Jake took Starbuck's place, scanning her eyes to see for himself how lucid she was. Not that it probably mattered to him. How many times had he or she not been totally all there, especially that first yahren on the Zakar. It didn't matter your mental state, you did what you were supposed to do or you didn't make it. She was never so irrational that she didn't know what the score was and how to play the game.

"You going to be able to move again when we need it? I don't feel like carrying you."

She laughed in response. It had been their private joke in Dante's version of academy training. They knew they would carry each other if they had to and if Dante shot one, well he'd have to shoot them both, but Dante didn't need to know that. So they joked with each other about how little they cared, a never ending version of the opposite game.

"As touching as that is, yeah, I can walk. I carry my own weight." The answer didn't seem to be enough for Jake as his hand came up to stroke her face as he spoke softly.

"How far are we going to take this, baby?" he glanced over his shoulder to Starbuck.

She knew Jake hadn't been one of Starbuck's fans from the moment they landed on the Galactica. She knew he may never be able to reconcile Starbuck as one of them, not after the loss of Ari. It didn't help that Starbuck insisted it was his fault. It didn't matter that she had told Jake the real story, that she had pulled the trigger. Starbuck's words had stuck in his head. Maybe this was the moment that Jake needed, to see that Starbuck was truly a good guy. Only they didn't have time to stick around and watch Starbuck earn more gold clusters.

She tried to keep in mind that they hadn't taken Crius in right away. It had been sectons, about three or four after their first time flying in combat. Lizbet had mentioned that Crius had nightmares too, but they weren't about combat or facing the Cylons.

"Remember how he stood there in the landing bay counting those coming back in and cursing about how few of us came back. We thought he was cussing out our incompetence. He dreams of that moment, of counting and there are always less of us. He wasn't upset with us. He was cursing out fate. In his dreams, none of us come back." They had all looked at Crius differently after she had told them that. They listened a little more to his advice on how to fly a viper.

Maybe if Jake could just see that same quality in Starbuck he'd stop suggesting that she and him should take the kids, load up a viper, and slip off to a planet somewhere off the Cylon's scanners. Maybe they should stay and help Starbuck pull this off. No, she knew she would be no help on that mission. She didn't trust herself not to freeze up when confronted with the scenes from her nightmares. She needed to get back to the Galactica and get some help.

Jake hadn't meant his question to be rhetorical as he asked it again looking for an answer, "Seriously baby, how far are we going with this?"

"As far as we have to. We need to think about more than just you and me."

He nodded to her words not looking happy, but he shrugged in resignation and took a seat by her as they watched the short heated exchange between Starbuck and Avery. Rene realized Starbuck was just as determined as she was to get out of here, and Avery was never going to believe they'd be coming back. Avery had a point. She wasn't sure she would ever be allowed to come back or if the Commander would let her have the manpower they needed to rescue everyone still left on the Colonies safely. Was there such a thing as safe? She was pretty sure Starbuck was going to follow up on his threat of locking her in the brig if nothing else for her own safety. That was what was fueling his anger now, he just wanted to get her somewhere safe.

"Bet you five cubits Starbuck decks him," Jake said conspiratorially to her before handing her a water bottle. The water was foul tasting, but at least it helped to wash down the dry as dirt protein bar.

Rene shook her head. She knew Starbuck's temper was up only because he was scared for her, but that fear would also keep him in check too. He'd only lash out if he couldn't find another way, at least she thought so. "You on his side now? No, Boomer's here. He won't hit the guy, and he's sneakier than that."

Jake's eyebrows rose at that. "Sire Gold Clusters is sneaky? I guess he does fit in with us. So when do we ditch all these guys? I'd prefer if it was before this Sagan only knows where offroad adventure. They are just taking us farther from what we need. We've raided that fuel depot a dozen times. We know how to get in and out."

She didn't need to see his eyes to know Jake was thinking the same thoughts as her.

"You have that little faith in Apollo? Starbuck trusts him."

"Of course he does. They're Colonials. They think they're demigods. Is he here? Do you see a viper anywhere, or a raider? No. Avery is just taking us farther away from where we know we can find one."

"Jake," she winced, wishing he could put aside the authority issues just once. "They might have a raider where we are going and Starbuck…"

He interrupted her. "…Is almost as sick as you are right now. I'm the only healthy one here and that should mean I take charge of the mission. Look, I know you want to save people, and Sire Gold Clusters is not going to turn away from his quest to be the warrior of the centaur, but we need to get the frack out of here. The drugs we got are only keeping the infection at bay. I've pumped you so full it should have killed anything within a ten metron radius of you, and all it's really doing is getting the fever down for a centaur or two. I'm worried when it fights back, it's going to win. I'm not taking a sightseeing hike on a maybe. We go for the real deal, not maybes. I'd leave you here and go for a raider myself if I thought I could do it on my own or that you'd be where I left you."

She considered his points, knew he was right. They needed to get something space worthy and get to the Galactica, that was true. They weren't going to be able to do that with Avery's men intent on another objective. Plus it might actually be easier if it was just her and Jake. They knew how to remain as shadows in the dark. She put a voice to her only concern. "I'd rather we take Starbuck and Boomer with us, but…"

"Avery is not letting us do that. The man is insane with radion poisoning. We all will be soon. That's what has your immune system so far down, you know that, right? Look, Apollo should have been back by now. Did anyone even consider that maybe he wouldn't find one? Why haven't we discussed that he might be dead? And besides, Starbuck would want me to do this. He'd want you out of here. He'll tell you that himself . . . next secton when we bring it up, of course."

He had her on that point. She wished she would have pushed harder for them to get a raider when they were lighting the suburbs on fire, but she knew she couldn't have left Boomer to die. But if she didn't take this opportunity now, wasn't she leaving all of them to die?

"Okay. Should be easy for us to fall back and disappear. We just need to distract Starbuck."

"That shouldn't be too hard." Jake gestured to the scene as Boomer stepped between Starbuck and Avery who were again nose to nose.

Boomer tried to end the argument by stating loudly, "We need to find better cover before we can discuss this at any length. The enemy is still hunting for us."

Both Starbuck and Avery grumbled agreement, but neither one moved, glaring at each other. Boomer stepped between them, pushing gently at Starbuck to propel him back to Rene and Jake.

Boomer spoke in a low voice to Starbuck as the two moved away from Avery and Wylie. It was too quiet for Rene to hear, but she read Starbuck's body language. She had found it was often a better translation of Starbuck's thoughts than the words that came out of his mouth. It was obvious by his eyes locked angrily on Avery he didn't like the man, but his shoulders weren't tense, and his hands weren't up ready to strike or block a blow. Rene knew he was going to go along with the man's plan. It wasn't just because Boomer wanted to help. No, Avery had uttered the magic word: kids. She often used the same tactic on him. He was a sucker for the kids. This wasn't just some of Avery's men the Cylons had, it was kids. She suspected that even if Starbuck was down to crawling, he'd get those kids out or die trying. It's what she loved about him even if it was going to be what probably killed them all.

She winced as she heard Dante's voice in her head, the motivational speech he had given before their first launch into battle. She wanted to hate the man, but sometimes Dante had been so right that his words vibrated into your soul. "We all die eventually," his voice had chilled the prelaunch chatter, "but it's what you do before that defines that life. We can't live forever, but we can create something that will. When you save another, the memory of your deeds will last longer than anything made of metal or stone."

She wondered if Starbuck had heard the same speech somewhere, maybe the academy? He certainly lived by those words even if it meant he'd see an early grave

Muttering obscenities under his breath, Starbuck was soon back, asking if she needed help up. She felt invincible with the weapon in her hand, almost like she could walk the kilometrons they were talking about and take on the Cylons like Avery wanted. Almost. She didn't want to storm a Cylon encampment, she just wanted to steal a raider and get them all out of here. The rest could carry out whatever fool's errand they wanted. She was getting a raider if she had to die trying. She had to try to get them all out of this situation. Starbuck was here because of her. It was her responsibility to get him home.

She assured Starbuck she could walk, taking his hand up. She kept pace with him, not liking that he kept looking to her with that worried face of his. Why did he only seem to have that face while around her, especially since she really didn't like it? They hiked about another quarter kilometron to the trees at the base of a ridge. She didn't feel as tired as before. Now she could pretend they were just on a mission to help those held captive instead of being captives themselves. The difference in attitude had a startlingly positive effect on her ability to keep up. They took cover under the saplings that had started to grow, their first sign of renewal on Caprica thus far.

Avery, with the encouragement of the man named Wylie, began to finally explain why they hadn't been willing to climb aboard the shuttles and head for the safety of the Galactica.

"They have a lot of kids, not just ours. They bring them in from the other worlds and they have been doing things to them. We've seen babies as well as teens. They aren't just using them for labor. We think they're learning about humans, running experiments. That is until recently. Now they just bring in kids, lots of them, and then they are gone."

"You didn't think to mention this to us when we first landed, or better yet, when Rene and Boomer were arranging all this so we could bring more shuttles or more man power?" Starbuck glared at Avery wondering how it was possible to have survived three yahrens on this Cylon occupied world and be as stupid as he was. "Did you even try to save them, or were you just too busy being leader of your little caveman group here?"

"I had my own women and children to think about!" Avery's voice rose. "And then there's these snotty-nosed Colonial brats coming in stealing musical instruments, fancy dresses and alcohol!"

"But you could have said something! How were we supposed to know? Had you told us, we would have brought a lot more help."

"I told you when you took the wife and kids to safety! I told you to bring more help!" Avery shifted his glare to Boomer.

Starbuck opened his mouth to continue to rehash the point, but Boomer put a hand on his buddy's arm. "This is getting us nowhere. We can't change the past. We know now, and we have to do something about it."

Wylie mirrored Boomer as he placed his own hand on Avery's arm. "Tell them all of it. They need to know."

"There's more? Of course there is, like how he lured the Cylons to our cosy cave to get us to do what he wanted, am I right?"

"Would you have agreed if I hadn't?" Avery spat. "NO, you were just going to lounge around eating up all the food and then take off…"

Starbuck cut off Avery shouting, "We are ill and injured! I never said we wouldn't help, did I? You could have told us it was that dire a situation and we would have found a way to get moving, you didn't have to sic the Cylons on us!"

"Starbuck, kids. We are talking about kids and they weren't sure we would help," Boomer reminded him, keeping his hand firmly on Starbuck's arm, the one that usually swung first.

"I know, I get that, but I've got kids too!"

Rene wanted to hit him herself as he pointed to her and Jake.

"Starbuck," Boomer warned, "they're not kids. What's been done has been done. They are just as desperate as we are, so can you blame them? What would you be willing to do if it was Boxey or Lara or Kiff? Hear the man out, then we see what we can do to help."

Starbuck shut his mouth and nodded his head, knowing Boomer was right. If it was one of his own, he'd have conned the whole Galactica into following his lead. Didn't change the fact that he wasn't happy about being rousted out of a much needed sleep by Cylons that had been tipped off to their position.

Boomer looked to Wylie realizing that Avery was not going to be helpful, not with Starbuck still glaring lasers at him. "Tell us about where they have the kids. Are there raiders we could get so we could bring more help?"

"I think so. At least a shuttle I think. It's a mining operation, but there are other facilities there. From the looks of it they use most of the kids for labor. Sometimes there's a raider on the ground. There aren't many centurions. They have been relying on fences and gates to keep them captive."

"So you haven't tried to rescue any of them?" Boomer asked. "Do you know the layout of the encampment?"

Wylie nodded. "For the most part, yes. We've been checking on them pretty regularly. The centurions had us outnumbered and outgunned. We are low on supplies and weren't sure we could keep those we rescued safe. So far they have kept most of the kids fed and alive so we didn't want to risk their lives when we didn't have enough fire power to save them."

"Wait," Starbuck quickly forgot his anger at Avery as he realized the severity of the situation of those being held. "What do you mean 'most' of the kids? How many are we talking about and where are the rest of the kids?"

The glance Wylie threw to Avery was not reassuring to any of the warriors. Avery's answer to Wylie's unspoken deference was a shrugging of his shoulders in resignation before going back to his own glowering.

"This is no time for secrets," Boomer said as a gentle warning. "We all have too much at stake."

Wylie nodded, paused in the motion and then nodded again, as if having some debate with himself. "About fifty, but we don't know for sure. There are several buildings that don't look like they have anything to do with the mining operations. We have seen humans going in, but other than maybe one, we generally don't see them come out again. We think there are two operations going on there, but we don't have any idea what they are up to. It's a different kind of Cylon that we see coming and going from the buildings, and only a few centurions that go into the buildings. The centurions seem to run the mining operation."

"Different kind of Cylon? What do you mean?" Boomer asked.

"Has a head like a damn gumball machine." Avery finally decided to join the conversation. "Lights that flash on and off and a face like a clown."

"Lucifer," Starbuck clarified, but Boomer shook his head in ignorance. It was one of those moments that reminded Starbuck that not everyone was involved in all the briefings on the Galactica, like the one he had after his short stay with Baltar when he was captured in the void around Kobol. "It's an IL series, a higher series than the centurions. They can think independently and seem to be the ones who make the decisions. Saw one on Attila too."

"They wear capes like they're fracking kings. A red one, a green one, a blue one, and a yellow one." Avery chuckled. "We call that one the Pisspot."

"You sure it's not just the same one with different capes?" Starbuck asked remembering that Lucifer acted almost like a human. He wouldn't put it past the machine that spent time around Baltar to have adopted the human tendency to wear clothing to fit a mood, if Cylons could be said to have moods.

"We've seen them all together. There's four that we know of," Wylie answered. "We watched them pick out kids and take them into the buildings. Only one of those kids came back, and he's not looking good. Many of them don't look good and when they…"

Wylie abruptly turned away. Avery jumped into the unfinished sentence. "When they die, they put them outside the fence, like they know we're watching and they're baiting us. We lost a few men the first time. We can tell they've done something to the kids."

"Of course, they've done something to the kids. The kids are dead aren't they?" Starbuck snapped and Boomer put a hand out to remind Starbuck to keep his temper in check.

"No, I mean they've done something sick to them. One of the bodies looked like they had attached extra legs to it. Another kid had extra arms, like six of them coming out of their back. And one kid had what looked like a hundred bug bites on him. One that came back had open sores and…" Avery shook his head, "She didn't last long, and then some of the others had the sores too and they were tossed outside the fence within a secton."

"Holy frack," Starbuck felt sick to his stomach and knew it was more than whatever bug they had picked up from the water. He couldn't help but wonder where the extra limbs came from. "Okay, so you know the layout? We have solenite left in our packs, at least some? We got Rene's pack right?"

Boomer nodded to his questions, knowing that look on Starbuck's face. He had a plan, probably a good one. "I think you have hers. I have yours, and Jake has kept what he brought."

"Say what you will about the sewer rats, but they like things a bit explosive. Let's take inventory. Can you sketch me out their camp?"

Another raider streaked high above them. They all crouched and followed it with their eyes, breath held. It didn't turn back and was not joined by another.

Starbuck broke the silence. "Let's do this quick and then I think we need to get moving again. We may need to split up. Rene and Boomer are not up to this, but if the place is laid out the way I think it is, Jake and I can do this."

"I'm good, Starbuck," Boomer said as he unslung the pack and started going through the contents.

"You are now. I'm thinking after a hike you may not be. How far is it?"

Avery answered as Wylie was drawing in the dirt, using rocks and leaves to represent buildings and fences. "It was about ten kilometrons from the mine, but we've probably gone at least two of those, so about eight, maybe a bit less."

"You have anywhere we can take shelter and wait for night fall?" Starbuck asked, unslinging the pack and rummaging. He didn't need to dig far before he found at least four packs of solenite and two detonators wrapped up in a turbowash towel. He cast a quick glance to Rene and Jake sitting under the trees. He wanted to be furious about the solenite. He knew for a fact they did not check this much out of the Galactica's stores. He flipped them over and found markings for the Shiva and the Zakar. They were old and potentially unstable. She had risked her life, possibly all of their lives carrying the charges around, and he had to wonder how long she had had them. Where had she stored these between the time they started planning and the time they left for Caprica? If they made it back to the Galactica, his quarters were going to get a serious cleaning.

He missed the answer Avery had given him, too intent on the solenite and trying to read the conversation Rene was having with Jake, something about a raider. He'd never been good at reading lips, but if they were discussing what he thought they were, he was all for it. Might be the best plan yet.

It was Boomer's tap on the shoulder that pulled him back. "He says there's a place just a few more kilometrons from here."

"Good," Starbuck focused on the map Wylie had drawn. "How many centurions? The IL ones aren't that strong and usually aren't armed. You can literally kick them over, so they aren't the threat."

Wylie explained his map, where the kids were usually kept, the entrance to the mine and the buildings the humans disappeared in.

"Okay, just a quick question, then let's get moving. Do they send the kids into the mines at night, or do they quit working when the sun goes down?"

"They don't work at night." Wylie answered.

"Okay, solar powered then probably. Should be good and dark for us then. Lends to an element of surprise." Starbuck nodded thoughtfully.

"So are we doing this?" Avery asked still sounding a bit testy.

"Despite the fracked up invite, we are going to crash that party. Give me back my weapon and I might even take you as my date." Starbuck reached out and wiped the map clean with his hand before shouldering the pack again, being a little bit more careful how he slung it on his back. Avery whistled for one of his men, who came running up at the call. Avery took the weapon from his hands and handed it back to Starbuck.

"Once we have some shelter, I'll run the plan past everyone. Of course, once we actually have eyes on the target, we'll reaffirm it, just in case something's changed. Avery, I have a few more questions for you and Wylie too. Until then, you up for this, buddy?" Boomer nodded to him.

"With a bit more rest, a few clicks at a time, then yes, I'm more than able."

Starbuck clapped him on the back. "No medals for stoicism. When you hit your limit, you tell me. And be thinking of a way to give Apollo some sign of what we are up to."

Boomer laughed. "Are you kidding me? Did you forget who you are? What Apollo and I usually do is follow the explosions, look for the pretty ladies, and there you are."

Starbuck looked to his pretty lady, the one Jake was helping to her feet. "Yeah, but I don't generally like to mix the two together."

"Miri…the clones on Arcta …Rene….must I go on?"

"Boomer…."

"And that's just post-Destruction, Bucko…"

"I give up!" He raised his hands in surrender.

"I thought you'd see it my way," Boomer replied with a chuckle as Starbuck strode away from the group, hoping to talk with Rene about what he had planned, and the part she could play by getting out of here. getting out of here.