He needed a Viper.
The Rover would get Starbuck through the asteroid field efficiently enough, but once he hit open space, he needed the speed of a Colonial Viper to get back to the Galactica as soon as possible.
"Hey, if you blow that bird's engines, you're going to take even longer to get back to the marauders' base." Boomer reminded him, knowing the small ship was once again being pushed beyond its limits. "A lot longer."
"They're pirates." Starbuck corrected him, as the Rover shook around him. There was nothing left to coax out of her, she was giving all she had to give. He eyed the gauges knowing he couldn't push her rattletrap engines any further. "Frackin' pirates!" He slammed a fist down on the panel in frustration.
"You okay, buddy?"
"What in Hades was she doing, Boomer? It was just Draco's word against mine. It wasn't anything worth dying over!" He was gripped by tension as his fear . . . no, his terror of the unknown seemed to compress his entire body, squeezing him until he thought he would be crushed beneath its undeniable force.
"Starbuck, we don't know for certain that Luana's . . . dead. We hadn't heard anything when we launched. They should know when we get back."
He let out a deep breath, shaking his head in disbelief. His heart was pounding against his chest wall, and the constant thud was radiating down into his gut and up into his skull. "Why would she . . .?"
"She wanted to clear your name, Starbuck. She loves you, you dolt."
He
shook his head, forcing back the tide of emotions that threatened to
overwhelm him. She had gone up against Fausto's goons simply so
Starbuck wouldn't be known for throwing a few triad games! Where
did she ever get the idea that she had the wherewithal to compete
with someone of Fausto's experience? That damn stubborn streak she
had, coupled with that irrepressible devotion to the people she cared
about
.
. . Lords, hadn't he taught her anything at all about looking out
for number one?
He wiped at his face, blinking furiously, and wondering why his abrasions chose now to seep all over the place. Just great, you need to get back to the base, and you can barely see out of the cockpit! Instead, images of Luana haunted him. The first time he had seen her on Empyrean; finally finding her after almost losing her on Alrin; making love with her in the equipment room of the Fitness Center . . . Stop it!
"She's going to be okay." Boomer reassured him, hearing the sharp, uneven breathing over the comm line. "She's tough, Starbuck. And smart."
"A lot of good that'll do her in an non-pressurized cargo hold." He snapped.
"Starbuck . . . " Boomer truly didn't know what to say in response.
You're just tired, Bucko. That was it. He didn't usually react like this. As days from Hades Hole went, it was definitely at the top of his 'personal worst' list. Or was it the bottom? He wasn't even sure. Every square centimetron of his body ached, some worse than others. His head was pounding. His gut was twisting into knots. His entire body was quivering in exhaustion. His uniform was crisp from filth, but only where it wasn't damp from sweat and blood. He knew he must smell awful, but his olfaction receptors had centars ago been spontaneously incinerated from being exposed to the pungent aroma of Dorado and Company.
"There's the base." Boomer told him. "Pick up a Viper and we'll be in range of the Galactica in no time."
"Yeah." Starbuck murmured, knowing he had to get it together. Apollo would take one look at him and ground him unless he could convince him he was better than he looked. Better than he felt. Better than he was.
----------
It was a little bit like walking into a museum of aviation, as Apollo entered the Earth Space Shuttle. 'Endeavour' they had called her, though of course the symbols on her side, E-N-D-E-A-V-O-U-R, meant nothing to him. Dorado had told him that it had been the ship that the men from Earth had arrived in some thirty yahrens ago. And as Giselle began to thrust a tube into Dickins' lung to drain off the accumulation of blood that was suffocating him, Apollo hastily decided to investigate.
He shook his head, wondering what it had looked like when fully operational, before the marauders had stripped it bare of anything they felt was useful. Even so, as he sat in the one remaining seat in the ship's cockpit, and ran a hand over the accumulated dirt on a console, many of its instruments long gone, a strange shiver ran through him. It was a magical, almost mystical experience, stepping into a ship that to him symbolized one huge, meaningful step closer to their journey's end. It was surreal.
Another world. Another life. A real future.
Earth!
For the first time since they had begun this unwanted trek through the stars, he could almost see it happening in his lifetime. And now that they had discovered that the Pegasus was still on the scene, he could feel his rising excitement at the prospect of perhaps destroying the pursuing Cylons, and well and truly leaving their ancient enemy behind.
Perhaps when Boxey was a man, he would be able to raise his own family on a planet that wasn't subject to the ongoing warfare that Apollo had known his entire life, and his ancestors for a thousand yahrens before him. Oh, to spend resources exploring the universe, instead of fleeing through it, raping it for necessary resources to sustain them on their quest.
A faint noise behind him drew him from his reverie. Apollo turned to gape in horror at the sight before him. "Starbuck?" he breathed, as he rose to his feet.
"Oh, come on Apollo," replied the other, his voice raspy and rough. "I can't look that bad."
But he did. Apollo stood shaking his head as he took in the sight. Hair plastered to his head with grime and God knows what else; the right side of his face scraped and bruised; his right eye not far from being swollen shut; his tunic and pants torn and stained with blood; and his feet wrapped in some strange material which left dark brown stains as footprints. It didn't take a podiatrist to know that it was probably blood.
"Sagan . . . " Apollo mumbled striding towards his friend. "What in Hades did they do to you? I thought you said you were okay!" He grabbed Starbuck's shoulders, and at once regretted it when a brief flicker of pain crossed his friend's features.
"Just a little initiation rite. I am okay. Now." Starbuck assured him, stepping back from the measuring gaze and uncomfortable grasp. "So this is an Earth ship," he said lightly, stepping away. A fake lightness, and they both knew it.
Apollo let him retreat, noting how stiffly the lieutenant was moving. He glanced over to see Boomer stepping inside the shuttle. Both lieutenants gazed around with interest at the remaining multitude of broken screens, dials, switches, and seemingly endless instruments—at least what was left of them.
"How did it go?" Apollo asked after a moment.
"He might look like he just went nine rounds with Saxosus Montanus, but he still out-flew Bex." Boomer replied, vouching for his friend. It had blown his mind when he saw Starbuck slowly climb down from the Rover in the pirates' hangar, obviously hurting, but then when his friend had turned around and pulled the helmet off . . . Lords, Boomer had been tempted to turn his blaster on a few of those snitrads himself. From the reaction of the rest of Blue Squadron, most of them felt the same way. "Starbuck told me a few things about how they operate around here. Maybe we should reconsider blowing this place to Hades Hole, Apollo. Besides, if the Cylons ever took over this place, there are apparently a few inhabited systems around here. It's a perfect location for preying on the innocent and decimating other societies. It'd be like the Colonies all over again."
"Boomer . . . " Apollo shrugged helplessly. He did have his orders. Quick in and out, and avoid taking on any fighters, if possible. But then they didn't know about the Earth men, or about the Endeavour. Or just how despicable these pirates were. He sighed as he thought about the possibility of taking the Earth shuttle back to the Fleet to study. What an opportunity!
Apollo moved back towards Starbuck. "Did you tell him about Luana?" he asked Boomer.
"All we knew when we left," Boomer clarified, noting Starbuck look at the captain anxiously.
"Have you heard . . . ?" Starbuck asked, his question trailing off as Apollo shook his head regretfully. He damned well knew they were out of communication range still, why did he even ask? "I need to get back there. I need a ship. I can let the Commander know about your new game plan."
Apollo smiled ruefully. "My new game plan?"
"We can't just walk away from this place. Boomer's right. The Cylons could use this place to extend their conquests even further into the Star System. It wouldn't be right. Ethically speaking." Starbuck reiterated. "It would be as bad as if we'd left Carillon for them to mine."
"What do you suggest I do with them? Ethically speaking." Apollo nodded out the hatchway.
"The pirates? A bunch of vicious, murdering cutthroats? Dayton and his boys would be happy to take care of them for you." Starbuck scowled, rubbing at his swollen eye.
"Yeah, I kind of got that idea." Apollo frowned. If Starbuck's condition after less than a day was an indication of how they treated people, the Fleet wouldn't welcome them. "Not exactly the Worship Day Flower Club, are they?"
"We could drop them off on the next habitable planet." Boomer suggested. "Like Baltar."
"Or out an airlock." Starbuck added, leaning against a gutted console to mask the weariness that was dragging him down.
Apollo nodded. "I guess we'd better find out how many of them there are."
"There was a rumour about a possible civilian contingent." Starbuck offered after a moment's consideration.
"There's a lot of equipment and raw materials here that would probably stand the Fleet in good stead." Apollo added as he looked around. "And I'd love to bring this shuttle back as well. Imagine the impact it would have on the people of the Fleet to not only see this ship, but to meet men from Earth . . . what did you call them?"
"The Earth men?" Starbuck asked, watching Apollo nod. "Ryan told me 'Earthlings', but I think he was joking. At least the others seemed to find it funny at the time." He shrugged. "They didn't laugh so hard when he told me to call them 'Canadians'."
"Sounds like this Ryan is a bit of a joker, eh?" Apollo smiled.
"They're good men. All of them." Starbuck thought back to his encounter with Dayton in the control room, reminding himself that he had killed Torg and Bex since then. It gave him a different perspective on the NASA Commander. "I can't imagine what kind of fortitude it would take to survive what they've been through all of these yahrens. Apollo, those prisoners we found when we hit the Cylon base on Naytar looked better than some of these folks. I mean, yeah, Cylons kill. But these vermin seem to enjoy it. In fact, the more torture they can inflict before they eventually kill you, the better. And if they can break you . . ." Starbuck closed his eyes briefly, shaking off the chilling sensation that shot down his spine, as he recalled his session with Torg and Bex. He rubbed at the throbbing spot in the middle of his forehead, feeling the captain's eyes on him.
"Is that based on what you went through?" Apollo asked.
Starbuck merely nodded as he met the intense gaze. He'd explain the Obediator later. "There's the Dynamos too. We'll need to blow them up. We sure as Hades don't want that technology falling into Cylon diodes."
"I wonder if we could safely bring one back for Wilker to dissect." Apollo pondered. "Moving into a new region of space, we're going to have to know what possible dangers we'll be facing."
"Oh, we could bring it back safely enough; they're all deactivated. It's what Wilker does to it once it arrives in his lab, that I'm concerned about." Starbuck suggested.
"Point." Boomer agreed.
"Still, if we could somehow use that technology to our advantage." Apollo mused, smiling at Boomer's intrigued countenance, and Starbuck's dour one. "Maybe turn it against the Cylons . . ."
"How about it?" Starbuck let out a long sigh. "I really need to get back to the Galactica, Apollo. I've got to find out what happened to Lu."
"Why don't you fly back in the shuttle with the others?" Apollo suggested. "Giselle needs to look . . ."
Starbuck winced, shaking his head. "Sagan's sake, don'tmake me beg for this." The exhaustion that he had tried so hard to hide had penetrated his limbs, and the man literally sagged before them.
"Hey . . ." Apollo stepped forward, thinking Starbuck was about to collapse. The lieutenant raised a hand to stop him, but Apollo grabbed his arm anyway. "I don't want you flying. Not in this condition. I'm sorry."
"I'm fine. Just a bit bruised." He straightened his shoulders, and shook his head in protest, as he shook Apollo off. "Giselle said she'd check me out later." What she had actually told him was "get in line, Starbuck" as she had pointed to Dorado and the Earthmen, but it was all in the interpretation really.
"You do look like you're going to drop, Starbuck." Boomer pointed out, still amazed that Starbuck had been cleared by the med tech. Maybe he should have gone aboard the shuttle with him . . .
"The Viper is flown from the seated position, Boomer." Starbuck snapped, articulating each word. He had heard the story of Boomer challenging Colonel Tigh over Blue Squadron leaving their sick beds to back up the relatively new squadron of female fighter pilots, commanded by Apollo and Starbuck, over Kobol.
"That was different, buddy." Boomer replied, knowing what he was getting at. But Starbuck making it back ahead of the shuttle was hardly a life or death situation . . . well, not the way he meant it anyway.
"I can't wait for the shuttle, it'll take too long . . . I need to know if she's . . ." Starbuck swallowed the enormous lump in his throat, "dead or alive. Surely to God you can understand that." He looked to Apollo. Remember Zac he nearly said, but clamped down on it.
Apollo nodded briefly as he looked into the anguished blue eyes. He had rushed his own father to their family home following Caprica's destruction for that very reason, in addition to realizing it was safer for the sole surviving Battlestar Commander and Member of the Quorum of Twelve. Of course, there had been no traces of his beloved mother . . . and then there had been Zac . . . and Serina . . .
"I'll go with him." Boomer volunteered, as he read the indecision in the captain's eyes. He placed a hand on Starbuck's other shoulder, and felt the slight trembling coursing through his frame as he tried to control his emotions. "I can report to the commander. Starbuck's going to need to get to the Life Station, after all." He squeezed his friend's shoulder in reassurance. "To see Luana," he clarified.
"After decon." Apollo reminded them. "All right. I'm hoping the commander will decide to leave the Fleet and circle back around to blow this base to Hades Hole after you tell him the change of plans. It would take a lot less time and save numerous shuttles a long journey, not to mention the amount of solonite it would require to blow this place apart. That's if he isn't going to strip and module us first."
"What do you mean by 'us', Captain?" Boomer grinned. "We were only following orders."
"You don't think the Commander would believe that, do you?" Apollo looked meaningfully at Starbuck.
"Guys, I hate to cut the chitchat short, but . . . " Starbuck griped.
The sudden loud noise of Colonial Boots running up the makeshift gangway drew their attention. Jolly abruptly appeared in the hatchway.
"Skipper, we've got company. One of those pirate squadrons was just picked up on Varick's scanner."
"Launch Silver Spar to intercept."
"Apollo, ten to one the Wraiths are out there too. They have some kind of technology which scrambles sensors." Starbuck warned him. "They fly dark, move fast, and are difficult to spot, especially with your scanners on the blink."
"What's their firepower like?" the Strike Captain asked, turning to Starbuck. Admittedly, his wingman's return to business boosted his confidence in his decision.
"The Rovers have reduced range and power. The Wraiths . . . I'm not sure. I never saw any weapons, but that doesn't rule out the possibility." Starbuck returned.
Apollo nodded. "I'll brief Bojay. Jolly, we need to find out if there are any civilians here. It might translate into a quick end to the battle if we have hostages."
"I'm on it." Jolly replied. "What about our shuttle? Apparently, they're ready to launch."
"How are the wounded?"
"Stabilized for transport, but still critical."
Apollo shook his head in frustration. "Same Viper escort. I'll have Bojay make sure they get out safely. You two are on your own, ahead of the shuttle."
"We're off then." Starbuck interjected, slapping Boomer meaningfully in the arm.
Apollo nodded. "Be careful. And be mindful of the Wraiths when you head back to the Fleet. If what you say about them is true, they could get you turned around."
"I'll follow my nose instead of my scanner." Starbuck nodded, turning sharply on his heel and striding towards the gangway. He blew out a relieved breath as he realized he had just played the most convincing hand of his life. He wasn't looking forward to spending a couple centars cooped up in a fighter, or however long it would take at full thrusters, but at least he would finally find out what happened to Luana.
He repressed the sudden wave of anxiety threatening to consume him. She had to be okay. She just had to. Then irrationally, it hit him. He stopped in his tracks, stumbling forward when Boomer collided clumsily with him from behind. It struck him that it probably looked quite amusing to the onlookers as he regained his balance . . . especially if Croad being doubled over with jocularity and slapping his knee was any indication.
"What?" Boomer asked, reaching out an arm to steady him.
Starbuck turned around slowly, almost reluctantly. "I . . . " he shook his head, wondering where the sudden thought came from. Of all the inopportune moments to get inspired! Maybe the Lords of Kobol really were listening.
Typically, they had no sense of timing.
"What?" Boomer asked again, looking back at Apollo who had barely stopped himself from propelling into both of them.
"I've got an idea." Starbuck admitted.
