"Here's the latest update Commander," Tigh said as he
handed over the data pad to Adama.  "All ships
accounted for aside from the 3 vipers and the Borella
freighter.  On last known vector, it appears that the
freighter may be heading back to Luna 7."  Tigh
shifted as he looked at the Commander.  "Going to
search for Maga and his two companions, no doubt."

Adama nodded slightly.  "I've got a feeling we haven't
heard the last from the Nomen."

"There are minor repairs needed on the Galactica and
all other ships are reporting no damage," Tigh
concluded.

"Thank you Colonel," Adama responded as he glanced
over the damage report.

"Sir, several warriors from Red Squadron want to
launch a rescue mission for the pilots still on the
Borella freighter," Tigh added.

Adama shook his head slowly.  "Even if we could spare
the manpower and, even if Red Squadron could locate
the freighter, the pilots are most likely already
dead."  Adama looked back at Tigh solemnly.  "The
Nomen don't take prisoners."

He had expected that response.  "Yes sir, but I told
the men that I would say something to you."

Adama nodded in understanding.  "Believe me Colonel, I
wish that we could.  We can't afford to lose even one
of our pilots.  Those warriors are going to be sorely
missed."  Adama shifted as a thought occurred to him.
"Perhaps we should re-initiate a formal ceremony for
the warriors that we lose as well as some sort of
tribute."

"Like the Memorial Column we had on Caprica?" Tigh
asked.

"Yes," he returned.  "Allocating a small area of the
Galactica will be easy enough.  Perhaps we could even
have Carmichael from the agro ship arrange a garden
setting with special lighting."

The colonel nodded.  "I'll get right on it Commander."

When Colonel Tigh didn't move, Adama looked up
questioningly.  "Something else?"

Tigh folded his hands behind his back.  He wasn't at
all comfortable about bringing up the subject.  "It's
about the incident in the landing bay with Athena.
The entire fleet is talking about it.  Calls are
already starting to come in from a number of ships
requesting Athena's presence."

Adama sighed.  When Athena had collapsed in front of
so many people disembarking the shuttle, he knew that
rumors would circulate at light speed.  He had been
expecting the flood of requests and knew that it was
only the beginning.  "Athena is unavailable until
further notice," he stated simply.  "Which reminds me,
make sure that we have someone covering her shifts."

"Commander," Omega interrupted as he turned in his
chair.  "The Academy barge is requesting warrior
instructors for the simulators.  Captain Apollo and
Lieutenant Starbuck were last assigned.  Shall I
contact them?"

Adama shook his head.  "Inform the Academy barge that
we will have someone sent over as soon as possible.
Captain Apollo and Lieutenant Starbuck are.temporarily
out of reach."

~~~

Apollo, Starbuck, Boomer and Sheba sat around one of
the low circular tables in the Officer's Club staring
into space with mugs of grog clenched in their hands.
They all needed a stiff drink after what they had just
been through.  "I saw it with my own eyes and I still
don't believe it," Starbuck mumbled.  "She even
sounded like Athena."

"It's frightening," Sheba stated.  "This woman can
actually become anyone she wants?"

Apollo nodded as he took a sip from his mug.  "As far
as I know."  He could easily understand their stunned
reactions.  Gaea had nearly knocked him on his astrums
at their first meeting.

"Uh, what's to stop her from impersonating someone
like Commander Adama or one of the Council?" Starbuck
asked.  The ashes from his fumarello dropped unnoticed
to the floor as he gestured with his hand.

Apollo gave his friend a sly look.  "That's what I'd
like to know."  He shook his head as he stared at the
door half expecting to see Zac or his mother walk in.
"My father apparently trusts her."

"With the safety of the Fleet?" Boomer asked
incredulously.

He nodded again as he let out a slow sigh.  "Even with
his own daughter's life," he added.

"Why haven't we heard of this woman before?" Sheba
said in confusion.  "You would think that someone with
her powers would be the topic of a few conversations."

"Keep in mind that this woman can be anyone she
wants," Starbuck reminded her.  "She can actually sit
in on the conversations about her and no one would be
the wiser."

"There in lie the problem," Boomer concluded.

"From what I understand, she's something of a
recluse."  Apollo tossed his hand in confusion.
"Something about her being sensitive to the thoughts
of others around her."

Boomer's eyes narrowed as he studied the Captain.
"How is it that you know so much about Gaea?"

Apollo leaned back in his chair as he stared down into
his half full mug.  "I met her when I went to confront
Athena about joining Wilker's experiment."

Starbuck pointed toward Apollo with the two fingers
clenching his fumarello when a memory from the
Canarius shuttle surfaced.  "You mentioned something
about not believing who you had just seen," he
reiterated, his curiosity piqued.  "Who did Gaea look
like when you saw her?"

Apollo raised his mug to his lips then sighed heavily.
 "Serina," he revealed and took a hard swig.  He
cupped the mug between both of his hands as he stared
down at the contents once more.  "She looked like
Serina."  He didn't need to look up to imagine their
gaping mouths and stunned expressions.  Their silence
spoke volumes.

Boomer shook his head.  "I don't even know what to say
to that," he admitted.

"That makes two of us," Starbuck returned then slipped
his fumarello between his teeth.

"Are you okay?" Sheba asked in a husky voice.

Apollo nodded as he sat his mug onto the low table
they were surrounding.  It wasn't exactly true, but he
would sort through his personal feelings on his own.
"My only concern is what Gaea is doing to my family.
She already has my father and Athena beguiled.  Can
you imagine what would happen if Boxey should ever
meet her?"

"We'll just have to make sure that never happens,"
Starbuck returned to assure him.

"How can we do that if Gaea is always with Athena?"
Apollo asked as he looked at his friend.  "I don't
want to keep Boxey away from his only aunt, but how
can I risk the possibility of Gaea projecting the
image of Serina in front of Boxey?"

"You might have another concern," Starbuck said
mysteriously as he lightly tapped at his fumarello.
"When I was out earlier trying to find out who owns
that salvage barge, I thought I saw Gaea."  He
hesitated for a moment then added, "Talking to
Tollen."

~~~

Salik sighed heavily as he reported in with Adama.
"Delos has got to be the most intelligent man I've
ever met.  It's a real shame."

Adama's brows furrowed.  "Why is that a shame?"

"Because of what it's doing to him," Salik returned.
"His body temp is up, he hasn't slept in sectons, his
cranial scans are off the charts and all of his vital
organs are bordering on collapse.  In short, he's
dying."

"Dying?" he repeated in shock.  "Have you determined a
cause?"

Salik looked at the Commander for a long moment.
"Delos doesn't eat meat.  He has been on an agro pod
diet since joining the Fleet."

Adama's mouth dropped open.  "Are you sure?"

He shrugged his shoulders.  "Delos is.  When he
realized what was happening to him, he started doing
research.  He's convinced that it was the diet of
enhanced produce that caused the acceleration of his
system."

"Is there anything that can be done?"

Salik shook his head.  "Delos has already discontinued
consumption of the contaminated food, but it has had a
detrimental affect on his body.  It's almost as if
he's starving even though he has plenty of rations."

Adama could hardly believe what he was hearing.  All
of the tests concerning the agro ship food had been so
positive.  "Would cryogenic suspension be recommended
in this case?"

"It wouldn't do any good," he returned
pessimistically.  "Believe it or not, Delos researched
that possibility as well.  Unfortunately, his body is
set at such a high rate that the cryogen tubes would
do little to slow it down.  Delos has decided that he
would rather finish out his life conscious and I can't
say that I blame him."  Salik stepped closer.
"Commander, I can't emphasize enough how hazardous Dr.
Wilker's experimentation may prove to be.  If
something like this can happen to a full grown man,
what's going to happen to those babies born with an
addiction to agro pod food?"

Adama's eyes locked with the doctor's.  How could he
risk the lives of the unborn children?  "Are any of
these women on an agro diet?"

"All of them," he answered simply.

~~~
Errors-To: bsg-fanfic-bounces-
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X-UIDL: +V>!!?H#"!j'n"!9X,"!

Apollo looked around the Council chambers then back at
Adama.  "Are you sure it's safe to talk in here?" he
asked skeptically.

"Safer than my own chambers," Adama replied.  "Because
of a recommendation from the Council, security sweeps
this area for listening devices on a regular basis."

"Sounds like someone in the Council is a little
paranoid," Starbuck commented.

"With good reason, no doubt," Apollo returned.

"What have you found out?" Adama asked.

"We don't know who owns the salvage barge yet, but
Starbuck was able to eliminate several of the Council
members," Apollo reported.

"Yeah," Starbuck interjected.  "Some of them never
owned salvage ships.  A couple recently sold off what
they had and a few others traded hands during a
particularly large pyramid game."

"That leaves us with five possibilities," Boomer
added.  "I've already started a detailed search of the
Galactica computers to see if we can find out what
each of those Council members activities have been
recently."

Adama nodded.  "Who are they?"

"Sire Uri is at the top of the list," Apollo informed
him.  "Along with Sires Anton and Rybeck and Siress
Semele."

Adama looked at his son curiously.  "That's only
four."

Apollo sighed heavily.  "The other Council member
we're looking into is Siress Tinia."

Adama's eyebrows shot up.  "Surely you must be
joking?"

He shook his head.  "I'm not saying that we will find
anything, but we haven't been able to eliminate her
yet."

He sighed as he clasped his hands behind his back.
"Very well.  Just proceed with caution.  If the
Council were to ever discover that you were
researching their activities."

"Not to worry, Commander," Sheba assured him.  "We're
working on an encrypted system and making sure we
cover our tracks.  We don't want any repercussions to
fall back on you."

"What about the disk that you found on the salvage
ship?" Adama asked.

"We're just finishing up repairs on the equipment we
need in Dr. Wilker's lab and I should be able to start
working on the encryption code before the end of the
sectarie," Boomer reported.

"Uh, there was one other thing," Starbuck said to gain
the Commander's attention.  "When I was trying to find
out who owned that barge, I saw someone talking with
Tollen."  He shifted slightly as he glanced over at
Apollo.  "Someone that looked a great deal like Gaea."
 When Adama's brow furrowed, Starbuck quickly added.
"I could be wrong, but this person was wearing a cloak
that looked very similar to the one Gaea wears."

Adama shook his head as he waved it off.  "I'm sure it
was just a coincidence."

Apollo shot Starbuck a shocked look.  "Father, you're
not even going to consider the possibility that Gaea
could be in on whatever is happening in the Fleet?"

Adama smiled indulgently.  "That would be like asking
me to suspect you."

Apollo's mouth dropped open as he blinked several
times in surprise.  "You trust her that much?" he
asked in a hushed voice.

He held his son's gaze so that there would be no
mistaking how serious he was.  "I trust her
implicitly."

"Commander," Tigh called out as he walked into the
Council chambers.  "The Canarius shuttle is reporting
that they are unable to find the Caprice barge and we
are unable to locate them on long range scans."

"Could they have wandered off?" Apollo asked.

Tigh shook his head.  "Recent reports stated that all
ships were accounted for."

All eyes turned to Adama.  "Colonel, find out who made
that report and bring that person in for questioning,"
Adama ordered.  "It looks like our conspiracy theory
isn't just a theory."

~~~

Adama stared down the young officer as he stood at
attention in the middle of Adama's quarters.  "Is this
the report you filed, Ensign Tiamat?"  He held up the
computer print out for the ensign's inspection.

"That appears to be the report I filed sir," Tiamat
responded crisply.

"Do you realize that three of the ships that you
reported as on course are now missing from the Fleet?"

Tiamat straightened even more.  "I do now sir."

Adama could see Apollo stirring out of the corner of
his eye, but he kept his gaze locked on Tiamat as he
stepped closer still.  "Do you understand the
consequences of dereliction of duty?"

"Sir, yes sir!" he returned with more force than
necessary.

"Let me assure you, they are far less severe than the
ones for treason."  Adama saw the flicker in Tiamat's
eyes, but the ensign remained statuesque.  Deciding on
a change of tactic, Adama slowly walked away as he
continued to speak.  "Now, thanks to your
incompetence, hundreds of Colonists are missing.  If
we had known sooner, we might have been able to help
them, but they have already moved out of our scanning
range."  He stopped to look back at the ensign once
more.  "You may have just cost hundreds of people
their lives.  Men, women and children are wandering
across the galaxy with no protection whatsoever.  The
very existence of our species depends on our survival
and you just allowed hundreds of innocents to slip
away unnoticed?"

Tiamat opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it
again quickly.  "Yes?" Adama prompted, but the Ensign
remained silent.  "Did Sire Uri ask you to send in a
false report?" he finally asked point blank.  Adama's
eyes narrowed when he saw the corners of Tiamat's
mouth curl up slightly.

"No sir," he answered simply.

"But Sire Uri did recommend you for a post on the
Galactica," Adama insinuated.

"Yes sir."

Adama folded his hands behind his back and sighed.
They were getting nowhere.  "If you have anything to
say for yourself, Ensign Tiamat, I suggest you do it
now."

Tiamat drew his shoulders back.  "Sir, I'd like to
apologize for my incompetence and to assure you that
it won't happen again."

Adama studied him for several microns.  He knew that
Tiamat was holding something back, but Adama didn't
want to force his hand just yet.  "You're relieved of
duty until further notice.  Dismissed."

Apollo watched the ensign leave and waited until the
door closed behind him before he moved closer to his
father.  "So what do you think?"

Adama dismissed the ensign with a wave of his hand.
"He's covering for someone."

"But who?  Sire Uri?"

He gave a slight shake of his head.  "Possibly.  What
I'm more concerned about is the timing of the ships
departure.  Was it mere coincidence that they vanished
at the same time that we were battling the Nomen on
the Borella freighter?  Or were both events
orchestrated?"

Apollo quickly followed along his father's line of
thinking.  "And Tiamat was utilized to cover up the
missing ships."

"Precisely, but the question still remains.  Why?"

~~~

"I'm glad I caught you before you retired," Tigh said
over the com-tell.  "Red squadron just reported in.
Sector G is clear."

"Thank you Colonel," Adama returned and was about to
switch off of the channel.

"There is one other thing, Commander," Tigh added.
"Red squadron reported seeing three ships leaving the
Fleet during their return flight."

Adama felt an instant of hope.  "Do they know what
direction they are heading?"

Tigh nodded solemnly.  "They're on a course that will
take them directly to the planet where we just
released Baltar."

~~~

Adama awoke uncertain as to what had roused him.  He
glanced at the chronometer beside his bed and realized
that he had only been asleep for a couple of centars.
His first thoughts turned to the three ships that had
the misfortune of choosing the same planet that Baltar
was on to escape to.  He ached to send a rescue party
back to the planet, but he simply couldn't take the
chance that Baltar had already acquired the long range
communication from one of the ships.  He couldn't even
be certain that the Colonists wanted to be rescued.
He rubbed at his eyes as he partially sat up then he
froze.  He had sensed her presence before he noticed
her in the shadows.  "Gaea?"

"I'm sorry to disturb you, Adama, but I felt that you
would want to know about Athena," she returned softly.

"Yes, yes, of course," he returned as he propped
himself up.  "How is she?"

"Well, considering," she returned elusively as she
silently moved across the room to perch herself on the
edge of Adama's bed.  "Athena needs to develop control
of her gift or there will be many more nights like
this."

"So Athena's severe reaction is something that will
diminish over time?" he questioned as he shook off the
last of sleep.

"Athena hasn't had any training on how to safely
cleanse a person.  She wasn't prepared for her
interaction with Apollo or the female warrior.  She
merely wanted to help them and she pulled the essence
of their pain out of them.  Unfortunately, in her
weakened state, Athena was crippled by the onslaught
of emotions and the fear."

Adama shook his head.  "Fear of what?"

"The female warrior."

"Flight Cadet Brie," Adama supplied.

Gaea nodded once in acknowledgement.  "The recently
traumatic experience which caused her injuries also
triggered unrelenting nightmares.  She was tormented
by them.  When Athena touched her, she not only
absorbed the pain, but she absorbed the nightmares."
She gave that a moment to settle in.  "That's where
the real problem is.  Athena has had no instruction on
how to control her dreams and now they are haunting
her just as they had Flight Cadet Brie."

"But you can help her," Adama insisted rather than
stated.

"It will take some time, but I will help her."

~~~

Apollo bolted up in his bed, his breath coming in
shallow gasps.  He rubbed hard at his eyes to try to
erase the images from his dream.  When he blinked them
open, he realized that he wasn't alone.  "Boxey?  What
are you doing up this late?"

"You were calling Mama's name and I came to see if you
were okay," he answered innocently.

Apollo swore under his breath.  "Come here," he
ordered and pulled back the covers on his bed so that
Boxey could crawl in.

Boxey didn't hesitate and snuggled close as he was
tucked in.  "Were you dreaming about Mama?"

Apollo forced a smile on his face.  He couldn't tell
Boxey that he had been reliving the moment Serina was
shot.  "Yes I was," he returned simply.

"Do you miss her?" Boxey asked as he looked up at his
father.

He gave Boxey a genuine smile.  "Very much."

He thought about that for a long moment.  "I do too."


~~~

"Better late than never," Starbuck said as he tapped
his glass of ambrosa against Cassiopia's.  They had
just finished the meager rations he had pilfered at
the last centon for their meal, but neither of them
was complaining.  It was the first chance they had to
spend any time alone together in sectaries.

"Okay.  So what's the big secret?" Cassiopia asked as
they relaxed on the small lounger in her room.

He darted a fugitive glance around.  "What do you
mean?"

"Come on Starbuck.  I noticed how you, Apollo and
Boomer were talking in cryptic sentences when you were
in the Life Station.  What's going on?"

His eyes danced as he tried to think up a plausible
explanation.  "Nothing special.  We're
just.uh.checking out a few things around the Fleet."
She gave him a sideways look.  "How are things going
in the Life Station?"

Cassiopia shook her head slightly.  "I can take a
hint.  You don't have to tell me if you don't want
to," she said as she slid her hand up over his
shoulder and into his hair.  "Besides, I'm not really
in the mood for talk anyway."

Starbuck smiled appreciatively as he leaned in to give
her a soft kiss.  "Now this is more like what I had in
mind."

~~~
Errors-To: bsg-fanfic-bounces-
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X-UIDL: VF4"!Y'Z!!+#!"!GJ?"!

Adama walked into his quarters the following morning
to see that Delos was already waiting for him.  He was
reclining on the padded seat beneath the window in his
office and Adama gave him a sad smile.  Delos was
painfully thin and his skin was flushed from his rapid
pulse.  "Thank you for coming, Delos," Adama said.
"Can I offer you a drink?" he asked politely as he
gestured to the small tray of spirited refreshment
that had been left on his desk.

"That would be great," Delos said and stood and took a
few steps closer to the Commander.  "At this point, I
want to experience as much as I can."

"Then I'm glad I set out my best ambrosa," Adama
returned and poured a generous glass to hand to Delos.
 Adama took up his own glass and held it up toward his
guest.  "Here's to miracles."

Delos raised his glass in response.  "Let's pray they
keep coming."

"I appreciate you coming to the Galactica on such
short notice," Adama told him.

"It's my pleasure Commander," Delos returned.  "I've
been hoping for the chance to meet you."

Adama gave him a slight nod at the compliment.  "First
off, let me say that I am very sorry to hear your
prognosis.  The survival of everyone in the Fleet is
my main concern and I regret the fact that our journey
has brought you to such a fate."

Delos smiled in return.  "Thank you, Commander."

"I have no doubt that you are aware of the many
concerns that surround the consumption of the agro pod
food.  You yourself are in a unique position to know
what it feels like to reap the rewards as well as
suffer the consequences."  He glanced down at his
drink.  "From what Dr. Wilker has told me, you have a
flawless recall of our history, but what I need to
know is what the future holds."

"Practicing your psychic abilities again Commander?"
Delos asked with a sly smile and Adama's brows shot up
as their eyes locked.  "I'm sure that Dr. Wilker has
also informed you that I have read everything in the
Fleet library."

Adama straightened.  "I had no idea that included
classified information," he said in his best
authoritative voice.

Delos leaned in a little closer.  "Once you understand
the basics of computer language, you can hack into
anything," he confessed then smiled again.  "But don't
worry yourself, Commander.  A secret told is a secret
lost," he quoted from the Book of the Word.  "What
I've learned I shall keep with me."

Adama thought about that for a moment before
relenting.  "I don't suppose I can ask you to unlearn
what you already know."

His smile was wistful.  "If only I could," he said
softly.

Adama allowed the sympathy to show in his features.
"Psychic abilities aside, I would like to ask you what
you foresee as the future of the few remaining
survivors."  He smiled slightly at Delos surprised
expression.  "As I said, you are in a unique position.
 There's nothing you don't know about our past and I
suspect that you've spent a considerable amount of
time thinking about the future.  Who better to ask
about the future?"

A corner of Delos' mouth turned up.  "I wish that I
had met you sooner, Commander.  I have a feeling that
we would have had some very interesting
conversations."  Adama gave him a slight nod.

Delos slowly walked back over to the window to gaze
out at the ships nearby and sighed heavily.  "What you
really want to know is if I regret what has happened
to me," he stated then took a few microns to consider
it.  "If I could change the fact that I'm dying, I
would," he said simply then looked directly into the
Commander's eyes.  "But I don't regret the change.
With this new ability, I've been able to do almost
everything that I've wanted to do.  Read everything
that I wanted to read.  And what's more, I
understand."

"Understand what?" Adama prompted.

Delos shrugged.  "Everything."

Adama's head tilted to one side.  "Some might consider
that an enormous bourdon."

Delos smiled softly.  "Not to a man who was studying
to be a scholar back on Virgo."

Adama smiled as well.  It relieved him to know that
Delos had achieved what he most desired even though
the yahrens had been stolen from him.  "Now I also
regret not having the opportunity to get to know you
better."

Delos raised his glass toward the Commander and took a
sip.  "Now that you know where I stand," he began
again as he walked back to face Adama.  "Let me answer
your original question.  What does the future hold?"
He searched the Commander's face.  "You would be a
fool to stop what is happening in the Fleet and I know
that's one thing you're not, Commander.  I'm sure by
now you have made the connection of what is happening
to us to what happened to the Ancients."  He leaned in
a little closer.  "Everything that you need to know
about the future of the Fleet is in the Book of the
Word," he whispered.  "We are experiencing the same
miracles that are the foundation of all our beliefs.
Don't turn away from that."

"And what if there are more Colonists like you,
Delos?"  Adama asked.  "What if our children become
infected with an insatiable need for agro pod food?
How will they survive if that source runs out?"

Delos shook his head.  "There will be casualties," he
admitted.  "People like me whose physiology can't
handle the enhanced diet, but far more will be helped.
 The survival of the Fleet isn't enough," he argued.
"We need to be allowed to evolve."

He studied the Commander's features as Adama pondered
his words.  "I'm sure that I've given you enough to
think about," he said to Adama as he sat his glass
back onto the tray on the Commander's desk.  "I wonder
if I might ask a favor?"

Adama shrugged as he held his hands out.  "Of course."

"There is just one thing that I have never done before
and I'd like to have the opportunity.  I was wondering
if it would be possible for me to take a flight in a
viper?" he said hesitantly.  "I've always been curious
as to what it felt like."

Adama smiled.  It was such a small request from a man
who thought of the Fleet's potential above his own
life.  "I'm sure that can be arranged.  Our training
vipers have a second seat.  One of our pilots could
take you out."

"Is Cadet Brie available?" he pressed.  "I've heard
quite a bit about her recently and I'd like the chance
to meet her."

He thought about that for a moment.  Dr. Salik had
already given her medical clearance, but what she
lacked was the desire to get back into a Viper.
Taking Delos out might be just what Cadet Brie needed
to get her confidence back, Adama assessed.  "Assuming
that Cadet Brie is accepting, I'll arrange something
for you as soon as possible."

~~~

"Fra." Apollo started to swear then quickly bit his
lip.  He had been struggling with the recording device
in the celestial chamber for the better part of a
centar.  "Boxey, could you hand me the calibrator?"

Boxey quickly picked up the tool his father needed and
slapped it into his hand with the precision of a
medical professional.  "But Dad?"  Boxey turned his
head over and leaned down to try to catch a glimpse of
Apollo's face.

"You stupid." Apollo mumbled as he twisted viciously
at the bolt.  "I know you fit.  Just get on there."

"But Dad," Boxey tried again as he glanced down at the
manual in his lap.  "I think you're putting it on
backwards."

Apollo chuckled for a micron then hesitated when he
remembered having the same problem when working in Dr.
Wilker's lab.  "Let me see that," he returned as he
slipped out from under the console.

"See," Boxey said simply as he held up the diagram for
his father.

Apollo took the manual and frowned.  He flipped back a
page, then forward before looking up at Boxey again.
"You don't say a word about this to Boomer," he
ordered and received an impish grin in return.

"I thought you were helping Boomer in Dr. Wilker's
lab?" Boxey returned.

He gave Boxey a sideways glance before focusing his
attention on the manual once more.  "He.uh.didn't need
any help today."

"So why did he ask Sheba for help?" he countered

Apollo shot his son another look.  He wasn't about to
tell him that Boomer had tossed him out of the lab
because he kept getting in the way.  "He didn't need
anyone else's help," he corrected.  "Here, hold this."
 He handed the manual to his son and crawled back
under the console.

"So why are you putting in another recorder?" Boxey
asked.  "I thought you told me that there was already
one on here."

"The one on the console is outdated," Apollo returned
as he loosened everything he had installed.  "It can't
hold nearly as much data as the new recorder and the
old computapes are unreliable.  By installing the new
one, I can keep the recorder going all the time.  I
would just need to come up here periodically to put in
a new computape."

Boxey looked out at the myriad of stars.  "I like it
up here."  He looked back down at the torso of his
father.  "Did you ever bring Mama up here?"

Apollo froze for an instant then went back to work in
hopes that his son hadn't noticed his hesitation.  "No
I never did," he said with a note of sadness.  "I
didn't discover the celestial dome until after your
mom was already gone."

He looked back out at the sky and wondered what his
mother would have thought of the sight.  "I think Mama
would have liked it."

Apollo felt the familiar ache in his chest whenever
Boxey talked about Serina.  "Yeah, I think she would
have too."

"Have you ever brought Sheba up here?"

Apollo gritted his teeth as he tried turning the
stubborn bolt.  "Once or twice," he returned
distractedly.

"Do you love her?"

Apollo sat up so fast that he didn't think to duck and
cracked his head hard against the underside of the
console.  He bit back a string of curses and pressed a
hand to his forehead as he slowly moved back out to
look at his son.  He searched Boxey's face for any
sign of resentment toward Sheba, but only saw the
smirk that he tried to hide.  "Would that bother you?"
he asked hesitantly.  "If I had feelings for Sheba?"

Boxey looked at him curiously.  He wasn't quite sure
what his father was asking, but he knew how he felt.
"I like Sheba.  Don't you?"

He gave his son an encouraging smile.  "Yeah, I like
her too," he returned and left it at that.

Both of them turned at the sound of the hatch opening
and saw Starbuck coming up through the narrow opening.
 "I figured you were still here," he said loudly over
the noise before dropping the hatch back into place.
He slipped off his ear protection and ran his fingers
through his hair.  "Colonel Tigh has been trying to
find you.  He received a communiqu‚ from Croft who
said it was urgent that he speak with you, but the
transmission was cut off."

Apollo quickly climbed down the short ladder.  "Did he
say anything else?"

"All he got out was `I know' and then nothing.  Omega
tried to reestablish contact with no luck."

"Come on Boxey," Apollo ordered.  "We can finish this
up later."