He woke in darkness to a smell that evoked visions of lazy summer days and the innocence of childhood. It was disorienting, the unfamiliar surroundings and the scent that had him wondering if it all had been a dream, the destruction, the three yahren desperate flight into the stars, the loss of life. The old fragrance of home exploded in his mind, just as forceful as the explosions that changed his world all those yahrens ago. He almost expected to lift his head from the sofa and find his mother in the kitchen asking if he wanted a short stack or a "daddy" size stack, a joke from when he was a small child and noticed his father was served more of the pancakes than Apollo or Zac. The familiar sizzle of meat being fried added to the illusion.

"If only," the words sang in his mind as the aroma from his memory effectively blocked out the smell of rot and chemicals that he hadn't really noticed until this moment was the new smell of Caprica. It was not the gentle touch of his mother's hand that reached to shake him awake but the rough gnarled hand of Peryton. Reality settled upon him as the predawn glow illuminated the deep lines of worry on the old man's face.

"What's wrong?" Apollo mumbled, scrubbing at his face to push away the last vestiges of his dreams.

Max grumbled from the sofa, "Did you burn the bacon? That would be worse than the destruction."

"Can it, Max. We were lucky to even find this place, let alone to be allowed in," Apollo barked and instantly regretted his harsh tone as Peryton jumped back as if to defend himself from a physical attack. Apollo tried to remember his own manners as he said, "Thank you for waking us. We should get back to our people and we would appreciate any food, burnt or otherwise."

Peryton still scowled at him. "The bacon's more baked than that half cooked crock of mong you tried to feed me last night."

"Hold up there, Peryton. We aren't lying."

"Really? Well the radios came alive last night. They sure tell a different story. Now out with the truth before I toss you out on your astrums."

Apollo took a moment to take a breath and gather his bearings, checking his chrono and reminding himself that Peryton had been here a long time alone. How sane would Apollo be after three yahrens holed up in a cabin alone? Oh Apollo realized he might do fine, but if it were any of his other friends, say Starbuck for example, they'd be more than a little off. If he learned nothing else since the destruction, Serina had taught him that humans needed each other to survive.

He debated getting up from his position on the floor, but decided that might seem threatening so he propped himself up on his elbows instead and asked softly, "What has been transmitting? Cylon transmissions or human?"

Peryton didn't answer right away, glaring down at him. "You're part of a bigger force. There's a fleet that's closer than you told me!"

Apollo sighed heavily. "I wish that were true but it's not. Why would I keep that from you?"

Peryton eyed him suspiciously before some of the tension left his face and he took a deep breath of his own. "Human voices. The fleet is over Piscera isn't? Not enough to take back all the colonies though, am I right? They've been talking about liberating planet Starbuck and everyone knows about the whaling family from the Islands of southern Piscera that call themselves the Seabucks. You've started with Piscera first, haven't you? It makes sense, Cylons don't like water. There would be less of them. Then when you get more people, move on to another planet. But you're not sure if you can do it."

Laughter burst from Apollo before he could contain it, "Of course he renamed the place. He's that crazy." He shook his head as he decided to get to his feet. He found himself stumbling as the hilarity of the situation made him light headed.

Peryton reached out a hand to help him up. A gleam of hope that had replaced the suspicion in the old man's eyes cut short the hilarity of the moment. Apollo sighed and slowly shook his head. "It's not what you think. There is no fleet and they are not talking about Piscera. Starbuck is one of my crew members. He's known for his crazy plans. Something must have happened for him to be moving forward. Something bad."

Hastily Apollo scanned the room, looking for the packs they had brought. He tried not to linger on the platter of pancakes waiting for him on the kitchen counter.

"Max, we need to load up. Peryton, sir, we need water and if you can spare it, some food. If that is indeed breakfast I can smell, we'll have to eat it on the run."

The old man held firmly as Apollo tried to turn to see to his pack. The strength in the grip pulled his attention back to the man and he met Peryton's gaze as he said soft and low, "I have not lied to you. We will be back and we will need that viper."

"Not if Rene's dead, we won't," Max iterated loudly as he shouldered his pack and stepped around the two men on his way to the sink. Max roughly turned on the tap to fill his canteen with one hand, and scooped up a pancake, shoving it in his mouth with his other hand.

It was the nightmare Apollo was trying desperately to avoid. If Rene didn't make it he knew Starbuck would never forgive him for not having been there. That was the real risk he took when he headed out on the hope of maybe finding a viper before Starbuck was awake and could talk him out of it. It was the risk of abandoning Starbuck just when he might need his friend the most to help him deal with being abandoned once again by a woman he loved.

But it was also more than that, more than a sealing gift to his best buddy. If Rene died, Starbuck would probably not survive long enough himself to deal with her loss. He might follow her to the grave, they all might if they couldn't get off Caprica. They needed Peryton for more than just a viper.

"Then we may be back to stay. I promised to repair your solar panels and I keep my word."

Peryton's eased up his grip. "If you are anything like your father, I believe you do. So, no need for me to keep that young man there for collateral is there?"

Although Max was a slow runner and Apollo could cover more ground without him, they had not discussed leaving anyone behind. He voiced his concerns out loud, "I may need him."

Peryton seemed to read his unspoken thoughts before smiling. "Then what about a trade? One hard-working young man for one electric hoverbike. I have one in the hangar. It may not get you all the way you are going on a weak charge, but it will get you a heck of a lot farther than your worn-out feet. I only have the one."

Apollo considered only for a heartbeat. Their odds of survival were better if they were together. "I may need him," Apollo restated, but it was said with less conviction as he recognized Max was right, getting off Caprica depended on Rene's survival, not Max's. Plus if they were trapped on Caprica, their best odds were with Peryton. If Starbuck were here, he would make some smart remark about bets and cards and luck of the draw, but Apollo knew that it really came down to resources. Peryton held more resources than Avery's group.

Peryton echoed his thoughts, "You and I both know that a hoverbike with a low charge is going to get you farther with less weight. Leave him here and he and I can get started on readying the viper. We might even be done by the time you get back."

Apollo looked back to Max, expecting some characteristically colorful remark. Max simply unslung his pack and reached for another pancake. "Sooner you get to her, the sooner we can all leave. Not that he's not a nice guy and all, but I'm not sure I want to live on his planet."

Apollo was about to remind Max that you shouldn't bite the hand that feeds you, when Max saw the rebuke brewing and clarified. "I meant Starbuck. Does he name everything after himself? He wants to rename the council chambers too. Take a wild guess what his suggestion for that is?"

Apollo chuckled. "He has suggested renaming the Zakar. I think Adama would go for it if it wasn't Starbuck who planned to be in charge of the naming committee. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Max handed him the full canteen and a pancake rolled up around strips of fried bacon. Apollo shoved the food in his mouth barely tasting it as he followed Peryton into his tunnel leading down to the hangar. The passageway was much like he remembered from yahrens ago, a corridor lined with supplies. Despite three yahrens of depletion, Peryton still appeared to be well stocked possibly for decades to come.

There was not enough electricity to power the lights that had in the past flooded the bay with blinding light, yet it was no less magical as Peryton's handheld illuminator swept from viper to viper. There the old girls waited patiently for their day to shine in the sun, and Apollo found it a little easier to breathe. "Rene was still walking," he reassured himself. "She can make it back here. We can make it off Caprica."

Peryton didn't linger on the spacecraft, heading for the wall near the door to the hangar. It was an old hoverbike, barely big enough for a grown man, obviously some left over relic from Peryton's own childhood.

"Help me with the door," Peryton asked as he began pulling at a chain that raised the door slowly with a clicking that echoed ominously loud in the chamber. It did not take long to raise the door high enough to slide the bike underneath. Despite the hover's age and the batteries depletion, he was able to start the bike easily. He was turning to thank Peryton and tell him when to expect him back, but the slamming of the hangar door cut him off. He tried to reassure himself that the old man was just playing it safe, but he couldn't shake the sensation that he'd been kicked out.