My beta L Zaza gets lots of kudos for this section. If you haven't read her stuff, check her out and post some reviews! She is amazing!
On to the story…
Starbuck had to nudge Jolly to wake him up from his shock and get him moving with Rene and Boomer. His friend flinched at the contact, and then unholstered one of his blasters handing it to Starbuck. "You're going to need this more than I am. Don't do anything stupid."
"You mean stupider than this?"
As the women and children came into view on the upper level and began to trudge down the stairs, Starbuck regretted his comment. There were more survivors than Rene had indicated. The shuttle would be filled to capacity as more than twenty women came into the light. Most held the hand of at least a child or two under the age of ten. They were all dressed in survival gear, even the kids decked out in full camouflage like they had just come from hunting avians. However, besides being well dressed for survival, most of the children looked near starved, and there were more than a few bearing scars and injuries. One child's arm was obviously long ago broken, and not mended, the angle of his arm unnatural and painful looking. Starbuck couldn't keep his eyes from one of the young women who clutched what he thought at first was a bit of clothing in her arms, until the camouflaged pile gave a weak cry. The haunted look in their eyes and the silence of the children told him more about their three yahrens of survival. Boomer had been right. The survivors were in desperate shape.
Starbuck looked to the men arrayed around the shopping complex, some hidden in the shadows, others in full view. They had to know what they were doing to have protected this many women and children from Cylon captivity or death. Most of the men were heavily armed, bandoliers of solenite charges across their chests. Several had their weapons trained on him as more came out of the dark storefronts to see their women and children off. Many couples clutched each other as if they feared this would be the last time they saw one another. Other men had taken up point positions, scanning the open skylight, as well as the visible doorways of the complex. The men closest to him, that he could see well, bore visible scars. They didn't seem to be relieved to be rescued, they just appeared to be tired and hungry. These men had walked through the seven torments of hades to keep themselves and the ones they loved safe. Their determination on their faces said they'd be willing to walk through hades again if they had to.
"Get the kids out of here, Jolly. Talk Rene into staying," he whispered.
"Will do my best, buddy." Jolly sprinted towards the door of the mall to lead the group of women and children out to the waiting shuttle.
The woman who seemed to be in charge of the group moved away from the others to join Avery. The man cast a harsh glare to Starbuck as he growled at him to not try anything, before he lowered the rifle and embraced the woman.
"Keep my kids safe," Avery said and the woman nodded, a pained look upon her face.
"We don't have to keep fighting. We have them do it." She nodded indicating the Colonial Warriors, but the man shook his head no.
"When we win. When they are all free. Not until then."
The woman still tried to argue her point, but her voice was weary as if this was an old argument and she already knew the outcome. "Avery, we don't have to fight them. We can just go and try to live out our lives." She held his hand for a moment, then let go.
"I know," he answered, but his response did not seem to mean he would be joining her. "Go. You can come back and tell me all about what it's like there at our victory celebration."
She uttered a ragged sigh, releasing his hand and moving off to join the group of women and children.
"She's right you know," Apollo said. "We're here now. You look like you've fought the good fight, and you could use some rest and rejuvenation. You should join her. We could make a couple trips and have you all reunited aboard a battlestar."
Starbuck thought the words had an effect when the man visibly shivered, but then he glared at Apollo. "You'd have me leave the fight before it's finished and leave others to die just like you did?" Avery didn't wait for a response, turning to bark at Boomer. "Get them to safety. If you are lying about that, you'll find only pieces of these guys scattered across that parking lot, understood?"
Boomer wasn't frightened by the man's words. "You have my word as a Warrior. They'll be safe."
Avery narrowed his eyes. "You've spun an interesting tale, but you haven't delivered like you said you would, so don't give me that felgercarb about your word as a warrior. I am putting their lives in your hands mainly because I can't keep them fed, and well, you don't look like you've missed too many meals."
"Avery…" Boomer started, but the man cut him off as he aimed his rifle at Apollo.
"My wife believes that gal, Rene. I'm not sure why, other than because she said that gal was something out of a dream. I believe these uniforms you're wearing, but that doesn't mean I believe you."
"You could join them. We could show you the truth," Apollo answered him.
"Yeah see, that's where your story starts to fall apart. If you were real Warriors, you'd want to stay and help us win." He didn't wait for a reply as he turned back to Boomer. "One centaur. Any later and you can pick up their bodies out in that parking lot."
"I'm going to need more time than that," Boomer answered. "We aren't as close as you think. I just want to make sure your women and children are safe."
Avery looked angry enough to spit out Borelian laser bolls as he seemed to wrestle with his fear and disbelief. Then his shoulders sagged. "A day. You have a day, but I want proof they made it alive or…or at least that you made their deaths quick because I can't deal with their slow deaths by starvation."
"I understand, Avery," Boomer offered in sympathy. "They will be safe, I swear." He didn't offer anything more knowing it would be just words the man wouldn't believe anyway.
"And I want your weapons, all of them. Right here in a nice little pile on the ground, got it?"
Boomer didn't hesitate to unholster his blaster, but Starbuck had no intention of letting go of his. "You'd have us unarmed in the heart of a Cylon occupied world? Why don't you just shoot us now."
"See, there's those brains I was talking about. You have us to protect you. You want a weapon, you can get one the same way we did, find it. Give me your weapon or I follow your suggestion, got it?"
"Do it, Starbuck," Apollo ordered, removing his weapon and laying it next to Boomers. "We need to earn their trust. Jake, have you ever needed a weapon while you were here?"
"Nope, uh, I mean, no, sir."
One of Avery's men that was nearby rushed in like a kid at a pile of candy to snatch up Starbuck's blaster before he could even get it clear of the holster. "Oh man, fully charged. Sweet! This really is Colonial," the man showed the weapon to Avery who nodded.
"Well part of your story checks out. Let's see about the rest, Genius."
"We haven't lied to you, Avery," Boomer said, "I will get your women and children to safety. I wish you would join them. Our fight is elsewhere and we could use you."
The words softened the man's demeanour. He measured up Boomer and reached out a hand to shake his. "I'm trusting you. I beg of you, don't hurt them."
"They'll be fine. You should see for yourself." Boomer added.
But Avery shook his head. "The fight is not done. There are others depending on us. If you really were a Warrior, you would understand that."
Boomer nodded at the man's words, not knowing how to explain the situation in words the man would understand, but then he made a decision, was about to speak it aloud, when Apollo seemed to deduce his intentions.
"Boomer, you need to go back. Take them to safety. We will be setting up operations here. It's the only help we can offer for now. We have many others to think about ourselves."
Starbuck didn't try to disguise his intentions. "Don't let her come back. Not yet, maybe later. We'll be fine."
Boomer looked from Apollo to Starbuck. "I'll do what I can but she has spent way too much time around you, Starbuck. Never could contain you, don't know how to start on her."
"Shoot her if you have to," Starbuck quipped.
"With what, they have my weapon," Boomer said as he turned towards the door of the mall and the group of women and children waiting. He led the group out the door and off to the shuttle. Rene lingered, flashing a hand sign that said simply, "I'll be back," along with a few signs Starbuck didn't recognize. He looked to Jake to interpret.
"Coordinates, in case we get separated, 45, 121. I know where it's at."
Avery headed for the door, and Starbuck fell in step with him. The man growled at him to get back, but Starbuck just said, "Just like you, I want to see they get off okay." The man seemed to accept his words, and allowed Apollo, Jake and Max to follow along, but not before he had motioned for two of his men to follow as well, their rifles trained on the Warrior's backs.
Jolly was pulling out the survival packs that Starbuck had loaded, tossing them to the men that had come to say goodbye to their women and children. Jolly waved to Starbuck before he headed into the cockpit. The woman in charge, Gia, Starbuck assumed, was the last to load, waving to Avery as the man waved back.
Rene was already in her cockpit, and Starbuck took a step towards her, but Avery snapped, "Don't think about it."
Apollo placed a reassuring hand on his buddy's shoulder. "She's a good pilot. Boomer's with her. She'll be safe."
Starbuck knew Apollo was right, but it was still hard watching her launch into that murky sky without him. Rene had been somewhat right. It was a simple mission of getting in and getting out, as the vipers and shuttle reached the clouds without interference from the Cylons. Starbuck tracked them as far as he could before the grey oily clouds swallowed them up.
He turned to the man who seemed to be in charge. He held out his hand. "The name's Starbuck. Now what?"
Avery looked at the hand sceptically, as if it would explode before he lowered the rifle, shifted it to his other hand and shook Starbuck's hand roughly once, then let go. "Now we wait for more help and then we destroy Cylons."
"Sounds like fun. Only, there's no help coming. We're all you're going to get. So, what kind of fight did you have in mind?"
Avery scrutinized Starbuck's words, looked to Apollo, but didn't look at his face, just at his shiny new insignia, then turned to address Jake. "He'd best be joking."
"He's not. We're all up for taking down some Cylons, but he's right. We're all you've got." Jake echoed Starbuck's words. "Didn't that occur to you when you just saw me, Rene and Boomer? Didn't you wonder why it was just the three vipers and no more?"
"I assumed you were taking on the Cylons over other worlds, and that you were winning. Why else would you be here for alcohol, fumarellos and musical instruments? Looked like makings of a celebration if you ask me."
Starbuck couldn't resist the jab at Jake after watching his new wife launch away from him for what might be forever. "They're kids. They screwed up coming here. I think they just figured out how bad. They weren't authorized to do it, and yeah, they were the makings of a party, but not the kind of celebration you think. And I'm serious, no one is coming back."
He held the man's gaze, hoping Avery saw the sincerity of his words. He wasn't trying to offend the guy, just wanted to help him face the facts. Rescue had been the only option, and now that was off the table unless they could find some other vipers or a shuttle. He was thinking that wasn't readily available or these people would have put them in use by now. They were heavily armed, but mostly with Cylon technology. The bandoliers of solenite charges were Cylon manufactured, the rifles obviously liberated from centurions.
"Well, then we have time to get to know each other, don't we? Tomorrow, if help doesn't come, we'll talk about what parts I cut off first." Avery's next words had Starbuck wanting to do his own cutting on Jake. "Is he even a Colonel or just another one in on the scam?"
"Scam?"
"Looting, selling, alcohol and fumarellos. Has to be a scam. So how far away is the fleet? And don't lie this time." He poked the bayonet of the rifle into Starbuck's chest.
Batting it away, Starbuck answered angrily, "We are not lying to you. If we could bring more help, I assure you we would. This was the help, this was the rescue and you just missed it, bud. Why in hades do you think this is a scam?"
"Oh I don't know, the fact that nearly every day that gal has been back and forth shopping, so yeah, I believed some of that fiction you spun. Now you're trying to tell me that the fleet is light years away and you can't bring help? I think I'm getting a better picture here. You're in trouble, more worried about your own astrums for looting."
Starbuck shook his head cursing, "Well frack me, you got us. Guilty as charged. Yeah, the Cylons have wiped out the twelve worlds and we're more worried about a tribunal for looting, right…now that's fiction!" He took a step towards the man pushing the rifle aside. "We came here to help. We're doing as you ask. We are getting your women and children to safety and you should have gone too!"
With fast reflexes Avery pulled a knife and pressed it to Starbuck's neck as he hissed, "So let's just start the slicing now, shall we, and you'll see how serious I am. Then we can find out how serious you are. Let's start with your brain." Starbuck felt a bayonet of a rifle jab him in the astrum from behind.
"Hey now, easy there!" Starbuck shouted.
Apollo tried to intervene. "Avery! We are your help! We're all you've got. This isn't a scam."
"I don't know who the frack you are!" He spun on Jake with the rifle as he kept the knife to Starbuck's neck. Avery's men noticed the clash and came to help as more rifles were trained on the Warriors. "You I know, so start talking. You said you were bringing help!"
"What the frack, I did!" Jake shouted, motioning to Apollo and Starbuck. "These guys have gold clusters . . ."
Everyone looked at them expectantly.
"Well, not on us . . ." Starbuck muttered, looking to Apollo.
"Mine's in a drawer in my quarters," Apollo admitted, wincing.
"I mean they're that good that they have Gold Clusters!" Jake clarified. "That's why they're the help we brought back!"
Starbuck reached out, knocking the knife out of Avery's hand as shoved the man away from him. "Back off! We are here to help you so stop threatening us! We were supposed to get you all out of here, that's what you had arranged with Rene last I heard or I wouldn't have come!" Before Starbuck could make another move, a rifle was shoved in his chest, while the bayonet on his astrum was moved to the middle of his back. He was pinned there like an insect in a display.
"You brought me cowards!" Avery spit at him, and the bayonet poked a little harder in his back.
Apollo with his hands up took a step closer to Avery. "Everyone calm down! We are here to help, but, Avery, the truth is we are not winning the war. We fled. We are light years away still trying to escape."
Avery gave him a cynical sneer but lowered his rifle. "So what was all that booze for? Drowning your sorrows over the defeat? The musical instruments so you can compose your funeral dirges? Naw, that's not what you were coming here for."
It was Jake that answered the man's question. "We got curious, that's all it was. We were stupid and the fleet lacks some luxuries. We didn't expect to find anyone here. But when we did, we came back. We didn't just fly away. We could have, but we didn't. There are other cities, other malls, but we came back."
Starbuck nodded and appreciated that Jake wasn't dumb. The words had Avery thinking and the bayonet in his back withdrew.
"He's right. We came back for you," Starbuck added. "So far we've been straight with you, which is more than I can say for your side." He nodded at the weapons still pointing at them. "We came to rescue you, not take back Caprica. That's all we're offering and all we're able to do."
"And she'll be back for us," Jake said again, "but that's it. We told you that. We came at the time we said we would. We brought a shuttle. We offered you a ride. When she comes back, she won't be bringing any more help, just a ride."
Apollo drew Avery's attention to him. "Let's formulate a plan and get all of us to safety. A good Warrior knows when to retreat and regroup. Let us do some reconnaissance, and then we'll talk about what should be done." Apollo kept his words vague, hoping to defuse the situation and that maybe later they would be able to talk some sense into the survivors when tempers had cooled.
Avery considered the words, then lowered his weapon. "We'll see what tomorrow brings. Let's get those vipers under some cover, we'll get a camp set up and we can share a meal. I'm assuming those packs have some rations in them?
Avery headed off to the vipers and Apollo issued the order. "He's right. If we want to remain undetected, we should get the vipers under cover. We will need them for later."
"She's coming back," Jake assured them.
"She needs to stay behind. It's too dangerous here. I shouldn't have let her land. You shouldn't have let her land," Starbuck admonished shaking his head. "What were you and Rene thinking? Seriously, you two aren't that stupid, I've seen your test results."
Jake flashed him an angry look. "We've been doing it for a while. Didn't have any problems until you came along."
"Are you seriously suggesting all this is my fault?" Starbuck asked incredulously, pointing at Avery's men.
Jake ignored the question, continuing his tirade. "Besides, dangerous or not, she's coming back." He jerked his head at Max and the two headed off towards their vipers.
Once again it was assumed that Starbuck's connection to Rene would be overridden by her close friendship to Jake. Finding out about their trips to Caprica had helped Starbuck begin to understand some of what Crius had spoken about, that the two together, Jake and Rene, were not a positive dynamic like it should be. Instead the two seemed to amplify their dangerous and risky natures. They supported each other with an unwavering loyalty, even if they were both going down in flames, the two just fanned the fire hotter. He'd have to find a way to get through to them that they needed to turn it around, especially now that there were more than just the two of them involved. Starbuck followed Jake, determined to remind him that he would most likely be top of the list of those to raise the child Rene was carrying. If he didn't care about Rene, at least he should care about the baby.