Thirteen
Chapter 42
Trial By Fire
The crew of Whitestar 525 decided that Starbuck would be in command of the ship until they could get back to Minbar for repairs. Starbuck didn't necessarily want the position, but took it at the behest of Boomer and Helo. The head of the reconnaissance fleet, Denise Sanchez, had told her that she would do a good job and that she had faith in the young Ranger.
Much to their surprise, the fleet was not going to Babylon 5. Instead, the Drakh fleet received a coded transmission and moved away from one hyperspace beacon signal to another. Sanchez and her fleet followed suit, staying just far enough away from the fleet to avoid detection.
When the Drakh fleet jumped into normal space near three Cylon basestars, Boomer, Starbuck and Helo were shocked. They hadn't heard about the alliance yet, so they did not know what to make of the combined fleets. Sanchez had the fleet jump back into hyperspace, but left an unmanned probe behind to monitor the staging area.
Sitting at one of the stations beside Starbuck, Boomer said, "I don't understand! Why would the Cylons join up with the Drakh?"
Helo answered her. "What was it that I read in one of our training manuals? 'Desperate men do desperate things'? With the way that the Interstellar Alliance whipped the Cylons and how they're beating up on the Drakh, maybe we shouldn't be so surprised."
"Doesn't make sense though." Starbuck said, "From what we've learned about them, the Drakh want to control things in the galaxy just as much as the Cylons do. Would the human Cylons want to live in such an alliance?" She looked at Boomer as she asked the question.
"I don't know." Boomer said, not adding anything more to the discussion. She looked down to her display when she suddenly lurched forward and grabbed her belly, screaming out in pain. In a heartbeat, Starbuck was there along with Helo, helping her to the ground. "Somebody get a medic up here!" Starbuck called out, and one of the Minbari Rangers made the call to get one up to the bridge.
In the medical bay, Dorival, the Minbari healer on board, reassured them all. "The baby appears to be fine. From what I can tell, it's just the stress and strain of the pregnancy taking its toll on you. I recommend bed rest for tonight, then I'll examine you again in the morning to see if you're fit enough to return to duty.
"However, I strongly recommend that we get her back to Minbar as soon as possible. Boomer's in very good physical shape, but even she can only take so much." Sanchez looked on from the monitor in the medical bay, and said, "I'll put in a call to see if I can get some more Whitestars here to take your place. 525's beat up as it is, but we need the ship here in case we have to launch an attack. Just do what you can, Dorival. We may need everyone we can get if we're called to confront the enemy fleet."
Starbuck and Helo left the medical bay and headed to the galley for dinner. The human Rangers mainly ate a vegetarian diet while out on missions aboard a Whitestar, because it helped save on space and allowed Minbari and humans to eat the same diet. Starbuck and Helo didn't really mind, as they each got some vegetarian lasagna and vegetable medley, along with Spanish rice.
They ate in silence for a while. Helo broke it by observing, "You've changed Starbuck."
"How so?" Starbuck asked, wondering what her old friend meant.
"I can't put a finger on it, but it seems like you're more at peace these days. Calmer, more sure of yourself."
"Well, I don't know what to say!" Starbuck said with a shrug.
"You just seem…I don't know…less likely to booze it up, play cards, and smoke cigars these days."
"It's kinda hard to get drunk with the Minbari around." Starbuck chuckled, as they both knew that alcohol was near poisonous to Minbari, so was forbidden to the Rangers. They could play cards if they wanted, but Starbuck hadn't really felt the need to play lately. As for cigars, she hadn't bothered to bring any with her to Ranger training, and when she happened to think of it, she found that she didn't miss them.
Helo said, "Never figured you'd mellow out."
She nodded and said, "Me either. It's weird, when I think about it. I don't know when it happened, but somewhere along the way, I changed."
"Well, at least you're still the same old Starbuck in the cockpit!"
"Damn right I am!" Starbuck replied, then lifted her glass of water in a toast. Helo smiled and clinked glasses with her, then drank down the water.
The next day, Boomer was well enough to return to duty, but mainly stayed in less taxing tasks to lessen the strain on her body. Starbuck tried not to look over too often at her friend, but she was concerned about the baby as well as its mother, and it was just too hard to not look over at Boomer to check on her
Starbuck was in the middle of contemplating why she and the Boomer copy they had found on Caprica were friends now when new orders came in from Sanchez over the coded frequency. "Starbuck, we've got some new Whitestars coming in, so you can head back, but I need you to do something for me."
"What do you need?" Starbuck asked.
"Several Drakh ships have departed the staging area, and from what we've detected from the hyperspace beacons, they are on a course for Babylon 5. You are to take your ship, as well as four others I'm sending back with you, and head out to the sector where the last jumpgate before Babylon 5 is located. Monitor the space there and see if the Drakh ships make an appearance. If they do, take them out."
Starbuck nodded and, once the communication was concluded, contacted the ships assigned to her and plotted a course to intercept the Drakh task force. They overtook the ships, staying off the beacon to avoid detection. "That's where they're headed. I can feel it!" Starbuck said to Helo as they got into position in the sector, and waited for the Drakh to make an appearance.
The Drakh ships, as expected, showed up. Two carriers and a cruiser lumbered out of one jumpgate, and made their way to the other one several hours away. Starbuck had no intention of letting them get there, however. She positioned her ships in hyperspace just behind the fleet, then had them jump back into normal space and leap down upon the enemy ships, attacking them from behind and giving them no chance to prepare themselves.
The carriers never had a chance to even launch fighters, as the launch bays were the first parts of the ships to be attacked. 525 took on the cruiser, and gained a huge advantage in the battle by taking out their engines with the first shot. Helo piloted the ship, and kept it out of the firing solution of the carrier, giving Starbuck good opportunities to hammer the cruiser with their weapons.
The battle didn't take long, as the Whitestars used the element of surprise to destructive advantage and wiped out the enemy. With the battle over, Starbuck turned over the duties of going through the wreckage to Babylon 5, then jumped the ship back into hyperspace and made her way to Minbar.
"It'd been nice to go back there. See the old crew." Helo mused.
"We'll get the chance again soon enough, Helo. Right now, we need to get back to Minbar, get patched up, and see what they want to do with us. I doubt they'll keep me in command of the ship." Starbuck answered.
"Never know. With the way you organized that attack on the enemy, they might just give you command." Helo said encouragingly.
"Hell, I just hope they let us graduate sooner. We are still in the academy, after all. Well, technically at least!"
Days later, they arrived in Minbari space and made their way down onto the surface of Minbar, landing in Tuzinor. Sech Turval met them at the spaceport and said to Starbuck as she walked down the ramp from the Whitestar, "I have some news for you. Come this way." Try as they might, the threesome couldn't pry the news out of the old teacher.
He took them to the main administrative building, and showed them into one of the conference rooms, where they were all surprised by their class of Ranger trainees who were assembled there. They were also surprised to see Delenn there, and she asked the three to come to the front of the room.
"Ranger Thrace, Ranger Agathon, and Ranger Valerii, for your excellent service to the Anla'shok during your training mission, it has been decided to forgo the rest of your training and induct you into our order!" The Entil'zha conducted the ceremony, and pinned the badges on the newly minted Rangers, saying, "May you serve us proudly and well!" She bowed before them and concluded the ceremony, and the threesome was surprised by the standing ovation they received.
As they walked out, Starbuck's boyfriend, Samuel Anders asked her, "What do you think of graduating early?"
She looked around to see if any of the Minbari were near, then said, "Fracking A!" They both laughed and followed the rest to the barracks they shared in the compound.