¤

Celeste smiled in her sleep. She was finally able to sleep without having a nightmare, and it was such a peaceful feeling. I wonder if this is the way most people feel when they're asleep. Celeste thought drowsily. She turned over and smiled again, relaxing into her pillow. She heard a sound like deep breathing right over her head.

Her eyes flew open and she looked up to see…Commander Adama? What is he doing in her dream? Or maybe this wasn't a dream.

"Commander!" Celeste sat up, attempting to straighten her wrinkled uniform.

Commander Adama smiled at her, "Apollo told me I'd find you here."

Celeste raised her eyebrows. Yes, but why would you want to? I'm not exactly fit for any kind of duty right now.

The commander looked down, seeming to be collecting his thoughts.

Celeste looked curiously at him.

"Baltar mentioned to me that he had killed you." Adama said finally.

Celeste smiled a little to herself, "He didn't know about the pulse-proof vest!" She shook her head, "I didn't realize it. The whole time I was sneaking Zac right under his nose, he thought I was no longer a problem!"

Now Adama raised his eyebrows, "You were doing what?"

"It's, er, a long story." Celeste said.

"Mmm." Adama nodded, "I'd very much like to hear it sometime. Right now, I just wanted to let you know that I am very glad that you are still alive."

"You and me both." Celeste sighed.

"Well," the commander straightened up, "unfortunately I must go. Take care of that foot, Lieutenant." Adama left.

Celeste stared after him. What was that all about? Why is everyone acting so weird…including me? She shook her head, "If somebody wants to explain anything to me, feel free to speak up." Celeste muttered, "Cause you've all got me stumped." She lay comfortably on her bed, her arm propping her head up as she looked around. It was late in the shift, and most of the activity was slowing down as the doctors and med-techs prepared to hand their jobs over to the next shift and get some well-deserved rest. Nearby, Qasha sat braiding her hair into a multitude of tiny braids that started at the top of her head and came down the sides and back in neat little rows that reminded Celeste of the gardens on the agro-ships. Distractedly, Celeste fingered her own blonde hair. It was cut short so she wouldn't have to spend a lot of time caring for it. There were more important things to spend time on when you were a fighter pilot in the Galactica's strike wing.

I wonder what Qasha's going to do now that she's back with people. Celeste mused, She mentioned that she was a freighter pilot, maybe she could help with one of the fleet ships. Though I have the funniest feeling she won't want to be too far away from Boomer! Celeste nearly snorted with laughter, but caught herself, Poor Boomer. He's not used to that kind of attention!

Qasha suddenly turned and looked Celeste in the eye, "What?" she demanded.

"Hmm?" Celeste blinked innocently, "Nothing!"

"Okay." Qasha nodded.

Celeste wasn't used to her innocent looks actually working. Does Qasha take everything literally? I'll have to be careful with the sarcasm around her!

Celeste was about to roll over and see what was happening on the other side of the room when she noticed with some surprise that the woman from Terra wasn't done talking.

Something lurked within Qasha's dark eyes that looked suspiciously like curiosity as she opened her mouth again to speak, "Many things have been explained to me, many more things I have read," she held up one of the electronic books she'd read earlier, "but there are some things I still do not understand. One of them is you."

Celeste nodded, "Well, you're not alone. Very few people understand me."

"I want to." Qasha said.

Celeste nearly smiled at the other woman's directness. She decided that she liked a person who could get to the point and say exactly what she was thinking. "Why?" Celeste asked.

Qasha was silent a while, then she spoke again, "Because I sense something in you. Something dark. I feel that many terrible things have happened to you. We have a connection that way, Lieutenant. I, too, have lived a hard life."

Celeste looked down, trying to hide the hurt in her eyes with her eyelashes, "I don't think anyone in this fleet has had it easy, Qasha."

"You and I are different from the others." Qasha said calmly.

Celeste nodded, still not meeting the other woman's gaze, "Yeah. We are."

Qasha limped gracefully to the bed nearest to Celeste's, "I would be willing to share my story in exchange for hearing yours."

"Are you sure?" Celeste had gotten the impression that Qasha was a very private person, "I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to. Almost everyone in the fleet knows my story in some form or another." Celeste waved her arm, "It's not exactly a secret."

The edges of Qasha's mouth turned up a little, "It's been a long time since I had anyone to talk to. Of all the people I've met, there are few here I feel as comfortable with as I do with you. And I feel we have much to learn from each other."

"Ok." Celeste answered, "then I guess I'll start at the beginning."

Qasha leaned forward with what appeared to be slight interest, but what Celeste knew was, for the reserved Terran woman, near excitement.

Celeste began, "I was born on the planet Caprica, in a city called Umbra…"

¤

"I'm sorry, but I really need to get to that meeting." Apollo said, "You'll have to ask Starbuck or Boomer to tell you about it." Jolly and Greenbean had intercepted him in the hallway, wanting to hear all about the adventure on the mysterious planet.

Jolly looked disappointed, "Okay, Captain. Some other time."

"Where are Boomer and Starbuck?" Greenbean asked.

"I don't know," Apollo answered, "but you might try the Officer's Club."

"Good thinking! Let's go!" Jolly exclaimed, dragging Greenbean off.

"You just want that drink I owe you!" Greenbean protested as they left.

Apollo shook his head and continued on to the meeting with the Colonel.

But to his surprise, not only was Colonel Tigh there, but so were Athena, Starbuck, Zac, and Boomer!

"What's going on?" Apollo asked, taking a seat at the council table. He had wondered why Tigh wanted to meet at the meeting hall, now he knew why.

"Apollo, good. Now that you're here, we can get started." Tigh said. Noticing the surprise in Apollo's face, he frowned, "I'm sorry, I must've forgotten to mention that they'd be here."

"No, that's all right," Apollo said, sitting down, "I'm just a little confused as to what this meeting is about."

Tigh replied, "As you probably already know, warrior morale has been steadily decreasing lately."

"Everyone's been having trouble adjusting to those of us who were 'resurrected'." Zac sighed.

"Exactly." Tigh answered, "The only thing that seems to keep them going is the stories of Lt. Celeste's…adventures."

Athena added, "It's not just the warriors. My First Learning class hangs on every word they hear about her. To them, she's a legend."

"It's almost funny how oblivious she is to it." Starbuck shook his head, "If it were me…I don't think I'd be that modest about it!"

"You aren't." Zac teased.

"Celeste doesn't see herself the way we do," Apollo explained, "To her, the things she does are normal. She expects it of herself."

"No matter how the Lieutenant sees herself, the warriors, the children, and the fleet all see her as a hero." Tigh said dryly, "and many of them have requested that she appear on broadcasting again, or make visits to the ships."

"She'll love that." Starbuck remarked sarcastically.

"Starbuck's right," Apollo nodded, "I can't see her agreeing to do anything that public and self-promoting."

Boomer agreed. "Not without some form of trickery, bribery, or persuasion," he said.

"Or unless someone's life depended on it. I mean, she did 'become' a Cylon to save me," Zac reminded them, "and that seems far more unlikely than appearing on a talk show."

"You may be on to something, Zac." Starbuck mused.

"Starbuck, convincing Celeste to appear publicly by telling her that someone will die if she doesn't?" Athena groaned, "She's not going to fall for that!"

"Plus it's wrong." Apollo added, "Besides, I'm sure there's another way to convince her to go along with this."

Everyone sat in silence for a while.

"Any ideas?" Tigh finally asked.

"No."

"No."

"Nope."

"I've got nothing."

Athena looked thoughtful as the young men all expressed their lack of solutions to the problem.

"Athena?" Tigh asked, "What about you?"

"Actually…" she answered, "One of my students came up with an idea."

"Let's hear it!" Boomer said, "since it's all we've got."

"In that case, you should hear it from her." Athena smiled. She stood, went to a comm. panel on the wall, and dialed a number. "Hello, Nausicaa? It's Miss Athena. Would you ask your mom if you can come see me at the meeting hall?"

A little girl's voice answered, "Sure!"

"Thank you." Athena answered with a smile.

There was a pause. Then the girl's voice returned, "She said I could, so I'll be there in a micron!"

"Okay, I'll see you soon. Athena out." Athena answered, ending the transmission.

It wasn't long before the turbolift doors opened and a small girl hopped out, her long, straight blonde hair swishing behind her like the tail of a comet. She walked right to Athena and hugged her legs, then smiled up at her, "Hi, Miss Athena!" The girl turned and took in the four pilots and the Colonel. "Wow, this must be an important meeting!" She stared with round eyes at the man in the blue bridge uniform, "Hi, Colonel Tigh! I want to be a pilot when I grow up. Then maybe a colonel like you when I get even older!"

Tigh looked uncomfortable as Zac, Starbuck, Athena, Apollo, and Boomer tried to hide grins of mirth. The Colonel cleared his throat, "Really? How…nice."

"Yeah," the girl grinned, "So what do you want me to do?"

Athena bent down, "I want you to tell them what you told me in class the other day, Nausicaa."

Nausicaa looked confused. She whispered loudly in Athena's ear, "You want me to tell them that I need to use the turboflush?"

Zac snorted. Athena gave him an "I heard that" look and turned back to the little girl, "No, I want you to tell them your idea for Miss Celeste. The one you told us when we were discussing the orphan ship."

"Oh! Okay!" Nausicaa beamed. She turned to the men and, in a fair impression of the Commander, looked around the table at each man. Her expression went serious as she stood as tall as she could and said in a low voice, "I think we should give Miss Celeste a party."

"Didn't we try that?" Starbuck asked, looking at Athena.

"Go on, Nausicaa," Athena said instead of answering Starbuck, and trying to keep a straight face.

"Because she's an orphan, and she doesn't know when her birthday is, but that doesn't mean she shouldn't have a birthday party." Nausicaa explained, "And the other orphans, too! All of them! It's not fair that they don't have parties! And presents, and mushies, and games, and invite lots of friends!"

"I see you've put a lot of thought into this," Colonel Tigh said to the little girl.

Apollo nodded, "I think it sounds like a great idea."

"Yes, but will Celeste agree with you?" Boomer asked.

"That," Tigh agreed, "Is the question of the senton." He stood up, "I'll run this idea past the commander and see what he thinks. I have a feeling that he will approve." Tigh looked down at the little girl, "Thank you for sharing this idea with us."

"You're very welcome Mr. Colonel Tigh." Nausicaa said politely.

Tigh smiled a little, "Meeting dismissed!"

¤

Zac left the meeting eagerly, eliciting some knowing looks from his friends as he practically raced to the turbolift. He couldn't help it. He was excited.

Smiling to himself, he tapped his fingers on the control panel, waiting for the lift to arrive at the right floor. It seemed an eternity before it finally did arrive. Zac strode quickly out of the lift and headed for the bridge. That's when he noticed how nervous he was.

He stopped. It's been a long time since she and I have had time to really talk. Zac thought, And we're not academy kids anymore. I know I've changed a lot…has she?

Gulping, he walked through the bridge doorway. I don't care. I have to see her again.

He glanced around the room. His father was at his usual place on the rotating platform in the center of the bridge. Bridge officers went about their jobs. And sitting at one of the consoles was the flight corporal he'd pined for while he was captured.

Rigel.

She looked gorgeous with her long brown hair cascading down her back, with sections done up in long braids and wrapped around her head. She spoke clearly and calmly into her headset, as always. He admired the nearly unflappable manner in which she carried out her duties. It took a lot for her to break her confident façade.

She'd have made a great pilot, Zac thought, but she loves her job here on the bridge, and she's good at it.

Commander Adama noticed his son's entrance and subsequent hesitation. He smiled, "Zac, what brings you up to the bridge?"

"Uh," Zac glanced at Rigel, "well…" Her back was turned to him, and she was busy talking to someone on the comm. Zac took a breath, "Actually I wanted to talk to Rigel."

Adama nodded, still smiling, "I see." He turned to Rigel's station. The young woman was just finishing her call.

"Flight Corporal Rigel?" Adama addressed her.

Rigel looked up, "Yes, sir?"

"There is someone here to see you." Adama spoke softer.

Rigel looked up, saw Zac, grinned, and started to remove her headset, but hesitated, "My station…"

Athena walked in, "I'll take over for you, Rigel. I owe you one." She looked up at Adama, "If that's all right with you, Father?"

Adama nodded, "Go ahead."

Rigel handed Athena her headset, "Thank you!" She went to Zac's side. Zac smiled nervously down at her. She smiled back.

"Let's go to the observation lounge and catch up," she suggested.

Zac smiled again, this time much less nervously, "That sounds like a great idea!"

Later, they were seated at a table, chatting easily about recent events. Rigel stirred her pink foamy drink with her straw, laughing and commenting as Zac recounted the latest adventure to her. He was talking, but he had no clue what he was saying. He was too busy watching Rigel, her eyes dancing and her smile warming the entire lounge. She was the same girl he'd gone to Academy with, the same girl he'd been taken away from. But she was also a bit more mature, and she had a wonderful aura of confidence about her that seemed to extend in all directions out into space. And she seemed to care about him just as much, if not more than, when they had been separated.

When he was finished with the tale, there was a moment of silence as they both sipped their drinks. Then Rigel reached across the small table and took hold of Zac's hands with her petite ones. She smiled a little sadly at him, something inside of her lighting her face.

"I've missed you, Zac." She said simply.

But to Zac, it wasn't simple at all.

Suddenly he had an idea what his brother was going through. A glimpse into an unfamiliar world, but not an unpleasant one. He suddenly knew that somehow, in the past two yahrens, his relationship with Rigel had moved beyond friendship, and even dating.

He knew without a doubt that he was in love.

"So let's spend some more time together soon," she smiled, "I've got to get back to work, but how's tomorrow for you?"

"Great." Zac sighed dreamily, "it's perfect."

Rigel smiled in a slightly confused way, "All right, then. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay." Zac said. It was all he could come up with to say. Too bad Starbuck's and Celeste's witty comebacks didn't rub off on me. Zac thought, watching Rigel head for the turbolift. Oh, well. It's probably a good thing that they didn't.

Zac sighed into his empty glass. Tomorrow seemed a long way off.

¤

Starbuck jogged down the hallway, "Apollo! Wait up!"

Apollo stopped as his friend caught up with him, "Where's the fire?"

"No fire," Starbuck grinned, "It's just that I've got some news from Colonel Tigh!"

"What did he say?" Apollo asked, guessing correctly that it was news about the birthday party plans.

"Well," Starbuck replied, "the commander approved our party plans. He's already contacted several of the fleet ship pilots. And guess what?"

Apollo waited expectantly.

Starbuck's eyes twinkled, "We've been offered the upper decks of the Rising Star for the whole senton! Everyone's excited about a way to help the orphans!"

Apollo smiled, "That's great! Those kids will love it! Have they contacted the orphan ship yet?"

"Well, not yet." Starbuck admitted, "But they will as soon as we get the…uh…details finalized."

Apollo shook his head, "The Rising Star, huh? Wow. I can't believe they'd just let us use the upper decks for an entire senton, free of charge. Even for such a good cause, that's amazing."

"Well…" Starbuck responded hesitantly.

"What?" Apollo asked.

Starbuck winced.

"Starbuck…" Apollo said warningly.

Starbuck sighed, "There is a small catch."

Apollo crossed his arms, "What is it?"

"Uh."

Apollo gave him an "I'm waiting" look.

"They want Celeste to give them a speech." Starbuck blurted out.

"Oh," Apollo answered, "any idea what they want to hear her talk about?"

"Um," Starbuck shifted his feet, "It's kind of funny, actually. All this time they wouldn't listen, and now they're begging for it, and I don't think they know what they're asking for…"

"What, Starbuck?" Apollo prodded.

"Cylons."

"Cylons?"

"Yeah…"

"You're sure?"

"Yep." Starbuck nodded, "They were very specific."

Apollo sighed, "You're right. They don't know what they're asking for. Any idea when they want this to happen?"

"Tonight." Starbuck coughed.

"Tonight!" Apollo exclaimed, "They want Celeste to give them a speech on Cylonstonight?"

Starbuck nodded again.

"Starbuck, she's still in the Life Center!" Apollo cried, "She can't even walk, let alone give a speech!"

"Hey, I'm just the messenger!" Starbuck defended, "I'm not the one that came up with this request!"

"I'm sorry," Apollo said, a little more calmly, "but I can't ask her to do that. Not now, and not on that subject!"

"You're going to have to," Starbuck answered, "The Council already said that you would."

"The Council of Twelve is involved now?" Apollo asked, "Oh, great. That's all we need!"

"'Fraid so." Starbuck replied, "They found out, and thought it was such a great idea, that they wanted to 'help out'."

"Meaning that if we don't do things their way," Apollo reasoned, "They're going to make life difficult for us."

"Right." Starbuck agreed, "Let me tell you, if the fleet didn't need this party so bad, I'd call a permanent rain check!"

"So would I." Apollo sighed heavily, "I don't like this, and neither will she." He stared at a wall, "It's not fair. She's already done so much for the fleet, and then they ask this of her…but there's not much choice now." Apollo looked at Starbuck, "Well, do you want to come see your sister? I may need some backup."

"Can't," Starbuck answered, "I've got patrol with Boomer in…" he checked his timepiece, "…oops! Right now!"

"How convenient." Apollo teased Starbuck.

Starbuck smiled apologetically, "Gotta run, good luck!"

Apollo sighed after his quickly departing companion, "I'll need it." He turned and headed for the Life Center.

¤

"Once the war with the Eastern Alliance began, I became a freighter pilot so that I could help my people get the supplies they needed," Qasha began. Celeste had finished telling her stories and was now listening intently to her roommate.

The Terran woman continued, "I met my husband at a spaceport on Luna 6. For years we flew together, until one day. The Eastern Alliance decided to halt free trade between Terra and her moons. There were many people who relied on supplies from off world; so we became smugglers. After that, everything changed. My husband and I spent most of our time hiding or running from the Alliance."

Celeste nodded sympathetically. She knew what it was like to be hunted.

"Then they caught us while we were making a run to Luna 1. There was a massacre going on down there, headed by the Alliance, and we stumbled right into the middle of it. One of the attacking Alliance ships spotted us and fired. They damaged our freighter. We were able to drift, but not navigate, so we drifted through space. We lived off the supplies in our cargo hold. Eventually, we crashed on that planet. My husband was…taken by the Mono…Cylons."

Celeste's mind flashed suddenly to the quietly defiant, proud eyes of a dark-skinned man wearing a tattered civilian pilot jacket and standing in a jungle. She suddenly was surrounded by the sound of Cylon scanners whirring and metal clanking and jungle animals.

Then there was another sound.

A loud sound.

And a woman crying out.

Celeste gasped as she struggled back to reality. She tried to slow her breathing back to normal.

Qasha watched the other pilot woman, her dark eyes fixed on Celeste's blue ones.

She looked like she was about to say something, when Apollo walked in.

"How're you feeling?" Apollo asked Celeste.

Celeste grimaced, "If you're meaning the ankle, it's still not usable."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Apollo said gently, "look, I need to talk to you about something."

Qasha caught on, "And I need to check out of here. The nurses…excuse me…med-techs said that I was done hours ago." She stood and began to leave, then hesitated. She turned and looked at Celeste, doing something with her left eye that was akin to a wink, "By the way, I enjoyed our discussion immensely." Then she left.

Apollo's eyes widened, "You mean you actually did talk to her?"

"For centares!" Celeste exclaimed, "I mean, once you get that gal chatting, she'll talk your ear off!"

"Really." Apollo said skeptically, "Who'd have thought?"

Celeste smiled to herself, then looked up at Apollo, "So, you wanted to talk to me about something?"

"Uh, yeah." Apollo said, looking slightly uncomfortable.

"Well," Celeste gestured beside her, "Pull up a pillow, and let's talk."

Apollo sat beside her.

She grinned at him mischievously, "Just don't let Starbuck hear that you're seeing his sister privately!" she teased, "He might not understand!"

The captain allowed a small smile to escape, "I wouldn't worry about that. Besides, he's on patrol."

"Oh," Celeste said mock-knowingly, "I see. While the felid's away…"

"Celeste!" Apollo playfully protested, shaking his head, "There are times when you remind me a little too much of Starbuck!"

"Well, forgive us for being related." Celeste rolled her eyes.

"Besides," Apollo continued, "I had a specific reason for coming down here."

"I know," Celeste said dramatically, "You feel sorry for your best friend's crippled little sister, who's trapped in the Life Center with nothing to do, and only a quiet Terran woman to talk to." Celeste sighed, "And not a Pyramid game in sight."

"Which is probably a good thing," Apollo added jokingly. Then he sobered, "Seriously, though. There's something I have to ask you. It's important, and, well, you don't have to agree to it if it makes you uncomfortable…or if you think it's too soon."

Celeste watched Apollo's face closely, reading his emotions. She saw hesitation, a little nervousness, and as always, a genuine concern for her well-being. And maybe…no, definitely…something more than concern.

Lords of Kobal! Celeste thought, He's not going to ask that…is he? I heard that he only knew his wife for a few sectons before they got sealed…but I don't think I'm ready for this!

Apollo saw Celeste's eyes avert to the floor in thought, "Celeste?"

"Yes?" She replied quickly, looking back up. She froze, suddenly captured by a force she could not escape. A force that she didn't want to escape. She found herself feeling something she'd never felt before: a need to depend on someone else.

Or had she felt it before? But if she had, this was different.

"Keep going," she smiled at Apollo, unable to completely mask the wobble in her voice. Inwardly, she was in a near panic. Can I do this? What if I say no? I can't hurt Apollo! And if I said no…well, I'm not sure I'd mean it!

Apollo took a breath, "All right."

Here it comes, thought Celeste.

"We're planning a party for the kids on the orphan ship, and the Rising Star has offered to host it…"

Celeste's mouth dropped open.

"…on the condition that you appear live to give a speech on the Cylons. Tonight." Apollo finished.

There was an awkward pause as Celeste absorbed this information.

"That's it?" she said finally.

"That's it?" Apollo repeated, "Didn't you hear what I said? They want you, of all the people they could have asked, to give a speech, and on the topic of Cylons, no less! And tonight, when you can't even leave the Life Center on your own power!"

"Then I'll just have to use somebody else's power." Celeste said logically.

Now it was Apollo's turn to absorb information. "So you'll do it?"

"Of course!" she answered, "It's for the kids, right? Besides, I'm sure I can come up with something to say about Cylons."

Apollo shook his head slowly, in partial shock, "Lieutenant Celeste, you never will stop surprising me, will you?"

Celeste smiled amusedly, "Someone's got to keep your life interesting."

"You are definitely good at that!" Apollo declared, almost laughing with relief.

Celeste smiled. "I missed you, Apollo," she said without thinking.

"You missed me?" Apollo asked, "I was only gone a few centares."

"Uh," Celeste tried to think of a believable explanation. Unable to think of any, she simply told the truth, "I know."

Apollo looked searchingly into her eyes, as though trying to see the meaning behind the words that Celeste herself was still trying to come to terms with. He looked at her, memorizing every detail of this enigmatic person that had affected so many people in her life.

Her blonde hair, kept short for ease of care during the demanding life of being a viper pilot in the Galactica's strike wing. When he'd first seen her, she'd let it grow long, and it had fairly flowed over her shoulders and down her back.

Her eyes, usually sparkling with mischief, but now almost glowing with something different.

Her straight nose, so like her brother's. A nose for trouble. Apollo thought.

Her muscled, but not stocky, build.

Her delicate-yet-tough fingers that could rewire computers, fire blasters, and control the most complicated ships known to man, and yet look so feminine.

Her legs, able to move as fast as her mouth, and usually doing so, especially during an alert.

Her ankles…her ankle.

Apollo felt a small tug at his heart when he came to her injured ankle. He hoped she wasn't in pain. It could have been worse, he reminded himself, much worse.

"Apollo?" Celeste's voice snapped him out of his thoughts, "Captain, are you okay?"

Apollo smiled reassuringly at Celeste, "Yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking."

"What about?" Celeste asked curiously.

Apollo's reassuring smile faded into a private one, "Just something."

"Huh." Celeste said, but she didn't push further. Instead, she changed the subject, "So, how're we going to get me to the Rising Star?"

"Well," Apollo replied, "how good are you with crutches?"

"Pretty good if I'm using them to knock down Cylons." Celeste admitted, "Not so good if I'm using them to walk."

"I'm not sure I want to hear that story," Apollo said, "but we do need to figure out a way to get you there…without a stretcher, preferably."

"Wait…" Celeste said. Apollo could almost see the wheels turning in her mind as her face lit up.

"I have an idea!" she exclaimed.

Apollo smiled, "I thought you might."

¤

On the shuttle to the Rising Star, Celeste was beginning to have second thoughts about her decision to deliver the speech. Why did I ever agree to this? she wondered, groaning.

Qasha, who sat next to her, looked at Celeste, "Is something wrong?"

"I'm just having trouble convincing myself that this is a good idea." Celeste confided. She felt strangely comfortable talking to the other woman. Celeste added, "Last time I got up in front of people to make a speech, it didn't go so well."

"Ahh." Qasha nodded sagely. Then she abruptly and unexpectedly changed the subject, "You didn't tell me everything about your past." It wasn't accusatory, but merely a fact. Her eyes took on a hint of concern, "Something intensely traumatic happened to you, something that affected your mind in a very personal and metaphysical way. I suspect that it was during the time you were captured by the… Cylons."

"I already told you that they tried to brainwash me." Celeste replied neutrally.

Qasha was not satisfied, "Whatever they did to accomplish that has damaged the part of your brain that stores memories. That's why you have the flashbacks of events that never happened to you. Those nightmares you have while you are awake."

"How did you get so smart?" Celeste smiled weakly, "No one knows that I have those except me!"

"But you had one earlier." Qasha observed.

Celeste stared in alarmed confusion at the woman in front of her.

The edges of Qasha's mouth turned up a little, "No, I don't read minds. It's just that I've seen it before. When I was growing up, my mom was a psychological counselor. She met my father when he was one of her patients. He was an emergency response technician, and he suffered those same flashbacks…I don't know what you call it in your star system, but basically it happens when someone has witnessed or experienced an extremely intense and traumatic event. They keep remembering the event long after it has happened, usually because something triggers the memory.

"My father saw a lot of awful things happen to people, and sometimes he'd see someone or something that reminded him of a certain event. Then his mind would go back to the event and, to him, it would happen all over again." Qasha sighed, "It scared me a lot when I was little. He'd suddenly zone out, and sometimes he thrashed and screamed. Once, he threw himself onto the floor and wouldn't move until he finally woke up."

Celeste was silent. She blinked a few times on Qasha's behalf, and managed to dislodge some of the water that was backed up in her eyes.

Qasha seemed to have run out of words. She sat watching Celeste, not staring, but not waiting for a response. Just looking.

The flashbacks rarely happened to me while I was on Vaga. Celeste thought, because there wasn't much there to remind me of Cylons. But here on the Galactica, there are so many reminders. The "flashbacks" as Qasha called them, are getting worse and worse. What if they start happening while I'm talking to one of my friends, or Commander Adama, or Colonel Tigh? Or Boxey? It would scare Boxey, for sure; probably the others, too. And definitely Apollo.

What if it happened while I was flying?

"Qasha…is there any way to make them stop?" Celeste asked, afraid of the answer.

Qasha looked down, "Not that I know of. Sometimes it goes away on its own. Sometimes it doesn't."

"Great." Celeste groaned, "So I could be stuck with this forever!"

"Whatever the Cylons did to you might be reversible," Qasha suggested, "Have you told anyone what you know about it?"

Celeste shook her head, "No, but I think the other warriors told the Life Center about it because they're trying to devise a way to get everyone back to 'normal'…at least, those who want to be 'normal' again." She sighed, "I can't say I blame the ones who do. They've endured a lot of prejudice since returning to the fleet. Most people don't understand what happened to us, so they don't trust us…"

Qasha looked at Celeste, who was beginning to recognize the subtle ways that the Terran woman expressed her feelings. Qasha was sending Celeste her version of an encouraging look. Celeste understood.

"That's what I could talk about." Celeste said softly, "I could tell the people what the Cylons did to me and the other warriors. Maybe it would help them understand…" She smiled at Qasha, "Thanks."

"For what?" Qasha replied, eyes sparkling.

¤

The Rising Star was packed with people. It seemed that everyone who could get onboard a shuttle had come to the passenger liner, and more were arriving every centon. No one wanted to miss the speech by the current fleet celebrity! Some were there out of curiosity, some out of gratitude, and some came because they maliciously hoped to see the famous warrior finally snap and prove to everyone what they thought she really was…a Cylon spy.

There were people there from nearly every ship in the fleet. The media team was there, preparing their cameras and recording equipment to broadcast the speech to those in the fleet who could not attend.

Celeste herself sat behind the stage in the main lounge area. She felt as nervous as a cadet on their first solo flight.

"It's almost time," Apollo said, arriving backstage, "You're sure about this?" he asked Celeste.

Celeste tried to smile, "Kinda late to back out now, don't you think?"

"Relax, I'm sure you'll do fine." Apollo reassured her.

"I can fly combat missions against squadrons of Cylons at the speed of sound," Celeste moaned, "but I can't handle talking to a bunch of people."

"Everyone gets nervous about public speaking," Apollo pointed out, "It's natural."

Celeste attempted to take a deep breath, failing miserably, "Is it natural to be petrified?"

Apollo smiled, "Hey, look at me."

She looked.

"It's going to be all right. No matter what happens."

Celeste managed a small smile. "Thank you," she whispered.

"This thing was a good idea." Apollo softly kicked the chair that Celeste was sitting in, "Much better than crutches."

Celeste looked at the contraption. It was a normal chair, except for the long poles attached to either side of it. She shrugged, "I read something once about these being used in ancient times by the Lords of Kobal. They used them to travel in style wherever they needed to go. I figured that if it was good enough for them, it's good enough for me."

"Well, my compliments to the Lords of Kobal, then." Apollo said.

Celeste took another shaky breath, "I think someone's announcing me."

From onstage, a voice could be heard saying, "…the fleet's own hero, whose name is already legendary, and will most definitely be known as one of history's greatest Warriors…"

"On the other hand," Celeste said, making a face, "maybe they're not talking about me."

"No such luck." Apollo remarked as the voice continued.

"…from the battlestar Galactica's Blue Squadron, the courageous Lieutenant Celeste!"

A hearty round of applause followed the man's words.

Apollo looked around, "Where's Starbuck? He's supposed to be here to help me carry you onstage!"

Zac suddenly appeared, "Need help with anything?"

The voice onstage repeated, "Lieutenant Celeste!"

"Zac, help me with this thing, would you?" Apollo asked.

"Sure!"

Apollo picked up the ends of the poles in front, and Zac took the ends in back. Both lifted, and Celeste found herself in the air. Together, they carried her onstage.

"Here goes nothing," Celeste muttered as her friends set down her chair and left to join the audience.

Celeste stared at the crowd and the cameras. She suddenly found that she couldn't remember why she was up there! They all watched her expectantly.

She stared at them. They stared at her. The people at home in their ships stared at their broadcast monitors.

Finally, Celeste opened her mouth.

"Hi."

Oh, no, not again! Celeste thought, groaning inwardly, I'm going to go down in history as the most boring Colonial Warrior in the fleet if I don't think of something to say fast!

"Uh…" Celeste glanced at Apollo, who was in the front row. He smiled encouragingly. Starbuck had finally showed up, and was seated next to him. Celeste squinted at her brother. He was doing something weird; waving a finger across his head and pointing an invisible blaster at her. Zac, on the other side of Apollo, noticed and began emulating Starbuck's bizarre behavior. Apollo pointed to them, and made motions with his hand indicating that she should start talking.

Finally, Celeste got it. Cylons! I'm supposed to talk about Cylons! These crazy people wanted to hear me talk about Cylons…okay, guys, you can stop now, I got it and you look ridiculous! She made a mental note to thank them after the speech. If she survived the actual speaking part, that is.

Celeste opened her mouth to try again.

"You asked me here to tell you about Cylons. But I get the feeling that what you really wanted to hear me talk about was the time I spent in the Cylon prison. So, I've decided to clarify a few things for you about what happened to me and the other warriors who were captured. The major thing that happened to us, and the reason all of you really wanted to hear me talk tonight, is the brainwashing and mind torture we had to endure. Am I correct?"

Celeste stopped to catch her breath, surprised at how easily the words were coming now, and the effect they were having on the audience. The crowd was silent, many people were staring at the floor.

Celeste hid a grin and continued, "I thought so, so here goes. The Cylon brainwashing involved images flashed into the brain of the captured person. Mostly, the images were recordings from Cylon centurions who went on raids. So a lot of the images were of people dying. From the captured person's point of view, they were images of the people being killed by the person seeing the images. It was this part of the mind torture that caused the memories and nightmares that we experience.

"The Cylons capturing the humans was actually the idea of a human betrayer before Baltar, named Nero. He'd been exiled from the Colonies when he was found to have helped plan an attack on Ares in return for his life. So Nero went to work for the Cylons full-time. His idea was fueled by irony and a need for revenge. It was to capture Colonial pilots and turn them into superhuman beings that were as strong and as fast-thinking as Cylons, but had the wits of humans. He built a machine that was designed to take the person's strongest talents and traits and magnify them, as well as to brainwash them into being loyal to the Cylons. The Cylons eventually killed Nero, of course, but the Imperious Leader liked his plot, so they kept the program going. It was limited to one basestar and all the prisoners were moved to that basestar along with the machine. The Cylons also modified the machine so that it emphasized loyalty to the Cylon Empire. The amplification of abilities was more of a side effect after that.

"You may be wondering why it was limited to one basestar. Well, the Imperious Leader was afraid of the superhumans, and he feared a revolt. He knew that if any of the newly captured pilots ever escaped, that the entire program and the whole Cylon Empire was in danger.

"Luckily for us, all of the prisoners remaining alive did escape. But returning to the fleet hasn't been easy for any of us. We're constantly regarded with skepticism, mistrust, and even fear. Let me just point something out to those of you who don't understand. The brainwashing takes 10 yahrens, and I was only there for four yahrens. None of the others who have returned were there as long as I was. None of us were even halfway to becoming Cylons."

Fire sparked passionately in Celeste's eyes as she spoke. She was almost glaring at the audience, daring them to challenge her words.

"Let me ask you all something. In the time since the return of the lost warriors, have any of us threatened you? Betrayed you? If there's been even one incident where any human, Baltar not included, has engaged in any kind of Cylon behavior since then, I want to know about it right now. If not, then I suggest you save all your negative feelings for the enemy."

A wave of tittering passed through the crowd. Many people were nodding. Others were looking embarrassed. The camera crews panned around the room, trying to capture the reaction of the audience.

Celeste began speaking again, "The Cylons are after all humans. Meaning that wherever you are from, whatever world, they will seek it out and destroy it. They destroyed all of our colonies, and they have pursued us across galaxies. Wherever there are humans, they will attack. And they won't stop until they have killed all of us. They don't reason, and you can forget diplomacy. They are machines bent on total annihilation of the human race. They won't think twice...or even once...about killing any of us. And they obviously aren't above capture and brainwashing. They will do anything to accomplish their objective. To destroy all humans. Let's not make it easy for them by fighting amongst ourselves!"

The audience once again was silent.

So was Celeste. She had run out of things to say.

The speech must be over, thought Celeste.

"Thanks for your time, and uh," she grinned with a sudden inspiration, "Have a nice senton!"

¤

"Good news!" Cassiopeia told Celeste, "Your ankle's healed nicely."

Celeste grinned, "Almost too bad. A girl could get used to being waited on."

Cassie gave her a stern look, "Don't get any ideas. I don't want to see you back in here again for a long time!"

"Don't worry," Celeste replied, "I don't plan on returning anytime soon."

"I know you don't plan on it." Cassie sighed, "But I need you to make sure that it doesn't happen. Now get out of here, I've got other patients to tend to," she smiled.

"Thanks Cassie," Celeste did her lopsided grin and stood up, "It's good to be back on my feet!"

Leaving the Life Center, Celeste found that she was in the mood to be around other people. With a grin, she headed for the Officers' Lounge.

Celeste arrived and seated herself on a bar stool at the counter. She ordered a glass of water and breathed a sigh of contentment.

"I'm sorry," the man behind the counter said, "we're out."

"What do you mean?" Celeste asked, "I only ordered water."

"I know," the man replied, "and I'm afraid we're out."

Celeste blinked in disbelief, "You're out of water?"

"It's due to the water shortage. I'm sorry, can I offer you anything else?" the man answered apologetically.

Celeste looked thoughtfully at the counter, "Uh, yeah…get me a cocoa juice."

"Is everything all right?" the man asked.

"Hmm?" Celeste looked up, "Oh, it's just that I didn't realize that the shortage was this bad!"

The man nodded, "All the remaining water is going to the agro ships and being rationed among the fleet." He shrugged, "when that runs out, we're all in trouble." The man left to get Celeste's drink.

Celeste stared after him. This fleet won't last long without water, she thought, Cylons or no Cylons.

Her back toward the door, Celeste didn't see the two men who walked in at that moment. Their voices, however, diverted her attention from her grim thoughts.

"Did you hear that speech last night?" one asked.

"The one on the Rising Star?" the other answered, "No, I was on inspection duty."

"Oh, well, you're lucky."

Celeste winced.

"…the whole thing was that Lt. Celeste telling the fleet to feel sorry for her because she had such a hard time when she was captured."

"That's just felgercarb! We've all had it hard! It's just that her story is unusual enough to get public attention!"

"Exactly! And from all the hype, you'd think she'd single-handedly saved the fleet many times over, destroyed an entire Cylon attack force, disrupted anarchist conspiracies, and for Kobal's sake, done everything but hold a gun to Baltar's head and ask him to surrender!"

"Ha! As if! If she's so great, why isn't this war over? Who does she think she is, anyway? She comes out of nowhere, breaks a few rules, makes a few lucky rescues, and suddenly she's the fleet's biggest celebrity! It's like none of the rest of us even exist!"

"She did snag the spotlight, didn't she? But I guess it helps to buddy up to the fleet commander's sons and their friends."

Celeste's mouth hung open in dismay. She felt an overwhelming urge to turn around and fire off a few sarcastic comments of her own, but she held back and tried to remain inconspicuous and discreet. Besides, they were right about one thing. The fleet did get overexcited about her, and tended to exaggerate her accomplishments.

The voices continued, "These days, it's who you know."

"Yeah, I guess so," the other one replied, "but I hope this blows over soon. I'm so tired of hearing about her, and how everyone thinks she can do no wrong!"

"She's some kind of superhero to a lot of people, but it can't last forever. Sooner or later, some flaw will show through."

"In my opinion, it's about time she shared the spotlight a little!"

Celeste saw the man returning with her drink. She had a sudden premonition that he might say her name out loud. She tried to signal him to be quiet, but he didn't notice, or understand, or something, because he just smiled at her and set her drink on the table, "Here you go, Lt. Celeste. Sorry it took so long!"

Celeste looked at him with alarm, "Thanks, that's okay!" she said through clenched teeth. The voices behind her had suddenly stopped. She could almost feel the two men staring at the back of her jacket. "Felgercarb!" she muttered, taking a gulp of the dark liquid she had ordered.

So much for being inconspicuous and discreet.

Oh, well, I hate sneaking around, anyway, right? Celeste thought, groaning inwardly, facing a problem head-on is much more effective. Yet I don't want to give them the benefit of seeing me lose my temper…

Celeste stood up, finished her drink, turned around, and calmly walked past the two men, who turned out to be security guards, and out the door without saying a word. She did notice, to their credit, that both men had the decency to look embarrassed.

Once out of the Officer's Club, Celeste stopped. She didn't really have a plan of where to go next. It needed to be a place where she could think about all the things she'd just found out, including the water shortage. Celeste remembered the Observation Lounge. It would do. Eyebrows furrowed in intense thought, Celeste stepped into a turbolift and rode it up to the deck containing the lounge.

Zac and Rigel were there, chatting easily. Zac saw Celeste and called out, "Hey, Celeste! How's the ankle?"

"Better." Celeste half mumbled without stopping. She walked to a window table in the far corner and sat.

Zac frowned, "I wonder what's bugging her? She's usually a lot friendlier," he told Rigel.

"Everyone has bad days." Rigel reasoned.

Zac shook his head, "Kobal help us if Celeste is having a bad day."

Rigel smiled, "I'm sure she'll be over it in time for the party. If she's anything like her brother, the party will only improve her mood."

"You know Starbuck?" Zac asked.

Rigel looked a little pink, "I doubt there's a single woman anywhere on this battlestar who doesn't know Starbuck."

"What?" Zac cried.

Rigel grinned, "Don't be jealous, Zac. We went out once. It didn't work out, and I realized that I missed you too much to think about having a relationship with anyone else."

"Oh." Zac smiled, relieved, "Well, then I guess I should have asked if you had ever met Celeste…formally I mean, not just had her walk by and say one word."

"Well, it wasn't really formal," Rigel replied, "but I did work with her some when she was in charge of the Galactica."

"She sure is a character." Zac remarked, "I understand what Apollo sees in her."

"Oh!" Rigel exclaimed, "I didn't realize she and your brother were a pair!"

Zac made a face, "Actually, neither do they."

"I see." Rigel giggled, "So what about us?"

"Us." Zac repeated.

"Well…?" Rigel asked.

"Well…?" Zac repeated. His voice seemed to have stopped working. And it had nothing whatsoever to do with Cylons.

Rigel finally blurted out, "Well, are we? A pair?"

"Do you want to be?" Zac squeaked out.

Rigel rolled her eyes, "Zac, I waited for you for two yahrens! How much longer do I have to wait?"

Zac felt as though he'd been somehow frozen in place. His heart thudded. "Uh…"

Rigel was starting to get an annoyed look on her pretty face.

Of course, Rigel! I want to be your boyfriend! Zac thought, Can I say that? Can I say anything

"Uh…"

Rigel started to stand up, "Look, if you're not interested, we don't have to…"

"No!" Zac cried, "I mean yes!"

Rigel looked upset. She said softly, "Well, is it 'no' or is it 'yes'?"

"Rigel," Zac went to her and took her hands, "I'm not very good at this kind of thing. But…will you be my girlfriend?"

Rigel's eyes softened as she smiled at him, "Yes, Zac, I'll be your girlfriend."

The two were totally unaware of the pair of eyes that watched them from the corner of the room. Celeste, with her Cylon-enhanced vision, saw the exchange and smiled, almost wistfully. "Good for you, Zac," she said quietly. She was happy for her friend, and for Rigel, who had waited for him. It was impressively and romantically touching. And it stirred a feeling in Celeste, not unlike the ones she'd had earlier. That she wanted someone to rely on. That somehow, half of her was missing.

Celeste shook her head, trying to get control of her thoughts again. Why does life have to be so confusing all at once? She sighed, And all I wanted to do was fly vipers...how did everything get so out-of-hand? I've got jealous warriors, skeptical bridge officers, a fleet full of thirsty people who want to make peace with the race that wants to annihilate them, crazy relatives, love-struck friends, horrible nightmares…and day-mares, an exaggerated celebrity status, and soon there'll be a ship-full of kids having a birthday party!

On the positive side, Baltar still thinks I'm dead (unless he can receive colonial broadcasts), so he won't be trying to kill me for a while. And I can go back to flying with the squadron now that my ankle's better. But maybe I should lie low for a while, and stop going on all these high-profile missions. If I stop drawing attention to myself, someone else is bound to do something worth being famous for, and they'll forget about me!

Right. And daggits have wings. But it couldn't hurt to try. Apollo would approve. He wouldn't have to know why I won't go on the big missions. But he would suspect something…

Apollo. How does Apollo fit into all of this? He's my closest friend, closer than even Starbuck is. Qasha knows a lot about me now, but she's not really…close. Apollo's always there, rushing to my rescue as often as I rush to his. He's someone I…trust. I look up to him. At first, he was like a brother to me…but now, something's different between us. He sensed the change as I did. I think probably before I did. Back on that shuttle from the gunship. I was too busy being angry with him.

Having Chameleon there trying to tell me his sob story didn't help matters any. I forgive him for what he did to me…but I don't think I can ever forget. And I wasn't exactly in the mood for any of his felgercarb right then. At least we had the pyramid game.

Come to think of it, I was pretty rude to Zac and Rigel just a short while ago!

Celeste looked around, but the two had left. She made a mental note to apologize to them when she saw them next.

I guess I should tell Colonel Tigh that I'm ready to go back on duty. Celeste thought, and then I should find Apollo and let him know. And Starbuck, too. They will probably need some help getting this party planned, and I know just the lieutenant for the job!

¤

The upper decks of the Rising Star were unusually empty of people when Celeste arrived, but it was full of activity! People bustled here and there, adjusting decorations, delivering supplies, and discussing the locations of events. Celeste saw several of the children from the First Learning class helping with the preparations. To her amusement, she noticed that the children seemed to be directing the adults' activities!

Why shouldn't they? It's their party! Celeste smiled at one little boy who was trying to explain to a man on a ladder how he thought a banner should be hung. The boy smiled back. The man waved, forgetting the banner he was holding. It fluttered to the floor. The boy dramatically smacked his forehead, the look on his face clearly expressing his opinion how hopeless grownups were.

Celeste kept walking, thinking to herself that there were plenty of times when she felt like doing the same thing.

In room after room, Celeste found people preparing for the party. There are quite a few people chipping in, she mused, but that's not surprising. Apollo's good at getting people to help out.

Striding through the ship, Celeste recalled stories of things that had happened on the Rising Star: Apollo and Boomer crashing Sire Uri's private feast party when the refugee fleet was starving; countless Triad tournaments; Chameleon appearing from anonymity with three Borellian Nomen after him; the mysterious murder of a Triad player; the Peacemakers' violent uprising; the speech she'd given only the senton before; and soon, a birthday party for the orphans of the fleet.

So many crazy, dangerous, unexpected things had happened on the Rising Star. Celeste fervently hoped that the party would go smoothly.

Finally, she reached the main reception hall. She saw many people from the Galactica inside, decorating, finalizing schedules, and loudly discussing differences of opinion.

Stepping carefully around boxes of decorations, Celeste approached Apollo. The captain was in the center of the room, keeping everything on task. Apollo saw her and smiled, "Finally decide to join us?" he teased.

Celeste grinned back, "I couldn't let you have all the fun!"

"How's the ankle?" Apollo asked, more seriously.

"Fine," Celeste shrugged off the concern, "So, what do you need done?"

Apollo stared hard at her for a moment, then sighed, "They might need some help with the lights on the dining level," he answered.

"I'm on it, Captain!" Celeste saluted and headed off, happy to be back on the team.

She didn't see Apollo watching her leave, so she didn't see his smile. Starbuck, however, did.

"Starbuck to Apollo, come in Apollo." Starbuck said, standing beside the captain.

Apollo hid the smile and turned around, "What?"

"Oh, don't play innocent with me, remember, I'm the expert," Starbuck teased, "I saw that look, I know you were lightyahrens away a centon ago, and I have a guess as to why."

Apollo gave Starbuck a "that's ridiculous" look, "I don't know what you're talking about." He hid another smile, enjoying the game.

"Oh, yes you do!" Starbuck replied, "Or if you don't, you need to figure it out."

Apollo crossed his arms, "Really."

"Apollo," Starbuck scolded, "she's my sister!"

The captain found he could no longer hide his grin completely, "Didn't seem to stop you from going after Athena."

"uh…" Starbuck hesitated, "…that was different…"

"Oh?" Apollo raised an eyebrow, "Well, then. If the way I feel about your sister is different from the way you acted about mine, then this conversation has no point to it, does it?"

"Wait…" Starbuck held up his hand, "that's not what I meant! I meant that…"

"That we should get back to work?" Apollo suggested innocently.

Starbuck sighed, "Okay, you win this round," he turned to go, "but we'll talk later!"

Apollo chuckled and resumed his job of going over the schedule.

¤

"Great turnout, isn't it?" Starbuck joined Celeste at the table she was sitting at. The kids had arrived, and the party was in full swing.

"Yeah," Celeste agreed, looking around at the people, "But I wonder where Boomer is?"

"Hiding?" Starbuck guessed, "Qasha arrived on that last shuttle."

"Hmm," Celeste grinned, "That must be it!"

Starbuck shook his head, "Yeah, poor Boomer's not used to the female attention."

"Unlike you!" Celeste playfully pushed her brother.

Starbuck looked thoughtful, "Maybe I should give him some pointers."

"Hmm, yeah," Celeste said seriously, "If he did things your way, Qasha would probably leave him alone!"

"Hey…" Starbuck protested.

"Want a drink?" Celeste deftly changed the subject. She grinned and went to the bar.

Starbuck blinked. He still wasn't used to someone using his tricks on him, and he doubted that he'd ever get completely used to Lt. Celeste. Starbuck suspected that she liked it that way.

Celeste returned with two mugs, handing one to Starbuck.

"To family!" she raised her mug.

Starbuck clinked his glass against hers, "To family!" He took a swig, made a face, and swallowed, "Ugh, what is that?"

"Fruit juice," Celeste answered, "Well, more like fruit sludge The water shortage is dehydrating the plants…"

"Fruit juice?" Starbuck asked, "Oh, for the kids." He stared into the mug, "You made a toast with fruit juice?"

"Mmmm hmmm!" Celeste nodded. She changed the subject again, "Does it seem to you as though the fleet has slowed down? A lot?"

Starbuck set his mug down and looked at Celeste, "Do you remember that planet we just got back from?"

"How could I forget?" Celeste groaned.

Starbuck's eyes narrowed in thought, "Remember when we were approaching it, and scanning the land mass to find the Lemonade?"

Celeste nodded, then understood, "Water! That planet was mostly water!"

Starbuck smiled, "Exactly."

"But we can't get to the water until we can get rid of the Cylon base there." Celeste deduced, "So, why rush away from heavily guarded water when you're thirsty?"

"It might be our only option to send in a strike team and disable the base before we can bring in the tankers." Starbuck said, "And guess which lucky squadron will probably end up with that job?"

Celeste snorted, "At least we already know the territory."

Suddenly, Apollo appeared, looking slightly concerned.

"What's wrong, Apollo?" Starbuck asked.

"Have either of you seen Boxey yet?" Apollo asked.

"I haven't." Celeste answered, "Didn't he come with his class?"

"He would have, but Muffy was in the Science Center for a tune up," Apollo explained, "So Dr. Wilker was supposed to make sure that both of them got on a shuttle over here as soon as they were done."

"Maybe they're not done yet." Starbuck suggested, "You know how Dr. Wilker gets…"

Celeste nodded in agreement, "Maybe Boxey'll be on a later shuttle."

Apollo shook his head, "That was the later shuttle." He pointed towards a group of people entering the room, "There aren't any more shuttles from the Galactica scheduled until the party's ending time."

"Oh." Celeste and Starbuck said.

"That's why I'm hoping he's here," Apollo continued, "He'd be really disappointed if he missed this."

"He's probably off making friends somewhere," Starbuck said confidently, "I'm sure he will turn up."

"Okay, well, keep your eyes open." Apollo said, "I'm going to ask Zac if he's seen Boxey."

"Good luck!" Celeste called, setting her drink down on the table and sitting with Starbuck.

Across the room, a couple of security guards strolled in. They stood casually by the door. Celeste stiffened.

"Oh, great," Starbuck groaned under his breath, "of all the places to get assigned to, they just happened to be assigned to the room I'm in."

"I feel safer already." Celeste said sarcastically. She recognized them as the same two who she'd overheard in the Officers' Club. "You know them?"

"Reese and Daritt?" Starbuck whispered, "Unfortunately, yes. Why, do you know them?"

"Enough to know that they're very opinionated," Celeste replied, "I heard them 'discussing' me earlier."

Starbuck stood up, "What were they saying?" he demanded.

Celeste could almost see the heat rising in her brother's head, "Starbuck, it's okay," she held up a hand, "They're entitled to their opinions, same as everyone else."

"They're a couple of jerks," Starbuck growled.

Celeste nodded and stood, "That's why I'm going to give them some space. I'm not sure I can trust myself to be civil."

"Same here!" Starbuck followed her. They both walked past the guards and out the door.

The security guards watched them go, their faces not showing their puzzlement and relief that both warriors were leaving.

¤

Apollo found his younger brother manning a Viper simulator; one of the party games. Zac reset the machine and grinned at Apollo.

"Everything's going smoothly, Captain!" Zac announced.

"Good," Apollo answered.

Zac helped a little boy into the mockup cockpit, "I'm glad Starbuck had the idea of using this simulator. The kids love it!" Zac exclaimed, "And who knows, maybe we have some future Warriors, here." Zac turned on the machine and turned to Apollo, "What's up? You look concerned."

"I was just wondering if you'd seen Boxey," Apollo answered.

"No," Zac replied, shaking his head, "I haven't. Is he missing? I can shut down here and help you look…"

"No, no, he probably just missed the shuttles from the Galactica. I'm sure he's fine," Apollo said, "Besides, you're doing a good job here."

"Thanks Apollo," Zac smiled.

Apollo turned to leave, but paused, "Zac?"

"Yeah?"

Apollo gestured to the simulator, "Your pilot has landed."

"Huh?" Zac looked at the kid in the simulator. The kid looked back expectantly.

"Oh!" Zac stopped the machine, "I guess it's a good thing I'm not a real ground crewman!"

Apollo shook his head amusedly, "I guess it is!"

Zac helped the excited little boy out of the simulator cockpit.

"Wow!" he told the little boy, "you got a score of ten! That's really good for your first try!"

"But I didn't get any Cylons," the boy said sadly. Then he brightened, "I landed though!"

"And that's not easy to do." Apollo told the boy.

The boy beamed, "Bye!" and ran off to another game.

"Doesn't seem all that long ago when that was you," Apollo told Zac.

Zac laughed, "It seems forever ago to me! Caprica seems like lifetimes ago. When the treehouse was my viper, and girls were the enemy." He sobered, "Back when the war seemed so far away. Now it seems to travel with us."

Apollo nodded in agreement, "It does. And most of these kids don't even remember what it's like to be on a planet."

"Or to have a family," Zac added.

Apollo didn't answer. He was looking at someone across the room.

"What is it?" Zac asked.

"The security guard," Apollo gestured to the doorway where two guards stood, "Do you recognize him?"

Zac shook his head, "No, but I don't know very many security guards."

"I do," Apollo frowned, "And I know that the guards from this party were supposed to come from the Galactica. I've never seen either of those two before."

"Maybe they're new, or from a different rotation than we are," Zac suggested.

"That's possible…but I've got a funny feeling." Apollo replied uneasily.

Zac glanced worriedly at his brother and then frowned at the guards, "No offence, but I hope your feeling's wrong."

"So do I." Apollo answered.

¤

"Well, if it isn't the guests of honor!" Colonel Tigh said, seeing Celeste and Starbuck leaving the dining room.

Both lieutenants halted.

Colonel Tigh asked, "Are you two enjoying the party?"

"Yes sir!" Starbuck said. Celeste nodded.

Tigh narrowed his eyes, "You aren't…up to anything, are you?"

"No." they both said.

"Hmm," said the Colonel, "Well, be sure not to miss the aerial salute. Bronze Spar Squadron's been working hard on their routine."

"We wouldn't miss it, Colonel." Celeste smiled.

Tigh smiled back, "Good. Well, I'm glad this party's going so well. Have either of you by any chance seen the commander?"

"Last I saw," answered Starbuck, "He was making small talk with council members."

The colonel grimaced, "You didn't happen to see Siress Tinia, did you?"

"I don't think so," Starbuck replied.

Tigh seemed to straighten, "In that case, I'll be with Commander Adama. If you'll excuse me?" Tigh strode off in search of Adama.

"Siress Tinia?" Celeste asked, puzzled.

"Long story," Starbuck grinned, "basically, the Colonel had a…difference of opinion with the Siress when she was assigned to work closely with the commander during one of the council's little mini-crises."

"Ah," Celeste nodded, "I see. So, when's this aerial salute supposed to take place?"

"Uh," Starbuck checked his handheld scanner, then his timepiece, "in about five centons!"

"Well, let's be sure and get a good seat!" Celeste grabbed Starbuck's arm and dragged him towards a corridor that led to the "window rooms" on that deck. They entered a small room where a few people were already waiting expectantly for the air show to start. Starbuck and Celeste headed for a viewglass and waited.

Boomer walked in and joined them.

Everyone waited.

And waited.

Starbuck frowned at his timepiece, tapped it, then shook it.

Celeste stared unblinkingly at the fleet outside the viewglass. Her eyes narrowed.

Two kids in the room started bugging each other.

Still, apparently nothing happened.

"They should have started by now." Starbuck shook his head.

Boomer frowned thoughtfully, "They're not usually this far behind schedule."

Celeste suddenly jerked up, "What was that?" she cried in alarm. She turned and dashed out of the room.

Starbuck started to follow her, "What was what?" he called, stopping when he realized he wasn't going to catch up with her. He returned to Boomer, "What is with her lately?"

Boomer was staring out the viewglass, "Starbuck, Bronze Spar Squadron was planning on using Vipers, right?"

"Well, yeah," Starbuck nodded, "From when I heard, half the squadron was going to launch from the Galactica and half from the Rising Star. It sounded like it was going to be a great show."

"That's what I heard, too." Boomer started heading for the door, "Come on."

"What? What's going on?" Starbuck asked, following Boomer.

Boomer stopped just outside the doorway and turned to Starbuck, "I didn't want to say this in front of all those people, but we're going to need the Vipers that are on board," he said urgently, pointing at the viewglass in the room, "because the 'aerial salute' that the Galactica is getting has nothing to do with Bronze Spar Squadron."

Starbuck squinted out the viewglass. He could barely make out the form of the battlestar, far out at the head of the fleet. Then he saw the swarms of tiny gray ships surrounding the Galactica, and the red glows of explosions.

"Frack!" Starbuck exclaimed, "We should have guessed that the Cylons would take advantage…wait, how did they know?"

"My guess is that Baltar's still got inside informants." Boomer sighed, "But never mind how he found out, right now we need to figure out a way to stop this attack! The commander needs to know what's going on, too."

"He knows." Celeste seemed to materialize behind the men, "He and Colonel Tigh and half the people on board." She looked straight into Boomer's and Starbuck's eye, "They've been captured. The Rising Star's been hijacked."

"Not again!" Starbuck groaned.

"What did you see?" Boomer asked Celeste.

Celeste took a breath, "Well, I thought I heard blaster discharge, so I went to check it out. By the time I got there, they'd captured everyone in the main dining hall and also the people in the rooms on the starboard side of the ship."

"'They' who?" Starbuck asked, his eyes revealing his dismay.

"A crooked bunch of security guards and civilians, from what I could see." Celeste replied.

"Undercover Peacemakers." Boomer guessed.

Celeste nodded, "Most likely."

"Great," Starbuck groaned, "maybe I should avoid this ship. Every time I come aboard, Peacemakers crash the party and take hostages!"

Boomer asked Celeste, "Do you know where Apollo and Zac are?"

"I didn't see them with the others," Celeste answered, "Hopefully, they haven't been captured."

"Zac was running the simulator on the game level," Starbuck remembered.

"Okay, why don't you go down there and find him," Boomer told Starbuck, "Celeste and I'll try to keep the rest of these people safe. And keep an eye open for the captain."

"Got it!" Starbuck replied, "I'll be seeing you." He headed down the hall.

Boomer and Celeste stationed themselves at places along the hallway where they could sustain visual contact with each other and the door to the rooms on that side. If anyone came to bother the people in the rooms, Celeste and Boomer would know about it! The two warriors kept their guns drawn, but held them down at their sides.

Gasps came from inside the room. Celeste peeked inside, and she, too, gasped, "Boomer, the Galactica!"

Boomer peeked in, "Kobal…"

The Galactica,no longer far ahead of the fleet, was still being bombarded with Cylon ships, but was no longer fighting back. Her two powerful main engines weren't running, and all her lights were shut off. The battlestar looked for all the galaxy like it was dead.

"The power's gone." Celeste whispered, "which means that they could have knocked out the shield, which means…"

"Which means that Baltar may have finally come up with a successful plan." Boomer said dryly.

"Not if I can help it," Celeste growled, "The day that happens is the day I start flying the garbage scow! As soon as we find Apollo and Zac, we'll come up with a plan to save the Galactica."

Boomer raised an eyebrow at her, "Something tells me you've already got a plan in the works."

"Not yet," Celeste frowned, "That's why I'm hoping we find the others. Between the five of us, we've got to be able to come up with something!"

"I see," Said Boomer, "Well, let's hope there's still a Galactica to save by the time we get a plan together."

"Believe me," Celeste replied grimly, "I'm hoping."

¤

Starbuck snuck down the hallway as quickly and silently as he could. Finally, he reached the game room. Inside, he could hear shrieks and yelling! He tensed, ready for action.

"Felgercarb! I'm too late!" Starbuck muttered. He held his blaster tightly and peeked into the doorway. He had no intention of walking into another volatile situation and limping out.

"Starbuck?" a voice behind him said suddenly.

Reflexively, Starbuck whirled around, gun pointed at the person.

"Don't shoot! It's me, Zac!" Zac cried. He was holding the hand of a little girl. A frightened little girl.

Starbuck relaxed and put his gun back in the holster, "Sorry, I thought you were one of them."

"One of who?" the little girl asked.

"Uh, Cylons." Starbuck replied, "Zac, um…can I talk to you?"

"Sure," Zac replied. He turned to the little girl, "Okay, can you go back to the others now, Vala?"

The little girl bounced up and down uncomfortably, "But I gotta go again!"

"Well, ask someone else to take you," Zac suggested.

The little girl frowned, and raced into the room.

Zac turned back to Starbuck, "Okay, what's going on? You know there's no Cylons on the Rising Star!"

"I'm not so sure," Starbuck replied, "For all we know, there could be!"

"Starbuck, what is going on? Why are you sneaking around out here with your gun drawn?" Zac cried, "You're going to scare people!"

"If you think I'm scary, wait until you find out what's happening on the dining deck." Starbuck answered sarcastically, "And to the Galactica. Where's the captain? He needs to hear this, too."

"He's in there," Zac pointed into the room.

Starbuck peeked back in and nearly ran into the little girl. She was dragging a reluctant woman out the door.

"Sorry!" Starbuck called after them as they went by. Then he said it again a few more times as he rushed into the room, brushing people on his way. Starbuck headed straight for Apollo, with Zac on his heels. Apollo was standing near the far wall, smiling and talking to a few people.

Starbuck grimaced inwardly. He hated being the bearer of bad news. Somehow, he didn't think Apollo would be in such a good mood when he found out that the Rising Star had been partially taken over by violent activists, that his father an half the guests and crew had been taken hostage, and that the Galactica was under heavy attack from the Cylons when most of her fighter pilots were on the Rising Star!

When Starbuck reached his captain, he took a deep breath. It's a dangerous job, but somebody's got to do it.

"Apollo?" Starbuck said, "We've got a problem."

Apollo excused himself from the conversation he was having and turned to Starbuck and Zac, "What kind of problem?" He looked around, "Where's Celeste?" he asked, sounding alarmed.

"She's fine, it's not her," Starbuck also glanced around, but he was looking at the oblivious partygoers, "Uh, I don't want to start any mass panic…can we talk somewhere else?"

Zac's eyes widened, "That bad of a problem?"

Starbuck nodded.

Zac leaned forward and continued, "You mean, there actually are Cylons on the Rising Star?"

"What?" Apollo gasped.

"No!" Starbuck cried, "At least, I don't think so, but maybe just as bad…look guys, lets go out to the hall and I'll tell you. Or better yet, I'll show you." Starbuck led his friends back the way he'd come. They followed him, imitating his stealthy movements as they sneaked through the ship.

At last they reached the hall that Celeste and Boomer were guarding.

"Thank the lords!" Boomer exclaimed, "We were beginning to worry that you'd been captured!"

"Captured by who?" Zac asked.

Celeste shot a glare at her brother, "You mean you didn't tell them?"

"No, not exa…"

"Starbuck! You're as bad as Ch…" Celeste stopped herself and rephrased her sentence, "I mean, why not?"

Boomer, Starbuck, and Apollo all looked at her questioningly, but didn't get a chance to find out what she meant because of something Zac was looking at.

"Guys," Zac said worriedly, "Better look out the viewglass."

Celeste and Boomer stared knowingly out the viewglass as Apollo and Starbuck gasped.

Zac looked worried.

Boomer looked sad.

Celeste looked angry.

Apollo looked horrified.

Starbuck looked. His lips moved, but didn't form complete words as his mouth searched for a suitable expletive. Finding none worthy of the situation, it closed altogether and a rare thing happened.

For once, Starbuck couldn't think of a thing to say.

Zac broke the silence, "How long has that been going on?"

"Almost fourty centons." Boomer replied, "And it doesn't look like they got very many fighters launched.

Celeste's blue eyes were cold and hard, like thick clear ice over deep, dark water. She stared straight out at the battlestar, as though trying to freeze the Cylons with her gaze. The woman's voice was forced as she added, "The Galactica lost all her power about fifteen centons ago."

Apollo walked to a small viewglass to the side of the crowd. He watched as the eerily lifeless battlestar was pummeled by the relatively tiny Cylon raiders. A sad expression replaced the horrified one.

Celeste noticed. Her eyes softened, the ice melting a little. She went to her friend and said quietly, "He missed the shuttles, didn't he." It wasn't a question.

"There's got to be something we can do, some way of contacting them, or something!" Starbuck exclaimed.

"Well," Boomer answered, "The Galactica is only one of our problems right now." He turned to Zac and Apollo, "Most of the Rising Star has been captured by people we can only guess to be the Peacemakers."

"Peacemakers?" Zac asked, "I thought they surrendered!"

Starbuck snorted, "Maybe their idea of 'surrender' is similar to their idea of 'peace'!"

Apollo sighed, "We've got two objectives. Someone's got to regain control of the Rising Star, and someone's got to help the Galactica. Unfortunately, there's only five of us as far as I know. I think the rest of our squadron, plus the guys from Bronze Spar, were in the main dining hall when the takeover happened. There isn't time for all of us to do both, but if we split up, we may have a chance." Apollo pointed at Starbuck and Celeste, "If you two take the Bronze Spar vipers in the docking bay and assist the Galactica, Boomer, Zac, and I will come up with a way to retake the Rising Star."

"Two vipers against that?" Starbuck asked incredulously.

"That sounds crazy, even to me!" Celeste agreed.

Zac frowned, "Apollo, I'd like to go with them. They could use the help! I know I could do it this time…"

"You have your orders, lieutenants." Apollo said. He looked at each one of his friends, especially Starbuck and Celeste. He knew he was ordering them into one of the worst fights he'd ever seen, and he didn't like it, "Be careful. I want you back in one piece." He looked meaningfully at Celeste, "All of you."

"We'll look out for each other," Celeste nodded, mistaking the meaning of Apollo's words.

Starbuck straightened, "Let's get moving, the docking bay is a long walk from here." He started moving toward the door.

"We'd better take up our guard positions, Zac." Boomer said. He and Zac followed Starbuck out.

Celeste hung back, looking at Apollo, "I'm not going to fly alone. You can count on that, I'll watch my wingman this time as well as my own tail."

Apollo looked back at her, puzzled, "I know you will. I wasn't implying that you wouldn't." He tried to smile, "You're a good pilot. You and Starbuck are some of the best we have. If anyone can do this, it's you two." Apollo glanced back at the Galactica, his sigh betraying his thoughts, "A lot of people are counting on it."

Celeste looked down for a moment, then she put a comforting hand on Apollo's shoulder, "It's going to work out, somehow."

Apollo nodded, looking far away, "I know."

Celeste's mouth twitched determinedly, "We'll get him back safe, I promise."

Apollo nodded, "Which reminds me, I guess we're breaking the 'face it together' rule again. I'm sorry about that."

"Well," Celeste tried to think of a way to put his mind at ease, "not really. We're just facing it together…apart. But we'll be together again, hopefully." Celeste locked her eyes with his, "You and Boxey will be together again, too. That's one promise I'm not going to break, no matter what!"

Apollo blinked, smiled sadly, and pulled Celeste into a hug, "Just do what you can, Celeste. That's all anyone can ask of you."

"I will." Celeste replied, the tone of her voice somehow making those two short words sound like a binding oath.

Apollo awkwardly released her, realizing that the hug had lasted longer than he had intended it to. She smiled at him and he watched her join Starbuck in the hall. He wondered whether he'd ever see her again. Of course I will. She's Celeste. She always comes back. Think positive, Apollo. Besides, Starbuck wouldn't let anything happen to her. Apollo closed his eyes, seeing again the young woman's confrontation with Baltar on the Cylon gunship. He suddenly felt that he didn't want to let her out of his sight.

If there was any other way…But there wasn't. It was their only hope to split up. The fleet's only hope. Somehow, the five warriors had to pull off a miracle before the unacceptable, the unthinkable happened.

What remained of the human race depended on it.

¤

Celeste and Starbuck hurried down the halls as quietly as they could, peeking into open doorways before dashing past them. They happened to miss one, simply because the light was off in that room. It was out of this doorway that an arm came, grabbing Starbuck and yanking him inside. Celeste halted, walked suspiciously to the dark doorway, reached inside, and flipped on the lights. To her astonishment, Starbuck's captor was the dark-haired daughter of Commander Adama!

Celeste's mouth dropped open, "Athena…what are you doing?"

Starbuck pulled out of Athena's grasp, "Good idea, scaring us half to Hades!"

"I'm sorry," Athena apologized to Starbuck, "I thought someone was chasing you!"

"That was me," Celeste explained, "We were just trying to get to the docking bay. The Galactica's under attack so we're going to use the vipers on board to defend her."

"And we've got to hurry," Starbuck added, heading for the door. Celeste followed suit.

"Just the two of you?" Athena cried.

"Mmm hmm!" Starbuck nodded.

Athena looked strangely at them both for a moment, "That's crazy! Does Apollo know what you're up to?"

"Yeah," Celeste began moving down the hall, "It was his idea."

Athena started following Celeste and Starbuck, "Well, great! You can come with me, then!"

"Come with you?" Starbuck asked.

Athena tossed her wavy brown hair, "As a Colonial Viper pilot, I was going to help the Galactica, too. So we might as well go together."

"Athena…"Starbuck began.

"No time to argue, guys." Celeste said, "Starbuck, she might as well come. We'll need all the help we can get."

Finally, the trio reached their destination. Athena opened the door. Blasters ready, they tiptoed into the bay. Celeste went to work on the ship locking mechanism computer on the wall. Beyond her, several shuttles and Vipers stood, waiting for pilots.

"Got it!" Celeste cried triumphantly as the lights on the ground in front of the Vipers changed from red to green. The Vipers' canopies slowly opened.

"Great!" Starbuck holstered his gun.

Athena gasped, "Oh, no!" She was standing near a scanner that was tuned to the info broadcasting channel. Celeste and Starbuck rushed over.

A newscaster's voice was speaking, "These images were received from the media team on board the passenger liner Rising Star, only centons ago…"

Starbuck didn't hear the rest of what the newscaster said. He was too busy sadly watching innocent people being herded into groups by threatening men with big guns. One man, who Starbuck recognized as the guy with the rusty shirt, approached the camera.

"Felgercarb!" Starbuck exclaimed.

"Acheron." Celeste muttered disgustedly.

The man threw an elbow punch toward the camera. The camera view spun dizzily, then stopped, showing a clear view of many feet moving around. Then the scene disappeared in static.

The newscaster continued, "So for the second time, a dangerous situation on the Rising Star has led to chaos and panic among the people of the fleet. On other ships, rioting and discord has broken out between those whose believe in fighting for their freedom, and those who oppose the war. It can only be speculated how many have been killed and injured today in the name of peace…"

Starbuck interrupted bitterly, "Well, it was definitely the Peacemakers."

Celeste stared at the blank screen, her face showing an uncharacteristic hollowness.

Athena looked up at Starbuck with tears hiding in the corners of her eyes. "What are we doing?" she asked, her voice shaking, "What are we trying to save?"

Celeste nodded angrily, "Warriors are out there dying for people whose idea of 'peace' is killing each other!"

The screen now showed a pitiful few Vipers engaged against the Cylon force that was attacking the Galactica.

Starbuck glanced from one upset woman to the other, "Hey," he gestured to the three of them, "This is what we're saving!"

Athena looked at Starbuck, then at Celeste. She smiled; she understood. Friends and family, camaraderie, love…the best aspects of what makes us human. That's worth saving.

"You're right," Athena tried to smile.

Celeste nodded, "Good point, Starbuck." She unexpectedly grinned, "Let's do this!"

The three Warriors strode quickly to the Vipers lined up in the bay.

"Three Vipers to save a battlestar," Starbuck shook his head as he selected a fighter, "We're all certifiable, I hope you know that." He climbed to the cockpit and put on the helmet that was inside.

Celeste placed a helmet on her head, "We know."

"Speak for yourself," Athena said, positioning herself in her cockpit, "I personally feel safer behind Viper lasers and shielding than behind a hand pistol!"

"Yeah?" Starbuck challenged, "Let's see how you feel once we get into the middle of that granddaddy of all daggitfights going on out there!"

Celeste's voice cut in, "Hey, Big Brother, it's called sibling rivalry for a reason! Let Athena alone. Besides, we've got to work together. As Starbuck pointed out, there's only three of us. What's left of the other Viper pilots are probably worn out by now. We'll have to watch each others' tails and stay out of crossfire."

"And keep from getting killed in the process." Athena added.

"Good suggestion." Starbuck commented, powering up his engines.

"Always sound advice," Celeste agreed teasingly, "Okay, are we ready?"

"I'm all set here!" Starbuck reported, "Athena?"

Athena's viper engines finally roared to life, "It's been a while, but I'm ready!" she said enthusiastically.

The three Vipers took off from the bay, kicking in their turbos as soon as they were clear of the Rising Star. The trio turned and headed for the besieged battlestar.