The eleventh Red Squadron story
Brief Interlude
By Tice Leonard

    Brie heard the music flowing gently out of the officers' lounge
like the first snow of winter coming to an eager child.  To anyone
else, it was just a song - one of those songs that had been really
popular about five yahrens back, and sometimes the melody got stuck in
your head - but just a song.  To Brie, it was the last tie to a
simpler time, when life was easy, and the worst thing that could
happen was that the guy across the bar from her might not want to
dance...

     Dancing had never been a problem for Brie.  From her youngest
days, she had always tried to hog the attention in her family.  One
way to really get it was to break out dancing at a family get
together.
     She had been clumsy, and foolish in her younger yahrens, but as
she matured into a young woman, she had found her lithe frame was
suited for such intricacies as the Gemon Shalla Dance, and the
provocative Gnerref.  She stole the show with her sleek elegance and
limber steps.
     And, she had no problem stepping out with her classmates on
weekend nights.  She spent her entire secondary education at a ladies'
school on Caprica, the best one her father's money could get her into. 
That meant it wasn't THE best, but it was an all girl school.
     Her father had recognized young that Brie's form was suited to
more than dancing.  She had a way of catching the young boys' eyes,
and he was determined that she would not be trapped by some young
scamp who just wanted to prove his virility.
     But, as all teens do, Brie regularly snuck out of her dorm room,
and made for the nearby town.  Night there was as great as it looked
on the entertainment channels.  There was drinking, gambling, and any
sort of trouble that one could hope to find.  There was even dancing.
     That excited Brie.  She could lose herself in the rhythm of a
song, for centars it seemed.  There was no worry that her friend
Marron had not returned from the Cylon front when his battlestar had. 
It was impossible to worry about anything with the blare of a strumnon
and the beating of a drum driving her heart to a frenzy.
     There was only time to dance.
     Brie had been to the club "Destiny" many times before, but she
had never seen it quite this crowded.  She met her friends, Sheen and
Manah, at the door and asked, "What's going on here?"
     "Haven't you heard?"  Manah asked.  "Spanno's singing tonight."
     "Who's Spanno?"  Brie asked.
     "Don't even," said Sheen.  "He's got that song 'Stranglehold.'"
     "I hate that song," said Brie.  She turned to leave. "Why don't
I just let you two enjoy-"
     "Oh, no," said Sheen as she and Manah grabbed Brie by the arms.
     "Your with us," said Manah.
     Brie sighed, and acquiesce.  They found a clear spot along the
wall from which they could still see the stage.  Brie was still
hunting for an opportunity to escape.
     The club was loud, but even for the hideous din of blaring
music, Brie felt like all was silent.  The nagging anticipation of
word from Marron was drowned out from inside her skull.  She found
herself rocking to the beat of the song, even though she hated the
tune.
     Her swinging arm caught someone in the leg.
     "Oh, sorry," said Brie.
     "It's okay," said a gangly boy.  He was nearly Brie's age; he
must have snuck out of the all boy school across town.  Brie smiled at
him, and went back to dancing.
     "I haven't seen you here before," said the boy.
     That was lame.  Brie went along with it to be polite.  "I'm in
here all the time.  When ever I can get out."
     "School?"  he asked.
     Brie nodded.
     "I'm a physics major at Lumto Academy.  I'm on a study break."
     "Physics?"  Brie asked, now somewhat interested.  "I have an
examination next secton."
     "On what?"  the boy asked.
     "Fall lines, linear motion, waves...I don't know."
     "Oh," said the boy.  His voice seemed to drift off, and he had
invited himself to dance alongside Brie.  She didn't mind.  At second
glance he was sort of cute.
     And his voice...oh!  It stirred something in her.
     "What do you study in a physics major?"  Brie asked.
     "Time displacement, non-liner motion, sub-atomic particles, and
quantum mechanics," he answered.
     "Over my head," said Brie.  She was disinterested again.
     "My name's Jack," said the boy.
     "Brie."
     "Glad to meet you," said Jack.  "I guess I'll see you again
sometime."  He moved off, more toward the wooden dance floor.
     "Hey, wait!"  said Brie.  She had been left alone, and she
chased after Jack.  "We haven't finished dancing."
     Jack held up, and moved with Brie.  They seemed suited for each
other.  Any move Brie made, Jack was able to coordinate a counter-move
that kept them in sync and time with each other.  They were like
professional partners dancing on a stage.  Everything else disappeared
for Brie as she danced with this strange boy.
     "Fall lines, huh?"  Jack asked.
     "Shut up and spin me," said Brie.  She presented Jack with her
hand, and he took it.  He lifted it high above his head, and flung
Brie around and around, until she reached the end of his reach.  When
she had tried this with other boys, she had found that she would jerk
to a stop when his arm was fully extended.  With Jack, she was able to
come to a graceful stop, put her arm out, and return to his arms with
ease.
     Again, Brie was interested.   "Sophomore?"  Jack asked.
     "Yes," said Brie.  "Communications major."
     Jack nodded.  "Took a course in com technology.  Failed it."
     "Top of my class," said Brie.
     "Then I bet the Colonial Service asked you to sign up."
     "They did," said Brie.  "They asked me to join the regiment at
school."
     "Did you?"
     A quick flash of Marron rolled through her mind.  He had been so
dashing in his warrior uniform.  That tan fabric had so matched his
eyes, and the jet black hair had been so-
     "I need some air," said Brie.
     "Me too," said Jack.  "I hate Spanno, anyway."
     "Then why are you here?"
     "I got dragged here by my friends," said Jack.  "I was hoping to
slip out while they weren't looking."
     "Let's go," said Brie.
     "Where?"
     "Anywhere that isn't here."
     That turned out to be the parking area just outside the club. 
Jack made for his ram parked near the street.  He reached inside the
window and switched the music channel on.  The song was a slow, and
beautiful tune, which Brie knew very well.
     Jack presented his hand to Brie.
     This was corny, no doubt, she thought as she eagerly took hold
of Jack's hands.  Their first steps in the slow dance were awkward, if
only for the sudden change in their relationship.  
     Brie giggled as she stepped on Jack's right foot.  She backed
away.
     Jack's eyes were warm, and they sparkled in the reflected neon
light of the club's gaudy sign.  Brie stepped back up to him, took his
hands, and glided with him in time to the music.  She rested her left
hand on Jack's back.  If he appeared gangly at first glance, that was
only the frame he presented to the world.  His back was strong.  Brie
couldn't help but press her hand deep into it, feeling the muscles
below his garments.
     "So, can I call you to get some help with my exam?"  Brie asked.
     "Sure," said Jack.  "Maybe I'll retake that com tech class
again, get that failing grade off my record."
     "Right now, just keep dancing," said Brie.
     They did, for 2 centars.

     Manah burst into Brie and Sheen's room, yelling excitedly. 
"Listen!  I've got news!"
     "What?"  Brie asked.
     "Marron! I know why he didn't come back home when the Pacifica
returned."
     Brie felt herself tense with anticipation of bad tidings.  No,
it had to be good news.  Manah was excited.
     "He was transferred to the Galactica a secton before the
Pacifica turned back!"
     "Thank the Lords!" shrieked Sheen.
     "And, look what I got to celebrate," said Manah pulling a bottle
from underneath her jacket.
     "Where did you get this?"  Sheen asked.
     "I swiped it from my father's cellar," Manah said.  "It's not
the good stuff, but it will do!"
     The grog was less than ideal, for drinking pleasure, but it was
harsh, and it did contain intoxicants.  That was all that mattered
right then.
     Sheen pulled three glasses from her closet, and handed two to
Manah to fill.
     "Will you be joining us this time, Brie?"  Sheen asked, almost
condescendingly.
     "I think I will," said Brie.
     That answer alone jarred the other two girls.
     "You will?"  Sheen asked.  She spilled a bit of the tan liquid
on her pants leg while she shot a look to Brie.
     "I drink...some...a little," said Brie.
     "It's Jack," said Manah.  "He must have loosened her up."
     "Oh," said Sheen.  "Tell us more about Jack."
     Brie tried to hold her huge grin in check as her face turned all
shades of red.  "He's very smart, and sweet, and-"
     "Who cares," said Sheen.  "Has he gotten you drunk?"
     "NO!" said Brie.  "We had some ambrosa the other night with
dinner."
     "Ambrosa..." said Sheen, with a nod.  "This is a LITTLE
different from ambrosa."  As if for effect, Sheen took her full glass,
slammed the drink back, and shook off the harsh liquid's effect.
     "You try," said Manah as she handed Brie a glass.
     Brie took the glass, and smelled the pungent drink.  It was not
as sweet as the rough ambrosa she had shared with Jack a few nights
before.  This smelled like paint thinner.  Still, Brie took the glass,
and did as Sheen had done.
     Almost.
     The micron the liquid hit Brie's throat, all her mouth muscles
seized up.  She was unable to swallow, and the grog trickled down her
chin and neck.  Brie tried to cough, but even that was impossible.
     Sheen and Manah laughed at the girl, but Manah handed her a
cloth to wipe her face.
     "Nice try, Brie," said Sheen.
     Brie was even more red than before.
     "Here," said Manah, refilling the glass.  "Try again, a little
slower this time."
     Over her own better judgement, Brie took the glass, and downed a
small shot.  The burning was less painful this time.  She felt the
warm drink ooze down her throat and into her stomach.  She instantly
felt the intoxicating effect.
     "Wow," said Brie.  "That's no ambrosa."
     "Good," said Sheen.  "Now have another sip, and tell us about
Jack."
     "I can't," said Brie.  "I have a date tonight."
     "You have to study for your stellar motions class," said Manah.
     "I am," said Brie.  "With Jack."
     "Study hard," said Sheen skeptically.
     "Shut up," said Brie.  "I'm not bad like you."
     "You're not bad like anyone," said Sheen.  "You'll always be the
good girl."
     "Shut up," repeated Brie.

     To be fair, Brie did study for a few centons.  But that gave way
to discussion, and other things.  When Jack took out a small
fumarello, Brie sat in quiet anticipation.
     The cigar was enticing to Brie.  She had, as Sheen would
certainly point out if she had been there, never smoked one before. 
She had always been the goody-goody.  With Jack, she felt free to
explore the darker sides.  Jack lit the smoke, and as he took the
first, long drag from the burning cigar, Brie reached for it.
     He was surprised at her interest.  She had never struck him as
the sort of woman who would take part in smoking.  But, he passed the
fumarello to her anyway, and she took a small hit from it.
     It burned her mouth and tasted just awful.  She spat the smoke
back out, and coughed.  Jack laughed just a little, as he took the
cigar back.  Brie drew the smoke back, and took another drag.
     This time, she got the full effect of the smoldering plant
vapors.  Mixed with the drinks she had imbibed before coming on her
study date, she was beginning to feel ill.
     "Are you okay?"  Jack asked her.
     "Fine," said Brie.  "I just wasn't ready for that."
     "I could tell.  Do you want to lay down?"
     "Yes," said Brie.  She lay back on the bench where she sat, and
rested her hand on her forehead.
     From this angle, she could see a small box under Jack's bed.  It
was shoved out of the way, just so, in a way that made it invisible on
a casual inspection of the room.  From here, she could just see some
paper sticking out from under the top.
     "I'll go get you some water," said Jack, and with that he popped
out of the room.
     Brie slid off of the bench, and reached up under the bed.  She
grabbed the box, pulled it toward her, and removed the top.
     Inside were papers - hundreds of sheets with Jack's chicken-
scratch hand writing.  There were stories, letters, some sketches, and
notes about stories.  She was still looking at them when Jack
returned.
     Brie looked up at him, flashed an embarrassed smile, and
recovered the box.  She slid it back into place with her foot. 
"Sorry."
     "No, don't be," said Jack.  He was flush in the face, but not
angry.  
     "Let me show you something," said Jack.  He pulled the box out,
and removed a small notebook.  He opened it to a dog-eared page near
the back.  "Don't laugh."
     "At what?"
     "At this," said Jack.  He cleared his throat, and began to read
the words he had written on the page.  He tried to read them matter-
of-factly, but every so often, Brie got the impression that he was
singing the words in his head.
     "Wait,"  Brie interrupted.  "Is that a song?"
     "Yes,"  said Jack, some what embarrassed.
     "Sing it to me."
     "Oh,"  Jack shook his head.  "I don't think so."
     "Please!"  insisted Brie.
     "Okay," said Jack.
     He cleared his throat several more times, then proceeded.
     His voice was rough, and untrained.  He couldn't carry a tune in
a steel box, and he kept breathing at all the wrong times.  Still, the
idea of being serenaded by a man was hard for her to resist.  
     Brie held her grin to herself.  The last thing she wanted was
for him to see it, and think she was laughing at him (even though she
was) and stop.  She waited with baited breath for the final micron.
     "That was beautiful," said Brie.  "Did you write that?"
     "Yes," said Jack.
     "I didn't know that you had that in you."
     "I didn't know you had drinking and smoking in you," countered
Jack.
     "Hey, I bet Sheen could get someone to sing that song for you at
the club Destiny some night."
     "I don't-"
     "Yes you do know!" said Brie.  "You don't have to sing it, just
let others hear what you wrote."
     Jack considered it.  He was beginning to think that sharing his
song with Brie had been a mistake.  Still, how could he refuse her?
     As Brie looked at Jack on that quiet evening, she had wondered
what it would take for her to get lost in him.  Not very much, she
suspected.  Maybe this time her love life would set her free from so
many things.  Maybe she had found her place.
     Manah swung the door to Brie's room open and hollered the news.
     "Marron's coming home!" 
     Brie really didn't know how to react.  It was as though someone
had just told her that she was now siress of all the land holdings on
the North Continent.  She looked at Manah, waiting for her to say
something else.
     "The Galactica arrives in two sectons.  Marron will be there!"
     Brie felt herself flush, and her mouth wound into a gigantic
grin.  "Really?"
     "Yes!  Look," Manah handed her a Colonial Service Release.  It
was official.  Adama's battlestar would arrive back at Caprica in
twenty days, for resupply, and to take on new personnel.
     "How did you get this?"  Brie asked.  "CSR's only go to
immediate family."
     Manah blushed.  "I told the local director I was his fiancee."
     "And he went for that?"  Brie asked.
     "Apparently," said Manah.  She batted her eyes to let Brie know
that she had used her feminine charms to get the information, and
convinced the officer in charge of release distribution not to ask too
many questions.
     Brie just shook her head.  "I wonder if he's as excited as we
are?"
     "Of course he is," said Manah.  "And if he's not now, you should
see the dress I bought for the reception."
     "I can only imagine," said Brie.
     "You may not be going," said Sheen as she stepped through the
open door.
     "What do you mean?"  Manah asked.
     "This just came in the delivery box," said Sheen holding up a
yellow message tape.  "It's from Marron to Brie."
     Sheen held the tape out for Brie.  Brie took it, and stared at
it.  It was a recording, made on a Colonial Service holographic card,
stamped from the Galactica.
     "For me?"  Brie asked.
     "For you," said Sheen.  She tossed an ugly look to Manah, who
cowled at Brie.
     "You daggetess," Manah stormed out of the room, and down the
hall.
     "What did I do?"  Brie asked.
     Sheen smiled, and shook her head.  "I'll leave you alone to
watch your tape."
     Brie slid the disk into her player, and quickly shut the door
behind Sheen.
     After only a micron or so, a small hologram of a handsome,
though somewhat roughish warrior appeared.  He looked so fine in his
tan uniform!  His hair was so black, it seemed to add a foot to his
height.  If Brie had forgotten what it was like to grow up in his
hometown, and to be one of a hundred young girls madly in love with
the dashing Marron, she remembered now.
     "Hi, Brie," said the image.  "I just wanted to let you know that
my ship will be coming into port in just a few days.  I hope you get
this before it arrives, because there is something I wanted to ask
you.
     Brie's chest pounded in anticipation.
     "There's going to be a military ball, a welcoming reception for
the battle group in Caprica City, and I was wondering, if you weren't
doing anything..."
     Brie had never heard Marron sound so scared in his life.  It was
so endearing, that if he had asked her to chop off her right arm and
send it to him, she would have done it right then.
     "...if you would like to go with me, to the reception, as my
date."
     Brie collapsed back into her chair.  If she had died right then,
she would have died the happiest girl on Caprica.  All she could see
was her valiant warrior hero, the idol of all her friends, dancing the
night away with her.
     "I guess I'll call you when my ship arrives, and...I am really
looking forward to seeing you again.  Either way."
     The hologram faded.
     Brie frantically reached for the replay tab on the console, and
fumbled in her purse for a smoke.  She lit the fumarelette, and let it
sink in.  This was too much.
     That was when Brie heard the quick rhythm of Jack's horn
downstairs.  "Felgercarb!"  exclaimed Brie.  "I'm late!"  She messed
with the button up blouse, and combed her hair.  She tried to hurry to
keep Jack from waiting.
     Jack.  Wait a centon.  What was she going to do about Jack? 
     He was a good man.  She liked him very much.  She could even
love him - eventually.
     "Okay," said Brie under her breath.  "Sleep on it.  You have two
sectons to decide about Marron."  She resolved not to do anything too
hasty before then, though she suspected she was just putting off the
unpleasantness of breaking up with Jack as long as possible.
     Brie grabbed another smoke from her purse, and flew down the
stairs like a crazed pack hunter towards Jacks car.  She blasted
through the door, and made for the parking area before she even
realized it was raining.  She stopped by Jack's car, but he was
nowhere to be seen.
     She looked around, getting all the more drenched every micron,
and found Jack standing beside the very door she had just shot
through.  He was holding a rain shield over his head, and proceeded
toward her.  "I was waiting so you wouldn't get wet."
     "Sorry," said Brie.  Her apology meant more to her than it could
to Jack.  "I didn't no it was raining."
     "It's okay," said Jack.  He tapped the roof of his ram, and the
doors popped open.  They climbed in.  Suddenly Jack's car wasn't such
a nice place.  Brie felt like an intruder, a user.  She wished there
was a way she could enjoy both situations; the one where she was out
with a smart, sweet guy like Jack, and the one where the romantic hero
was heading for her castle to whisk her away.
     The two were mutually exclusive.
     
     Confusion was the way of the world for the next couple of days. 
She had slept on her dilemma, she had even taking to praying about it. 
She was no closer now to resolving the conflict than she had been the
moment Marron had asked her out.
     As she came back to her room, she found Manah laid out on her
bed, listening to that damned Spanno recording again.  She had
positively every Spanno poster ever printed hanging from the walls,
even on Brie's side of the room.
     "What's this?"  Brie asked.  "The Spanno fan club headquarters?"
     "I won a contest," said Manah, "the one on the entertainment
channel.  I won all Spanno's music, and a back stage pass when he
sings at the festival tomorrow night."
     "Oh, how thrilled you must be," said Brie.
     "I am, and you are jealous," said Manah.
     "Sure I am," said Brie.  "Maybe Marron will buy me a Spanno
recording when he gets back."
     "Shut up," snapped Manah.
     Brie's eyes bulged up as she considered the opportunity she was
suddenly handed.
     "Manah," she said sweetly.  "You get to go backstage and meet
Spanno?"
     "Yes!" said Manah.  "And he's going to have the time of his
life."
     "I bet so," said Brie.  "what are you going to bring him?"
     Manah slumped.  "Bring him?"
     "Yes, a present," said Brie.  "What present are you going to
bring him?'
     "I hadn't thought, I mean-"
     "Oh," said Brie.  "Well, maybe he won't notice..."
     "I don't have anything to give to him," said Manah.    
     "Well," said Brie, "maybe I can help."  She reached into her
dresser drawer, and pulled out a folded sheet of paper.  On it were
the words to Jack's song.  She handed the paper to Manah, and said,
"Give him this."
     "What is it?"
     "It's a song," said Brie.  
     "Give Spanno a song?"  Manah laughed.  "What like I'm some
desperate star-eyes school girl who thinks I can just give Spanno a
song!"
     "Well, then...maybe he'd like a fresh bunch of flowers, or a
gold cased strumnon."
     Manah thought about it, then took the paper.  "I'll give it to
him."
     Brie nodded.

     The shopping plaza was crowded.  People were everywhere, buying,
selling, and generally getting in Brie's way.  All she needed was that
one perfect dress for the ball, then she could get out of here, and
back to her...life.
     "Find it yet?"
     Brie turned around, and came face-to-face with Sheen.
     "No," said Brie.
     "Well, you'll never find it here," said Sheen.  "This store is
mundane.  It's fine for work, or school clothes.  Not for party
fashion."
     "No?"  Brie asked.
     No," said Sheen.  She smiled wickedly, turned, and walked out of
the store.  No really sure why, Brie followed her.
     They wove in and out of crowds, dodging shoppers and venders
alike, finally ending up outside of a place called Nook's.
     "I can't afford a scarf from this place," said Brie.
     Sheen laughed, "Sure you can.  Do you think I buy all my clothes
here?"
     Brie nodded.
     Sheen laughed again, and exclaimed, "Bless you, Brie.  My
father's no richer than you, but half the deal is to look the part." 
She slinked her way into the store.  "You buy something here, say a
sweater, a pair of shoes, or-"
     "A scarf?"
     "A scarf," said Sheen.  "Then you accessorize with lesser stuff
you can afford."
     "So what do we look for here?"  Brie asked.
     "This is a special occasion," said Sheen.  "Here we get the
whole thing."
     "How much is that going to cost?"
     "If you can't afford to play, then maybe you should get out of
the game," said Sheen.
     Brie stopped for just a moment, as a purple sleeveless dress
caught her attention.  "I have got my book money for next semester.  I
could get a part time job during the break."
     "That's the spirit, Brie," said Sheen as she grabbed the dress
off the rack for her.
     Brie couldn't help but imagine herself in it, on Marron's arm.
     Sheen called out to one of the salesgirls, "Excuse me.  My
friend would like to try this on."
     "Of course, ma'am," said the girl.  "Right this way." She
ushered Brie toward the changing room.
     As Brie disappeared behind the door, Sheen went to work.  Purple
was not the easiest color to coordinate, but done right, it was to die
for.  She grabbed a pair of shoes, a gold chain, some undergarments,
and a hand bag.
     When Brie stepped out again, she looked like a peasant girl in a
queen's robe.  Sheen shook her head, and began draping the finish on
Brie like she was decorating a bare wall.
     "What are you doing?"  Brie asked.
     "Finishing the picture," said Sheen.  "You NEED these things, or
the dress is a waste."
     Brie took the bag, and held it under her arm.  She resisted as
Sheen draped the necklace over her head.  Sheen took the bag, and set
it firmly in Brie's hand.
     "Hold it like that," she said.  "Always like this.  And don't
worry about the cost.  My treat."
     "What?"  
     Sheen laughed one more time.  "The way you slapped Manah down,
going out with Marron...It's worth every millicredit."
     Brie almost cried.  "Thank you, Sheen."
     Sheen hugged Brie, and patted her on the back.  "Knock 'em dead
at the party.  And dance with him once for me."
     "I will."

     "Are you okay?"  Jack asked.
     Brie snapped back to attention.  She was in his ram, headed out
away from town.  There was a bottle of ambrosa in her hand, and she
had been daydreaming for quite some time.
     "Yes," she said.  "Why do you ask."
     "You just seem out of it."
     "I'm fine," said Brie.  "Just a lot happening."
     "Finals?"  
     "Yes," said Brie, thankful that he had presented her with a
painless option like that.
     "You know your stuff," said Jack.  "If you want to study more,
we can-"
     "Right now I only want to study the bottom of this bottle," said
Brie.
     Jack grinned. "Fine by me."
     Brie brushed her finger up and down the side of the bottle.  She
took a deep breath, quietly, then burst out, "I have something to tell
you."
     "Okay."
     "Um," she fumbled as much now as she had all day rehearsing this
speech.  Then, she came up with something else. "I let Manah see your
song."
     "Oh," said Jack. He watched the road.  "Why?"
     "Because it was so great.  She thinks she can get Spanno to sing
it at that big concert tonight." Okay, that was a lie.  She was going
to slip it to him after the concert, but maybe some other time...
     "I'm not sure I want my song sung," said Jack.  "I mean it was
just something I wrote down."
     "It's a beautiful song," said Brie.  "People should hear it."
     "You don't want to go to the concert, do you?"  Jack asked.
     "No," said Brie.  "Not if you don't want to."
     "Okay," said Jack.  "Then let him have it."
     Jack parked the ram just off the road, and shined the light on a
big rock near the river.  He shut down the car, and took Brie's hand. 
He leaned over and kissed her. 
     Brie closed her eyes and tried to block out that one nagging
word in the forefront of her mind - Marron.

     "Thank you!  Thank you  Thank you!" said Manah as she ran
through the door.  "Spanno loved the song so much he's going to sing
it at club Destiny!"
     "Really?"  Brie asked springing to her feet.
     "Yes, he's going to sing it to me!" said Manah.
     "Great," said Brie.  "I've got to call Jack.  When is he
singing?"
     "Tomorrow," said Manah.
     Brie called Jack and the date was on.   No matter what her final
decision was, at least she could share this special moment with Jack. 
Maybe he would go on to a big song writing career. 
     Maybe a lot of things.

     All day Brie sat in eager anticipation of what was coming. 
Spanno could say that the song was for his new girl, Manah, but Brie
would always know that she was the first person who had ever heard the
wonderful words, and that they had been written for her.  It was her
secret, and her romantic fantasy come true.
     She was beginning to come to a decision about her problem.  She
was going to the dance with Marron, but in the end, she was going to
break his heart.  Marron was a dashing, daring man, but in her heart
of hearts, Brie wanted something else.  She wanted a man who could
probe her inner soul, and she her for who she was.  
     That man was Jack.
     The sky was already getting dark.  That was perfect.  Brie loved
to just sit and look at the stars-
     As her eye darted toward the small window, it latched onto an
image that halted that line of thinking where it stood.  There was a
small pot of white flowers and a candle on the sill, and a large white
card facing outward, away from her.
     Everyone on the Colonies knew the traditional mourning offering. 
When a warrior is killed in space, with no body to return for burial,
the friends and family arrange white flowers and a candle in the
window as an outward symbol.  The card bears the name of the dead. 
The display is set in the window so the warrior's soul can look back
from the darkness of space and see that he is loved.
     Brie did not want to look at the name.  So many people had lost
loved ones during the thousand yahrens of the war, that it would be
okay if she just went about her business and checked the name tonight,
when she got back.  Even as she debated not checking the name, her
feet dragged her across the room toward the window.
     Despite her will, her arm reached for the card, her hand took
it, and her eyes read the name.  
     Her brain disconnected from the one word before her.  It was
familiar, but the shock and sadness blew out her thought processes. 
It was only as her fingers traced the letters "M...A...R..."
     Tears streamed down her face.  Marron was gone.  
     Like she had been smacked in the face, she set the card back in
its hallowed spot and fell back onto the bed.  There was no defense
for what she felt.  How many friends had she lost before tonight. 
Ten?  Fifteen?  That never mattered.  This loss was the hardest, just
as the last one had been and the next one would be.
     She needed to be alone, and come to terms with this on her own.
     The only way she could do that, was the way she had done it
since she had been old enough to sneak out and buzz the night spots. 
She had to drown out the sounds of her own inner sadness with loud,
driving music.
     She changed quickly, paying no attention to style, nor her hair. 
She was ready to go inside of ten centons, and paid no thought to
calling Jack to cancel.

     And so it had ended.  Jack had called her a couple of times, but
she had never been able to face him again.  Somewhere, deep down, she
wished she had.  It might have been a different life if she had
settled down with Jack, and stayed in school.
     Of course, all that was behind her now.  All that was left, even
of that way of life, was the memories, and perhaps this song.  It
still brought to her the same feelings it had that night in his room,
and she savored them until the music faded.  She filed it back in the
back of her brain.  She might go over it later, when she was drifting
off to sleep.

This story is a work of fan fiction, and is not intended to infringe
on the copyrights of Universal, ABC, Glen Larson Studios, or any other
corporations involved with Battlestar Galactica. It is intended solely
for distribution on the Internet, and the enjoyment of those BSG fans
who read it. 
Please direct feedback to me at TiCeL@aol.com
I hope you enjoyed it.