DISCLAIMER:  The Characters of Battlestar Galactica belong to Glen A.
Larson. No copyright infringement is intended.

Sheba and the Pisumi
August, 1999

  Once upon a battlestar, there lived a warrior named Apollo, and he
wanted to seal with a real warriorette.  He patrolled around trying to
find one, but there was always one problem or the other.
  One cycle, his quarter's door chimed.  Once he had keyed the door open,
he found, to his surprise, a sopping wet lady warrior.
  "Who are you?"  He asked.
  "My name is Sheba, and I'd be obliged if you could lend me a towel,"
she said.  "I've had a run-in with a cloud."
  "A cloud?  We're on a battlestar!  Where would you find a cloud?"
  "You know Baltar and his silly experiments, don't you?" she asked.
  "Oh, say no more," Apollo said.
  Being the sensitive, considerate warrior that he was, Apollo showed her
the turbowash room, then went to call his sister Athena.  When she
answered the comm, he asked her if she could run over one of her spare
uniforms and explained the situation.
  "Of course, I'll be right over," Athena said.
  "Well it's a good thing that they're coming to him now," she muttered
to herself after the connection was broken.  "He was doing a crummy job
of it looking himself."

  By the time Athena showed up at Apollo's quarters, Sheba was almost
dry.
  Apollo let Athena in and introduced the two.
  "Nice to meet you," Sheba said.  "I was just going to say that those
curtains are quite interesting...where did you find them?"
  Apollo grimaced.
  "Oh, he designed them himself," Athena said.  "Quite the artist, my
brother."
  Athena then smirked as Apollo turned red.
  "Well, do you have anyplace to stay tonight?" Apollo asked, swiftly
changing the subject.
  "I haven't received my billet yet, and I'm actually not supposed to be
here until tomorrow," Sheba said.
  Athena piped up.
  "You can stay with me, I've got lots of room."
  "Thank you," Sheba said.
  "But..." Apollo protested, knowing how Athena would put Sheba through
the mill later on.
  "No buts," Athena said, patting her brother on the head.

  "So, Sheba," Athena said.  "How long have you been a warrior?"
  "Well, for some yahrens, although I was training for many yahrens
before that.  Daddy wanted me to be at the top of my class when I started
going to the Academy."
  "Hmm," Athena thought to herself, "spoiled Commander's daughter."
  (Of course, we all know how that goes; takes one to know one <G>)
  Athena disappeared into a closet and then reemerged with a stack of
blankets in her arms.
  Sheba started. 
  "Oh, I'm sure I won't need that many," she said.
  "Nonsense, there can never be too much padding," Athena said.
  Walking over to the couch in the middle of the room, Athena began to
pile blankets and pillows up higher and higher, and she discreetly
slipped in one small pisumi on the very bottom layer.  When the stack of
bedding almost reached the ceiling, she stopped.
  "Well, have a pleasant sleep," she grinned at Sheba.
  "Why, uh, thank you," Sheba said.
  She tried to climb up to the top, but she couldn't.  Every time she
would gain a foot, a blanket or pillow would fall off and she would end
up on the floor, usually on her rear.
  Athena chuckled, went into her bedroom, and came back out, dragging a
ladder behind her.
  Sheba raised her eyebrows.
  (I know, what in the worlds is a ladder doing on a battlestar?  Well, I
say, they have lights to replace too!  Oooh, oooh, How many colonials
does it take to change a light bulb?  A: Only one, as long as Baltar
doesn't keep breaking it!...ok, lame joke is over, you can look now. G>)
  At any rate, eventually, Sheba was ensconced in the bedding, up near
the ceiling.  She sighed in relief, and then drifted off to sleep.

  When she awoke in the morning, she peered down from the height, almost
straight into the brown eyes of Athena.
  "Oh," she started.
  "Sorry to startle you," Athena said.  "I was wondering if you had a
pleasant sleep last night."
  "Very nice, thank you."
  "Not too lumpy or anything?"
  "Oh, there was this one little lump right in the middle of my back, but
it didn't bother me once I got to sleep.  After all, warriors must endure
such things," Sheba grinned.
  "Excellent," Athena said.
  And that is when Athena decided that Sheba was the perfect lady warrior
for her brother to become sealed to.  After all, this warriorette wasn't
wimpy at all!
  So that is exactly what happened, and at the reception after the
sealing ceremony, Athena was able to tell all sorts of embarrassing
stories about Apollo.  Sheba was just relieved because she didn't tell
any about her.
  But then again, Athena didn't know her that well.

				THE END

Erin Gieg, giegabyte@connect.ab.ca