At The World's End - Part 2
by: Athena13
Rated: PG
See Chapter 1 for disclaimer.
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CHAPTER 2
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Galactica Training Center
Starbuck ran the back of his hand across his forehead, unsuccessfully attempting to stop the sweat from dripping down and stinging his eyes. With his other hand he was pumping a free weight. He had been working out for over a centar and his body was beginning to protest the punishment. It still hadn't silenced the nagging thoughts in his head and in frustration he finally dropped the weight onto the rack with a groan.
With another groan Starbuck stood up and raised his arms above his head, trying to stretch the kinks out of his back and shoulders. He wished he could as easily work the tension out of his mind. Not only had his work out failed to tire him out, it had made him even tenser than he had been before it since one after another he had been subject to speculation about himself and Athena. Some had even been graphic in their questioning. It had only been the knowledge that to react as he had wanted to, violently, would have caused even more talk.
On top of all that, he couldn't manage to dismiss his doubts about his reunion with Cassi. Who would Cassi have chosen if she had been given the opportunity to choose? He shouldn't care, but he did.
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Athena was relieved to find the Life Center practically empty when she entered. If one more person asked her about Starbuck she was going to lose it. She had thought Rigel had been exaggerating, as the woman was sometimes wont to do. Athena couldn't understand why people were so interested in her personal life, sometimes it hardly interested _her_.
The only consolation was that the rumors were about her and Starbuck, rather than Orion. She would choose stupid over painful any day.
Pushing aside useless musings, she looked into Sheba's room and reassured herself that her old friend was resting comfortably. Not wanting to disturb her, Athena continued further down the corridor towards Bojay's room.
"Come on in," the Pegasus Captain waved her towards the bedside chair. "I'm bored, entertain me, please!"
"How come you're not sleeping?" Athena inquired sternly as she lowered her exhausted body into a chair.
"Because that's all I've done since I came in here? So why aren't you sleeping?" he inquired.
"Too wound up I suppose," Athena shrugged.
"I've heard so much about you from Orion I feel like I've known you forever, but I realize I don't even know what you do here," Bojay urged her into conversation.
"I'm a communications officer on the bridge, I teach science at the school and work on the fleet school curriculum and I fly viper for the Reserve Squadron," she told him.
"That sounds like a lot to me. Why do I get the impression that it's not enough for you?" Bojay asked.
"Bridge duty isn't exactly my idea, but I'm going to be a viper pilot full time soon," she swore.
"Really?" Bojay asked.
"My transfer request was just conditionally granted. I have to re-certify first, then wait for a viper to be fabricated. Now that we have fuel and other materials from Gamoray it shouldn't be too long," Athena said.
"That's good to hear, we can't allow ourselves to be too complacent about our defenses," Bojay nodded approvingly.
"You really are a Pegasus warrior," Athena observed.
"Cain always stressed the importance of being prepared for the worst," Bojay said matter-of-factly.
"Hopefully not at the expense of the joys in life," Athena tilted her head and looked at the prone warrior. "Don't expect to see the civilian ships in the fleet being run like a battlestar. My Father is trying to make sure that the survivors have as normal a life as possible."
"What about defenses? Are the civilian ships armed?" Bojay asked.
"Very few of them so far. We're working on it, but we haven't had the resources or the manpower," Athena said defensively. She wasn't oblivious to how loyal and brainwashed Cain's warriors were. Orion had died for him.
"I see," Bojay said.
"So what was life like after Molecay? How did you all survive?" Athena changed the subject.
After half a centar of talking about the events at Molecay, Bojay paused to yawn.
"Oh, I'm sorry!" Athena exclaimed. "You're tired. This can wait for another time."
"And I'm sure you have more to do than sit here with me, perhaps getting some sleep?" Bojay suggested gently.
"If you promise to tell me the rest of the story later," Athena clasped Bojay's hand.
"I promise," Bojay smiled softly.
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Training Center
Starbuck was breathing heavily as he leaned on his knees, but he couldn't complain because he had finally succeeded. He couldn't even remember what it was he didn't want to remember. The only thing on his mind was a turboshower.
"Hey Apollo," he greeted his friend outside the locker room.
"Hey Starbuck, looks like you had a good work out. Although I hear you should be too tired for that," Apollo rolled his eyes.
Starbuck grinned in relief at his friend's non-reaction to the rumors about Starbuck and Apollo's sister. Not too long ago Apollo had tactfully warned Starbuck to "stop playing games with his sister"and despite their friendship Starbuck knew he hadn't been kidding.
"It'll pass, but if it doesn't I hope you mean to ask me to stand up for you at the ceremony," Apollo teased.
"Have you spoken to your sister?" Starbuck asked.
"Believe me, we spoke," Apollo's mouth tightened at the recollection. "Right after she asked Father for a transfer to an active squadron."
"So she finally asked," Starbuck said evasively.
"I'm not happy about it, but..." Apollo sighed. "I was just on my way to check in on her, about Orion I mean. I doubt she's sleeping."
Starbuck's smile faded at the reminder of Cain.
"She's a strong woman, she'll get through it," Starbuck offered weakly.
"Are you all right Starbuck," Apollo looked intently at his friend. "Have you and Cassi worked things out?"
"Yeah," Starbuck shrugged.
Apollo didn't buy it for one micron. He had seen the pain flare in Starbuck's eyes as he alluded to Cassi's former lover. "If you need to talk about anything...," Apollo gave his friend an open-ended offer.
"Thanks," Starbuck flashed his trademark grin. "The only thing I need right now is a shower."
"True," Apollo chuckled and waved his friend into the locker room. Maybe once all the havoc of recent days died down Starbuck and Cassi would work things out and his sister would change her mind. At least he hoped so.
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"Shouldn't you be sleeping?" a woman's voice called out from behind Apollo.
"Just the person I was looking for," Apollo turned and waited for his sister to catch up to him.
"We must be related," Athena put her arm around her brother's waist.
"Are you going to be able to sleep now?" Apollo slipped his arm around his sister's shoulder.
"Probably not," Athena sighed and leaned her head against his shoulder.
"So what do you say we go visit the other insomniac member of our clan and make a cycle of it?" Apollo suggested.
"Dad? I haven't talked to him much about all of this. He might actually be sleeping after today," Athena said.
"Well, if we've learned one thing through all this, miracles do happen, but if he's awake he could use our company," Apollo grinned.
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Adama put down the recorder after finishing his journal entry. Adama never expected to ever find Colonials outside the fleet, but if it would be anyone it wasn't surprising that it was Cain. Yet, he couldn't help but hope that perhaps there were others out there. Maybe not other battlestars, but it wasn't beyond the realm of possibility that there were other ships that had been away from the Colonies when the attack came. Or who had chosen to make their own way away from the Colonies. These thoughts lifted some of the heavy weight off Adama's shoulders.
Lost in his musings, Adama failed to hear the door chime and was startled to see his children enter.
"We knew you'd be awake," Athena scolded.
"Athena, I am not one of your pupils," he smiled tenderly, touched by his daughter's mothering.
Athena stuck her tongue out at her father before sitting down and resting her feet on his desk.
Adama chuckled at her antics. It had been a while since his daughter had been so high-spritited. Perhaps she too had found some of the hope he had discovered.
"Brat," Apollo pushed his sister's feet off the desk and walked past her to the other seat.
"Humph," Athena lifted her chin impudently, but she couldn't hide her smile.
"So to what do I owe this pleasure?" Adama asked, his own smile widening.
"None of us could sleep," Apollo explained. "A trait I suspect we gained from you rather than Mother."
"You would be right about that, Ila could always sleep. It was something I often envied," Adama agreed. "Have either of you had a meal recently?"
Athena looked up in surprise. It had never even occurred to her. The last meal she had partaken of was with Orion almost thirty centars ago. Quickly blinking back tears she shook her head.
"Umm, no," Apollo admitted. "We can get something sent up?"
"To your quarters?" Athena asked her father, wanting to get him out of his office and closer to his bedchamber.
"I'll order something and meet you there. I have a few more things to finish up. I'll just be a few centons," Adama agreed.
"If you're not there in fifteen centons, I'm coming after you," Athena warned before leaving with her brother.
Adama smiled and turned back to his work.
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"How are you doing?" Apollo asked his sister as they made the short trip to their father's quarters.
Athena looked at her brother questioningly.
"Orion," he clarified.
"Oh," Athena looked down and shrugged her shoulders slightly. "Fine."
"That was illuminating," Apollo observed as he punched in the code to open the door.
"I live to serve," Athena quipped as she followed her brother into the room. Once inside, she walked past him and settled herself on the most comfortable couch, lying down full length, preventing her brother from sitting there also.
Apollo refrained from commenting and sat down on a chair across from her. "You live to serve? Can I use that against you later?"
"As if," she closed her eyes and scooted around until she was comfortable. "Really, I'm fine. Thank you for asking."
Apollo closed his eyes for a few microns. He knew he was just as frustratingly stubborn, but he swore sometimes that he wanted to shake his sister when she refused to open up. 'And Starbuck,' he thought, remembering their recent conversation.
"You are," Athena called out.
"I am what?" Apollo wondered what she was talking about.
"You're just as annoying when asked about intensely emotional personal events," she grinned slightly.
"If you could read my mind, why ask me anything then?" Apollo asked her. "Seriously, Athena, I only want to help you if I can."
"I know. It's not that I feel you're intruding," she assured him. "I just, I'm not sure how I feel about it all yet. It happened so fast. One centon he was dead, the next he was alive and now he's gone again, this time by his own choice. He was the same, but so different."
"I'm sure he thought the same of you," Apollo said.
"I think I disappointed him. I'm not the pilot I always said I would be, all I've done is sit on the bridge," Athena said.
"So that's why you asked now," Apollo said softly, understanding now why it was so important to her to be transferred.
"That's a lot of it," Athena confirmed.
Perhaps, Apollo thought, he could convince her to stay where she was for their family's sake, but it wouldn't be fair. Telling her again how important her work on the bridge and with the children suddenly seemed almost insulting. He, of all people, could understand how she felt and he told her so.
"Does that mean you won't try and discourage me?" Athena asked hopefully, resting her blue gaze on her brother hopefully.
"Yes," Apollo sighed heavily even as he agreed.
"Thanks," Athena pushed herself to an upright position.
"So do you think the Cylons are going to come after us soon?" Athena changed the subject, instinctively not rubbing in her brother's thoughtful concession.
"Considering we got so close to Baltar and the Imperious Leader, I have no doubt it will be very soon," Apollo said angrily.
Athena nodded and looked down at the floor. The confirmation of her thoughts made her more tired than any lack of sleep could have. The Cylons would never stop chasing them, never stop destroying their lives, not until there was no more human life left. Unless they could find some way to stop them.
"What's with the serious faces, this is supposed to be a celebration," Adama chided as he arrived.
Athena jumped out of her seat and walked over to the refreshment cupboard and pulled out a bottle of ambrosa. "We did win one, we might as well celebrate while we can," she poured each of them a measure.
"So when's the ceremony?" Adama asked Athena as he pushed away his almost empty plate.
Athena groaned and turned bright red.
"I'm sorry dear," Adama tried unsuccessfully to wipe the smile off his face. "It gave me quite a chuckle to hear about your sudden engagement."
"You know, I think I'm going to be able to sleep now," Athena leaned down and kissed her father's cheek before excusing herself, her brother right behind her with a sly grin on his face.
After they were gone Adama went to stand and contemplate the stars. With his hands clasped behind his back and smiled in satisfaction. The fleet had gotten through another crisis as had his children. Perhaps their wounds hadn't healed yet, but they were beginning to turn towards each other more easily now.
Having finished counting his blessings Adama decided perhaps he too should get some rest.
END Chapter 2