Apollo thanked the lords it was only Max with him as Starbuck would never let him live down this moment as he burst into song. As he sang he remembered back to how the words had seemed so nonsensical and his brother's high pitched preteen voice had grated on his nerves. His little brother had seemed such a nuisance and an annoyance at the time. And now he would give anything to have that annoyance back in his life. He heard his brother's words in his head as he sang.

By the time he reached the middle of the song, Max had joined in and Apollo realized that this was a ludicrous moment, one that would make a good story later for Starbuck in the OC, so he added some gusto to the song. Max threw an arm around Apollo's shoulders, gesturing with his free hand. Peryton was smiling a little smugly, and nodding in tune. It occurred to Apollo that this might be the last song he ever sang if he didn't get a viper.

When he reached the end of the song, Peryton stepped out of view and it was a short moment later that the pulse of electricity shut down with a loud thump. "Come on up, careful you don't touch the wires, they're still warm. I'll meet you at the gate. You can pick up your weapons, but keep them holstered and we won't have any problems."

Apollo followed the path up to the gate, one he did not remember from last time he was here. It was metal with electrical wire woven through the metal bars and grating. As it opened Peryton warned again, "Don't touch the wires, boys. Come on in. I got some dinner going. Might be able to make it stretch for the two of you. No one else hiding out there? Who's your friend?"

"His name is Max," Apollo answered, "and it's just us."

"Hello, Sir," Max said. "This is quite the place."

"Isn't it, now? Alright, through there." He pointed to another metal door that was open and leading into his home. Apollo didn't want to turn his back on the man, but he knew he needed to earn the man's trust, so he turned away to enter the home. They heard the hum of the electric grid start back up as they entered the cosy living area of the house. The only light in the home came from a fire in the fireplace. As Apollo drew closer, he realized it was a natural tylium fire, one that would produce heat, but no smoke. The rest of the home was dark.

Apollo turned at the sound of the closing door and the close of a lock.

"By all that's holy son, where did you come from? I know the fleet isn't here. All comm channels went dead over three yahrens ago. You haven't been hiding here all this time, have you?" The man shook his head and mumbled, "Sorry, my wife would scold my manners if she were here. I've lived alone too long. Let me get us some food, some drink and we'll sit at the table like civilized men while you tell me your story."

Peryton turned away from them, showing them his back and giving them some trust as he went to work in the kitchen. Apollo nodded to Max to have a seat at the table as Apollo moved slowly and took his own place. The room was warm and looked like an average home from days before the destruction, right down to dirty dishes in the sink.

"Have you been here the whole time?" Apollo asked as he and Max shared a concerned look.

Max whispered to Apollo, "We don't have time for this." But Apollo waved Max into silence.

"While I have all the time in the world," Peryton inserted, "so you'll have to humor an old man if you want my help." He handed them both drinks. "As to your question, why would I leave? This is my life's work. Everything I worked for both professionally and personally is here. The rest of the world is gone, which leads me to wonder, where the hades you came from?"

"It's a long story, sir, but I have to know before we begin, do you still have a functioning viper, at least one?"

Peryton didn't answer as though he hadn't heard him. He dished up three bowls of soup and brought them to the table along with a jug of the citrus smelling drink they were gulping down. "You look famished. You eat. I'll tell you my story. I haven't had anyone to talk to for a while so I might be a little rusty at this, so no criticism until I'm done. Then I'll want to hear yours."

Apollo was indeed starving, having saved the food he had on him for when they were in dire need. As he ate, Peryton took a seat and detailed out the destruction as he witnessed it, deep in the caverns of his home. "One by one the televid channels went off the air, by morning, none were broadcasting. My military comm scanner lit up with distress calls. Lots of pilots calling out for places to land, and no return calls to their requests. I thought about answering a few of them, but by the time I decided to do that, the calls had ceased. Then the comms lit up with cylon commands. They moved in their baseships and began immediately with ground operations. The civilian comms came back to life, but they were amateurs and random survivors lucky enough to find a transmitter." Peryton shook his head as he looked down into his own bowl of soup. He pushed the bowl towards Max, then he got up and walked to the food prep area and returned with three glasses and a bottle of rye liquor. He fumbled with the glasses as he poured out a shot for himself, downing it before pouring out three for all of them. He downed another before he continued.

"They all called for help, and sometimes they got an answer. There was some military still left telling people to stay put and they would soon arrive, but now, well now I think it must have been survivors the cylons forced to answer. The human voices asked for locations from each transmission, and one by one those stopped transmitting. It only took about a secton and all communications ceased except for Cylon voices. Just a secton, who would have thought it would be that fracking easy, right?" The man didn't wait for an answer before he went on. "It was close to four or five sectons, I have it written down the exact date, kept a journal just in case someone ever found this place and wanted to know. Yeah, about five sectons, maybe six, the comms lit up again with human voices. A military ship had come back. I heard pilot communications and it announced like they landed on the planet, but it was a short visit. Just a few centaurs and then, they were gone, and the comms have been quiet until a few days ago, which I can now assume was you. Otherwise, three yahrens of listening to cylon commands. The other worlds, all went silent within that first secton as well."

"That must have been the Zakar," Max said turning to Apollo who nodded,

When the man poured himself another drink and downed it, Apollo couldn't wait any longer to ask again, "You had fourteen vipers and claimed they were all in working order. You didn't think to take one and escape? You still had them then, didn't you?"

The old eyes fixed on Apollo's. "Still do."

Apollo sighed in relief, and Peryton slowly shook his head. "The Borzoi could go farther than a viper, and maybe I could have caught up to the fleet when it put out the call for survivors, but it was one hell of a gamble that I wouldn't be shot down. I decided that I don't want to die, and when I do I'll be doing it here in my own bed surrounded by my memories and treasures."

"But you still have it, don't you? We just need to get in the air and then…" Apollo hesitated, not sure how to quickly explain why they didn't need to go far, but Peryton cut him off, the man still shaking his head no.

"Hate to disappoint you, son, but I don't have fuel for a long flight or many launches. The fire the cylon's set took out my extra tylium tanks a few days after the attack. All I have left is what was in the hangar and that's what I've been using to keep my grid going. Whatever is in the rain nowadays is hades on the wires and connections. Lost the solar panels a yahren ago. I have maybe enough fuel left for one launch and without the solar panels, it would leave me defenceless. Other than a meal, a hot shower and a bed, I'm not sure I can be of much help to you. So now you need to tell me how you got here, and why you need my babies so badly."

Apollo nodded, understanding the confusion. There was no way that a fleet of any size could run completely silent on communications. If Peryton had the kind of equipment he was hinting at, comms capable of reading military channels, then he would have picked up anything, perhaps even internal communications of a large ship.

After a deep sigh, realizing that his story was not believable in any way, Apollo began with what he knew. "Well sir, the fleet is far from here. The Galactica and two battle cruisers, the Zakar, the Shiva and some light cruisers plus about 200 civilian ships are all that remain of the twelve worlds. We are being led by my father."

Peryton nodded thoughtfully, sipping at his drink. "How far away?"

Apollo wanted to curse as this is where his story became the stuff of make believe. "Well away from our system, beyond any of our explorations. I know this will be hard to believe, but we came back because one of the members of my team seems to have the ability to travel vast distances through a type of rift in space, a wormhole she creates. She felt there were survivors here in need of a rescue, actually, she's been coming here for a while now and….so…." Peryton was nodding along as if Apollo were making perfect sense. Apollo surveyed the home again, the dishes piled high in the sink, the cobwebs and dust on all the surfaces. There glasses and plates strewn about the room, and he could see the clothing refresher was piled high with clothing, some dirty some clean. He wondered if after all these yahrens alone if Peryton was still in his right mind, or had dementia set in?

"Go on son," he prompted Apollo.

Apollo took a breath, muttered a prayer to Starbuck's goddess of fortune and forged forward, "We came with a small team and a shuttle to evacuate those whom she had encountered. We were able to get out a whole shuttle full of survivors, but the leader of their group took the rest of us captive. When she returned for us, her wing mate was shot down and the cylons attacked our position on the ground destroying our vipers. The survivors, led by a man named Avery, took us to an old mine. The pilot shot down was injured and we were waiting for him to recover before we tried to take a raider, but…" Apollo paused at the absurdity of how it all sounded when spoken aloud. It was Max that continued the story.

"Rene, her name is Rene and she picked up something nasty from the water here. She's pretty sick. We don't have time to steal a raider and the Colonel thought you might have some vipers. We need to get out of here and back to the Galactica before she dies. She's the only one who can get us back, and we don't think we have much time to spare. Can you spare us a viper? She just needs to get airborne and then she can…" Even Max paused trying to figure out how to put into words just what Rene was capable of.

Peryton sat back in his chair glancing between the two of them before he looked down to the drink he held in his hand. He set it on the table and pushed it far away from himself. "I gotta stop drinking alone. I'm starting to imagine things." He reached over and pinched Apollo, then sat back shaking his head.

Apollo realized the man had been living in isolation for perhaps the majority of the three yahrens since the destruction. He had mentioned a wife, but so far it was just him, and a house that echoed in loneliness. Apollo reached out a hand, placing it on the Peryton's shoulders. "Sir, we are no hallucination. I know our story is hard to believe, but we can show you if you could give us some vipers."

"Oh son," he said sighing, "I wish I could. Like I said, I don't have much fuel left. Maybe enough for one launch, but not much more. I've been using it all these yahrens to fuel this place. Only have enough left for maybe half a yahren and then, well," he shrugged. "Then I'd be joining my wife in the great unknown. Unless you have some fuel, I think we've all ran out of luck."

"Max, how much distance does she need?"

"I've seen her open it up in atmo. She just needs to be off the ground and in a vessel that can fire. She could do it."

Apollo turned back to Peryton. "Yahrens ago you said the Borzoi could make fuel from the elements in an atmosphere. Is that not still true?"

The man laughed. "So I did make an impression on you. Yes, yes she can, but she takes a bit more fuel to launch as she's bigger. Once in space, she's not fast without tylium. It's a gamble, not one I'd be willing to take."

"Not sure we have much choice, sir. Is the Borzoi armed? Can she fire a blast? How much energy does Rene need, Max?"

Peryton interrupted before Max could speak. "It takes a lot of energy to create a wormhole. And how did you perfect the navigation? That's some pretty tricky stuff. We lost a lot of people trying to get that technology to work. I abandoned it after the third volunteer didn't return. Wasn't worth losing more people until we could understand more about it. Yeah, the Borzoi could create that kind of firepower, but only a couple of times and she'd be done. It wouldn't be able to get many folks out of here. How many people are we talking about here?"

It was Apollo's turn to think he was imagining things. "You know about this kind of travel?"

"Yeah sure, we toyed with it. Really theoretical stuff. We were able to get the wormholes to open, but," he shook his head, "no way to navigate. No clue where you were going to wind up. I can only assume you have Dr. Altair amongst the survivors."

"No, we don't. Dr. Wilker is one of our scientists, but I don't recognize that name." Apollo turned to Max. "Does the name sound familiar to you? Was he with Dante?"

Max slowly nodded. "We had a doctor by that name, but he was a medical doctor. He…he can't be the same guy. Rene says she learned how to do it from a dream. She…" Max stopped talking, sitting back in his chair. "She wouldn't lie to us," he said, but it came out more as a question than a statement.

Rene's inability to be truthful was not a topic that Apollo wanted to discuss, not with Max anyway. He'd found her to be an expert at weaving lies amongst half-truths, coated in a thin veneer of deception. Instead, he shifted the conversation to what they needed. "Rene is able to open rifts in space and with almost pinpoint accuracy find coordinates. From what I can tell, she can perform this in any vessel. She has been traveling from the fleet to Caprica multiple times in a viper. If she is telling the truth, she just needs a vessel, be it a viper or a raider, and she can get back to the fleet, get us more support and we can all escape Caprica."

Peryton absorbed the information, reaching for his glass again and taking a sip of the rye. He seemed to come to some conclusion and with finality he drank down what was left in his glass before plunking it on the table. "Alright, you can have the Borzoi or another one of my babies. I can get her fired up and capable of a launch before you get your people here, on one condition. I need some help getting my solar panels back up. I need some power, as well as a way to keep myself defended here."

Max spun his head in alarm from Apollo to the old man. "Why? You'd be coming with us of course, right Colonel? We wouldn't leave him here."

Apollo didn't get the chance to answer as Peryton spoke softly, "You know, son, my wife always teased me that I loved my vipers more than her, and I would tease back that my babies sometimes leave me, but I would never leave her. It was a promise I made long before the cylons set sight on our worlds, and I intend to honor it, if for no other reason than to prove it to her that I loved her more. I won't be joining you. I won't leave my wife."

"Is she…?" Apollo cast out the hope, but Peryton shook his head.

"It was before the attack. She went peacefully in her bed, just as I intend to go." Peryton looked down to his glass, lifted it to drink and seemed surprised to find it empty. He stared down into the glass and seemed to get lost in its depths.

Max whispered quietly to Apollo, "We came to save people."

Apollo understood Peryton's desire to remain in his home, but the planet was dying around them. He would truly be the last man on Caprica. Apollo spoke quietly, "You can't live here alone. You should come with us."

Peryton seemed to wake up from his reverie, but didn't acknowledge Apollo's words. "It's going to take me a day or two to get the Borzoi ready and I'm going to need some help. I think you only have one shot at this as it may attract some unwanted attention from my new neighbors. They like it better if I keep the noise down. As long as I stay in my own brig, they leave me alone. Anytime I venture out, well I can expect a visit from them, and they don't bring cake. I think you have a one-shot deal at this. Get your people here and…" Peryton paused, his eyes clouding over as his thoughts drifted for a moment before he refocused on Apollo. "It would be nice to see the stars again."

"I would like to make that dream come true for you, sir. Once Rene returns to the fleet she can return here with support and we can all rejoin the fleet."

"No son, there's no hope for me. I'll never see the stars again." The man abruptly got up from the table, reaching out and searching with his hands for the dishes on the table, stacking them up and taking them to the sink, before turning to them, "I'll get you some blankets. You can sleep on the couches or the floor and come morning you can go find your people and bring them here. How many guests should I expect for dinner? I'll have to shake the dust off the party linens." Peryton chuckled at his own little joke as he headed down the hallway, a hand sliding along the wall to help him find his way. It suddenly became clear why Peryton hadn't bothered to try to rendezvous with the fleet. Apollo motioned for Max to remain at the table as he got up and followed Peryton as quietly as he could. His guess was confirmed when Peryton walked into him halfway down the hallway. The man yelped in surprise, but Apollo reached out to steady the man.

"When did you go blind?" Apollo asked before quickly adding, "The Galactica's medical crew could heal you."

"Not sure they can, son. Too many yahrens of looking into the sun takes a toll. I was losing my sight before the destruction, and maybe if I had that procedure they were suggesting a few days sooner than it was scheduled, I might have been able to say I saw the end of our worlds, but," Peryton shoved the blankets into Apollo's arms. "This is my home. I won't be leaving. How many should I expect to feed? I might need some help bringing up some supplies."

Apollo placed the bedding on the couch before motioning to Max to come help. Peryton led them down the passageway that Apollo remembered from so long ago. There were less supplies in it than before, and yet plenty to last at least another ten yahrens, maybe more. Peryton took them all the way down to the hangar, and with a flip of switch, shined a light on the answer to Apollo's prayers. They were all there, although under a layer of dust.

Both Apollo and Max jumped as Peryton called out, "Put on your dancing shoes, girls. Looks like we're going to that party after all."

They surveyed the vipers and decided the Borzoi would be the best choice, simply because they were unsure how far the fleet would have moved on and wanted Rene to have the ability to range farther than the fuel a viper could hold. Max walked around every one of the ships and Peryton offered to him any one he wanted. "Hop on up and try them all out." But Max declined mentioning they should probably move whatever supplies were needed and get some sleep.

"We need to get back before Rene…" Max could not complete the thought.

Apollo reasoned the hike would be faster going now that they knew exactly where they were headed. He just hoped they wouldn't have to carry half of their team back. He informed Peryton that they would be leaving before dawn after a few centaurs of sleep, but to expect them back the next day.

"I'm going to need some help getting her ready before she is space worthy, you know, grease up the gears and all and I am not willing to even start on that until you've helped get my solar panels up and running." Peryton had settled himself in his chair by the fire, another drink in his hand.

"Boomer and Starbuck can help with that. Boomer is a whiz with electronics and both know more about viper schematics than most pilots. You'll have all the help you need, but time might not be a luxury we can supply. While most of us will stay behind, I need Rene in the air as soon as I can. She's ill. For that matter, what do you have in the way of medical supplies? We may need them. She wasn't looking good when we left."

"I have most of what you will need. A wide range of medications and equipment. Thought I'd have more company when the time came but," he shrugged before taking another sip of the rye liquor he'd poured.

"But it sounded like you knew about the other survivors. You thought we were part of their group. Why haven't you let them in?" Apollo asked as he made himself a bed on the floor. Max was already asleep on the couch, completely ignoring that the ranking officer might want a more comfortable bed than the floor.

"Yeah, well, they aren't very bright and they got the notion we might be able to win this war. Idiots like all those battlestar commanders."

Apollo couldn't hold back from asking what he wanted to ask all those yahrens ago, "You knew this war wouldn't end well, didn't you? You've been prepared for yahrens. You developed our weapons. Didn't you have any faith in our military?"

Peryton abruptly threw his glass against the wall, the sound of it shattering woke Max with a start. Apollo reached out a hand to keep Max from drawing his weapon. "Idiots! You are all knuckle headed idiots. They're machines that can make more machines! Exponential growth unless you strike at the heart. You keep fighting the machines, but it's the leaders you need to get. You strike at the head, not the limbs. I kept telling them, you have to be brutal like they are. You have to destroy their worlds. You can't have a heart in war. We are smarter, but…sorry….sorry…." The man shook his head and got up from the chair. "It doesn't matter now. Nothing matters now. It's late. Get some sleep. Wake me before you go and I'll let you out."

Peryton shuffled down the hallway and slammed the door to his bed chambers. Max asked softly in the dark, "What was that all about?"

"I'm not sure. He's been here for a while with nothing to do but think about how it all went wrong. He'll probably be better in the morning. Get some sleep. We have a hike ahead and back."

"I'm going to need a new pair of boots after this whistle stop tour of the wastelands. Don't worry, I'll use them to kick Rene's astrum for getting us into this felgercarb frack frenzy."

Apollo chuckled at the colourful quips. "I wouldn't be too hard on her. Starbuck might actually lock her up in the brig."

"Yeah, about that," Max drawled out a common saying of the rats, "Think we may all want to keep her there for a while for her own good."

Apollo tried to settle into the blankets on the floor, but he could tell form Max's own tossing and turning, he was just as concerned as Apollo. He tried to get some sleep, but having found the salvation they were looking for, Apollo was anxious to get back and gather his team. It was time to get the frack out of there.