 
"Yes, Sir.  Request permission to return to the asteroid to retrieve
Cadet Jada's body." 
     Tigh raised an eyebrow as he considered the request.  "Starbuck, I
think we need to see a medical report from Dr. Salik before we put you
back into the field.  Even for this."
     "But..." Starbuck started to protest.
     Adama held up a hand.  "Starbuck, I promise you, we will bring Cadet
Jada back to the Galactica.  Whether or not you're able to attend."
     "No, Sir." Starbuck contradicted him, as he looked him levelly in
the eye.  "You'll bring her body back, not Jada."  He held his
commander's eye for a few microns before turning crisply with a muttered,
"Sirs", and preceded Med Tech Tone into the corridor, his gait awkward
and slow.

* * * * *

     His body felt heavy, like the weight of the worlds was upon him, as
each limb sunk down into the lame excuse for a bed called a biostretcher. 
His eyelids were closed as he tried to get his exhausted body to relax
enough to sleep.  Lords, he was done in!  Once he had assumed a
horizontal position, his fatigue hit him hard.  Clobbered him actually. 
But even as his physical being cried out for rest, his mind defied his
every attempt to kick back, as a restless urgency filled him with the
need to escape the gallmonging Life Station and the team of people who
wouldn't leave him alone.
     "Lieutenant Starbuck, the results of the diagnostics give every
indication that the symptoms you're experiencing should disappear
completely." Dr. Salik told his patient.
     Starbuck opened his eyes and nodded from where he was stretched out. 
They had poked, prodded and scanned every conceivable part of him until
he felt like a laboratory rodent running laps on a wheel.
     "How are you feeling now?" Salik asked the man.  His patient hadn't
exactly been forthcoming since arriving in Life Station.  He had had to
cajole every bit of information out of the Lieutenant as he assessed him
from head to toe, revealing a fractured arm, numerous contusions and
lacerations, and strained muscles in his back and leg.  More often than
not, it was Starbuck's reaction to Salik's searching fingertips that told
the story rather than the lieutenant.  Especially, in the case of the
relatively minor first-degree burn he had received on his left shoulder,
where an electrical type current had entered his body.
     "Fine." Starbuck replied.  His headache had finally ebbed to a dull
pressure pulsing slightly at the back of his skull.  Tone had already
mended his facial and hand lacerations and fractured arm, and Starbuck
had just finished regeneration treatments on his back and leg.  He would
be unlikely to require any more treatments after his initial response,
which had been excellent.  His shoulder was a bit sore, but with the
tingling and numbness in the rest of his body, he really hadn't noticed
it until Salik had began pressing on the reddened skin as he examined
him.  Does this hurt?
     "Now, about your outburst at the debriefing..." Salik watched
Starbuck take a slow, deep breath and his jaw tighten almost
imperceptibly.  Almost.
     "Hades, Doc, it's been a bad day.  Can't I have a bad day once in a
while and just leave it at that?" Starbuck could feel a familiar
tightness in his chest and abdomen, which was beginning to build with the
line of questioning.  If Salik would just leave him alone and let him get
out of there, he could relax.  How was a guy supposed to relax when
everyone was at him constantly?  He sighed.  Oh, he could hear the
Officer's Club calling his name.  There was a particularly large ambrosa
there with his name on it.
     "Starbuck, that is the understatement of the sectar.  From what I
understand, you've all been through Hades.  I just want to talk to you
about how you're handling it."
     The Life Station was a busy place where the primary focus was the
physical recovery of the patients and, in a military situation, their
timely return to active duty.  Salik and his colleague, Dr. Paye, were
well aware that there was a hole in the health team that had not been
filled as yet.  They needed a psychologist...or at the very least, a
trained counselor, to handle the emotional well being of their patients. 
The holistic approach to health care that had once been the pride of the
Colonies had indeed deteriorated since the Destruction, with the loss of
valuable health care professionals.
     "Just fine." Starbuck replied.  How was he handling it?  Hades, he
was handling it as well as anyone else who lived with the constant threat
of mayhem, death and destruction hanging over their heads.  That was the
life of a warrior.
     "Starbuck," Salik paused as he mentally counted the amount of times
the warrior had said 'fine' since arriving in Life Station.  "Are you
sleeping?"
     "Sounds like a great idea, Doc." Starbuck grinned at him.  "Let me
out of here and I'll go get some sleep."  He could hear his bunk calling
too.  The OC was calling more insistently though, he realized.
     "Starbuck...if you want to go back to full flight status, you'll
cooperate fully.  I'm not doing this for my benefit." He watched the
lieutenant's grin disappear and an annoyed scowl take its place.  "Are
you sleeping?"
     "Every night." Starbuck replied briskly.
     "Nightequas?" Salik asked.
     "Uh..." Starbuck hesitated.  Hades, just about everybody in the
billet woke occasionally from nightequas.  It was normal.  "Yeah, the odd
night."
     "How many in the last secton?" Salik asked, arms crossed behind his
back as he rocked on his feet.
     "A couple, I guess." Starbuck low-balled.  Lords, he couldn't
remember when he last had a good night's sleep, unaffected by nightequas. 
But that was normal.  He knew he wasn't the only one.  No big deal.
     "Have you been having any trouble concentrating?" 
     "No." As long as you start your day off with two or three cups of
java, you're just fine, Bucko.  Just like everybody else.  No problem.
     "Have you felt irritable?"
     "Me?" Starbuck raised his eyebrows in surprise.  "Hardly." He
snorted.  He was a one-man social committee after all.  That reminded
him, he had a card game to organize.  He looked at his chronometer.
     "Have you felt tense?  Pressed for time?  A sense of urgency?" Salik
asked, as he watched the warrior's actions.
     "Not since I thought I was going to end up being dissected by
Ziklagi scientists."     Salik sighed again and shook his head.  "Any
flashbacks?"
     "No." Not that he was certain what one was necessarily, but it
didn't sound like something a warrior desperately wanting to return to
flight duty should have.
     "Any concerns?  Issues that you're having difficulty dealing with?" 
     Fleeting thoughts of Chameleon entered his mind.  "No, I'm..."
     "Fine.  Yes, I know." Salik cut him off.  He scanned through the
extensive medical reports, suspecting that Starbuck was not
whole-heartedly cooperating with his attempt at a psychological
assessment.  Physically, Starbuck checked out.  His residual symptoms
still needed to completely resolve before he could be cleared for active
duty. Meanwhile, any psychological issues were either being suppressed or
ignored.  The consummate card player hid his emotions well...until they
spiraled out of control in Commander Adama's office turning into the
apparent breakdown that Med Tech Tone had recorded on the medical record. 
Unfortunately, the military had a long history of telling their men to
'deal with it' when these problems arose.  Even in the more recent
pre-destruction period, with the appropriate help available to the
victims of Combat Stress Reaction, it was the victim's tendency to avoid
seeking help that was the biggest problem.  Instead, many warriors turned
to substance abuse to deal with their emotional disturbances.  "All
right, Lieutenant.  Consider yourself released.  I want you back here in
forty-eight centars for another complete assessment.  I'll reconsider
your duty status then.  For now, you're on mandatory medical leave."
     "Why?  I told you, I'm okay." Starbuck snapped, as the words hit him
like a slap in the face.  He had naively expected to be cleared.  Frak! 
If he could just get back into his viper...
     "You still have a burn to heal, full sensory and motor function to
return to your body and besides all that, you need to get some sleep.  As
much as you deny any problems, you look like mong.  You need to rest,
Lieutenant." Salik replied, watching an array of emotions flicker briefly
across Starbuck's face before he again reined them in and curtly nodded
in reply.

* * * * *

     "I can't believe the sealing ceremony is just over a secton away. 
It feels like it's been a...a long road." Sheba smiled across at Apollo
as she sipped on her drink.  Lords, they deserved this rare opportunity
to get together with friends...family really, in the Officer's Club for
some relaxing conversation.
     "More like a flight path." Boomer interjected with a smile.  He
squeezed Athena's hand gently across the table, and her eyes met his,
acknowledging they had been on a long road of their own.
     "Looks like you're embarking down your own flight path," Sheba
laughed at them as she watched for Apollo's reaction at yet another
display of affection between the couple.
     "You could say that." Athena teased as she winked at Boomer.  "It
was the path of least resistance, after all."
     "Oh, and I was hoping it was my irresistible charm that finally
convinced you I was a worthy suitor." Boomer replied, elaborately rolling
his eyes in mock dismay.  "Now she tells me it was just...physics."
     "More chemistry than physics," Athena responded with a chuckle.
     Apollo cleared his throat loudly, "If anyone starts talking
biology..." 
     They all laughed as the Captain dramatically loosened his collar. 
"Seriously though, Boomer and Athena, we're very happy for you."  He
raised his own glass to his sister.  "I couldn't imagine a better match
for you than Boomer.  Not even if I picked him myself."
     "I think I just felt a chill run down my spine at the very thought
of that," Athena quipped for the benefit of her older brother.
     Apollo chuckled at her response.  "Hey, I think I've done a fair job
of keeping my nose out of your relationships."
     "Yeah, except when you put Starbuck on a sectar long duty of
long-range patrols when we first started dating." Athena returned with a
devilish grin.
     "Did you really do that?" Sheba burst out laughing at the less than
subtle strategy.
     "I did not." Apollo replied emphatically, but his smile still
hovered on his lips.  "However, I'll admit I did think about it."  His
grin suddenly disappeared as thoughts of Starbuck's debriefing invaded
the pleasant occasion.  "Did you see Starbuck after the Life Station,
Boomer?"
     "He was passed out on his bunk when I was heading here.  Haven't
really had a chance to talk with him though.  He was already in the
debriefing when I tried to connect with him earlier.  I had actually
thought he would go to Life Station first."
     "Yeah, well..." Apollo sighed.  "Suffice it to say he had something
important to tell us.  He put off the Life Station until...later." 
     "The creature." Boomer said quietly, and watched Apollo nod his
agreement.  Of course, he and Athena had heard all about the
shape-shifter from Kyna and Kefira on the flight back to the Galactica.
     "I'm worried about him, Boomer.  I've never seen him so..." Apollo
paused, trying to find the right words.
     "What?" Boomer asked in concern.  "Un-Starbucklike?"
     "Out of control." 
     "Isn't that Starbuck personified?" Sheba asked lightly, though she
could read the tension in Apollo's body.
     "Not like this." Apollo denied.  "I don't really want to get into
the specifics," he looked around the crowded OC.  "Especially here, but
it's like this mission hit him harder than anything ever did before. 
Even the Destruction."
     "Maybe you should talk to him," Sheba suggested as she tucked her
long hair back off of her face.
     "Somehow, I don't think he'd really be all that receptive to me
right now." Apollo still vividly remembered the look of betrayal on
Starbuck's face when he learned that the Captain knew about the
shape-shifter already.  
     Silence hung heavily over the table for several microns.
     "Sagan..." Athena muttered.  "It was pretty horrifying, even from my
perspective.  Lords, the shape Deitra entered the shuttle in..." An
involuntary shudder ran through her body.
     "How is Deitra now?" Sheba asked.  "When I went to Life Station she
was asleep."
     "Dr. Salik says she should regain full use of her left arm.  She's
already undergone extensive surgery as well as regeneration treatments. 
Believe it or not, she wants to be at the debriefing for the training
mission tomorrow." Athena replied, shaking her head in wonder at her
friend's resilience.
     "I know," Apollo replied.  "I was tempted to order her to remain in
Life Station, especially with all those tubes going into her.  She
insisted she wanted to be there for the cadets final evaluation though. 
Even if it has to be in a hover chair.  If Doctor Salik doesn't release
her for that, I'll rig up a vid link to the debriefing."
     Boomer nodded, "It was rough down there.  I can only imagine what
they all went through.  And that creature.  It was...evil."
     Sheba sucked in a deep breath, "Yeah, though evil isn't strong
enough a word. It seems to like inflicting pain and suffering.  Even the
Cylons don't enjoy what they do. Well, enough doom and gloom for one day. 
Welcome back to flight duty, Athena.  How are you doing?"
     "I know this sounds...stupid, for lack of a better word.  But, it
felt right.  I knew what I was doing and, for a change, I felt like I was
making a difference.  I would get so frustrated at times being on the
Bridge and listening as the action unfolded elsewhere.  Especially,
knowing that I could contribute..." She paused as she tried to find the
words to communicate her feelings without making the contributions of the
Bridge officers sound any less important.  "I mean, not that we don't all
contribute of course.  It's just..."
     All three warriors nodded their understanding.  They were accustomed
to being in the middle of the action, not watching from the command
center, though Sheba had spent time on the Pegasus bridge after Molacay,
as part of Cain's crew rotation plan.
     "And how do you feel about Athena's new contributory role, Boomer?"
Sheba asked with her usual frankness.
     "Uh, Sheba," Apollo interrupted, "Perhaps that's something they'd
rather discuss in private instead of in the middle of the Life Station."
     "Life Station?  Don't you mean the Officer's Club?" Sheba asked, her
eyebrows arching.
     "That's what I said." Apollo told her, hoping it was true.
     "No, you said Life Station.  Didn't he?" Sheba sought verification
with Athena and Boomer.
     "Sorry, Buddy, you most definitely did say Life Station." Boomer
shrugged.
     "Yep." Athena smiled ruefully, knowing full well Sheba and Apollo
had recently argued about that very thing in the Life Station.  "But,
Boomer and I have already discussed it.  He's okay with it." 
     "Oh?" Sheba asked with a knowing grin on her face.  Sure, they said
they were okay with it at first, but then the second discussion came
along and then the third and then...
     "Uh, well, it's difficult." Boomer shrugged.  "Yeah, I want her
safe.  But, as a pilot, I know how she feels about flying.  I don't
pretend that it's never going to come up again.  But given our current
circumstance, none of us have the luxury of avoidance because of how we
feel."
     Apollo smiled sagely.  "You're a wise man, my friend."
     "Of course he is, he's dating your sister," Athena told them with an
easy grin.  "Now, Sheba, tell me about the wedding plans..."

* * * * *

     With all the misery and mayhem that constantly threatened their
happiness, it had been nice to while away a few pleasant centars with
Athena, Apollo and Sheba in the Officer's Club.  It had strangely warmed
Boomer's heart when the discussion turned to their wedding plans.  Athena
had Sheba discussing every detail of the big day as she ooh'd and ahh'd
with each revelation.
     Lords, why do women do that?
     Apollo was the classic groom, smiling and nodding as Sheba
positively glowed with happiness.  He seemed to have difficulty dragging
his gaze away from her.  Meanwhile, he surreptitiously talked about Triad
and work in Boomer's ear as the women pulled their chairs closer to share
in the excitement and romance of the event.
     Apollo also talked about Starbuck.
     Now, as Boomer stood in the dimly lit billet with pilots dozing all
around him, he watched his friend sleeping peacefully.  At least, he
hadn't appeared to have moved a millimetron since Boomer had left for the
OC.  Starbuck was still lying on his stomach, face half buried in his
pillow, one arm above his head and the other hanging off the bunk.  His
face was turned away from Boomer.
     Lords, that was some kind of tired to not even move in four centars.
     Boomer pulled off his flight jacket and quietly stowed it in his
locker.  The usual sounds of the rest period filled the air.  Snoring,
murmuring, scratching, bumping...a loud gaseous explosion filled the
room...oh, yes, and the flatulence.  He really wished Greenbean would
stop eating the damn faba's. 
     He again looked back at Starbuck as he pulled his tunic over his
head.  That was strange...something was different...Starbuck's entire
body was tense and his right hand, which dangled off the bunk, was curled
as if it was a talon...He could hear a faint mumble coming from that
direction.  He walked towards his friend's bunk, first tossing his tunic
carelessly into his locker.
     A slight gasp, as if his breath was caught in his throat, choked its
way out of the sleeping warrior.  His right hand sought purchase as it
grasped at the air desperately reaching for...something.  "Starbuck?"
     A loud snore from Giles was the only response.
     Starbuck tossed his head from side to side mumbling incoherently as
his left hand grabbed his pillow in a death grip.
     A nightequa.  Boomer sighed in relief when he realized that was all
that was wrong.  For a moment he thought that Starbuck was actually
having trouble breathing.
     Lords...
     As he had done a hundred times before for fellow warriors, he leaned
over his friend and gave his shoulder a firm, but gentle shake. 
"Starbuck, wake up.  It's just a dream, Buddy.  You're back in the
billet."
     A tremor ran through Starbuck's body and he vaulted himself up on
both hands as he choked out, "No!"
     "Easy, Bucko, it's all right." Boomer gripped his shoulder again.
     It still had him!  By the shoulder!  Starbuck stared forward into
the darkness and paused only a micron before he moved.  He twisted to his
right and grabbed the slimy creature with both hands around the neck,
choking the frakkin' life out of the despicable one-eyed excuse for a
life form.
     Boomer gaped in astonishment as Starbuck's hands wrapped around his
throat and began to squeeze the life out of him.  Blue eyes glared with
enmity into his own, teeth bared in a rictus of malignant intent.  He had
barely seen it coming; Starbuck had reacted so quickly, rolling to his
side and rising as he placed one foot on the deck to get leverage. 
Boomer might have been impressed if his good buddy wasn't trying to kill
him.
     Boomer's own training kicked in and he immediately thrust his arms
through Starbuck's and outwards, using his adrenaline and considerable
strength to break the choke hold as he leaned over the crazed warrior. 
"Star..." he croaked as he hesitated to press his advantage.  It was a
mistake.
     Starbuck quickly recovered and drove his fist into the creature's
strangely hard abdomen.  He heard the grunt of pain as the breath was
expelled from beast.  Lords, that was weird...
     "Hey, Boomer, keep it down, would you?  Some of us are trying to
sleep," a voice mumbled from across the room.  
     "Give the guy a few Sagittarian Ales and he's crashing into
everything in his path..." Another sleepy voice muttered.
     Boomer doubled over, feeling Starbuck's hands grasp the back of his
neck.  He tried to force air into his starved lungs as he calculated the
millimicrons that would pass before Starbuck's knee would crash into his
face...but it didn't.
     Starbuck's chest heaved as reality penetrated his waking nightequa. 
The slimy creature in his arms wasn't so...slimy.  The skin was dry
and...hairy.  The scent was familiar.  The shape...was all wrong! 
Starbuck pulled his hands off his victim's skull and stepped back in
horror.  "Fr...frak," he stuttered as he stared at..."Boomer".
     Boomer leaned over, hands on his knees, convincing his respiratory
system to start again.  He gasped as he wrapped one hand over his aching
gut and the other over his throat while he straightened up.  He looked in
disgust at Starbuck.
     Starbuck's eyes darted around the billet, taking in the familiar
surroundings.  He was so sure that he was back on the asteroid.  "Are
you...okay?" he asked Boomer tentatively.
     "Oh, just great for a guy who was almost throttled by one of his
best friends." Boomer growled in reply.
     "But how...?" Starbuck tried to comprehend how he could go from
sleeping to choking the living daylights out of Boomer.  He clenched his
fists at his sides, noticing for the first time he finally had full
sensation back in his fingertips.
     "That's what I was wondering.  What in Hades has gotten in to you?"
Boomer asked in exasperation and concern.
     Starbuck shook his head, as words failed him.  "Sorry..." he
muttered, suddenly thankful that he was in the billet and had not spent
the night with Cassiopeia as she had suggested.  Lords, if it had been
Cassie's slender neck within his grasp...He covered his face with his
hands and rubbed his sleep filled eyes as horrifying visions of what
might have transpired flooded his imagination.  Hades, am I cracking up?
     Compassion replaced anger as Boomer watched his shaken friend. 
"You'll do anything to increase your odds for the next Triad match, won't
you?" he remarked lightly.
     Starbuck puffed in reply lowering his hands.  "Yeah, that's me,
Buddy.  Anything to gain the edge."  He exhaled slowly, appreciating
Boomer giving him an opportunity to pull it together.
     "C'mon.  I think we need to have a talk." Boomer grabbed Starbuck
lightly by the arm and lead him away from the sleeping men.  He paused as
he wondered just where to go for some privacy that was close by in the
middle of the night.  Of course.  
     Starbuck followed numbly along, still aware of Boomer's guiding
hand.  It was as if his friend was afraid he would bolt or something. 
Scattered images of the last secton raced through his mind, occupying his
thoughts until a bright light abruptly interrupted his reverie.  He
realized they were standing in the supply closet for the billet.  "Nice
digs.  Who's your decorator?"  His eyes followed Boomer as the lieutenant
searched for something along the heavily laden shelf. 
     Boomer smiled slightly as he reflected it hadn't taken Starbuck long
to contain his emotions and return to his trademark humour to get him
through a difficult moment.  His hand dug behind the cleaning solutions
to find the hidden bottle of courage.  He pulled it out and handed it to
Starbuck.
     Starbuck looked at Boomer with eyebrows raised.  "Is this a question
or a recommendation?"
     "We're going to talk.  Face it.  You're not that good at it." 
Boomer watched as his friend paused before taking the bottle from his
proffered hand, removing the top and taking a swig.  Starbuck's face
screwed up into a grimace as the fiery liquid hit his throat.
     "Boomer, I think you...cough...just gave me a...cough...turboflush
cleaner to drink." Starbuck sputtered at him.
     "My, my, aren't we getting particular in our old age.  I remember
when you wouldn't have noticed the difference."
     "Yeah, well, that was last secton.  My tastes are more refined now."
Starbuck rejoined as he cleared his throat.  The tension of the previous
centons ebbed as the warmth spread from his stomach throughout his body,
cutting through the numbness that had pervaded his very being.  What the
frak.  He took another swig.
     "Your refinement is slipping." Boomer commented.
     "Refinement is like a piece of clothing.  Easily worn and just as
easily tossed." Starbuck replied as he passed the bottle back.  "I didn't
know you had a stash."
     "Yeah, well, sometimes the OC is too far away, Buddy.  You're not
the only one to have a hard time dealing with all this mong."  Boomer
raised the bottle to his own lips but the aroma alone was almost enough
to singe his nasal hairs.  He shook his head, recapped it, and passed it
back.
     Starbuck had already noticed the layer of dust on the bottle and
sighed as he regained possession.  "Don't patronize me, Boomer.  You
obviously haven't used this bottle for some time."
     "No.  You're right.  But I've stared long and hard at it several
times." He chuckled.  "It probably helps that it tastes so frakkin'
awful."
     "Tastes like it was distilled through Giles' socks." Starbuck
returned.
     "His briefs actually.  His socks refused to have anything to do with
it." Boomer quipped and laughed quietly at the look of revulsion that
passed over his friend's features.  "So, tell me what's going on, Buddy."
     Starbuck gazed at the bottle, twirling its contents and watching the
vile liquid slosh against the dirty glass. "Nothing, really..." he said
at length.
     Boomer cocked an eyebrow. "Nothing? You call leaping out of bed to
nearly strangle me 'nothing'?"
     "I - no." Starbuck kept his gaze focused on the swirling liquid. "I
was back on the asteroid," he said. "I was fighting that...thing that
attacked us. I wanted..." He closed his eyes as he yanked the cap off and
gulped down two, then three mouthfuls, exhaling slowly as the burning
sensation washed down his throat. Finally, he said, voice barely audible,
his gaze focused beyond the bottle, "She was my responsibility."
     "Starbuck," Boomer placed a hand on his friend's arm. "I know a fair
amount of what happened down there.  It sounds to me like you did
everything possible to keep those cadets safe.  Hades, you were almost
killed.  So was Deitra.  It's amazing we didn't lose the entire team.  I
don't get it, Buddy.  Why are you hanging on to this?  You need to let it
go.  As much as I hate to say it, Jada wasn't the first cadet that we've
lost in combat."
     "You don't understand, Boomer." Starbuck said despondently as he
leaned back against the shelving unit.  He tipped his head back against
the hard surface and closed his eyes.  Frak, he was tired.  He felt as
though he could sleep for a sectar.  Just lie down and make it all go
away.
     "Of course I understand.  I was there with you when we lost Bow and
Shields over Arcta.  Remember?" Boomer gave him a little shake, feeling
like he was being tuned out.
     Starbuck snorted as he lifted the bottle once again and met Boomer's
searching gaze.  "Yeah, I remember that I was in command there too," he
replied quietly before tipping the bottle to his lips once again.  
     "Please tell me you're not still carrying that around with you. 
Sagan, Starbuck, that was sectars ago.  Listen, if it helps, I wouldn't
have done anything differently.  We didn't know that pulsar cannon was
down there.  Then the cadets disobeyed a direct order... There was
nothing more you could have done.  There was nothing more anyone could
have done."
     Starbuck nodded.  Hades, he had told himself the same thing
repeatedly until he believed it.  But this time it was different.  This
time...He dropped Boomer's gaze.
     "What?" Boomer asked softly, recognizing that look on his friend's
face.  He had known Starbuck too long not to recognize when his friend
was truly distressed.
     Starbuck sighed.  "I knew Pelias and Jada wouldn't check their
equipment before heading out.  To teach them a lesson, I..." He felt
Boomer grip his shoulder and looked up to see familiar dark eyes watching
him with compassion and empathy.  "I removed the master control to the
Mining Stabilization Units.  That was why Jada was killed by the Ziklagi. 
She was returning to base camp to get it.  Frak it all," he muttered as
he sank to the floor of the supply closet.  The bottle clattered against
the cold steel as he pulled his knees to his chest and dropped his face
into his hands. Guilt overwhelmed him so intensely that his chest felt
tight as he waited for his friend's reaction to his admission
of...negligence.
     Boomer pursed his lips and stared hard at the lieutenant.  He
inhaled, then exhaled slowly as he considered his buddy's words,
considered how to answer, considered how - or if - he could pull him out
of this one.  He couldn't remember a time when he had seen this much raw
emotion, seen him this...desperate. Finally, he dropped to his knees and
placed both hands on the lieutenant's shoulders.  "Starbuck," he said
quietly but firmly.  "Starbuck, look at me."  A pause.  "Look at me."
     He gripped a wrist and pulled a hand away until anguished blue eyes
gazed at him.  Oh, dear Lords.  "You were on a dead hunk of rock that
clearly had no life signs, correct?" He didn't wait for a response.  "You
were on a training mission. A training mission.--" he grasped the
lieutenant's other wrist when he tried to look away.  "Look. At. Me."    

     The hard tone to Boomer's voice more than anything pulled his gaze
back.  That, and the hauntingly familiar tingling in his fingers as his
friend gripped him tightly.  "Yeah, a training mission..." Starbuck's
words were a faint whisper.
     "I would have done the same thing," Boomer said. "Given how much
they had been goofing around, I bet anyone else would have, too."
     Starbuck looked back at him skeptically as he tried to imagine
Boomer or Apollo using his less than conventional methods. He shook his
head ever so slightly, refusing to believe the unlikely possibility. 
Even Deitra had called him evil when he had told her what he had done.  
     "It's true." Boomer averred.  "Besides which, I'm sure they had
orders to stay together and report back to base with any problems.  Which
they evidently ignored.  Right?" 
     Well, at least that much was true.  It was like a flicker of light
in an otherwise endless black void.  He held on to that thought and
tugged slightly on his hands to free them, but Boomer continued to hold
his wrists with the same unshakeable determination that held his
attention.
     "Uh, Boomer?"
     The lieutenant had been so intent on making his point that it took
him a moment to realize that Starbuck was staring at him with an almost
amused look on his face. "Yes?"
     "I think my hands are turning blue...you can let go now."
     "Oh, yeah.  Right." Boomer noted the red marks on his buddy's wrists
as he uncurled his fingers. "Sorry about that."
     Starbuck snorted.  "I, uh...think I needed it.  Don't apologize." 
He flexed his hands, noticing that he still had full sensation, the
tingling had been just temporary...a dark shadow crossed his eyes as he
studied the backs of his hands.
     "Hey, you do know it wasn't your fault, right?" Boomer asked
quietly.  Had he gotten through to his friend, or not?
     "Yeah, I know...or, at least, my brain does." He looked away and his
voice dropped to a whisper once more.  "That creature was vile, Boomer. 
Despicable.  The Cylons are machines, at least.  They don't enjoy what
they do.  But to see such cold...cruelty...from another living being..."
He shuddered as he recalled Korax slashing his face to awaken him in the
shuttle.  His fingers subconsciously traced the fine line where Med Tech
Tone had laser mended the wound.
     "Hey, I can only imagine how rough it was.  But." Boomer jabbed a
finger at him. "The only reason - and I mean the only reason - the rest
of you survived was because of you and Deitra.  You trained the cadets. 
And they came through.  Even Pelias.  Who would have guessed?"
     Starbuck let out a slow, soft breath. "Yeah, that they did..."
     Boomer studied his buddy for a moment. For now, he seemed okay.  For
now. He climbed to his feet, saying, "Look, we'd better head back to our
bunks.  We stay in here too long and people will start to talk."

Chapter Twelve

     Deitra felt the analgesic enter her bloodstream and her body relax
as the throbbing in her arm dulled to a tolerable burning sensation. 
"Thanks, Cassiopeia," she smiled at the Med Tech.
     "Not a problem.  Just don't wait so long before asking next time,
Deitra." Cassie chastised her.  "You're not going to heal any faster in
pain than you are in comfort.  In fact, it's just the opposite.  Pain is
bad..."
     "Drugs are good.  I know.  Starbuck told me." Deitra grinned in
reply.  She had been pleasantly surprised to see her fellow instructor
wander into the Life Station in the early centars of the morning.  He had
carefully scanned the room from the entrance and then stealthily made his
way across to her biostretcher.  He then quietly pulled up a chair and
positioned it out of view from the med techs' station.  She was bemused
when he took her right hand, kissed her fingers lightly and winked at
her.
     "How are you feeling, Dee?" he whispered, squeezing her hand.
     "Okay.  Nice to see a friendly face that isn't hiding a medical
instrument of torture behind his back." Deitra replied honestly.  The
health team had been attentive and professional, but she was already
weary of being a patient.  Her arm was wrapped in a regeneration sleeve
once again as the medical technology sped up the granulation process
while warding off infection.  "Where's my java?"
     "I didn't think they'd let you drink it." Starbuck commented
apologetically.
     "Why not?  Because it tastes good or because it's not good for me?"
Deitra asked with a grimace.  She was well and truly disgusted with the
bland array of 'easily digested' foods she was receiving.
     Starbuck chuckled softly and nodded.  "Why do you think I made my
escape yesterday?  I promise, I'll smuggle one from my kiosk on the
Rising Star in to you later."
     Deitra nodded her acceptance.  "Extra-large and extra-strong, Bucko. 
And don't skimp on the tylium, either.  You might have to smuggle me out
of here too.  The Captain strongly suggested I attend the debriefing via
vid link." She screwed up her face and rolled her eyes, leaving her
visitor with no doubt about what she thought of that idea.
     "Well, beautiful, it might not be such a bad thing to recline here
in relative ease sipping on the best java in the Known Universe, and
eating protein supplements..." He drawled.
     "Don't you try and sweet talk me, Starbuck.  You have to get me out
of here." Deitra replied, her eyes flashing a warning.
     "Me?" Starbuck asked in amusement.
     "Yep.  You.  As my friend, fellow instructor, and the only other
person I know who can drink more java than me and still function, I'm
bestowing upon you this trust." Deitra's eyes sparkled in amusement as
she grabbed a drinking straw out of her cup and tapped him lightly on one
shoulder and then the other.  "I dub you knight errant, Sir Starbuck."
     "Well, I believe I've had a few 'errant' nights, all right."
Starbuck quipped.  "What did the Doc say?"
     "He's leaning towards the vid link, but allows that I'm probably
strong enough to go via hoverchair."
     "You really want to be there in person?" Starbuck asked her
skeptically.  "Seriously?"
     "Starbuck, those cadets saved our lives.  The least I can do is to
be there personally to make sure that Captain Apollo and Colonel Tigh
know that despite all the problems we had with them, when it really
mattered, they pulled themselves together and excelled in the esprit and
decorum synonymous with the best traditions of the Colonial Service."
Deitra told him heatedly.
     Starbuck nodded.  Apollo would be choked at him for disobeying
orders, but...Ah, sometimes in life you just gotta say, what the frak. 
Besides this could be fun.  Sagan knows you could use a little fun,
Bucko.  "Okay, Dee.  I'll be here.  I'll get you out."
     Deitra bit her lip several centars later, as she looked at her
chronometer.  He should be here by now.  Apollo had been by and had seen
to it, as promised, that the vid link was set up.  Deitra had been
sleeping at the time, so it wasn't really her fault that she hadn't been
able to tell the Captain that she intended to be there in person.  At
least, that was her story and she was sticking to it.
     Come on, Starbuck, don't let me down.  She tried to imagine herself
climbing into the hoverchair and activating it while trying to keep her
left arm elevated and protected.  She sighed as a long list of
difficulties presented themselves, starting with the conspicuous absence
of a hoverchair.  
     "Uh...Cassiopeia," Greenbean had abruptly appeared in the Life
Station and had one hand cupped over his right eye.  He waved at Deitra
and gave her a 'thumb's up' signal.
     "Hi, Greenbean." Cassie replied as she slid out from behind the Med
Tech station and walked over to meet him.  "What did you do?"
     "Uh, well, it's kind of stupid.  I got hit in the eye with
something..." Greenbean replied evasively.  He was going to kill Starbuck
for this one.  When he had agreed to help out on this mission of stealth
and chicanery, there had been no mention of actual injury at the outset.
     "Move your hand." Cassie instructed him as she peered up at the
reddened and tearing eyeball.  "What was it?"
     "Uh...well, that's part of the 'stupid.'  I'm not sure." Greenbean
told her.  He had told Starbuck he would gladly fake a stomach disorder,
but the lieutenant had insisted there had to be something wrong with his
eye.  Well, when Greenbean had replied that Cassiopeia would know his eye
was fine in one quick glance, Starbuck had accidentally sprayed him in
the face with his vile cologne.  "We were goofing around in the billet
and the next thing I knew, my eye was stinging and watering.  I think
there might be something in there, Cassiopeia."  Lords, it was an awful
thing to owe Starbuck a few cubits.
     Cassie nodded and motioned towards the examination room.  "I'll need
you to have a seat in there, Lieutenant.  The room has to be dark for me
to examine your eye properly."
     Greenbean preceded the lovely Med Tech into the dimly lit room. 
Starbuck had sworn up and down that the redness and tearing would stop
within the centar.  He had also promised that having the lovely
Cassiopeia gaze into one's eyes was not an undue hardship.  Greenbean was
inclined to believe the latter part of Starbuck's promise more readily
than the former.  He sat down in the large chair with the ophthalmology
equipment erected before it and smiled as the lights went out and the
door closed.  Phase one of 'Spring Deitra from the Life Station' was fait
accompli.
     Deitra swung her legs over the edge of the biostretcher as the
examining room door closed.  On cue, Starbuck walked through the entrance
pushing a hoverchair.
     "Where did you find that?" Deitra asked him.  That was the one thing
that had stymied her independent getaway.  Just where did they keep the
frakkin' hoverchairs?
     "There's a store room just outside." Starbuck replied with a jaunty
grin.
     "And you have the entrance code?" Deitra asked in surprise.
     "It's hand written on the desk at the tech station." Starbuck
replied.  He had once pointed out to Cassie that it wasn't the most
secure of systems.  She had replied that if someone wanted to steal
bedpans and urinals that badly, they were welcome to them.
     "Come on, Deitra.  Hop on.  Did you get something for pain?"
Starbuck had left her clear instructions that she was to get a 'top up'
before leaving for the briefing if she had any hope in Hades of staying
upright.
     "Yes, mother.  I did." Deitra replied as she supported her lightly
bandaged arm and took her place.  "You know, I think I could walk there."
     "Well, how about you push me then, huh?" Starbuck remarked as he
knelt down, swinging foot pedals in place.
     "Maybe next time." Deitra told him ruefully.  "Where's my java,
Starbuck?"
     "Sagan, Dee, you'd think we were sealed, you're getting so Goddamned
demanding." Starbuck grinned at her.  "You've already got me on my knees,
woman. What more do you want?"
     "Java." Deitra replied evenly.
     "We'll stop on the way.  Boomer promised to have it ready and
waiting at the turbo lift." Starbuck informed her, as he activated the
hoverchair and pushed it out of the Life Station, keeping an eye out for
any stray members of the health team.
     "You're my hero." She told him.
     "Mine too." He retorted as they made good their escape.

* * * * *

     "Let the record show ," began Commander Adama, his voice quiet but
formal, as he paused to gaze at the five warriors before him.  He stood
behind his desk, but stretched himself to his full height, hands behind
his back, as he briefly made eye contact with each.  "That Lieutenants
Deitra and Starbuck and Cadets Kyna, Kefira, and Pelias are to be
commended for their actions in the face of undue adversity."  Adama's
gaze lingered a bit longer on Deitra, whose condition reflected the
trauma they had all endured, as well as the bravery, as she struggled to
hide her pain. 
     In fact, the commander had been surprised when Starbuck had arrived,
several centars ago, pushing Deitra's hoverchair.  He had thought that
she would be attending the debriefing via the vid link, but he had
shrugged it off as they had settled in and had gotten down to business. 
He had wanted to keep the atmosphere informal, encouraging them to sit
back and take their time describing what had transpired on the asteroid
during the training mission.  Colonel Tigh and Captain Apollo had
remained off to the side, listening and observing. 
     The cadets-- even Pelias-- had looked markedly uncomfortable as they
had taken the pro-offered chairs in front of the commander's desk. 
Starbuck had remained standing behind Deitra's hoverchair, and as the
debriefing had progressed, Adama had sensed that the young man was using
it almost as a shield. Outwardly, he appeared cool and collected, and he
and Deitra had repeatedly praised the cadets.  Had Adama not witnessed
the lieutenant's previous fury and near breakdown, he would not have
noticed the small but telling signs that Starbuck was anything but
relaxed: the white sheen to his knuckles as he gripped the handles of the
hoverchair, the vein pulsing in his neck, and the ever so slightly
clipped tone as he spoke.
     Still, Starbuck and Deitra had managed to ease the cadets through
the debriefing, helping them through the most difficult parts, reassuring
them that, given the circumstances, they had exceeded all expectations. 
     Even Pelias.
     As the cadet had described, with surprising honesty, how he had
cajoled Jada into disobeying orders to return to base camp alone,
Starbuck had come to his defense. The lieutenant had turned to Pelias,
who had looked pale and close to a panic attack as he wrung his hands and
wiped the sweat from his brow.  "Cadet!" he had said. "Do you think
you're the first warrior to not follow proper protocol?"
     Pelias had flashed a glance at Starbuck before returning his gaze to
the floor.  Starbuck seemed to be throwing his words back at him from
their very first encounter when he had stated the celebrated warrior
didn't always follow orders.  "No, sir, but..."
     "Granted, you were instructed to stay together - and you should have
completed your checklist as per protocol - but did you have any reason to
believe that Jada would be in danger?"
     "No, no sir!" Pelias shook his head furiously. "The asteroid was
supposed to be completely devoid of life."
     "Exactly! You had no reason to believe...otherwise." Starbuck's
voice wavered for a micron, but then he continued.  "The Captain and
Colonel--" he nodded towards Apollo and Tigh, a faint smile on his lips,
"would be the first to point out that I have probably bent, broken, or
otherwise maimed every rule there is.  The point is, had you gone with
cadet Jada, do you really think that your presence would have prevented
her death?  That creature was headed in your direction, as it was."
     Pelias gulped in the sudden silence. The truth was...Korax had said
it himself... Jada had been the 'test subject.'  "I'm not sure," he said
softly, staring at the floor.  He repeated verbatim what the Ziklagi had
said in the shuttle.
     "Right. So..." For a moment the words caught in Starbuck's throat,
but he coughed to cover it up. 
     "Lieutenant, I guess the truth of the matter is I feel responsible
for Jada's death."
     Starbuck started to interrupt, but Pelias held up a hand.  "Please,
sir, let me finish.  I guess I understand now, of course, that the
Ziklagi would have tried to kill her regardless, but I can't help but
wonder...if together...working as a team...things might have turned out
differently."  His voice grew quieter as the guilt ridden cadet wished he
could go back and change the past..."I suppose I'll always wonder, Sir."
     For the first time since he had arrived, Starbuck left his position
behind Deitra and crossed to the Cadet.  Pelias stood to meet him,
finally offering him freely the respect the he had earned and truly
deserved.  The lieutenant grasped the young man's shoulder and stared
intently into his eyes.  "Pelias, it wasn't your fault." 
     Pelias could suddenly feel his body begin to tremble.  His eyes
filled with tears and he blinked furiously so as not to humiliate himself
in front of this man.  The lieutenant had seen him at his finest and at
his worst.  He felt Starbuck grip his other shoulder and whisper,
"Breathe", quietly to him.  Pelias took a couple deep breaths and focused
on his commanding officer, swallowing the large lump that threatened to
constrict his throat.  
     "You did one Hades of a job out there, kid.  I'm proud of you.  I'm
proud of all of you." Starbuck smiled at Kyna and Kefira and released the
young man.  "Lieutenant Deitra?  Would you agree that when the situation
became a true emergency, that all three cadets acted with the utmost
integrity?" He asked her, as he returned to once again take up position
behind her hoverchair, his hand lightly resting on her shoulder.
     "I most definitely concur, sir," she said, speaking to Adama.
     Adama nodded and stood before them. "Thank you, Lieutenants."  Adama
paused as all eyes focused on him once again.  "For a millennium we have
sent young men and women into battle.  I can say without a doubt, that
one of the most difficult situations any of us face in combat is losing a
comrade-in-arms...a friend.  It's a common reaction to try to either take
the blame or ascribe it.  Lieutenant Starbuck is correct, Cadet Pelias. 
Cadet Jada's death is not the fault of anyone in this room."  He looked
briefly at Starbuck who was unable to hold his Commander's gaze.  "It is
the fault of the Ziklagi.  Our enemy."
     It took well over a centar to described what had happened next, from
the moment Pelias realized that Jada had been gone too long, to when
Pelias and Starbuck aboard the crippled shuttle, had been towed back to
the Galactica.
     Finally, all had fallen silent as they turned to gaze at the
commander. To conclude the formal debriefing, Adama had made his
statement for the record. As he studied the weary faces before him, he
added, "In addition, I have no doubts that Colonel Tigh will recommend
Cadets Kyna, Kefira, and Pelias for promotion to the rank of ensign.
Colonel?"
     Tigh stepped forward. "Yes, sir. They will be graduating with their
peers in two days."
     "And, in recognition of her sacrifice in the line of duty, Cadet
Jada will be posthumously promoted."
     As far as empty gestures went, that was a good one.  Starbuck bit
his lip.
     "Excuse me, Sirs.  If I might interrupt?" Pelias stood hesitantly
before the commander, looking between him and the Colonel.
     Adama nodded and motioned for him to continue.
     "Sirs, I would like to resign from the Service." Pelias told them
earnestly, uncertain as to whom he should direct his statement towards. 
The silence in the room, broken only by the distant rumble of the ship's
engines,  stretched for microns as all eyes looked upon him in disbelief. 
Pelias locked eyes with Commander Adama, unable to bear the frown of
disappointment he knew would be on Deitra and Starbuck's faces.
     "Cadet, I must assume you have given this some thought..." Adama
began.  His eyes swung to Deitra who was looking increasingly pale and
diaphoretic.  Starbuck behind her simply shook his head faintly and ran a
hand wearily back through his hair.
     "Yes, Sir.  I've thought of very little else since I stepped foot
again on the Galactica.  I don't think I'm cut out for the Service."
Pelias told him.
     "Pelias, your commanding officers just commended you for a job well
done." Colonel Tigh reminded him.  He had been impressed and relieved at
how the young man had performed under duress.  
     "Colonel, I've never been more terrified in my entire life." Pelias
told him honestly.
     "Cadet Pelias, there are few Colonial Warriors who would be loath to
admit that they felt the very same way in their first combat situation."
Captain Apollo told him, stepping forward.  "Right, Lieutenant Starbuck?"
     Starbuck met the Captain's eyes with a short nod.  "I thought I'd
wet my pants." Silence.  His lips quirked as the Captain raised his
eyebrows at the out-of-place remark.
     "I did wet mine." Pelias replied after a moment, his cheeks flushing
at his admission.  Still, when one was surrounded by brave and honourable
men...and women, it was best to tell the truth.  Then...perhaps, they
would understand that he was cut from a different cloth.
     "You wouldn't be the first, Pelias." Deitra told him.  "It's nothing
to be ashamed of.  Especially under the circumstances and considering
your actions afterwards.  Hades, you single-handedly stopped that
transmission that the Ziklagi was sending and sabotaged the shuttle."
     "No, you don't understand.  I know that I managed to perform
acceptably, but the entire time, I was only a couple centons away
from...begging that...despicable creature to kill me and put me out of my
misery.  Only, I knew that once he found out just how afraid of him I
was, that he would perpetuate my fear and prolong my terror until my
heart simply stopped from sheer horror.  Lords, it had never occurred to
me that death could be preferable to life until...until then."
     "Frak..." Starbuck muttered beside him, not even being able to
comprehend the depth of the terror the younger man had felt.
     Pelias looked at the lieutenant.  "Lieutenant Starbuck, I could
never be half the warrior you are.  It's like there's a part of you that
gets some kind of a rush out of the danger.  Even when you lost your life
support systems on the asteroid, it didn't seem to faze you.  I can't
accept 'do or die.'  It scares the mong out of me...uh, sorry, Sir."  He
grimaced at his choice of words in front of the commander, but continued
after a brief nod from Adama.  "But you, Lieutenant, you just kept going
and took charge again...well, as soon as you could talk.  The entire time
it was as if you did this stuff on a daily basis.  And on the shuttle,
the way you were with that creature...Lords, I couldn't do that.  I don't
want to do that." A chill ran through his body as the cold detachment
Starbuck affected while he strangulated the Ziklagi replayed through his
mind.  "Hades, on the asteroid after losing Jada, I seriously considered
just finding a rock to hide under until my oxygen ran out and I died."
     "I don't know what else to say to you, kid."  Starbuck replied
quietly.  "Hades, if you don't think I was afraid too, you're dead wrong. 
I just..."  He shrugged, not really knowing how to explain that he just
couldn't give up.  No matter what.  It just wasn't an option.  He shook
his head helplessly as he averted his gaze, while thinking of the moment
he had cold-bloodedly choked the life out of the Ziklagi.  Or at least
that had been his intent.  Frankly, he wasn't feeling like much of a hero
at this point, and he neither had the energy nor the inclination to do
anything to stop the younger man.  Besides, he knew Pelias had already
made up his mind and Deitra really needed to get back to the Life
Station.  She was fading fast.
     "There's nothing you can say.  I really have made up my mind.  I had
a life before the Destruction, you know.  I was an artist.  If art is
truly born of humiliation*, after this experience, I will be painting for
some time to come."
     "You have no reason to be humiliated, Pelias." Starbuck told him
after a moment, grasping him by the forearm in a declaration of respect. 
     "I'm more humiliated by what I once was, than by what happened
yesterday, Lieutenant." Pelias smiled warmly at the man.  "I apologize
for being a complete equine astrum.  I can only plead that I come from a
long, distinguished line of the same.  Lieutenant Deitra, that goes
double for you.  I really am sorry for the way I treated you.  Treated
you all." He nodded at Kyna and Kefira.  "I have the utmost respect for
the sacrifices you all make to protect our people.  Bless you.  All of
you." 
     "Cadet, don't make a decision based on emotion that you might later
regret," said Colonel Tigh.
     "Yeah," said Starbuck. "When it all settles down, you may wake up
one morning, and decide you wish you still had this on." He pinched some
of the jacket fabric between his right thumb and forefinger.
     "I'm not, Lieutenant. Colonel. I'm...quite decided on the matter."
     "Very well," said Adama quietly. "Your resignation is accepted.
However, Starbuck and Colonel Tigh are right, Cad...Ensign Pelias. And,
if you should one day come to rethink your decision," Adama let just a
hint of his fatherly smile show through, "Remember, there will always be
a place for you in the Galactica's ranks."
     "Thank you, Commander," replied Pelias, with a slight bow.
     The commander studied Pelias for a moment longer, and then let his
gaze sweep across the warriors in front of him. Deitra, he noted, looked
weary and in obvious pain, with her forehead beaded with droplets of
sweat and her breathing short and controlled. Her presence, he reflected
briefly, glancing at Lieutenant Starbuck, had most likely not been
cleared with the doctor. He sighed inwardly. She needed, however, to hear
what he had to say next, and he could not have done it by vid link. 
     "There is one more thing," Adama said at last, making eye contact
with Colonel Tigh, who nodded grimly. "And what I'm going to tell you
must remain in the strictest of confidence. It's a Top-Level security
matter, which is why so few - only six people, in fact - knew about it."
     The commander moved from behind his desk, making note of the puzzled
expressions on the faces of Kyna, Kefira, and Pelias. Deitra's brow
creased with a frown that had nothing to do with her pain, and
Starbuck...the lieutenant stared without blinking at him, waiting, his
expression neutral but his blue eyes cold; Adama knew him well enough to
read the accusation in his blank features. The commander met his gaze
briefly, then turned to stare out the portal at the pinpoint stars before
beginning.
     "Several sectars ago, following the battle on the planet Boron-Din,
we captured not only a Ziklagi ship, but several Ziklagi's as well. 
Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending upon your point of view, only
one of these creatures survived.  Truly, no Colonial has ever encountered
a species more...alien than this one.  Among other bizarre traits, we
learned that the Ziklagi are capable of altering their forms at will."
The commander turned from the portal to face the group, once again
reading their mixed expressions. "We learned this only after the creature
named Korax escaped from the maximum security isolation cell in Life
Station by murdering a security guard, assuming his form, and making it
appear as if he had killed himself in the cell's force field." He let out
a long breath.  "The charred remains were unrecognizable, so it was only
later, several days, in fact, that Dr. Salik, revealed to me that the DNA
from the 'creature' was actually that of the security guard, Corporal
Metz."
     Adama paused, running a hand down his face, and momentarily letting
his own weariness show. His eyes sought to make contact with Starbuck,
but the warrior was staring at the floor, seemingly intent on listening.
Adama inhaled slowly. "As commander of the Fleet, it is my utmost
priority - my highest duty - to protect the civilian population. Had word
of a deadly shape shifter, loose among the ships of the Fleet, leaked out
among the populace, we can only imagine the consequences - none of which
would have been good." The newly promoted Warriors, he noted, looked
pale. Deitra was tight-lipped but nodding.  Starbuck...refused to meet
his gaze as he kept his face expressionless and his eyes transfixed on
the floor.  Of course, there were also grave consequences for not
informing his officers of the creature's existence, Adama reflected.  
     Perhaps, he should reconsider...
     "We informed only a select few - those involved directly in the
search for the Ziklagi, plus one who became involved by circumstance,"
Adama said.  "Colonel Tigh, Captain Apollo, Lieutenant Boomer, and Major
Croft, since he is head of the Elite Forces Unit. No one else. And those
people, in addition to Dr. Salik, had been spending every available
moment working intensely to figure out a way locate a creature that could
not only assume a human form, but also appear on scanners as 'human.'" He
paused, observing the faces in front of him. 
     "Like trying to find a honest man in Councilman's robes," whispered
Deitra, who suddenly bit her lip and winced in embarrassment.  "Uh,
sorry, Commander.  Ensign Pelias."
     "Quite all right," replied Adama, smiling in amusement, and
recalling Sire Uri.  Apparently, she and Starbuck had been spending too
much time together.  "And despite our precautions, I still heard rumors
during one of the Council sessions about a creature in the Fleet..."
     "As did I, sir," said Pelias, recounting the conversation of his
uncle's overheard sectons ago.  Adama nodded.  Obviously, Sire Feo's
waistline wasn't the only big part of him. 
     "Well, that is all," said the Commander.  "Unless there is anything,
else...? No? Then dismissed."  They all saluted smartly, even Pelias'
crisply parade ground correct, and they filed out of the Commander's
quarters. 

*Art is born of humiliation- W. H. Auden

* * * * *

     "Come on Dee, let's get you back to the Life Station.  If you're any
later, Doctor Salik will have me cleaning out bedpans and urinals until
we reach the next solar system." Starbuck muttered in her ear as he
pushed her hoverchair out of the commander's office.  She looked done in. 
He kind of knew how she felt.  He was probably even more anxious to get
out of there than she was.
     "Starbuck, could I have a centon?" A voice called from behind him.
     Starbuck closed his eyes and sighed.  Even though his back was
turned he could still feel Apollo's piercing gaze on him.  Frak, he just
wanted to get out of there.
     "It's okay, Starbuck.  You go ahead.  I'll get Kyna to take me
back." Deitra told him, misunderstanding his lack of response.  
     "Sure, I'll take her." Kyna smiled keenly, turning back as she
overheard the comment.
     Starbuck nodded at her slowly.  "Okay.  No detours though, Ensign. 
Keep her out of the simulators, off the laser range and away from the
single's clubs." The smile that was fixed on his lips felt as though
Pelias had just painted it there.  "And no more than three ales before
bedtime."
     "Yeah, right." Deitra muttered in exhaustion.  "Just get me to my
bed, Ensign."
     Starbuck watched as Kyna pushed Deitra down the corridor.  Escape
had been so close.
     "Starbuck..." Apollo touched him lightly on the arm.  His friend had
barely looked at him since the debriefing began.  They needed to talk
this through.
     Starbuck steeled himself and turned to meet the Captain.  Green eyes
studied him closely, watching for any signs of weakness.  "Forget
something, Captain?" he asked casually.
     "I think we need to talk." Apollo replied firmly.
     "Lords, Apollo, that's all we've done for centars.  Frankly, I'm
about ready to give it a rest."
     "Starbuck, I need to know that..." Apollo searched his friend's
familiar features for a hint of what he was thinking.  A shadow of
fatigue was the only thing discernable on his face.
     "What?" Starbuck asked softly.  Apollo's concern was palpable.  
     "Are you okay?" 
     "I'll be fine.  I just need to..." Starbuck shrugged.  "I need to
catch up on some sleep."
     "You're not sleeping?" Apollo asked.  The exhaustion was evident in
the way Starbuck held himself, the lackluster tone of his voice, and the
slightly hooded eyelids.
     "I feel like I could sleep until next yahren."  A smile quirked his
lips at the enticing sound of that.  "Whenever that is."
     "Did you tell Dr. Salik?" The captain's eyes narrowed awaiting the
response.
     Starbuck paused.  "Are you asking as my friend or as my commanding
officer?" Apollo's apparent concern had put him off his guard.  Watch
yourself, Bucko, or you'll be grounded again.
     "It shouldn't matter, Starbuck." Apollo replied.  However, after a
moment,  "Does it?"
     Starbuck noted Apollo's tension.  It was like he was an amateur
holding on to a full pyramid, biding his time as all bets were placed. 
He was appraising Starbuck.  Looking for chinks in his armour.  He was
going to find them if they continued on this tack.  
     "Look, Captain, I'm going to give it to you straight.  I'm pretty
damned choked at you right now.  I don't care how many explanations you
all give me about the security of the fleet.  I used to be entrusted with
that.  Now, I'm apparently just another security risk." 
     "Starbuck...".  
     "Yeah, I know.  Only Command was supposed to know about this...this
thing from Hades Hole, and I'm not Command." He cut Apollo off bitterly. 
It was strange really.  Somehow the levels of command didn't use to be so
narrowly defined.  Recently though, that had changed.
     Maybe there was some truth in what Starbuck was saying.  Hades, he
had been at Apollo's side so long as his wingman and friend that he had
been routinely apprised of the most classified of information, almost as
though he had a different level of security clearance due to his
steadfast presence.  Then, when he had been grounded and on disciplinary
duty, most of that had changed.  Imperceptibly.  But apparently not for
Starbuck.  "Look, Buddy..."
     Starbuck held up a hand to stop him.  "No, you look.  You can't
change the way I feel, Apollo.  So just let me be angry."  His voice
softened as worry again crossed the Captain's features.  "I'll get over
it."  He shrugged as though it didn't really matter.
     "Are we okay here?" Apollo asked hesitantly.  For the first time
since he had known Starbuck, he had absolutely no idea what was going on
in the man's head.
     Starbuck nodded.  Apollo really was totally clueless here.  He just
didn't get it.  Well, he was too tired to explain it to him.  After all,
as Boxey had once observed, some people are just naturally slow.

* * * * *

     If ever there was a time he needed a drink, this was it.  Sometimes
life had a peculiar way of testing your mettle.  Just when you were
fairly certain you knew who you were and what you could handle,
everything seemed to change.  Why couldn't life come with a handbook? 
Yeah, that was what was missing.  Just check the index when issues arose
that you weren't quite prepared to deal with.  Oh, frak, shape-shifting
lunatic alien!  Aha!  Flip flip flip.  Just as I thought, page 666.  Yes,
that's it.  "Kill the frakker on first detection.  Note--see page 672." 
Flip flip flip.  Yes, that's it.  "Tell Starbuck about the frakker before
he takes his team to the asteroid to be decimated."
     Frakkin' Hades Hole!  What kind of bedlam had his life become? 
Lords, if he couldn't find something...anything...to relax him soon, he
was going to explode!  He was doing okay this morning, despite the fact
that he was surviving on about four centars of sleep from the evening
before.  Yeah, a few cups of java and his head almost felt like it was
back on straight.  His headache was finally gone and he almost had an
appetite again.  Well, at least until the brown mush that they served in
the mess was shoveled on to his plate.  With that little bit of steam
that was rising off of it, he wasn't sure if it was really supposed to be
food, or if someone had indeed found a live daggit!
     Then all the guys were at him to find out what had really gone down
on the asteroid.  Hades, he would have loved to tell them how expendable
they all really were.  Yeah, all this time he had actually believed that
he was a valued member of the Service.  In reality, he was as much of a
patsy as the rest of the grunts.  Only difference was, this patsy got to
dine with the Commander's family occasionally.
     Of course, now he had a family of his own.  Typical.  Once again,
fate had played a little joke on him.  Chameleon.  The problem with not
having a family for so long was a guy got it in his head exactly what
that family should be like.  Chameleon was a bit short of his
expectations.  Hades, the old man obviously had felt the same way about
him.  Frak.  Face it, Bucko, neither one of you is any prize.
     He sighed as he thought back to his conversation with Apollo.  The
man was so ...so...exasperating.  That was the worst part of all of this. 
Sure, Apollo had annoyed the Hades out of him before, it couldn't be
helped, they were like opposing forces of nature.  But this was the first
time that Apollo had tried to hide behind the role of superior officer to
justify something. In this case, it was keeping the existence of the
shape-shifter from him.  Starbuck chewed his lip as he considered that
Sheba probably knew all about the creature, despite Adama's insistence to
the contrary.  He rolled his eyes as he imagined the son and daughter of
the legendary Adama and Cain engaging in a little pillow talk.  "Ooh,
yes, that's it!  Ooh, that's almost as good as...oh, tell me again about
the shape-shifter, Apollo!  Yes!"
     He smiled to himself as he reflected that perhaps he was getting a
little carried away, but what the frak.  All the same, Apollo and Sheba
were practically living in the same pair of pants these days, so it was
bloody likely that he had told her.  Lords...He sighed again as he
thought of the upcoming sealing ceremony.  Why couldn't he find it in his
heart to just be happy for them?  He shook his head as he tried to shake
the gloom that had settled over him.  Well, he was reasonably sure that
he had convinced Apollo that they were okay.  The last thing the Captain
needed at this point was his former best friend pissed at him.
     Former best friend.  Yeah, that pretty much sums it up, Bucko. 
Guess that's Sheba's role now.  The next thing you'll know, Sheba will
transfer into Blue Squadron and become Apollo's wingman.  Then they'll
start up a couple's league for Triad.
     What's left really?  What else did you and Apollo do together? 
Flying.  Triad.  Hmm.  Not like he's going to be heading to the Rising
Star with you to lose some cubits.  Nope, it will be hearth and home for
the good Captain now.  Almost like it's the end of an era.  Well, at
least good old Boomer's still around.
     Mind you, the way he was sniffing around Athena these days, Boomer's
days were numbered as well.  Yep, they were dropping like avians in
hunting season.  One centon they were all there in one piece, next thing
he knew everything had changed.  Nothing but carnage all around him. 
Then...blast of a weapon...a shriek of terror...unable to breathe. 
Blood...guts...and death.  Brown eyes staring at him accusingly out of a
savaged, half-skull face.  "You left me!"  Jada shrieked at him.  "I
trusted you!"  Her remaining delicate features suddenly melded into that
of the Ziklagi...and then back again.
     His breath caught in his throat as he stopped on the spot.  But
how...?  He closed his eyes tightly and covered his face, but Jada
remained.  Screaming.  Accusing.  Lords, but she was still down there on
the asteroid.  They hadn't even brought her back yet.
     His entire body felt hot and he could feel each pore open
individually as sweat broke out on his skin.  The beating of his heart
consumed him as the frantic, driving pace of each pulsation brought him
closer to the edge.  He was staring into an abyss.  Death stared back at
him, beckoning.  Laughing. It was all around him.  Lords, help me...she's
dead... 
     "Starbuck, are you okay?"
     It was like a hand reaching out to him.  A lifeline.  He rubbed his
eyes, vaguely aware of the moisture around them, as he lowered his
fingers slightly, peaking above them tentatively.  He was in the
corridor...just as he had thought...but... 
     He felt a hand on his shoulder and glanced cautiously over to see
Jolly peering at him in concern.  "You okay?" he repeated.
     "Yeah," he replied softly as he reassured himself he was indeed on
the Galactica.  
     "You sure?" Jolly looked at him dubiously.
     "Just tired." Starbuck assured him in a more convincing tone,
pushing his hair out of his face in a familiar gesture.
     "Yeah, you look it.  Didn't sleep much last night, did you?" Jolly
remembered Starbuck being up and down half the night.  In fact, he was
getting ready to clout him one when the lieutenant finally decided to
abandon his quest for sleep and slipped quietly out of the billet.
     "No."
     "Don't let it get to you, Starbuck.  What you need is a drink, my
friend."
     Starbuck nodded.  He again rubbed his face vigorously with both
hands wishing it was cold water on his hands...not blood...He gave
himself a mental shake.  "You're right, Jolly.  That's exactly what I
need.  Care to join me?" A little diversion was what he needed.  And a
drink.
     "If only I could.  I have patrol.  Have one for me though." Jolly
told him clapping him on the shoulder.
     "Oh, I will." Starbuck promised him, and he watched Jolly give him a
wave as he headed for launch bay Alpha.  The OC was just around the
corner.  Come on, Starbuck.  Get it together.  Buck up, Pal.  You can do
it.  Just reach down deep inside and find that plastic smile that they
all expect from you...He took a couple deep, cleansing breaths.  He
pasted on his smile.  Frak, it didn't quite fit.  Maybe one in a smaller
size.  Yeah, that's it.
     Ah, the intoxicating scent of the Officer's Club filled his
olfactory senses as Starbuck steered a direct course for the bar.  He
smiled and nodded at a few acquaintances, but his long lost friend was
waiting for him behind the large counter, in the form of a well-deserved
drink...or ten.
     "Freeman, my friend, your very best ambrosa," Starbuck grinned at
the barkeep as he pulled out a fumarello.  
     "Starbuck, your bar tab is as vast as the journey before us," the
former Proteus inmate told him, pouring him a drink all the same.  He had
a weak spot for the man who had played a part in his liberation.
     "And with the way my luck is going, my paying it is just as
uncertain," Starbuck replied lightly as he listened to the man's chuckle. 
After all, it wasn't Freeman's bar; he didn't care if the tab was paid. 
Internally shrugging, he plucked a coin from his pocket, and slapped it
on the bar.  "My bona fides, Freeman."  The barman laughed, and popped it
in the till.  Starbuck fingered his fumarello noting the disapproving
looks of his fellow drinkers.  With a devil-may-care smile, he lit it up,
drawing the tantalizing flavour and aroma into his lungs, and then
exhaled impudently.  A few people moved away.  Even better.
     "Starbuck, there was a young corporal by the name of Ximen in here. 
He mentioned something about a supply office being closed for inventory
tomorrow.  Wanted to make sure you knew about it." Freeman told him
discretely.
     Starbuck raised his glass looking into the warm, amber depths of the
beverage as he considered the information.  A man could easily get lost
in a fine ambrosa.  He sighed and savoured the tantalizing scent of the
good stuff.  He smiled appreciatively at the liberated prisoner as the
grin spread slowly over his face.  "Thanks."
     "It does my heart good to see a man really appreciate his drink."
Freeman smiled and pretended to wipe a tear from his eye.
     "If you only knew..." Starbuck replied candidly as he swirled the
contents of the glass, delaying the precious moment when man and liquor
would unite as one.  "So, do you play cards by any chance, Freeman?"
     "Not very well." The barkeep told him, as he began calculating the
possible profits in his mind.  "However, I'm ever keen to learn about the
pastimes of me fellow Colonists."
     "I don't suppose you have any...connections to obtain some
victuals?" Starbuck ventured quietly over his glass as he breathed in the
heady fumes, redolent of happier times.
     "I would be a useful fellow to have around, if I could." Freeman
remarked, non-committally.  
     "Yes, you would.  Can I buy you one?" Starbuck motioned towards his
ambrosa.
     "Just put it on your tab?" Freeman asked with a smile.
     Starbuck chuckled in affirmation as he watched the barkeep pour a
small shot for himself.  "How do you stay on your feet?" Referring to the
potential alcohol consumption of the man in a given shift.
     "I only drink the good stuff." Freeman replied, clinking glasses
with the lieutenant.  "I assume there would be alcohol required at this
assembly?"
     "Definitely." Starbuck agreed.  He negotiated by rote.  It was as
effortless as raising a glass to his lips.
     "And some kind of financial recompense for my efforts?  A man has to
make a living after all." Freeman negotiated in return.  He had heard the
pilots were generous with their suppliers...especially when they were in
a crunch.
     "Of course."  
     "Tell me what supply closet and what time.  I'll be there." Freeman
told him.
     "I'll make the final arrangements and get back to you.  Done?"
     "Done, lad."
     Starbuck nodded and turned around to perch on the end of the
barstool.  This was just what he needed.  He could feel his body begin to
relax as he soaked up the familiar atmosphere.  Laughter and vibrancy
surrounded him and he smiled wistfully to himself as he fleetingly wished
he could curl up in a comfortable chair sipping on his ambrosa and
smoking his fumarello until the comfortable environment lulled him to
sleep.  Oh, you're getting old, Bucko!  He shook his head
self-deprecatingly.  
     Yeah, this was perfect.  A little familiarity and he was fine.  He
still didn't understand what Dr. Salik was making such a big fuss about. 
The doctor had made it sound like he was some kind of psycho-case the day
before, with the comments and questions about how he was handling it.
     He checked his chronometer, as a list of tasks necessary for
organizing a card game in the supply room ran through his mind.  Too bad
they couldn't get away with having it in the supply closet of the Life
Station; then Deitra could play.  He smiled to himself and made her a
silent promise to organize another game soon.  She'd be there across from
him and together they would clean up.  Or, come to think of it, he could
try and tribunal-rig a portable comm unit to a scanner, and she could
play remotely if she was up to it.  It had worked back at the Academy. 
He'd cleaned up big against, oh, what was her name? The guys wouldn't
suspect a thing.  Yep, he certainly had time on his hands now.  Hades, if
he was going to be stuck on mandatory medical leave, at least he could
try to get some action going.  Hmm, speaking of action, maybe he should
drop by Cassiopeia's later...
     Pausing to enjoy the moment once again, he lifted the glass to his
lips and swallowed in one long swig.  The alcohol warmed him body and
soul as it burned all the way down in a strangely soothing manner.  He
could see Freeman shaking his head in disgust at his blasphemous lapse in
Proteus protocol.  Starbuck grinned in reply to the man's sour
countenance and plopped another coin onto the bar.  He swaggered away
from the bar to line up some likely marks for his game.  He signaled the
closest server for another drink as he made his way through the crowded
room.  One for Jolly, he reminded himself.  Life was good.  Oh, yeah, you
just keep telling yourself that, Bucko.

Epilogue

     "Yeehaw!" Starbuck whooped as he narrowly managed to avoid the
deadly pinwheel attack and then took out not one, but two of the Cylon
Raiders he had strategically ended up behind.  His grin spread over his
face in pure elation at being back in the cockpit, even if it was only a
simulation.
     He hit his reverse thrusters, savouring the exhilaration that filled
him, as he found himself behind another enemy fighter.  He shifted the
control stick minutely and the Raider was dead on target.  He fired his
lasers and grinned as the Raider incinerated before his eyes.
     Starbuck chuckled with delight, even as he checked his scanner
simultaneously to see another Raider on his tail.  Time for a little fun.
     He adjusted his course and took the fighter closer to the surface
once again.  While Cylons were persistent and technically accurate, they
didn't excel at piloting when one needed to have the feel for the ship. 
Starbuck, on the other hand, knew his ship like a lover.  Every
millimetron of her sensuous form. He understood her capabilities, her
limitations, her peculiarities, and her fetishes.  He had sensed the
slight hesitation in her the first time he hit the turbos and had
compensated for it easily and efficiently, handling her more like a
temperamental thoroughbred, rather than a hunk of sophisticated metal.
     "C'mon Baby, give me all you've got." He hit his turbos and changed
course again, just evading the burst of laser fire directed his way.  He
hurled over the rocky landscape of the terrain, taking a split micron to
enjoy the barren, reddish surface before again checking his scanner.  He
grinned at the information displayed before him and dropped his ship even
closer to the surface as he watched the Raider follow him closely behind.
     "Just a bit further..." he muttered, his body and mind energized
with the thrill of the fight.  He could feel every nerve ending alive and
tingling with the euphoria of the situation.  Lords, there was only one
other thing that came close...and you'd be hard pressed to do it in a
single man craft like a Viper!  Not that he hadn't tried when he was a
little younger...
     Starbuck checked his rear scanner again to see the Raider trying to
stay on his tail.  He slowed his thrust so they could catch up.  They
would be keeping busy just trying not to hit the frequent outcropping
rocks, and in fact, hadn't fired on him for almost a centon.  
     He checked his forward scanner and assessed the data on the
computer.  It would be tight.  The odds, if he took the time to calculate
them, wouldn't be great.  Then again, when you hedged the bet with the
fact that he was the pilot...Ah, what the frak.  "This way, boys..."
     He veered port and maneuvered around a huge outcropping of rock,
keeping a close eye on his computer and scanner.  Just ahead a massive
buttress rose into the sky like a tsunami, threatening to crush
everything that came into its path.  Except those that could fit through
the aperture that he had already seen on his last pass.
     Starbuck drew in his breath as if that would somehow help him
squeeze through the small opening, and then adjusted his course
instinctively a half-micron before smoothly bursting through the break in
the imposing rock wall.  
     A split micron later the Raider crashed into the face of the
buttress, ripping both wings off. In a flash of deadly light, she was
destroyed.
     The lights came on and the hatch began to open.  Starbuck shook
himself as he made the mental adjustment to being back in the simulator
room.  His grin was wide as he reached up and pulled off his helmet,
placing it on his ship.  She needed a few adjustments, but she wasn't
half bad.  
     "Please tell me you wouldn't have tried that in real life." Captain
Apollo suggested with a smile from where he had joined Dr. Salik.
     Starbuck's reply was a simple chuckle of devilry.  "Too much fun,
Captain.  Well, how did I do?" His eyes sparkled with merriment as he
pulled himself out of the cockpit and climbed down from the ship.  He was
still on a high from the simulation.
     "Well, technically you performed adequately...though that last
maneuver would make a physician wonder if you're either a bit
overconfident, crazy or have a death wish." Dr. Salik replied as he
looked up from his data pad.
     "Adequately?" Starbuck asked with surprise.  "C'mon Doc, I blew them
away."
     "I was wondering if you could get past that..." Apollo commented
ruefully.
     "Lieutenant, I'm well aware of your prowess as a pilot.  That was
never in question here.  What I'm more concerned with is your mental
state."
     It was like a slap in the face.  Starbuck's breath caught in his
throat until he let it out in one long drawn out sigh of disappointment. 
It was like watching a balloon deflate, as exhaustion and frustration
replaced elation.
     It had been two days since the debriefing in Adama's office.  Oh, he
had kept himself occupied easily enough.  After all, it took a fair
amount of time to organize the pyramid game of the secton, not to mention
playing it.  Then there were the centons he stood in front of the
squadron's messaging system considering what to do about Chameleon's
message.  Apparently, his...well, the man wanted to talk to him.  The
trouble was he just couldn't possibly fit the old man into his schedule
right now. He just had to figure out a way of letting his...well, letting
Chameleon know that.  Starbuck had also spent some centars hounding the
captain for information on the retrieval of Cadet Jada's body, and then,
finally, there had been the memorial service.  
     It had been a short, somber event, as always, and both Starbuck and
Deitra had said a few poignant words about the Cadet who had lightened
stressful situations with humour while contributing intelligence,
determination, fortitude and knowledge.  He recalled feeling slightly
numb as he spoke in front of the small assembly of people who had
attended the late morning service.  Starbuck had left as soon as was
proper to get himself in the right headspace for flying a sim and being
reviewed by Dr. Salik.  At least, that was what he told the others who
had wanted to go to the OC and raise a glass in memory of Jada.  Oh,
that, and he needed another java.
     "Sit." Salik told him.  He placed a hand on the lieutenant's
shoulder and guided him to a vacant seat between the doctor and captain. 
"How do you feel right now?"
     Starbuck looked between the two men. "Surrounded," he replied
honestly, if not a little dejectedly.
     Salik nodded.  "Good." Often when dealing with Colonial Warriors the
best approach to take was to hit them up the side of the head with a dose
of reality.  He smiled slightly at Starbuck's less than impressed
expression.  "Captain."
     "Starbuck, you have top marks for the sim.  You obviously haven't
let any of your skills lapse.  One of Dr. Salik's concerns was how you
would respond to the stress of a combat situation so soon after the
events on the asteroid.  But, I think perhaps he was a little surprised
at how well you actually did." Apollo looked questioningly at the Chief
Medical Officer.
     "Yes." Salik replied briefly.  "I admit, I foresaw a different
outcome."  He again marveled at the bio readouts from the lieutenant
during the simulated battle.  The man's vital signs and neuro functions
had actually improved, as the testing progressed.  His reactions
sharpened, even as the level of difficulty increased, automatically
adjusting to his performance within the programmable parameters.  It was
as if the flight itself was therapeutic to the warrior.  "However, that
doesn't alleviate my concerns, Starbuck.  I need some honest answers to
my questions.  How much sleep are you getting?"
     His guard went up immediately.  He shrugged.  A lie was on the tip
of his tongue, but that lie could just as easily be checked with just
about anyone in the billet that he had awakened recently while in the
throes of a nightequa.  Not to mention, Boomer, whom he had tried to
throttle.  "Three, maybe four centars a night," Starbuck admitted.
     Salik nodded.  "I suspected as much.  Are you still having
nightequas?"
     Starbuck nodded and shrugged.  "That's nothing new though Doc. 
Everyone does.  Right?" he asked Apollo.
     "Not every night, Starbuck." Apollo replied, concern evident on his
features.
     "Who said anything about every night?" Starbuck returned, trying to
keep the defensiveness out of his voice, but not quite pulling it off.
     "Starbuck, I am trying to help." Salik reminded him.  "I realize
that you're not the only one affected by lack of sleep and nightequas.  I
have had my share, I will confess.  In fact, Dr. Paye and I have
discussed it at length and have come to the decision that we need to
spend more time focusing on the psychological component of a holistic
approach to health care.  Especially where the first line of defense in
our fleet is concerned." He added, reminding the lieutenant of his duty
while pointing out he was not alone in his difficulties.
     "What does that mean exactly?" Starbuck asked, a bit suspiciously. 
"I mean in plain language even a primary school dropout like me can
understand."
     "It means we have recently added a qualified counselor to our health
team.  I believe it was actually your proposal that brought Tarnia to the
attention of Commander Adama and subsequently to us in the Life Station."
Salik reminded him.  The timing couldn't have been better when the
commander and doctor had met and discussed the young woman who, as it had
turned out, had been training for a degree in psychology prior to the
Destruction.  In the absence of a qualified psychologist, Tarnia's
education and experience as a counselor filled a vacuous hole in the
Fleet's health team.  Salik would help and encourage her to once again
take up her studies and, with his support, eventually finish her degree.
     Lords, you just shot yourself in the foot, Bucko.  Starbuck's eyes
closed and he shook his head slightly as mixed emotions battled within
him.  In fact, I think you shot your whole leg off. Obviously, that meant
Tarnia and Copernicus' transfer had finally been approved, but...Oh,
frak.
     "The time has come that all warriors will be undergoing their annual
physical and in conjunction with that will be a psychological assessment. 
Starbuck, I want you to be a part of the first group of evaluations."
Salik told him as he watched the slightly bemused expression on the
warrior's face.  
     "Also, I have every reason to believe you're responsible enough and
have enough respect for your fellow pilots, that you can monitor your
sleep and voluntarily remove yourself from the duty roster if you don't
get a minimum of four centars of sleep each night.  Am I correct in
assuming this?" Salik knew that Starbuck would need some measure of
control in this regard.  Self-monitoring seemed to be the answer.
     "Yes, sir." Starbuck agreed, meeting the doctor's searching gaze. 
"I wouldn't put anyone else at risk." 
     "We know that, Starbuck." Apollo agreed.  "Just yourself."
     "That's my job.  I take it seriously.  I'm not suicidal, Captain."
Starbuck informed him blatantly.  "That's not what this is about, is it? 
You don't actually think I want to kill myself, do you?" Starbuck looked
between them incredulously.
     "No, Starbuck." Salik reassured him.  "I do believe you're
displaying some symptoms of Combat Stress Reaction." Salik replied,
secretly relieved at the lieutenant's reaction.  "It's not unusual under
the circumstances."
     "Combat What?" The lieutenant asked distastefully.
     "Combat Stress Reaction." Salik repeated.  "If you recall, it was
discussed in your training.  Long ago, it was known as 'combat fatigue.'"
     "And for the most part, discounted by the Service as a sign of
weakness." Apollo added, knowing how any warrior would react to being
informed that they may be suffering from CSR.  Even his first reaction
had been to blurt out that Starbuck couldn't possibly be suffering from
the well known, but rarely diagnosed, disorder.  Then Salik, in his
infinite calmness and wisdom, had reminded the captain just who held the
certification in medicine.
     "So what am I supposed to do now?  Burst into tears or go on a
rampage?" Starbuck asked dryly, looking from one to the other.
     "Retreat behind sarcasm?" Salik suggested directly, looking the
young warrior in the eye.
     Starbuck stared back, determined to hold the older man's gaze. 
"Fine then.  You want to see my cards?  I think you're full of
felgercarb, Doc."
     "I wouldn't expect you to feel at all otherwise, Lieutenant.  This
is not a popular diagnosis, and I do not make it lightly.  I'd just like
to point out that one of the symptoms of the disorder is denial."
     "Well, then, I guess I've had it most of my life." Starbuck quipped. 
"Yes, as mama used to say, 'Starbuck...'" 
     "Starbuck," Salik interrupted.  "The good news is that I believe
your symptoms are indicative of the early stages.  With proper therapy,
we can manage your symptoms and help you come to terms with the
associated event.  Of course, we'll require full cooperation.  If you can
agree to this, then, and only then, will I reinstate your flight status."
     "Define full cooperation." 
     "Again, self-monitoring of your sleep patterns, including logging of
nightequas.  You might find it useful to keep a journal to record the
data.  I have an appointment for you to see Tarnia tomorrow at 1400
centars.  Based on her assessment, there may or may not be follow-up
sessions.  As for me, I would like to see you every secton until I'm
satisfied you're making progress."
     "And then?" 
     "Then I'll see you every two sectons." Salik smiled at the scowl
directed his way.  "I've been completely honest with you, Starbuck.  My
focus here is ultimately your welfare.  Any questions?"
     "When do I get my flight status back?" Starbuck asked.
     "Are you agreeing to my conditions?" Salik countered.
     "Look, Doc.  I think you're overreacting here.  But if that's what I
have to do to prove it to you, I will." Starbuck told him a little
bitterly.  Hades, if Salik wanted him to jump through a few hoops, he
could perform as well as the rest of the Academy trained daggits.
     "Very well.  For tonight, I want you to get every centon of sleep
you can.  As of 0800 centars tomorrow morning, you are reinstated to full
flight status, Lieutenant." Salik informed him.  "Congratulations."  By
all the great Lords, I hope I'm not making a mistake.

* * * * *

     All throughout their dinner together, Sheba could tell that Apollo's
mind was many light yahrens away. This was supposed to be the night when
they went over the final logistical matters pertaining to the wedding,
and he'd been terse throughout the meal, seldom saying more than three or
four words together.
     Sheba's own sense of intuition, the kind she'd inherited from her
father, and the kind that her mother had always said was purely feminine,
told her right away what was bothering her fianc‚e.  She decided she
could come straight to the point.
     "Do you think Starbuck is going to be okay?"
     Apollo blinked, as if he were surprised she'd suddenly brought the
matter up in such a direct way.
     "Oh!   Well...I think so, eventually.  Physically, he's fine and his
skills never looked better, but...I think it's a good idea that he's
going to see Tarnia and maybe he can get over any...inner trauma he's
still going through."
     She shook her head, "I know what he went through was horrible,
but...I guess I'm still not ready to understand how any trained warrior
can let their mind be affected that way.  I mean...just think of what we
went through, not too long ago.  How can anyone go through something more
frightening than seeing...well, the very instruments of the Demon and
being trapped inside his domain like we were on the Derelict?  And yet,
look how we came out of that."
     "I know," Apollo nodded,  "But...I think part of Starbuck's problem
is he hasn't really come to terms with a lot that's happened since the
Destruction.  He holds a lot inside and puts up that front of bravado,
which has seen him through thick and thin, until now.  Besides, Sheba,
this is not just about Starbuck 'letting his mind be affected.'  This
really isn't a conscious choice he's made.  Combat Stress Reaction is a
medical condition, albeit a psychological one.  I think there's another
difference, Sheba. You and I, we've learned to have more faith in the
power of what's Good, and I think that Starbuck ...well he's never
learned how to latch into all of it.  He's not a Skeptic, but...religion
and faith are something he's pretty much indifferent about. That could be
a part of the explanation of why we were able to come out of our
nightmare unscarred." He paused as he wondered about the truth of those
words when he had certainly racked up a few nightmares of his own.  "We
also have each other for support and understanding.  A lot of what
happens to Starbuck, he can't really discuss with Cassiopeia due to the
confidential nature of the job.  Then, there is the added factor of him
being part of an incident where there was a casualty.  He blames himself
for that.  We didn't have that weighing on our conscience."
     "Unless you count Delambre," Sheba pointed out, "But then again,
dying was his ultimate victory, so it's probably a bad analogy.  Anyway,
maybe what Starbuck needs isn't one of these psychologists but a talk
with a Caprican high priest..."  She hesitated as she caught Apollo's
bemused look and shake of his head.  "Or maybe..." she paused, "Maybe we
could share our experience on the Derelict with him, and he'd get some
perspective."
     "Can't," Apollo sighed, "You know the Commander's order on that. 
What we went through on the Derelict with Iblis and his minions is an
off-limits subject to everyone else.  We have to keep our word on that. 
Just like there are other things he told us to keep our mouths shut
about, like a certain Council member's past transgressions."
     Sheba folded her hands together and decided now was the time to
bring up another subject she'd been meaning to do for several cycles. 
"And like you had to keep your word not to tell me about the Ziklagi
shape-shifter?"
     Her fianc‚e was glad that she'd finally raised the issue.  "I begged
him to let me tell you about that, Sheba," he said, "Especially in light
of our joint secrecy on those other matters.  He knew you could be
trusted on it, and I knew it too.  Heck, I wouldn't have just told you
all of this about Starbuck if I'd felt otherwise.  But he told me this
came down to a matter of chain-of-command procedures, and since I'm the
Senior Strike Leader of the Fleet that meant I was put in the loop
whether I wanted to be or not.  Anyway, I'm glad Father changed his mind
and has let you and the other senior officers know about the whole
Ziklagi problem now, since the last thing any of us ever want to see is
another incident like Jada's."
     "I won't fault you,"  Sheba absently toyed with her water chalice,
"But...it's gotten me to wondering if our marriage can be what we want it
to be if we're going to be forced to not share some terrible secrets with
each other.  Suppose the Derelict experience hadn't been you and me, but
you and Starbuck?  Would you have been able to keep your word about
something like that to me?"
     "What are you saying?" Apollo asked with concern.
     Sheba brought the chalice to her mouth, drank the rest of its
contents and then set it down on the table.  "What I mean is, what
standards do we set for ourselves?  I really think that if we are going
to prosper together in the kind of marriage we both want, we can't keep
anything from each other of that kind of magnitude.  That's all I'm
saying.  No secrets that have the potential to trouble us, should be
monopolized in the interests of sparing the other's feelings, or holding
to a pretty lame element of bureaucratic procedure.  We can both go to
Adama and tell him that this is the kind of policy that needs to be
followed more vigorously."
     A curious expression came over Apollo, "I'm getting the feeling
there's a secret of your own that you're waiting to tell me."
     "There is," Sheba nodded. "It's about Bojay."
     "Bojay?"
     "I asked him to be the formal stand-in for my father, during the
ceremony next secton. To do the presenting of the bride business. 
But...he turned me down."
     "And that's bothering you?"
     "Not so much the fact that I know why he turned me down," Sheba
sighed, "Bojay's always regretted the fact that he and I never developed
anything romantically.  He's always thought if he'd tried harder when we
first met, things would have been different between us.  But he's wrong
about that, because I always saw what we had as brother-sister from the
start, and I was at a stage where I didn't give romance a millimicron's
thought.  Not with him, or anyone else we knew on the Pegasus."
     "So he turned the invitation down just because he was jealous?" 
     "No, he'll be there, but...not in the special role.  And I really
want him for that special role, because since I know my father isn't
going to be here for this, his stand-in needs to be someone who means as
much to me as Bojay has."  she lowered her head, "I'm still debating
whether I should try again or not.  At any rate, he's drawn special deep
patrol two cycles from now and is preparing busily for that, that I might
run out of time to convince him. And I don't want there to be anything
with our wedding that could mar its perfection."
     "Then try not to let it bother you for now," Apollo reached over and
squeezed her hand.  "If it's meant to be, it's meant to be, and if he
still says no, that can't take away from the happiness our wedding day is
going to bring to us.  That's something I'll always be certain of."
     Sheba smiled and squeezed his hand back.  And then, their
conversation turned back to more pleasant subjects between them.

* * * * *

     Heat. Heat, and steam, and the strong smell of machinery.  It was
all around him, suffusing him and at the same time comforting him.  For
he wasn't sure how long now, he had existed on heat, like a newborn.  It
felt good, as it helped alternately to assuage his pain as he healed, and
stoke his anger.  The pain gave him focus.  The pain gave him clarity. 
Here, in this small alcove of pipes and shafts, deep within the guts of
whichever ship this was, he could brood upon the wrongs done him, for the
present safe from detection.
     He didn't know exactly how he'd gotten here, for he was still partly
blind from the attack of the Human vermin.  All he could recall for
certain was being placed in the small cubicle aboard the shuttle, and
left alone.  From what little he had heard while drifting in and out of
consciousness, he was to be handed over to the Human security forces upon
return to the warship, something he could not allow.  Injured, weak from
loss of fluid and in great pain, he knew he had but a short time to
effect his escape.  For all their repulsive weaknesses, the Human's
security cells were formidable, and he doubted that even they would fall
for the same trick twice.  Fortunately for him, the triple-lensed
construction of his eye had saved him from total blindness, the other two
having survived unharmed.  Even so, his vision was lacking the full-color
of the spectrum, it was blurred and he found it hard to focus.  But he
had no choice.
     Summoning all his strength and fighting the brain-numbing pain, he
shifted, then got to his feet, and, still bound, slammed the eject switch
with his bulk.  He'd almost screamed as he'd fallen out, and away from
the shuttle, taking his chances in open space.  He saw the ships of the
Human convoy blur past him, then...
     The gods, it seemed, or at least one of them, had smiled upon him
this time.  He barely had time to see the ship coming up in front of him
before he smacked into it, the shock and pain almost making him lose the
form of the Rekka.  He found purchase, then gravity, as a way inside
presented itself.  Why it was open he did not know, but nor did he care. 
He slipped in, soon finding himself lost in the ship's maze of bins,
pipes, and conduits.
     And so he had stayed for Oghul knew how long, now, back in his own
form, trying to heal, tormented by thirst and hunger.  He castigated
himself for the weakness that let groans and cries of pain escape him,
yet could not stop them.  His whole body screamed with pain, it was hard
to move, but above all, his eye.  It was pure agony to try and see,
especially through all the vapor and gloom, and he swore vengeance again
and again against the whole of the Human Race. 
     Especially the ones called Pelias and Starbuck!
     What was that?  The crew?  Or another filthy piece of barge vermin
that wouldn't feed a stunted chitterworm?  He shuddered at the memory. 
The horrid little things, crawling around down here, like... Were he not
so cramped and torn by hunger...No.  A Human.  Almost as disgusting. 
Still...He waited.  Closer it came.  Closer. Patience...
     "What the...OH GOD, N..."
     Then silence, broken only by the sounds of the ship.
 
  
     Standing at one of the ports in the pilots' billet, in the middle of
the ship's night, Lieutenant Starbuck stared out across the infinity of
space.  More stars than he had ever seen splattered across the sky, but
he didn't really notice.  They had not succeeded in obtaining any tylium
for the Fleet.  The alien was on the loose again, still at large.  They
were still within the boundaries of a hostile power.  But none of that
made the slightest impression on him.  All he could think about, as he
stared out across the vastness, was Jada. 
     Jada.  Someone who, like himself, had started from nothing.  Someone
who, in a female sort of way, was a lot like himself.  Maybe too much. 
Hot-tempered, intolerant, flippant, insubordinate, irreverent, fun. 
Someone who would, in time and despite themselves, have been torn down,
forged, and reassembled, then fine-tuned and honed into one of the best
Warriors he'd ever seen or worked with.  Someone that everyone in the
military, from the Commander on down to the lowliest swab jockey, could
have been proud of.  Someone...
     Someone who was gone, now, because of him.  Oh sure, they kept
telling him he wasn't to blame.  He'd heard it all.  It was the alien,
Starbuck.  The alien killed her.  But he couldn't make that real to
himself, somehow.  Somehow, in a part of himself that he never let anyone
see, not even Cassie, he blamed himself.  Hated himself.  And he mourned
her.  Wept for her.  Beseeched her forgiveness for failing her.  Wondered
if she...if part of her yet lived on.  Oh, he hoped it was so.  After
all, he'd been aboard the Ship of Lights and knew there was another
dimension.  Another reality.  Really, though, the experience had raised
more questions than it had answered.  And yahrens of ingrained cynicism
refused to entirely release its grip upon him.
     Forgive me, Jada.  As long as I live, I will never forget you.  As
if that would somehow comfort a tormented soul.  He snorted.  Was it his
soul or hers that concerned him?  He rubbed his weary eyes.
     And I swear on my honour...I will find him, Jada.  I will find
that...that piece of felgercarb, and make him pay!
     At last surrendering to fatigue, Starbuck turned away, heading for
his bunk, and left the stars to themselves.
     Oblivious to the tear that had fallen to the deck.  Alone and
forgotten.
 
 
     Far, far away, well beyond the range of any scanner in the Fleet, a
faint, dying wisp of radio energy, speeding across space, touched a relay
beacon.  Within moments...
     Beep, beep, beep...


     Fleeing from the Cylon tyranny, the last battlestar, Galactica,
leads a ragtag fugitive fleet on a lonely quest...a shining planet known
as Earth.


=====================================================================
Thanks to Senmut for letting us borrow Korax (Note-he was returned in
almost original condition), for his technical wizardry, and his endless
patience with adds and edits.