Battlestar Galactica: The Celestial Trilogy
Writer: E.B. O'Neal
4/28/2006
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Lt. Celeste grinned, dramatically flipping the light switch in the maintenance bay. It had been two sectons since she'd been given her very own ship to refit. She had spent all her time on the ship, and it had paid off.
Celeste's friends stared with awe at her vessel. Or perhaps it was shock. Celeste couldn't tell, but she'd take either one.
Captain Apollo, Celeste's best friend and squadron leader, was the first to speak, "It's certainly…unique."
"It's you," Lt. Starbuck, Celeste's brother, added, "I especially like the armor-plated stabilizer flaps."
"The double-cockpit was a nice touch." Lt. Boomer, another of Celeste's friends, remarked.
Lt. Zac, Apollo's younger brother, raised his eyebrows, "Nice color scheme, too."
Celeste smiled proudly at her finished project, "I decided to stick with the original colors of the parts," she declared. Then she rolled her eyes, "Actually, I just couldn't find very much paint."
"I'll never know how you did it," Starbuck marveled, "That thing looks almost spaceworthy!"
Celeste gave him a dirty look.
Starbuck grinned, "Just kidding, she looks great."
Zac stood staring at the aft section of the converted shuttle, "Ok, I give up. What's 'lemonade'?"
Celeste nodded at the word 'Lemonade' painted on the ship, "It's a juice made from lemons. Usually, it tastes better than the lemon fruit itself because sweeteners are added to it. I named it that because of an old Tarusian saying. 'If life gives you lemons, make lemonade.'"
The female lieutenant walked over to her ship, friends trailing behind her. She gestured towards the Lemonade's multicolored hull, "I rebuilt her to fit the Viper launch tubes, spruced up the engines a bit, and added a few extra weapons and shielding, but other than that she's pretty much the same old Lemon."
"Except that now she's half spare parts." Starbuck pointed out, looking uncertainly at the ship.
"Yeah, but get this," Celeste said, "I studied parts from the captured Cylon ships to fix up an old Viper weapons-lock system. The lasers will lock onto a Cylon engine signature in the blink of an eye! And I also updated the onboard computer with some more…strategic information about the Cylons." She paused and looked proudly at her recreated ship. "I was low on weapons, too, so I borrowed some laser guns from those captured Cylon raiders. This baby has six guns, plus an iridium grenade launcher! If that isn't well armed, I don't know what is."
Apollo, Starbuck, Zac, and Boomer all stared at Celeste for a while.
"Your ship's part Cylon now?" Zac said without thinking.
Celeste's eyes darkened, "Not any more than you or me."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Zac demanded, embarrassed at his words.
Apollo saw the conversation headed for disaster, "Come on, you guys. We're all tired. Let's go on sleep cycle."
Starbuck and Boomer nodded. "Good idea," they said at the same time.
The pilots slowly left the maintenance bay. Apollo stopped Celeste.
"Lieutenant."
"Yes?" Celeste still had that defiant look in her eye.
Apollo smiled at the spirited woman, "I don't know anyone else who could resurrect a decommissioned shuttle into a super-viper in only two sectons."
Celeste's expression softened, "Thanks, Captain."
Apollo nodded, "Your welcome." He left the bay.
Celeste looked at her ship and sighed. Part Cylon? What about me? I was on that basestar longer than Zac was. Am I part Cylon? I know I still have "residual talents"…
I better go on sleep cycle.
Celeste took one last look at her ship. The Lemonade looked like a hodgepodge of metal scraps, vaguely resembling a viper. But Celeste knew it was better off than it had been in yahrens.
She sighed, switched off the lights, and left the bay.
¤
Adama sat at his desk, talking into a recording device. The words he spoke were transcribed into text on the monitor on his desk. Then they were saved into his log.
When the commander was through with the general events of the day, he paused. There was one major issue that weighed heavily on his mind.
"The return of our lost warriors was a blessing, but it may also be the cause of a great deal of problems. A debate has arisen among the fleet. Many of these warriors retain effects from their time in Cylon captivity, and there are people in the fleet who believe that these warriors are as dangerous as the Cylons themselves. The intense hatred of our enemies has caused the people to be extremely apprehensive. One group of people, who call themselves the 'Peacemakers', have coupled prejudice with anticombatant ideals in what may prove to be an explosive combination." Commander Adama sighed, "I pray that this situation does not escalate. We may be facing a far more dangerous threat than even the Cylons ever were."
Adama set down the recording device and sat back in his chair. He looked across the room at the stars shining outside his window.
¤
"Starbuck!" Celeste said, stepping off the turbolift into the launching bay. She saw her brother inspecting his viper.
Starbuck turned around, "Hey, what are you doing here? Officially, you're still on furlon."
Celeste rolled her eyes, "Yeah, I know. Do me a favor and don't tell the captain I came down here." Celeste shook her head, "I just had to get away from all the crazy people for a while."
Starbuck nodded, "What's up with everyone, anyway? Even Boomer's been acting weird!"
"I
know!" Celeste said, "I just saw him in the officer's lounge.
He seemed really worried."
Starbuck looked at his viper,
"There's something going on that we don't know about. You know
it's been sentons since Blue Squadron's been called on an alert?"
Celeste frowned, "I thought that the Cylons were getting more persistent, not less!"
"They were." Starbuck answered, "At least, until you showed up." He grinned at her, "Maybe a half-exploded basestar and a destroyed prototype ship are making them think twice about attacking us."
Celeste appeared to be deep in thought, "Let's hope that's all it is."
Starbuck remained grinning, but his eyes were unsure, "Sis, you've been spending too much time with Apollo. You're starting to sound like him!"
Celeste mock sighed, "You're right. Maybe I'd better spend some time with you to counter it. How about we head down to the rec. room and see if there are any games going?"
"You mean right now?" Starbuck asked quickly, eyes widening, "Well, uh, I can't right now…"
"Oh?" Celeste crossed her arms.
"Yeah, see, I promised Cassiopeia I'd take her to the Rising Star as soon as I had some free time. Now that the Cylons haven't been attacking as much," Starbuck shrugged, "I've been given a senton off."
Celeste narrowed her eyes suspiciously, "Uh huh, I see. Those Cylons are just always so inconvenient for me."
"Promises are promises!" Starbuck shrugged again. He made one last check of his viper's weaponry and headed for the turbolift.
Celeste watched him, arms still crossed.
"Maybe some other time." Starbuck smiled his "charming smile", waved, and rode the lift up out of sight.
In the dimly lit launch bay, Celeste shook her head and checked her timepiece.
"Felgercarb! Still another four centares to go!" She frowned and tried to think of anyone she hadn't beat at Pyramid yet.
¤
A centare later, Celeste was still walking through the battlestar. She glanced left and right down the halls and corridors as she passed them. Sighing, she stopped. She'd made a full circuit of Theta level, and she still hadn't found anyone to do anything with.
Celeste leaned against the wall, jumping when a door next to her opened and two officers came out. Celeste watched them go, tapping her fingers boredly against the wall.
"Honk! Honk! Honk!" A red light above Celeste's head began flashing.
"Finally!" Celeste cried, dashing toward the launch bay turbolift.
She rounded a corner and nearly ran into the back of another rushing warrior.
"Whoops!" she slowed down.
The warrior turned around. It was Captain Apollo! "Where are you going, Lieutenant?" he asked authoritatively.
"Same place you are, I imagine." Celeste pushed stray blonde hair out of her face.
Apollo glanced sideways at her, "I thought you were on furlon, Celeste."
"Last day!" Celeste grinned back.
Apollo looked like he was about to say something, then changed his mind. The two stepped onto the turbolift and rode it down. Together, they dashed to their vipers.
The launch bay was a flurry of activity. The lights were bright now. Ground crews wearing bright orange scurried everywhere, fueling ships, doing last-minute checks, and wheeling metal staircases into place for the pilots.
Celeste took the helmet that one crewman held out to her. She saw Boomer preparing to launch a few vipers down.
The young woman pulled on her helmet and eased herself into the cockpit. The canopy shut and sealed over her head. Beside her, Celeste could see Starbuck's empty Viper.
"Where's Lt. Starbuck?" Celeste heard Boomer ask over the comm.
She replied, "Last I heard, he was headed to the Rising Star with Cassiopeia. It's his senton off."
"What luck." Boomer said, "The first time we get an alert in sentons, and he gets to go on furlon!"
"Blue Squadron, report in!" Apollo's voice said.
"Lt. Boomer, ready for launch."
"Lt. Celeste, ready for launch."
The other pilots reported in before the final systems check was finished.
Celeste waited with grim excitement, her finger over the turbo button as her Viper sat in the launch tube. It was her first alert as an official member of Blue Squadron.
She briefly wondered where Zac was.
"Core systems transferring control to Viper fighters, launch when ready."
¤
"I don't see any Cylons." Celeste frowned, glancing at her scanner. She thumped it.
"Neither do I." Boomer's voice said.
Celeste noticed one enemy blip on the edge of her scanner screen, "Wait, here they come!"
"Fighting formation!" Apollo ordered. The Blue Squadron vipers moved into a wedge-shaped formation in anticipation of the approaching enemy force.
When the "force" arrived, however, it surprised the pilots.
Celeste stared at the single Cylon fighter, "That's it?"
"Where are the other fighters?" one pilot asked.
The lone Cylon fighter fired on the vipers. They easily demolished it, and waited for the rest of the enemy squadron to appear.
No more Cylons came.
"They sent an entire squadron out to intercept one Cylon fighter?" Celeste asked incredulously, "That doesn't make sense! And why did the Cylons only send one fighter to attack us?"
"I don't know." Apollo's voice replied, "I don't trust it."
"Galactica control to Blue Squadron. False alert, return to the Galactica," the voice of the Core Control person ordered.
"Captain," Celeste suddenly said, "Where there's a Cylon fighter, there's got to be a basestar or a refueling station."
"I agree." Apollo answered her. Then he addressed Core Control, "Blue Leader requesting permission to investigate source of Cylon attack."
There was a pause as, undoubtedly, the bridge officers debated whether this was wise. The voice came back on the comm., "Permission to take one other pilot and investigate the source of the attack is granted, Captain Apollo. Good luck."
Apollo's voice said, "Lt. Celeste, you're with me. Everyone else report back to the Galactica and await further orders."
As the other vipers left, Celeste followed Apollo in the direction that the Cylon fighter had come from.
¤
Several centares later, Celeste sighed, "I don't see anything, Apollo. We've been out here for a long time. Think we should call it a senton?"
Apollo replied from his viper, "I think you're right. We've scanned the entire secton with long-range scanners, and all we've found were those strange asteroids and that comet."
"Okay, then. After you, Captain." Celeste turned her viper around. She gently moved her flight stick forward to bring her ship up behind Apollo's. Instead of accelerating, however, the viper slowed down! Frowning, Celeste moved the control stick a little farther.
No response.
She moved the stick slowly in all directions. It felt loose, and the viper didn't change course at all.
"Apollo? Uh…" Celeste moved the stick harder to no avail, "I think something's wrong with my controls!"
Now quite a distance ahead of her, Apollo's ship slowed.
"What's happening?" the captain's concerned voice asked.
Celeste jiggled the stick, "Nothing's happening! The viper's not responding at all to the control stick! I've got no steering whatsoever!"
"We're still too far from the Galactica to call for help." Apollo said, "When we get closer we can get a couple of pilots out here to tow you in."
"Good idea." Celeste sighed, "I wonder why it just stopped working like that? It passed pre-flight."
"I'm sure the maintenance crews can figure it out when we get back." Apollo reassured her, "It's probably just a shorted-out circuit or something."
Celeste smiled nervously, "Just makes me wonder what else is wrong with this thing."
"Hopefully, nothing." Apollo said.
Celeste's attention was momentarily diverted from her control stick to her scanner screen. "Unfortunately, something!" Celeste exclaimed, "My scanner's fritzing out!"
"Hang in there, Lieutenant!" Apollo told her, "We're almost there!"
Celeste winced at her flickering screen and sat back in her cockpit. No need to hold the stick or watch the scanner when neither one worked.
A red light suddenly turned on. With alarm, Celeste realized that it was an engine heat indicator!
"Apollo, my high engine's overheating!" Celeste shouted, furiously punching the fuel cutoff switch.
"Turn off your engines!" Apollo ordered.
"I'm trying! Fuel cutoff's fried, too!" Celeste cried, "Apollo, get out of here! I've still got a nearly full tank of fuel! If it goes…"
Apollo's voice sounded determined and worried. Celeste could imagine the concerned look in his eyes.
"I'm not going to leave you!" Apollo declared.
Celeste sighed frustratedly, "Go get help! I'll shut down the other two engines, and I may be able to make it back to the Galactica, but I'll need to be towed in!"
Apollo heard the urgency and conviction in her voice, "Celeste…"
"It's the only way!" she said.
Reluctantly, Apollo eased his viper forward, "You're right, but I hate for you to be alone out here…"
"Captain, we just concluded that there isn't anything out here we should be worried about." Celeste pointed out.
There was a moment of silence before Apollo's turbo engines kicked on.
"Good luck, Lieutenant," he choked out as his viper gathered speed.
"You too," Celeste answered him; "I'll be seeing you." She watched Apollo's viper streak away into the stars, then she reached up and pressed some buttons.
Her left and right engines shut off, helping to slow the overheating. The woman pilot tensely watched as the temperature gauge for the high engine slowly climbed. At least she'd bought herself some time. And Apollo was safe.
Only a few centons later, she found out that Apollo wasn't safe. She saw his viper off course, being pursued by three Cylon fighters!
A basestar must be nearby! Celeste thought with alarm. "Apollo!" Celeste watched helplessly as her viper drifted past the daggitfight on a single, overheating engine.
She noticed that the Cylon raiders were dark grey in color and had yellow stripes painted on their wings.
Stealth raiders. That was why they didn't show up on the sensor sweep.
In a futile attempt to assist her captain, Celeste gripped the control stick and wiggled it, hoping it might have forgotten that it didn't work.
"Warn the fleet, Celeste!" Apollo ordered her, "Get a squadron out here!" His viper thrusted backward, blasted one Cylon fighter, and dodged a Cylon laser bolt.
Without a choice, Celeste continued towards the Galactica's last known position. She was glad that the Cylons seemed not to notice her crippled viper slipping silently past.
Space seems so much bigger when I'm out here alone. Celeste thought later while her viper flew blindly through the blackness dotted with stars. She was glad that her nose had been pointed toward the fleet when her controls stopped working. Partly with the hope of fixing the controls and partly to pass the time, Celeste opened a panel and started to work on the wiring.
Finally, the big battlestar came into view. Beyond it lay over 200 smaller ships. All of them looked like tiny, far away points of light to Celeste.
But they were within comm. range.
"Blue Patrol 2 to the Galactica, come in!" Celeste said.
Strangely, her comm. remained silent.
She tapped her helmet, hearing static. She was transmitting, why weren't they responding?
"Galactica, this is Celeste, do you copy?" Celeste eyed the temperature gauge. It was approaching the critical line.
"Galactica, come in please! This is Celeste, and I'm in trouble! I'm trapped in a flying time bomb that's headed for the fleet! I need help! Do you read me?"
Her helmet remained silent.
"Hello? Can anyone hear me? Please come in! My viper's lost steering and Apollo's under attack from the Cylons, and…" Celeste glanced up from the repair job. To her horror, she recognized what trajectory the viper was on.
"And I'm headed straight for the bridge!" she said, once again grabbing her useless control stick.
The stick fell into her hand.
Celeste stared at it.
"Okay, now I'm worried." She took a deep breath.
The Galactica loomed ahead of her.
"Core control, this is Celeste! Condition red!" She watched the temperature gauge climb above critical. She saw the battlestar getting closer and closer. She was close enough now that she could see figures moving around inside the battlestar through the viewglass ports.
"If they don't know I'm coming, they're about to find out!" Celeste mumbled grimly. Desperately, she punched the fuel cutoff switch again and again. It wouldn't stop the viper from crashing, but it might make the explosion smaller.
"Why don't they have fuel dump on these things?" grumbled Celeste. She began digging back through the Viper's wires and circuitry. She found two broken wire ends and connected them.
Suddenly, her scanner leapt back to life. A proximity alarm beeped loudly, informing Celeste of what she knew all too well; she was too close to the wrong part of the Galactica.
"Wrong wires!" Celeste winced and looked up from her emergency hotwiring job.
For the second time in her life, the battlestar came up to meet her. An explosion from the high engine rocked the viper. Celeste shut her eyes.
¤
Clang! Clang Clang!
Celeste opened her eyes. She found it strange that she was still alive. Stranger still was the way that the battlestar ahead of her was moving away from the viper so quickly.
Too quickly.
A glance at her scanner was all she needed to comprehend what had just happened. And Celeste was relieved to find out that three other vipers had latched onto her with tow rods!
She sighed, "That was close." Then she noticed that the temperature gauge was at zero.
For some reason, her high engine had shut off.
A few centons later, the faulty viper was in the landing bay and being doused in fire retardant by the ground crews.
The three pilots jumped out of their vipers and rushed as close to Celeste's viper as the ground crews would let them get.
The canopy opened.
Celeste climbed shakily out and slid down.
"Lt. Celeste! Are you okay?" One pilot asked. He was a lieutenant from Blue Squadron. Celeste couldn't at the moment recall his name.
"What happened out there?" Boomer inquired.
"Was it the Cylons?" Captain Ajax asked, "By the way, sorry we had to fire on you. We saw that your engine was overheated and we had to shut it down."
Celeste was momentarily surprised to see that the captain of the Red Squadron was one of her rescuers. Shaking her head, she replied, "That's okay. We've got bigger problems to worry about right now. Apollo's under attack from the Cylons! They were flying stealth raiders and slipped past our sensors. For all I know we may have a full-scale attack force on our hands!" She walked quickly away from the viper toward the launching bay, holding something in her hand.
The three other pilots followed her.
Celeste shook her head. She tossed the object she was holding to Boomer.
He caught it. It was her control stick.
"What do you think?" Celeste asked them.
Boomer carefully examined the stick. He noticed something strange about the wires that were supposed to attach the stick to the viper's main control system. He looked seriously up at Celeste, "They were burned nearly through…it looks like with a small torch!"
"Who would do that?" the Blue Squadron lieutenant gasped.
Ajax stared at the stick, "Someone sabotaged you!"
"I'll let the ground crews come to that conclusion when they investigate the rest of that ship." Celeste said wryly, heading for a viper in the launch bay, "Whoever it was messed with my comm. and my scanner as well." She began climbing into the viper's cockpit.
Boomer stopped her, "Now hold on, do you think you should be going back out there? After what just happened…"
"We'll go help Captain Apollo," Ajax added, "Maybe you'd better stay here."
"I'm coming with you. I left Apollo in trouble." Celeste said, as though that was an answer.
Boomer frowned, "Lieutenant, I really think you should stay here where…"
"Where it's safe?" Celeste scoffed, "Look, I don't find it too comforting that someone in this fleet wants me dead. And I have no idea who this someone is. Maybe someone on this battlestar! I'll take my chances with the Cylons; at least I know who they are."
From inside the cockpit, Celeste called to the skeptical pilots below her, "You guys better clear the area, cause I'm launching."
The three guys backed away from her viper and began heading for other nearby vipers.
"We'll see you in the air, I guess." Boomer said into his helmet comm.
"Right!" Celeste said back, canopy closing over her head.
As Boomer reached his viper, he turned to Ajax, shaking his head, "Sometimes she's too much like Starbuck for her own good."
Ajax grinned, climbing into his own viper. He was fond of Starbuck, and therefore it was perfectly fine by him that Starbuck had an attractive sister who was every bit as charming and headstrong as he was. The only problem Ajax had with Celeste was that she wasn't in his squadron.
The four vipers prepared to launch.
¤
"This place is a madhouse!" Starbuck remarked to Cassiopeia as they surveyed the Rising Star's dining hall from the doorway, "If I had known it'd be like this, I'd've taken you somewhere else!"
Cassiopeia hung on Starbuck's arm and smiled, "It's fine, Starbuck. We've both seen worse. Our jobs keep us so busy, I'm just glad we finally can have some time together! Just us."
Starbuck grinned back at the beautiful blonde med-tech who was smiling adoringly at him. "I sure love it when you say that, Cassie!" Starbuck sighed, "I guess I could ignore a few protesters." He gestured to the rest of the occupants of the dining hall. Most of them wore widely out-of-place clothing and hairstyles and held signs demanding peace. They sat around tables and held rather loud conversations with each other.
As Starbuck and Cassiopeia entered the hall, a tense hush fell over the entire crowd. All eyes were on Starbuck's warrior uniform. Starbuck suddenly felt uneasy. This was a feeling he didn't get often, especially on the Rising Star. Starbuck grinned nervously, I just wish they'd ignore me.
Trying not to act as though he was bothered by the rude attention, Starbuck led Cassiopeia to a table. He picked up a menu. "Okay, so what looks good to you?" he asked.
Cassiopeia glanced nervously around the room. She leaned toward Starbuck, "Starbuck, they're all staring at us!" she whispered.
"Eh, ignore them." Starbuck answered, "What about the Tarusian Moon Pasta? That sounds exotic. You feeling adventurous?"
"I'm feeling nervous." Cassiopeia replied. She turned her big blue eyes on Starbuck, "Maybe we should go somewhere else."
Starbuck purposefully kept his eyes busy reading the menu, avoiding Cassie's blue gaze, "We have as much right to be here as they do. Relax; they probably just think we dress weird."
"I don't know…"Cassiopeia noticed one strangely attired man glaring intensely at Starbuck. She gasped. The glaring man stood up and headed straight towards them!
"Starbuck…" Cassiopeia said shakily.
Starbuck finally looked up. The glaring man reached their table. Starbuck looked up even more at the tall man wearing an eye-soring shirt that was every shade of rust red you could imagine.
The man folded his long, burly arms, "Don't you have somewhere else to be? Out killing somebody and stuff?" the man asked in a demanding sort of way.
"I don't kill somebodies, just somethings." Starbuck answered, ruffled by the man's accusatory tone.
The man smirked, "Is that a correct military response, sir?"
Starbuck glared back at the glaring man, but said nothing. It wasn't easy, but he said nothing.
"Look, sir," the man continued, "We don't want your type here crashing our peace parties. I suggest you leave before you start…oh, I don't know…a war or something."
Starbuck resisted the strong urge to throttle the guy so he'd leave them alone. This guy would probably throttle back pretty hard. Starbuck might be hot tempered, but stupid and suicidal he was not.
By this time, several other protesters were standing up. The few non-protesters there were in the room had retreated to a corner and were standing there looking concerned.
Starbuck gritted his teeth, "As far as I can tell, you're the only one trying to start something here."
The man narrowed his glaring eyes, "And you're just a good, upstanding warrior doing his job." The man spat out each word as though it tasted the way his shirt looked.
"Actually," Starbuck muttered, barely able to keep control of his temper, "I happen to be off-duty right now."
The rusty man's voice rose, "Good! Then…"
"What's going on in here?" a Rising Star security officer walked in. He noticed the big angry protester's threatening posture at Starbuck's table and pushed through the crowd to him, "Mister, do you have a problem?" the security guard asked.
"Not anymore!" the protester howled and pulled out a gun. A big gun. He grabbed Cassiopeia, "I was just telling this lovely lady that it was time we had a drink together."
Starbuck stood, blaster drawn, "Says who?"
"I do!" The rusty man started pulling a trembling Cassiopeia off. Her eyes cried for help.
The security guard stepped forward, "I think you've had enough to drink for tonight. Please lower your weapon, and let the lady go."
"What about him?" the man sneered, gesturing to Starbuck with his gun, "I don't see you telling him to lower his weapon!"
The security guard spoke more forcefully, "Let the woman go."
"Or what?" the man put his gun to Cassie's head, "Leave now, and take your military buddy with you!"
The security guard backed down, but pushed a panic button to call for backup.
"I saw that!" the glaring protester yelled. His firing hand flashed, and the security guard fell backwards into the table. No longer concerned with keeping a good image, Starbuck took that unfortunate moment to leap forward and put his blaster to the man's head, "Let her go!"
The man gestured with one hand. All of the protesters stood, pulling out equally large guns.
And all of them were pointed at Starbuck.
For a moment, all of them stared at each other. No one moved. No one spoke. (Except the poor security guard, who groaned)
Starbuck mentally measured the distance to the door, and the amount of time it would take for one of the protesters to fire. The former was a whole lot longer than the latter. Forget thinking logically. Starbuck frowned, it's too depressing! I have to do something…
So he did. He grabbed Cassiopeia and together they ran toward the doorway. Surprisingly, the other protesters didn't shoot. Unsurprisingly, the rusty man did.
¤
By the time the backup security team had arrived, all Hades had broken loose. Protesters were everywhere with their guns, chasing non-protesters. A media team was trying to get the whole scene on their videocomm receivers. Cassiopeia was behind a fallen table tending to Starbuck's leg and the security guard.
The security team surveyed the chaotic situation. They all fired their guns into the air at the same time. Everyone froze.
"Halt! You are surrounded!" one security guard ordered, "Drop your weapons and put your hands in the air!"
Instead, the protesters rushed the guards, leaving the non-protesters alone momentarily.
"Cassie, we've got to get off this ship!" Starbuck groaned.
Cassiopeia nodded, biting her lip. She called to some non-protesters nearby, "Help me get these two to a shuttle!"
They helped the injured security guard and Starbuck to the Rising Star's shuttlebay. Nearly all the available shuttles were already occupied by frightened colonists. Only one still had room in it.
"Figures," muttered Starbuck.
Cassiopeia and her helpers rushed toward it, along with a lot of other colonists.
"Get in! Get in!" a man in the shuttle called from the hatch, "We're ready to launch!"
Colonists crammed in. All of them barely managed to get on board before the shuttle lifted off.
¤
Later, Apollo and Celeste sat in the officer's lounge, resting after the bizarre alert.
"There was no nearby basestar, or any Cylon ship of any kind. It's a mystery how they got all the way out there. Maybe they were left behind from the last assault." Apollo was telling Celeste.
Celeste frowned, "Unless…unless they didn't come from a basestar…no. There's no way. We would have noticed…besides, they were stealth ships…" The lieutenant seemed to lose her trail of thought. She shook her head, "Anyway, I'm glad it turned out all right, weird though it was."
Apollo nodded, "So what happened with your viper?" he asked Celeste.
Celeste answered, "Uh, I just had a little engine trouble is all."
Boomer walked past, "Don't let her mislead you, Captain. Someone sabotaged her viper. She nearly crashed into the Galactica's bridge."
Apollo looked Celeste in the eye, "Someone sabotaged your fighter?"
"Yeah," Celeste waved a hand, "They messed with a few systems."
"Flight control, comm., engine, scanner, navigation, and fuel to name a few," Boomer added.
Celeste frowned at Boomer, "Hey…" but she didn't finish her sentence. She was staring at something across the room. She had suddenly gone silent, and her blue eyes were full of the shocked horror of sudden recognition.
Apollo followed her gaze, "What's wrong, Lt…" He saw what she was looking at. The comm. monitor across the room was broadcasting the latest breaking news story. A shaky camera view of a dining hall showed terrified people running from men with large guns.
"The Rising Star…" Boomer whispered.
Celeste gasped when the camera changed to several people helping several other people into shuttles.
"The people who were wounded in this violent outbreak were taken to the Galactica along with others seeking refuge from the Rising Star today." The newscaster said stoically.
Without a word, Celeste suddenly stood up, knocking over her chair. She rushed out of the room. Apollo and Boomer glanced at each other and followed her.
Celeste ran blindly down the hall, forgetting to watch for other people who were also trying to get somewhere.
"Sorry!" she yelled back to them.
The determined Celeste burst into the life center, startling a lot of med-techs and a couple of doctors.
Spotting Cassiopeia, Celeste made a beeline for her. "Cassie! I saw the news…what happened? Where's Starbuck?" the girl gasped out.
Cassiopeia blinked, "He's over here." She pointed to where he sat on the edge of a bed. There were cubits on the bed, too. And cards. And several other patients sat around the bed.
For once in her life, Celeste didn't notice the pyramid game.
"Starbuck!" Celeste rushed over. She tripped on a cord and flew into the center of the mattress. Cubits and cards went flying.
Starbuck looked down at his undignified sister, "Nice entrance."
Celeste stood up and brushed herself off, "Ahem." She looked at Starbuck and remembered why she was in the life center in the first place, "Starbuck! Are you okay?"
"Yeah, you didn't land on me. The game's a mess, though." Starbuck tried to gather his cubits while the other patients scrambled for theirs.
Celeste rolled her eyes and began helping him collect the cubits, "I wasn't meaning…oh, never mind." I guess he's okay if he's playing card games and making jokes. "What happened on the Rising Star?"
Starbuck groaned, "Bunch of guys who apparently call themselves the 'Peacemakers'. They didn't like how Cassie and I were dressed."
"So they started a riot?" Celeste shook her head in disgust.
"Yep," Starbuck winced, "They shot me in the leg when Cassie and I tried to escape. But I'm better off than that guy over there." He motioned to a security guard lying on a bed, "He took a hit right in the chest."
"It's amazing more people weren't hurt." Cassie remarked, bandaging the security guard, "It was awful on that ship! Like a war zone!"
Apollo and Boomer burst in, "Celeste? What is going…" They saw Celeste and Starbuck with cubits and cards.
Boomer looked surprised, "This is no time for a game, Lieutenants!"
"Huh?" Celeste seemed confused. "Oh…" She handed Starbuck the cubits.
Celeste turned to Apollo and Boomer, "Actually, I just came in to check on Starbuck."
"And how is he?" Apollo asked.
"He's fine!" Starbuck said from behind Celeste.
"Yeah." Celeste nodded, "He's fine. See?"
Apollo and Boomer exchanged glances again.
"Whatever you say, Lieutenant." Apollo said.
A voice interrupted the conversation, "Apollo! What are you doing here?"
Apollo turned, "Zac? I could ask the same thing about you!"
Zac grinned, surprised, "I volunteered to help with the de-Cylonization research. We're trying to find a way to erase all the Cylon junk from our brains. Not all of us got good abilities like Celeste did." Zac glanced over, "Oh, hi Celeste, hey Starbuck," he said, noticing Celeste and Starbuck listening with interest.
"They can erase all the residual Cylon patterns from our brainwaves?" Celeste asked hopefully.
Zac smiled, "They think they can. They've been trying it on a few of us, and it seems to be working! I've got my voice all the way back, now!"
Apollo patted his little brother on his shoulder, "That's great, Zac!"
Zac nodded, "Soon they said they'll be making the treatment available for anyone who wants it!"
Celeste watched her friends, but her mind was elsewhere. They can make me human again. Fully human. No strange abilities, no more people acting weird about me. I could live a real life again.
But should I? How would I feel if I lost these abilities? Would I still be able to fly vipers? Not as well, that's for sure. Would I still be able to fly with the Blues? I don't think Apollo would kick me out, but I might not be able to fly well enough. I might put people in danger. And I wouldn't be able to do all the crazy things I do. At least, I'd have a harder time surviving all the crazy things I do…
But I'd be free of that nagging feeling that I'm not myself. That I'm somehow cheating death instead of living life. But, felgercarb! I've had these abilities for so many yahrens…could I go back to living a real life?
¤
Celeste ran like there was an entire Cylon garrison after her, which wasn't far from the truth.
Cylons came out of doors and corridors, firing their blasters at the running woman. Still running, Celeste fired a few shots back at them.
Five centons to go.
There was the hangar bay ahead. Celeste skidded to a halt in front of it, blasted the controls, and ran inside.
"Finally, a bay with ships inside it!" Celeste remarked, rushing towards the docking control computer. She rapidly began typing, trying to release the locking mechanism on the fighters.
Two centons to go.
Finally, the lock indicator went green. Celeste dashed to a fighter just as the Cylons arrived at the bay.
Celeste ducked behind the smooth, flat fighter when the Cylons began firing at her.
"Felgercarb!"
Thirty microns to go.
Sliding to the door control, Celeste punched it with her fist. The door opened and the woman leaped inside, slamming it shut behind her. Blaster bolts ricocheted off the hatch.
Fifteen microns.
Celeste powered up the fighter and lifted off. She fired the ship's weapons at the hangar door. It opened.
The silvery ship thrusted toward the hangar door.
The hangar exploded.
Celeste awoke with a start. She blinked her eyes in the darkness for a few moments, sorting out where she was. Moments later, the lights flickered on. All around her were the sounds of yawns and people sliding off the bunks as the female shuttle pilots prepared to greet the senton.
Celeste rubbed her eyes and sat up. She shook her head and reached under her pillow for her blaster and cubit bag. She knew she was paranoid for keeping them there, but she'd gotten into the habit on Vaga.
They were gone.
Alarmed, she lifted her pillow, and then began disassembling her bedding. No blaster; no cubits.
"Hey, have you guys seen…" Celeste began.
One of the pilots looked at her and gasped.
"What?" Celeste asked, annoyed, "Come on, my morning hair isn't nearly as bad as my helmet hair, and you've seen both before."
"Your…your eyes…!" The pilot gasped, backing out of the room clutching her uniform. The other pilots looked at Celeste and began acting like the first one.
"What about my eyes?" Celeste asked grumpily. This was not a good start to the senton.
"They're…red!" the pilot choked, turning away quickly.
"Oh," Celeste sighed, "Is that all? I had a late night trying to explain to Colonel Tigh that I did not intend to make a suicide run at the bridge yesterday and…" The other pilots were frozen in fear, staring at Celeste. "…and I guess that's not what you're talking about?"
"Look…in…the mirror!" one pilot gasped.
Celeste stood up, shaking her head, "Ok, but I don't see how this…" She looked in the mirror. She froze.
A red light seemed to be oscillating through her eyes.
"Ahhhhhhhhh!" Celeste screamed, sitting straight upright in bed.
"Ahhhhhhhhh!" screamed the other shuttle pilots, "Celeste! Why do you always have to have nightmares the night before WE are assigned the LONG shift?"
"Nightmares." Celeste said, "About nightmares."
"Go to sleep, Celeste!" one pilot groaned, "And try not to wake up screaming? At least not until we're all in the shuttlebay!"
"Sorry, guys. I'll try not to." Celeste sighed. She half expected herself to wake up again. When that didn't happen, she decided that the only alternative was to fall asleep.
So she did, but she concentrated intensely on Apollo, Starbuck, Boxey, and Vipers first. Nightmares weren't welcome.
¤
"Morning, fellas." Celeste yawned, walking into the exercise room. Several other Blue Squadron pilots were already there working out. They waved to her without pausing in their workouts. Celeste shook her head, trying to clear her groggy mind. Catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror on the wall across the room, she sighed and shuddered. Nightmares were powerful things.
Celeste stepped onto a treadmill and began exercising. She started out slow. As she began jogging faster and faster, she felt the cloud in her mind drift away. She imagined herself running through the Galactica's corridors to her viper. In her mind, other pilots ran beside and behind her. She heard alarm bells ringing in her head. She slowed down as she neared the turbolift. Stepping inside the lift, she waited as it began moving downward.
The next thing Celeste knew, she was lying on the floor staring up at the exercise room's ceiling. Somewhere near her feet, the treadmill automatically shut off.
Blinking, Celeste stood up.
"Are you all right, Lieutenant?" one of the pilots asked her.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." Celeste waved him off, more embarrassed than hurt. She rubbed her head and snatched her towel from the treadmill's handlebars. She headed for the door and nearly collided with Zac and Boomer, coming in the door.
"Celeste, hey. Done already?" Zac asked, grinning.
Celeste smiled and replied dryly, "Oh, I did more than I intended to." She looked around the two men, "Have you guys seen Apollo?"
"No," Boomer said, "I haven't."
"Huh." Celeste looked thoughtful.
"He could be in a meeting." Zac suggested.
Celeste nodded, "Yeah, that's probably it. With that mess on the Rising Star I imagine there'll be plenty of meetings between all the ranking officers." She grinned, "Well, I'm headed to the turbowash. I'll see you guys later."
Celeste left the exercise room.
¤
"No one's seen him!" Celeste cried later that day. She was standing in a corner of the bridge with Colonel Tigh. Colonel Tigh looked concerned.
"Are you certain?" Colonel Tigh asked, "You've asked everyone?"
Celeste tried not to act as distraught as she felt, "No one's seen him since the unit went to bed!"
Colonel Tigh sighed, "All right. We'll contact the fleet and see if he went to one of the other ships."
Something sparked in Celeste's eyes, something that gave Colonel Tigh an uneasy feeling. But it was gone before he could say anything.
"All right, Colonel." Celeste turned to go.
"Lieutenant?"
Celeste stopped and looked at him.
"We'll inform you the moment we know anything." Colonel Tigh didn't smile, but his eyes showed sympathy.
Celeste nodded and left.
¤
When she reached the officer's lounge, she was quite surprised to see Starbuck there, deeply involved in a card game.
"Starbuck? What are you doing out?" Celeste strode over to the table. The other card players stood nervously, wondering if she was in the mood to join them. They picked up their cubits and left.
Starbuck looked up at his little sister and grinned, "Wonder of modern medical technology." He had a substantial pile of cubits in front of him, "But even better than that, guess what? I've finally got it! I've invented a system for Pyramid that is totally foolproof! Not even you could beat me with this strategy!" he looked pleased with himself.
Celeste didn't seem interested in the cards, cubits, or the conversation. Alarms went off in Starbuck's head. He knew that look in her eye. He'd seen it in the mirror enough times.
"What's going on?" Starbuck asked.
Celeste looked seriously at her brother, "Apollo's gone."
"What?" Starbuck's eyes opened wide, "What do you mean, gone?"
"I mean that nobody knows where he is." Celeste said.
Starbuck stood up, wincing slightly, "Nobody?"
"Not even the commander!" Celeste shook her head, "As far as anyone can tell, Apollo disappeared."
Starbuck shook his head as well, "If it were you or meit would at least make some kind of sense…but Apollo? He doesn't just go off and leave without telling anyone!"
"I know!" Celeste exclaimed, "Which means that something must have happened. Something big, or bad, or both."
"And if it was both, I guarantee you the media team knows about it." Starbuck snapped his fingers.
"Good thinking!" Celeste stepped to the video monitor and switched it on.
On the screen, a reporter appeared, holding a microphone.
"Yesterday's incident has everyone wondering about the amount of control the military really has over the security of the fleet. It was the appearance of a Colonial Warrior which reportedly started the entire explosive situation on the Rising Star that resulted in several severe injuries sustained by the ship's security guards.Some think the time has come for the warriors to be solely the defenders of the fleet and to withdraw their presence from the individual ships…"
"No breaking news there." Celeste remarked sarcastically, turning the monitor off. She shook her head in disgust.
A bridge officer burst into the lounge. He looked around, spotted Celeste, and said, "Colonel Tigh sent for you, Lieutenant. He said it was important."
Without hesitation, Celeste rushed to the door. Starbuck followed her, limping slightly.
As she neared the bridge, Celeste felt her gut wrenching. She felt more than saw the tension filling the bridge. She'd had a bad feeling ever since she'd found out that Apollo was missing. That feeling had just gotten worse.
"Colonel Tigh, what's going on?" Celeste and Starbuck approached him.
The Colonel turned. He opened his mouth to explain, and then stopped. He handed Celeste a ship report.
Celeste read it. She looked disturbed, "Those protesters took over another ship?" she asked.
Starbuck read it over her shoulder, "And they took the Neptuna's entirecrew hostage!"
"That's not all." Colonel Tigh said tiredly, "I'm afraid that the First Learning class from the Galactica was on a field trip to the Neptuna when it happened. They were scheduled to report in nearly fifteen centares ago."
"And they never did." Celeste guessed darkly. She shook her head, "Those poor kids…wait a minute!" Her eyes were full of horror.
"Boxey's in First Learning!" she cried, "And Athena teaches that class! If Apollo found out…"
She and Starbuck exchanged looks. They seemed to read each other's mind. They both turned and began rushing off the bridge at the same time.
"Lieutenants!" Colonel Tigh ordered, "Halt!"
The two stopped and turned slowly around.
"You wouldn't happen to be planning a trip to the Neptuna, now would you?"
Celeste and Starbuck blinked angelically.
"Of course not!" Starbuck exclaimed.
"Where would you get a crazy idea like that?" Celeste asked.
Colonel Tigh sighed inwardly. It was bad enough when he'd had one Starbuck to worry about.
"If either of you even think of going after the Neptuna without authorization, I'll have you both grounded and de-rusting Vipers for the rest of the sectar, do you understand?" Tigh crossed his arms.
The two lieutenants nodded disappointedly. Then Starbuck brightened. He stepped forward and opened his mouth.
Tigh was already ahead of him, "And no, I won't give either of you authorization to do that. We've got enough people in trouble to worry about without having you two in the middle of this mess."
Starbuck and Celeste once again looked disappointed. Celeste, holding back frustration, stepped forward. "But Colonel, we can't just leave them out there with those…" she trailed off.
"Terrorists." Starbuck finished for her.
Tigh nodded, "We've got people working on it as we speak."
"But…" Celeste began.
Tigh held up his hand. "We've got people working on it," he repeated.
¤
Celeste and Starbuck left the bridge in disappointment. Starbuck turned to his sister.
"There's got to be something we can do!" he cried.
Celeste sighed, "I'm afraid that our reputations are limiting our choices." Her eyes narrowed, "But maybe there's still hope…" She almost smiled as a plan began forming in her mind. "Stay here." She told Starbuck, "If this is going to work, I'll need to do it alone." Celeste walked down the hall.
"If what is going to work?" Starbuck asked, walking after her.
Celeste didn't stop, "My plan. You'll see."
Starbuck wasn't satisfied with that answer, "What plan?"
Annoyed at Starbuck's persistence, Celeste stopped and turned to him.
There was a gleam of determination in her eyes that encouraged and worried Starbuck at the same time. I wonder if this is how Apollo feels when he knows I've got some crazy plan cooking, he thought.
Celeste flashed him a tight smile, raising an eyebrow, "Someone's got to tell the commander about what's happening."
"Ahh." Starbuck said, nodding, "I get it. Go right to the commanding officer. But what if he says the same thing Colonel Tigh said?"
"He won't." Celeste said confidently, "And if he does…" she trailed off, her eyes betraying her thoughts.
Starbuck understood. He knew what she was thinking. He felt the same way. But he didn't want Celeste to get in trouble again. "If he does, I'll go." Starbuck held up his hands to deflect his sister's protests, "Now, wait, you got to go last time. They're my friends too, you know."
By the stubborn set of her mouth, Starbuck could tell she didn't agree with his reasoning. What really concerned him was that she didn't reply to it. Celeste turned to the commander's door without another word to Starbuck.
Starbuck shook his head. He and Celeste were very similar, but there were times when there was something different and downright scary about her.
Celeste entered the room to find Commander Adama sifting through ship reports on his desk. He looked up from his work. His eyes softened a little when he saw Celeste.
"What brings you up here, Lieutenant?" he asked, kindly but tiredly.
Celeste stepped towards his desk, "Sir, I request permission to rescue the people aboard the Neptuna."
Adama's eyes widened, "So you know."
"Yes." Celeste's gaze was steady and determined.
Commander Adama sighed and glanced at his paperwork. He had suspected that this would happen as soon as Celeste found out, but he wasn't expecting her to find out so soon. With Lt. Celeste, expect the unexpected, he reminded himself. On the other hand, most lieutenants wouldn't be so direct as to ask him outright to let them do something like this. A few sectons ago, Celeste wouldn't even have asked him. She'd just have done it, orders or no orders. Adama's eyes traveled across the pictures on his desk. Athena, and Boxey were on the Neptuna;his daughter and grandson …and Celeste's friends. And Apollo, his firstborn son, and the person Celeste was closest to, was missing. What use was there to give Celeste another broken order on her record? There are some things that are more important than regulations. It seems that I use that phrase a lot with regard to Lt. Celeste. Commander Adama looked back up at the girl with the sparks in her eyes. What was she feeling? Determination? Resignation? Whatever her emotion, Adama knew Celeste well enough to know that she could be downright unstoppable when she believed in her plans.
"All right, Lieutenant. This time, I'll allow it. But only you. I can't risk any other pilots right now. We're vulnerable enough as it is." Adama consented.
"Thank you, Commander." Celeste turned to leave.
"Celeste." Adama said.
Celeste turned back around.
"Good luck."
Celeste grinned a cocky grin and nodded, "I won't let you down, Commander."
Then she was gone.
Adama looked back at the pictures. A picture of Zac caught his eye.
"I'm sure you won't," Adama said softly.
Was letting Celeste go the smart thing to do? Probably not. But Adama felt that it was the right thing to do. He wondered briefly if that might be the last time he saw the warrior girl. He hoped not, for Apollo's sake if not for his own.
Who knew? There was a very good chance that she might even succeed.
¤
"Shuttle Alpha prepared to launch." Celeste said into the headset microphone she was wearing. Her shuttle had checked out in preflight, and she'd done an inspection of the major systems. Everything had to be right.
"We read you, Shuttle Alpha. You are cleared to launch." Core Control replied.
Celeste eased the shuttle out of the bay and into space. "Thanks. Shuttle Alpha standing by. Wish me luck." The shuttle was sluggish compared to a viper, and Celeste felt impatience at its lack of speed. She would need the passenger capacity of the shuttle to bring the class and Apollo back. If she ever reached the Neptuna.
Could be worse. Last time I was flying a shuttle, it was falling apart and I was flying it to a Cylon basestar without any Viper escort! I wish I'd had time to test out the Lemonade. It's no Viper, but it's faster than this thing. Celeste shook her head, I wonder which situation was more dangerous…the Cylon basestar or a ship taken over by violent radicals? At least I know the Cylons. I know more about them than I ever wanted to. But these humans…I don't understand them at all. Why are they doing this? What can they hope to accomplish by hurting and scaring other people?
The Neptuna loomed ahead, its chunky cargo holds seeming to bulge up from a rectangular body. Twin engines sleekly followed the nearly imperceptible contour on either side of the greenish ship. The name was painted on the side in Sagittarian. The ship had a strange design, and at first Celeste couldn't find a place to dock on it. She spotted a small docking bay toward the rear of the ship, tucked in under the engine. She neatly lined the shuttle up with the landing lines and eased it onto the platform. Celeste noticed two other shuttles from the Galactica in the bay.
As soon as the shuttle was down, Celeste removed the headset and left the shuttle, one hand on her blaster. She was pretty sure that the Peacemakers wouldn't be happy to see her. That was why she was dressed in civilian clothing rather than her Warrior uniform. She caught a glimpse of her reflection in the window. It was unfamiliar to her; she wasn't used to seeing herself wearing anything but her Warrior uniform! The faded lavender and yellow tunic was baggy, so she'd tied it with a scarf. Under the scarf, her blaster holster and extra ammunition hid, out of sight but close by. She listened to the silky sound of the brown pants she was wearing and shook her head. It wasn't an ideal costume, but it was all she could convince the shuttle pilots to let her borrow.
She seemed to have entered the ship undetected, however. No one came to meet her as she exited the docking bay. The halls were empty. Apparently, all of the action was happening elsewhere on the ship.
The Peacemakers must not have known about her presence on the Neptuna.
Celeste followed the halls through the ship, passing one cargo hold after another. The Neptuna was the supply ship for the fleet. She ferried the foods from the agro ships to the other ships. The cargo holds still contained some shipments that had never been delivered. Celeste wondered about the hungry people somewhere in the fleet who never received their food. She shuddered. The Peacemakers had known exactly which ship would be the best one to target in order to hurt the fleet.
Something moved in one of the holds. Celeste peeked in the doorway and saw a foot disappear behind a crate of produce. She drew her blaster and froze against the wall outside the doorway.
For a few moments, there was only the sound of the ship's engines and Celeste's heart beating. Then, from the direction of the crate came the sound of breathing, as though whoever it was had been running and stopped to hide suddenly.
Neither person moved from their spots.
Celeste took a deep breath as quietly as she could. They couldn't stay like this forever, and she needed to move on with her plan. Apollo, Athena, and Boxey could all be in a lot of danger.
Celeste nosed her blaster around the wall into the hold. Cautiously, she peeked her head into the hold, ready to pull it back in again quickly if she had to. She saw the shadow of the person behind the crate. The crate was small, and the person behind it appeared to be small as well.
"Hello?" Celeste called.
No answer came from the crate.
"Who's there?" she called again, "Identify yourself."
The figure behind the crate stirred, "Miss Celeste?" it said.
"Boxey?" Celeste nearly dropped her blaster. She put it back in the holster, "Boxey, what are you doing hiding behind that crate?"
"I'm hiding from the bad guys. I escaped and now I'm going to save Miss Athena and the class!" Boxey announced, standing up. He looked a little sad, "But I don't know how."
Celeste grinned at the boy, "Hey, that's my job."
Boxey ran to Celeste and hugged her, "I was so scared!" he cried. Then he looked up at her, "Is that okay?"
"Of course it is!" Celeste exclaimed, "Why wouldn't it be?"
"I want to be a brave Colonial Warrior like you and Daddy." Boxey said seriously.
Celeste smiled, "Then being scared is just fine. I can't speak for your dad, but I get scared all the time."
"Dad said that he gets scared too," Boxey said, "But he doesn't act like it. Except when you went to blow up the basestar. And when you crashed into the Galactica. And when you had to fly the Galactica. And when…"
"Ok, ok!" Celeste broke off Boxey's list of her misadventures, "Have you seen your dad, Boxey?"
"Not since I went to school. I miss him a lot." Boxey said.
"Hmm." Celeste said, "Ok. I want you to tell me all that you know about these bad guys and what they did with your class."
Boxey looked hopefully at Celeste, "Are you going to make a plan?"
Celeste nodded, "Yes, I am."
"And I can help, right?" Boxey asked excitedly.
Celeste looked far away as the wheels began turning in her mind, "Yes, I think you can."
¤
Celeste and Boxey snuck through the halls towards the forward cargo area where Boxey had told Celeste that the prisoners were being held. Celeste kept her right hand near her blaster, just in case they encountered any Peacemakers making trouble for them along the way.
They reached the hold at the front of the ship. The door was closed, but they could hear voices inside; children crying and adults in hushed discussion.
"This is it." Boxey whispered.
Celeste nodded once and eased around the corner to the door controls. She began fiddling with them, tapping the keypad rapidly. When all her attempts at electronically hacking the door failed, she pushed Boxey back behind her and blasted the controls. The young woman reached into the hole, grabbed some wires, and changed some connections. She worked fast, aware that the sound of blaster fire wouldn't go unnoticed.
The door slid open right before Celeste was about to make the last connection. She found herself face-to-face with a man who was holding wires from the door controls inside the room. The man didn't seem happy to see her.
"Apollo?" Celeste said.
Footsteps were approaching from behind Celeste. She simultaneously turned around, pushed Boxey into the room, and drew her blaster.
"Boxey!" she heard Apollo say from behind her. Celeste backed into the room and disconnected the wires that Apollo had connected. The door slid shut.
As soon as the door shut, Apollo turned to Celeste, "You have some explaining to do, Lieutenant."
Celeste opened her mouth exasperatedly, "So do you! What were you thinking, Apollo? Leaving without telling anyone! Everyone's worried about you!"
"What?" Apollo looked upset, "I told people I was going! I had to get clearance to take a shuttle out here!" Then his face fell as he realized something, "Oh no. I told the people who were on the shift right before ours. They were probably asleep by the time you and everyone else got up! Though I'd have thought they'd have passed the information on to our shift. " Apollo shook his head, "I'm sorry. Everything happened so fast. When I heard Boxey's class was taken prisoner…"
Celeste sighed, "I understand. But it's still not like you to go alone, Apollo."
"I'd have taken someone else if anyone else had been available." Apollo said. Then he frowned at her, "What about you?" His face seemed to imply that he suspected Celeste had left the battlestar in a less-than-honest way.
"For your information." Celeste sighed indignantly, "the Commander himself gave me permission to conduct a rescue mission!"
Apollo looked slightly surprised, "Really. Hmm." He looked at Boxey. "Well, all right. Why don't you get these people to the shuttles and get them back to the Galactica."
"And you?" Celeste asked, "You're part of my mission. I'm supposed to rescue you as well."
Apollo looked into her determined face, "Celeste, I want you to get yourself and these kids out of here. I've got a different mission to accomplish."
"And what mission is that?" Celeste demanded, crossing her arms.
"I've got to find out what's going on. These so-called Peacemakers are dangerous. They're already causing havoc with the fleet. If this continues, the Cylons won't have to destroy us. We'll destroy ourselves." Apollo took a breath, "There's got to be a way to stop them. I'm going to try and find it."
"Then I'll help you." Celeste said.
"And so will I!" Boxey added.
"No. I don't want you here. It's not safe." Apollo replied firmly to both of them, "If anything happened to you…" he trailed off, looking first at Boxey, then at Celeste. She was glaring at him with a dark fire in her eyes. Even when she was upset at him, though, he could tell she cared about him. Something in the way she moved gave her away. And even when she was upset with him, Apollo still felt a strong fondness for her. Maybe it was more than fondness…no. It couldn't be. There was still so much hurt inside from Serina. But Serina had been willful as well. She had also wanted to go on missions.
"Apollo…" Celeste growled, "You could use some backup."
"No." Apollo said. "I won't let you stay here. Someone's already tried to kill you once, and they almost succeeded. One of these guys attacked Starbuck and Cassiopeia. There's no telling what they might do to you!" He turned to Boxey, "And Boxey, I want you to go back to the Galactica where you can be safe. I can't lose you."
Celeste crossed her arms, "I'm not leaving without you, Apollo. You made me a promise that day that you guys gave me the Lemon, do you remember? You said 'whatever tomorrow brings for us to face, we face it together'."
Apollo sighed and looked down, "I did say that, didn't I."
A promise is a promise. But letting her come with me…that's how I lost Serina. I'm not losing Celeste. An image of Serina came into Apollo's mind.
"I'm going to have to break that promise." Apollo said finally. He hated the look on Celeste's face as he said it, but it was better to have her alive and angry with him than dead.
"I understand, Captain." Celeste said icily, "Come on, Boxey. We've got a job to do."
Boxey looked at his dad, his eyes looking big and sad, "You said I was a Colonial Warrior First Level. I just wanted to help you." Boxey turned and followed Celeste to the people in the hold.
Apollo watched them go. He closed his eyes and sighed. He was doing the right thing by sending them back before the situation became violent. But if I'm doing the right thing, why does it feel so wrong?
¤
Celeste held her blaster tightly as she peeked around a corner to make sure the area was safe to lead the class into. She paused to shake her head. She couldn't get the stern look on Apollo's face out of her mind. The hard set of his mouth, the coldness in his eyes; it was as though nothing they'd been through together counted for anything. Maybe I'm just blowing this whole thing out of proportion as usual. Maybe he just wanted me to take them back because he knew they'd be safe with me. I should be flattered that he trusts me with his family.
But no, I know that's not all. He really didn't want me here with him. He didn't want me in the way.
I can't think about this now. I have to concentrate on what I'm doing!
When she was certain it was safe, Celeste motioned to Athena at the back of the line of kids. Athena began moving them forward and the class followed Celeste away from the cargo hold.
Celeste was surprised that they hadn't met any resistance. She had been on the Neptuna for centares and hadn't seen a single Peacemaker! It was downright suspicious, though Celeste couldn't figure out any possible reasons there could be for it. It just unnerved her to break into a hijacked ship and not find guns pointed at her.
The group reached the docking bay without incident. The children had been very quiet and obedient the entire time.
"Are they always like this?" Celeste asked Athena.
Athena shook her head, "Not usually. I think they are a little in awe of you, Celeste. They've all heard stories about you from their parents and Boxey."
Celeste almost smiled, "Well, I'm glad everything's worked out so far. I'll guard the door while you get them into one of those shuttles."
Athena nodded, "Thank you for helping us." She began to usher the children into the shuttle.
Celeste realized with horror that she would be a hero again. If she showed up back at the Galactica with a shuttle load of rescued kids, people were bound to thank her and make a huge deal out of it.
She took her post by the door. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw one little girl wave at her. She waved back. The little girl smiled and climbed into the shuttle.
I guess I could tolerate more people thanking me if it means these kids are safe. Celeste thought, they didn't ask to get taken hostage. They're scared and they just want to go home to their parents. Who am I to deny them that? Felgercarb, I can be so selfish sometimes!
Suddenly, Celeste heard the pounding of footsteps headed in their direction. Part of her was relieved. This made more sense. She was back on familiar ground.
The other part of her realized that there were still several kids to load into the shuttle, and takeoff procedures hadn't started!
Celeste saw quite a few men with huge guns hurrying toward her. She ducked inside the bay and punched the door controls with her fist. The door slammed shut. Immediately, she heard the sound of gunfire ricocheting off the bay door.
"It won't take them long to get that open." Celeste said grimly to herself.
"Athena!" she yelled, running toward the shuttle, "Get in and get it started up!" She began helping the children onto the shuttle as Athena nodded and jumped into the shuttle herself. The engines powered up.
The bay door slid partly open just as Celeste got the last kid into the shuttle. Peacemakers crawled under and pushed the door open as they fired at Celeste and the shuttle.
"Take off!" Celeste yelled into the shuttle. She turned and fired at the Peacemakers as they tromped across the bay. Celeste shut the shuttle hatch to keep any of the kids from getting hit by stray fire.
Then she realized that this left her between a legion of big guys with big guns and a closed and taking off shuttle. Not the most ideal of situations.
The shuttle lifted off the pad. Celeste dashed to another shuttle, dodging gunfire. She dove behind it, blasting her gun at the Peacemakers who were firing at the departing shuttle. She saw Athena's shuttle disappear out of the bay and prayed that they'd make it safely to the Galactica.
The Peacemakers turned from trying to stop the shuttle to firing at the one Celeste was hiding behind. Celeste put her gun in her holster under the sash. She slid around to the other side, away from the threatening people and opened the hatch just enough for her to get in. She slid in, shut it, grabbed another gun from the shuttle's emergency stash, and sat in the pilot's seat. She powered it up and started the launch sequence.
The Peacemakers stopped firing at her. They all pointed their guns at one spot on the shuttle and fired.
The engine exploded. Smoke filled the shuttle cockpit. Coughing, Celeste dropped below the smoke and crawled across the floor to the hatch.
"Well, Captain, I tried to leave…" Celeste half-muttered, half-choked.
The floor near the rear of the ship was burning, with flames beginning to lick at the walls and ceiling. Her hands and knees stung from being pressed into the smoldering carpet near the hatch.
The hatch opened and there stood a man with a rusty-colored shirt, pointing a gun at Celeste's head. Behind him, at least twenty other men stood with their guns ready. She dropped the gun she was holding and raised her hands.
¤
Apollo snuck across the corridor to the bridge of the Neptuna. He flattened himself against the wall. He could hear two voices inside, discussing something. One of the voices sounded vaguely familiar. To his surprise, he thought he heard Celeste's name mentioned.
This prompted him to listen harder.
"It won't be easy."
"Once we have her, The Man will be able to complete his final plan."
"I don't see why he wanted her so badly. She's just a lieutenant."
"Apparently he has some personal matter to discuss with her. It's too bad we failed with the Rising Star fiasco. We'd have been able to get to her faster through her brother."
Apollo's eyes narrowed.
"I really don't like holding all these kids. It's getting us too much attention."
"It was the only other way to lure her here, after the men bungled both the viper and the Rising Star."
Apollo held back a gasp. They wanted Celeste. This whole thing was a trap. The viper sabotage, the false alert…the incident on the Rising Star; they were all plots to capture Celeste! I'm glad now that I sent her back to the Galactica. But what will they try next?
"I know…" the first voice began.
"I suppose we could have used you, Chameleon. I'm sure you could have found a way to get her sympathy," The second voice interrupted.
Chameleon? Apollo thought, Chameleon's part of this?
"When it comes to me, I'm afraid that she doesn't have any sympathy."
"But do you have sympathy for her? That's my question. Before we proceed any further I must know where you stand."
"I am loyal to you and to peace." Chameleon's voice said automatically, "Celeste means nothing to me now. She has made it clear she wants nothing to do with me."
"Good. Because we need you for this mission to work. Your skills of manipulation will be exceedingly useful, especially when it comes to that Celeste. I hear she's a slippery one. Not even The Man himself could outwit her without our help."
Apollo stood outside the bridge, thinking. Whoever is behind this conspiracy wants Celeste for some reason. Whoever it is used the Peacemakers to get to her. And it sounds like this "Man" will stop at nothing. Apollo suddenly had an uneasy feeling about letting Celeste out of his sight.
He heard a comm. on the bridge, and whoever was talking to Chameleon answered it.
"What is our situation in the bay, Acheron?"
From the comm., Apollo heard a static-filled response.
"It wasn't easy, Minos. The class escaped. But we've got the intruder."
"Good, bring her up here. Don't worry about the class. And inform The Man that we have what he asked us for."
Apollo closed his eyes. Celeste hadn't been able to escape after all. I should have gone with her. I shouldn't have made her go alone. It was my responsibility, too. But at least now I know what's going on. Is it too late?
Apollo peered into the bridge, waiting until no one inside was looking. There were only two people on the bridge, so this wasn't hard. He slipped onto the bridge and hid behind a console.
Within a few moments, three Peacemakers and Celeste entered the bridge. From his hiding place, Apollo could see Chameleon and the man called Minos turn to look at the men and young woman. He noted with alarm that Celeste's clothes were blackened and much more tattered than when he'd seen her before, as though they'd been singed in a fire and dragged through cut metal. He couldn't tell anything else about her because her back was to him, but he could imagine the indignant look on her face.
"Chameleon," she said, accusingly, "I should have guessed. You always were my biggest fan."
"Hello, Celeste." Chameleon said quietly.
"So this is what you meant by the truth." Celeste spat out.
Chameleon appeared to be having trouble looking her in the eye.
Celeste shook her head, "You think that the truth is that 'peace' means hurting people and scaring children."
Chameleon tried to lift his eyes to meet hers, but failed. He opened his mouth to speak. Celeste interrupted him.
"You're not gambling with cubits anymore, you know, these are people's lives!" she cried.
"That's enough out of you!" one of the men grabbed her roughly. The other one looked as though he was going to hit her.
"Wait." Minos said, "I'm sure The Man wants her to be brought to him in one piece. I told you, no unnecessary violence in capturing her! Look at her, what happened?"
A man with a rust-colored shirt stepped forward, "It was the only way to capture her and keep her captured! She tried to escape three times on the way here!"
"You left me ample opportunity. Can't blame a girl for trying." Celeste snorted.
"Silence, we don't want to hurt you." Minos glared back.
"Suits me just fine." Celeste muttered.
Acheron looked like he desperately wanted to try to hit her again.
Minos sighed, "Acheron, this is not acceptable. Are you trying to provoke The Man? Remember the viper incident, you fool? She was almost killed; I told you to disable it, not destroy it! And don't think I've forgotten what happened on the Rising Star. I doubt The Man has forgotten." Minos admonished.
Acheron stepped back, "That situation was beyond my control." He tried to make an excuse.
Minos waved a hand, "Take her to the shuttle and make sure she's secure. We'll be making contact with The Man soon. And Acheron,"
Acheron stood stiffly.
"Don't make any more mistakes." Minos said threateningly.
Acheron and the two other men turned and ushered Celeste toward the bridge door.
Apollo caught a glimpse of Celeste's face. His heart stuck in his throat. Her face was sooty, and there was a cut across her forehead. Her eyes simmered with something Apollo had never seen in them before. It was an intense mix of fury, resentment, and betrayal. She cast one last glance toward Chameleon before stomping off the bridge with the Peacemakers.
She obviously knows Chameleon. Apollo thought, watching her go. He thought he saw a slight limp in her step. I'm sorry, Celeste. I wish you hadn't come after me. Apollo looked back at Minos and Chameleon. I've got to do something before anything worse happens.
Minos stood and looked long at Chameleon, whose eyes were still on the floor, "She means nothing to you?"
Chameleon looked up, "Hurting her was never part of the deal."
"Perhaps you'd like to take her place." Minos said, "I'm sure The Man would be glad to see you, though probably not alive."
"Are you threatening me?" Chameleon stood up, eyes blazing.
Minos stood calmly, "It all depends on your perception. Do you perceive me as a threat to you?"
Chameleon sighed, "Not to me…but Celeste…"
"Celeste is the price of our glory!" Minos suddenly hissed, "The Man assured us of the end of the war on the condition that we give him that girl! How can she be worth more to you than the cause of peace? It is within The Man's power to give, and our power to take! All that stands in humanity's way is that one traitor!"
"Celeste may be a lot of things, but she is no traitor." Chameleon said.
"But are you." Minos asked darkly, "Are you going to become a turncoat just when the war could be over? Think of it, no more fighting! No more pesky warriors and politicians controlling the future! The fleet will be ruled by the people, not by a bunch of aging bureaucrats!"
Chameleon was silent. Minos gestured out the viewglass, "Out there lies humanity's destiny!"
Apollo looked out the viewglass and blinked. He couldn't believe what he saw.
A large, round ship lay just ahead of the Neptuna. It was flat, with five rays on the disk-shaped ship coming from the center in a star form. At the end of each ray were twin mega-pulsar guns.
A Cylon gunship.
No one's seen a Cylon gunship in yahrens. Apollo thought, Most of them were destroyed in the Battle of Molocay.
"I know you are a person, Chameleon. I cannot deny you your feelings." Minos said, "But I must ask that you not let them get in the way of your judgment." Minos left the bridge.
Chameleon stared at the gunship and sighed. "I wish I'd never joined you, Minos," he whispered, "It wasn't so bad before you brought Celeste into this. I wish there was a way I could change my decision."
"Maybe there is." Apollo stood up. It was time he took action.
¤
Starbuck paced back and forth in Blue Squadron's quarters. Boomer sat on his bunk, polishing the buckles on his uniform. Zac was trying to take a nap, but was having difficulty. Starbuck was driving both men crazy with his pacing.
Boomer set down his polishing rag, "Starbuck, why don't you go work off some of that energy in the exercise room?"
Starbuck just sighed and changed direction.
Zac put his pillow over his head.
Boomer shook his head at Starbuck and tried to resume his polishing. When Starbuck is like this, the best thing to do is leave him alone. But how much longer can we take it before we join him?
Suddenly, Starbuck stopped, snapped his fingers, and hurried out of the quarters.
Zac took the pillow off his head and looked questioningly at Boomer, "Where's he going?"
Boomer raised his eyebrows, "I don't know, but something tells me we'd better follow him."
Zac sat up and nodded, "Something tells me you're right!"
The two pilots stood up and rushed after Starbuck.
By the time they found him, he was emerging from the Galactica's bridge with a big grin on his face.
"What's going on?" Boomer asked him.
Starbuck didn't stop, so Boomer and Zac jogged to keep up with him.
"Where are we going?" Zac asked.
Starbuck grinned at them, "The shuttle's back!"
"Yeah!" Zac whooped, "That's great news!"
The three of them arrived just as the shuttle was landing.
"Look at that blaster scoring!" Boomer remarked, pointing to some marks on the hull of the shuttle, "Looks like she had a rough time escaping!"
Zac nodded, "Well, you know Celeste…"
"I'll bet Apollo had a fit." Starbuck smiled, imagining Celeste breaking out of the Neptuna in her usual explosive style.
They all waited expectantly as the shuttle set down in the bay and the hatch opened. All around them, worried parents of the First Learning students had gathered. Colonel Tigh and Commander Adama arrived.
Children began emerging from the shuttle and running into their parents' arms. Athena carried one little girl down from the shuttle. The little girl was in tears, and Athena looked upset as well. She delivered the little girl to her parents and turned to look at the shuttle.
Boomer, Starbuck, and Zac went quickly to Athena. Colonel Tigh and Commander Adama followed. All were wondering the same thing; where were Apollo and Celeste?
"Athena!" Zac cried, "What happened? Are you okay?"
"Are all of the children safe?" Tigh asked.
Athena turned around to see the five concerned men approaching her. She looked as though she was on the verge of tears, "The children all made it out safely, thanks to Celeste…but I had to leave…I didn't know she wasn't on board…and there were lots of men with huge guns…they were firing on us…" Athena took a shaky breath, "And Celeste…I didn't know she was still outside. She yelled to me to take off, so I did. By the time I realized she was still in the fight, it was too late to go back and get her…" Athena looked at Starbuck, "The way things were when we left, she wouldn't have had much of a chance!"
Starbuck looked like he was in shock, "You mean she's not here?" he asked, though the question sounded repetitive even to him. He didn't want to believe what Athena had just said.
Athena shook her head, "And Apollo went to find out what's going on with the Peacemakers."
"He did what?" Colonel Tigh asked, "Do you mean that Captain Apollo and Lieutenant Celeste are both still on the Neptuna?"
Athena nodded sadly.
Commander Adama and Colonel Tigh exchanged looks.
"Sons of Kobal." Adama said, almost under his breath.
"What's the problem?" Starbuck asked, "Let's just send another shuttle to go get them!" He looked ready to fly a shuttle to the Neptuna, himself.
Tigh frowned, "It's not that simple."
"The Neptuna left the fleet at full speed quite a while ago," Adama explained gravely, "It would take a shuttle many sectares to reach them."
"What about the Lemonade?" Zac asked, "It's much faster than a shuttle, and it's heavily armed."
"The Lemonade hasn't been tested out yet," Boomer reminded him.
"Hey, desperate times call for desperate measures!" Zac cried.
"I've seen what those 'Peacemakers' are capable of." Starbuck said in agreement, "Apollo and Celeste are in a lot of trouble."
Boomer protested, "But going after them in an unproven ship that was pieced together in two sectons?"
"Wouldn't they do the same thing for us?" Zac pointed out.
"Who's to say we'll even let you go?" Tigh asked, arms crossed.
The three pilots looked guiltily up at him. Starbuck gave Tigh a hopeful look, "Who's to say you won't?"
"The Council of Twelve." Tigh sighed grumpily.
Adama gave Tigh a sly look, "Perhaps we need to commandeer the Lemonade for military purposes," he said, "and perhaps we are sending her out, along with a Viper escort, after the Neptuna. After all, these Peacemakers still have the Neptuna's crew held hostage."
Tigh caught on, "Yes, and we are sending people to negotiate their release!" He turned to Starbuck, Zac, and Boomer, "I want you three to take this mission." He ordered with mock sternness.
"Yes sir!" All three replied, rushing to the turbolift.
"Be careful!" Athena called to them. She turned to her dad, "What can I do to help?"
Adama nodded to her, "You can take your position at the comm. and guide those pilots. If there's any problem with the Lemonade I want you to send out a recovery team immediately."
Athena nodded once and hurried to the turbolift after the three pilots.
"Are you sure this is wise?" Tigh asked Adama.
Adama turned to his longtime friend. "Desperate times call for desperate measures," he echoed the words of his younger son.
¤
Apollo and Chameleon snuck through the bowels of the Neptuna. They didn't want to risk being caught, and they needed to be able to move quickly. Apollo ran as quickly as he could on the catwalk above the deep cargo hold in the belly of the ship.
"You know what, Captain," Chameleon puffed, struggling to keep up, "I'm not sure I like your idea of a rescue plan."
"We've got to get on that shuttle before it takes off." Apollo called back. He stopped, eyeing a trapdoor above him. He reached up, pulled it open, and looked up.
"This is it!" he said to Chameleon, who had arrived, panting, behind him.
Apollo pulled himself up through the trapdoor and helped Chameleon up. They found themselves in an upper-deck cargo hold.
Apollo dashed to the door and peeked out. No one in sight. He motioned for Chameleon to follow him.
Together, they snuck down the now-darkened hall to the docking bay.
Inside the bay, Apollo could see one shuttle. The charred remains of another shuttle sat in a heap nearby. He involuntarily shuddered. That must be the source of the soot on her clothes. The things Celeste lives through…
He saw that the remaining shuttle was being prepared for takeoff.
"We're too late." Chameleon said.
Apollo shook his head, "There's something most people don't know about these shuttles." He said, dashing toward it. Chameleon reluctantly followed, not eager to get shot by one of the Peacemakers who were undoubtedly nearby.
Apollo tugged at a panel on the shuttle's hull. It came loose, revealing a compartment containing emergency food and ammunition. Apollo pulled the emergency stores out and climbed in. Chameleon followed him even more reluctantly than before.
"I'm liking this rescue mission less and less." Chameleon remarked, squeezing into the tight space.
Apollo said nothing and pulled the panel back into place.
Within only microns, the shuttle was airborne.
¤
The Lemonade still wasn't airborne. Boomer had tried everything he could think of to get it to let him start the engines. "Trust Celeste to put a security system on her ship," he grumbled.
Zac was in the gunner cockpit of the Lemonade. "You've got to think like Celeste, Boomer. What would she have picked as a password?"
"The problem is that I'm not Celeste." Boomer complained, "I can't even begin to think like her!"
"What about Starbuck?" Zac asked, "Maybe he can help with this."
Boomer switched his comm. on, "Hey, Starbuck. Any idea what Celeste might have used as a password to get her ship started?"
Starbuck's voice replied, "Have you tried 'cubit'?"
"Yes."
"Pyramid?"
"Uh huh."
"Crazy-girl-who-can't-stay-out-of-trouble?"
"Starbuck, I'm serious!"
"I know, Boomer, I know. Let me think…"
Zac's voice joined the conversation, "Wait…try 'Apollo'."
The Lemonade suddenly came to life.
"Good thinking, Zac!" Boomer said, "Are you ready Starbuck?"
"Ready as I'll ever be." Starbuck replied.
Zac cheered, "Then let's go!"
The converted shuttle and the Viper launched from the Galactica.
"So far so good." Boomer reported, "She handled the launch tube just fine."
"Let's hope she handles space as well." Zac said.
"Hey, guys, do you know where we're going?" Starbuck asked.
Boomer paused to check the coordinates, "I know the direction. As to what we find when we get out there...I have no idea."
The two ships streaked through space together toward an unseen destination.
¤
The shuttle thumped hard and then settled to a stop. Apollo could guess that they had arrived on the gunship. He waited a few centons before opening the panel to get out. He and Chameleon climbed stiffly out of the cramped compartment and crawled to the front of the shuttle. They looked around the corner of the shuttle.
The Peacemakers and Celeste were walking toward a dark doorway. As soon as they were out of sight, Apollo and Chameleon snuck after them, glad for the dim lighting of the Cylon ship.
They followed the procession to a chamber with clear glass doors. The two men hid behind some venting pipes when the Peacemakers stopped.
Minos was with the Peacemakers. He turned to Celeste, "Now, my dear, I believe you have a meeting with The Man."
For some reason unapparent to Apollo, Celeste smirked.
From nowhere, Cylon centurions appeared, brandishing weapons. The Peacemakers turned in surprise.
"SURRENDER YOUR WEAPONS," one Cylon said, pointing his gun at Minos.
"Do as it says." Minos said with carefully measured calmness, "The Man obviously doesn't trust us."
Two Cylons grabbed Celeste, "COME WITH US," the Cylons ordered, pulling her to the glass doors. The doors opened and the Cylons took Celeste inside.
"Why didn't she resist?" Chameleon mouthed to Apollo. Apollo shrugged. He couldn't figure it out, either.
The other Cylons began marching the Peacemakers down the hall, "YOU ARE NOW OUR PRISONERS," they said.
As soon as the Cylons were gone, Apollo dashed to the glass doors, still open. Chameleon followed him inside. The chamber was sufficiently dark to hide them as they ducked behind some dusty equipment. This gunship obviously hadn't been used in a long time. From there, the two men watched Celeste shake off the Cylon centurions and stand in front of a strange, lighted throne. The throne turned, revealing its occupant.
"Baltar." Apollo said under his breath.
The man in the throne was smiling evilly, "At last, we meet, Lieutenant Celeste. I must admit, you're not what I expected. But that doesn't matter," He sighed, "because you will no longer get in the way of my taking the Galactica."
"I suppose you are going to have the Peacemakers do that for you, as well?" Celeste sneered.
"The Peacemakers are pawns, nothing else." Baltar waved his hand, "They were easy to manipulate and will be just as easy to dispose of. But you…you were a real challenge to capture." Baltar looked very pleased with himself, "The only way to bring you here was to make sure you didn't know what was going on."
"I figured it out as soon as those 'pawns' of yours started talking about 'The Man' on the shuttle and I saw your gunship. Only one man would be stupid enough to associate with the Cylons." Celeste said, "Now, you're going to do exactly what I say." She spoke forcefully.
"You're hardly in a position to make demands." Baltar smiled smugly.
Celeste matched his confidence with her eyes, "Release the people you're holding captive."
"The Peacemakers?" Baltar looked genuinely surprised, "You mean you don't hate them?"
"Why should I?" Celeste asked matter-of-factly, "They were only bowing to your every command. Now let them go."
"Or what?" Baltar smugly and confidently replied, "You'll attack an entire gunship full of Cylon centurions alone? I think you are underestimating the power I hold, and the gravity of the situation you're in."
Baltar motioned to his Centurion guards. They raised their guns.
Both hit the floor at nearly the same time.
Celeste lowered the blaster she had pulled from under her sash.
"So that's why she was wearing that sash!" Chameleon whispered to Apollo, "That's good thinking!" Then he realized what he'd just seen, "How did she do that?"
Baltar watched the girl. A hint of uncertainty flicked across his shadowed face. "Hmm," was all he said.
Celeste eyed him disgustedly, "If you want to kill me, you'll have to do better than that, Baltar."
Baltar nervously watched as she didn't lower the blaster. She instead pointed it straight at him!
"It...was merely a test. To see if the rumors were true." Baltar stammered, trying to regain control of the situation. He didn't know he'd never had control of the situation to begin with. Baltar didn't know that Celeste was playing him like a pyramid game.
"Oh, they're true, all right." Celeste took a few steps, emphasizing her words, "Thanks to your friends there," she gestured to the motionless Cylons without taking her stormy and cold eyes off Baltar, "I can shoot faster, I can react quicker, I can fly more skillfully than any pilot in the Colonial fleet. I'm not a mindless drone like a Cylon. But I'm no longer completely human. Anything you can do, I can do it faster, more accurately, and to my advantage. Add onto that the fact that I'm not known for my ability to hold my temper." Celeste stopped and stared straight into Baltar's eyes, "And I suggest that you are underestimating the gravity of the situation that you are in. I also suggest that you chose your words and actions carefully. They could become your last."
"She's good!" Chameleon acknowledged quietly, surprised.
Baltar squirmed almost imperceptibly. He hated this situation, but there wasn't much he could do with this crazy woman holding a blaster to his head.
"Now, I'll ask you again." Celeste tapped the blaster with her trigger finger, "Let the humans go."
"Or what?" This time, Baltar's response was considerably less confident.
Celeste replied threateningly, "Or I'll attack your gunship and all of your Cylons."
Baltar looked as though he wasn't sure how to take this response. Judging by what little he knew of this Celeste person, and what he'd just seen, and that look in her eyes, she was very probably telling the truth. He stared uneasily down at her from his elevated seat. "Well, then, why didn't you say so in the first place?" Then Baltar smiled evilly, "Of course I'll release those prisoners, if those are your terms."
Celeste didn't trust the smile. If Baltar was smiling, that meant that he thought he was once again in charge. He probably had something up his sleeves. On the other hand, Baltar had clearly never played pyramid well. His face showed everything he thought to Celeste, who was skilled in reading facial expressions. She knew what he was thinking. And she could use that to her advantage.
"Baltar, in case it eluded that blinded brain of yours," Celeste said, "Even now, our forces are gathering to attack the Cylon homeworld. There will be squadrons of fighters arriving any centon! And they know the weakness of the Tartarus-class gunship."
Baltar definitely looked more nervous, "Why should I believe you? Not even your own captain believes you!"
Apollo frowned. He saw a flicker of sadness in Celeste's eye. But Baltar apparently didn't notice it.
Boom. The gunship shuddered slightly. Boom. Boom.
Now Baltar really did look worried.
Celeste took advantage of this new development, "There they are, Baltar. The fighters, and a Tiger we found and salvaged."
"A what?" Chameleon whispered.
"A Tiger-class Colonial Destroyer." Apollo explained, "They were the reason the Cylons built the gunships. But we don't have any, now. The last ones were destroyed long ago."
Chameleon nodded, "She's bluffing." He watched Celeste with a new appreciation for the situation.
Baltar eyed the now-closed glass door. Celeste glanced that direction. Cylon centurions were arriving at the door. It opened.
"BY YOUR COMMAND." The Cylons said. They noticed Celeste holding a gun on their leader. But that was the last thing they noticed.
More Cylons came in. "BY YOUR CO-" They joined their fellow Cylons on the floor.
The Cylons outside the door seemed reluctant to come inside. They raised the volume on their voice circuits and shouted through the door, "BY YOUR COMMAND. AT LEAST SIX COLONIAL SQUADRONS ARE ATTACKING THE GUNSHIP. WHAT ARE YOUR ORDERS?"
Baltar stared at Celeste, who smiled thinly. He was clearly worried, "Send out the raiders! All of them!"
"BY YOUR COMMAND." The Cylons left.
"Wait!" Baltar yelped, "Come back! Come back you cowards!" He kept an eye on Celeste.
The ship rocked as a solonite bomb exploded against its hull. Baltar and Celeste were thrown to the ground. Baltar managed to grab a gun from a fallen Cylon. He ran for the door. But Celeste was there ahead of him with her blaster in his face.
But this time, Baltar also had his gun up.
"They hit the tylium energizer." He growled at Celeste.
"I can pull this trigger faster than you can blink," Celeste reminded him.
Baltar lowered his gun, "If you stand here, blocking the door, neither of us will leave here alive."
Celeste didn't blink. "So be it," she said.
Before Baltar could think of a response, the glass doors behind Celeste slid open. The glint of silver armor shone in the hallway.
Then it happened.
The sound of a Cylon pulse rifle discharging.
Apollo watched as the scene played in slow motion before him. Suddenly, he wasn't on an old Cylon gunship. His mind took him to an ancient planet, where he saw his beloved wife fall to the ground from the fire of a Cylon gun.
But when the vision cleared, it wasn't Serina who was lying on the ground.
It was Celeste.
Apollo sat in shock, seeing but not seeing as Baltar and the Cylons quickly left the chamber. He heard, but didn't hear Chameleon's gasp.
All he could see was the motionless warrior lying in front of the glass door. All he could hear was her voice, echoing hauntingly in his ears.
So be it.
He rushed to her, with Chameleon close behind him. He was so numb that he couldn't feel his feet touching the ground.
All that mattered now was Celeste. Only Celeste.
No! Not Celeste! She's not done living yet!
He reached the young woman. She was breathing, but shallowly. He picked up her hand. It felt limp and small in his.
"No, Celeste, no! Don't do this! I can't lose you, too!" he cried, "Say something."
Celeste's eyelids fluttered. She moaned.
Apollo, I think I hear Apollo. But I'm dead, so why do I hear him? Maybe it's an angel and it just sounds like Apollo. Unless Apollo's dead, too! Oh no! I think I should find out if it is Apollo before I jump to conclusions. But how? Talking, I remember that's a good way to communicate. But can a dead person talk? I guess I can try…
Celeste opened her eyes weakly, "Apollo?" she tried to sit up. If that's an angel, he sure looks a lot like Apollo.
"Lie still." Apollo told her, "It's okay. I'm here, and you're going to be okay."
"Apollo!" Celeste cried, "Are you dead?"
Apollo blinked, "No, Celeste, I'm fine. Don't worry, we're going to get you out of here. You're going to be all right."
Celeste closed her eyes. Whatever was going on was a lot easier to deal with when she couldn't see what it was.
"Just hang in there." Apollo whispered. He nodded to Chameleon, "Okay, let's get her to the shuttle."
Celeste opened her eyes again, "Wait, the Peacemakers! They're probably still imprisoned somewhere…" Celeste sat up, wincing as she tried to stand up.
"Lay down, that's an order!" Apollo said sternly, afraid she might hurt herself more.
Celeste gave him a dirty look before she collapsed.
Chameleon looked grim, "She's right, Captain." He picked up a gun from the ground, "I'll go get them and meet you back at the shuttle."
"Are you sure?" Apollo didn't look sure.
Chameleon forced an almost-cocky smile, "What can I say, she's an inspiration. If she can do it, so can I." He strode quickly out the door.
Apollo scooped up the surprisingly-light Celeste and followed Chameleon.
"Good luck." Apollo called to Chameleon.
"Good luck, Captain." Chameleon answered, "And take care of her."
They each went a different direction down the halls.
¤
"For the last time, Apollo, I'm fine! It's just a bruise!" Celeste protested as Apollo tried again to make her lie on a makeshift bed on the shuttle.
"You were unconscious!" Apollo said.
Celeste rolled her eyes, "You would be, too if you'd been blasted into the floor of a Cylon gunship!"
Apollo patiently pushed her back into the seat cushions, "Well, you need to stay in bed for a while. You probably got a concussion."
"Are you going to order me to stay in bed, Captain?" Celeste asked darkly, "Or do you still not believe that this vest I'm wearing is pulse-proof?"
"I believe it," Apollo sighed, "You should have been an inventor."
"Oh, great. Not you, too. Why does everyone disagree with my career choice?" Celeste grumbled.
Apollo looked incomprehensively at her, "What do you mean? Who disagrees with you being a Colonial Warrior?"
Celeste paused. "Forget it. I didn't say anything."
"But I think I need to say something." Chameleon said, appearing in the shuttle, "A lot of things, actually." Apollo hadn't even heard the hatch open.
Apollo stood up, "Is everyone accounted for?"
"We're all here." Minos said from behind Chameleon.
"Good." Apollo looked again at the simmering Celeste. He'd have to talk to her later. It was time to launch the shuttle.
Another solonite bomb exploded, rocking the shuttle. This time, the explosion seemed to continue even after the shockwaves. Apollo climbed into the pilot's seat, leaving Chameleon to the piercing glare of Celeste.
¤
"Starbuck, more fighters are coming out of that gunship!" Boomer manipulated the Lemonade's controls.
"I see them, Boomer. Hey, do you think they've figured out that there's only two of us?" Starbuck asked, blasting a Cylon raider.
Zac locked his gun onto one of the flat grey ships, "I don't think it makes any difference to them right now. Look!"
The Cylon gunship was exploding.
"That last solium bomb I accidentally dropped must have hit the tylium energizer!" Zac cried, "If only I'd figured out the weapons controls on this thing before we got engaged in combat!"
"If only Celeste had left an operator's manual for this thing." Boomer said dryly, "At least it seems to be holding up."
Starbuck saw the explosion in the center of the gunship spreading to the rest of the ship. "What if Apollo and Celeste are still on the gunship?" he cried, "That's where that Peacemaker guy on the Neptuna said that they went!"
"Let's hope that's them on that shuttle!" Zac exclaimed.
Starbuck and Boomer looked. Sure enough, one of the Galactica's shuttles was flying away from the doomed gunship at full speed.
Starbuck nervously eyed the Cylon ship, "She's gonna blow! Boomer, let's get out of here!" He thrusted after the shuttle and caught up easily.
Boomer scrambled for the turbo button.
The gunship exploded behind the Lemonade.
Zac watched worriedly from his aft cockpit, "Boomer, it's getting hot back here…"
Boomer found a button marked "Super Turbo" and punched it.
The Lemonade streaked past Starbuck's viper and the shuttle and disappeared into space.
"What was that?" Starbuck said, "Boomer? Boomer? Come in. Zac? Hello?"
"Starbuck, is that you?" Apollo's voice asked.
"Apollo! Boy is it good to hear your voice!" Starbuck exclaimed, "Where's Celeste? Is she with you? Is she okay?"
"She's right here, and she's okay, considering." Apollo answered.
Starbuck didn't like that answer when it was regarding his little sister, "Considering? Considering what?"
"She had a run in with a Cylon pulse rifle, but she's okay…"
"Okay?" Starbuck cried, "And what in the context of Celeste and a Cylon gun does 'okay' mean?"
"She's alive, Starbuck. She was wearing a pulse-proof vest that she made from some hull plating from one of the Cylon raiders."
Starbuck tried to sigh with relief. It came out differently than he'd planned.
"Are you all right, Starbuck?" Apollo asked when he heard a strange noise come from his friend.
"I don't know. I don't think I've been entirely all right ever since I met her!"
Apollo grinned a little, "Better get used to it. It seems that Celeste is going to be around for a while. And I doubt this is the last time something like this happens."
Starbuck shook his head, "When we get back to the Galactica, I want the whole story. Sounds like a good one."
"Fair enough." Apollo replied, "Hey, Starbuck, a moment ago you were calling for Boomer and Zac…"
"Yeah." Starbuck said, "They, uh…they went back to the Galactica a little faster than we're going."
"Oh. Ok." Apollo decided it was better not to ask.
The Viper and the shuttle flew side by side toward the fleet of mismatched ships that they called 'home'.
…To Be Continued…
