Father’s Day, Part 9
for ratings and warnings please see Part 1
Tyrill sauntered down the hallway
and stopped before the innocuous looking door. He smoothed down his light brown
tunic. It looked very similar to a warrior’s uniform.
Arranging his face into an innocent mask, the middle-aged
man pushed the button beside the door. In microns it was opened by a cute
little boy.
“Hi.” The cherub smiled sweetly.
Tyrill’s mask slipped a little.
He’d always had a weakness for small children. “Hello, I’m looking for
Lieutenant Starbuck.” He hesitated in the face of such innocence. “Is he here?”
“Yes, Uncle Starbuck’s here.”
There was movement behind the child and a pale, obviously
ill young man appeared. “Boxey…”
Whatever the young man said was lost on Tyrill
as he studied his prey. Starbuck was definitely sick. His mussed hair had more
color than his pallid skin; skin that was shiny with sweat. Boxey
raced back into the compartment and Tyrill was
confronted with Starbuck’s inquiring look.
Tyrill looked into the glassy gaze
and smiled regretfully. “Are you Lieutenant Starbuck?”
“Yes.” Starbuck was confused and rightfully so. He didn’t
know this man at all. But he smiled anyway, Starbuck was always unfailingly
polite; even to people he didn’t recognize.
“I’m sorry then, I think I have the wrong person. I was
looking for an old buddy of mine. He was supposed to be living with you. That’s
the rumor anyway. Does someone named Shonse live
here?”
Starbuck frowned and nodded his head decisively. His face
took on a definitely green tinge at the movement. “Uh, no, I’m sorry but he
doesn’t.” The young man’s brow furrowed as he thought for a micron. “I don’t
believe I know that name either.”
“I’m sorry to have bothered you then.”
“Oh…it’s, uh, no bother.” Starbuck took a fortifying breath
and smiled again. “Good luck finding your friend.”
“Thank you.” Tyrill felt worse
than ever as he watched the nice young man slowly shut the door.
Tyrill waited until he was around
the corner before he stopped. The older man tugged on the hair sheath until it
came off. His black hair shone in the corridor lights. He quickly pulled the
blue, eye alteration lenses out of his eyes. Bright green was reveled.
Putting the evidence of his deception in the nearest
disposal chute, Tyrill walked away. “The frack with
The older man wondered if he should warn Starbuck about the
venomous young woman who was after him. With a decisive nod, he decided he
would try. After all, he always had had a weakness for small children and
Starbuck looked younger and more vulnerable than Boxey
had.
******
“Captain Apollo, could you come over here please.” Cree’s
eager young voice beckoned to Apollo.
“What have you got?” Apollo’s breath brushed against the
excited young man’s collar. Cree paused momentarily at the distraction.
“Uh, I’ve found Lieutenant Starbuck, sir.”
“Excellent! All I know is that he was found in the
Cree broke in, interrupting his Captain. “No sir, that’s not
true. According to his file, Starbuck was actually found in the Sysem Wood outside of Brilla.”
“Brilla!
But that’s on the other side of Caprica.”
“Yes sir.” Ensign Cree proceeded to tell the sad story of
how Starbuck had been the only child to survive the bombing in Brilla.
Apollo was silent as he thought about what Starbuck must
have felt, surviving one battle only to barely survive another one. He broke
out of his musings when the young ensign touched his shoulder.
“There’s more, sir. I know where he got his name.” Cree then
told Apollo about the two men who had found the child in the woods. “I think
there’s something you should see.”
Cree pressed a button and an image filled the screen. And
what an image it was. A small, badly scratched, obviously frightened child was
peering out from some kind of undergrowth. His big, blue eyes were framed by a
cloud of bright hair. Blue eyes that seemed to fill the
screen with the intensity of their pain and vulnerability.
“Lords of Kobol…that’s
Starbuck.” Apollo’s voice was reverent. The stunning still image
demanded it.
“Yes sir, that’s what I thought.”
“I know it is. Look at the side of his face.” Apollo gently
traced the scratch along the child’s hairline. “Starbuck has the same mark.”
“This still won Frankbuck several
awards. It has come to be the epitome of the orphaned child’s plight.”
Unable to go on, Cree pointed to the caption at the bottom
of the screen. ‘Sadly, this child died in a later bombing.’
Apollo sucked in a surprised breath at the obvious mistake.
Before he could comment, Cree delivered yet another surprise. He tapped the
names at the end of the statement; Frankbuck and Starion.
“They’re still alive.”
******
Apollo hurried into his quarters. He was late getting home and
didn’t want Starbuck to worry.
Cree had promised to look for Frankbuck
and Starion. Until they were found and it was proved
that they were *still* alive, Apollo wasn’t going to say anything to Starbuck.
The last thing he needed was to get his hopes up and then have them dashed
again.
The Captain smiled at his young son who was kneeling on the
floor, busily wiping something. Boxey looked up at
his father and Apollo could see worry on his young face.
“Son, what’s the matter? Did you spill something?” Apollo
was surprised; it wasn’t like Boxey to be upset over
something as minor as a spilled drink. The dark haired man saw a cup on the
floor by the table.
Boxey nodded solemnly. “Uncle
Starbuck accidentally knocked his cup over. I’m cleaning it up for him, because
he’s sick.”
Apollo frowned at the blue stain on the rag his son was
holding. Blue? What could Starbuck be drinking that was blue?
His head snapped up as Boxey’s
words registered in his head. “What did you say?”
“Uncle Starbuck’s sick. He’s in the turboflush.”
Apollo raced over and opened the turboflush
door. His lover was sitting on the floor by the lavatory.
Starbuck turned a pale and drawn face towards his lover. “hi…’pol.” He turned and pulled
himself up as he began to heave once more.
The Captain held the man he loved as he threw up, over and
over again. Tears of pain ran down Starbuck’s face as his stomach cramped. His
throat and mouth were burning and his chest was aching. Apollo’s strong arms
supported him and helped hold the young man up when he couldn’t have stayed
over the lavatory for one more micron. Starbuck’s
still thin body shuddered as he gasped and gagged yet again.
Apollo realized the sight and smell of his sickness was
probably making Starbuck feel worse and possibly adding to his nausea. The
Captain pushed the button on the side of the commode and the mess was pulled
away…to wherever the Sagan things like that went to.
For a moment Apollo was distracted from his lover’s
distress. The he glanced down and noticed something, something disturbing.
The inside of the lavatory was a light blue.
******
“Hello young lady. It’s good to see you again.” Chameleon
smiled at the blond med tech.
Cassiopeia didn’t smile back and she wasted no time on
pleasantries. “What did you do to Starbuck?”
The older man blinked in surprised wonder. “Why dear, I
haven’t seen Starbuck in over a yahren.” At her
furious stare, he continued. “I couldn’t have done anything to Starbuck and I
certainly wouldn’t want to.” Surreptitiously, Chameleon glanced around for Siress Ilvana. He realized that
she had gone into their sleeping chamber, to give he
and Cassiopeia some privacy.
“He’s remembering.”
For just a moment, fear ran across his face. “Whatever do
you mean? I…”
Face set in a cold mask, Cassiopeia interrupted him. “He’s
been having nightmares lately.” She leaned forward in her seat and the old man
jerked back from the venom he saw there.”
“Starbuck’s remembering his ‘daddy’ hurting him.”
She lunged forward and Chameleon drew back even farther in
his chair. “And we *both* know who ‘daddy’ is…don’t we.” One nicely painted
finger poked him in the chest.