This story is set just after the destruction of the Colonies, but early in the series. The incident the characters are referring to was depicted in the original episode, "Saga of a Star World," and features your classic triangle. For those of you unfamiliar (or who need your memories jogged a bit), Starbuck, the handsome fighter ace, is loved by Athena, Commander Adama's headstrong daughter. Starbuck met a pretty, blonde Gemonese refugee (and socialator) named Cassiopeia and started making time with her, much to Athena's annoyance. One night, while at her station on the bridge, Athena sees something on a monitor screen that makes her see red: Starbuck, making love to Cassiopeia in one of the launching tubes. In a fit of jealousy, she hit the steam purge button, driving them forth in a cloud of live steam.
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"...Starbuck...I... Could I talk to you just a moment, please?" Athena's voice sounded almost pleading.
He turned angrily. "I don't want to talk to you. Not after that little stunt with the launching tube." He started to hurry away, but Athena caught him by the arm.
"Starbuck! Please!" He turned expectantly. Her eyes met his for a long, uncomfortable moment then lowered, her cheeks coloring. "I-I wanted to apologise, Starbuck. I'm sorry I-"
"Almost killed me?" Anger sharpened his normally easy-going voice, and his blue eyes were blazing. "You realise that's what could have happened, don't you? Those launching tubes purge with live steam, Athena, and-"
"...you could've been killed," she said softly, her voice sounding very small and ashamed.
"That's right. And I make it point to not hang around with-"
"Starbuck!" She clung to his arm, a slow tear starting down one cheek. "I-I don't...know what got into me, Starbuck. I was just... I mean, I... I was so angry when I saw you and...and... I just didn't think, and I-"
"You hit the steam purge," he finished for her. She nodded miserably. "You're a bridge officer, and you know damned well what that can do to-"
"No!!" she cried out. "No! I didn't want to hurt you..." She reconsidered this a moment and corrected herself, saying, "Well, maybe I DID want to hurt you, but I never, ever... Oh, Starbuck, I'm so sorry."
"Not as sorry as you ought to be," he muttered darkly, ignoring the tears that now coursed down Athena's cheeks. Remarkably, she was still entrancingly pretty, despite the tears and smeared makeup. He repressed the urge to take her in his arms, comfort her, kiss her, reminding himself that her jealousy almost seriously injured him and Cassiopeia that night.
"Look, how many times do you want me to say I'm sorry," she said, beginning to sob. "How many times do I have to say it before you believe me?" She looked up into his eyes. "I AM sorry, Starbuck...really and truly sorry. What can I do to prove it to you?"
He considered. Then, an idea came to him, and his angry expression altered to a sly smile, not unlike te expression he wore when he was holding a winning hand of cards. "Do you still have a private cabin," he asked.
"Yes...for now, at least. Why?"
"Never mind. I'll meet you there after duty shift is over, and we can discuss this further." Athena nodded, and the two parted company. Several times, during the next few hours, Starbuck's squadron mates wondered what their adventuresome companion was thinking about, for he would occasionally chuckle to himself and smile a most wicked little smile, blue eyes gleaming.
After shift, he hastened to Athena's cabin, where she was waiting. She watched curiously as he locked the door with a most satisfied expression on his handsome face. "Now, Starbuck," she warned him, "if you think I'm going to fall into bed with you, you've got another thing coming, mister. I said I was sorry, and I meant it, but none of that until after we're sealed."
He smiled. "Athena, I have no intention of trying to get you into bed...at least tonight."
"Oh? Then why'd you lock the door?"
"So we won't be interrupted," he replied smoothly, that irritating smile still adorning his face.
"'Interrupted'? What do you mean?" Starbuck seemed to be looking around the room, now, clearly looking for something. Suddenly, he smiled broadly and went to Athena's night stand and lifted a small, but familiar object. "What are you doing with my hairbrush," she asked.
"Oh, you'll find out - real soon. Remember what you said this morning about being sorry? Really and truly sorry? And how you wanted to prove HOW sorry you were?"
"Yes, and I meant it, but I don't understand what you-"
"You will - very soon." He sat on her bed and beckoned to her. "Come here, Athena." She came over, hesitantly, and he took her hand gently in his and kissed the back of it. Then he tightened his grip and easily pulled her face down across his lap.
"Starbuck! What are you doing?"
He placed his left arm around her waist with a firm grip, hefted the hairbrush with his right, raised it, and brought it down hard across Athena's shapely bottom. "Giving you a spanking," he replied.
"Starbuck! No!!" Fear raced through her, and she struggled to break free. This only resulted in her being pinioned and held even more firmly. The hairbrush contacted her bottom twice more, and she yelped in pain. "Stop it!! Starbuck, stop that this instant!"
"Oh, no." To her astonishment and shame, he seemed to be enjoying this. "Not until I'm sure you're as sorry as you claim to be." He continued to smack the brush's hard, wooden surface against her upturned bottom, savoring her whimpers, cries and futile little kicks. "How long has it been since you've had a good spanking, Athena? Must've been yahrens..."
"Ow!! Starbuck!! Stop it!!" Athena actually managed to squirm off Starbuck's lap, but her freedom lasted scant moments before he recaptured her and dragged her over his knee once more, pausing only to pull down the trousers of her uniform. "No!!" she shrieked. He raised the brush and struck her bare, already pinkened flesh and she screamed in pain, feeling tears start in her eyes. "Starbuck...please. You're hurting me...." she wailed.
"That's the idea," he said, delivering a fast volley of swats that left Athena gasping and sobbing. "You've been a bad girl, Athena, and you know what happens to bad girls." His voice was hard. The hairbrush struck home again, and she wailed.
"I-I s-said I was sorreeee..."
"Yeah? Well by the time I'm done with you, you're really gonna be sorry, aren't you?"
"Y-y-yes... Oh, Starbuck, please....pl-please stop. I'm really, r-really sorry..."
"What would your father say if he knew what you'd done, hmm?"
Summoning some defiance, she retorted, "Well, what about you, screwing that socialator in the launch tube?"
"Well, sweetheart, I admit I'd've probably gotten some sort of write-up for that...maybe pulled an extra duty shift or two. But hitting the steam purge while there are people in the launching tube...that's pretty serious. And as a bridge officer, you know that, so you tell me what he'd say, hmm?"
"Oh, no," she whispered. It didn't bear thinking about. Never mind how embarrassed she felt right now, half undressed and over her erstwhile boyfriend's knee...as the commander's daughter, she was expected to set an example of behavior. And using her official capacity as a bridge officer to satisfy a jealous fit... Not only would she be disgraced, but she would embarrass her entire, prominent family. Adama's political enemies would surely batten on this like a pack of hungry daggits, and...
Starbuck allowed her to think about it for a minute or two, then he said, conversationally, "So you see, darlin', in my book, you're getting off pretty light, don't you think?" He patted the brush gently across her sore, reddened bottom. "Now, what I'd like to hear from you is a sincere apology, and a request for proper punishment."
The brief respite allowed Athena to regain her composure somewhat. "'A request for proper punishment,'" she retorted. "Look, mister, if you think I'm going to ASK you to 'punish' me, you've got another thing-" He raised the brush the struck her sharply, where her seat was reddest. "OWWW!!" She flailed her feet desperately and tried to reach back to cover her bottom with her hands.
"Or, I can just keep this up for a while and see how you feel." He gave her an evil grin and resumed the spanking.
"Oh, no!! Starbuck, please....oh, please." She couldn't stand it - the pain. Her seat already felt as if it were on fire, and she could not break free of his grasp, no matter how hard she struggled. "You have no idea how much that HURTS!!!! Please...please....STOP!!" Her eyes were red and tearful, and her nose dripping. She had forgotten how badly it hurt during the rare times her parents had been sufficiently displeased with her behavior to spank her. "All right...okay. I'll do what you want. I'll do it! Anything...please?? Please??"
He stopped and considered. She seemed properly penitent. "All right. First, I want to hear your apology."
"'I'm sorry' isn't sufficient?"
"Looks like someone needs more spanking..." he remarked lightly, raising his 'weapon.'
"NO!!! Look...all right, what do you WANT me to say?"
He rested the brush against her rump, so she could feel its presence. "I want you to state what you've done, tell me you're sorry, tell me why you shouldn't have done it, and promise to never do it again."
She swallowed hard. "All..all right, Starbuck." She took a deep breath to compose herself and began, "I-I hit the steam purge while you and...and-"
"Her name is Cassiopeia," Starbuck said coolly.
"While you and...Cassiopeia were in the launch tube."
"And can you tell me why you did that, Athena?"
"Be-because I was...I was..."
"Come on..." he prompted.
"Because I was jealous. And...and I wanted to get back at you. And her."
"Was that a nasty, vindictive thing to do, Athena?" Starbuck's voice was infuriatingly calm and cool, and Athena could sense the devilish little smirk playing on his lips.
"Y-yes..."
"And are you sorry you did that?" She nodded vigorously and he said, "I can't hear you, sweet cheeks," and raised the brush in emphasis.
"Yes, I am sorry I did that," she agreed hastily. "It-it was a mean, petty thing to do...and you and...Cassiopeia could've been killed, and I promise I'll never do it again. Never!"
He nodded. "Good apology, darlin'. Now, what do you think should happen to a girl who does that sort of thing?"
Oh, no, she thought, here it comes. Feeling terribly humiliated, she murmured, "...punished..."
Starbuck gave her several moderate strokes with the brush and said, "Sorry, Athena, but I didn't copy that last."
"Owww... I said, 'She should be punished.'"
"I agree. And how should she be punished, Athena?"
Athena clamped her lips tight and refused to answer, knowing full well what Starbuck wanted her to say. She squealed as he resumed spanking her, with increasingly hard strokes. Dear God, it hurt! "She should be...spanked," she finally grated out, through clenched teeth.
"Kinda like you are, right now?"
"Yes... Damn it, Starbuck."
"I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear that language, young lady. You're in enough trouble, as it is, and I bet your seat's already pretty sore. Now, since we're agreed that you've been a very naughty girl, and that you deserve a good spanking, I want you to ask for it."
"Starbuck..." she pleaded, "please don't make me..." Smack! Smack! "Okay! All right. I-I've been a...a bad girl, and I..." her voice dropped to a hoarse whisper. "I deserve a...a good spanking."
"Always glad to oblige, sweetheart." he said, smiling his wickedest smile. "I'm going to spank you by the chronometer - five centons."
"Oh, God...five centons...?" She shivered at the thought.
"Yep - five centons...then, it's all over - forgiven and forgetten."
Steeling herself, she said, "Go ahead. Let's get it over with."
He glanced at the wall chronometer, then raised the brush and struck, ignoring Athena's obvious distress. Finally, five centons had passed, and Starbuck laid the brush aside. Athena was sobbing violently, her face wet with tears. Gently, he lifted her up and kissed her tenderly on the forehead.
"I'm so sorry..." she whispered brokenly.
"All over," he said softly. He dug out a tissue and carefully dried her tear stained cheeks. Then he cradled her face in his hands and kissed her mouth. She sighed and clung tightly to him, the tears starting again. He held her for a long time, stroking her dark hair and comforting her. She realised, belatedly, that her trousers and panties were still around her knees and that the ever-lecherous Starbuck had made no comment whatsoever about her state of undress. She tugged them upward, gasping when they reached her very, very sore seat. Starbuck chuckled softly. "You're probably going to be sleeping on your stomach tonight," he pointed out.
"Yes," she replied, mustering what dignity she could, "I probably will be. And alone, mister."
"Now did I say anything about sleeping with you? Not that I'd turn down any reasonable offer..."
"Oh, you're impossible! If anyone ever deserved a spanking, Starbuck, it's you!"
He threw back his head and laughed, brandishing the hairbrush. "But as always, I seem to hold the winning hand." Still laughing softly, he gave Athena a quick kiss and departed.