SKILL, PLANNING AND EXECUTION
Lisa Zaza
November 2004

Part One

     Cooling his heels in the OC waiting for Apollo was not exactly what
Lieutenant Starbuck had planned for tonight. It had been a long three
sectons with warriors off sick with influenza and the remaining pilots
covering their shifts. He hadn't had a day off in that entire time,
between flying and the rest of the mandatory duties that Colonel Tigh had
assigned to them since the destruction of the Colonies. To top it all
off, he'd been squadron leader in the last two sectons since Captain
Apollo was too busy with his latest 'top secret problem that was so
important only the Strike Captain of the Galactica could possibly resolve
it'. To the lieutenant, this translated into filing reports. Starbuck
didn't recall joining the Colonial Service to spend his days compiling
data. In fact, he had taken certain measures to ensure that didn't
happen. Now, he was living his worst nightmare. Lieutenant Starbuck,
fighter pilot extraordinaire, was actually flying a ... desk!
     The next thirty centares was Starbuck's first break in a very long
time. He had made plans that could only be described as epic... as far as
he was concerned. He smiled as he replayed in his mind his winning game
of Pyramid in which he had secured a luxurious, private dining room on
the Rising Star. As a bonus, his game had financed the procurement of
fresh flowers, Gemonese cacao, Proteus Ambrosa and a beautiful necklace
with precious sapphires the colour of Cassiopeia's eyes. It still amazed
him what was available on the black market, if one knew where to look.
How he'd managed to end up in the game with three wealthy businessmen and
two council members was no doubt attributed to the famous 'Starbuck
Luck'. Sardonic amusement replaced self satisfaction when he realized his
friends and peers actually failed to recognize the skill, planning and
execution that were 'Starbuck Luck'. It was much wiser to keep such
information hidden. Of course it had nothing to do with skill, planning
or execution when the lovely Cassie also succumbed to the virus.
     Apollo became Starbuck's last centon, back up plan. Not bad for a
back up plan, he mused, especially considering he and his best friend had
not spent anytime together socially since the cursed influenza had
started. Starbuck was really looking forward to spending some time
catching up with his buddy and trying to weasel out of him what he'd been
up to for the last two sectons. Yet, here he sat in a dimly lit, mostly
empty OC, sipping slowly on grog that tasted disturbingly similar to the
swamp water on Attilla, waiting for Apollo.
     Apollo sat alone in his quarters, deep in thought. He was staring at
the computer screen, in fact had been doing so for centares. He had been
over every piece of data available and just didn't seem to be getting
anywhere. He had a few theories, but nothing concrete. He grimaced as he
realized he missed his familiar duties of Strike Captain. Who would have
believed that the invincible Colonel Tigh could be yet another victim of
the Aquarian Influenza? Suddenly, he realized someone was leaning over
his shoulder and casually reading all the classified information
displayed there. Unfortunately, the tired Captain's first reaction was to
lose the precarious balance he and the rear two legs of the chair had
achieved and to plummet to an ungraceful supine position, much to the
apparent amusement of his presently least favourite lieutenant.
     "Starbuck, what the frack are you doing here?"
     "Now, Apollo, temper, temper. I just came to see what was holding
you up... not your chair I might add", he snickered, "I waited in the OC
for a while and got worried... Buddy." Starbuck put on his best concerned
face and quickly stepped over his friend to get a better look at the
screen.
     Apollo regained the more popular vertical position and tried to edge
Starbuck away from the screen. "Yeah, well, you could have commed me
instead of just letting yourself in", he complained.
     Starbuck refused to be moved, "I tried, but you weren't answering.
Naturally, I was concerned." Starbuck looked innocently on and asked,
"What is all this felgercarb anyway?"
     Apollo sighed. He crossed the room reaching for the ambrosa and
glasses. "This felgercarb has been my life for the last two sectons."
     Starbuck gave his friend his trademark grin and replied, "Yeah,
well, your life has been my life for the last two sectons and anything
must be better than that."
     Apollo laughed. "Starbuck, as much as it pains me to admit it, I've
missed you... and my life. I've been so busy trying to find the answer to
all this", he motioned towards the computer, "that I haven't even had
time for Boxey. Athena's been taking him most evenings to give me some
spare time. She just picked him up in fact."
     "Just picked him up?" Echoed Starbuck, accepting his drink.
     Apollo checked his chronometer. "Sagan, I'm sorry, Starbuck. I guess
I lost track of time."
     Starbuck wandered around the tiny quarters. "That's okay, at least
your ambrosa's drinkable. So..." he lowered his eyes, carefully studying
his drink, "when did this food shortage come up?"
     Apollo looked up surprised, "How did you surmise that?"
     "Come on, Apollo, I can read. I can actually read quite a lot in the
time it takes you to fall flat on your astrum and get back up again."
     Apollo glanced back at the computer screen. He knew that endless
lists of times, dates and statistics of food consumption based on the
census of the ships in the fleet were displayed there. He did not
remember switching back to where he had summarized some of his own
theories regarding the food shortage. He looked back at his computer
illiterate friend. Starbuck would do anything humanly possible to avoid
command situations where he was required to sit in front of a terminal
for more than a few centons. In fact, Boomer was Apollo's first choice
for this temporary replacement assignment. Apollo smiled as he recalled
visiting the billet to give his friend the news, only to find Starbuck
holding Boomer's head over the turbo flush. The job landed on Starbuck by
default. Currently, the reluctant replacement was rearranging Apollo's
books on the shelf so the bound ends no longer lined up. Starbuck could
be worse than Boxey at times. He closed his eyes in frustration. One,
two, three...
     Starbuck looked at his friend sympathetically. "You know, Buddy, if
you've been staring at this info for two sectons, perhaps a fresh set of
eyes would help. Besides, it's a sure bet it's either that or go back to
the BOQ and listen to Jolly and Greenbean taking turns evacuating
alternate ends in the turbo flush."
     "Arrgh! Enough already, Starbuck!" Apollo resigned himself to the
fact that Starbuck was here to stay. "Alright, pull up a chair and I'll
try to explain briefly what the problem is."
     Starbuck joined Apollo at the desk and they both sat down. Apollo
noted that Starbuck's glass appeared to be full again. "You're generous
with my Ambrosa," he muttered.
     "Didn't you know it's the only surefire way to fight off the
Caprican Flu?"
     "Bucko, everyone has the Aquarian Flu."
     Starbuck simply smiled and motioned to the computer, "Brief me,
Captain."

Part Two

     Apollo proceeded to explain to Starbuck that despite the fact that
adequate food was being cultivated or synthesized for the first time in
over a yahren, people of the fleet were continuing to complain of hunger.
"Shortly after the destruction of the colonies, not only did our warriors
do a complete inventory and safety check of all the fleet's ships, but
also a census. We apparently have enough food per person, according to
the scientists on the agro ships. However, we are getting reports from
various ships that supplies are inadequate and have been for sectares.
The frustrating part is that there seems to be no pattern to those ships
that are complaining and those that aren't. In fact, for every ship that
reports insufficient nutrients there are two that assure us otherwise."
He looked over at Starbuck who appeared to be lost in thought. "Are you
still with me?" he asked.
     "Hmmm?" Starbuck looked up guiltily. Here he was at the side of his
best friend, an acceptable quality ambrosa in hand, discussing an
important fleet issue. Most notably he was no longer behind the duty desk
filling out mind numbing reports. Oddly enough, he had been enjoying the
moment. Just his luck he'd got caught. Perhaps a grog and two ambrosa's
was his limit... tonight anyway. "I'm hanging on every word." Apollo
rolled his eyes. "Well, have you checked out the complaints? Are they
legitimate?" Starbuck asked.
     Apollo grunted, "That's another part of the problem. With this virus
affecting mainly Galactica residents, I've had trouble coming up with
enough warriors who aren't contagious but are well enough to send to
civilian ships. The last thing we need is to spread influenza around the
fleet."
     "Might help the food shortage," Starbuck deadpanned.
     Apollo stared at Starbuck as though he was an android daggit that
had just short-circuited in the middle of a Council of Twelve meeting.
     "So...  have you had the Flu?" Starbuck thought a change of topic
might be a good idea about now.
     "Yeah, I was fortunate though, it only lasted a day, " he replied.
     "Leave it to you to join the accelerated program." Starbuck smiled.
"Do you have a list of the ships that are affected?" he asked.
     Apollo started entering commands and passwords on his keyboard
furiously. A few centons later the list finally came up. Starbuck looked
on incredulously. Apollo shrugged. "That's another one of my problems.
Every time I access a new list of classified information I swear I need
to enter my password repeatedly until the frackin' machine is confident
I'll give up my son if I abuse the information."
     "Trust me on this, Buddy. Give up the daggit instead."
     Apollo snorted. "I don't know how Tigh tolerates it."
     Starbuck grinned, "Well, that's easy. He doesn't."
     "Huh? Care to elaborate?"
     "He has... well... priority access." Starbuck started to explain.
Apollo looked blankly at him. Starbuck shook his head. "Move over," he
directed.
     "What you are about to see, you must swear to never hold against
me." Starbuck held his friend's gaze.
     "Sagan, you're weird tonight."
     Starbuck managed to look convincingly injured.
     "Oh, alright, I swear." Apollo switched places with Starbuck.
     Starbuck typed out a short series of keys and was prompted with
"confirm." Starbuck repeated the entry. The computer suddenly became the
lieutenant's best friend. No longer were passwords and confirmation of
intent required. He quickly accessed all of Apollo's files from the
previous two sectons and had the list of ships identified in less that a
centon. "So, what's this list of ships at the bottom? Are they affected
or not?"
     "Starbuck! What did you do?" Apollo sputtered at his friend.
     "Relax, Apollo, just trying to help. So, are they or aren't they?
Affected I mean."
     "Oh, no, you are not going to distract me again. What did you just
do? That isn't... please tell me that isn't my father's password," he
begged. "Lords, Starbuck, they'll trace that back to my terminal and I'll
have the commander and colonel breathing down my neck so fast..." Apollo
started to pace.
     Starbuck watched his agitated friend. This was clearly more than he
could take. Apollo was definitely on overload. The captain really needed
to learn how to relax. He was clearly overreacting.
     Apollo glared at the lieutenant. The man could be so frustratingly
irresponsible sometimes. He just hacked his way into the Galactica's
mainframe and thought nothing of it. Wait a centon...  Starbuck hacked
his way into the mainframe!!! Sagan, Apollo's world had just turned
upside down. Memories raced through his mind. The time Starbuck had been
assigned to the task force on Arcta when he clearly had no previous
experience with frigid climates. The time he had heard that Starbuck had
been incarcerated as a juvenile only to find there was no record of it on
his file. The time Starbuck had completed two centares worth of reports
in fewer than fifteen centons. Starbuck had ... Starbucked him. He
grabbed his friend by the shoulders and stared intently into wide eyes
centimetrons from his own, " What... did... you... do??!!!"
     "I... uh... just entered ... the uh... password."
     "Where did you get it?"
     "Well, it was a long time ago and... I ... well..." Starbuck
stammered, unable to hold his friends gaze.
     "Where... did... you... get... it?" Apollo punctuated 'it' with a
sudden shake of Starbuck's shoulders. Oh, how he'd love to shake him some
more.
     "Well... it was on the Polaris..."
     "What? The Polaris? But how... ? Who... ?" This was like a bad IFB
story. Apollo released him and walked away. He needed to regroup. He
shook his head as if that would help clear it. For the first time in his
life Captain Apollo was tongue-tied.
     Starbuck carefully watched his friend. Frack, he'd really messed up
this time. Rule one, Bucko, never show your cards. He had an odd
tightness in his chest that he couldn't explain. Apollo seemed to be
having difficulty even looking at him. "Apollo?" His voice was almost a
whisper, as if he was afraid to disturb his friend's reverie.
     Apollo closed his eyes. One, two, three... four, five, six... 
     "Apollo, look... it was a long time ago. Before I even knew you...
a lifetime ago."

Part Three

     The Polaris was a new battle cruiser with all the latest technology,
including speed and maneuverability that could not be surpassed. Her
commander, Ranen, was one of the greatest military leaders of all time.
His strategies and tactics were legendary. He was nearing the end of a
stellar career and decided to step down from the command of the Columbia
to make room for a younger man. However, he was not ready for retirement
yet and he was not prepared to sit behind a desk imprisoned by four walls
in some sterile building in Caprica City. He belonged out here among the
stars. Ranen was a tough leader who liked to take a personal interest in
shaping the minds and careers of his subordinates. Unfortunately, he was
getting to know the ensign standing at attention on the bridge only too
well.
     "Ensign Starbuck." Steely grey eyes bored into the younger man. "I
thought we had an understanding." He slowly walked around the young man
until he was directly behind him. "I specifically recall you agreeing
that I would not be seeing your name on report again. Wasn't that just
last secton, Ensign?"
     Starbuck could feel the man's breath on the back on his collar. Last
secton on report for a little card game... discovered in the middle of
sleep period in the officer's club... and this week for his hair being
too long. Minor transgressions were getting the young man in a lot of
trouble. He knew the old man was tough, but this was ridiculous. That was
his last thought before the concussion of the blast hit him and
everything went black.
     The smell of smoke and burnt flesh permeated Starbuck's muddled
senses. His body screamed in protest at the slightest movement.
Everything hurt. A constant thudding in his head delayed the realization
that he couldn't see a thing. He felt something trickling down his
forehead into his eyes. The klaxon was blaring, but he could still
faintly hear moans and pleas for help in the background. The sense of
panic on the bridge was overwhelming.
     "Get up!" Starbuck heard the command from over his shoulder. He was
lying face down on the floor. He rubbed at his face and managed to move
his blood-matted hair out of his eyes. His sight was restored. Frack,
maybe he did need a haircut.
     "Get up, Ensign!" Commander Ranen was on top of Starbuck trapping
him from the chest down. He attempted to wriggle out from under the man
when a sharp pain darted up his right leg. He gasped. That was a mistake.
His chest protested with an agonizing spasm. Deep breaths were definitely
out of the question. "Listen, son, if you don't get it together, every
man and woman on this ship is going to be dead in seven centons!"
     Starbuck was struck with terror as he heard the computer-generated
voice in the background, "Auto destruct in six centons."
     "Get off... !" he exclaimed.
     "I can't move..." Commander Ranen replied bitterly. He was certain
his back was broken. He had already taken in the scene around him. The
young ensign was their only chance. The commander had taken most of the
force of the blast, thereby inadvertently protecting the young man as he
was thrown against him. Starbuck was the only one physically able to
reach the computer and disarm the deadly auto destruct sequence. "You
have to do it, Ensign. Now, move your astrum!"
     Starbuck painfully twisted to his right, taking some of the pressure
off his aching chest. He reached around behind him, grabbed the
commander's jacket and pulled. Ranen slipped to the floor beside him.
Starbuck was free. Ranen did not look good. His face was pale and
diaphoretic. The rest of the man was burnt and bleeding. There was only a
charred remains of the great man left. The smell again hit Starbuck hard.
He lurched away from the commander and vomited up his last sectons worth
of meals.
     "Starbuck! Sagan, man, listen to me! Starbuck!" Wide, shock filled
blue eyes locked with determined grey ones. "The computer! Get to the
computer! You have to disengage... the auto destruct sequence!" Starbuck
tried to get his tortured body to respond.
     "Auto destruct in four centons." Four? What happened to five?
Starbuck wondered in a daze.
     "Move!"
     Starbuck looked around. Lords, surely someone could help. All he saw
were the dead and dying. Odd, he thought as he stared out at the stars.
They aren't any cylons... 
     "Auto destruct in three centons."
     The commander quickly assessed the young man. He was also covered in
blood. The question was, 'whose blood?' He was obviously in a lot of
pain, but he was their only hope. "Son, this is your...  chance to make
a... difference ... to do something... worthwhile..."
     Starbuck grabbed a chair and started to pull himself upwards. He
swayed dizzily and held on tightly to regain his balance. Tears were
streaming down his cheeks from the smoke. He started to cough then
noticed his leg. What is that sticking out of my leg? That would be your
tibia, Bucko. His stomach heaved once again. Frack, frack, frack... 
     "Auto destruct in two centons."
     Coughing and choking on the thick smoke, he propelled himself
towards the computer using the chair as a crutch. Adrenalin had finally
had kicked in. Starbuck hit the keys. Sparks flew from the console and he
felt his breath knocked from his lungs as he again found himself lying on
the floor. The command center was shooting off an impressive display of
fireworks reminiscent of a Caprica Day celebration. He again heaved
himself up to the computer and hit the keys. Nothing happened. He tried
again. Still nothing. "Commander, it's frozen, it won't let me in,
Commander... !" Starbuck stared in desperation at his commanding officer.
The old man's eyes were closed. Frack, Ranen couldn't be dead. He wasn't
finished here yet! "Commander!"
     Alert grey eyes opened to stare at the young man again, "FUBAR,"
Ranen gasped, "Enter, FUBAR."
     "Auto destruct in one centon."
     Starbuck gaped at the man in astonishment. What? Perhaps he
misunderstood. Hades, why not? After all, he was a betting man and he
definitely had nothing to lose. Starbuck typed in "FUBAR." Sweat and
tears were pouring down the young warrior's face as he tried to see
through the smoke to the computer screen. Hacking coughs tortured his
oxygen-deprived lungs.
     The computer prompted, "Confirm."
     Starbuck again entered FUBAR.
     The computer again came to life. "Request."
     "Disengage auto destruct." Starbuck typed furiously.
     "Disengaging auto destruct. Confirmed." The klaxon suddenly stopped.
Starbuck slumped to the floor. He looked over at the Commander. Ranen
smiled at the young, hot headed warrior who was badly in need of a
haircut... and medical attention. That kid would be one Hades of a
warrior. He closed his eyes and took his last breath.

Part Four

     Starbuck brushed the hair from his eyes. He was well known for his
exaggerations in story telling, especially among his fellow warriors.
Strangely enough, he felt drained after telling the complete and utter
truth. Hades, it was a great story. It didn't really need any
embellishments.
     "As I remember, the Polaris incident was blamed on sabotage. The
damage was so extensive throughout the ship that she was decommissioned.
Commander Ranen was the one hailed as a hero though, saving his crew and
ship in his last moments," Apollo stated.
     Starbuck shrugged, "I woke up in life center a couple days after the
sabotage. Everyone was celebrating the Commander as a hero. He really did
save us all. I couldn't have done it if he hadn't kicked my astrum all
the way through."
     "So, you didn't say anything?"
     "Hades, no. He left a family behind."
     "And suddenly you had a command code."
     "Look, it's not like I ever abused the use of the password, well,
not too much anyway. It actually didn't occur to me that it would even
work off the Polaris."
     "How did you come to find that it did?" Apollo asked.
     Starbuck grinned, "Well, I was stuck doing some scheduling and was
getting frustrated. You know the acronym, FUBAR, fracked up beyond all
recognition, " Apollo nodded, "I typed it in and... well, suddenly I had
an operating system that was working for me instead of against me. I
finished the scheduling and was still able to make it to the card game."
     "I don't know how you do it, Starbuck. Felger follows you around and
you always come up smelling like... well, like fumarello's actually."
Apollo smiled at the look on his friend's face. "What I don't understand
is how Commander Ranen's command code could still be active."
     "I hope you're not asking me. I'm afraid I don't know much about the
etiquette regarding command codes and their deactivation protocol."
     "Me neither, but I do know who does."
     "Now, now, don't be too hasty here, Buddy, after all, it's getting
late and we really shouldn't be disturbing someone of your father's age
at this centare. It's important he get a good sleep, after all. Besides,
shouldn't you be checking on Boxey? I thought Athena would have had him
home a while ago."
     Apollo shook his head ruefully. "This is just a reprieve, Starbuck.
I'll contact Athena and see what's up. They're probably both asleep. Why
don't you take a look at that list of ships again? Tell me if you see any
similarities that would link them."
     Starbuck settled back in front of the computer. He could hear
Apollo talking to a very sleepy sounding Athena. A sleepy Athena was a
memory worthy of a little thought divergence. Unfortunately, his and
Athena's schedules seemed to be conflicting right now. Cassiopeia, on
the other hand...  He sighed. He really should have checked in on
Cassie. At least his flowers would have arrived... 
     Apollo watched his friend carefully studying the computer list. He
really didn't give Starbuck enough credit sometimes. Starbuck tried to
portray himself as insouciant, but Apollo knew better. After all, here he
was on his only day off opening up to his friend and coming to his
assistance as always. Good old Starbuck. He should really cut him some
slack on the whole 'fubar' episode.
     "Well, Boxey's going to stay at Athena's for rest period. I'll have
to pick him up early though. She's working the first shift. Any thoughts
on the list?"
     "Hmmm?" Think fast, Starbuck. Thoughts of Cassiopeia were purged
from his mind. "Oh, well... you never did explain the ships at the bottom
of the list."
     Apollo again settled in the chair beside his friend. "More confusing
information. These are the ships I actually did get to follow up with.
When I spoke with the residents and crew, they denied there was a
problem."
     "No wonder you've had trouble getting anywhere. Okay, here's a
theory... " Starbuck put his feet up on the desk and leaned back in the
chair. "The top two are the Orphan's ship and the Senior's ship. Number
three is the Mirador, which houses a large percentage of the fleet's
disabled population then comes the Prison Barge. See any pattern?"
     Apollo sighed and shook his head. "Do you?"
     "Yes. The orphans, seniors and disabled are the usual victims of
society and the Establishment. They are the ones who are most likely to
sit back and accept it when someone cuts their rations, simply because
they are accustomed to living in institutions where that is beyond their
control. The prisoners... well, frankly no gives a rodent's astrum what
happens to them. If someone was going to try to steal food or reroute it,
those would be the obvious targets. It's certainly been done for yahrens
back in the Colonies."
     "Care to elaborate?"
     Starbuck sighed. He got up slowly and paced the small room. He
examined the family pictures on the shelf. His friend's upbringing as
eldest son of Commander Adama was vastly different from his own. Apollo
was groomed to be acutely aware of the political situation with other
colonies, civilizations and even more so with their long standing
enemies, the Cylons. His education of the social injustices on his
beloved Caprica was perhaps a little less thorough. Ah, the intricacies
of human nature. This was one of the reasons he had decided to become a
warrior and fight the cylons. At least you knew what you were in for.
Maybe another glass of ambrosa... 
     Apollo watched his friend pace across the room. When the Captain
wasn't being distracted, he was very observant. His eyes widened in
surprise as his friend's glance flickered over the ambrosa and then
rejected it. "Starbuck?" he prompted.
     Starbuck let out a long sigh. He nervously ran his hand back through
his hair. "Look, for yahrens the bureauticians have provided cubits,
food, clothing, shelter... the basic necessities to various people who
have needed it." Apollo nodded. "There have always been people taking
advantage of this situation. People go without and the extra is scammed.
Report a few false numbers to get more cubits and suddenly the head of
the orphanage has a tidy little sum on the side padding his retirement
plan quite nicely. Or in this case, perhaps they redirect food or
resources and sell the extra." Starbuck watched Apollo carefully for his
reaction, ready for a debate. He wasn't disappointed.
     "Alright, for the sake of argument, we have an accurate census taken
less than four centares ago that tells us exactly how many people we
have. That census is updated every centare as births and deaths are
recorded. It's each Captain's duty to forward all relevant statistics to
the Galactica."
     "Apollo, those records can be altered. Someone talented enough could
break into the system and delete the original census and replace it. Then
where would we be? Besides, do we actually have someone constantly
monitoring information to ensure it isn't being tampered with? Last time
I looked, Komma and his wanna-be's were just trying to keep everything
running, much like the rest of us."
     "You seem to know a lot about it." Apollo held Starbuck's gaze.
     Starbuck met his searching look and shrugged. "I'm a voracious
reader."
     "Starbuck...", Apollo started.
     Apollo had that, 'Let's talk about it, Bucko' look. "What we really
should be doing is heading to the central computer to find out if the
census information has been tampered with or not. Are you in, Captain?"
Starbuck headed towards the door. This was his day off, and if he didn't
want to talk about his feelings, he didn't have to!
     Apollo noted the use of his rank and decided to let it go... for
now. He had always suspected that Starbuck did not have fond memories of
his childhood. In fact, he rarely mentioned it at all. If you asked his
friends, Starbuck was born in a viper and started his life as a warrior.
He also easily evaded topics he didn't want to deal with. Case in point.
He was already walking out the door. "Okay, Bucko, I'm in."

Part Five

     Apollo and Starbuck were lost in their own thoughts as they
approached the central computer room. They were both slightly surprised
that a very young, thin man was sitting behind the desk and not Corporal
Komma.
     The young man jumped to attention. "At ease, ensign... ?" Apollo
searched his memory for the man's name, but didn't recall ever seeing him
before.
     "Griffyn, sir. Thank you, sir." The slender man sat down again. "Can
I help with something, sirs?" He looked about seventeen yahrens old.
     "Where's Komma?" Starbuck asked. He started wandering around the
room.
     "Sorry, sir, he's off with influenza. Can I help?" the man asked
nervously.
     Apollo sighed. "We need to check the accuracy of the Fleet census."
     Griffyn looked dumbstruck. "Well, I suppose I could check the
records to see if anything looked suspicious...?"
     Apollo shook his head. "We've already done that. It was a dead end."
     "Well, I... don't really know... uh... what else I could do? I'm
only cleared to... uh... maintain and enter data and monitor the
systems," the man stuttered nervously.
     "What kind of training do you have?" Starbuck asked.
     "Third yahren completed as a Computer Science major at the Academy."
     "What? And he's wasting your time with data entry?" Starbuck asked
astonished. Griffyn flushed, but whether with anger or embarrassment they
did not know.
     "Corporal Komma likes to run the show here... sir."
     "C'mon Kid, time for a little challenge." Starbuck put his arm
around the nervous young man. "What we need is a back door program into
the original programming for the fleet census. Up for it?"
     Griffyn's face grew determined, "Yes, sir!"
     Starbuck grinned at his friend. Nothing like a little speech to
motivate an impressionable kid to your cause. Apollo smiled back. This
wouldn't take long.
     Time dragged on. Apollo had stepped out in search of some hot java.
Starbuck, never known for his patience, was pacing again. Something
wasn't right here. The kid seemed to know what he was doing, but still
wasn't getting anywhere. Was he holding back or was he just in over his
head? Frack, I'm tired. His eyes burned and his shoulders ached. He
wanted to put his head down on the desk and close his eyes, but something
told him to stay alert. Warrior instinct or paranoia? Hades, a little bit
of both had kept him alive this long.
     "Lieutenant?" Starbuck stopped his pacing to consider the computer
tech. "If you want a diversion, sir, the other terminal has a Pyramid
game on it. Sorry, it's taking me so long. It's been quite a while since
I did this kind of thing."
     "Pyramid, eh?" Well, that's just what he needed to keep his mind
alert. At least until the java arrived. Starbuck sat down in front of the
screen and started playing. His mind was soon wandering again as he
realized this was a lower level Pyramid game. He could beat this computer
with his eyes closed. Strange that Komma was sick. He was sure he had
seen the man much earlier that day looking the picture of health. He
brought up the duty roster. Komma was indeed on it. So, oddly enough, was
Griffyn. Well, I'll cross-reference this with Salik's sick list and...
No Komma. Off sick, but not sick? Hmmm... 
     Suddenly, a steaming mug of java was in front of him. "Thanks,
Buddy." He took a sip. "Ah, the giver of life..."
     Apollo chuckled as he crossed the room and handed a mug to Griffyn.
"Getting anywhere?" he asked the ensign.
     "Nowhere fast, sir. Sorry, I'm out of practice."
     Apollo nodded. "Starbuck, I'm going to have to go get Boxey soon."
He motioned to the door. "Join me?" Starbuck followed Apollo into the
corridor.
     "What's up?" Starbuck asked him.
     "Something's not right here. I had a roommate at the academy who
could do this kind of stuff in his sleep by his third yahren in the
tech program."
     "That's not all. Griffyn said that Komma is off sick, but Salik's
records don't show him as even being in life center in the last secton."
Starbuck reiterated his discovery. "What's next?"
     "Boomer has a friend who's a computer genius. I'll get him to
contact her and see what she can find out. Maybe she even knows Griffyn
and can give us a little insight on him. This is the first time I've laid
eyes on him. Hey, I've been meaning to ask you, can you run a back door
program?"
     Starbuck shook his head, "No. I can evade some security features and
generally make the cursed thing easier to use, but I'm no computer
programmer. Believe me, I would have stepped in by now if I could. I
think I'm going to stick with our very nervous friend. In fact, I can
access what he's doing and keep an eye on him."
     Apollo's eyebrows rose, "You can do that using the code?"
     "Uh, uh, I can do it because the terminals are networked, just like
on the bridge. Maybe he'll make a mistake if he thinks I'm busy playing
Pyramid. So, you're off to wake up Boomer?"
     "I'm afraid so. How is Boomer, by the way?" Apollo asked.
     "Starting back to duty in two centares. How do you think I finally
got some time off?"
     "Time off, eh?" Apollo headed down the corridor, "And how is your
little vacation, Bucko?"

Part Six

     Boomer was lying awake in his bunk. He had just recovered from a
long bout of influenza and his body was still feeling the aches and
pains. Maybe I'm just getting old, he mused. Probably why I can't sleep.
Can't have anything to do with Jolly's snoring, after all.
     "Boomer?" he heard a whisper. Boomer sat up and saw Apollo standing
at the foot of his bunk. "Oh, good, you're awake. I need to talk to you."
     Boomer quickly grabbed some clothing and followed Apollo out of the
billet. "How are you feeling?" Apollo asked. His friend looked tired.
     "Getting better all the time." Boomer shrugged. "Mostly bored out of
my mind. What's going on?"
     Apollo quickly filled Boomer in on the food shortage as well as the
latest developments with the suspicious Ensign Griffyn and missing
Corporal Komma. "Something doesn't add up. We were hoping you could
contact your friend, Wong, and ask her about the back door program as
well as picking her brain about Griffyn. We need someone who knows what
she's doing... and someone we can trust. We're not too confident on
either score with Ensign Griffyn."
     "That should be easy enough. She moved aboard the Galactica a few
sectons ago to start a new job. I'll contact her quarters and arrange for
us to meet with her."


     Starbuck had settled back into his chair in front of the terminal.
He had linked the two terminals and was watching the ensign work
laboriously at his task. The lieutenant's eyes were trying very hard to
close. The java had been more detrimental than beneficial, as his stomach
was somewhere between hunger and nausea. At least Komma would have had
some mushies on hand. Not likely that this skinny kid would be any help.
Mind you, if his complexion was any indication, maybe he had already
eaten the mushies... 

Anything to report?

     Starbuck blinked. Griffyn started. He looked anxiously over his
shoulder at Starbuck. Starbuck still appeared to be lost in a game of
cards. Suddenly, tapping on the ensign's keyboard increased.

They're on to you. They're trying to find your data adjustment on the
census.

Who?

Captain Apollo and Lieutenant Starbuck.

     Griffyn again peered anxiously over his shoulder. Starbuck's head
was supported on his hand and he appeared to be dozing. Meanwhile,
narrowed blue eyes watched the message unfold.

Anyone else?

Not that I know of.

Send them in my direction. Do you know where?

Y... 

     A micron later, Starbuck could not quite believe that he was
standing with his laser in his hand while a stunned Ensign Griffyn lay on
the floor. He leapt to the keyboard.

Y... Well, actually, no. Where should I bring them?

Part Seven

     Boomer and Apollo, with Boxey in tow, entered the main computer
center to see Starbuck leaning over a very still Ensign Griffyn.
     "Starbuck, what happened? Are you okay?" Boomer rushed to his side.
Apollo stood back briefly, with his son held protectively behind him,
assessing for any imminent danger.
     "I'm fine. Seems Griffyn is in on this though. I caught him
contacting the target. Take a look," Starbuck indicated the screen.
     "So you... shot him?" Boomer asked incredulously. Apollo moved over
to study the screen. A bleary eyed Boxey looked on.
     "Yep. I shot him. Stunned him actually." Starbuck rubbed his aching
neck.
     "A bit extreme, old buddy, even for you." Boomer shook his head in
concern.
     Apollo nodded in approval after reading the screen, "Look's like he
didn't have much choice. I take it the last entries are yours?"
     Starbuck nodded. "Yeah. So, I guess we need a plan." He moved over
to Boxey and picked him up. "Boxey, got any mushies on you?"
     "Well, I suppose we can call Council Security to remove the ensign
for a start," Boomer stated after reviewing the data. "It will be quite a
while before he can be questioned."
     "In the meantime, they are going to be expecting Starbuck and I to
be showing up soon."
     "But they won't be expecting backup. Or for you to be prepared.
Let's stop by the duty office and pick up a few toys that Dr. Wilker
brought over. I think you'll like them." Boomer grinned. "It's good to be
back to work."
     Starbuck sat quietly eating a badly crushed mushy... with something
green stuck to the side of it. "Apollo, are we bringing Boxey in on this
one?"
     Boxey suddenly came alive. "Can I really? Can I?"
     Apollo grimaced at Starbuck. "Thanks." He picked up his son. "I'm
sorry, Boxey, not this time. I'll have to drop you off at your
Grandfather's on the way. Let's go."
     After contacting Council Security, the small group made it's way to
the duty office where Boomer started demonstrating some of Wilker's
latest technology. Apollo deposited Boxey on the chair.
     "What did you find out from Wong, Boomer?" Starbuck asked.
     "Well, actually, I spoke with her roommate, Aidan, and she didn't
know where she was."
     "Another missing computer tech," added Apollo.
     "I thought you said her roommates always knew where she was?"
Starbuck bantered. "Maybe you just asked the wong woomate." Boxey giggled
hysterically. Starbuck winked at him.
     Boomer and Apollo both ignored him. "As I was saying, we're going to
be on one of the lowest levels of the Galactica. It's easy to get turned
around; they're so seldom used. This little baby," Boomer indicated a
rectangular hand held box, "will be our map. Wilker's also updated our
communicators so we can trace one another in case we get separated." He
handed Apollo and Starbuck a flat disc about the size of a cubit. "Slip
this into your boot. It's what the tracer monitors."
     "Boomer," Starbuck whined, "Do we really need all this electronic
felgercarb?"
     "Probably not, but it's a great opportunity to try it out. It's
really designed for use on planetary exploration, so it will be
interesting to see how it works on board the Galactica. We can expect
some signal interference." He looked at Apollo who nodded his agreement.
"What do you think is waiting for us down there?"
     "I don't know. This is the only lead we have. Look, I still need to
drop off Boxey at his Grandfather's. How about I meet you in twenty
centons at our starting point on level 'G'?" He indicated the position on
the electronic map.
     "Alright," Boomer nodded.
     "Apollo, don't be late. This is probably not a good time to be have
long discussions with your father on command code etiquette," Starbuck
mentioned, sensing his brief reprieve was about to come to an end. Apollo
smiled sympathetically and left.
     Boomer looked around the duty office in amazement for about the
tenth time. The desk was neat. The reports had been filed. The duty
roster was complete for the next secton. "Who are you, and what have you
done with Starbuck?" he teased.
     Starbuck just shrugged. His sleepless night was starting to catch up
with him again. He could feel his energy waning. "C'mon, let's go."
     Boomer shook his head. "We'll be too early," he protested.
     Starbuck got up. "Boomer, we'll stop one level up and play with your
toys. We'll do a little test run before Apollo joins us."
     "Well, I can't see any harm in that," he agreed eagerly. Boomer
loved electronics and though he hadn't told his friends, he had
contributed some ideas to the design for the tracer. They headed towards
the turbolift. Neither man noticed they were being followed.
     Boomer pushed the button for their level. Starbuck was already
playing with his tracer. "I see what you mean about the interference. I
can read Apollo's general location, but that's all."
     Boomer nodded, "Yeah, that should improve as he gets closer to us."
     "I see what you mean, according to my calculations... you're right
next to me." He grinned.
     "Oh, I can see you're going to be a lot of help on my clinical
trial." He frowned. "Hey, wait a centon, we just passed our level."
     Suddenly, a blinding light was shining in their eyes. Both men
reached for their weapons. "Drop them or you will die!"
     "I can't see a fracking thing," Starbuck muttered. His hand was
shielding his eyes from the incredible glare.
     "Better do as he says... for now anyway," Boomer whispered. He
dropped his weapon and heard Starbuck do the same. They needed to assess
the situation. Right now they were blind... but not helpless. Four men
moved in to surround them and they heard their weapons being removed.
     "Lieutenant Starbuck, I've been waiting for this moment a very long
time."
     Starbuck was still blinded and did not recognize the voice. "Do I
know you?"
     The man laughed. "Consider this Lieutenant. I am the crawlon and you
have just entered my web."
     Frack, this couldn't be good. Starbuck could feel a shiver run down
his spine.

Part Eight
0
     Apollo and Boxey entered Commander Adama's quarters. His father
seemed to have been up for some time, and hard at work.
     "Apollo! Boxey! Well, now, this is a timely visit." He smiled at his
family and warmly embraced his grandson. Adama fussed over Boxey for a
few centons and then strategically removed him from earshot.
     "Apollo, I was just about to contact you. I need to ask you a
question."
     "I have something to discuss with you too," he replied.
     Adama motioned for his son to be seated. "I should start at the
beginning. A few days ago we were tipped off by one of our people that
there is an illicit command code being used in the fleet." Apollo eyes
widened in surprise. "You seem as surprised as I was." The commander
studied the captain closely.
     "Actually, Father, I'm not surprised at the existence of the code,
it's just your timing in bringing this up. This is what I wanted to speak
to you about."
     Now it was Adama's turn to be surprised. "Well, I assume you're
going to explain why the last use of the command code was traced to the
computer terminal in your quarters.
     Apollo sighed. "It's a long story."
     Adama met his eyes, "Then you had better get started."
     Apollo quickly relayed the story of Commander Ranen and the Polaris.
Adama had his face hidden in his hand and was shaking his head slowly,
"Starbuck...".
     "What I didn't understand was why Commander Ranen's code wasn't
deleted. Even Starbuck was genuinely surprised when yahrens later he used
it and it worked."
     "Command codes were sacred, Apollo, we did not reveal what they
were. Therefore, there was no need to delete them."
     "But what about for security measures? Surely there must have been
some provisions made?" he asked astonished.
     "Yes, yes, of course. We had the capability, but it was a matter of
honor. Deleting a command code was equivalent to a betrayal of trust."
     "Father, that's ridiculous."
     "It was our way." Apollo and Adama silently agreed to disagree.
     "How did you find out about the code? Who tipped you off?" Apollo
asked.
     "Actually, a computer tech. She had been approached to identify the
signature wave emitted by the code, to track it to its source...
Starbuck. She refused, of course."
     "She? Is this Wong we're talking about?"
     Adama again looked at his son in surprise. "How did you know?"
     Apollo then filled in Adama on the food shortage investigation and
the subsequent events. Coincidentally, Colonel Tigh had teamed Wong and
Komma for the last day, also attempting to identify and isolate Ranen's
code. They had just recently tracked the code to Apollo's terminal.
     "But surely we already had that capability," Apollo asked.
     "We had the technology, but no one with the capability to utilize it
with any efficacy. After all, the position of monitoring the use of
command codes was virtually unnecessary after the destruction of our
offensive fleet."
     Apollo nodded his understanding. "But, wait a centon. Who was trying
to hire Wong to find Starbuck?"
     "She didn't know for certain. What she was certain of was she didn't
trust them or want anything to do with them. Perhaps they are the same
criminal element that's behind the food shortage..." Adama paused.
"Unless that was just a cleverly planned ruse to get Starbuck to come to
them... "
     Realization and horror hit Apollo. He looked at his chronometer.
"Frack, I'm late and Starbuck and Boomer are in danger." He headed
towards the door.
     "Apollo, wait!" Adama ordered, also quickly rising. He grabbed his
son's arms. "If they've abducted Starbuck they are going to try to get
him to reveal the code. Think of what it would mean to them to have the
ability to bypass fleet security for criminal intent."
     "Father, Starbuck would never tell them!"
     "Son, this attack has been planned in extreme detail. These people
are not amateurs. The Lords only know what measures they will take to get
that information from him. We must eliminate that code. Do you know what
it is?"
     "Father, if we delete the code Starbuck has nothing to bargain
with."
     "They don't know that."
     "I do," Apollo's looked at his father.
     "What would Starbuck want you to do?"
     "That's not fair... Frack." His father was right. His first
commitment was to the fleet. His second commitment was to his friends
and... they were both wearing tracers in their boots! "FUBAR", he stated.
     "FUBAR??" Adama asked incredulously.
     Apollo left the room at a run. He had his two best friends to find.

Part Nine

     Starbuck felt his arms secured behind his back. He was pushed out of
the turbolift and face first up against the wall. Hands roughly frisked
him and he realized Boomer's electronic toys had been confiscated. The
glaring light suddenly dimmed. It took a centon for his eyes to adjust.
Four very large men surrounded the two warriors. He turned his head
towards the leader. The man was only slightly older than himself. He had
a stocky build and was completely bald. He should have been a humorous
character, except for his black eyes, totally devoid of emotion. The man
didn't appear to be armed. By the looks of his henchmen, he didn't need
to be.
     Starbuck quickly noted the panel at the turbolift. Wires hung
loosely out of the box. It had obviously been tampered with to cause them
to miss their level. A smaller man hung back by the lift. He was probably
the tech who rigged it. He seemed nervous. Actually, he reminded Starbuck
of Griffyn. The four men, besides outweighing them, were also well armed.
He noted with bitterness that two of the men now wore Colonial lasers.
Things weren't looking very promising right now. There would be an
opening. They would have to wait for it. After all, Apollo would be here
in about ten centons. Apollo was never late. Of course, he might just
walk in on this little party... 
     "Nice place you have here. Who's your decorator?"
     Thump! His head smacked into the wall. Well, that cinched it. The
pressure that had been growing in his neck had officially become a
pounding headache.
     "Easy, Serpo. We do need some information from the Lieutenant, after
all. Now, I know it's against your nature, but it will be much easier on
you both if you cooperate. After all, we're all reasonable men here..."
He laughed again.
     "What do you want?" Boomer asked. He was bound and restrained
against the opposite wall from Starbuck. He was mystified as to the
preparedness of these men. They obviously had incredible resources.
     What the frack was going on? This was much bigger than food ration
diversions.
     "It's very simple really. I..." He stepped over to Starbuck,
"...want..." grabbed him by the throat, "... Commander Ranen's..." and
squeezed tightly, "... command code."
     Calm blue eyes stared into black. Starbuck reasoned that if the
man wanted him to speak, he wasn't likely to strangle him to death right
now. Besides, he had been trained in resisting torture. Now... how did
that go? Oh, yeah, run like Hades for your viper and get the frack out
of there!
     Boomer moved quickly. His guards were carefully watching their
leader and had relaxed their grip on him. He twisted suddenly to the
right and kicked out hard with his leg. His boot slammed into the
shoulder of Starbuck's tormentor. This had the desired effect.  Starbuck
could breath again. He reacted as quickly as his friend when he head
butted the oversized Serpo. He heard a sickening crunch and the man
slumped to the floor bleeding profusely from what used to be his nose.
What the frack, he already had a headache. He felt an arm reaching around
his neck. With all his strength he kicked back against an unprotected
shin. Thank the Lords for military issued boots. He heard a yell from
behind him, but the man was not to be deterred. He was pulled back
against the man by the neck and the two of them tumbled to the floor. He
felt an equally impressive boot connect with his rib cage and felt his
own bones crunch. He gasped in pain as he was hauled to his feet. Another
blow connected to his abdomen and he knew he was about to toss his
mushies. He turned his head to the right and promptly vomited all over
the guard restraining him. He was turned lose, but this time simply fell
to his knees with his stomach heaving.
     He felt a hand grab him by the hair and yank up his head. Serpo,
blood still pouring down his face, stared down at him with his fist
clenched.
     "Enough!" the leader yelled. He was cradling his arm in pain. He
couldn't believe two restrained men had caused such pandemonium. He had
apparently underestimated his enemy. Boomer was lying on the floor
unconscious, having been hit on the head by a weapon. Starbuck was
staring defiantly up at Serpo. The warrior was a little crazy. It was
clear that Serpo was ready to strike and could easily kill the smaller
man... then again, perhaps that was his plan. After all, dead men tell no
lies. They had wasted too much time here. "Pick him up." He indicated
Boomer. "We have to change location."
     Serpo glowered down at Starbuck. He grabbed him by the collar of his
jacket and pulled him to his feet as though he were a child's doll. Serpo
looked like a professional fighter. The scars on his face were numerous.
The teeth in his mouth were few. He towered over Starbuck.
     "Let's move!" the leader instructed.
     Boomer groaned as he was hoisted onto a shoulder. The small party
headed out. Starbuck smiled to himself as he watched them assemble. Of
their six adversaries, one was limping badly, one was covered in blood,
one was supporting his injured arm, and one was covered with vomit. Not
bad for a couple centon's work. All right, Captain, any time now...

Part Ten

     Ten centons later, the group of men was still moving. Boomer was
awake again and had resumed walking. He felt dizzy, nauseous and had a
pounding headache. He wished he could get Starbuck alone to see if he
knew what was going on. Starbuck was metrons ahead of him and there was
no way to communicate with him.
     Starbuck was getting concerned. Where in Hades hole was Apollo? He
knew the range of the tracers wasn't very accurate, unless you were
practically standing on top of your target. Boomer didn't look well. They
finally came to a stop in a small room. There was only one way out, the
reinforced metal door. Starbuck noted the shackles and chains attached to
the wall. There was also a small table with vials of... something... on
it. There was a small, black case lying there. Oh, this was not looking
good at all.
     "Secure them."
     The guards once again propelled the warriors towards opposite sides
of the room. Though both men struggled, they were soon shackled to the
wall, facing one another.
     "Hey, hey, hey, can't we talk about this? Since we're all so
reasonable..." Boomer started. A gag was hastily inserted into his mouth
and a piece of duct tape secured it in place.
     "Excuse my rudeness, Lieutenant Boomer, but you're not the one I
want to talk with." The leader approached Starbuck.
     Starbuck was breathing hard from his struggle. His ribs and head
were throbbing. He was still feeling oddly queasy. "Just wait a centon,
isn't this the part where the crazed lunatic, that's you, is supposed to
reveal his evil plot?"
     Black eyes starred calmly at him. "My, you do have a mouth on you.
Serpo, please instruct the Lieutenant of the penalty for not providing
the answer which I seek." Serpo stepped up to Starbuck, punched him in
the nose and retreated in one graceful motion. "He's done this for me
before you see."
     Boomer watched in horror. He shook his head. It was so like Starbuck
to try to provoke the madman. He knew his friend was trying to kill time
until Apollo arrived. He had lost track of the time while unconscious.
Just where was the Captain?
     Starbuck could feel the blood running down his face. Well, at least
Salik could fix the nose. Why do they always have to go for the face
eventually? Oh, well, it would pay off when the sympathy arrived in the
form of Cassiopeia and Athena. The stars before his eyes receded and he
looked over at Boomer shaking his head. He could hear his friend's
thoughts. Starbuck, it isn't advisable to provoke a maniac who surrounds
himself with lumbering troglodytes. Sorry, Buddy, just can't help it. The
maniac was drawing close again. "Who are you?" Starbuck asked. Most
madmen had enough of an ego to want to tell their story. If there was one
thing Starbuck thought he understood, it was the male ego.
     The man considered Starbuck for a centon. He was reasonably certain
it would be some time before colonial warriors would find them... He
planned to be gone by then anyway. "Very well. I'm Zeduk. I'm a...
business man." He laughed at his little joke. "The command code you have
will go a long way in helping me with my business."
     "What command code?" Starbuck put on his best innocent face. The one
he used with lady friends and superior officers. It was worth a try.
     Zeduk's smile faded. "Serpo."
     Serpo again hit Starbuck, this time in his ribs. Starbuck counted
himself lucky it was the uninjured side... well, the formerly uninjured
side. That's okay, Bucko. Salik can fix it. Cassiopeia and Athena. "What
makes you so sure I know it?"
     "Well, because I saw the great man himself give it to you on board
the Polaris." Boomer's eyes widened in surprise.
     "You were on the Polaris?" Starbuck was shocked.
     "Oh, yes. You see it was I who enabled the sabotage. I was posted to
Security you see. I was also on the bridge when you disabled the self
destruct sequence."
     Starbuck's eyes blazed with anger. Oh, this man was going to pay...
eventually. Starbuck snorted. "I didn't need a command code to do that."
He realized his and Boomer's lives were on the line here. He was almost
glad his friend was gagged because there was nothing to distract him.
Boomer's smart-ass comments could be distracting.
     Zeduk smiled, "Oh, but I know for a fact that you did. The people
who paid me also disabled the computer. The only way you could have
restarted it was through Ranen's command code. I may not have known who
you were, Lieutenant, but I figured it out eventually. I am curious
though why it took you so long to use the code."
     "How did you discover it was me?
     Zeduk laughed, "I'll tell if you tell."
     Starbuck shrugged. "I thought it would have been deleted by command.
I didn't think there was any point."
     "Ah, if not for the old ways... My turn. Back on Caprica I had
people hired to monitor the signature waves to see if it ever turned up.
The likelihood after all those yahrens was poor, but if it paid off the
rewards would be great. Your signal was picked up. By then you were on
board the Galactica and quite out of reach. There were also seven other
warriors on your battlestar around your age who had served on the
Polaris. I didn't have you pinpointed quite yet. Then came the
destruction. It brought us together." He smiled evilly. "Your signal was
occasionally picked up, so I knew you were alive. When the census was
completed I discovered the other six warriors were dead."
     "And the food shortage?"
     "Just an elaborate plot to lure you into my lair."
     "Lairs, webs, can't make up your mind what kind of animal you are,
can you?"
     Boomer again shook his head.
     "Serpo, if you please..." Again the immense man struck Starbuck,
however, this time it was open handed across the face. Frack. His face
burned. Took his mind off the rest of his aches and pains. No harm done.
Moving on. He met Boomer's concerned gaze across the small room.
     "The moment of truth has come, lieutenant. The command code if you
please." The tone of voice brooked no argument.
     "It's too late." Starbuck's mind was racing as fast as his heart.
This was it. The moment of truth had indeed come. 'Truth' was perhaps too
strong a word.
     Zeduk's eyes narrowed. "Whatever do you mean?"
     "Why do you think Boomer is here and not Apollo? Apollo went to see
the Commander to deactivate your precious code. You're too late. It's
over."
     "You lie!!!" Zeduk was furious. Starbuck could tell he was thinking
it over. The most important part of any con was there had to be an
element of truth in it. Starbuck mused to himself that could indeed be
what had happened. What else could have been important enough to hold up
his friend?
     Boomer watched the exchange feeling like a socialator in an Otori
Sect worship service. He had no idea what the truth was. He could usually
read Starbuck, but not now. Not here. Starbuck had his Pyramid face on
and was playing the hand of his life. Boomer was proud of him... but he
was still going to kill him when they got out of here.
     "It's over." Starbuck repeated. All of his cards were on the table.
He watched Zeduk. He noticed the man became decreasingly eloquent as he
became increasingly angry.
     "Well, perhaps you will humor me and tell me what it was." Zeduk
knew the problem lay in the fact that if Starbuck was telling the truth,
the command code would not be accepted by the computer. If Starbuck was
lying, he could supply the wrong code and it also would not be accepted.
There was still another way.
     "Nomad," Starbuck stated. After all, he could be wrong about all
this.
     "Otis." For the first time Zeduk addressed the turbo lift saboteur.
"Go try it. Let me know." Otis left the room. Zeduk crossed the room to
the little table. He picked up the black case and removed two injectors
from it. "Does your friend know anything about this Lieutenant?" he
indicated Boomer.
     "No... What the frack is that?" Starbuck asked. That shiver down his
spine was returning.
     Zeduk depressed the injector before inserting it into the vial. He
then meticulously withdrew his desired dose. "This is my business. Taking
people to Elysium. Are you ready to go to Elysium, Lieutenant?" he asked
Boomer as he slowly approached him. "I need an arm."
     Boomer's eyes were opened wide and he was trying very hard to find a
crack in the wall big enough to escape into. Two of the men approached
Boomer. He tried to fight, but his struggles were useless, already
shackled and injured. They simply sliced the fabric up his arm with a
knife. He could hear Starbuck shouting obscenities in the background, but
all his senses were intently focused on the chemical being forced into
his vein. Within microns he felt a rush of euphoria.
     Starbuck watched his friend. Boomer totally relaxed and slumped down
the wall. Zeduk ordered his release and Boomer bonelessly slipped onto
the floor. "Boomer? Are you okay?" Starbuck asked.
     Boomer heard the voice, but was having difficulty focusing on where
it was coming from. He looked around. Strangers were all around him.
Oddly enough, that didn't worry him. For the first time in sectons he
felt... wonderful.
     Zeduk knelt down beside Boomer and removed the gag. Boomer just sat
there with a silly smile on his face enjoying the moment. He closed his
eyes and rested his head against the wall. So good... 
     "Lieutenant, do you know what Commander Ranen's command code is?"
Zeduk asked gently.
     Boomer looked up at the nice man. He smiled at him. Think Boomer.
You know this. "Nomad," he stated proudly.
     "Hmm," Zeduk considered him. He looked over at a very concerned
Starbuck. "Well, either you were telling the truth or your friend was
telling the truth as he so recently learned it. Still a dilemma." Otis
returned to the room shaking his head. Zeduk headed back to the table and
reached for the second syringe. "Let me tell you more of my troubles,
Lieutenant. In order for me to make my Elysium I need a substance called
effedryn. Lately, my supply has dried up. I've had to come up with an
alternative. I'm calling it pseudo-effedryn. Unfortunately, I haven't had
a healthy young specimen to try it on yet. Enter you." The same two
guards held Starbuck as Serpo cut open his sleeve up to his elbow. "I'm
hoping you have a similar response to my new formula. I'm sure you
noticed with your friend, that besides intense pleasure it also
potentiates the telling of truths."
     Starbuck struggled with all he had left. He used every expletive he
had ever learned. Despite all his efforts he felt the chemical penetrate
his flesh. He last thought was, "Apollo, you're fracking late." A micron
later he felt the rush... 

Part Eleven

     Apollo wasn't going to take any chances on stumbling blindly into a
dangerous situation. It wouldn't help Starbuck or Boomer if he were
apprehended as well. He rounded up as many healthy bodies as he could in
the short time he was willing to spend. Colonial Warriors and Council
Security joined forces and headed to level G. He shook his head in
anger as he recalled being challenged by Reese in security. Reese
insisted that this was an internal problem and therefore, Council
security forces should be in charge. Apollo didn't have the precious time
to argue with the man, so they compromised. Reese was leading the second
task force. Jolly, however, was watching him carefully.
     The level was dimly lit. Apollo's senses took in the blood and the
overwhelming smell of vomit. He badly wanted to use his communicator, but
that would be simply giving their positions away to the enemy. He checked
the status of the tracers. They were active. Starbuck and Boomer appeared
to be together. At the last centon he remembered to slip his own tracer
out of his boot. If they discovered the technology; it wouldn't do to
have the enemy tracking his own approach. Task force 'B' would infiltrate
from the opposite direction. If their timing worked out, they would meet
in the middle and with luck cut off any escape. Timing was everything.
     They made their way cautiously down the darkened corridors. What was
really maddening to the captain was they still didn't know who their
enemy was. They were at a disadvantage despite their training and
firepower, but Apollo wasn't ready to give up on his friends yet.
Everyone was tense. There was a lot at stake here. Everyone liked and
respected Boomer. Starbuck, well, he was practically their mascot. Hades,
focus Apollo!
     They reached their final position. Apollo checked his chronometer.
Fifty microns to assault. The corridor was quiet. He could see Reese's
men in position. He wished this was already over and he was joining his
friends in the Officer's Club for a drink. Ten microns. He checked his
laser again. Three, two, one... 
     They stormed the room. The door slammed back against the wall to
reveal... nothing. The room was dusty and empty. It had probably not been
entered for some time. He remembered Boomer's comments about signal
interference aboard the Galactica. "Reese, you go down a level, we'll go
up. Move!" Apollo had a bad feeling about all of this.


     Starbuck felt as though his blood was on fire. Every nerve ending
was burning. The light in the small room suddenly blazed through his
eyes. Every sound was amplified to terrifying heights. Each and every
pain in his body escalated to unendurable levels that he could not escape
from. He heard an animal shrieking in terror and deep in his mind, he
realized he was that animal.
     Zeduk watched in fascination and horror. This was not the desired
result for increasing Elysium sales. His men had all retreated from
Starbuck. The lieutenant was flailing uncontrollably. Zeduk could see the
blood starting to drip down his wrists from the shackles biting into
them. The screaming had stopped and his teeth were tightly clenched
together. Even in this state, he was desperately trying to retain some
control. How fascinating. Eyes darted around the room, focusing on
nothing. "Time to go I think..." Zeduk resigned himself to the fact that
the command code was lost. He wished he could stay and observe the
lieutenant. He was the perfect specimen, young and fit. It was such a
shame that he was going to miss this research opportunity.


     Apollo and his men again stood ready to attack. It had taken them
another five centons to cover the distance required. More precious time
lost. He gave the signal and the door was stormed. This time he stopped
dead in his tracks, stunned at what was before him. Boomer laid curled up
on the floor humming to himself with a smile on his face. Starbuck, on
the other hand, was almost unrecognizable. Blood covered his face and
uniform. His hair was plastered to his head, wet with sweat. Tears were
streaming down his face and he was whimpering to himself. The loud noise
from the assault had him trying to retreat into a corner. The success of
this was hampered by the shackles at his wrists. Apollo could almost
palpate the fear emanating from his friend.
     Giles was trying to get around Apollo to see if he could help.
"Easy," Apollo waved him back. "Get a med tech down here. See if you can
get something that will quickly cut through those shackles. Comm Reese
and tell him we've found Starbuck and Boomer. When Reese arrives, do a
perimeter check. See if there's any sign of their attackers." Apollo
rattled off his orders. The entire time his eyes didn't leave his
terrified friend. He moved slowly and kneeled down by Boomer. "Boomer?
Are you okay?" he checked the carotid pulse. It was elevated, but not
dangerously.
     Boomer stopped humming and smiled up at the captain. "I'm great.
Really great."
     Apollo slowly examined his friend. He did appear to be okay, other
than a bump on his head. His pupils were dilated, but he suspected there
was a chemical reason for that. He noted both Boomer's and Starbuck's
sleeves. "Boomer, do you know what they gave you?"
     Boomer thought about it. It was good to see Apollo. They had been
waiting for him, hadn't they? Oh, well, he was here now. "Glad you could
make it, Buddy."
     Apollo winced, feeling guilty he had been so long. Boomer sat up and
gave him a crushing hug. "Boomer, the drug, do you know what it is?" He
moved Boomer back to face him.
     "Elysium," Boomer responded. Apollo carefully guided him out the
door. Giles had returned with laser cutters. Apollo swapped Boomer for
the cutters. "Have Cree get him to life center. Tell them he was given
something called Elysium."
     "Do you want some help?" Giles asked.
     "Just hold back for now. Starbuck's terrified. Whatever they gave
him was very different from this Elysium." Apollo slowly approached
Starbuck. He could see him trembling and again pulling hard against his
restraints to escape. He stopped his approach and softly called,
"Starbuck!"
     Starbuck again reacted violently and lunged to his side to escape
the roar of noise approaching him. Whatever was stalking him was getting
closer and closer...
     Apollo backed away. He wanted to get rid of the restraints, but
didn't want Starbuck to hurt himself anymore. He was relieved when he saw
Dr. Salik at the door observing them. "What can we do?"
     Salik sighed. "I can't give him anything to calm him right now. I'm
afraid it may react with whatever is already in his system. I need to get
a blood sample quickly so I can identify this drug. Only then can I begin
to treat him effectively. I hate to say it, but we'll have to go in and
hold him down while we cut him free. I'm having a restraining jacket
brought down. It will immobilize him without running the risk of harming
him."
     The men were gathered around the doctor listening in concern for
their friend. Apollo called for volunteers. Every man stepped forward,
eager to help. The captain selected a group of four men. He was careful
to see Reese was excluded from the group. Apollo had noticed a level of
animosity between Reese and Starbuck. Probably a card game gone wrong. In
any case, Reese seemed a little too keen to help. Once the restraining
jacket arrived, they entered the room slowly. Starbuck again sensed their
presence. They moved quickly into position and secured their friend to
the wall. Giles released the shackles.
     Starbuck fought like a wild felix. He knew this was his chance for
freedom and he took it. Giles found himself flat on the floor. Dr. Salik
soon followed. Apollo went down with a hard right hook to his jaw. Three
more men joined the fray. Soon, the men were simply lying on Starbuck
and, thereby, immobilizing him. They couldn't believe his incredible
strength. The restraining jacket was brought in and the fight began anew
to get him into it. Finally, the terrified man was subdued, but not
before he managed to pass out a liberal amount of bumps, bruises and
black eyes to his fellow warriors and anyone else brave enough to join
the melee.
     Dr. Salik began examining him. Pupils dilated. Hypersensitive to
light. Heart rate one hundred and sixty. Hyperventilating. Nose possibly
broken. Epistaxis. Skin flushed, diaphoretic and hot. Definitely
feverish. Looking a little green... He rolled Starbuck quickly to the
side as the lieutenant vomited for the second time that day. As
Starbuck's heaving eased Salik moved his scanner over him. Blood pressure
dangerously high. Broken ribs. Multiple abrasions and contusions.
Concussion. Colonial coma scale: eight out of fifteen. He obtained his
blood sample and awaited the results. Lords, not good. "Okay, let's move
him to the life center."

Part Twelve

     Captain Apollo was finally asleep. After helping Dr. Salik get
Starbuck to life center without too many more casualties, he had returned
to level 'G' to assist with the search for any evidence. He was still
astounded at the lack of information assembled. To make matters worse,
word had come down from the council members that the military was to
withdraw. Any evidence thus far indicated that this was a civilian issue
and as such, Council Security had jurisdiction. Commander Adama's
argument that the situation happened on a military vessel, involved a
military command code and subjugated two colonial warriors was ignored by
the bureauticians. Of course, while issuing the edict, the council lacked
the common sense to recognize a continued lack of manpower. Reese almost
seemed relieved when the warriors stayed to assist, and even more so when
the Captain withdrew to get some much needed sleep. It seemed like a very
short six centares later that the Captain was commed by Salik and asked
to come to life center.
     Dr. Salik nodded as he read Starbuck's latest blood test results.
His liver enzymes were improving, thus his body was naturally eliminating
the toxins. After identifying most of the chemicals in his blood, they
were finally able to sedate him without fear of a chemical
cross-reaction. They had moved Starbuck into an isolation room on
arrival. He had been sleeping a full eight centares when monitors
indicated the lieutenant was awake. Salik could see the lieutenant
clearly from where he stood. Starbuck's eyes were closed and he was
strangely still. He either felt absolutely dreadful, or he wasn't ready
to face anyone. Salik suspected the latter. He decided to comm Captain
Apollo to give the lieutenant some moral support. He also admitted wryly
to himself, he didn't want to be the one to break the news about council
security assuming the investigation.
     Apollo arrived to a virtually empty life center. Only Dr. Salik was
visible. "How is he?" he asked.
     Salik sighed. "Pretending to be asleep right now. That's why I
wanted you here. I thought he would need a friend."
     Apollo nodded. Not only was Dr. Salik an outstanding medical doctor,
he was a great humanitarian. He had amazing empathy and sympathy with his
patients. Starbuck was lucky to have him. Actually, they all were.
"Where's Boomer?"
     "Being interviewed by Council Security. Physically he was fine. We
ran some tests and he was fit for release. He described symptoms of mild
depression, but I did assure him that was normal after the 'high' he
experienced. He'll check in with us tomorrow for follow-up. Of course,
he's off duty again until his blood screen is clear."
     "And Starbuck?" Apollo joined Salik in watching Starbuck through the
isolation room window. If the doctor had not informed the Captain
otherwise, he would have assumed his friend was asleep.
     "His body has undergone an immense physical stress. The levels of
blood toxins are decreasing. We haven't been able to mend his fractured
ribs yet. Rest was more of a priority. His concussion is minor. Bumps and
bruises, of course. It's really his psyche I'm more concerned with. I've
never seen Starbuck so withdrawn before. Now, Boomer had minor depression
as a side effect from the Elysium. I'm not sure what to expect from
Starbuck."
     Apollo looked thoughtful. "What did you find when you analyzed the
two drugs?"
     "They are almost identical. Boomer's specimen contained effedryn and
Starbuck's some unknown substance we're still trying to identify."
     "What is effedryn?"
     "A very common drug used in treatment of viral symptoms. Oddly
enough, most of the ingredients of Elysium are very common and easy to
obtain. Of course, pure effedryn is controlled."
     "Did you get any more information from Boomer?"
     "No, he was still having trouble keeping his memory straight.
Security is in for a frustrating interview."
     "Has he at least stopped hugging everyone?" Apollo smiled. Sure
enough when he had helped bring Starbuck into life center, Boomer had
been waiting with another warm embrace for him. Boomer had almost been a
victim of the struggling Starbuck's boot. Fortunately for Boomer, the
boot missed him and hit Reese squarely in the forehead.
     Salik chuckled, "Yes, he's back to himself. Just having a little
trouble putting the pieces together. Well, let's get this over with." He
indicated the isolation room. The monitor had picked up an increase in
agitation with the lieutenant. Time to find out why.
     Starbuck lay quietly in the biobed. He knew where he was. He was
having trouble remembering why. Fragmented images flashed across his
mind. He felt like Hades. Everything hurt. Even his teeth. Images of a
stocky, bald man with dark eyes kept appearing... Zeduk! He was going to
get that murderous boray. He willed himself to relax. He wasn't ready to
see anyone just yet. Starbuck didn't remember feeling fragile before.
Wouldn't the squadrons have a laugh at that? The invincible Starbuck,
feeling fragile. More images flashed. Boomer. Frack. I'll have to pull
myself together and find out if Boomer's okay... soon. There's something
else I'm not remembering. Starbuck went to move his arm and realized he
was restrained. He groaned to himself. Oh, what have I done now? He
subtly investigated the restraint furthest away from view of the medical
center. It was soft around his bandaged wrists. Bandaged wrists? He
sighed...  shackles. Images of struggling with his friends finally came
to him. You really lost it, Bucko. He could feel the tenuous hold on his
control slipping. He took deep gulping breaths as he felt tears swelling
beneath eyelids that were tightly closed. He heard someone softly call
his name. Oh, now is NOT a good time for this.
     "Starbuck?" Apollo and Salik approached him.
     Starbuck took a few more deep breaths and kept his eyes shut. He
would not lose control again.
     "Starbuck, we know you're awake. Open your eyes," Salik directed.
     Two deep breaths later, Starbuck was ready. He opened his eyes to
see Apollo and Dr. Salik. Apollo was sporting an impressive bruise to his
jaw. Salik had a cut above his eye. He closed his eyes again. Nope. Not
ready for this.
     "Bucko, we know you're in there. Talk to us," Apollo encouraged. He
laid a hand on his friend's shoulder and frowned when he felt Starbuck
flinch.
     Starbuck again opened his eyes and looked at his friend's jaw. "Did
I do that?" he asked in a coarse voice. He cleared his throat.
     Apollo knew what he was referring to. "Not your fault, Buddy. You
weren't in your right mind. We're all just glad you're okay,"
     "Did I... hurt anyone?" This was directed to Salik.
     "A few cuts and bruises are all." Salik reached over and started
releasing the restraints.
     "Is Boomer okay?"
     "He's fine. He's already been released. Just a little addled." Salik
smiled.
     "Did you get Zeduk?"
     Both Apollo and Salik looked startled. Surprisingly, Starbuck's
recall was better than Boomer's. "Who's Zeduk?" Apollo asked.
     Starbuck started to sit up. The pain in his ribs stopped him on the
spot. Wait a centon. Salik was supposed to fix that. And where was
Cassiopeia? Or Athena for that matter. It was devastating when these
little fantasies didn't work out. Salik elevated the head of the bed,
bringing the Lieutenant to his desired position. Starbuck palpated his
nose.
     "Not broken," Salik stated. Starbuck nodded. "We'll get started on
mending those ribs now that you're awake."
     "Starbuck, who's Zeduk? How much do you remember?" Apollo again
asked.
     Starbuck met Apollo's gaze. "You didn't get him," he stated flatly.
     Apollo dropped his gaze. "No, I didn't."
     "Oh, get off the fracking guilt wagon, Apollo, I didn't mean you
personally!"
     Now, that was more like Starbuck. Apollo smiled, a little
embarrassed. He was still tired he told himself. "Well, can you tell me
what happened?"
     Starbuck told his story. Apollo filled in the gaps from his point of
view until they were both caught up to the current situation... almost.
"I have a few ideas about how we can nail him," Starbuck stated.
     "Slight problem, Starbuck. It's out of our hands. The Council put
security in charge of the investigation."
     "What?" Starbuck's eyes opened wide with surprise. "How in Hades...
but we can't let them..."
     "I'm sorry, Starbuck." An eloquent voice spoke from the doorway.
Commander Adama joined them. "Council determined that not only was this a
civilian matter, but the fact that two of our best warriors were involved
would make it 'difficult for the military to remain objective'." He
squeezed Starbuck's arm in silent support. "I do need to ask you to give
Council Security a statement to assist them in their investigation."
     Starbuck let out a loud sigh. He covered his face with his hands.
All three men silently studied him. "Aye, sir," he said as he looked up
at his commander, but his blue eyes blazed with fury and intent.

Part Thirteen

     It was shaping up to be a quiet night in life center. Starbuck felt
exhausted. It had been a very long day. After Apollo and Adama had left,
Council Security had arrived. Unlike Apollo, they received the abridged
version of the events. Then a long list of well wishers and friends
followed. This was intermingled with blood tests and bone mending. Dr.
Salik finally banned any further visitors and gave his patient a hypo
spray so he could get some rest. Starbuck had one more thing he needed to
do tonight... if he could get the med tech to cooperate.
     Giselle entered the room of her only patient. She had worked a lot
lately and she was tired. She hoped the lieutenant wouldn't give her a
hard time. He did have a certain reputation. She efficiently went about
her routine doing all her assessments and recording her assembled data.
     "Do you think I'll get out tomorrow?" Starbuck asked.
     "Well, your blood toxin level is almost back to normal. How do your
ribs feel?"
     "Good as new," he lied. While the bones were indeed healed, the
tissue was a vibrant purple and green.
     "And your headache?"
     "Practically gone."
     "Well, IF you're telling the truth," Starbuck raised his eyebrows
in innocence, "then you'll probably be released." She had dealt with
warriors before. They could barely restrain themselves from getting back
in their fighters, whether ready or not. She held up a hypo spray. "Dr.
Salik ordered a sedative so you could get a good sleep."
     "Uh..." Starbuck held his hands up defensively in front of him.
"Couldn't I just take a pill? You people are beginning to make me feel
like a pin cushion."
     She sighed. Well, if this was the extent of her difficulties with
Starbuck, she could live through it. "Alright, I'll be right back." She
quickly returned and gave him his medication.
     "Giselle, I know how hard you've been working with Cassiopeia being
off. Why don't you try to get a little rest yourself?" He gave her a
sympathetic smile. "I'll be fine. I just want to get some sleep so I can
get released tomorrow, after all."
     How thoughtful. No wonder Cassie likes him so much. Not only
considerate, but quite easy on the eyes too. Quite a package actually.
"If you're sure, Lieutenant..."
     "Call me Starbuck, and I'm sure. You go ahead and get some rest."
     She smiled gratefully and left. Starbuck listened intently while he
fingered the pill he had palmed. When he was sure she was asleep in the
isolation room next to his, he slid out of the bed and quietly entered
Dr. Salik's office. He sat down in front of the computer without a
command code for the first time in yahrens. A mere mortal once again,
Bucko. He had carefully thought through his plan. He knew what
information he required and was sure he could access it without command
codes. Most of the information was general knowledge and demographics. If
he was wrong, he was sure he could figure out Apollo's password.

Part Fourteen

     The next day, Apollo sat back at his desk in the duty office. He was
quite astounded that the reports were up to date and everything was in
order. The duty rosters had even been completed for the next secton.
Colonel Tigh was back to work so Apollo could go back to being Strike
Captain. As such, he had stopped by life center to check on Starbuck. He
knew Starbuck was up to something. He wanted to find out what.
Unfortunately, the lieutenant had already been released.
     "You wanted to see me, Apollo?" It was Boomer standing in his
doorway. Apollo nodded and indicated the other chair. Boomer sat down.
     "How are you feeling?" the captain asked.
     "Much better. Finally getting the scattered fragments that I used to
call my brain back together." Boomer grinned ruefully. He was a bit
embarrassed about his behavior, but found it easy to shrug off.
     "So, you remember the events a little more clearly?"
     "Yeah, especially after Starbuck and I compared stories."
     Apollo's eyes narrowed. "When did you do that?"
     "He came and found me a good centare ago."
     "What did you think?" Apollo asked vaguely.
     Boomer smiled. "Oh, he's up to something. Wouldn't confess though.
Put on the old innocent act. You know the one."
     Apollo sighed, "Do I ever. What should we do?"
     Boomer snorted. "I figured you already had a plan. Isn't that why
I'm here?"  Boomer knew him too well.
     "Afraid it's not much of a plan. Let's tail him."
     "I love the elaborate detail of this one," he laughed. "Seriously,
he could get into a lot of trouble doing this on his own. I know he was
planning to go see Cassiopeia after I saw him. After that, I don't know."
Boomer looked around the office. "He did a good job. You should tell
him."
     Apollo smiled warmly at his friend. "Yes, I should. Funny thing is,
if he left the office in the chaos that I expected, I wouldn't have time
to follow him now."

Part Fifteen

     Starbuck picked at the neckline of his shirt. He realized he hadn't
worn civilian clothes in a very long time. He was making his way through
the lowest level of the Maxidex Freighter. His mind recalled the events
of his day. First a quick meeting with Boomer to confirm events with
Zeduk. Then an enjoyable dalliance with Cassiopeia who, even while weak
from a virus, still wanted to thank him for the fresh flowers. Lastly the
coup, a meeting with Xerxes to arrange for transport for him for the next
secton. Xerxes was in charge of maintenance and repairs and it was his
ships that were routinely flying just about anywhere in the fleet.
Starbuck happened to know that the man had a fondness for vintage
ambrosa. In fact, he was a connoisseur of fine liquor. As luck would have
it, Starbuck just happened to have such an item. Of course, Xerxes was
curious as to why Starbuck wanted to move about the fleet in an anonymous
guise. "Well, I want to make Captain Apollo's natal day celebration
something special this yahren. I have to get around to scavenge up the
things I need. Most importantly, he can't know about it." He put his arm
around the man, confiding in him. "I've never been able to put one over
on Apollo before. I really want to make this party special for him, what
with all he's been through. Do you think your staff could cover for me,
or would that put them in an uncomfortable position?" Xerxes thought that
Captain Apollo was lucky to have a friend like Starbuck. The ambrosa was
nice too.
     Starbuck quickly ran his hands through his slicked back hair. He
opened the hatch at the end of the passage and climbed through. On the
other side lay several sleeping pallets. On most of these makeshift beds
rested people in various levels of consciousness. None of them took any
notice of the stranger in the disheveled clothing. They accepted him as
another temporary resident who needed to sleep off his choice of poison.
Suddenly, a short stout man appeared from another set of rooms. He walked
with a severe limp and his left hand hung at his side uselessly. "What
d'ya want?" he asked gruffly.
     "Rios."
     The man's eyes widened in surprise then quickly narrowed in
suspicion. "Wait here." He retreated back into the rooms. Starbuck again
looked around. The room was tidy and he could faintly smell disinfectant.
He noticed a small surveillance device strategically hidden. He
positioned himself in front of it so they could get a good look at him.
What the frack. He gave them his classic grin.
     "Get your astrum down here, kid!" a voice bellowed from the back
room. Starbuck quickly joined him. Rios was tall and fit and only his
silver hair betrayed his advanced age. The man grabbed him and held him
tightly. Starbuck returned the embrace warmly. "How are ya, kid? You're a
sight out of uniform. You look a right tramp!"
     "I'm great, Rios. You look good." Starbuck held him at arms length.
He hadn't seen him since he was at the academy. He looked much the same.
Helping the unfortunate kept him young, he'd always said.
     "I heard something happened between you and Zeduk. You'd better not
be here looking for Elysium, kid, or I'll kick your astrum all the way
back to the Colonies."
     "Rios, you know I don't have any use for that mong. Never did, never
will." Rios nodded in relief. "Actually, I need some information."
     "Well, information don't come cheap." He smiled a very wicked grin.
     "I have two things you'll want. Information and cubits."
     The old man's eyes sparkled. "Cubits always come in handy. What's
the information?"
     Starbuck filled in Rios on the pseudo-effedryn that Zeduk had used
on him. He knew that if an addict received that drug, he would likely
die. Rios sat down heavily. He had committed his life to helping the
street people of Caprica City. A warm, safe bed and a hot meal was all he
had offered. Respect and thanks was all he had expected. He had lost his
own son to an overdose. The young man had died alone in a storm drain. He
swore he would do all he could to try and make up for his own
inadequacies as a father and the establishment's inadequacies. Now he
tried to replicate his shelter here on the Maxidex Freighter. Yes, cubits
would definitely come in handy.
     "Where's my cubits?"
     "I have a high stakes game lined up tonight on the Rising Star. I'll
have the cubits tomorrow."
     "Ya ever think ya might lose, kid?"
     "I don't lose when it counts, Rios."
     Rios nodded. The Kid had turned into quite a man. It was hard to
believe he was the same scrawny orphan who had stumbled into his shelter
late one night, cold, wet and afraid. He was proud of him. He'd have to
tell him one day.
     "Right.  What do ya need to know?"

Part Sixteen

     Apollo and Boomer stood staring at their elusive friend. They had
spent a frustrating day attempting to locate the lieutenant. Sure enough
he had spent some time with Cassiopeia, but from there the trail dwindled
then disappeared. Someone saw someone who might have resembled the
lieutenant, then again maybe not, in the maintenance office. Xerxes
refuted the statement. How could he simply disappear on a battlestar?
Finally, they met up with Jolly who reported Starbuck was in the billet.
Sure enough, here he was sound asleep on his bunk.
     "I guess we should let him sleep," Apollo remarked.
     "True, we should," Boomer kicked the frame of the bunk. He felt
guilty for about a micron when his friend's eyes flew open in
disorientation. Starbuck looked at his friends and sighed.
     "Don't you two have a crisis to attend to somewhere?" Starbuck
asked.
     That was it. They'd had enough. Apollo grabbed the top end of the
mattress and Boomer the bottom and in one quick motion Starbuck found
himself catapulted onto the floor. Apparently, he'd gone too far. Maybe
he should rethink his plan.
     "Well, I feel better. Do you feel better, Boomer?" Apollo asked.
     "Absolutely." They both watched Starbuck sit up, his back resting
against the bunk. This was a natural time for the guilt trip ploy.
Starbuck winced in apparent discomfort. He slowly rose to his feet. He
moved his hair back out of his eyes.
     "What was that for?" he asked innocently.
     They couldn't believe it. They were his best friends. Did he really
think he could Starbuck them? He must have had a more severe head injury
than was reported. "Turbo wash?" Boomer asked.
     "Turbo wash," Apollo confirmed. This plan was coming together
nicely.
     "Hey, hey..." They grabbed a protesting Starbuck and forcefully
marched him across the billet and under the turbo wash. Cold water
blasted onto him. They were getting wet too, but what the frack, it was
worth it.
     "Concede?" Apollo asked holding on tightly to his squirming friend.
     "Concede," he sputtered. The water was hitting him directly in the
face.
     Apollo reached over and turned off the water. Boomer grabbed
Starbuck by the shirt and pulled him face to face. Starbuck looked angry.
Boomer had passed by angry centons ago and had turbo boosted into
seething. "Look, this is not about you! You have no right to personalize
this. If you remember, I was there too. Zeduk is endangering people right
across this fleet. Getting yourself killed trying to do this alone is not
going to help anyone!"
     "Getting myself killed is not part of my plan," Starbuck replied,
breaking Boomer's grip. He was soaking wet, cold, sore, hungry and tired.
As Dr. Salik was so fond of saying, he'd overdone it. He was trying to
grab a couple centares sleep when his friends decided it would be a good
time to assault him.
     "So, at least you've admitted you have a plan." Apollo grabbed his
arm to prevent a hasty retreat.
     "Last I heard it was 'out of our hands'," Starbuck stated, again
trying to pull lose. Apollo held tight.
     "Well, security hasn't exactly come up with anything. A little
'help' would probably be appreciated, at least by command."
     Starbuck relaxed a bit. "Is that official?"
     "Didn't think you'd care if it was or wasn't," Apollo retorted
looking him in the eye.
     "Are you here to dress me down or to help?" Starbuck stared right
back at him.
     "Can't I do both?" a slight smile on his lips, Apollo let go of his
friend.

Part Seventeen

     The three men stood staring at each other in silence for a centon.
While Starbuck was soaked from head to toe, Apollo and Boomer were also
wet and disheveled. The decorated officers of the Colonial Service were
participating in locker room pranks that more befitted cadets. It started
with a smirk, but shortly all three were laughing at the predicament.
     "Why don't we get dried off and grab something to eat and discuss
it?" Boomer suggested to Starbuck.
     "Officer's Club, twenty centons?" Apollo asked, heading out the
door.
     "We'll be there," Boomer replied. The lieutenants headed back to the
billet. Boomer watched his friend as he changed his clothes. Starbuck was
moving guardedly, occasionally grimacing in discomfort. His body was a
mosaic of black, blue, purple and green. "What a lovely array of colors
you are."
     Starbuck smiled. "Can't wear beige all the time. Need a little
variety after all," he winked.
     "How are you... really?" Boomer asked in concern.
     "Really?"
     "The truth," Boomer stated.
     Starbuck paused and looked at his friend. "Well, a bit sore and
stiff."
     "The doc did instruct you not to overdo. Overdid?"
     "Overdone." He smiled. "You two did interrupt a good rest. I feel
better after that."
     "We knew you were hurting when we saw you taking a nap."
     "Well, I have a big game on the Rising Star tonight."
     Boomer laughed. "Now you're going to tell me this is part of your
plan."
     "It is actually. Let's save it for the OC. I'll fill you both in at
the same time. Ready?"
     "Let's go."


     The three friends met in the OC. Starbuck started to fill them in on
his meeting with Rios. "Rios has a good idea of where Zeduk's lab is.
What we need is someone on the inside that can let us know when and how
to infiltrate. Obviously, this will work best if we can catch them with
the Elysium and as many of his gang as possible. Of course, I want Zeduk
to be there."
     "It will take a long time to get someone to go undercover and gain
Zeduk's trust," Apollo noted.
     "I agree, but Rios knows someone on the inside already."
     "Why would this person help us?" Boomer asked skeptically.
     "Rios or the inside man?"
     "Fair enough, start with Rios."
     "First of all, he runs this shelter to protect the users." He
briefly told them of Rios' background. "Early today, two users Rios knows
were found dead. Probable overdose. From what I told him of my experience
with pseudo-effedryn, Zeduk was likely the culprit. I also bribed Rios."
     Apollo and Boomer looked surprised. "With what?" Apollo asked.
     "The cubits I plan to win on the Rising Star tonight."
     Apollo raised his eyebrows. "Uh... what if you lose?"
     Starbuck looked injured. "Such little faith..."
     "Your history speaks for itself, Buddy," Boomer added.
     "I won't lose. Now, as for the inside man... You don't mind if I get
back to the subject at hand, do you?" Apollo and Boomer raised their
hands in mock surrender. "From what Rios has told me, the guy works
security for Zeduk. He has for yahrens. Rios wants me to meet with him
tomorrow. I guess I'll find out what inspires him then."
     "A couple questions. How do you know Rios? You obviously trust the
man." Apollo waited.
     Starbuck sighed. "Well, I was in a foster home when I was around
twelve or thirteen." His friends knew Starbuck didn't know his date of
birth and had always guessed at his age. "Let's just say, I didn't get
along very well with the family. I left and hit the streets for a while.
That's when I met Rios. He's one of a couple of guys who kind of watched
over me and made me realize that I wasn't going to have much of a future
if I stayed on the streets. I went back to the orphanage."
     "How long were you on the streets?" Boomer asked.
     "Five or six sectares. Next question." Time to move on.
     "Okay, how in Hades did you get yourself to the Maxidex without us
knowing about it?" Wasting the entire day searching for his friend was
still riling Apollo.
     "I made a deal with Xerxes. A bottle of vintage ambrosa for passage
on his maintenance ships for a secton... anonymously of course. Can't
have military vessels signaling my arrival to a ship full of nervous
people using illegal substances."
     Apollo was nonplussed. "I'm a little concerned that Xerxes feels
comfortable lying to me for a bottle of ambrosa."
     "'Vintage' ambrosa," Starbuck pointed out. Apollo was not impressed.
He waited pointedly. "Oh, alright. I told him I was planning a surprise
celebration for your natal day and that I needed to move around the fleet
without you knowing about it to scavenge things for the party," he
confessed.
     Boomer laughed. "So, he told us he hadn't seen you and was probably
thinking the whole time what a great guy you are. You're good, old buddy.
Very good."
     Apollo sat back and watched Starbuck. "So you really did plan on
doing this alone?"
     "Yeah. Boomer was right. I guess I made it personal. Can I blame it
on the head injury?"
     "Which one?" they replied in unison.
     "So, what's next, Bucko?" Boomer asked.
     "Well, the game's tonight. Tomorrow I meet with Rios to give him the
cubits. He'll give me a rendezvous with the contact. I guess we'll go
from there."
     Boomer nodded. "I'll come with you. You should have backup. Besides,
it would be good for Rios to meet with more than one of us. He sounds
like he'll be a valuable contact in the long term."
     "Well, I can't guarantee that he'd help in another situation if it
didn't concern or benefit him directly."
     "He's a study in contradictions, this friend of yours," Apollo
noted.
     "Maybe. He just comes from a different world. If he cared about you,
he'd do anything for you. If he didn't know you, it just wouldn't concern
him no matter how sad the story."
     "Should I come too tomorrow?" Apollo asked.
     Starbuck shook his head. "I don't want to overwhelm Rios. Besides
you are not going to ruin my reputation with Xerxes and climb on a
maintenance ship with me."
     "Something I can do here to help?"
     "Check out our manpower. See how we can amalgamate our forces to
take these guys out. Handle the diplomacy end of things with security."
     "I thought you were running this. Why do I get stuck with the
felgercarb?"
     "You're the captain."

Part Eighteen

     The next morning Boomer watched a smug Starbuck getting ready in the
billet.  Both men had a small bag with civilian clothes for a quick
change after leaving the battlestar.  True to his word, Starbuck was
carrying a small fortune in cubits.  "I don't know how you do it.  You're
one lucky son of a daggit."
     Starbuck grinned at him, "I make my own luck."
     Boomer snorted, "How's that?"
     Starbuck threw a bag of cubits to him.  "Pick a group of bored,
wealthy men who want a shot at me.  Luck is only twenty-five percent of
the quotient."  Boomer looked at him quizzically.  "The rest is skill,
planning and execution, my friend."
     "Are we still talking about card games?"
     Starbuck laughed.  "Life, Boomer.  We're talking about life."
     "Remind me to never play cards against you again.  So, is it really
that simple?"
     "No.  Problem is, you never know who may be holding the capstone...
but you usually have a pretty good idea.  Life or cards.  Let's go meet
Rios."
     The two men proceeded to the maintenance shuttle.  The crew there
joked with Starbuck and asked how the plans for the party were
progressing.  One man took Starbuck aside and told him about a few cases
of Sagittarian Ale that could be made available at the right price. 
Boomer watched as Starbuck went into negotiation mode for the rest of the
voyage.  By the time they arrived at the Maxidex, Starbuck had procured
his ale.  They changed clothes, left the shuttle and headed for Rios'
shelter.  Starbuck again had his hair slicked back and was sharing a
little engine grease with Boomer to perfect his 'disguise,' much to
Boomer's disgust.  "Oh, thanks."  Starbuck smeared a little grease on
Boomer's practically new clothes finishing up with a smear to his face. 
Now he looked like a mechanic.  A very messy mechanic.  "Is this really
necessary?"
     "Gotta look the part, Boomer," Starbuck replied.  The men reached
the dark corridor and headed for the hatch.  Rios was waiting for them. 
Starbuck handed him the cubits.
     "You did well, but you had a good teacher," Rios stated.
     Starbuck nodded solemnly.  "This is Boomer.  Rios."  Boomer extended
a hand, which Rios hesitantly gripped.  "I've arranged your meeting with
my contact.  He'll be expecting you shortly."  He handed Starbuck a slip
of paper with the location.  Starbuck watched the man carefully. 
Something was up.  No 'kid.'  No antics.
     "What?"
     "Nothing," the old man replied gruffly.  "You better get going. 
Won't look good on me if you're late."
     "Rios..."
     "I gotta go.  I have a business to run here."  He turned to head
through the hatch and Starbuck grabbed his arm.  "Let me go, kid, or I'll
take you apart."
     Starbuck let go.  Boomer watched his face.  His friend was confused,
disappointed and perhaps a little afraid.  "You'd better not be setting
me up, old man."
     Rios stopped at that.  He turned slowly and faced them.  "I wouldn't
do that, kid.  You know I wouldn't.  Look, I know this looks bad, but..."
he sighed, "Trust me.  Have I ever given you reason not to?"
     Starbuck considered that.  He was wracking his brain, trying to come
up the missing piece of this puzzle.  "No, but..."
     "Look," Rios said reluctantly, "He wants the element of surprise on
his side.  But you do know him."
     Starbuck took a step back as if he'd been hit.  His face paled and
he took a shuddering deep breath.  "Paden..."
     Rios simply nodded and disappeared behind the hatch.

Part Nineteen

     Boomer watched the hatch close.  He looked at Starbuck who had
started a monologue of increasingly creative obscenities.  "Hey," he
interrupted loudly, "As usual I have absolutely no idea what's happening
in this unfolding epic I call Starbuck's past, but if you don't pull
yourself together, I find it highly unlikely that you'll be 'inspiring'
your long lost acquaintance over to our cause."
     "You're right.  Let's go."  Starbuck's abrupt departure was
reminiscent of Rios' only moments before.
     "Have I become invisible?" Boomer yelled in frustration.  "What the
frack is going on, Starbuck?"
     "Uh... he's two rooms down.  Not really a good time, Buddy." 
Starbuck pointed out.
     "Sagan's sake..." Boomer felt like he was holding on tightly by the
fingertips to a bucking and twisting ride at an amusement park.
     Starbuck hesitated in front of the entranceway.  He looked at
Boomer, took a deep breath and walked in.  Boomer followed.  Inside a man
not much older than them, casually reclined against a desk.  He wore his
dark blond hair tied back off his face.  His quick blue eyes assessed
them.  He smiled a lazy grin.
     "I guess Rios told you.  You're not wearing the 'stunned' expression
I was expecting." He laughed.  "I so wanted to surprise you." He put on a
pained expression.  "Such a shame."
     "Paden."  Starbuck acknowledged him.  "This is Boomer..."
     "I know," Paden interrupted, "I'm familiar with all our heroes."  He
managed to get a note of distaste into the statement.
     "Really?" enquired Starbuck grinning, "Any of them arrested you
yet?"
     Paden laughed.  "Not clever enough, my friend.  Even you're here
looking for my help."
     "Speaking of which, what's your price?" Starbuck asked.
     Paden looked at him in mock horror; "Surely, you were planning to
sweet talk me?  I'm disappointed I don't get to see the great Starbuck in
persuasion mode."
     "If you're here, you've already decided to do it.  Knowing you,
you've also decided on a price.  So, what is it?"  Starbuck looked and
sounded relaxed.
     "Well, since you asked, I have five requests."
     Starbuck narrowed his eyes. "Name them."
     "You really have gotten better at being direct." He looked at
Boomer. "He used to spend an ungodly amount of time chatting incessantly,
never getting to the point.  Did they teach you that at the Academy,
Starbuck?"
     "You, on the other hand, are still able to waste an ungodly amount
of time chatting incessantly.  What's your price?"  Starbuck sat on the
desk.  He crossed his arms and waited.
     Paden snorted.  "Okay, one.  I hear you have in your possession
access to a luxurious, private dining room for one night on the Rising
Star."
     Starbuck nodded.  "Done."
     "Two.  One rare sapphire necklace."
     Starbuck nodded.  "Done.  I have a question.  Considering who you're
working for, are you clean?"
     Paden smiled.  "Of course.  Don't touch the stuff."
     Starbuck reached across the desk and pulled Paden close until they
were almost nose-to-nose.  "Tell me again."
     Paden laughed.  "You can't read me anymore, Starbuck."  He looked
him in the eye.  "I'm clean."
     Starbuck held his gaze a centon and then let him go.  "You're
lying."  He settled himself back on the desk.
     "Frack!  How do you do that?"  Paden asked angrily.
     "Make it number three and I'll tell you," Starbuck dared him.
     "Only if you tell me now," Paden hissed.
     "Number three.  When you lie, your left lower eyelid slightly
twitches.  Always has."
     Paden paused to think about that.  "Can I change that?"
     Starbuck smiled, "Doubt it, you have no self control.  Number four?"
     "Last night you won a box of fine fumarello's.  Still have them?"
     "They're yours.  Lastly?"
     "Anonymity."
     "You think that will protect you?" Starbuck asked disbelievingly.
     "If you and your friend here keep your word, it will."
     "Zeduk will figure it out.  Why don't you just ask for protection?"
     "I take care of myself.  I always have."
     "You've always done a piss poor job of it too."
     "What the frack do you care?"
     "I don't.  You've just always made bad decisions.  Sure you don't
want to think about it?"
     "I'm sure.  I get the rest on delivery of Zeduk and his operation. 
Agreed?"
     "Agreed.  Out of curiosity, what was number three going to be?" 
Starbuck asked.
     Paden grinned.  "I was going to challenge you to a game of Pyramid,
for old times sake."
     Starbuck grinned back, "I would have won."
     "Maybe, maybe I would have surprised you."
     "Only once, Paden.  Only ever once."

Part Twenty

     Boomer watched the entire exchange between Starbuck and Paden in
silence.  At first, he suspected they were old adversaries.  Now he
surmised they had been friends.  Why would Starbuck try to protect the
man otherwise?  Over all, he felt the warrior had come out ahead... wait
a centon; he was starting to think like Starbuck.  There was still a
great deal of work to do here.
     "Where is the lab?"  Boomer asked.
     Paden smirked.  "The Eidolon."  Boomer groaned inwardly.  The
Eidolon was a freighter with a reputation.  Strange things happened
there.  Unexplained things.  It was considered punishment detail to be
assigned any task there... as such, he realized Starbuck probably knew
his way around her fairly well.
     "What kind of details can you give us?" Starbuck asked.
     Paden handed Starbuck a data pad.  "This is the location of the lab,
including layout, exits, set up and usual manpower.  You do realize the
solvents used to process the Elysium are highly explosive?  That could
work for you or against you if the fire got out of hand.  Quick trial for
the criminals anyway."  He seemed to forget that he was one of the
criminals.
     Boomer looked at him with distaste.  "What about the innocent people
living on the ship?"
     "There aren't many.  Pretty much all bottom feeders."  He may have
been a friend of Starbuck's, but Boomer didn't like him.
     "How would Zeduk get out in a hurry?"  Starbuck asked as he reviewed
the data.
     Paden sat beside him and accessed the necessary route.  "Right here. 
The men are trained to react to any infiltration by causing a diversion
to cover for Zeduk's escape."
     "Why such allegiance to him?"  Boomer inquired.
     Paden laughed, "It's not allegiance, they don't know they're a
diversion.  They're expendable."
     "Then so are you," Starbuck noted quietly.
     Paden nodded.  "I don't live under any illusion to the contrary."
     Starbuck sighed.  "When's the best time to hit?  We want Zeduk, the
Elysium and his men."
     "We're preparing a huge shipment right now.  Should be ready
tomorrow.  If you can organize the military that quickly..." Paden looked
as though he thought that was unlikely, "1500 centares is when it will
be coming together."
     "Is Captain Mondor involved?" Boomer wondered if the criminal
element had infiltrated the command of the Eidolon.
     "No.  At least I doubt it.  Zeduk seems to try and avoid him. 
Zeduk's good though.  I wouldn't rule it out totally," Paden admitted.
     "Is your security confined to the lab or will they see us arriving
in the landing bay?" Starbuck asked.
     "Usually, I have one man in the bay.  That's all I need to see an
unscheduled shuttle arrive, never mind a military task force.  Tomorrow
I'll make sure no one is.  I'm in charge of security, so it's not a
problem."
     "Who's Serpo then?"  Starbuck hadn't forgotten the massive man or
the power behind his blows.
     "Personal bodyguard.  He never leaves his side.  You made quite an
impression on him I heard... especially the new nose job.  Very nice." 
Paden smiled, truly impressed.
     The three men continued to exchange information until the warriors
were satisfied all the necessary information could be obtained.  They
still had a lot of work ahead of them and made haste in leaving. 
Starbuck gripped Paden's forearm.  "Are you sure about this?  We could
protect you."
     "I do things my own way.  You know that."
     Starbuck nodded.  "I need you clean tomorrow.  No mistakes."
     "Agreed." He returned Starbuck's grip briefly.  "Let's hope your
luck holds."

Part Twenty-one

     Starbuck was sitting in a secluded corner of the launch bay smoking
a fumarello.  It was late and he was tired, but the day's events were
swirling through his head like a cyclone.  He and Boomer had returned to
the Galactica and immediately were swept into a command meeting with
Adama, Tigh and Apollo.  Apollo had worked out the logistics and had
smoothed things over with Security.  Now it was time for a plan of
attack.  The first stage would be to take the bridge to ensure Captain
Mondor's allegiance was with the fleet and not Zeduk.  Starbuck confirmed
that a regularly scheduled maintenance shuttle would be landing there at
1300 centares.  They would simply send their first team in disguised as
maintenance workers.  From there they could take the bay and secure the
ship in preparation for the attack on the drug lab.  Commander Adama
decided to simply lock down the Eidolon during the infiltration, thereby
keeping all civilians in their quarters and hopefully safe.  From there,
three further teams were organized for the assault on the lab.
     Starbuck had managed to get himself onto the team in charge of
Zeduk's escape route.  The escape route was a maze of sorts through the
bowels of the ship, including a thirty-metron climb up a maintenance
shaft and a narrow passageway leading to Zeduk's office.  The office
itself was constructed of reinforced metal walls, similar to a vault. 
Because the passageway and the office were so small, the assault team
would be made up of only four men. Apollo felt anymore would just be
tripping over one another. Starbuck snorted to himself as he remembered
his reaction when he found Reese would be a part of this particular team. 
Boomer had calmed him and suggested that he just shove the security
officer into the first storage compartment they come across.  Jolly and
Giles indicated they would help.  Following extensive planning sessions,
they then began briefing and drilling the forces.
     Starbuck had still not come to terms with his boyhood friend playing
a part in all this.  Truth be known, he had thought Paden dead yahrens
ago.  Paden was a product of the streets.  A tough kid raised in a tough
neighborhood, he had taken Starbuck under his wing when the youngster
first arrived on the streets.  Starbuck smiled as he remembered thinking
the slightly older Paden seemed so wise and worldly at the time.  It was
Rios and Paden who had convinced the young boy that only a bleak future
waited for him unless he returned to the orphanage where he could at
least be sponsored to join the academy.  Starbuck stopped in over the
yahrens and stayed in touch with his friend.  The two of them spent many
centares playing cards, chasing girls and trying to out do one another,
but always in a spirit of good will.  He would never forget the day it
all changed.
     He had just been accepted into the academy.  He decided to visit
Paden and Rios and let them know his hard work had paid off.  He made it
to the shelter late at night.  He was surprised that Rios hadn't met him
at the door.  Nothing got by that man after all.  He recalled his
apprehension when he saw an unconscious man lying halfway through the
entrance to the office.  He could hear movement within.  As he
approached, he realized the still man was Rios.  Suddenly, someone
grabbed him from behind.  He twisted out of the grasp and turned with
fists raised ready to fight, only to stop in utter shock... it was Paden. 
Paden, however, had no such compunction about hitting Starbuck.
     Smoke swirled around Starbuck's head as he remembered being sucker
punched by Paden.  He woke up in the alleyway.  Just the memory seemed
to start his head aching again.  Seemed a permanent affliction, this
headache.  He realized he had forgotten to show up at the life center for
his drug screening.  He sighed.  Oh, well, not like he was planning to
fly over to the Eidolon tomorrow.  Besides, he was feeling generally
dreadful. It would be his luck that he'd be pulled from the team had he
been seen by a med tech.  Stop taking symptom inventory, Bucko.  You just
need some sleep.  You'll be fine in the morning.  He closed his eyes and
rested his head back against the wall.  Even this fumarello tastes like
swamp weed.  I'm not getting sick.  I am not getting sick.
     "You okay, Buddy?" a gentle nudge was felt on his foot.  He opened
his eyes to see Apollo squatting in front of him.  He looked worried.
     "What's wrong?" Starbuck asked.
     "You were asleep," Apollo stated.
     "Nah, just resting my eyes."
     "You were snoring." Apollo smiled.
     "I don't snore," he argued.
     "Your fumarello is out.  Funny that you're still holding it though."
     Starbuck looked down.  Apollo was right.  He rubbed his eyes.
     "You've had a rough few days.  Do you want to talk?" his friend
asked.
     "No.  I just need to get some sleep.  I'm all right, really."
     "You look like mong, Buddy." He reached a hand towards Starbuck's
forehead.  Starbuck promptly swatted it away.
     "Don't get all motherly on me!" Starbuck exclaimed.
     Apollo laughed and got up.  He extended a hand towards his friend
and pulled him to his feet.  "C'mon.  Let's get you tucked into your bunk
so you can get some sleep."  He quickly sidestepped the friendly punch
his friend threw his way.

Part Twenty-Two

     The next day Starbuck led team three deep into the Eidolon.  They
were heading through a cavernous part of the ship full of huge steel
pipes that were obviously being repaired or replaced.  Apollo had
successfully taken the bridge and was joining the others now to lead team
one into the lab.  Boomer would lead team two.  If all went to plan, team
three would enter Zeduk's office at precisely the same time as the others
assaulted the drug lab, thereby, cutting off Zeduk's escape.  They were
slightly ahead of time according to his chronometer.
     Jolly had stopped to examine the immense pipes.  "What do you think
they carry?"
     "Water," Giles guessed.
     "Or waste," Starbuck added.
     "It's so quiet.  She seems like a dead ship," Reese observed. 
     Suddenly a groaning sound echoed through the cavern.  The
warriors stilled.
     "How about we agree not to say 'dead' on the Eidolon?" Giles
suggested.  Jolly nodded.
     "Giles, you don't really think she's haunted, do you?" Starbuck
asked in amusement.
     "I hear a lot of strange stories about people disappearing.  Weird
noises.  Apparitions," Jolly added.
     "Ever think they could be the ravings of addicts?" Reese asked.
     "Oh, oh.  Reese and I are on the same side.  Maybe there is
something to these strange stories," Starbuck drawled.  All four men
laughed, eager to break the tension.  They continued across the massive
space until they reached the maintenance shaft.  Trouble was, it wasn't a
maintenance shaft.
     "Oh, Frack."  The four men looked up the thirty metron ladder.  "Uh,
will that hold us?" Jolly asked.
     "Us or you?" Giles ribbed him.  The ladder did look a little on the
spindly side.  He gave it a good yank.  "Seems solid enough."
     "After you, Giles," said Starbuck.
     "Oh, no.  I think the lightest man should try it out.  In what I
believe is a variation of your own words, Starbuck, 'You're the leader'."
     "And also the lightest man," Reese added, trying to be helpful.
     Starbuck groaned.  He reminded himself that he did volunteer for
this duty.  Next time he was going to bring a keen cadet or two along. 
He started up the ladder.  It was solid.  At least with one man on it. 
After all, it wouldn't be much of an escape route if it didn't hold the
weight of a man.  He reached the top and found he was sweating.  Getting
too old for this felgercarb.  "Okay, one at a time.  Next!"  He could
hear the other three bickering below him.  "Want me to comm the captain
and ask him to put the show on hold until you ladies reach a decision?!"
he yelled down.  Frack.  Did he just say that?  He'd been hanging around
Apollo too long.  He caught his breath while waiting for the others.  A
long, dark, narrow passage awaited them.
     The three men joined Starbuck and considered the route.  Only one
man could pass at a time.  They would have to go single file.  Jolly and
Giles dramatically stood aside for their leader.  "Thanks a lot,"
Starbuck muttered.  He could hear their chuckles.  They were enjoying
this.  The team continued along until they finally reached a small room
filled with barrels and an imposing door.  The men fanned out facing it.
     "The door looks mechanized.  It only opens inwards... towards us."
Starbuck stated.
     "We could blow it," Reese seemed very excited by the thought.
     "It's very dense.  We're gonna have to," Jolly added.
     "Not much shelter here from a blast.  What's in those barrels?"
Starbuck pointed towards them.
     Giles went to take a look.  "Bad news.  Solvents.  Can we moderate
the blast?"
     "No problem," Reese said.  He pulled the charges out of his pack and
started disassembling one.  "How much time do we have, Starbuck?"
     "Twenty centons," he replied checking his chronometer.  "You sure
you can do it?  Giles is good at..."
     "I told you, not a problem.  We'll have time to spare," he
interrupted.
     Starbuck busied himself helping move the metal barrels of solvent as
far away from the door as possible.  Then he waited anxiously as Reese
made the necessary adjustments to the charge.  Reese placed the charge
over the door panel with two centons to spare.  He activated it.
     "Uh, Reese, isn't the little red light supposed to go on when it's
activated?" Starbuck asked.
     Reese had already noticed the problem.  He pushed the activator
again.  Nothing.
     "Tell us you deactivated the activator and not the charge," Jolly
suggested.
     "Um... I don't know what's wrong..." Reese mumbled nervously as he
desperately tried to make it work.
     "Reese, in two centons we're supposed to blast through that door,"
Starbuck said angrily.
     "I know that!  Look, why don't we use another charge?" he suggested.
     "Because we'll blow ourselves to frackin' Hades Hole!" Starbuck
snapped.
     "Easy," Jolly interjected.  "Do we have a plan 'B'? Could we use a
laser to cut through, Giles?"
     "No, we would have to use it at full power.  If it deflected and hit
the solvent, back to Hades' Hole.  We don't have time to move all the
barrels either.  Any other ideas?"  They looked blankly at each other.
     "We're stuck.  Look, we may not be able to blast through the door,
but we're still blocking the escape route.  After all, if we don't come
through, Zeduk may think his route is still a secret," Starbuck
reasoned.
     "So, we wait until they come to us?" Jolly confirmed.
     "Yeah, then we pick up Reese and throw him at them."
     "I love how he always keeps his head in these tricky situations,"
Giles muttered aside to Jolly.
     "Everyone, set your weapons on stun," Starbuck instructed.
     Centons passed.  Due to the density of the door, they could not hear
what was going on, but they knew the assault had begun.  Their inaction
was increasingly agitating them.  Reese started pacing, waving his weapon
around nervously, fingers clinging to the trigger.
     "Reese, if you don't put your weapon away, I swear, I'll stuff it up
your nose.  Now get back in position!"  Starbuck said menacingly.
     A micron later, the heavy metal door clanged open catching Reese in
the shoulder.  Starbuck saw Serpo in the doorway throwing something
towards them.  The Lieutenant dove behind the barrels while shouting,
"Down!"  Jolly watched in horror as Reese, who was thrust back against
the wall by the door's momentum, convulsively tightened his finger on the
trigger and pulled.  Jolly and Giles slumped to the ground as the room
started to fill with smoke.  Starbuck saw the smoke bomb on the floor and
took a deep breath.  His eyes began to burn as he saw first one and then
two sets of feet run by.  He was in position by the time the third tried
to pass.  He hurled himself at the unknown legs and tackled the man.  He
quickly reached around to his face, betting on the fact that a breather
would be there.  He pulled it off and kidney punched the man, forcing him
to gasp for his breath in pain.  One good breath was all it took and the
man slumped to the floor unconscious.  Starbuck quickly pulled the
breather over his own face and gulped in the purified air.  Tears were
flowing down his face blinding him.  He dared not remove his mask to wipe
them away.  A centon later he rolled over the unconscious man.  Serpo. 
He moved quickly to Jolly and Giles who were also deeply unconscious. 
They were still in position... almost as if... he turned to look at
Reese.  The security officer was slumped against the wall, half behind
the door, weapon still in hand.  He checked his pulse, which was steady. 
He checked his weapon, which was... fired.  He shook his head in
disbelief and headed back to Serpo.  He had to secure him in case he
awakened before the others.  He quickly shackled the man and raced back
down the passageway.

Part Twenty-Three

     The assault had gone even better than planned.  It was a complete
surprise, so resistance was minimal.  The task forces quickly disarmed
their targets.  The attack had only one flaw.  No team three.  Apollo was
watching Boomer set the necessary charges to blow the office door.  The
small room was indeed like a vault.  There were no windows and it was
completely sealed off.  "Are you sure you're not using too much
explosive?  There are still a lot of accelerants in here."
     Boomer simply replied, "I'm sure.  Everybody down!"  He activated
the charge and moved behind shelter. Boom!  A gentle puff of smoke
emitted from the control panel.  Boomer grinned.  They got into position
as the door swung open of its own accord.
     Additional smoke gently billowed out of the quiet room.  It smelled
chemical.  "Breathers!"  Apollo ordered.  Breathers quickly appeared and
the men entered the office.  It was empty.  The heavy rear door was also
open and they could see through to the unmoving men lying on the floor. 
They cautiously moved into the room and assessed them.  "Well?" Apollo
asked the others.
     "Out cold." Boomer stated of Jolly.  The others echoed his answer. 
"Who's missing?"
     "That we know of  for certain,  Zeduk, Starbuck and Paden."  Apollo
answered. "Greenbean, get these men to life center.  Boomer, let's go
find Starbuck."


     Starbuck had exited the passageway and was cautiously looking over
the edge of the ladder.  He didn't like this.  The expansive area was
dimly lit and he couldn't see Zeduk.  He had a good idea the man would be
waiting for him when Serpo didn't appear.  On the other hand, if Zeduk
was as egotistical as Paden had indicated, he may be figuratively running
for the hills.  He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.  Only one way
to find out.  He started down the ladder.  He was about half way down
when a shot hit just above him and debris rained down.  He closed his
eyes and covered his head.  Frack.
     "So nice to see you again, Lieutenant." The voice rang out from the
darkness.  "Would you please be so kind as to throw down your weapon...
slowly now."
     Starbuck tossed his weapon down, wondering who was down there with
Zeduk.
     "I seem to be acquiring a nice collection of your weapons." Laughter
echoed around the cavern.  "Now, resume your descent slowly.  Paden, stay
with him."
     Starbuck again looked down.  This time he could see Paden with his
own weapon sited on Starbuck.  Their eyes locked.
     "Down, Lieutenant!" another shot hit above Starbuck.  Starbuck could
feel the heat of the laser blast as it barely missed him.  Debris again
covered him.  He slowly started climbing down.  He could see Zeduk now
just behind Paden.  They had both moved close to the bottom of the
ladder.  They both had weapons pointed at the lieutenant.  What a
frackin' secton!  Starbuck was reasonably sure Paden was still with him. 
But how to create an opportunity... 
     "Lieutenant, you've caused me much grief.  There are a few things I
don't tolerate.  Do you know what?" he asked.
     "Cheap ambrosa, smart women and too many beans in your diet?"
Starbuck asked nonchalantly.
     Laser fire burned along his left side.  His jacket got the worst of
it.  Lucky again.  He held tightly to the ladder and took deep breaths,
biting his lip in pain.
     "Still have that mouth on you?  Remember, Lieutenant, you are no
longer of value to me.  Unless you happen to have another command code on
you?"  Zeduk laughed at his own joke.  "As I was saying when you so
rudely interrupted me, there are three things I do not tolerate.  Number
one would be the destruction of my business.  Sound familiar?!  Get
moving, Lieutenant!"  Another shot.  Another near miss.  More debris. 
Starbuck painfully started down again.  Number two would be humiliation!" 
Another blast.  More debris.  He was getting close.  "Number three is the
worst of all.  That would be betrayal!" Another blast.  No debris. 
Starbuck looked down to see Paden falling forward.  Zeduk had shot him in
the back at point blank range.
     Starbuck leapt off the ladder and onto a stunned Zeduk.  They fell
roughly to the floor.  Starbuck grabbed Zeduk's right arm, which held his
laser.  Starbuck's laser.  He grunted in pain when Zeduk's knee
intercepted his burnt flesh.  The laser turned towards Starbuck.  Zeduk
fired as Starbuck arched his back and lunged back.  He again felt the
heat radiating off the near miss as he rolled away.  He kicked out with
his foot and caught Zeduk in the gut.  The man doubled over.  The laser
flew across the floor.  Starbuck moved towards it.  "Lieutenant!" the man
screamed.  The tone of his voice stopped Starbuck cold.  He looked at
Zeduk who was smiling evilly, his hand extended in a fist.  Something was
hidden within.  He opened his hand to reveal a small explosive, designed
to be thrown at a target.  Starbuck could see his thumb holding down the
release lever.
     "You'll kill us both." He stated.
     "Quite acceptable, Lieutenant.  As long as you die."  Insane eyes
locked with Starbuck's and he started to toss the explosive between them. 
Whether it was the instinct of a warrior or a survivor, Starbuck wasn't
sure, but whatever it was that propelled him into the large metal pipe a
scant metron away saved his life.  He barely felt the concussion of the
blast or noticed the pipes begin to roll.  Pain racked through his body
as he landed.  His last thought as he lay with his cheek against the
cold, wet metal was, "Fracking waste pipes".  Then he sank into a
blissful oblivion.

Part Twenty-Four

     Apollo and Boomer raced down the narrow corridor.  Centons later
they heard laser fire.  If possible, they increased their pace.  Shots
were heard six more times before they could see the end of the passageway
in sight.  They were almost there when they felt the blast.  Debris flew
through the air as they dove to the ground.
     "Are you okay?"  Apollo asked Boomer.
     "Fine."  They both got up.  A fine dust was suspended in the air. 
They jogged to the edge of the ladder and looked down. 
     "I can't see anything, there's too much dust." Apollo complained.
     "Well, at least there was nothing flammable down there.  Let's go." 
Boomer tested the ladder, which seemed secure.
     "You'd better hold it just to make sure.  I'll go first."
     Boomer nodded.  "Just be careful."  Boomer anchored himself and
grabbed the ladder.
     Apollo slowly lowered himself onto the ladder and started climbing
down.  The ladder groaned in protest at his weight.  He met Boomer's
eyes.  "I've got you," Boomer assured him.  He increased his pace.  The
dust was worse as he descended and he found himself moving his breather
back into position.  Suddenly, he stepped down on a rung and it snapped. 
He found himself dangling from the ladder, unsure how far he was above
the ground.
     "Apollo, are you alright?" yelled Boomer.
     Apollo's hands were slippery with sweat.  He was having difficulty
regaining his grip.  His boot finally found an intact rung that held.  He
clung to the ladder and caught his breath.  Slow down.  You can't help
Starbuck if you plunge to your own death.  "I'm alright," he yelled back
up to Boomer.
     "Can you see anything?"  Boomer asked.
     Apollo again looked down.  The dust was starting to settle and he
could see vague shapes on the ground.  At least now he knew where the
ground was.  "Still too dusty," he replied.  He started climbing down
again.  About three metrons from the ground the Captain ran out of
ladder.  This time though, he could see the danger.  "I have to jump!" he
yelled up to Boomer.
     "Be careful!"
     Apollo leapt off the ladder and landed next to the badly mangled
body of a man.  Bile rose in his throat as he stared in horror at the
damage the blast had caused.  He whirled away and took deep breaths,
trying to contain his nausea.
     "Apollo!" Boomer yelled, "I'm coming down."  That sounded like a
good idea.  Dread filled Apollo as he started to look around.  It was a
blood bath.  He saw the shape of another man close by.  He took a deep
breath and headed towards him.  It was more the remains of a man, than an
actual person.  Deep breath in. One, two, three.  Deep breath out.  One,
two, three.  In relief he realized that neither man wore anything
resembling the uniform of a colonial warrior.  "STARBUCK!??" he yelled,
his voice echoing in the large space.  There was no sign of his friend.
     Boomer dropped to the ground.  He turned and faced the grisly scene. 
Boomer too almost lost his midday meal.  "By all that's holy..." He took
a deep shuddering breath.  A large crater had been blown in the floor,
which opened up to the actual infrastructure of the Eidolon.  Nothing was
left intact in the room, but the large drainage pipes at the edge of the
wall, metrons away.  He looked at the crater.  "Sagan, you don't think
he..." he couldn't finish his statement.  Apollo met his eyes.
     "Start with a perimeter search," he recited by rote.  Boomer nodded
and they moved out in increasingly larger circles, searching everywhere
for their friend.  "STARBUCK??"
     Starbuck could hear voices echoing through his head, calling his
name.  He opened his eyes and found himself on his left side in a dark,
cold space.  What... was that... smell?  His stomach heaved.  He took a
deep breath to try and control his nausea, but the smell again permeated
his senses.  He lost it... and his midday meal.
     "What was that?" Apollo asked, coming to a stop.  He could clearly
hear retching coming from the pipes.  "Over here!" he yelled to Boomer. 
He ran to the closest pipe and almost whooped with joy when he saw his
friend's boots.  "Bucko?"  He was on his hands and knees now and was
crawling into the pipe alongside his friend.  Frack, it was dark and
smelled strongly of... bodily excretions.  He could hear Boomer arrive
behind him.  "Do we have a torch?" he asked him.  Boomer passed it over. 
Starbuck was still retching and coughing.  The smell was overwhelming. 
Apollo shone the light on his friend.  He was curled onto his side, his
left arm supporting him into a slightly upright position.  He was covered
in a thick layer of dust.  Assessing his injuries was difficult.  Apollo
wanted to put a breather on him, but was concerned he may vomit into it
and aspirate.  "Can you move, Starbuck?" he asked.
     "Yeah..." he gasped in reply.  Apollo started to put an arm under
his shoulder in support, but stopped when Starbuck grunted in pain. 
"Sagan..." he heaved again.  Thankfully, nothing was left to come up. 
Starbuck grabbed Apollo's arm.  "Laser to my... side..."  Apollo nodded
in understanding and switched to his friend's other side, helping him to
his knees.
     "Easy now..." Apollo helped guide him to Boomer's outstretched arms
and they carefully lowered him to the deck.  Boomer put his breather on
Starbuck.  Blue eyes looked up at him.
     "Zeduk?" he gasped.  His head was throbbing.  He was wet and cold. 
He started to shiver.
     "Not much left of him," Boomer replied.  He removed his flight
jacket and covered his friend, signaling to Apollo to do the same. 
Starbuck looked like he was going into shock.
     "Paden?"
     "Him either.  Sorry, Starbuck." Apollo gripped his friend's hand and
squeezed.  Starbuck simply nodded.  He had suspected as much.  So much
for offering Paden protection.  Some defender he had turned out to be. 
He tried to sit up.  Dizziness overcame him and he tried to shake his
head to clear it.  Bad idea, his head reminded him.
     "Lie still.  The med team will be here soon." Apollo ordered.
     "But, I need..."
     Apollo gently placed his hands on Starbuck's shoulders.  "You don't
want to see, Buddy.  I promise you that."  Well, he knew a promise from
Apollo was something you could take to your grave.  Grave?!  Frack!  He
determinedly tried to sit up again.  This time they let him.
     "Easy," Boomer slid in behind him and supported him.  His concerned
eyes met the captain's.
     "Guys..." Starbuck started.  He swallowed audibly and took a couple
deep breaths.  His throat was sore and his entire body ached.
     "What is it, Bucko?" Apollo asked.
     "I think... I have... the flu."  Relieved chuckles echoed around the
room as he closed his eyes.

Part Twenty-Five

     Apollo was on his way to life center. He had submitted his report to
the Colonel and again shook his head as he replayed the last few days in
his head.  Oddly enough, Jolly and Giles had reported some of the more
remarkable events.  He could just imagine Starbuck's reaction when Reese
had disabled the explosive charge.  He would have to tell his friend that
in fact the charge had been found to be defective, thus it really wasn't
Reese's fault.  However, he couldn't exonerate the security guard for
shooting his fellow team members.  The outcome would have turned out much
differently for Paden and Zeduk had team three successfully apprehended
them as planned.
     The fleet was awaiting the fallout of the decrease in the Elysium
trade.  Apollo admitted a certain ignorance in his awareness of the
problem.  Rios had explained to him that though Zeduk's operation was
eliminated, there would be others ready to take his place.  "After all,
when you cram enough people together in close quarters, take away their
way of life, and pursue them with a race bent on their extermination,
it's a sure bet that a few will be tempted to try to escape mentally." 
Commander Adama had already presented the topic in Council meetings.  He
had passed on his concern to his son that the Council of Twelve seemed
eager to discuss the problem, but reluctant to address it.  At the very
least, Adama promised support for Rios' Shelter.
     In an unforeseen turn of events, Adama agreed with Starbuck that the
computer system had become archaic.  Wong was now working full time to
upgrade and improve it, making it more user friendly, efficient and less
vulnerable to infiltration... especially by certain wayward lieutenants. 
That reminded Apollo; apparently someone had been using his password.  He
had better change it.
     Starbuck had indeed finally succumbed to influenza.  Dr. Salik had
kept him in life center mostly due to his laser burn, but also because
the man had been through so much mental and physical stress.  Apollo knew
that Starbuck was taking Paden's death much harder than he was letting
on.  In typical Starbuck fashion he made a few flippant remarks and
changed the subject.


     Starbuck lay on the biobed in life center.  Giselle had just
finished his treatment.  His head spinned slightly in reaction to the
medication he was receiving.  He decided he liked it.  Dr. Salik had
pumped him full of medications to treat his Aquarian Flu symptoms and his
pain.  A soothing hydrogel burn dressing was in place along his side,
accelerating his body's normal granulation process.  He had asked the
doctor when he could be released, but had received a glower in response. 
He had things to do after all.
     Two of Xerxes' men had stopped in with a lead on more ale.  Natural
instincts kicked in and he arranged for the liquor to be delivered to
him.  He decided to go ahead with his plans for a party.  He felt he owed
it to his friends after all.  His fellow warriors had been stopping by
constantly since he had arrived in life center, all offering their
support.  He had actually been surprised at the lack of ribbing he had
received for beating on them while under the influence of
pseudo-effedryn.  Ah, that was another thing.  He had just heard that his
blood test came back negative for the drug.  What a laugh!  He was
cleared to fly!
     He also intended to see if Paden had left anyone behind and
suspected Rios would know.  He had a debt to pay, after all.  A luxurious
dining room on the Rising Star, a sapphire necklace and a box of fine
fumarello's could easily be sold for enough cubits to vastly improve
someone's lifestyle on this long journey to Earth.  He wagered it would
also go a long way in helping heal his own wounds, old and new.
     Someone gently touched his cheek.  He opened his eyes to see
Cassiopeia smiling down at him.  She was a sight for sore eyes... and
throat... and head..."How are you feeling?" she asked.
     "Much better now," he replied and put his arms around her pulling
her gently to him.  Her hair was soft against his face.  He took a deep
breath and filled his senses with her fragrance.  She turned and tenderly
caressed his lips with her own.  She pulled back slightly, smiled and
smoothed the hair out of his eyes.
     "Dr. Salik told me what happened.  You're one lucky warrior."  She
again stroked his face, not wanting to break her contact with him.
     He was about to tell her that he made his own luck... as he had done
with Boomer.  After all, his skill, planning and execution should become
legendary after these last three days.  Instead, he smiled and pulled her
close again,  "Yes, I am."

THE END