"Alright," he said softly as he squeezed her hand twice to acknowledge he believed in her. "I'll let you rescue me from Caprica. Make sure you come swooping back in lasers blazing. You do it in style, or don't do it at all. It's what I …."
He shifted his gaze to Jake, remembering back to when he and the young man had shared a drink and Jake had shared his story about that day on Caprica when Dante saved them all. While Jake may not remember that night, Starbuck didn't think he could ever forget the young man's description of the sewer rat's desperation after watching so many perish, knowing they would soon follow. Then one day the skies opened up, vipers breaking through the clouds, a miraculous mirage as they gleamed in the sun with promise. And then there was Dante, standing tall like a god on the roof of the shuttle, at least that is how Jake described him with hushed reverence. Starbuck had pictured the self-promoted Commander as he had seen the boray, a sneer on his face, standing on the shuttle like a fickle lord decreeing with the point of his finger who should live and who should die.
But Jake had painted the man as an avenging angel, right down to the golden glow. With hitching sobs and fragmented phrases, Jake tried to recount his relief of having been chosen, the engulfing warmth of hope, only to be doused in despair as Rene had let go, pushing him forward. Even in his fractured memory and drunken recollection of panic, Jake described Dante as a caring savior as he had listened to Jake's reasoning why Rene and the younger children with them should be saved. In Jake's eyes, Dante had risked his very life and the lives of his men to pull the rest of the rats from the brink of death. He was their salvation, welcoming them in, offering them a purpose and a place. Jake had not gotten farther than the moment when the shuttle landed on the Zakar. He'd dissolved into incoherent crying before puking and passing out.
Rene had tried to help explain to Starbuck that for those few first cycles, the Rats thought their prayers had been answered and just when they began to relax, the miracle melted away. Too late they realized the cost they would be forced to pay. Those kids had deserved a real hero, not the perverted boray they wound up slaving away for. Starbuck considered Dante as no better than the cylon captivity they had escaped, perhaps worse. At least Cylons didn't rape young, vulnerable women.
He met Jake's eyes, hoping the man read Starbuck's purpose and the place the young man had gained in his life. "It's what I would have done back at the destruction if I had been allowed the chance. I would have come in lasers blazing and I would have taken everyone I could with me, young or old, and all you would have owed me is a drink. That's what real warriors do."
He cast a quick glance to Apollo and Boomer, saw the agreement on his friends' faces before he turned back to Rene. "Make sure you do it right."
"Yes sir," she squeezed his hand again just once, but she didn't let go.
"She saved me," Boomer said, "and I won't forget it."
"Saved me too," Max added, "and a few more sorry souls that weren't worth the effort. She does it right."
He held Rene's eyes, but she just shrugged.
"I'll keep her safe," Apollo patted Starbuck on the back, looking relieved that his notoriously argumentative friend wasn't going to fight the decision to stay behind. "We have a few things to finish before we go. I think we should get the kids out of harm's way just in case this doesn't work."
Peryton indicated that the corridor would be the best place and Apollo headed over to Avery to give him an update, then he headed to the cockpit of the borzoi to get her fired up and ready. Boomer and Max went to find Wylie to gather up enough men so they could give them their quick training on how to push a button. Starbuck held his ground, not trusting himself to help with Avery's men. He was in a volatile mood and he figured even someone as addled as Avery could figure out how to push a button. He remained holding Rene's hand as Jake continued working on the device.
He had so much he wanted to say to her, but the weight of all of it kept him silent. Part of him wanted this to be the last time he saw her as he wanted her to stay on the Galactica like she should have the last time she launched. There were even more reasons now to insist on that, but he decided not to waste his breath on that request. She wouldn't listen and that was probably at the root of all of her problems on the Galactica and with him. He couldn't fix that problem in the time they had, but he wasn't a quitter. He reached for her other hand, held both of them in his as he met her eyes.
"When you get out there, you listen to Apollo. He knows what he's doing, top of his class at the academy and any other class he is put in. You got that? And if truth be told, he's luckier than me, you just have to listen and follow his lead to find that out. If things are too hot, you stay on the Galactica."
She snorted as she dramatically narrowed her eyes. He tried not to let her Sewer Rat surly attitude stop him.
"Follow his orders." She turned away like he expected her to, but he had a different argument that might sway her. "We are fine here. Plenty of food, water and now power to last us a while. We can hunker down until it's safe. There's no point in you launching back into a warzone to load up these kids to have them just be shot down when they can stay alive here for yahrens. But let Apollo decide. It won't kill you to follow his orders and give him a little bit of respect. It might actually keep you alive." He squeezed her hands twice, calling to her to meet his eyes.
She turned to him, her lips tight in displeasure as she rolled her eyes. She didn't try to speak, so he asked it again. "Please, for me? You said when I agreed to come here that you would follow my orders, which I might mention you haven't done once. So follow this one order to you to follow Apollo's orders."
Her nod was so slight he doubted anyone else would have seen it. She seemed to be thinking of what to reply, when Jake turned toward them and spoke up instead.
"It's ready to be installed and you better fraking come back and rescue me. I never wanted to die on Caprica and really don't want to be stuck her for yahrens with these guys. Plus you and I know the enemy isn't going to let us just camp out here for that long. And make sure you give Apollo an attitude. It's the only thing that gets him to remove that stick up his astrum and take a risk or two."
"Dammit Jake!" Starbuck barked, feeling the burn of the words on his sore throat.
"That…that m….m…means he l…likes you." Rene stuttered.
"NO, no it doesn't!" The grin the two shared poked at Starbuck like a sharp stick to his side and he shot his anger at Jake. "She gets shot down, I will make sure you stay alive a long time just so you know how little I like you! And you," he squeezed her hands again, "You die on me, I will take it out on him, and everyone else. I have no doubt they will kick me out of this little paradise for how nasty I will become, so let's avoid that okay?"
"Okay," she tried to tone down her grin.
Peryton chimed in, having been forgotten in their exchange, "If the tin heads keep being insistent with their knocking, none of us need to worry about yahrens of supplies and who is to blame. I hope what you say you can do is true."
Jake replied for Rene, "It is, but if you don't come with us, you won't get to see it for yourself."
It was Starbuck's turn to grin as Jake may have finally found an incentive to entice the old man out of his cave home.
"She can bring you back if you don't like it in the fleet." Starbuck upped the ante to sweeten the pot, knowing full well that he was going to default on that bet, but he'd leave that for later on the Galactica and Adama could deliver the bad news.
The old man ignored their words, grabbing for Starbuck's arm to pull him away from Rene. "You have vipers to get into position, and we have a device to install."
He kept hold of Rene as he followed Perryton and Jake to the Borzoi, where Jake crawled up to the cockpit, and told Apollo rather brusquely to get out. Apollo didn't seem phased by Jake's attitude despite the fact that Peryton barked up at him, "Manners, Son!"
Jake called out in a sarcastic sing song, "Thank you."
Apollo chuckled. "Reminds me of someone I know. Rene, you stay here, get familiar with the craft while Starbuck and I help to get the other vipers into position." Starbuck hesitated to let go of Rene's hand, but Apollo said gently, "No need for a goodbye if we do this right."
Starbuck nodded. "If I was going along, then we might have better odds of this going right. So you can give me the time I need here, alright?" He stepped away from Apollo and Perryton, leading Rene with him around the back of the craft before pulling her into his arms. She tried to stutter his name, not getting farther than the S and the T before he shushed her. She radiated heat in his hold and he pulled back gazing into her fever bright eyes. "Apollo's right, we need to hurry," he thought to himself as he placed the back of his hand against her cheek and she leaned into his cool touch.
"Blackmail the Commander and remind Blue Squadron they owe me so you can get this done quick."
She replied softly, "I love you."
"Yeah I know you do, but you seem to only say it when you are getting your way." He winced as his own defensive banter slid into place like armor. "I love you too. I'll clear you a path." He hugged her again tight before stepping away to follow Apollo.
He tried to not look back, but as he and the others pulled the safety straps and coverings for the engines and weapons and rolled the vipers closer to the hangar doors, he couldn't help to keep glancing towards the Borzoi checking on Rene and the progress of their work. Soon the vipers were in place, everyone in a cockpit ready to fire with two craft left empty, one for him and one for Jake. Starbuck made sure they were near the front once he found that two of the vipers had enough fuel to at least get them off the ground, maybe not a full launch, but enough to find the sky to fire off a few volleys before they had to glide back for a landing. It might make a big difference in providing cover for Apollo. His friend merely clapped him on the back goodbye when everyone seemed ready and it was time to go. Starbuck knew it was his way of reminding him not to worry, he'd be back.
Rene was seated in the second seat of the black viper before Apollo sent Jake his way. Starbuck quickly informed the young warrior of his plan to try to launch, and that he thought Jake might have enough fuel as well to try to do the same. Jake actually uttered a "Yes sir," that sounded halfway respectful before the two separated. Starbuck cast Rene a wave before he sealed the canopy of his craft and donned the helmet. The leather of the seat was stiff, and the instruments gleamed. He would love to trade his old and much abused viper for this one, but unless Rene brought back extra fuel, that probably wouldn't be an option, so he tried to savour the preflight check and the smell of a fresh cockpit and a new helmet.
Most of Avery's men were assembled near the opening of the hangar, armed with pulsar rifles, ready to race out to provide added firepower from the ground. Starbuck didn't know if that would be effective, but he didn't have it in him to state that fact. He appreciated the gesture the men were making, that despite Avery's disdain for him, Rene and Jake, his men were on the side of the Warriors.
Apollo's voice was clear over the com, "We go on five," and Apollo counted down as the hangar door slowly started to part. Starbuck didn't wait for the final count, firing his engines as soon as the opening was wide enough for his viper. He wasn't going for full launch or even much altitude, just enough to take out any raiders close by. He whooped with victory as a raider exploded. He had taken one down before his wings had cleared the hangar. Jake peeled off to the right, taking down another while Starbuck fired up his scanner and tried to do a visual count, whistling in dismay.
"Full Squadron, maybe two. Hold up Apollo. Let us clear some first."
Max and Boomer had followed his lead, making it into the sky and Starbuck noted that the enemy had momentarily stopped their salvo runs. The surprise had worked, and he and Jake were able to take down more than a dozen as the enemy shifted their attack.
Boomer called over the com, "Now! We have an opening."
Starbuck wanted to countermand the order as he thought he had enough fuel to stay up a few centons longer and could take down more, but Apollo reacted to the command, the sleek black craft shooting out and up cleanly through the hole they had created in the enemy force. Rene didn't wait for full atmo, opening the rift and then in a green flash that forced his eyes to close protectively, she was gone by the time he could force his eyes open. He breathed a heavy sigh of relief at the same time that his turbos sputtered and engine one shut down with no other warning. Engine two gave him a bit more of a notice, the alarm sounding loudly in his ears as the engine coughed almost politely a few times throwing off his trajectory, before quietly making a small burst in apology, and winking out.
Jake's voice came over the com, offering a good suggestion as his third engine sputtered enough to shift the nose of his viper towards the hillside that had been off to his left. "Eject! I'll cover you."
His hand hovered over the eject handle as his other tried to turn the viper to aim him closer to Peryton's home, but the engine died and the stick went dead as he lost all control. The gentle glide he had hoped for turned into a spiralling nose dive. He jammed down the fire button for his lasers one last time as he pulled the lever. His canopy exploded away and the escape pod parachute jerked him up into his harness. His vision blurred and he gasped at the rush of air, but couldn't seem to draw any of it into his lungs. He didn't have time to be concerned as his pod hit the ground hard, the chute pulling him across the rocky landscape, tumbling his seat. By instinct he reached for the release for his harness, hoping to get free of the pod before the enemy targeted his chute. The pod tumbled again, and tossed him out onto the hard ground, his head banging back and forth into the helmet that was too large.
He lay there dazed and helpless as he heard the whine of an engine and felt the heat of a laser above him. He struggled to his feet, tossing the helmet, but his vision had not returned. Everything was just an explosion of blurry gray and white. He tried to run, but the ground heaved and he lost his footing. He began rolling down the hill. He went limp and let the roll take him farther away from his chute and hopefully towards some sort of cover he might find at the bottom of the hill. His tumbling was halted abruptly as his body slammed into something large and hard. He tried to curl around it and hang on as he panted and prayed for his sight to catch up to him.
He listened to the explosions in the sky for what felt like more than a few centons, until he thought he heard a familiar voice shouting his name over the roar of raiders. "Over here," he tried to shout back, but he only managed a raspy whisper as the effort caused a sharp pain to lance through his chest.
He shook his head and blinked hard as he lifted his head up, waving his hand at the blurry object moving towards him. He reasoned it had to be a human at the speed it was moving. He breathed another sigh of relief as human hands slid under his shoulders hauling him up. "I'm getting tired of having to save your astrum," Jake groused. "You hurt?"
"I can run, just can't see." He gasped at the pain again in his chest that took his breath away.
"Got ya," Jake said as he flung Starbuck's arm over his shoulders and started moving.
With each footstep, Starbuck's vision became clearer, but his chest hurt more as he gulped for air. He wanted to tell Jake to slow down, to let him catch his breath, and was trying to say as much when an electric jolt shot down his spine. His legs went out from under him and he used what breath he had to yelp in pain before his muscles locked up and he dropped to the ground.
Shards of glass skittered painfully up every nerve as he began to shake. He managed another cry of pain as Jake hauled him up and flung him over his shoulders. Between the lightning jolts and the jostling from Jake's running, Starbuck wanted to howl at the torture, but he couldn't unlock his jaw or pull in enough breath to manage even that. He moved the only muscles he seemed to control, and shut his eyes. "Pain is temporary. Pain lets you know you're alive. Pain is temporary…" He let the mantra roll across his mind hoping to soothe his panic. When that didn't work, he focused on Jake's labored breaths, mentally urging him to go faster.
He had no idea how far Jake ran or for how long, only that it ended with his back landing on something hard and flat, his muscles still locked up, his body shaking involuntarily. Jake shouted something, but he couldn't make it out, and then he felt the stab of something in his arm, something gouging at him, before the pain abruptly stopped and he could draw a ragged breath into aching lungs.
A cool hand was on his brow, another reached softly to open his eyes. He tried to say something, but Jake's voice shushed him.
"Don't move. I don't know what I did but I'm thinking it worked, but I don't want you to hurt yourself. Just lay still, okay?"
He whispered, "Are we safe?"
"Can you see?" He wanted to shake his head no, but Jake barked at him, "DON'T MOVE!"
Other hands were on him, holding him down, then Boomer's voice, "What did you do?"
"Think I broke the connection, sent an electric pulse the opposite direction on that wire, but don't know what damage I might have done. Just wanted to end the seizure."
"Thanks," he whispered and knew Jake had heard it as his hand gently tapped his forehead. "I can see…sort of." He tried to turn his head, taking in that he was in the hangar under the lights, the cement floor at his back. He wanted to ask if they had lost anyone, but Jake held up a finger for him to track that demanded his attention as Jake snapped his fingers at him. He tried to follow it.
"Okay, good. Don't move. We do this slow. What do you feel?"
"Nothing." Some part of him knew that should be alarming, but at the moment it felt wonderful. He sensed a gentle tapping on his forehead. "I feel that."
"Thank you," Jake quipped, "helps if you're honest with me. Now?"
A hand gripped his and he tried to squeeze back but couldn't get the muscles to move.
"I feel it but…" another hand was on his leg and he sighed in relief, "and that too."
"Good. Okay, just wiggle a finger, but that's it, nothing else."
He could feel the ground beneath him still quaking with enemy hits, wanted to ask about that, but instead tried to wiggle a finger. He didn't think it worked.
"Okay, uh…okay…"
"That didn't work did it?" Boomer questioned, "Do you know what you're doing?"
"No, but he's not seizing so….we can leave him like this or…frak."
"Frak?" he wanted to raise his head in alarm, but all he could seem to do is huff a breath and blink.
"I'm going to remove the pulse, on three, okay? You seize I'm putting it back on. Don't move. On three, one, two, three."
He felt sensation enter his limbs in a wave of fire. He cried out, but then it passed and he was left panting as Jake shouted his name. He held up his hands, trying to form the sign for okay as he struggled to breathe through the aftermath of the pain. He would take a little pain if it meant the ability to move.
"I'm okay." He wanted to laugh at the truth of the words, but a quick electric pulse seared down his limbs, then faded.
"Get him away from the door, farther inside." Hands grabbed his feet and he was dragged unceremoniously across the hangar floor. He wanted to complain, but the pain faded as he was pulled farther inside the mountain. He was near the back wall workstations when they stopped and let him lay there panting.
"Thanks," he rasped, but Jake just patted him on the shoulder.
"Rene would win every fight if I lost you."
"We can't have that, now can we? Can I move now?"
"If you can. I don't feel like carrying you anymore," Jake tried to joke, "but I will if I have to. You're going on a diet when we get back. You're getting fat and slow."
"So you've said, young punk," he bantered back using the words to distract himself as he took Jake's hand to sit up. It wasn't searing pain exactly, but a deep ache he thought he had shed after their rescue. "I'm okay," he answered the worried look from Jake.
"Now what?" Max asked, and in unison Boomer and Starbuck answered, "Now we wait."
Jake still had a grip on his hand. "I'm staying close in case it happens again. We carry you out on the shuttle. Don't argue and be a good example for the kids."
"Yes sir," Starbuck said, suddenly distracted by a noise from one of the work tables. A kid crawled out from underneath, his face a mask of fear. "Zion?"
The child nodded, taking hesitant steps towards them. Jake reached out for the kid before Starbuck could, pulling the child down to sit by the warrior. "You keep an eye on him for me. You holler if he can't move or starts to shake, alright? My name's Jake. We're going to go watch for our ride." The kid nodded solemnly.
"I've got them, son" Peryton said from behind him.
"Alright dad," Jake answered before he walked away. Starbuck looked back at the old man, wondering at the man's grin.