Discoveries


"Still nothing sir," Boomer reported as he hurried
down from the bridge tower to join the conversation.
"Omega estimates that we won't be within scanning
range for at least another sectarie."

"Good," Adama returned as he looked to Tigh.  "That
will give us time to investigate without endangering
the fleet."

"And room to skirt around it if necessary," Tigh
added.

Adama's brow rose.  "Skirting it won't be a problem.
The distortion appears small enough to navigate
around."

"What kind of an effect will this anomaly will have on
the charts that Delos created?" Apollo asked as his
father filled them in on the area of space that
concerned Dr. Quaye.

Adama nodded his approval of Apollo's question.  A
commander needed to get to the heart of the matter and
Apollo's quick grasp of situations would be one of his
strengths at the helm of the gunstar.  "If it turns
out to be a significant event that Delos left
unaccounted, it would make the rest of his work
suspect."

Everyone shifted uncomfortably as they exchanged
glances.  "In other words," Starbuck clarified, "we
could be lost?"

"Up until now, we have been able to find some
reference in ancient writings or civilizations along
the way that supported the charts," Adama returned
with a shake of his head.  "So we're still on course."

"Wait a centon," Sheba interrupted.  "Couldn't this
just be a glitch in the original scan?"

"It very well could be," Tigh responded.  "The
original patrol couldn't go far enough out to get a
clear scan of the area."

"That's why we're sending out the recon patrol," Adama
concluded.  "Apollo, your Viper as well as Sheba's are
being fitted with specialized instruments to take the
readings that Dr. Quaye needs to complete her
calculations.  Starbuck will be able to get the
remaining data with the prototype Viper."

"One of the technicians will be there before you
launch to instruct you on how to use the new
equipment," Boomer added when the commander was
distracted momentarily by one of the crew needing a
signature.

"What do we know about the anomaly?" Sheba asked.
"Will we have any gravitational or navigational
problems to deal with?"

"Unknown," Tigh said simply.

"But it is a possibility," Boomer warned as he looked
at his friends, "so watch yourselves."  He hated not
being able to go with them.

"Your ships will be ready in about a centar," Tigh
informed them.  "That will give you plenty of time to
learn the new systems."

"What's the latest on the gunstar?" Adama asked as he
looked to his son.

"I just had a meeting with Dr. Wilker about moving
some of the console controls onto the command seats
themselves which will take a little more time, but
we're still ahead of schedule."

"Do you have your crew list finalized?"

Apollo nodded.  "For the most part.  I still need to
talk to a few people about command positions, but
Sheba and I have completed the squadron selections.
We just need your approval."

"What of the warrior that was injured by that solium
leak?"

"Dr. Salik released him this morning for limited
duties.  I'm going to stop in and see him as soon as
we're finished here."

"Very well.  I'll expect your completed crew list upon
your return.  Dismissed."

~~~

"She's scared," Deneb said as they stared at the
mother wooly lying in a small pen.  The animal's
breathing was labored and she didn't even have the
strength the raise her head to see who had come to
visit.

Athena felt her heart go out to the animal as well as
the child and she squatted next to girl.  "Can you
tell her that we're here to help her?"

Deneb nodded and didn't hesitate to walk into the pen
with the wooly.  She knelt down next to the animal and
was silent for several microns before she reached out
and buried her hands in the thick pelt.  "It's okay to
come in," she said with certainty as she rubbed.  "She
said her shoulder hurts and it feels good to have it
rubbed."

Athena's mouth dropped open slightly then she worked
up a smile for the young girl.  "I'll bet it feels
even better to have someone to talk to."

She looked over at Athena as she walked into the pen
with Gaea close behind.  "They talk all the time.  But
no one listens."

Athena reached out to cup Deneb's cheek.  "That will
change now that you're here," she said softly and
received a smile in return.

"Healing an animal is basically the same as healing a
human," Gaea explained and knelt down with Athena.
"The only difference is that an animal thinks in terms
of instinct.  You will probably encounter the fear
that the wooly is feeling and the best way to combat
that will be to put calming images in your head.  An
open field with plenty of grazing will be your best
option."

Athena looked at her curiously.  "You almost sound
like you've done this before."

Gaea's head bobbed slightly to the side.  "There are
some ancient records of healers working with animals.
It's unusual and not recommended if the animal is
predatory, but a wooly is a passive animal.  I think
we can fumble our way through."

Deneb was staring up at her with sad eyes when Athena
turned back around.  She gave the young child an
encouraging smile.  "Would you like to help me?"
Deneb's eyes sparkled as she nodded.  "This is a very
important job," Athena warned her.  "I need her to
stay still.  Do you think that you can talk to her and
keep her mind off of what I'm doing so that I don't
scare her?"

Deneb paused for a long moment then nodded with
certainty.  "Yes."

Athena smiled and brushed her fingers across the young
girl's bangs.  "Okay.  Then let's make her feel
better."  She reached out and buried her fingers in
the thick wool at the animal's shoulder where Deneb's
hand had been a moment before.  She massaged the wooly
gently then looked to the girl at her side.  "Does she
like that?"

Deneb nodded.  "She said you have warm hands."

Athena smiled once more as she closed her eyes.  She
could immediately sense the difference in the psyche
of the animal.  Memories from the wooly's recent past
were there, but little else.  She caught fleeting
images of herself and Deneb, but they were distorted.
The world that swirled around her was dark with blood
red streaks that left her with a sensation of vertigo.

"Gaea?" Athena said aloud.  "I think I'm going to need
a little help with this one."

Although Gaea usually accompanied Athena to her
healings, it had been some time since she had actually
assisted her during the bonding.  Athena had become
quite accomplished as a healer so Gaea acted more as
an instructor than guide.  She gave herself a moment
to prepare as she sat behind Athena then Gaea put her
hand on her shoulder.

Gaea swayed as she entered into the vision with
Athena.  "Well this is different," she commented
lightly.

"Tell me about it," Athena replied as she put a hand
over her stomach.  "It's making me nauseous."

Gaea reached out in the vision and grabbed Athena's
arm.  "There doesn't seem to be anything to stabilize
us.  Have you tried projecting a pasture?"

"And a stable and a farm.  Nothing seems to work."

"Then let's get right to the source," Gaea insisted.
"I don't think I can take much more of this."

"That's the other problem," Athena explained.  "I've
tried to hone in on the source, but the image remains
the same."

Gaea studied the swirling black and red more closely.
"It must be in her blood.  It courses all through the
body which is why you can't find a specific spot."

"I didn't even think to ask that worker what was wrong
with her."

"Neither did I."

Athena glanced around and tried to think logically.
Blood was liquid so she wondered for a moment about
what she would use to clean up a large spill.  A
sponge was the first thing that came to mind and it
materialized in her hands.  She focused her attention
on the sponge and it began to absorb the black that
filled their vision.

As the darkness was drawn in, the scene around them
began to change.  They could see the stall where they
were actually sitting and stared at images of
themselves from the prospective of the wooly.

"Okay, this is freaky," Athena commented.  She had
worked with conscious people before, but never
actually saw through their eyes.  She glanced back
down at the sponge.  The weight continued to grow in
her hands as the last of the illness was absorbed.

"What is that sound?" Gaea asked softly.  There was a
voice on the air like a light breeze blowing through
the vision.

Athena paused before placing the black mass infecting
the animal into the gilded box that Gaea held for her.
 "It's Deneb," she said with a note of surprise.  Her
voice had somehow passed into the vision.  "She's
singing."

The wooly suddenly sprang to its feet and knocked
Athena back to sever the tenuous connection between
them.  Gaea grabbed onto Athena's arms out of reflex
to keep them both from toppling over and was hit with
a sudden vision.

"We did it!  We did it!" Deneb squealed in excitement
as she jumped to her feet and bounced around the small
pen with the wooly.

Athena laughed whole-heartedly at the girl and wooly
prancing around then she turned to see the shocked
expression on Gaea's face.or rather her own face.
Athena had grown accustomed to seeing Gaea reflecting
her own image.  Whenever they shared in a bonding,
Gaea's appearance would often become a copy of Athena.
 "What is it Gaea?" she asked with concern.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she breathed.

~~~
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"Dr. Quaye?"

Quaye looked up distractedly from the pages scattered
around her desk.  She had worked out a mathematical
equation which possibly explained the distortion that
they had detected in space, but the results didn't
make any sense to her.  "Yes Jai.  What is it?"

"I was wondering if I could take off a little early,"
he said hopefully.  "My family and I are moving onto
the Cetus and my wife will kill me if I make her do
all the moving after she did most of the packing."

"The Cetus?" she responded in confusion.

"Yeah, the new passenger ship that the commander
commissioned."

Quaye took off her glasses and rubbed a hand over her
face before looking back at him.  "I must have missed
something somewhere."

Jai chuckled as he shook his head.  "Honestly Dr.
Quaye, there are other things going on in this
universe besides quasars and novas.  Don't you ever
watch the IFB?"

"As little as possible," she admitted.

"The Cetus use to be a storage barge.  The bottom
level was converted into merchant spaces and the top
two levels are billeting.  The IFB did a whole segment
on the refurbishing.  The old storage containers were
recycled into walls, but from what I understand,
Commander Adama and Colonel Tigh used every cubit they
had to pay for workers and parts."

She shifted uncomfortably in her chair.  "The
commander and colonel used their own finances?"

Jai shrugged.  "It was the only way.  The IFB did an
interview with Colonel Tigh a couple of sectars ago
and he said that all of the fleet's resources were
strained to the max simply maintaining livable
conditions.  When he suggested the idea to Adama, the
two of them decided to use their savings to purchase
and renovate the barge.  The quarters aren't very big,
but at least they are private."

Quaye leaned back in shock as her last conversation
with Adama raced through her mind.  She had
practically accused him of warmongering by building a
gunstar when so many were in need of housing.  "Oh
boy," she mumbled then rubbed at her eyes.  "I owe him
a huge apology."

"What?" Jai asked in confusion.

"Nothing," she said as she shook herself out of her
musings.  "Of course you can have time off, Jai.  I
can't have your wife coming in here and bashing you
over the head for leaving her with all the work."

He smiled broadly.  "She'd do it too.  Thanks Doc."

Quaye sighed heavily as Jai hurried out of the room.
She felt like a complete idiot.  She had thought that
Adama was only concerned about enhancing their
military might when all the while he had been
constructing new living quarters.

She glanced up at the sound of several students
walking by her office and she remembered how pleased
she had been when the first astrophysics instructional
periods had begun.  She knew that Adama was
responsible for that as well.  All she had to do was
mention to him that astrophysics should be included in
the children's education and it happened.

On impulse, Quaye uncovered the control panel on her
desk and clicked her monitor onto the IFB.

~~~

"Come," Adama said simply when the buzzer sounded at
his office door then glanced up to see Colonel Tigh.
"Have we gotten anything on the long range scans?" he
asked, assuming that to be the reason for the visit.

"No sir."  He stood next to the commander's desk and
clasped his hands behind his back.  "Actually, I was
hoping to speak to you about a more.personal nature?"

Adama's brow rose in surprise.  Although they had been
friends for decades, it was a rare occasion when Tigh
wanted to speak of anything besides work or Triad.
"Of course, Tigh."

The colonel hesitated.  "I know that I'm overstepping
my bounds here, but I've noticed lately that you have
been, shall we say, considerably happier?"

"Oh, so we're going to talk about my personal life?"
he asked with a note of humor.

Tigh cleared his throat and shifted restlessly.  "Well
sir, generally after you see Dr. Qu..I mean, after you
visit the Trinian, you're in an exceptionally good
mood.  This morning, you looked like someone told you
the Triad games were canceled."  A smirk rose on
Adama's face and he knew that the commander was
enjoying watching him try to get to the point.  "Now I
know that you're concerned about this distortion ahead
of us and what effect it can have on our journey, but
I also know when something is really bothering you."
He sighed heavily.  "Did something happen between you
and Dr. Quaye?" he asked stiltedly.

Adama's eyes dropped down to his desk.  "She found out
about the gunstar," he said simply.

The colonel started to shake his head then recalled
Dr. Quaye's distaste for anything military.  "Ah."  It
wasn't the first time that they had encountered
someone who would rather not associate with military
personnel.

"She thinks that I'm more concerned with building
weapons than the welfare of the people."

Tigh's shoulder's straightened.  "Then she obviously
doesn't know you, Commander."

Adama gave half a smile.  "That's basically what she
said."

"So.will you no longer be.visiting the Trinian?"

Adama turned his attention back to his work on the
monitor.  "I dare say Dr. Quaye will be sending in her
reports from now on."

He nodded as he lowered his head.  "For what it's
worth, Adama, I'm sorry it didn't work out."

"Thank you Colonel," he said with an authoritative
voice as he straightened.  Tigh understood
instinctively that he no longer wished to discuss his
personal relationship with Dr. Quaye and exited the
office.

Adama sighed heavily as he leaned back in his chair.
He hadn't really considered his association with Quaye
as something to "work out".  They communicated
regularly about the stellar cartography charts and he
would shuttle over to the Trinian whenever time would
allow, but nothing ever happened between them other
than some harmless flirting on occasion.  Still, he
had enjoyed her company and he would miss sharing a
stale sandwich with her while debating the value of
interstellar travel.

~~~

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Apollo stopped short when he nearly walked into
someone on his way through the gunstar.  "Croft!"

"Sorry Captain," Croft said as he took a step back
while wiping off his oil-stained hands.  "Or is that
Commander now?"

Apollo smiled.  "Not until we officially launch.  What
are you doing down in the engine room?  I thought you
were working on the landing bay."

"The maintenance crew was having trouble getting the
purge system operational."  He gave the captain a
sarcastic grin.  "They had the pumps installed
backwards.  Even first year cadets should know the
difference between a shaft and a bowl ring.  Where did
you get these guys anyway?"

Apollo scratched at his forehead.  He knew first hand
the embarrassment of installing equipment backwards.
"They're.uh.first year cadets."  Croft chuckled softly
even though he looked a little sheepish.  "I had no
idea that you were experienced with pumps.  Was that
part of your Academy training?"

Croft looked down at his hands even though they had
stilled from rubbing at the grime.  Apparently Athena
hadn't told her brother about his youth growing up in
an oil rigging family.  Somehow that surprised him.
"There's not much I don't know about maintaining a
ship," he answered elusively.

Apollo studied him for a micron.  Croft had a way of
stating things that left you wondering.  "Well that's
good because I'm in need of a maintenance supervisor."
 He waited for Croft's eyes to rise to his again.
"You would have to take a reduction in rank to
captain, but you will be fully reinstated as a
Colonial Warrior."

He shook his head at the unexpected offer.  Although
he had been helping with the final assembly of the
gunstar, so had dozens of other civilians with
engineering experience and he hadn't expected any sort
of re-commission.  "Why me?"

"A number of reasons," Apollo said simply as he put
his hands on his hips.  "When you were given the
choice to escape with Wolfe or possibly return to the
prison barge, you chose to stick it out and finish
your job.  You risked your own life to save mine as
well as the fleet's not to mention the fact that you
later saved my sister's life as well."

He straightened slightly.  "You don't owe me anything
for that," he said gruffly.

Apollo shook his head.  "This isn't about `owing'.
You've earned a second chance.  I've already spoken to
the commander and told him that I want you on my
crew."  He saw the surprise in Croft's eyes even
though is expression didn't waiver.  "The position is
yours if you want it."  He held out his hand to Croft.
 "Captain."

Croft didn't need to think about it long.  Even though
he had been a full colonel when he was expelled from
military service, it wouldn't be the first time that
he had been reduced in rank.  He reached out and
grasped Apollo's arm.  "Thank you.Commander."

When Croft released his arm, Apollo immediately
noticed the oil stain on his jacket.  "Looks like I'll
have to get a clean uniform."  He reached out and gave
Croft's shoulder a pat.  "And you need to get into
one.  Contact Omega at the end of your shift and he
will make sure that you get everything that you need."
 He started to walk off, then turned to Croft once
more.  "By the way, I'm trying to find Lieutenant
Bartlet.  Have you seen him?"

He hitched a thumb in the direction that Apollo was
heading.  "Just down the hall in the crew quarters."

"Thanks."  Apollo's pace increased as he checked his
chronometer.  Adama had been surprised when Apollo had
suggested adding Croft to his crew, but the captain
had persisted.  Time and again Croft had helped them
without demand for compensation and Apollo felt like
he deserved a second chance.  He was pleased that
Croft had accepted the position.

"Attention on deck!" one of the young ensigns called
out when Apollo walked into the crew quarters.

"Take it easy ensign," Apollo said as he waved off the
command.  "This isn't an official visit."  He quickly
spotted Bartlet standing with several of his ship
mates and walked over to him.  "How are you feeling,
Lieutenant?"

"Fine sir," he said with a crisp tone.  "I'm ready to
return to full duty sir."

"Not according to Dr. Salik," Apollo stated and
Bartlet jerked slightly at being caught in the
exaggeration.  "You're still on light duty for the
next couple of sectaries and I expect you to follow
Dr. Salik's orders the same as if they were mine."

"Yes sir!"  He came back to attention.

Apollo glanced around at the rest of the men intently
watching the exchange before looking back at the
lieutenant.  "I appreciate your eagerness to return to
duty, but I need you healthy."  He put a hand on
Bartlet's shoulder and the lieutenant visibly relaxed.
 "Don't worry.  There'll be plenty for you to do once
you're back full time."  He started to walk away then
hesitated.  "Just stay away from the solium."

Bartlet straightened again.  "Yes sir!"  He remained
at attention until Apollo exited then let out a loud
sigh as he sagged back against one of the bunks.  The
other warriors laughed at his reaction and a couple of
them threw clothing in his direction.

"I thought you were going to wet yourself," one of the
men commented and received a chuckle from the others.

"That would have been a great way to get the captain's
attention," another jeered.

~~~

Starbuck walked to the Life Station slowly as he
worked on how to break the news to Cassiopia that he
had to back out of their plans once more.  She had
been looking forward to seeing the new dance troop
perform even though he had been less than
enthusiastic.  In fact, he was almost grateful that
the patrol had come about.  He would much rather be
sitting in a cockpit than in a makeshift theater.

When he entered the Life Station, Starbuck caught a
glimpse of Cassiopia at the far end of the room then
he stopped dead in his tracks.  She was completely
unaware that anyone else was around.  Her full
attention was given to the tiny bundle in her arms and
he was unexpectedly captivated by it.

He was speechless as he watched her leisurely sway
back and forth.  The illumination from the nursery
behind them glowed like a halo around them and he
could hear the soothing lilt of Cassiopia's whispered
words.  A smile edged up the corners of his mouth as a
tiny hand reached out to touch Cassiopia's lips and
she kissed it soundly.  "You're." Starbuck began then
hesitated when she looked up at him.  He hadn't
intended to speak, but couldn't stop himself.

"I'm?" Cassiopia prompted as walked over to him.

He shook his head and let out a sigh.  "Breathtaking."

"And you're breaking our date," she interpreted.

He growled deep in his throat.  "It's a mission."

"It always is."  She looked down at the infant girl as
she stopped next to Starbuck.  "Let this be a lesson
to you," she instructed.  "Never fall in love with a
warrior."

Starbuck was a little surprised by her reaction.  At
the very least he had expected a lecture on how much
trouble she went to in purchasing the duckits.
"You're not angry?"

She smiled broadly at him.  "How can anyone be angry
when they have such an amazing person in their lives?"
 She saw Starbuck's chest puff out and she rubbed her
hand across it.  "Unfortunately her mother is taking
her home tomorrow."

Starbuck chuckled halfheartedly at the slight then
looked down at the fragile child in her arms.  "She's
so small," he whispered as he gently pulled back the
swaddling.

"She was born a couple of sectars premature,"
Cassiopia explained in the same hushed tones.

"Is she going to be all right?" he asked with concern.
 "Shouldn't she be in an..incubator or something?"

"She's fine," she assured him with a chuckle.  "Babies
need to be held.  It's comforting to them."  She
looked at Starbuck curiously.  "Would you like to?"

Starbuck's eyes darted up to hers in surprise.
"Really?  I mean." he started to protest, but she was
already shifting the baby into his arms.  "What if I
drop her?"

"You're not going to drop her.  Just."  She was about
to explain to him how to properly support the newborn,
but Starbuck cradled the baby like an old pro.
Instead, she stepped over next to him and leaned her
head against his shoulder so she could continue to
cuddle with the child.

As Starbuck held her close, the infant struggled to
focus her eyes on his face.  "Well hello there pretty
lady," Starbuck said with his best smile.  "Do you
come here often?"

Cassiopia giggled softly at his teasing and an
unforeseen warmth filled Starbuck.  Even though he had
never known what it was like to have a real family,
somehow that situation felt right.  "You, eh, ever
think of having one of these?" he asked casually.

"Sure," she replied honestly.  "I suppose that
everyone has at one time or another."  She shrugged
her shoulders slightly as she toyed with the baby's
fingers.  "What about you?"

He moved restlessly.  "Can you imagine me with a baby
in a cockpit?" he countered.

She thought about it for a long moment then smiled
broadly.  "Yes, actually, I can."

He froze when the image formed in his head.  He had
intended it to be a joke, but he knew that one of the
first things he would do as a father would be to show
his child his Viper.  "Um, I've, uh, I've got to get
down to the launch bay," he told her and quickly
transferred the baby back into her arms.

"Do you have any idea how long you'll be gone?" she
asked innocently and missed the aghast look on
Starbuck's face.  It was just the sort of question a
spouse would ask.

He felt like he was saying goodbye to his family
before going off to work and the feeling unsettled
him.  "I don't know," he answered in a rush.  "It's a
long range patrol so I could be awhile."  He
unconsciously reached up to tuck the blanket around
one of the baby's arms then froze once more when the
little girl grabbed his finger.

Starbuck blinked down at her and felt his heart leap.
"I've, uh, yeah," he stammered as he took a step away.

Cassiopia watched him curiously.  "Be careful," she
said and then leaned in to give him a light peck on
the cheek before strolling back to the end of the
room.  He watched her go through wide eyes before
making a hasty exit.

~~~

"Is the collection grid programmed into the computer?"
Apollo asked the technician as he leaned into his
Viper cockpit to take a better look at the
instrumentation.

"On a minimal level," the tech returned.  "The only
thing that it's programmed to do is take samples.  You
won't be able to get any kind of analysis.  We'll have
to do that back on the Trinian."

Sheba walked over to stare up at Apollo.  "They've got
so much felgercarb shoved into my cockpit that I'll be
lucky to fit."

Apollo eased back out of his Viper and squatted on the
platform as he looked down at her.  "Same here.  I
just hope all of it works."

"Perish the thought," she returned.  "I hate to think
that we'll get leg cramps for nothing."

As the technician walked down the Viper platform,
Apollo caught a glimpse of the final member of their
team.  "I was starting to wonder where you were,"
Apollo commented as Starbuck hurried over to them.
"We're going to launch any centon."

"Sorry, I, uh, had to stop in to see Cass," he
explained.  "We were supposed to go see that new dance
thing they have on the Barbosa."

"I'll bet she was thrilled you broke another date,"
Sheba commented.

"She should be use to it by now," Apollo inserted.

Starbuck gave him a sarcastic grin.  "Actually, I
caught a lucky break.  Cass was taking care of this
newborn and didn't even bat an eye when I told her I
couldn't make it."  He thought about that for a
micron.  "I'll have to remember that in the future.
Here's a baby.  I've got a big card game.  See ya
later."

Apollo laughed.  "You probably would too."

"It's good to know what a woman's weaknesses are,"
Starbuck informed him then darted a glance at Sheba
out of the corner of his eye.  "You never know when it
can come in handy."

"That works both ways, you know," Sheba said.  "Have
fun at you're card game.  I'm going to be buying that
pretty little necklace I saw with your last pay
voucher.  You know.the real expensive one."

"Yeah, well," Starbuck mumbled and plopped his unlit
fumarello into his mouth.

~~~