"Look at me, Starbuck!"
It was Luana's first clue that Ama was losing him. She had seen the test of the Fires of Truth several times in her lifetime, and had never felt the same apprehension that she did when the necromancer led the Colonial Warrior onto the burning embers. After all, Starbuck was not Empyrean, and the test relied heavily on Ama's ability to put her subject into a trance and maintain it.
Ama pressed her body against Starbuck's, the orb trapped between them, as she forced him to stumble backwards. She could sense Luana and Lia hovering anxiously only a metron away. Captain Apollo picked up on the sudden tension, joining them, his arms reaching instinctively for his friend.
"Not yet!" Lia hissed, grabbing Apollo's hand as she watched Ama maneuver Starbuck closer to them. It was as though they were mismatched lovers in a strange, ritualistic mating dance. "You'll break their connection if you touch him."
Ama's face was a mask of concentration as she tried to maintain their phrenic connection. She held Starbuck's gaze, her forehead against his, as she used all her powers to keep him safe. She could feel him battling her, like a wave of energy repelling her attempt to control his subconscious thought. "Now!" she gasped, as she sensed the relatively cool deck beneath her feet again.
Three sets of arms enveloped the lieutenant, pulling him to safety. They tumbled to the deck, so frenzied were they in their attempt to remove him from the searing heat of the Fires of Truth.
"The test was incomplete!" Sire Regus roared.
"Nay, it was done! You heard his declarations!" Siress Ama retorted.
"Then let us see his feet!" Sire Albus demanded.
"By all that's sacred, stand back and give him some air!" Kella demanded as they buzzed above the warrior. Starbuck appeared dazed and disoriented as he feebly attempted to extract himself from the tangle of limbs surrounding him.
"Easy, Starbuck." Apollo muttered from beneath the warrior, as his struggles intensified.
"Try to relax." Lia encouraged as she rolled off his legs.
"You're okay." Luana reassured him, putting herself nose to nose with him and stroking his face soothingly. "It's over."
A shuddering breath escaped him as he focused on Luana while the steady din of intruding voices drew his attention. His eyes darted away, taking in the collection of faces around him, everyone staring at him expectantly. A sharp movement beneath him impelled him to raise himself on one elbow and look behind him.
"Hi," Apollo smiled weakly at his bewildered friend. "Can you get off me?"
"Sure," he mumbled numbly, moving himself aside as Lia and Luana assisted him to a seated position. Starbuck sat, elbows upon knees, running his hands through his hair until they came to a stop mid-skull.
"Are you okay?" Apollo asked him uncertainly, gripping a shoulder and at the same time glaring accusingly at Ama. The Imperial Necromancer looked shaken and spent as she hovered over them, the orb still in her grasp.
Starbuck nodded hesitantly. It was all a blur that he couldn't make any sense of now. He looked up at Ama. "Don't . . . do that again."
"Oh, I won't." Ama replied assuredly.
"What happened?" Apollo asked her.
"I dropped him." She replied evasively.
"Excuse me?" Apollo asked again, a little more insistently this time.
"He's . . . resistant to my talents." Ama admitted.
"Never mind that now, look at his feet." Siress Ama interrupted.
The elegant Siress was kneeling at the warrior's feet, an awed expression on her features. The others gathered round.
"Let us see your feet, Lieutenant." Yehudi kneeled on his other side, his hand palm up and awaiting the warrior's action.
Starbuck lifted his foot, morbidly curious to see what damage was done. The appendage was almost as numb as his mind at this point, and he really didn't know what to expect.
"He is unmarked." Yehudi smiled as he lifted the ankle upwards for all to see. "He spoke the truth." The Empyreans began to speak animatedly, Regus, Albus and Rogane arguing vehemently within the group. Even Lia and Luana joined the fray.
It was like watching a game of Net Ball, as the ball volleyed back and forth between two teams. Starbuck shook his head mutely, jerking his leg back from Yehudi's grip, and shakily pulling his socks and boots back on. Still the debate continued. Unfortunately, he was having difficulty following much of it. He felt as though he was apart from them all, wrapped in a thick fog that he couldn't penetrate. He looked blearily up at Apollo who seemed to be following the discussion intently.
Apollo suddenly became aware of his still seated friend, and held a hand down to him, pulling him easily to his feet. The captain steadied the dazed man as he weaved for a moment. It was when the two stood there side by side that someone took notice of them again.
"This is inappropriate. They should not be present here and now." Sire Regus announced disdainfully.
Aurelia nodded. "Captain Apollo, our discussion should take place behind closed doors so we can reach a decision that our people will honour. It is our way." She smiled apologetically.
"Is the insurrection over?" Apollo asked, still a little bit lost within the proceedings.
"Of course." Siress Ama answered indignantly. "We will convene with the additional representatives of our people." She nodded towards the other civilians. "We will announce our determination when the meeting is concluded."
"In that case, I'll have our remaining shuttles land . . . to maintain the order while you reach a decision. I hope you realize that you're not the only authoritative body involved here. Commander Adama and the Council will need to be a part of any final decisions." The captain informed them, noting a few eyebrows raised in displeasure. So far, the Empyrean Quorum had been permitted to play a role in their governing, which, while still recognized by the Council, had been largely ceremonial to the Colonial point of view. It had been yet another attempt to cement the ties of unity between the Empyrean people and the Fleet. He put a hand on the lieutenant's shoulder guiding him towards the doorway. "Come on, Starbuck. Let's leave these good people to their deliberations."
"Starbuck! Wait!" Luana called, rushing to his side. She took his hands, studying him intently. "Are you all right? You seem a little discombobulated."
Starbuck nodded briefly. "What the frack was that, Lu?"
"She hypnotized you. Or at least tried to. Do you remember what you said?"
"I . . . " Fleeting mages, an array of feelings, and a sense of overwhelming bewilderment flooded his mind. Strangely, Luana seemed to glow with happiness as she watched him with concern . . . which was only more confusing, not to mention disturbing. "Uh, I think so. Maybe. What did I say?"
She grinned in reply, watching as Apollo took a few hasty steps towards the corridor. "Never mind. We'll talk about it later." She looked over her shoulder to watch the others taking their places at the meeting table. "Innamorato," she whispered huskily, before kissing him tenderly. "I'll see you soon."
"Uh . . . sure." He replied uncertainly as he watched her go. She looked far too happy for someone about to engage in a diplomatic meeting. And why was she involved anyway? Hades, she had abdicated. His brain felt like it was the playing ground for a pinball tournament as he tried to sort out his thoughts.
"Starbuck, let's go!" Apollo called him.
He shook his head in puzzlement once again before turning to join his captain. Apollo clapped him on the shoulder and grinned kind of . . . stupidly at him. It was almost like they were lost in some alternate universe all of a sudden. "What?" he asked tentatively.
"Congrats, buddy." Apollo beamed, before clapping him again on the shoulder and heading down the corridor.
Oh, he knew he should ask, but he'd rather just find out in his own time. Or not at all. That would be okay. After all, whatever it was he said, he was under the influence of . . . Ama. That had to count for something. He ran his fingers back through his hair, pushing it back out of his eyes, before following along.
They immediately headed back to the landing bay, Apollo activating his personal communicator as they walked down corridors as quiet and deserted as the centar before. "Captain Apollo here. Boomer, it seems that the rioters have dispelled for the moment . . . not that we've actually seen any sign of them." He paused looking aside at Starbuck, who seemed lost in his own thoughts. "Have the other shuttles land and the warriors and security officers aboard prepare to take up positions to maintain the order through our presence."
"Yes, Sir." Boomer replied, over the comm.
"Starbuck, since when do average Empyreans sit on a Quorum?" Apollo asked, trying to get Starbuck back in the here and now. He was a thousand parsecs away.
"You're asking me?" he snorted in amusement, as he tried to drag his mind above the temporary fog that had settled on it. He shrugged as he considered it. "When the people rescind the system of government?"
"Wait a centon." Apollo stopped him mid-stride. "Are you sure about that?"
"Not entirely. Sorry buddy, I feel like I just woke up with a hangover after the party of the millennium." He took a deep breath, trying to gather his thoughts. "I just recall Lia mentioning something about it at some point . . . But something big has happened. Other than heating up my feet to verify I'm not some kind of athletic scam artist, they really didn't seem too intent on anything relating to an Empyrean betrothal. I don't know about you, but I kind of got the idea that that was part and parcel of why I was dragged over here. Not that I'm complaining, you understand." He smiled weakly.
Apollo nodded, aware that his friend's recall was a bit hazy. Well, confessions of that nature were best left to Luana to discuss with him. "Something happened when that riot occurred. Have you ever seen an insurgence back under control so quickly? Without military or Security assistance? It's almost like they already had some kind of policy in place for this."
"I wouldn't be surprised. They pride themselves on rigid control and maintaining decorum along with tradition. Oh, and carefully keeping all afore mentioned protocol to themselves." He suggested ruefully, rubbing his face wearily.
"Are you okay? You don't look so well." Apollo asked, noting the pale complexion on his friend. God only knew what kind of ill affects could result from the apparent hypnosis or trance-like state Starbuck had experienced.
"Nothing a few Empyrean Ales wouldn't cure." Starbuck replied, turning his smile up a notch as he saw the sign for the Tankard up ahead of them.
"Not on duty, buddy." Apollo reminded him, watching the lieutenant's smile slip exponentially. He studied him again in concern. "Hey, do you need to sit the rest of this out?"
"What?" His eyebrows shot up in surprise. "No! I just . . . " He shrugged, not really sure how to describe it. He felt like someone had sucked him out of his body through his nose and then stuffed him back inside through his . . . He winced at the very thought of it. "I'll be fine."
"Okay, if you're sure. Then let's go to the bridge and find out what we can from Captain Valeray. At least he can tell us a bit about the riot. So far, we're still in the dark."