Apollo stepped down from the dais, putting a hand on Peryton's shoulder, a reminder that Rene didn't respond well to clipped commands. In his other hand were the controls to a drone, which he maneuvered to right on top of the celestial dome. It circled above them as he handed the remote to Rene.
"We can open the rift. Would like you to try?" He handed Rene the controls to a probe and a data pad. "Here are our coordinates, roughly. This is where we are going. Can you put the probe in front of us?"
"I have no idea. Can't hurt to try. Where do you want it to go?"
Peryton answered her in a calmer tone. "We think you should decide at this point. How accurate can you be?"
She looked up to Starbuck, a wicked grin reflected in her eyes.
Starbuck spoke up. "Sir, don't challenge my wife. She has taught me a few things."
Peryton chuckled and Starbuck felt Rene relax under his hand. "Son, you haven't been married long. The learning has just begun, but you might actually do okay if you've figured out she's smarter than you."
The words softened the wickedness of her grin as she winked at him. "Let's find out what I can do with my boots on the Galactica. Maybe tomorrow in a viper?"
"This is as close as you are getting to the stars for now," he answered somehow understanding she was actually looking for his permission to give this a go. "Okay, how do we get that rift to open without Rene in a viper?"
Apollo picked up a communicator from the dais. "Giles, we're ready when you are." A viper sped over the dome and opened fire into empty space. The rift appeared, a jagged rainbow of colors, like a split in the black fabric of the sky around them, only as large as a doorway to a corridor. Rene entered coordinates into the controls for the drone and sent it towards the rainbow. The colors rippled and the drone seemed to fly through it like a mist, trailing greens and blues, but the drone was still visible above them as the seam in space slowly faded. It hadn't gone through.
"It opened. We can get that to happen, but nothing works like it should," Peryton grumbled, reaching for the controls to the drone. He guided it back to the above the dome. "It should have gone through at least. Maybe we wouldn't be able to retrieve it, but it should have gone somewhere. Nothing works like it should."
"Not much of life does," Jake shot back.
"This isn't life boy, it's physics. It has rules and parameters. It's numbers that add up," Peryton grumbled again.
Apollo shared a look with Starbuck as he shook his head. He couldn't believe he was going to have to be the one to try to get his friend to trust in mystical powers. This was really Adama's realm. Apollo hadn't bought the whole story about Iblis shooting lightning that killed him, and then the ship of lights had brought him back to life. His friend thought maybe he and Sheba hadn't looked hard enough for his pulse, that he'd must have just been unconscious. But Starbuck had carried the man's body, felt it cool in his arms. Live bodies didn't do that.
But then later that evening at dinner, when the coordinates for Earth were just magically there in his head, they had all begun to accept that just maybe science couldn't explain everything. Starbuck wasn't sure himself how he felt about all of it. Much like Peryton, he wanted to write it all off as something scientific that they just didn't understand. There were beings in the universe that were superior too, so maybe some beings were superior to humans. That's what the beings on the crystal ship had told him anyway, stuff about other realms and dimensions. He could believe in that more readily than gods, but he couldn't deny that luck fell out of that realm of explanation. Sometimes. The right odds didn't mean you necessarily won, and sometimes you won despite the astronomical odds against you.
Starbuck understood why his friend couldn't wait until the baby was born to test Rene's abilities. He wanted to test the odds, see where luck might be on their side. He was starting to consider that maybe, just maybe, those coordinates actually led somewhere they were destined to be. But did that have to put their baby's life at risk?
He saw the question in his old wing mate's eyes, would he be willing to let Rene in a viper and let her try to show them how her powers worked? Technically she could fly, and they didn't have to send a viper out a launch tube, they could do a slow take off from some of the other ships where the gravity field and the shields weren't as strong. And if he was with her, full supply packs along just in case something went wrong, headed to coordinates they knew should probably be free of cylons, he might agree. Maybe…but they could wait until the baby was born. They weren't desperate yet, but he sure would like his kid to take his first steps on a planet.
He nodded to Apollo, was about to speak, but his friend held up a hand forestalling his words. Apollo reached behind him to pick up another data pad from the dais. "We could try one of the laser turrets from the Galactica."
"Not sure why. It should work no matter who opens up the wormhole," Peryton provided. We've opened the wormhole before."
"You didn't say 'please'. The lords like it when you are polite," Rene quipped before addressing Apollo. "I get to fire the Galactica's turrets? You built a device that works on something that big? Oh frak, yeah I'm in!" Rene reached for the datapad as Peryton admonished her.
"Watch your language, lass!"
"Frak frak frak frak frak…word just flows don't it? One of the few I can say. You want my help with this or not?"
Starbuck squeezed her shoulder hard. "Rene, you have the upper hand here, no need to gloat."
"She's always been a bad winner," Jake added.
"Knock it off, all of you. The Colonel just handed me the lasers to the Galactica, and my trigger finger is itchy. I've been known to shoot my friends," Rene joked, but Starbuck could feel the shiver in her shoulder. Was it in anticipation or fear?
"One turret, aimed away from the fleet. Don't get too carried away," Apollo cautioned her.
"So I need to put in the coordinates," Rene looked at the data pad and Apollo stepped forward to show her how it worked. "Okay, got it. Not sure if this works remotely, but what have we got to lose. Where do we want it and how many drones do I get to play with?"
"Three, so don't go too wild," Apollo answered.
Rene turned back to Starbuck and grinned. "Okay, here we go. You fly the drone, same coordinates are entered, and I'll fire on three. One, two, three."
She pressed a button on the remote and one of Galactica's laser turrets fired. The rift appeared but far larger than Starbuck had seen it before. The greens, blues and yellows burned into his eyes, rippling and strobing. It was like the black fabric of space had ripped open and light was trying to claw its way out. The rift in space was as wide as the Galactica.
"Whoa." It was Jake who could find words while the rest were stunned into silence.
"Apollo?" Rene reached for the controls to the drone while Apollo watched the rift mesmerized at the sheer size. Rene worked the controls, a slight muttering under her breath, the words too low for Starbuck to make out as she flew the drone into the rift. She punched the pad again, and the rip in the heavens closed, looking like the black of space folded in upon itself. The colors danced for a moment longer, an after image that faded like a fog.
"Tell Giles to fetch, right about here," Rene showed Apollo the coordinates on the control panel.
Apollo communicated the coordinates to Giles and the viper hit the turbos. They didn't have to wait for long before Giles' voice came over the communicator, "I'm there, no sign of it…wait…there it is."
"It makes no sense," Peryton stated again shaking his head. "Have him retrieve it and we will go through the data. It makes no sense."
"We have two more?" Rene asked looking up to Apollo. "Are they covered in Colonial markings?"
"Yes and yes," Apollo reached over, tapping her data pad and the drones flew to right above the dome, circling in tandem.
Rene looked up at them before meeting Starbuck's eyes. Something dangerous glinted in her eyes, like a wink of a polished steel blade. He wanted to know what she was thinking, but he didn't get a chance to ask as she opened the rift again, the laser salvo from the Galactica lighting up the starfield before the explosion of greens and blues shimmered. She quickly flew the drone into the rift. This time when the jagged rip in the sky closed, the colors slammed into each other, a sudden spray of red and orange flames, a supernova that burned into their eyes. Everyone in the dome instinctually ducked down as the light show bathed the dome.
"Holy frak!" Bojay cursed loudly and Starbuck found himself muttering the words as well as he watched the flames flicker and die out as if blown by a giant breath.
Rene dropped both of the controls to the floor, her hands shaking as the tremor ran up her arms, and she shuddered.
"I'm done."
"We have another drone," Peryton said, not seeming to be phased by the vibrant display.
Rene shook her head violently no. To Starbuck it almost looked like a seizure rather than an answer to the man.
"Where did you send the drone to," Apollo asked, picking up the communicator to let Giles know where to retrieve the second one.
Rene's eyes remained on the star field before them as she slowly answered, "He won't find it."
"Why not?" Peryton asked warily as Rene shifted her eyes back to Starbuck.
"Rene?" He had to say her name again before she would answer him.
"Not everyone made it off Dilmun. They should know we're coming back."
"Dammit, Rene," Starbuck cursed, his shoulders dropping in defeat, "all you did was tell the enemy we're coming. Now they can prepare for us and you could have revealed our current position."
Rene didn't blink as she answered, "They already know Starbuck. I couldn't hold that information back. They yanked it from my head."
He tossed his hands up in frustration. "Well you didn't have to tell them twice! And you want to know why we aren't going to let you fly? Are you on the cylon's side now?"
"Shut up, brother!" Jake shouted, taking a step forward, hands clenched.
Apollo put his hands out, blocking Jake from coming at Starbuck, but it was to his old wing mate that he directed his words. "Everyone calm down. It's just a drone. The only information they are going to get is that a colonial vessel is around Dilmun, which is already known. What's going on, Starbuck?"
"Me?" He sarcastically pointed to Rene and then Jake. "I'm the problem here? She just about killed us all with that rift and shot a drone at Dilmun and he…he…" he halted at the reproachful glare Apollo gave him.
"He's not sleeping well," Rene said before reaching down for the remotes to the drone and the laser turret, handing them to Apollo.
"And you would know because you're not sleeping at all," Starbuck snapped back.
Rene didn't reply, turning to Peryton instead. "You have enough data to deal with from the one drone. It's never done that before, explode I mean. It just…"
"How many times have you used it? You always use a viper? I'm told that you used a raider, how was that different?" Peryton began to pepper her with questions, urgent to gain information as he seemed to understand that when Rene announced she was done, she meant the words. "Why do you think it did that? Too much power maybe? Sent the drone too far?"
"Dad," Bojay interjected taking the steps towards his father as Rene backed away from the man. "We're all tired. We don't have to find out all the answers today. That was…something. She may be right. We shouldn't be playing around with this."
"If we could get out in a viper, like she says she normally does this, we could know. She could give us a demonstration. I could go through with her and we could figure out how this works. It might be the one advantage we have over the Cylons. They are winning, son!"
"Alright, Dad, alright," Bojay took a step towards his father, reaching out a hand to his shoulder, "I heard this speech a thousand times before I graduated. Each viper was going to be the difference between our defeat and our winning, and it never was. You've always been like this Dad, single minded like a daggit with a bone. You tried to save us, Dad, I know that's why you worked so hard, but I don't think…"
Peryton spun away from Rene and towards Bojay, "You joining the Colonial Service wasn't the answer either! You should have gone off to study astrophysics like I told you, but you never listened with the music buds in your ears and your eyes on the sky. Together we could have made a difference, designed more, made more. Your mother always blamed me for you going to the Colonial Academy, but I told you not to. When you were lost at Molecay, it nearly killed her!"
"I wasn't smart enough for that and I couldn't spend my life in your hangar, Dad!" Bojay shouted back before taking a breath and calming down. "That wasn't going to help us win. Mom was right, you loved those vipers more than all of us. You made me love them too, isn't that what you wanted? I've never understood why that was such a bad thing. We always had that in common." Bojay kept a hand on his father, a worried scowl on his face.
"Tossing yourself at the enemy wasn't going to help us win this war. Better armaments, faster ships, that would have made the difference. I tried to warn them, but those old fools wouldn't listen. Now some young fool has the answer to our survival, and you expect me to not want to figure out how we can use it? I lost our worlds, but I could still save our civilization." Peryton's eyes were clearer than they had been on Caprica, and now they glowed with unshed tears brimming. "We are running out of time, son."
"Dad, the doctor said if you go through the treatment, you could gain a lot of your sight back and maybe beat back the cancers. You have some yahrens left," Bojay said softly.
"It's not about me! See, you never listen. You have a child now. You understand what's at stake. You have to protect her and get her to where she can be safe. I failed you, but together, we can succeed and save her, save all of them."
"Dad, you didn't fail me," Bojay said softly, looking to Starbuck in exasperation, "We are trying to save everyone. I'm doing it the best way I know how. We have hit them back and spread them thin. Cain was winning at Gomorray. With the mines Commander Dante gave us, and the patterns they create, we could defend a world. We just have to find Earth, and then...
"Earth is a myth! Adama is following an ancient book written by uneducated fanatics. It has led everyone astray. But what she can do is the answer. We can go to another universe, find other galaxies. We can travel so far they will never find us!"
Starbuck understood the man's desire. It echoed his own, to get far enough away that they could rebuild and begin thinking about striking back. He wanted that not just for himself, but for all the inhabitants of the fleet. But was it worth the sacrifice of his own child? If they just waited a few more sectars, after the child was born, then they could begin testing what Rene could do to shorten their journey, maybe run recon patrols and gain some intel.
"Sir," Starbuck spoke up, but the old man shifted his argument and his ire to Rene.
"We have another drone and we can get more. It works for you remotely. You can show us how it does that and then you don't have to be involved anymore. That light show was nothing, energy colliding, and if you knew more you would understand that, gal. You've been toying with things you shouldn't, but I know what I'm doing, always have. This could save us all, lass. You want to talk about prophets and prophecies and all that felgercarb, fine, just fine. I'm your prophet. You found me for a reason!"
The man's words reverberated in the small dome. Starbuck was startled when Rene took the step back bumping into him in the close confines of the dome. She looked up to him, an apology clear in her wide eyes for so much more than her clumsiness. He placed his hands on her shoulders offering some comfort. An old man yelling at her was not what Rene needed today or any day. She knew what was at stake better than anyone after her experiences in Cylon captivity. He nodded down to Rene, letting her know he'd take care of this.
"Sir," he started, but it was Jake that was able to get the man's attention.
"Okay, cool it, old codger before you give yourself a coronary. She didn't say she wasn't going to answer your questions. You have to ask nicely, remember? Manners? Your mama taught you some, didn't she?"
"Better than yours, punk," Peryton replied, but Jake's words seemed to have simmered down the old man. "We want to win this don't we?" he huffed.
Jake leaned back against the railing crossing his arms. "Are we talking about winning now? I thought we were just trying to get to Earth?"
"We are trying to save your sorry astrums punk! All of yours and she can do that. Give her a viper and let her take me through. That will give me the data I need to figure out how this works, to rework that device and figure out the navigation. Just one trip should be enough. Let's go." Peryton turned as if the argument had been decided.
Bojay held up his hands, halting his father's progress, "Dad, I think you need to rest up some first. I just got you back, I don't want to lose you just yet," Bojay reasoned, as he gave first Apollo and then Starbuck an angry grimace.
"Sir, Bojay's right," Apollo said, taking the remotes and placing them back on the dais before surveying everyone. "None of us is up to speed yet. I agree with you, and that's why I thought we could try this today, to give you something to work with. The Cylons aren't winning today. We are free of them for now. We have time to study this."
Peryton spun on him. "Do we? You so sure of how much time you have left? How long did it take them to destroy our worlds with over twelve battlestars plus cruisers and destroyers? One day. One day! She has the answers even if she doesn't know she does!"
"We are trying to figure out what Rene can do and how she does it," Apollo answered him in an attempt to give the situation some perspective.
"She already knows what she can do and how she does it," Jake responded.
"That is true, Apollo," Starbuck joined the conversation. "She's delivered anything asked of her, even when she's not totally coherent. I don't think that's going to change in the future."
Apollo nodded before appraising her. "True. When we ask. But . . .she doesn't exactly readily volunteer information. I get the feeling there's a lot more going on in Rene's head than she's willing to tell us right now."
Starbuck squeezed her shoulders, another message that he had this. "And can you blame her? Insulting her and pressuring her? Gee, that inspires loyalty and willingness to share, don't you think?" He spread the sarcasm thick. "Why don't you just ask nicely? She's been busy since we got back, you know taking care of kids, shooting her friends, singing for the OC and planning a sealing."
Apollo lowered his head, nodding as he sighed. "You're right. I'm sorry. I was just hoping we could get some answers today . . . that we might be able to use her abilities to save our people." While it lacked Starbuck's sarcasm, it drove the point across just as effectively.
"We need to get real data, not wishes and wants," Peryton added. "With this ability, we could travel faster and farther than the Cylons. We could find this Earth, and begin rebuilding our civilization."
"I'm not the one who said we can't do that, sir." Rene slipped on her surliness that fit her better than the uniform she was wearing, before looking to Apollo. "You want me to take the whole fleet to Earth, then let's go. That rift was big enough I think, don't you?"
Apollo hesitated, the longing clear on his face, mixed with the apprehension and doubts. Starbuck watched the hope bloom in his friend's eyes, before it was tempered down by the reality of what he was suggesting. Rene read the emotions in Apollo's expression as well.
"See, now you know how it feels," she said sounding more compassionate than angry. "It's not that easy, is it? We don't know if it will work, or if Earth is the right place to go. What if the enemy is still there? What if there's something worse or we don't all make it? Now you know why I didn't use it until I had nothing left to lose. But we have a lot to lose now, don't we?"
Starbuck sucked in a deep breath as he squared his shoulders trying to carry the weight of the words. There was far too much to lose and what would they gain? Too many unknowns, the odds incalculable. They were free of the enemy for now and needed to be sure they had outrun them before they colonized another system, or they might wind up like Dilmun, pawns of the Cylon empire.
"That's why we wanted your help, gal, to gain some assurances," Peryton replied.
"But I can't offer any assurances," she looked up to Starbuck, her eyes pleading for his assistance. "You want to know why I don't sleep? That's why! I don't know what the frak I'm doing, and if I fail, do I bring everyone else down with me? I shouldn't have gone to Caprica, it was a huge risk, but I did."
She shifted her gaze back to Peryton. "I didn't go to find you, but I did. Maybe I found you for a reason, so you can figure this out, I don't know. But I can only tell you what I know. I can only show you what I've shown you."
Starbuck squeezed her shoulders again, leaning down to whisper to her, "Calm down, it's okay," as she shivered in his grip. He turned to Apollo using his friend's rank to remind him this was getting a bit out of hand. "Colonel, this lowly Lieutenant is thinking this might be above my pay grade. Shouldn't we be talking to the Commander about this?"
Apollo nodded. "She's right. I..I guess I've spent too much time around you Starbuck. I had hoped to blaze forward by the seat of my pants on this."
"Insulting me now? You think that's the way to go here?" Starbuck joked, "Rene, tell him no."
"You might be my husband but you don't get to tell me what to do," she teased softly before addressing Apollo. "I have always done what you have asked, but you are right, I'm not totally sure why they gave this to me and what I should be using it for. My dreams," she hesitated shaking her head, "they don't feel like pleasant prophecies. Peryton wants science and numbers, but this is…" she shook her head again not completing the sentence.
"Faith," Apollo finished for her.
Starbuck thought he could physically feel her eyes roll through her shoulders.
Rene sighed before adding her own surly sarcasm. "Sure, whatever you want to call it that makes you feel good."
"Ahh, there she is, the woman I know and love," Starbuck jibed.
"This isn't faith," Peryton grumbled again, "Its science, math, physics, something that can realistically predict outcomes, we just have to figure it out. A short viper ride, and we could have those answers."
"Starbuck," Jake said, giving the hint of a warning before he was going to do something if Starbuck didn't.
Starbuck shared a look with Bojay, who shook his head no.
Peryton persisted, "She doesn't have to go through, just open it up for me and my son and then…"
Starbuck held up his hand, halting the man's words. "Sir, this is where we agree to disagree and we table this discussion for another day, preferably one after a sealing or better yet, after a baby is born. She's told you what she knows and you've had your demonstration. After the sealing, then maybe we can try this again, but not today. Those who agree?"
"Aye," said Jake, followed by a soft, "Aye," from Rene.
"Nay," Peryton quickly retorted while Bojay sighed, "Dad, you have data to work with."
Starbuck looked to Apollo, nodding to his friend. "Are we going to all be reasonable about this or do I have to do something crazy like call your dad?"
Apollo shook his head. "I agree, but we would like to ask Rene a few more questions."
Rene looked up to Starbuck nodding in agreement, but he could see the weariness in her eyes and felt the tremor in her shoulders.
"No. Not today. I'm am utilizing my full rights as a husband, that whole obey clause in those vows I took. She's getting some much needed rest and relaxation."
"I was at that sealing, you didn't say the traditional vows," Apollo joked.
"Which is why I get to do it again in front of a lot more people and that's enough to deal with for now. After the sealing, then we'll talk. After the baby is born, then we'll see about the rest."
"She could save us all," Peryton argued, but his voice sounded tired.
"Iblis promised the same thing, but I'm not sure it was worth the price," Starbuck said looking to his friend who reluctantly nodded his agreement.