Mad About Starbuck

by Aliana

A (seemingly endless) soap opera with lots of action, drama, romance, and plain craziness!

1. Episode 1

Mad About Starbuck

Stress-inspired silliness by "Aliana" and "Reyana"

"I'll hover with these." Reyana stared unblinking at the dealer, her face impassive, as she pushed out five piles of cubits, all worth one hundred.

I dared a peek at the other player at our table. Mouth open, he was staring from Reyana to the cards in front of her. The three revealed cards hardly seemed to be worth risking 500 cubits, unless she had a capstone, but the odds were very much against that. I took a another look at my own cards and slid out a mere 100 cubits. "I'll hover with these."

"Aliana, where's your sense of adventure?" Reyana asked.

"Gone with the last 500 cubits I lost," I answered.

The dealer turned to the third player and raised an eyebrow as she waited. Lieutenant Starbuck had regained his composure. Clamping his fumarello between his teeth, he used two hands to push out not five, but seven piles of cubits. "I'll hover with these."

Reyana made no outward reaction, but I could see the smile in her eyes. She was right about him, I thought to myself. By the moons of Sagittarius, she was right! The good lieutenant could not tolerate losing to a woman. Ever since we had come aboard the Galactica as recruits, a sectar ago, this had been our running debate. Starbuck's reputation both as a gambler and as a ladies man was known Fleet-wide. In the quarters for the new women recruits, it was almost always the topic of discussion at least once a secton. Reyana had been waiting for our first opportunity to prove her theory, and we had finally been granted a furlon. It just so happened that Blue Squadron was also on furlon . . .

The dealer flipped a card to place on her hand. "Anything above a half-pyramid wins."

I flipped my cards. Not good enough. Say goodbye to another 100 cubits!

Starbuck turned his cards slowly, watching Reyana. He revealed a full Pyramid. There was only one way to beat his hand.

Reyana let the grin creep slowly across her face as she turn over her three cards. As she flipped the last one, Starbuck nearly dropped the fumarello from his mouth.

"Capstone on a half-Pyramid. We have a winner here."

Starbuck watched Reyana rake in the cubits. He was studying her. He's about to turn on the charm, I thought to myself. As a warning, I nudged my friend in the ribs and whispered our code words -- "red alert!"

As if on cue, Starbuck aimed a wide grin at her and said, "Nice playing. Mind if I buy you a drink?"

Reyana kept a serious face. "Only if it's for the two of us." She nodded in my direction. "Oh, and I think I'd better do the buying." She finally let her lip curl in a smile, winking at the lieutenant.

It was my turn. Running a hand through my waist-long, brunette hair, I slowly stood up, knowing that the shimmery fabric of my short dress was nearly transparent under the right lighting condition, such as the overhead illumination of a Pyramid table. My expression was neutral, though, and I looked at Reyana. I stretched, deliberately working out the stiffness from sitting for over a centar. "A nice cold drink before heading back sounds good to me."

********

Aliana's stretch had just the right affect on the Lieutenant. Starbuck's eyes roamed up and down her body and I whispered to her, "Red alert yourself."

Aliana had done a great job all through the game of keeping Starbuck distracted. She knew just the right moment to flip her hair, or twirl a curl, to flash a smile or bat her eyes. She had also played her hand so as to insure that the best cards came my way. I added to the distraction by starting up a playful banter with the pilot. I knew I was right, the famous Lieutenant Starbuck could not handle losing to a woman.

Starbuck insisted on paying for the drinks, even though I mentioned that I had the majority of his cubits. He made a point of reminding me that no, I didn't have his cubits, that the dealer had gotten his cubit. He then launched into a detailed account of the system he was running and analyzing where the flaws were in the system.

Aliana was hanging on his every word, or at least appeared to be. Starbuck seemed impressed that I knew about several other betting systems that he had merged to form his new system. Thanks to Aliana for that research. I had scored a barely passing score on our last cadet exam because I was spending so much time learning card game strategies. Aliana was still giving me hades over her low score too. She had spent all her time researching the systems for me. But I promised her it would pay off in the end. If not on the bet we had going with the other cadets, then at least in the cubits I would win from the strategies I had learned. I was already 500 cubits ahead, 500 of Starbuck's cubits!

Starbuck leaned in closer to Aliana as he went into the details of a new system. Aliana leaned towards him running her hands through her shimmering hair. Starbuck hesitated for a moment in his animated explanation as Aliana smoothed out the folds of her dress. I'm sure no one else would have noticed, but I had spent the last sectar learning the tells that card players have, the moments of hesitation or body language that can speak volumes.

I couldn't help smiling. Oh yeah, Aliana had him right where we wanted him! I was frantically taking notes in my head of Starbuck's new system. I'm sure it had some flaws that we could capitalize on.

Starbuck offered to buy Aliana another drink as she giggled to one of his jokes. Oh yes, there were a few flaws of Starbuck's that we could use to our advantage!

I never knew Aliana could giggle! She was always so serious, so intellectual and deep. Oh this was definitely worth it for the sectons of teasing I could give her for having giggled at Starbuck!

*************

I knew that I would never hear the end of it. I was actually giggling! Ugh! But then I remembered our objective, the bet we had with the other cadets. No, this would be worth it, if we could pull it off. I leaned back and crossed my legs, making sure that my short, wispy skirt slipped down, way down, my thigh, and said that another drink would be great. Then I asked another "inocent" question about his system.

Reyana barely smothered her snicker. Even though he wasn't facing her, it was obvious that I had his attention. After a moment, though, the question kicked in and he launched into a detailed explanation, providing more information than I would ever have wanted to know -- if we didn't have ulterior motives. As I half listened, I kept wondering which was really his true love -- women or gambling? I was beginning to suspect that it was the latter.

Reyana was nodding, ever so slightly, indicating that she was geting the information she needed. Finally, she looked in the direction of the gaming tables, signalling that she was ready.

Pretending to take a long sip of my ambrosa, I noticed that Starbuck had finished his second glassful. Hmmm, and, as far as I knew, no one had had any dinner yet. I knew my limits and had been careful to not drink any of this second glass. Reyana had not even finished her first. We just might be able to pull this off.

Setting my glass on the table, I leaned in close to the lieutenant to be able to talk to Reyana and said, "Do you want to call it a night? You know, quit while you're ahead?"

"Now why would you want to do that?" Starbuck asked. "There's still plenty of time. And as you keep pointing out, you've got most of my cubits. You've got to at least give me a chance to redeem myself!"

Reyana looked skeptical as she considered it. By the gleam in her eye, I could tell she was enjoying watching him worry. There was no way that he would want to end the evening having lost to her, outdone by a woman. Finally she said, "Well, all right. Maybe a game or two --"

"Great!" Starbuck was up out of his seat, hardly waiting for us to follow.

Trailing behind with Reyana, I whispered, "You got it?"

"Every detail!" She grinned a devishly smile and winked. "I think we just might pull this off!"

Back at the gaming table, I had trouble keeping up my act of distraction because I was in awe of Reyana. She had obviously absorbed all of the information gleened from the lieutenant and combined it with all of the reseach that we had done. As cadets, we were both good students, too good, because usually we both aced the courses and the exams, destroying the grading curve for the other cadets. We were viewed as "those two studious girls." That's what had led to the bet, in the first place. The others saw us dedicated to learning all that we could in the academic part of the training, before we started the actual flight training. And they had labeled us as "boring, unsocial, and dateless." We had not really cared, at least not at first. We certainly didn't help our images, because we wore little makeup and kept our hair pulled back and out of the way.

But then the ribbing had gotten annoying. Finally, we had had enough and had concocted this crazy plan. The other women cadets had laughed. Not a chance, they said. well, when we both emerged from the turbowash, ready for our night out, the laughing and jokes had stopped. Expertly applied makeup, trim, flowing dresses, skimpy heels (that I could barely stand in!). We had won at least one of the battles with the other cadets. . . They still didn't believe that we would succeed, but, at least, they knew we were only "dateless" because we *wanted* to be.

Reyana was a whiz at math, which was why we decided that she would handle the gambling; although, with soft, shoulder-length blonde hair and blue eyes, she could easily played the role of "distractor."

Just to not completely deflate his ego, Reyana deliberately let the lieutenant win the first several hands. But then she got serious. Very carefully, she worked it so he won one, she won two . . . very slowly, her pile of cubits grew larger, while his grew smaller. She had him right where we wanted him -- too frustrated to stop. So I said, "Rey, I'm getting hungry. Why don't we head out for some dinner?"

"No, wait," Starbuck said, looking slightly desperate. "You can't quit now."

"I don't know," Reyana said slowly. "I'm pretty hungry, too. And, to be honest, I'm getting a bit tired -- bored, really -- of playing."

"Look," Starbuck flashed us the classic 'Starbuck grin.' "How about I make it more interesting for you both?"

Reyana did her best to look disinterested. "Really. And how do you propose to do that?"

"If you win, I'll buy dinner for you both, and a bottle of vintage ambrosa."

"And if I lose?"

"Then I still pay."

Reyana raised an eyebrow, considering the proposal. "Just how would you pay, if you don't have any cubits left?"

"Uh, I've got an account. They know I'm good for it."

Reyana made eye contact with me, so briefly that Starbucks did not notice, then said, "Oh, I don't know . . ."

It was my turn now. I leaned in and forward to get the lieutenant's attention, knowing what the effect would be of my low-cut dress. Starbuck looked down, then back up, quickly. I said quietly, "We just might consider it, if you made it more interesting."

"And how would I do that?"

"Buy us dinner in one of those private rooms, along with that bottle of vintage ambrosa."

Vaughn wrote last year:

Okay, I got an idea Maggie. So what usually happens to people who try to "starbuck" Starbuck?

By the way, what is *Starbuckan*?

Vaughn, who is guilty of *Starbuckan* too.

********

Oh yes, it was worth it all, the low score on an exam, the weeks of extra studying to learn the card strategies. It was even worth the teasing from the other female cadets on our transformation for the evening to watch Starbuck consider a meal alone with us in a private lounge.

I'm sure he was considering it, but he also was weighing how much trouble he might get into with command. There were official rules about fraternization on the books, no dating other squadron members or getting involved with your superior officer, but no one had bothered to enforce any of those rules since the destruction. At least, not yet. Too few of us left I guess to bother with trying to keep us all apart. I think command was actually encouraging us to all get together. But still, Starbuck was our Squadron leader and teacher. It could be a risk.

So as he considered the ramifications, I upped the ante on the bet.

"Are you afraid of being alone with us? Afraid of getting caught with two cadets? Oh you are so right Starbuck, you aren't up to the risk. You couldn't handle command, you know, now that you are up for a promotion and might wind up on the bridge command staff. And think about your reputation."

Aliana kicked me under the table. I could tell by the stern look on her face she thought I had gone too far. But I knew what I was doing, or at least thought I did.

"We are just talking dinner, right?" Starbuck said with that sly smile on his face, but I could tell by his eyes that he was a little confused and trying to read the moment.

"That's okay Starbuck," I said as I leaned back in my chair feigning disinterest. "I know how you hate to lose. I wouldn't want to embarrass you like that."

Starbuck almost jumped at that comment, and I knew I had him.

Starbuck looked at Aliana for a moment, then back at me. A slow smirk spread across Starbuck's face as he leaned over to me. His eyes locked onto mine and I felt that I had come under a Cylon force field. I realized later that it was like he was performing a long range scan on me, but Lords help me, I fell under that spell. I didn't realize just how bright blue his eyes really were. If he had moved in any closer, we would have been kissing.

In a long slow whisper he said, "Deal." He hovered there for a few more heartbeats as my breathing increased. He winked at me, then slowly leaned back with a smug smile on his face. He ordered us another round of drinks and told the dealer to deal out the cards for a new game. Aliana kicked me so hard under the table that I winced in pain.

"What!" I hissed at her as she shook her head at me. "I've got him right where I want him, trust me!"

I lost the next four hands. Aliana finally took the fifth hand as she turned up the heat on her flirting. If she leaned any farther over that table she was going to pop out of that dress. She must have been dizzy from all that hair flipping she was doing, and it was a wonder she could even see her eyelashes were batting away so furiously.

I was just trying not to sweat and keep my mind on the cards. I downed my drink hoping the alcohol would help me to calm down.

Starbuck just leaned back and calmly played cards. He was totally focused on the game, even as he paid Aliana compliment after compliment, his mind was still on the game. Okay, I said to myself, two can play at that game. I focused on the cards, ran the calculations in my head and saw Starbuck's smile slip just a fraction as I took hand number six.

I flashed him my winning smile as he had bet too much on that hand, seven piles of cubits were collected by the dealer. He handed his fumarello towards me and said in what I swear was his most seductive voice, "Want to share?"

I sat there dumbstruck for a moment before Aliana answered sternly for me, "No, she doesn't smoke."

"Uh, yeah, I don't smoke."

"Too bad. It's a nice blend. Here have another drink."

Lords help me, but I downed that drink too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ***************************************************** I wanted to do more than just kick Reyana as I watched her resolve crumble.

Slowly, but surely, the lieutenant had won back most of what he had lost before our little break. And I watched our combined pile of cubits dwindle as Reyana and I both lost four consecutive hands. It was shear luck that I won the fifth. It certainly wasn't from concentrating on the game, because I had been doing everything in my power to distract Starbuck, without any luck. He had gotten over his initial surprise and bias -- yes, bias -- about being beaten by a woman, and had locked into gambling mode, 100%. Confidence, but not too much, and lots of concentration. And the ability to

either charm or fluster his opponents.

He seemed to have done both to Reyana. At least, she managed to pull herself together long enough to take the sixth hand and regain some of our cubits, since Starbuck had overextended himself on that one. She looked like she was back in control, that is, until she downed that second glass of ambrosa. We hadn't even had dinner yet. I knew how *I'd* be feeling, and we were basically the same size. I gave up kicking her shins, because I doubted that she could feel it anymore. Instead, I tried to think of a way to salvage our bet.

It turned out to be luck, sheer luck, that saved us. I was delt a once-in-a

lifetime hand. I struggled to keep a straight face, impassive. In fact, I tried to look nervous and insecure as we played the hand, trying to get Starbuck to misjudge my hand. Reyana was trying, really trying, but I could see that she was having trouble concentrating on the cards. She kept staring up into

the lieutenant's face, and her eyes had that glassy look. I wasn't sure how

much was ambrosa and how much was the magic Starbuck charm. The only reason

that I hadn't succumbed long ago was that I had religiouly avoided looking at his face, those eyes that could hold you hypnotized. . . I figured if I could handle this "assignment," then I'd be ready for anything!

Anwyay, we were down to the final round of bets. I did my best to pretend that I was uncertain about my hand, very nervous . . . well, which I was. So I hesitantly matched his 700 cubits. Then I looked at Reyana, looked even more uncertain for a moment, then said, "Oh, what the heck! This is the last round, and we'll be stuck in training for the next sectar. It's not like we'll be *needing* any cubits to spend. . ." So I added 200 more cubits to the bet.

Reyana went wide eyed and shook her head, waving to try to get me to change

my mind. I just grinned sheepishly. Starbuck looked very serious, eyeing his cards, eyeing both of us, running numerous calculations in his head. Well, the odds were probably 100-1 against me having the hand I did . . . so I could hardly blame him when he figured it was safe to match the bet. Reyana glared at me, then folded.

Starbuck, still looking half-serious, took a long drag on his (foul- smelling *cough* *cough*) fumarello and turned over his cards. My eyes went wide. I'd done it! I bit my lips as I turned my cards over one by one, slowly . .

. as my expression broke into a child-like grin, Starbuck's faded into one of astonishment. A perfect third level Pyramid! Unbeatable! He took the cigar out of his mouth before it fell out. "Well . . ." he said. "Looks like you two win . . ."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I felt as giddy as a ten-year-old at a natalday celebration after receiving a long, sought-after gift. I just grinned for several centons at the two astonished faces in front of me. Reyana, undoubtedly floating from that third drink, barely contained a gleeful shout, then settled an expectant look on the lieutenant.

Starbuck leaned back in his seat, took another long drag on his fumarello as he analyzed the situation, then gave us that classic grin. "Well, ladies," he said, "I look forward to learning how you both came to be such adept Pyramid players - over that dinner that I owe you." He stood and motioned for us to follow him.

I placed a steadying hand at Reyana's elbow as she stood up, and then we trailed behind as he led us through the lounge area and up to the reservations podium, near the corridor that led to the private suites. A tall man with white hair stood erect behind the podium, his head tilted so that he was gazing down his nose at all who approached him. Starbuck motioned towards some seats, indicating for us to wait while he arranged the accommodations. As the lieutenant walked up, the man seemed to slant his head in recognition and smiled a faint, wry smile. We were not close enough to hear the conversation, unfortunately, but the two talked for several centons. By the time Starbuck returned to where we were seated, his expression looked pained; I could tell that whatever arrangement he managed to make had cost him dearly.

Holding out both arms, though, he smiled his most gracious smile at us. "Ladies," he said, "this way, please."

I suppressed the school-girl giggle that bubbled in my throat as I draped my arm around his left arm, and Reyana did likewise on his right. As he escorted us past the reservations podium, the tall man looked startled for a brief instant, but then winked at us. I wondered if there was a story behind his reaction . . .

Starbuck led us down the corridor to a door on the left near the end. Disengaging his arms from his guests, he pulled out the sensor card and slipped it into the slot. The door slid open and the lieutenant stepped back to allow us to enter. A dim, golden light emanated from decorative globes that were placed in the back corners of the room. A softly padded bench sat against the wall to our left, under a large viewing portal. Next to it was a small table with crystal goblets and a tall pitcher filled with ambrosa. The only other furnishing was a large, elegantly draped . . . bed.

I sat down on the very end of the bed, beginning to feel awkward and embarrassed. But Reyana stretched out across the mattress behind me, sighing as she ran a hand over the silky covers. In contrast to my worried frown, I noticed as I turned to stare at her, she was grinning coyly at our host.

"Dinner will be arriving soon," Starbuck said as the door closed behind him. He stood just in front of the threshold, fidgeting ever so slightly.

"Have a seat." Reyana patted a spot on the bed in front of her and next to me.

With just the slightest bit of hesitation, Starbuck moved to the indicated location. "So," he said as he sat on the corner of the bed, turning so that he could face us both, "I'd love to know how two such young and lovely cadets became such skilled card players. "I mean - " He must have noted my eyes narrowing as he said that. Despite everything, such sexist remarks would always irritate me. "It usually takes yahrens of practice to perfect such skills," he continued.

The lieutenant looked at Reyana, meeting unwaveringly her inviting smile. Then he gazed at me. And for the first time, I allowed myself to stare into those deep blue eyes. Perhaps if I had had three drinks to fortify my reserve, I could have continued our game . . but under the soft lighting, the enticing fragrance that seem to emanate from the silky bedspread, and the inviting, yet hesitant look that passed through those eyes . . . I lost my nerve. I wanted nothing more than to sink into a warm embrace and lose myself in the moment. But I couldn't. Not this way, not under a deception. That just wasn't me. Up until now, it had been a game of wits and mostly harmless fun - after all, a gambler knows what's at stake when he plays the game.

But we had upped the ante, so to speak, and were putting him in a possibly compromising situation. And although he seemed ready to play along, as he grinned back at Reyana, I could sense his unease. It was too much for me - the last thing I wanted to do was get him in trouble with his superiors for fraternizing with the trainees. And while the regulations, given our refugee status, were not strictly enforced, it just didn't feel right.

"Listen," I said as I stood up. I felt myself trembling as I faced the two; my nerve was shot. Reyana had sat up and was frowning at me. "I want to be honest with you." Reyana was now shaking her head at me and mouthing the word, "no." I ignored her. "It was a dare. We did this on a dare."

Starbuck's looked perplexed. "A dare? But how did you learn to play Pyramid so well!?"

"We studied like crazy," said Reyana, forced to go along with the admission. She shot me a quick, angry glance, but then smiled apologetically at the lieutenant. "I don't know if you remember us from the tactical course, but we're the ones who kept acing the exams."

So we explained everything to him - how two seemingly "boring, overly studious, unsocial, and dateless" cadets were goaded into the challenge of seducing, basically, their commanding officer. By the time we had finished, I felt pretty lousy. Reyana did, too, from the look on her face. It all sounded so underhanded and deceitful, even to our ears. Had we stopped at the Pyramid challenge, that would have been different. In fact, Starbuck had seemed almost awed by our ability to study and analyze all of the mathematical statistics and then turn them into winning hands. But we hadn't stopped there.

As we finished, Starbuck was shaking his head, but still had a smile on his lips. "You know," he said with a slight chuckle, "I'll never hear the end of this, if word gets around that I've been 'Starbucked' by a couple of cadets." He gave us an unblinking gaze, waiting for our response. And even though, as our superior, he could quite easily have pulled rank, he wasn't going to. I realized that, instead, he was leaving the choice up to us.

Reyana saw it, too. She slid to the edge of the bed, gazing steadily at a spot on the floor as she spoke. "Look, I think it's best if we just forget about this part of the evening, okay?" She shot him another apologetic glance. "I feel really stupid. I mean, this isn't the kind of people we are - usually. And I don't want you to get into any trouble because of us."

"Hey," Starbuck said, "I make my own choices and take my own risks." He was grinning at us, again. "And if I'm beaten at my own game, then, well, what are they going to do? It wouldn't be the first time that I've spent a secton scrubbing turboflushes."

I wasn't so sure that that would be the only consequence; I could easily picture Colonel Tigh pulling him as our instructor - and I certainly didn't want that! Before I could respond, though, the door chimed. I glanced nervously from Reyana to the lieutenant.

"Our dinner," he said smoothly, and opened the door. The waiter pushed the cart in, glanced around at us with an amused expression, then left after Starbuck handed him what was probably his last remaining cubits.

"Ladies," he said with an exaggerated flourish, "allow me." He motioned towards the myriad of plush pillows at the head of the bed. "But first, have a comfortable seat."

Hesitantly, still feeling embarrassed and quite self-conscious, now, I climbed up into the bed and sat carefully against the pillows, pulling my short, short skirt down as far as it would go. Reyana plopped down next to me. Her face was glowing. I bit my lip and watched the lieutenant. Despite everything, he was obviously enjoying himself as he filled our small plates with various rations and handed them to us. His smile seemed relaxed, now. I felt myself melting, and thoughts of any consequences were fading as I succumbed to the dreamy atmosphere. Oh, to have been alone!

Our secret, I swore to myself, watching as the lieutenant moved to pour ambrosa into the goblets, and cast a glance at Reyana. "Rey -" I started to say.

"I know," she said in a whisper. "Not a word."

Besides, I reflected as I nibbled on a protein cube, this evening was way too special to reduce to a locker room kind of discussion with a bunch of cadets. No way.

Starbuck had turned towards us, holding a crystal goblet in each hand. "Not the best yahren," he said, "but certainly acceptable." He took a step towards the bed.

A violent explosion shook the ship, followed by several lesser aftershocks. Starbuck stumbled, then dropped the goblets as he caught himself against the wall. "What the frak was that?!"

************************ An eerie moment of silence followed. Reyana and I stared in shock at the lieutenant. Still regaining his balance, Starbuck pulled himself unsteadily away from the wall. "Come on -" he started to say.

A third and final explosion rocked the Rising Star so hard that it threw the two of us off the bed in a heap, sent Starbuck crashing back against the wall and tumbling into the bench, and sent the ship into a slow spin. Then the lights went out for several microns until the emergency backup system kicked in. A dim, red glow illuminated the suite now. Before anyone could move, though, I felt my stomach lurch and lost all sense of equilibrium as I floated away from the floor; the gravity field had failed.

As all unattached objected also drifted into the air, I planted a hand against a ridge in the wall to steady myself and managed to overcome the sick feeling in my stomach. At last, I was able to look around, trying to take stock of our situation. The furnishings - the bed, the table, and the bench -- were apparently secured to the floor, but a host of other objects were floating loose, including droplets of ambrosa. Reyana was braced against the ceiling, and Starbuck was gripping the bench with one hand and his head with the other. When he brought his fingers down in front of his face, even in the dim lighting I could see that they were stained red. Wiping his hand across his pants, the lieutenant, however, took only a moment more to orient himself, then pushed towards to door. "Come on!" he said again. "They're going to need all the help they can get."

"What do you think happened?" I asked.

"Main engine malfunction of some kind, to say the least. Blew the stabilizers, too, obviously. With these rooms located aft near the main engine compartment, we're lucky the whole wall did blow out on us." He stopped to make sure we were ready. "Okay, I'm going to try to open the doors. Just stay close to me. Ready?"

We nodded, and he pressed the activation panel. Nothing. Which meant that the ship was running on minimal emergency power - enough for the lights and life support, but not much else. Lifting the panel, Starbuck revealed the manual release lever and pulled. The door slid open just wide enough to squeeze through.

Out in the corridor, we could hear the screams of a panicked crowd and smell smoke. In fact, a stream of black smoke was pouring out from under the door directly opposite ours. Starbuck banged on it and listen for any response. No voices.

"Shouldn't we open it to check for survivors?" shouted Reyana as the lieutenant prepared to move away.

He shook his head. That door's a fire block - it's scorching hot. It'd only let it spread if we opened it. Can't risk that." He started to guide himself up the corridor.

"But -"

"Come on!" He shouted. "It'd be too late now, anyway - if there's even anyone in there. Now let's move!"

***************************** By "Reyana" - PART 8

Aliana clumsily kicked off the corridor wall and

bounced into another, trying to claw her way down the

corridor after Starbuck. She had forgotten completely

that she was in a much too short dress of flimsy

flowing material that was now flowing anywhere it

wanted. I looked down at my own dress and realized

how silly we really were.

We were supposed to be training to be warriors for

Sagan's sake, prepared for anything. We were

definitely not dressed to deal with an emergency, let

alone a fire. We had purposely exposed a lot of skin

to undo Starbuck. That exposed and vulnerable flesh

now could be our undoing.

I kicked off the corridor wall and swam after

Starbuck, grabbing Aliana on my way. She was trying

too hard to move. Zero G is like quicksand, sometimes

the harder you try to go one direction, the faster you

go in the other direction. I'm kind of used to the

concept of zero G, being part Piscerian. Swimming in

the salty sea can leave you feeling weightless at

times. Obviously Starbuck knew that as he had no

problem traversing the corridor to the Engine room,

even with the billowing smoke clouding our vision. I

didn't want to lose track of him and tried to clear my

mind and concentrate on catching up. Frak, I had to

have that last drink! I was feeling disoriented, and

I knew it wasn't just from the lack of gravity.

I was finally right on Starbuck's heels, towing Aliana

who had finally realized her best bet would be to just

go limp and let me tow her along, when a droplet of

moisture hit me in the face, and then another. I

wiped it away distractedly, then was hit with another.

Aliana gasped and that's when I realized that what I

was wiping away was blood, Starbuck's blood.

We reached the end of the corridor to find the sealed

hatch to the Main Engine Room. Unable to stop in

time, I bounced into the door. Starbuck was able to

catch Aliana before she too hit the hatch. Luckily

the door was cool on my bare arm as I hit. I can only

imagine the nasty burn I could have received had the

door been warm. I was hoping when we got through the

hatch that we would find coveralls on the other side.

Most of the engine rooms and bays on the Galactica

always had spare suits hanging nearby. I was hoping

the same rang true for the Rising Star.

Starbuck immediately went to work on the hatch

controls, attempting to get them to open manually.

Aliana reached a hand up to check Starbuck's wound,

and he brushed her hand away distractedly.

"It's nothing. Don't worry about it." He mumbled as

he worked the controls. Aliana shot me a worried

look, but I knew there was nothing we could do about

it at the moment.

"Okay, I think I've got it." Starbuck said "When the

door opens, let me go through first."

"I'm kind of in the way." I said, which was true

since I had chosen the slight crack of the opening of

the door as my hand hold.

"Then switch places with me. When you pull the lever

the door will open."

"Quit trying to be gallant Starbuck and just open the

door." I said.

"Cadet, switch places with me. That's an order!" He

glared at me in anger and reached to grab me and pull

me to him.

"Look Sir," I replied angrily, "what do you know

about engines, big engines, not just vipers?" I

pulled slightly away from him.

"Now is not the time for this!" Starbuck said

exasperated.

"Yes it is." Aliana said, putting her hand on his

shoulder. "Before they opened the female viper

training, we were training to be mechanics."

Starbuck looked at Aliana in surprise, then back at

me. "I don't remember you two in the mechanics

division."

"Well," Alian responded, "how many mechanics do you

know?"

"Alright, good point." Starbuck answered taking a

deep breath, and wiping again distractedly at the

blood that was streaming over his temple.

"Besides," I said reaching to tear a strip from the

bottom of my dress. "You're injured." I reached out

to touch the fabric to his head and he stopped me. He

took the cloth from me and touched it to his forehead.

"It's not that bad. Okay, let's do this. I'll open

the door, you go through and Aliana and I will follow.

First we need to get the gravity back. This ship is

not exactly equipped for lack of gravity."

"You're right on that one, but first we put out

fires." I said.

"Then you work on repairs." Aliana seconded.

"Is there anything else I need to know about you two?"

Starbuck quipped sarcastically.

"Well we were getting to that when all the fun

started." I smiled at him and winked.

Starbuck rolled his eyes and shook his head as he

turned back to the controls. "It is a shame we had to

skip dinner, but it is party time."

The doors opened and I pulled myself into the room

with Starbuck and Aliana behind me. There were flames

everywhere. The smoke was thick and I could hear

voices of the mechanics, but could not locate anyone

through the smoke. I misjudged my speed and

trajectory and had launched myself straight for one of

the fires. I frantically lunged for a nearby

stanchion grasping it with my fingertips before

getting a good hold. I vainly reached out to grab

hold of Starbuck and Aliana who were right behind me,

hoping to at least slow their speed. My fingers

brushed his jacket and I was unable to get a grip.

************* The heat and thick, black smoke burned my eyes and made me choke as soon as Reyana and I pushed through the door ahead of Starbuck. With eyes blurred by tears, I could not see to stop myself as I sailed forward, straight towards the flames. Reyana, I thought I saw, was able to reach out and grab a stanchion. Blast it! I just hadn't had enough of the zero-g training to be able to control myself very well in free fall, or free float, as it was. I felt myself panicking, flailing, losing all equilibrium.

"No! Stop!" I heard Reyana cry out. And where was Starbuck? The lieutenant had been right behind me, but at that moment, all I saw and felt was the scorching flames towards which I was now tumbling.

I felt a scream building in my throat - and then a hand at my back grabbed the material of my dress and pulled me back. I grabbed for the arm, desperately, having totally lost my orientation.

"Whoa there!" yelled Starbuck.

Gripping his arm tightly, I finally got my bearings and saw that we were braced against a support column. To our left, Reyana had hold of a stanchion. I felt stupid and angry at myself for being such a hindrance, and we were wasting precious time.

Starbuck seemed unfazed, though. He pointed back behind us towards the door and shouted, "Emergency gear!" Of course! We wouldn't last five centons without breathers and protective gear - especially with Reyana and me in these flimsy dresses, which were probably flammable, as it was. "Grab the handle on the panel!" he said and then pushed me towards the case that contained the equipment. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him extend a hand so that Reyana could double back, as well.

It was getting unbearably hot, I noticed, as we donned protective suits and breathers as quickly as we could. We also sealed the exit doors again to help contain the fire. Escaping the choking smoke helped me to regain my composure. Looking beyond the closest flames, I saw three technicians about ten metrons away from us, trapped against the wall and surround by the fire. One of them appeared to be unconscious and all were coughing and struggling to breath. Starbuck and Reyana grabbed the two extinguishers and launched themselves towards the technicians, spraying fire retardant foam as they went. Waiting to be sure that I could maintain control and would not run into them, I grabbed the extra breathers, took several deep breathes, then propelled myself at a spot just to the right of techs.

I was getting the hang of this! I tossed the breathers to the nearest tech as I floated by, then caught the edge of a crate to stop my forward momentum. Sticking a toe under the bottom, I turned to see what else I could do for them. The one man was slipping the breather over the unconscious tech's face, while the other was steadied him. Starbuck was motioning towards the exit. Then he yelled to me, "Reyana and I'll lead the way. We need you to open the exit again, once these men get over there, okay?"

"Roger!" I shouted back and readied myself. He and Reyana pushed off the wall and headed back, spraying to clear a path for the three technicians. The techs, supporting their friend between them, went next. Then I aligned myself with the exit and launched towards the door. As I floated, I noticed that while the flames in our immediate vicinity had abated somewhat, the main engine core, off to our left, had huge columns of fire blazing around it. A leak. A tylium leak. "Oh frak, oh, frak, oh, frak!" I muttered as I tried to will myself to float faster.

At last, I reached the emergency exit panel, fumbled in desperation to pull the lever. Fingers slipped in the bulky gloves of the fire suit. I cursed and made myself slow down. Taking time I wasn't sure we had, I slipped my fingers around the lever and pulled. The door slid open. We all moved through it. One of the tech banged the release mechanism to close it again, then turned to us. "Thanks!" he said and started to say more.

"Is there anyone else in there?" asked Starbuck urgently, interrupting.

"No," said the man, "but as I was about to say, we need to get that fire out - now!"

We had only moments to act, maybe less, because a tylium explosion would destroy the entire ship in a micron, and from the look on their faces, I could tell that Starbuck and Reyana already knew that. The lieutenant glanced around quickly, located the com panel, about three metrons up the corridor, and launched himself towards it. Grabbing the transceiver as soon as it was within reach, he turned so that his back hit the wall and shouted into the device, "Bridge! Tylium leak! Purge the atmosphere in the engine room now!"

"Who is this?" Came a voice through the crackling static. Thank the Lords of Kobol that communications were powered by the backup systems. "We can't just -"

"Lieutenant Starbuck, viper pilot. We've cleared the room. Now purge -"

"You don't have the proper authority to -"

"There isn't time to debate this. It's a tylium leak!"

"I'll have to get clearance from the captain - "

"Cut the felgarcarb," screamed Starbuck into the transceiver as he pounded the wall with his other hand, "and open those frakkin' blast doors before we're all vaporized! *Now!*"

For a moment there was no response, no indication whether he had convinced the bridge officer to act or whether he'd simply been cut off. The two techs, still holding their companion, Reyana, Starbuck, and I stared from one to another, wondering, waiting. At the other end of the corridor, the official emergency crew had finally arrived and was headed our way.

Then a jolt and a rumble. An emergency light began flashing above the entrance to the engine room. And we could hear the faint sound of air escaping into the vacuum of space.

'Yes!" We all shouted and hugged one another. With no oxygen, the flames would quickly die, and the emergency crew, dressed in their pressure suits, could do their job, sealing off any leaks and getting started on the repairs.

*****************

Part 10

Starbuck didn't wait for the emergency crew to

approach him, as he tore off the environmental suit's

helmet and began yelling questions.

"What happened? Is it an attack? Are the bays

operational? How is the Galactica?" Starbuck fired

off the questions without giving the man in the lead a

chance to respond.

"Everything is under control." He finally was able to

get out. "Go back to your rooms and await further

instructions." He said coldly trying to brush past

Starbuck.

"Frack that! What is going on!" Starbuck said

grabbing the man by the arm.

Another of the emergency crew said, "Starbuck, is that

you?"

"Yeah, it is. What the frack is going on?" Starbuck

asked, recognizing one of the dealers from a 7/11

table.

"We're under attack, but nothing to worry about. I

heard Blue Squadron's already mopped it up. But they

missed one, we took a couple of hits."

"How are the bays? I need to get to the Galactica?"

Starbuck asked.

The man Starbuck grabbed pulled his arm free and

responded, "Like he said, nothing to worry about.

It's all over but no shuttles are flying at the

moment. Now go back to your rooms and wait.."

"To hades with that! I'm not floating around in some

suite while you guys try to figure out your head from

your.."

"We're trained mechanics." Aliana interrupted

Starbuck,. "How can we help, that's what you meant,

right Starbuck?"

"Yeah, right Starbuck?" I added, casting Starbuck a

pleading look.

Starbuck looked at both Aliana and me. We almost

willed him to keep his cool. I think I even muttered

a "please" under my breath.

He took a deep breath and then muttered, "Well, since

it's all over, yeah, where can we help?"

The man in charge let the insult pass as he replied,

"Take the wounded to the sick bay first, then we need

to get that Tylium leak fixed first. You know

anything about patching leaks?"

I responded before Starbuck had the chance to open his

mouth and get us locked in our quarters. "Yes we do,

in fact, that's our specialty, isn't it Starbuck?"

"Oh yes, centaurs of training on that, right

Starbuck?" Aliana added.

"Yeah, right, sure, tons of practice." Starbuck said,

casting both me and Aliana a somewhat perturbed look.

Two of the crew carried the wounded down the corridor

as best they could in the zero g. The rest of

us waited for a few more moments for the atmosphere to

reestablish itself in the engine room. When the man

in charge finally announced they could enter, Starbuck

muttered to me as he floated past and into the

compartment, "I sure hope you know what you're doing."



I couldn't help smirking when Aliana countered, "Looks

like we found something else that great illustrious

Starbuck is not so great at."

"I just fly 'em. I don't fix 'em. It's gotten me

this far, right Cadet?"

"Sure, it sure has, Lieutenant. Right into the middle

of a flaming fireball. That was fun wasn't it?" I

said sarcastically.

"Best time I've had in years." Starbuck replied

deadpan. "Where do we start?" He asked getting right

to business.

Aliana patiently walked Starbuck through the process

of finding the metal patches and how they were first

put in place with a type of adhesive, then very very

carefully spot welded the metal in place. I

demonstrated the process, that is until we got to the

welding part, when without comment I handed the

emergency welder to Aliana. I just didn't feel up to

it, not with the several drinks I had had that

evening. Aliana gave me a strange look, but didn't

comment on it as she began welding and continued to

walk Starbuck through the process.

I turned away to find more patches. As I floated back

toward them I noticed Starbuck shake his head, as if

trying to dodge something. Small droplets of red

scattered into the air. Aliana was preoccupied with

the welder, so I approached Starbuck and whispered,

"You okay?"

"Yeah. My eyes are just fuzzy, that's all. From the

smoke." He stated. "Where do we need to put those

patches on?" He said trying to take one from me.

"That's okay. You help out Aliana, I've got it."

As I turned to scan for more leaks, the world suddenly

turned upside down. Or that's how it felt as I found

myself flying up to the ceiling, then was suddenly

dragged to the floor. I landed unceremoniously on my

back, flinging the metal patch as my arm impacted the

floor.

"Gravity has been restored." A mechanical voice

commented cooly.

"You could give a guy some warning!" Starbuck yelled.

I turned to see him crumpled against a control panel,

wincing in pain. He reached up and grabbed his head

as he said more quietly, "Frack that smarts."

I started to get up on my feet and was instantly sorry

I tried as my stomach flip flopped, lurched and then

heaved. I bit back bile and focused on not losing

those drinks I had so enjoyed earlier. From my

peripheral vision I saw Starbuck stagger over to the

floor next to the control panel. At first I thought

he was falling and I quickly got control of my nauseau

and pulled myself to my feet to go to him. That's

when I noticed Aliana was still on the ground, and not

moving. The patch that had been in my hand was now

resting beside her. I quickly forgot about my stomach

and went over to the two. Starbuck was leaning over

Aliana's face and I took Aliana by the shoulders and

shook her shouting her name. She was limp for just a

moment, then her eyes blinked open.

"I'm okay. Just stunned." Suddenly her eyes went

wide in fright.

"What?! What is it!" I panicked. Aliana gently

reached out to Starbuck. I followed her hand to see

that blood was now pouring freely from the wound on

his head. He kneeled down quickly and caught himself

with one hand braced on the floor.

****************** Part 11

At any other time, the sight of those expressive blue eyes hovering near my face would have sent me floating, gravity or no gravity, but not this time. My head was still foggy from the fall, but seeing the blood streaming down the side of the lieutenant's face snapped me back to reality.

"I'm fine," he said as he sagged to the floor. The sudden return of gravity made me feel like I weighed twice as much as I did and my head felt ready to explode from the sudden return of pressure; the effects on Starbuck were quickly becoming obvious. "I fine," he said again, in barely a whisper. Then his eyes rolled up and he collapsed on top of me.

"Frak, frak, frak!" I muttered as I squirmed out from under the lieutenant with Reyana's help. Carefully we rolled him onto his back. "We need a medkit!" I yelled, but Reyana had already dashed over to where the emergency equipment had been kept and had pulled the first aid kit from the wall.

The gash was nasty and had most likely been reopened in the fall. Reyana tore open several sterile wipes, I grabbed a roll of gauze, and together we tried to clean the wound and stop the flow of blood. By the time we had finished, both of our environmental suits were stained red, but the bandage seemed to be doing its job. And Starbuck was groaning as he began to regain consciousness.

Taking several deep breaths to calm my nerves and to slow my racing heart, I looked around to assess our current situation. The emergency workers were occupied elsewhere, probably trying to restore more power, no doubt. I looked at Reyana, who seemed to be thinking the same thing I was. "They're counting on us to patch those tylium leaks," I said quietly.

"Yeah," she said. "and if we don't, we could still all blow to pieces."

I looked down at Starbuck, wanting nothing more than to get him to the landing bay, find a doctor, make sure that he was okay, but that would have to wait. Grabbing the metal patch from the floor, I pulled myself shakily to my feet. I noticed that I didn't feel so heavy. They must have adjusted the gravity level, I thought to myself, so I *had* weighed more than usual . . . I shook my head to focus on my task.

"I'll keep an eye on the lieutenant if you can get the rest of those leaks repaired," said Reyana. I noticed that she looked none too comfortable and was breathing as though to steady her stomach. Starbuck was still groaning, rolling his head back and forth slightly, but was not yet awake.

"Right," I said. Ladders were attached to the walls near the main engine core. Darn, but it had been so convenient just to float around to fix those leaks! Now I was slowed by having to position the ladder. Torch in hand, though, I was slowly able to patch all of the noticeable fissures. Without the proper instruments, however, I had no way of knowing if I sealed them all. It would have to do until the technicians - the true experts -- from the Galactica arrived. For now, I felt fairly confident that the core was stable. The job had taken nearly a centar, I estimated.

Not bothering to stow the ladder, I hurried back to Reyana and Starbuck. The lieutenant was awake and sitting propped against the control panel. Sitting quietly, too quietly. I had figured and feared that he would want to get up and help as soon as he was actually awake, and we had already seen how stubborn he could be. I cast a glance at Reyana, "What'd you do to him?" I asked.

Starbuck gave me a bemused smile. "She said that if I moved, she'd knock me out again."

Reyana grinned slyly and held up a hypo spray from the medkit.

I chuckled and shook my head, feeling relieved in more ways than one. The fires were out. The leaks were patched. The worst was over. I noticed that the three other emergency workers were still busily engaged in cleaning up after the fires. Our job, though, seemed to be finished. And now that the blood wasn't streaming down his face, Starbuck looked close to his old self. Still . . . "I guess we'd better head to the landing bay so that we can get back to the _Galactica_ to have your head looked at," I said, a bit regretfully.

Reyana nodded, but Starbuck held up his hand. "Whoa, wait! It's gonna be jam-packed in the landing bay trying to get everyone off this tub. What's the rush?"

"What do you propose we do?" I asked as I stripped out the environmental suit. I felt grungy and sweaty and wanted that bulky thing off as quickly as possible. What I forgot was that I was wearing only a translucent dress. As I dropped the suit to the ground, I turned to see Starbuck staring, mouth agape, and Reyana trying desperately not to laugh. I felt my face flush hot as I realized just how clingy and transparent my dress probably was. Well, I told myself, I'd worn it for its effects. I shouldn't be complaining, should I? I grinned sheepishly and tried to brush out my hopelessly tangled hair with my fingers. To hades with it! Why not make the best of the little bit of time together we probably had. I didn't want to think about whether we'd made the right sort of impression that might encourage a second, legitimate date with the lieutenant, or whether he couldn't wait to lose these too-crazy, strong-willed cadets.

Reyana had also climbed to her feet and had removed her suit. She was shaking out her blonde strands and trying to pull the sweat-plastered fabric away from her body. I caught Starbuck watching her efforts, and it was my turn to laugh. Starbuck turned to me and smiled that sly, electrified grin. I felt my face go red again. "Can you stand?" I finally asked. I extended a hand to him.

With Reyana's assistance, too, Starbuck managed to climb to his feet. His face went pale for a moment, though, and I knew he was fighting to stay balanced and upright. With our help, he removed his environmental suit, and didn't argue when we each took up a supportive stance on either side of him. Leaning his arms across our shoulders, he let us lead him out of the engine room. Once outside, he motioned for us to stop, though.

"What? What is it?" Reyana asked, looking concerned, afraid that he was not able to go any further.

Starbuck leaned against the wall and smiled. "No need to wait in a crowded, stuffy launch bay -"

"But with that injury," I said, noticing just how unsteady he looked, "we really should get you to the lifestation. I'm sure they'd give you priority."

"Hm, probably." He grinned at us again, a challenging look on his face. "But I've still got this." He held up the entry card for our suite. Now that the power's partially restored, we could just wait there. The man did say to wait in our rooms. "

"So he did!" said Reyana. The look of concern had changed to anticipation.

"And dealing with doctors is about as much fun as a Cylon interrogation, in my book," he added.

"But," I said, not sure about or comfortable with what I thought he was proposing, "what about the rules concerning fraternizing? I really don't want you to get into any trouble."

Starbuck feigned a swoon. "I think it's best if I just lay down right now. Walking all the way to the launch bay . . . I just don't think I could make it." He tossed the card to me suddenly. I fumbled but caught it. "But it's up to you."

I looked from Starbuck to Reyana. He was grinning, and his blue eyes were challenging me. Reyana was mouthing the words, "Open the door. Open the door!" as she glared at me for even hesitating about this.

I took a deep breath, suddenly very conscious, again, of my thin dress clinging to me. This was it, the whole reason why we had concocted this crazy scheme and had sacrificed true study time to learning how to play Pyramid. But this time, there was no deception involved, only an open invitation to the private suite. So why was I hesitating? I fingered the card . . .

**********************

I gave Aliana time to decide what she was going to do.

My mind was already made up.

Besides, Starbuck had a good point about the shuttles

being packed, the sick bay overflowing. He wasn't in

immediate need now that the bleeding had stopped, and

for a concussion they would probably just send him

back to his bunk to rest. He could certainly rest

more comfortably in the suite we had secured. And

hades, I needed a turbowash. I was sweaty and smelled

of smoke. Not sweet fumarello smoke either.

Okay, so that's how I was justifying it to myself. I

would have given anything to go back to that moment

before the explosion, to the look that Starbuck was

giving us with it's implied invitation. I just wasn't

sure how Aliana felt. She had a point, we didn't want

to lose Starbuck as our instructor. And this was not

like us at all.

I was about to say something to Aliana, reassure her

that it was okay, nothing would happen, we'd just

turbowash and let Starbuck rest. That's when Starbuck

upped the ante.

He reached out and closed his hand over her hand that

was fingering the room card. "You are only young

once." He whispered. "Isn't that what being young is

all about, getting in trouble? It's kind of fun, you

should give it a try." He winked at her and Aliana

met his gaze straight on.

"They could throw the book at all of us." She

hesitantly whispered.

"Then I'll catch it. Besides, everything is chaos.

Most of the systems are down on this ship. Who's

going to know?" Starbuck gently pulled the key from

Aliana's hand. She offered no resistance. He held it

up to her, dangling the key as he asked in a seductive

voice, "Shall we?"

I could barely hear her as she whispered, "Okay."

Starbuck flipped me the room card. "I know you're

game. Be a dear and open the door."

I know I moved faster than when I was fighting that

fire. I guess I didn't want to give my mind time to

think, time to figure out this was probably not a good

idea. Lords, why did I always have to think about

things? Why couldn't I just unlock that door and have

some fun, and then lock the door behind us when we

left and not worry about it? Didn't I deserve some

fun? I know Aliana does, she studies so hard, trains

too hard to be the best.

All this was running through my mind as I opened the

door and saw that our suite was in somewhat the same

condition we left. The food was splattered all over

the floor, but the pillows and bedding had landed

right back on the bed that must have been secured to

the floor. Aliana helped Starbuck through the door,

and I realized that he probably wasn't feeling as bad

as he was feigning, as he reached down to retrieve the

half empty ambrosia bottle from the floor at the foot

of the bed. Starbuck let Aliana settle him on the bed

and arrange the pillows beneath him, playing up his

injury for all it was worth.

"Oh yes, this is much better than some crowded shuttle

bay." Starbuck sighed and then checked the level on

the ambrosia bottle. "I don't suppose any of the

glasses survived the commotion?"

"Nope, pretty much shattered." I said as I surveyed

the room. "I might be able to salvage the mushies if

no one's too particular about eating food that's been

on the floor."

"We'll have to share the bottle too. Would you like a

drink?" Starbuck offered the bottle to Aliana who had

yet to say a word. She cautiously sat on the bed

beside Starbuck and took a long pull from the bottle.

Starbuck reached out and took her hand in his as she

handed the bottle back.

"You really surprised me in that engine room Aliana."

Starbuck said. "I honestly didn't know how talented

you are. There is a lot more to you beneath that

beautiful surface than meets the eye."

Aliana turned to look at Starbuck, and he gazed in her

eyes. I have never seen Starbuck's eyes so deep blue

and sincere, and I was instantly jealous.

Just for an instant. And then it passed. I knew that

Aliana had wanted this moment, had worked hard for

this moment. She deserved a chance to.well, a chance

to impress Starbuck, maybe even win him over.

We had often laughed and joked about when we would

finally *Starbuck* Starbuck and get him alone. But it

hit me at that moment that we had never discussed what

we would do after that. I guess neither of us had

thought that we could actually do it to bother to

think that far.

Yet here we were. It was more than we had ever hoped

for. And I wasn't sure if we could handle it. A

cylon attack, nor problem. Fires and tylium leaks, no

sweat. The two of us alone with Starbuck.that could

tear us apart. I mean could we honestly *share*

Starbuck. But, now it looked like that wouldn't

really be an issue, sharing I mean.

"Uh, I'm going to take a turbowash and get some of

this grime off." I muttered, but I doubt that they

heard me as I watched Starbuck reach up and stroke

Aliana's face.

I let the water run over me as I felt sorry for

myself. It looked like Aliana had won that evening.

I didn't begrudge her though, I just felt bad for

myself. I also felt stupid, like I was some little

kid who didn't get what they wanted for their

birthday. I mean, what was I thinking! This wasn't

really how things were done anyways As I stepped out

of the turbo and grabbed my clothes I decided to be

happy for Aliana and to make a delicate exit.

I quietly entered the main room and saw that I was

definitely interrupting something.

******************** I was so nervous as I sat next to Starbuck on the edge of the bed that I didn't trust myself to talk, not if I wanted to say anything remotely intelligent. Three words kept repeating in my head: "This is it. This is it. This is it . . ." And I was terrified. Dreaming about this moment, even scheming and plotting about this moment, had been one thing, but this was it. Reality -- not a studious, never-even-bend-the-rules cadet's fantasy. I was sitting next to *the* Lieutenant Starbuck, who was handing me the half-empty bottle of ambrosa. I took a long sip, not even thinking about what I was doing. Then, as I handed the bottle back to him, he gently grasped my hand. He said something, but all I could concentrate on was how warm his hand felt, and how strong, yet gentle.

Then I looked up and met his gaze for the first time since returning to the suite. His eyes, his captivating eyes . . . His hand brushed my chin. I felt electrified. He sounded sincere, so sincere, so inviting. Yet, I knew his reputation. And I didn't care, until out of the corner of my eye I saw Reyana disappear into the turbowash. My mind snapped back to reality.

I pulled back. "Wait, wait." I stood up. "I can't. It's not right."

"What's not right? Isn't this what you and Reyana wanted all along?" he said it softly, almost pleadinglingly.

I felt my face flush. "Well. . . yes."

Starbuck reached out and pulled me back. I sat down again on the edge of the bed, my back as stiff as a board. He cupped both hands around my right hand and gazed straight into my eyes and into my soul. "A kiss," he whispered, "I owe you both a kiss, at least. After all, you probably saved my life and everyone else's back in that engine room. A kiss," he repeated. "And nothing else . . . if that's what you want."

"But what about the regulations? You could get into serious trouble -"

"We've been through this," he said quietly. "It's my choice. I want this, too." I felt his fingers softly rubbing against the top of my hand. "It'll be fine. Just a kiss."

We sat like that in silence for probably several centons. Then his hand touched my cheek, and I melted. He leaned in slowly, cautiously. I felt his breath against my face as I inclined my head so that my lips met his. Gently, slowly, we kissed . . .

***********

Starbuck broke off the kiss when I entered the room,

and casually disengaged himself from Aliana, backing

away and, propping himself against the wall.

"Um, I was just going to go and leave you two ..um.."

I couldn't say it. For some reason I just couldn't

say the word alone.

"We saved some mushies for you." Starbuck said

pointing to an upside down plate near the center of

the room.

"Look, it's okay. I understand. I'll catch up with

you later Aliana."

Before I could turn to leave Aliana said, "Don't go."
I stood there for a few moments staring down at the

floor. For some reason I couldn't get my feet to move

or my mind to think.

"Reayana, sit down and have a drink." Starbuck said

"I think I've had too many tonight. I'm just going to

head back to the Galactica." I said, trying once more

to exit the scene before me.

"Then wait up for me. I'm going to turbowash first."

Aliana shot Starbuck a glance, then got up and headed

for the restroom.

Aliana moved too fast for me to object, or to tell her

I'd meet her in the shuttle bay. I stood for a few

moments alone in the room with Starbuck, feeling

foolish and stupid.

"It's been an interesting evening Reyanna." Starbuck

said smiling at me. "I don't think I've had this much

fun on the Rising Star. Sit down and have a drink."

I didn't know what else to do, so I sat down on the

end of the bed across from him. Starbuck took a drink

from the bottle, then handed it to me. I drained it

without thinking about it.

"Your friend is worried about getting me in trouble."

Starbuck stated bluntly. "I think you're worried

about your friend."

I just nodded not knowing what to say. It was awkward

and I knew I should just go and leave them to

be...whatever.

"You're not worried about me being in trouble are

you?" He grinned at me, moving away from the wall and

farther down the bed.

"If you were worried about being in trouble, you

wouldn't have agreed to the private room." I

countered back, smiling slightly remembering the

moment when we had bested him. "If you were worried,

you would have won." I smiled at him teasingly.

"Ahhh...so you caught that one." He nodded to

himself, and moved closer "You're smarter than I gave

you credit for. Your beauty hides your brains."

I couldn't help myself. I laughed out loud. "And

your good looks hide your reputation."

"Well, there is that. And I do have a reputation to

uphold. I couldn't let you leave without giving you a

sample of what all those rumors are about."

I preempted his attempt to move in closer by moving

closer to the end of the bed. "What more could you

give me than my victory over you at pyramid? A plate

of mushies perhaps?"

"Or a kiss." Starbuck said leaning in closer to me,

putting his arm around my shoulder preventing me from

backing away.

Lords help me I should have stopped him. I knew what

I was dealing with. I knew his reputation. And I

knew that Aliana was not one to play around, not one

just to let some rogue of a scoundrel kiss her. I

could play the game, but.I was worried about Aliana.

But my thoughts were too slow, and Starbuck was too

fast. His lips met mine before I had a chance to

object. His lips were sweet and tasted of the

ambrosia. Lords this was fun, and I gave as good as I

got, all worries flying out of my head.

Starbuck broke off the kiss, his eyes blazing with

surprise, and Lords help me, I moved in for another.

It seemed like an eternity, and yet oh so short a

moment before I heard Aliana enter the room.

********* Part 13

I needed that turbowash. A cold one. And I was so confused, so confused. Never in my wildest dreams had I expected us to actually find ourselves - the *two* of us - in a room alone with Starbuck, the most-sought-after womanizer in the Fleet; at least, that was how he was described by the other women cadets. That had been the plan all along, I knew that - the two of us. So why was I now . . . jealous? And angry at myself for feeling jealous!

I had excused myself to be fair to Reyana, who had looked so hurt, so uncomfortable, and to attempt to sort out what was actually happening. What did I want? What did I have the right to expect? I knew the lieutenant's reputation and did not totally trust him. He would say what one wanted to hear. But that kiss . . .

It *had* been worth it! I didn't care why it had happened. I laughed out loud, because suddenly everything was clear. Cylon emergency and fires aside, this had been the perfect evening. And as he had said - you're only young once - so enjoy it! And I had, I had. But it was one wonderful, blissful moment in the middle of the worst period in history that humans had ever known. And that was all any of us had. So suddenly I knew that I *could* share Starbuck . . . not that he saw it that way. I was, I decided, so very content with what had just happened, and I hoped it worked out just as well for Reyana.

And Starbuck. When he had gazed at me with those eyes that blaze like a laser, I had seen, had felt, that he truly *did* want that moment, too. Consequences be damned. He had repeated that often enough. I still wasn't quite sure. It would hardly be worth it if he were pulled as our instructor. My bravado and "live for the moment" attitude did not quite go that far, yet, I also realized. I was still worried about what his superiors might do if they found out about this.

But as I slipped my dress back on over my head, however, I pushed those thoughts out of my mind. Too late to worry about it now. So why not make the most of it? I laughed to myself again, feeling giddy.

So as I left the restroom, I was careful to gage what was happening out in the main room, not wanting to interrupt something that had . . . progressed too far. Reyana and Starbuck were sitting on the bed but locked together in a long, passionate kiss that just seemed to go on and on. Her hands were massage his neck, brushing through his hair. All clothes were intact, though, I noticed with a grin. And I was amazed had how . . . relaxed I now was about this. "Ahem." I leaned against the wall and cleared my throat. My arms were crossed, my brow cocked, but my lips were curled in a smile.

Starbuck pulled back, gasping slightly for breath, and looked at me. He looked a bit flustered. "Aliana, we were just, just . . ."

Reyana was blushing. "Uh, we were . . ." I knew that she was probably worried about my reaction, knew that I was not the play-around type. Normally.

" - having all that fun!" I said with a laugh and sat down on the opposite of the lieutenant. I wasn't sure where this wild, carefree Aliana had come from -- certainly not from just one sip of ambrosa - but I was going to make the most of it before she transformed back into the bookish, too- serious cadet. I slipped an arm around behind Starbuck's back and snuggled close. "I don't think I was properly thanked," I whispered.

Lords, but Reyana was trying not to laughing because Starbuck actually pulled back. My sudden change had thrown the unflappable lieutenant totally off guard. He even looked embarrassed. But then, I surprised myself when I said, "If you'd like me to wait a little longer so you two can finish, I don't mind."

That did it. Reyana burst out laughing. And Starbuck, his reputation at stake, made a quick recovery. "Not at all," he murmured in his most sensuous tone, his eye lids half closed, his lips parted in a seductive grin. "I think I can handle you both." With more than a bit of dramatics, he wrapped his arms around me, swept me across his lap, and leaned in for the kiss. No hesitating brush of the lips this time; it promised to be unlike anything I had ever experienced. I was melting again!

*knock, knock* "Security doing room checks! We need to evacuate all nonessential personnel from the _Rising Star_."

"Oh, crap!" I felt the blood drain from my face. I felt frozen.

"Felgercarb!" I heard Reyana say.

Starbuck, ever the quick-thinking warrior, unceremoniously dumped me on the bed and whispered, "I've got a head injury, remember? Concussion. I've been unconscious the whole time." With that, he slumped back on the bed.

Reyana was quick to take up a position next to him, but I still felt totally terrified. A moment later, the door slid open, and a black-suited security guard entered. He stopped when he saw the three of us. "What's going on here?" he asked, frowning at us.

"Treating a head injury," I said, more calmly than I would ever have thought possible and sliding off the bed to give him a full view of a drowsy-looking Colonial warrior. Starbuck was lying on the bed, eyes closed, groaning slightly. Reyana was pretending to arrange the bandage on his head. It didn't hurt that the white gauze actually was soaked through with a bit of blood.

The guard eyed us, making full note of our skimpy dresses and ages, no doubt. Not a mark in our favor that we probably looked younger than our actual ages, which were a good 10-yahrens less than Starbuck's to begin with. "Why didn't you report to the sick bay and get emergency transport to the _Galactica_?

"Because he was in no condition to be moved, and this room was available!" Reyana gave her sternest look. "Look, just check with the emergency crew. We're the ones who got the fires out and patched the tylium leaks. The lieutenant was injured when the gravity was restored."

I pointed a finger at him. "That's right. And we didn't want to move him until we were sure he was all right."

With that, Starbuck groaned louder and opened his eyes. "What? Where?" he muttered, looking suitably disoriented. He was a darn good actor, as well as kisser, I thought to myself!

The guard looked unsure now. But with the lieutenant "regaining" consciousness, he apparently decided that now was not the time to discuss it any further. "Fine. All right," he said. Let me help you get him to the shuttle lounge. I'll have someone notify the _Galactica_ to expect another casualty."

"No, no," said Starbuck, holding his head and still groaning. "I think I can make it. You just keep on doing your job . . ." He staggered to his feet as Reyana and I steadied him. Eager to get away from the security guard, we let the lieutenant lean on us as we exited the suite and headed out. We did not look back to see what the guard was doing now.

My heart was pounding as we made our way towards the shuttle lounge. "That was too close," I whispered. "Do you think he'll report us? You were quite convincing!"

"Oh, I'm sure he'll report me," Starbuck said with a sigh.

"Why?" Reyana asked. We were nearing the lounge. The lieutenant continued his act, or partial act, because by the time we entered the lounge, I was feeling Starbuck depending more and more on our support and got the feeling that he was more than a little woozy from the exertion. I didn't doubt that he really did have a mild concussion. The lounge was about half full, and at least four of the occupants were security guards directing the evacuation. We took a seat to wait. When we were sure that no one was listening, she asked again, "Why would he report us? We were just taking care of the wounded!"

Closing his eyes and leaning his head back against the wall, Starbuck sighed again. "Because I know that guard. His name is Reese . . ."

******************** MAS -part 14

Reyana and I sat quietly but nervously in the shuttle lounge, waiting for the next available shuttle back to the _Galactica_. A glance at Reyana's face indicated that she probably felt as uncomfortable as I did sitting around in our skimp party dresses. I was starting to feel more and more conspicuous and more and more ready to ditch these outfits for our uniforms. Plus, we kept getting looks from the security guards; although, I wasn't sure if that was because of us or because of Starbuck's semi- conscious act. At least, we thought it was an act.

After about five centons, one of the guards, a tall, stocky man, approached and asked, "Is he all right?"

"Yeah, fine," I answered. "He's just resting. Bumped his head when the gravity came back on."

The guard looked dubious, but did not press the issue. After he had ambled off, I shot a look at Reyana, then jabbed the lieutenant in the ribs. "Are you okay?" I whispered.

No response.

"Starbuck!" I whispered again, shaking his arm. "Are you okay?"

"Fine, just fine, just fine . . ." He sounded anything but fine. The bandage, I noticed, was looking soaked.

"Oh, frak," I muttered. The original plan had been to get back to the _Galactica_, then go our separate ways. Starbuck had promised to go to the lifestation, and we were supposed to head back to our billet to get some sleep. He had promised to keep us informed if the security guard reported him, had kept on insisting that he could handle the matter, and had even promised another round of Pyramid sometime in the future.

Now, however, I doubted that he could make it to the lifestation on his own. My fears were confirmed when the shuttle arrived. As the passengers began boarding, Reyana and I nudged the lieutenant. "Time to go!" Reyana said cheerfully.

Starbuck, I noticed, was squinting and rubbing his forehead. "You okay?" I asked.

"Just one hades of a headache," he said.

Reyana and I sighed and both grabbed an arm to help him to his feet. Starbuck stood, took two steps, then toppled to the floor before either of us could stop him.

"Whoa! Who made the shuttle spin!" he muttered.

Quite conscious of the looks we now getting, we tried to haul him to his feet and steady him enough so that we could board the shuttle, but he seemed to have lost all sense of equilibrium.

"Fine, huh," grumbled the security guard as he approached. Being quite a bit taller than either Reyana or me, he had no problem hoisting the lieutenant up and supporting him as we finally boarded the shuttle. As he deposited a groggy-looking Starbuck in his seat, the guard gave us a no- nonsense look. "I'll notify the _Galactica_ to have a medtech and gurney standing by when we arrive."

Now I was worried. And I was kicking myself for ever giving in and going back to that suite when we *knew* that his injury was more than just a scratch. We had the blood all over the environmental suits to prove it. So Reyana and I sat in an uncomfortable silence, watching Starbuck, who sat with eyes closed, rubbing his temples throughout the short trip to the _Galactica_. Not the best ending to our evening.

Once aboard the _Galactica_, the guard returned to help the lieutenant out into the landing bay. Reyana and I followed on either side. Sure enough, there was a gurney and two medtechs waiting a short distance from the shuttle. One of the medtech was a slim woman with blonde, shoulder-length, wavy hair. And from the look on her face, as she stared from Starbuck to Reyana to me, I could tell that she knew the lieutenant.

Reyana sensed it also. "Uh, oh," she whispered.

"Uh, hi, Cassie," mumbled Starbuck as the guard plopped him onto the gurney.

"A bit too much excitement, Lieutenant?" was her response, then she motioned to her companion. I don't know about Reyana, but I felt extremely awkward as I stood there watching as she and the other medtech, without a word, fastened the safety straps. Her exterior was all business, very professional, but beneath that, I could sense a definite chill in the air. We stood and watched as they boarded the turbolift and vanished out of sight.

*****

PART 15 - the end! (for now)

We watched helplessly as the blonde medtech escorted

Starbuck away. She had made it very clear with her

body language and professional attitude that we should

not follow her, although we wanted to.

"Shouldn't we go make sure he's alright?" Aliana said

worriedly.

"Yeah, we should, but I think his head is the least of

his problems." I replied. Aliana shot me a puzzled

look. "Come on, let's get into uniform. We need to

get to the bridge."

"The bridge? I don't understand?"

"We need to report what happened before that security

guard has a chance to! We need to make sure they know

what *really* happened." I winked at Aliana and she

caught my drift right away. We dashed for the

bunkroom faster than if we were running for a red

alert.

Colonel Tigh was a little surprised to see us so early

in the beginning of the day shift, but when we

explained that we were reporting in from the night

before he flashed us a very knowing and displeased

look.

"What seems to be the problem Cadets? I have a very

busy schedule ahead of me.

"We need to put ourselves on report." Aliana started

with no preamble.

"The proper chain of command for reporting a missed

curfew is to see your Squadron leader."

"Well, you see Sir," I continued, "It's our Squadron

Leader that we need to put ourselves on report for,

or, er, what we did to him."

That definitely got his attention. He looked up from

his reports and slowly asked, "What did you do to Lt.

Starbuck?"

"Sir, we disobeyed his direct order and took advantage

of his injured condition." Aliana blurted out. I

think I broke one of her ribs as I elbowed her. I can

teach the girl how to play pyramid, but have yet to

teach her about tact!

The Colonel repeated what Aliana said, slowly

accentuating each word. "You took advantage of his

injured condition. What injuries are you talking

about, and what exactly do you mean by."

"Sir," I interrupted, "We were over on the Rising Star

when the attack occurred, playing pyramid with Lt.

Starbuck, and he received a head injury when we went

to help repair a Tylium leak in the main engine room.

He ordered us to take him directly back to the

Galactica, but we thought it best that we treat his

injury in one of the private lounges and stabilize him

for the journey back to the Galactica. It was while

we were stabilizing his injuries that Security came to

check the rooms, and we are afraid that the Security

Guard got the wrong idea." I spoke so quickly I made

myself dizzy.

Colonel Tigh stared at me, his mouth slightly open.

He blinked once, then twice before he responded. "I

see Cadet. Well thank you for reporting the incident.

I just have a few questions. How exactly did you

stabilize his injury?"

Before I could respond, I heard a chuckle coming from

behind me. I turned to stare in horror at Commander

Adama. Aliana gasped, and I immediately came to

attention.

"Yes Cadets," The Commander said smiling, "how did

you stabilize his condition?"

"Uh Sir, uh.you see..um.well we applied pressure to

the wound and had him rest." I stammered.

"He ordered us to take him immediately back to the

Galactica. It was not his idea at all!" Aliana

added. I could have just laid down and died from

embarrassment.

"Oh, I see. You had him rest." The Commander turned

to Colonel Tigh. "I see they had Starbuck's best

interests at heart. You may be dismissed Cadets."

The Commander said, then chuckled to himself and

walked away.

"Sir?" The Colonel asked after Commander Adama, but

the Commander just kept walking and laughing.

Neither Aliana or I moved. I wasn't sure what to do.

The Colonel looked down at the floor shaking his head

and sighing. He also turned to walk away, when Aliana

spoke, "Uh Sir, are we, um, dismissed?"

"Yes Cadets, you are dismissed. See that it doesn't

happen again."

I don't think I breathed until I was safe in the lift.

Aliana looked paler than Starbuck had, and I was

afraid she was going to be sick.

"Well, that went well." I finally said.

"Oh yeah, just great. I'm sure Starbuck would agree

with you." Aliana said as straight faced as she

could. Then we both broke into laughter, tears

rolling down our faces.

*********

Starbuck honestly thought he got away with it. Cassie

had never mentioned the two young Cadets who were kind

enough to help him out on the shuttle, or at least

that's the story he told her. He definitely expected

a visit from either the Colonel or from Apollo while

he was being checked out in the Life Center, but it

was a routine exam. He was issued pain killers, anti

inflammatorys and sent back to the barracks, with

orders to return for a check up the next day. He

fully expected to be awoken by a summons to the

bridge, but instead, he had gotten a full 8 centaurs

of sleep, uninterrupted. A true luxury in Blue

Squadron. It wasn't until later in the day that he

finally was called to Apollo's office, for something

routine and minor, but Starbuck knew the moment he saw

the Colonel that the jig was up.

"So Lieutenant, I heard you had an interesting evening

on the Rising Star last night?" The Colonel started

as soon as he was in the room.

"Oh yes, there was tons of excitement, but

unfortunately I lost all my money. Real shame that

one system didn't work out." Starbuck answered.

"Actualy I was referring to the attack and the head

injury you received."

"Oh that? Nothing really. Just a minor distraction

on an otherwise perfectly wonderful evening."

"Yes, so I was told by two Cadets who claim they took

advantage of you."

"Two Cadets?"

"Yes Starbuck," Apollol added, "I believe their names

are Aliana and Reyanna. They are in the squadron you

are training. Care to tell us about it?"

"Oh yes, well, there's really not much to tell. They

took advantage of me at the card table, there was an

explosion, we put out some fires, patched some tylium

leaks." Starbuck said stopping.

Apollo and the Colonel said nothing, waiting for

Starbuck to finish. The silent moment went on for a

few more seconds before Starbuck went on.

"Oh yeah, then I bumped my head, they helped me to a

private room. I don't remember much, then I was on

the shuttle back to the Galactica. I don't remember

much, except that the Cadets took advantage of my

situation to proposition me, and to put me in a rather

uncomfortable situation, I mean with the private room

and all. But I assure you nothing happened. I was

very firm with them that they needed to obey orders."

"Starbuck, are you trying to tell me that those two

very studious and responsible cadets, who by all

reports and witnesses spend every free centon studying

or reading, propositioned you? Do you really honestly

expect me to believe that they took advantage of you?"

"Well, yeah." Starbuck said shrugging his shoulders.

"I mean, I was kind of out of it with the head injury.

I really don't remember much after the gravity came

on. And next thing I knew they were helping me on the

shuttle."

"Lieutenant!" Tigh barked, "The dealer at the pyramid

table reported that you left for the private lounges

with the two VERY YOUNG cadets BEFORE the attack. I

could request the security tapes if necessary."

"Well, see sir...they were giving me a pyramid lesson,

and I lost a bet that included dinner, and all the

tables were full, but the private rooms were open.

I'm sure if you check the tapes you'll see that we

didn't really have, um, time to do, well to do much

but get to the room before the attack occurred."

Apollo laughed sarcastically. "You lost to them at

pyramid? Starbuck, you have made up some tales

before, but this one is a doozy."

"Well, what did they report?"

Tigh cleared his throat before replying. "Well, it

seems that they put themselves on report for- and I

quote - "Compromising an Officer and his authority".

They claim you ordered them to cease and desist and

they ignored your orders."

"See, I was right." Starbuck said grinning the smile

he can't resist when he's won a pot at pyramid.

"Starbuck, do you really honestly expect us to

believe.." Apollo started when Starbuck cut him off.

"Are you calling those studious, forthright, heroic

cadets liars? I mean they practically saved the

Rising Star, and any other ships nearby from disaster

when they put out the fire and patched the tylium

leak. We could have lost nearly 500 civilians!"

Tigh sighed and turned toward Apollo. "You handle

this, you're better at dealing with him. As far as

I'm concerned, it never happened. I'll do my best to

sweep it under the rug." Tigh reached up and rubbed

his forhead. "Heck, I can't even mention it to the

Commander." Tigh glared over at Starbuck, then turned

back to Apollo. "For some reason, Adama finds this

humorous, and the only response I can get out of him

is laughter."

Tigh turned and stalked out of the room.

Apollo sighed and shook his head.

"Alright Starbuck, for the record, you expect me to

believe that two women beat you at pyramid,

propositioned you, took you to a private room, and

nothing happened."

"You mean other than putting out the fires and sealing

Tylium leaks? Of course nothing happened." Starbuck

said smiling.

"Buddy, I have known you for a long time. I've seen

you woo women on every planet we wind up on. You were

in the midst of every mans dream, two young women

propositioning you, and you are telling me that

nothing happened?"

"Head injury, remember? For the record, I can neither

confirm nor deny anything that occurred. All I know

is that all my clothes were, um, intact, and they

escorted me to the Galactica. I can not recall

issueing any orders that they may or may not have been

ignored. I guess you'll have to take their word for

it."

"Starbuck...I swear you are going to drive me to

drinking!"

"Speaking of which, I do owe those girls a drink for

saving my life. Care to join us in the Officers Club?

I mean if we're done here, for the record?"

"No, I think I'll pass on the celebration." Apollo

said sarcastically. "Yeah, we're done, but I'm

telling you Starbuck," Apollo paused, then shook his

head again. "Oh forget it."

"What good buddy? I can take it. Let me have it."

Said Starbuck, knowing he couldn't hide much from his

friend.

"Starbuck, it won't make a difference. Go, have fun,

try to stay out of trouble." Starbuck cast Apollo a

wry grin, then turned to leave.

"Oh and by the way Bucko," Apollo said, "I'm not

helping out when Cassie rips you apart, for the

record."

Starbuck's grin slipped. "Oh yeah..um, sure you don't

want to join me for that drink?"

"I'm sure your two heros can protect you. Have fun

now."