Adama held back, letting Starbuck go to her. "Rene, relax. What's wrong?"

She looked down at her hand noticing the blood. Nearly hyperventilating, she asked gasping, "Is it safe?"

Starbuck cautiously reached out to her, stilling her hand that was still trying to draw her weapon. "I've got you. You're safe. I intend to do my best to keep you that way, if you'll let me."

"Really?" she looked up at him, wide-eyed.

"Really." He caught the pointed look from Adama. "What does it do, Rene?" Starbuck saw Cassie come around the other side, a bioscanner in her hand.

"Speeds things up." She relaxed and slid down to where she was sitting on the floor. She concentrated on catching her breath. "Eight. Tell him, the limit is eight."

"Tell who, Rene? Eight what?"

She shook her head and tried to find her feet again, but didn't get far. Starbuck tried to catch her as she slumped against him weakly.

"What is it, Cass?" Starbuck helped Cassie lay Rene down on the floor.

"Heart rate is elevated and irregular, potassium critically low. Hold this." She handed Starbuck the scanner as she raced for a cabinet, removing a device and bringing it to Rene. Cassie deftly opened the neck of Rene's tunic and placed the instrument over her heart. "This will regulate the rhythm. Commander, if you could help me get her up on the bed. Don't try to lift her Starbuck, you'll open up your wound."

The Commander leaned down and helped Cassie lift Rene to the biobed she had been leaning against. A moment later, Cassie was restarting the intravenous and delivering some kind of medication through a bio pump.

"She's going to be okay. I've stabilized her heart rhythm. She needs fluids and rest. Your questions are going to have to wait. I don't know what it is you are all talking about, but she is right. It took a lot out of her. Starbuck, back to bed too. I only just pulled your chest tube; you should be resting, not gallivanting around the Life Center. She's not going anywhere."

Starbuck looked to Rene, noting that her breathing had slowed and she appeared relaxed and sleeping. He turned to the Commander, who moved aside to indicate the bed that Starbuck should be in himself. Fatigue seemed to sweep over him with even the small amount of activity. Starbuck climbed up to sit on the bed before speaking.

"Commander, they wouldn't let Apollo or Boomer go through, so she must know it's not completely safe. She entered some coordinates in a device and then directed a pulse of energy and the Raider just kind of slipped in behind the pulse, like an ion trail or something. Next thing I know, it's like the world just stretched out, and then collapsed inward. Only way I can describe it. Like going down a tunnel. It was just a brief moment and then everything snapped back to normal, but we were some place different. And they all acted like they'd done it a million times. Like it was no big deal. I'm assuming she did the same thing on the way back, only I'm told we wound up here, not near Maadi, so she must be able to control where it goes. How did the tankers get here?"

"The first one followed her through what looked like a disruption in space, a wormhole I'm told from what readings we could get. When she left the first time, we saw the distortion open and close behind her. The last time, she flew back to Maadi. It appears it is connected to the Raider. Hence our concerns." Adama said.

"So we pull the Raider apart and find out what it is," Starbuck stated.

"Max flew back to Maadi after the last tanker, and Rene went in her Viper. When she came back she was alone. Apollo sent Boomer and Bojay back out to Maadi as soon as she landed, but they are reporting the Raider is not there."

Starbuck snorted. "She's not dumb. Reckless, but not dumb."

"So it appears. We can only assume since it is connected to the Raider that it is Cylon technology. We need to get our hands on it. My biggest question is whether Dante is aware of this technology?"

"I don't think so." Starbuck looked back to Rene, before looking to his Commander. "She doesn't trust Dante at all. It was her friends, her people that helped today. I think only Crius and Max are Academy trained. When we went through the first time, she made sure there was a planet and a moon between her and Dilmun. Probably out of scanner range."

"Could you get a reading as to where you went? Our scanners are not picking up any Cylon activity or anything remotely resembling a fuel depot within range of those tankers."

"No, sir. No idea. She's got her secrets and looks like she's keeping them for now." Starbuck cast Rene a wistful glance, before meeting the Commander's eyes.

"Even from you despite the um, liberties, you've been granted?" Adama smiled slightly, referring to the relationship he had helped foster and fraternization rules Adama had overlooked.

"Believe me. Sir, I've tried to find things out. And I know, we said she should come to you, but I don't think that's going to happen."

Adama nodded. After the anger she just vented upon him, any thought of Rene being open or trusting had evaporated. "Does she know how much you've already told us? Is she understanding of your duplicity?"

Starbuck nodded, acknowledging the deeper question Adama was asking about his and Rene's relationship. "She let me come with her to get the fuel, so she wants me to know. And yes, she knows I tell you almost everything. Hence why she didn't show me how it works or explain where we went." He nodded again. "We'll work this out. I really don't think it's that she doesn't trust us. I think she doesn't trust where we stand with Dante. It's Dante she really doesn't like or trust. I think she's scared this all won't work. She's afraid to join us, so she needs to be able to go back to Dante. She's walking the middle ground, and…" He motioned to her unconscious prone position, "that's not working. Give me some time to point that out to her."

Adama nodded in confirmation of his request. "How can I help?"

Starbuck hoped that sitting there in his briefs, bandages still attached to him, the commander would see his request was not just for personal motives. "Time alone. She opens up to me when we can get away from prying eyes, Colonial as well as Zakar. Let her feel safe. She knows it's different here, despite what she just said, or she wouldn't be here helping. She did just risk her life, literally, to get us enough fuel to get out of here. That says something."

"Yes it does," Adama conceded. "But I can't bend too many more rules, Starbuck."

"So break them. We have lives depending on this."

Adama nearly reprimanded the Lieutenant, but the sincerity in Starbuck's demeanor made him pause. A few fraternization rules had already been broken by several others in the fleet, his son included. Starbuck's request was not out of line, nor undeserved. "The council of twelve will not be meeting for at least five cycles. The chambers will be empty and unguarded. A memo will go out that any curfew violations will be reported directly to me and no one else. Good luck Lieutenant." Adama made to leave and patted Starbuck on the shoulder as he passed. Adama leaned down and said low enough to avoid detection by Cassiopeia, "If the sealing does happen, I expect to be officiate, as well as the designated father of the groom."

"It would be my honor," Starbuck answered, surprised that word had made it to the Commander about his betrothal.

"Don't walk the middle ground either," Adama said indicating Cassiopeia.

"Understood sir. I handled that; Cassie chose her side, and I chose mine."

Adama clapped him on the shoulder again in acknowledgement before leaving.

Starbuck climbed down from the bed to check on Rene again. He looked down to see her still trembling slightly even in her sleep.

"Give the fluids and electrolytes time to work," Cassie said from across the room. "She should be fine. You can't help her if you're not. Back to bed." Starbuck hesitated, stroking the hair away from Rene's face.

"I'll move her closer to you." Cassie said, coming to maneuver the bio bed.

"Thanks." Starbuck said, climbing back into his own bed and not relaxing until Rene was near. He reached out to her, feeling her tremors still at his touch.

"I know you're not thrilled about this," Starbuck said indicating Rene, meaning the two of them together. "Hades, no one is. I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to fight half her friends."

"It's not about me, Starbuck. Or anyone else for that matter. Do I wish you and I were still together? Yes…and no. You needed something I couldn't give. I see that now. We were once good, and that was enough, then."

"But now…" Starbuck prompted.

Cassiopeia smiled a small rueful smile, "I think I may not be enough for you, Starbuck. It's okay to want to be needed. I needed you once."

"But not anymore?"

"Not in the same way, no. Maybe you were just too good at filling my needs."

Starbuck crinkled his eyes at that one, not quite believing her words.

"All that bravado and yet, no belief in yourself. Yes, Starbuck, you were good to me. She deserves something good as well. Maybe more than I do right now. Now get some rest. You are not healed yet and if you rip out all my hard work of my first surgery I am going to be angry."

"Thanks for not killing me; it must have been tempting." Starbuck smiled, knowing full well Cassie was teasing him. Salik would never have let her operate on him, but he wouldn't have minded being her first at something she was so good at.

"I don't have to help you tempt fate. You're quite good at that yourself. And you are not going to live this one down. Squished by a Centurion! Really, Starbuck, how do you get yourself into these situations?"

"Just lucky I guess." He settled back, his hand still resting on Rene's arm. The steady rhythm of the heartbeat monitor on Rene's biobed lulled him back to sleep.