Adama Scandals By: Rita G. Mac Auslan and Betty Read Rating: N-17 Summary: Response to a challenge. Adama is involved in a sex scandal. warnings: Non-con sex, torture ( but not as explicit as Rita`s other works) Once again, as he had so often since he had come home on leave, Adama found himself chuckling at the silly joke Apollo's young friend told during the family's evening meal. Glancing over at his wife Ila, whose food had grown cold as it sat virtually untouched on her plate, he saw that her face was red from laughing so hard. It seemed that he was not the only one smitten by this new arrival in their lives. When he had contacted Ila a secton ago to tell her he was on leave for the entire summer season this yahren, he was a little concerned when she informed him that their son was bringing his new friend home from the Academy to spend the summer with them. He didn't know very much about the boy, only that he was an orphan with an unknown background who had won a scholarship to the Academy, and that he had a knack for getting himself, and those around him, into trouble. But now that he had met the boy and spent some time with him, he had not only grown to like him, but found himself attracted to the young, charming, and oh so fetching young body he possessed. The more time he spend watching the boy laugh, with damn near every one of his perfect white teeth showing, or run in the back yard, with that oh so perfect body moving the way it did, or simply talking to the boy, and looking into those bright blue eyes that shone like a sun at high noon, the more he wanted to own the boy and his body and control them. As he sat at the table enjoying his meal, a plan formed in his mind. He roused himself from his thoughts to insist on the Prayer After Meals that only the most devout Kobolians chanted. As he completed the ritual hand washing, a niggling thought entered his mind about what he was about to embark on, but he ruthlessly crushed it. The priests had a saying they used to explain how heinous crimes could be forgiven by the Lords, as told in the Book of Kobol: "What is not done as sacrilege, may not be judged as sacrilege; whether it will is in the judgement of the Lords and not mere mortals." If he didn't think about this in terms of sin, it wasn't one, pure and simple. Later that evening when the table was cleared and dishes washed and put away, Adama called Apollo to him. "Apollo, I need you to run an errand for me. I've made up a list of the things I want; please go and get them quickly," the older man ordered as he handed over the list and some cubits. Apollo read the list his father handed him. "But Father, this will take at least a centar and Starbuck and I had planned to go down to the lake; in fact he's waiting by the big rock for me now." "I'll go and explain to your friend. Don't worry, he'll understand. You'll still have time to enjoy the lake tonight before bedtime, if you hurry." "Yes sir," Apollo sighed. *** As soon as Apollo left the house, Adama headed towards the big rock by the lake: time to put his plan in motion. With Apollo gone for a while and Ila busy getting their two younger children ready for bed, he had more than enough time. Starbuck was sitting on top of the big rock and looking out over the lake when he heard the footsteps approaching. Thinking it was Apollo he called out, "Took you long enough to get here. What did you do, get lost?" "Don't worry, Cadet, I am far from lost," Adama answered. Gasping in surprise, Starbuck jumped off the rock and stood at attention. "Sorry sir, I was expecting Apollo, sir." Adama approached the young man and placed his hand on the cool cheek. "It's cool out here, Starbuck; your skin is getting cold." "I'm fine, sir; didn't even notice the cold." Starbuck's voice trembled as he wondered what the older man was doing. "Starbuck, do you like going to the Academy?" Adama asked. "Yes sir." Starbuck swallowed. "And I can tell you value the friendship you have with my son." "Yes sir, Apollo is the best friend I've ever had." Starbuck had heard this tone of voice before, a wheedling tone. But surely his best friend's father couldn't be leading him on. "My wife really likes you as well, and my other two children." When Starbuck didn't reply Adama went on. "You wouldn't want any of that to end now would you, Cadet?" "No sir," Starbuck barely whispered. 'Dear Lords, why are you doing this to me? I thought it was over once I was out of the orphanage.' "I didn't think you would," Adama said as he slipped something into Starbuck's pocket. "So, why don't you prove to me how much you want to keep all those things, as well as the ten cubits I just slipped into your pocket?" "Sir?" 'Please let me be wrong,' Starbuck prayed to the unheeding Gods. "On your knees, Cadet. I'm sure that pretty mouth of yours is good for more than telling a good joke." *** As he walked slowly to the Commander's private quarters, Starbuck remembered that first time. Over the course of the summer, he had satisfied Adama's appetites in various ways, each time reminded of all he could lose if he refused. At the end of the summer, he used the credits Adama had insisted he take for each "service" to buy a thank you gift for Siress Ila. Adama had nodded his approval at the gesture and never again forced payment on his victim. Instead, when he visited Apollo at the Academy, he asked his son if he was "short of cubits" and, upon being told that Apollo could use a little extra, as he always was, generously gave the same amount to the poor orphan that his son had befriended. Starbuck shook his head at how the dirty cubits had funded not only his own silence, but his blackmailer's reputation as a pious man, giving to those less fortunate than himself. At the unmarked door around the corner from the entrance to the Commander's quarters, Starbuck stopped and tapped a code into the keypad. The door slid open silently and the ensign entered. It closed behind him. The location and code for the door had been in his orientation packet when he came aboard the Galactica. His fellow graduates, Apollo included, had been envious of his lucky posting. 'Be glad you weren't in a position to have my luck,' he thought. In the dim light of the alcove that let into Adama's bedchamber, Starbuck examined his costume for the evening. While he was at the Academy, his trysts with Adama had been constrained to dropping to his knees and opening his mouth or dropping his pants and closing his mouth tightly against the screams that bubbled up inside him. Now that there was no chance of discovery and plenty of time to spend, Adama had become more elaborate. Starbuck looked at the sequined and bejeweled outfit laid out for him. 'Congratulations, Ensign,' he thought bitterly. 'You've been promoted from whore to catamite.' *** Starbuck stood in his dress uniform between Boomer and Bojay. He tried to stand still, but Colonel Tigh was frowning at him, so he knew he must be fidgeting. He drew himself up to rigid attention and Tigh's eyes moved on. Starbuck relaxed with a sigh. "What's with you, Bucko?" Boomer hissed. "We're getting promoted and you're acting like you're standing in line for your execution." "He hates the dress uniform," Bojay informed the dark-skinned Warrior. "He says the cape's chain chokes him." 'Or reminds me of other chains that do choke,' Starbuck amended silently. Finally it was his turn to step up to the podium. As Commander Adama took the Lieutenants' insignia from Colonel Tigh and turned to pin it on Starbuck, he whispered, "We'll have a private celebration tonight, all right? My quarters, 2300 centars." He grasped the newly promoted Lieutenant's arm in the traditional Kobolian handshake of peers. "Yes sir, thank you, sir," Starbuck said, miserable, although neither face nor voice gave his true feelings away. *** There was no costume tonight and that boded ill. Starbuck shivered and went about the necessary cleaning procedure with extra care. He didn't know what he had done this time, but maybe if he was submissive and contrite enough, Adama would give only token punishment. And maybe not. He sighed and pushed the spreader all the way into his rectum and, gritting his teeth, cranked it to its full width. When he could straighten up without whimpering, he opened the door to the bedchamber. Starbuck soon found himself tied face down and spread eagled on Adama's bed. Only then did Adama inform him of what indiscretion he had committed. "You've become too close to Lieutenants Boomer and Bojay," the Commander told him. "Something needs to be done about that." He caressed Starbuck with the soft side of the paddle. "But sir, I don't get intimate with them - I swear!" Starbuck stammered, shivering in anticipation of the blows to come. The Commander laughed. "That's not what concerns me, boy," he barked, swatting the firm round globes he found so attractive for emphasis. Starbuck flinched with each swat, biting his lip to keep from whimpering. "I'm concerned that you might forget yourself and start to boast, telling your very close friends all about your special relationship with the Commander. That's something I can't allow to happen. It's time to break you three up." "I'll never say a word, sir, I promise," Starbuck replied fervently. A hard slap with the paddle silenced him. "I know you wouldn't give away our secret on purpose," the Commander said. "But I also know how ... social you are. Things slip out when one is being social. Especially someone with so little control over himself as you." "What are you going to do, sir." Starbuck whispered. 'Please don't hurt them,' he begged silently. "Your two friends will be transferred to the Pegasus at the next fueling stop," Adama announced. "I've arranged it via long-range communications with Commander Cain. He's an old friend of mine. Always seems to be shorthanded. Goes through Warriors like other men go through women." Adama chuckled at his own joke. The noticing Starbuck staring at him over his shoulder in horror, he laughed harder. "Scared you, did I? No, Cain doesn't have my interest in ... developing the nonmilitary skills of his Warriors. He's a bit more aggressive than I am, though. Doesn't pick and choose his battles. So he loses Warriors to Cylon weaponry." Starbuck wanted to weep aloud, but knew better. Adama would simply give him something to weep about. Not wanting to lose both of his friends, especially to potential death at the hands of a Commander known for his risk-taking, Starbuck pleaded, "Please, sir, let one of them to stay. I'll watch myself - I'll never get drunk or loose enough to say a word about ... us." "And why should I do that?" Adama asked, humoring him. Starbuck's thoughts raced. Saying a quick prayer to whoever looked after orphans and fools, he suggested, "Well, sir, not to second guess you, but it wouldn't look proper for a viper pilot to have no friends at all among his fellow pilots, don't you think? That's likely to cause people to wonder about me and watch where I go, things like that." Adama thought about that for a few centons, idly stroking Starbuck's well-muscled thighs, and finally agreed. "Very well, I wouldn't want you under scrutiny. That would make it difficult for us to get together." He paced away from the bed and then back again. "Now which one should go and which one should stay?" he asked rhetorically. Starbuck wisely kept silent, not wishing to condemn either of his friends with his words. "Well, Boomer is the better Warrior," Adama decided. "He's the one who'll remain on the Galactica." He stroked Starbuck's back and released him from his bonds. "Now I'm sure you want to thank me for my generosity, don't you Lieutenant?" Two sectons later Bojay was gone, and Starbuck was reminded once more what would happen if he breathed one word of what went on behind the closed door of the Commander's bedchamber. *** No one could tell by looking at him that Starbuck was depressed by Bojay's departure. Through the yahrens the young man had learned to hide his emotions behind a wall a fake happiness that everyone fell for hook, line, and sinker. Everyone but Adama that is. The older man knew his Lieutenant's every mood, and the reasons for each; after all he was the cause of them. Not that he let that influence Starbuck's behaviour in private any more than it did in public, of course. And Starbuck had learned through lashings and less visible injuries to set aside his own thoughts and match the Commander's mood when he was with him. But two sectares after Bojay left, Starbuck's depression lifted. As Starbuck knelt before the Commander and waited to learn what the night's agenda was, Adama announced, "Apollo will be joining the crew at first cycle. He'll be the new Strike Captain." Starbuck risked raising his bowed head, cautious hope in his blue eyes. He had missed Apollo these last few yahrens and was looking forward to spending time with him again. But there was no telling how Adama would want to play this, and Starbuck knew he had to obey Adama even if it meant making an enemy of the new Strike Captain. Adama saw the cautious look and congratulated himself on his success with the strongwilled man. He gave Starbuck a paternal smile that only increased Starbuck's wariness and stroked the thick blond hair. "I took your advice on not wanting anything to appear amiss before," Adama reminded him. "And it seems to have worked out well." Starbuck stiffened at the word "seems". He hadn't given anything away by word or deed, he was sure. But that wouldn't stop Adama from punishing him if the older man thought suspicions had been aroused. He opened his mouth to speak. "Silence," Adama ordered, cuffing him so gently Starbuck's brow furrowed in confusion. "You are to renew your friendship with your old Academy friend," he continued. "What could be more natural than that? And once you've done so, it will be even easier for us to spend time together. I'll of course include Apollo's friend in family gatherings, especially since he has no other family. And you, out of gratitude, of course, will frequently offer to help set up before the event or stay afterwards to clean up." "Of course," Starbuck echoed. This was an order he was onlyhappy to obey. "You've been a very good attendant of late," Adama praised Starbuck. "And since Apollo is due to arrive at first cycle, this is our last time together in his absence. We should celebrate in some way." In the privacy of his bedchamber, Adama rewarded Starbuck for his obedience, by having him re-enact their first time together - a simple blow job, which left the younger man unmarked and able to sleep. The next morning the two men stood side by side as Apollo disembarked from the shuttle. Apollo's smile grew large and his eyes shone bright when he saw his old friend standing beside his father. Thirty centons later the two young men were sitting together in the OC enjoying a mug of grog, and reminiscing about old times. *** Adama expected Starbuck to be grateful for being allowed to continue his friendship with Apollo - and not forego Boomer's companionship either. To prove how grateful he was, the Commander's demanded ever more humiliating and debasing acts from Starbuck, with increasing frequency. His times with the Commander became more and more debilitating, leaving him bruised and exhausted more often than not. Sometimes Starbuck dared remind Adama of the danger to the Fleet if he were not in top form when on duty. On those occasions, Adama would grudgingly let Starbuck return to the bachelor officers' barracks early, but usually with a welted back or bruised buttocks. But Starbuck continued servicing his Commander whenever and however the older man demanded, with even more motivation than before. Starbuck had to juggle his friends in the barracks and ready room, especially Boomer, who expected him to hatch plots to avoid onerous duty, and to take their pay packets from them in all-night Pyramid games while regaling them with his latest escapades with the opposite sex. And there was the opposite sex, he had built a reputation of being very interested in women, and only in women - his camouflage to keep anyone from even suspecting, should they notice how often he wandered towards the Commander's quarters, that he was doing anything untoward. "Starbuck the womanizer" was his best disguise and one he had to keep up. The injuries Adama inflicted on him were minor, painful reminders of his true position. But they were an added burden to hide from friends and lovers alike. And now Apollo was back in his life, and things started to get even more complicated. Especially when one day, about a yahren after Apollo arrived, they were alone together in the duty office, and Apollo suddenly leaned over and kissed Starbuck. Starbuck's first reaction was shock. He didn't think Apollo would ever do that; Adama had always told him that the thought of kissing another man revolted Apollo. In fact, Adama used it as a threat whenever Starbuck gave so much as a hint that he would like to end their affair. "Refuse me and I will inform my son of your true feelings for him," Adama would declare. "He will hate you for the rest of his life." But now Apollo had kissed him; Adama had been wrong. "I'm sorry, Starbuck," Apollo stammered when Starbuck didn't respond at all to the kiss. "I've had these feelings for you ever since the Academy and, well, over the last yahren I was starting to get the feeling that you felt the same way. I can see I was wrong and I'm sorry." "But I do." "What?" "I said I do: I have feelings for you, too." Even as he said the words, Starbuck knew he should have lied. But he had never lied outright to Apollo, never could. It was only because Apollo had never asked him about the time he spent with Adama that Adama's secret was still safe. Because he was a Captain, Apollo had the privilege of private quarters, which was exactly where the two men went when their duty shift was over. That night, in the sanctuary of Apollo's quarters, Starbuck made love for the first time. Apollo's tenderness and care about Starbuck's pleasure made for a dissonant contrast with Adama's self-centered demands and abuse. *** To the world, or at least to the Galactica crew, Starbuck and Apollo were best friends, with Boomer as a third, included in almost everything they did. They kept their friendship out of their on-duty relationship, for which they got great respect. As Strike Captain, Apollo knew only too well the dangers of making his relationship with Starbuck known. He'd seen fraternization destroy more than one career during his five yahrens out of the Academy. Starbuck understood. He could hide two relationships as easily as he hid one. "What's this?" Apollo asked. He was soaping Starbuck's back in the privacy of his quarters after their latest Triad victory. It was difficult enough to keep his hands off Starbuck and their uniforms on during a game; he didn't dare wash the sweat off his secret lover in the locker room showers. "What's what?" Starbuck said lazily. Apollo had already holed him thoroughly and he was barely keeping his feet in the turbo wash, the hazy aftermath of sex adding to the well-earned exhaustion of the game's physical exertion. "You've got a bruise on your hip." Apollo fingered the purpled area gently and Starbuck flinched. Yahrens with Adama kept him from yelping at the sudden pain, but that only made Apollo's eyes narrow more. Starbuck came completely alert at the first sign of the need for deception. "Probably bumped myself during the game," he said dismissively. He tried to turn in Apollo's soapy hands, removing the offending hip from Apollo's scrutiny. But Apollo was having none of it. He recognized Starbuck's ploy from yahrens of close contact. "Don't think so," he said, taking a firmer hold of the man and squatting down for a better view of the bruise. "Not unless you bumped into something with teeth." Seeing his carefully woven web of not-quite-lies, not-quite-truth unraveling, Starbuck became desperate. "There are better things down there to admire," he said, waggling his groin. "Hold still," Apollo commanded in a voice so like his father's that Starbuck involuntarily shuddered. "Looks like he broke the skin; this could get infected, Starbuck." Starbuck craned his head to look as Apollo, all business now, began thoroughly cleaning the wound. Cursing Adama's carelessness in biting him in a visible location, he didn't miss Apollo's gender reference. "'He', Apollo?" he said as lightly as he could. Apollo didn't answer, simply stood, and reached for the sprayer, his face a blank mask. "'Pol?" Starbuck whispered shakily as Apollo removed the soap from his body. Apollo turned the water off, his own sweaty body forgotten. "Out," he said, pulling Starbuck with him. Starbuck stood dripping on the turbo wash floor, waiting for his Captain's next order, as Apollo dried himself off cursorily. He knew what the father was capable of and that knowledge terrified him as he wondered about the son. Still and silent, he closed his eyes and let his tears mix with the water droplets running down his face. Apollo picked up a dry towel and turned his attention to Starbuck. He didn't ravish the pale body Starbuck so willingly surrendered to him, had never really explored it thoroughly. He made love to the man, not just the body. But now, as Starbuck flinched again despite his best efforts not to move, Apollo felt the need for a complete investigation of his lover's body. "Bed," he said laconically, giving Starbuck a push in the right direction. Starbuck obeyed without question. He had been unable to stop himself from reacting to the pain as Apollo's thorough toweling had revealed other bruised areas. He had long since stopped worrying about the injuries to his body, just generally being gentle and not scrubbing too hard when he washed the sex and Adama's smell off, much as he wanted to scrub his very skin off to remove the scent. He hesitated at the side of the bed. "How do you want me?" he asked quietly. Apollo, following, stopped short. Starbuck, so aggressive outside the bedroom, was almost completely submissive in bed. Apollo had never questioned that, but had never taken advantage of it either. But Starbuck's tone now went beyond submissive. "It's okay, Bucko. I have no right to demand faithfulness. Not when I insist on secrecy," he soothed, guessing the cause of Starbuck's hesitancy. Starbuck nodded; at least Apollo wasn't going to punish him then throw him away. But just in case the son was like the father, who would set Starbuck at ease only to get a greater reaction when he lashed out, Starbuck waited for an answer to his question. "Lie down on your back," Apollo said with a sigh. When Starbuck complied, spreading his legs without prompting, Apollo knelt between them and began his examination. There wasn't much on Starbuck's chest or abdomen, a couple of faded marks around his nipples that could have been from Triad contact. He rolled his lover over and minutely examined the silvered scars on his back, the faded scars on and between his buttocks and around his groin. He didn't like what he found. "You like it rough?" he asked. "Not really," Starbuck answered honestly. "But whatever ..." he caught himself quickly. "Whatever the other person wants is okay." Apollo noticed the slip and looked up. Starbuck's eyes and lips were tightly closed, his hands fisted in the coverlet. He stroked Starbuck's leg and watched as his lips tightened even further to prevent a sound from escaping. A tear found its way out of the closed eye that Apollo could see. Apollo frowned. He lightly slapped Starbuck's thigh and said, "I'm getting some antibiotic for that bite. Be right back." "I'll be here," Starbuck murmured, fighting the quaver in his voice. The soothing ointment felt good on the hot wound. Starbuck sighed and relaxed slightly. He felt Apollo slide next to him, stroking his back and tried to relax into his lover, but his body wouldn't cooperate; it waited for the blows to fall as they always did. "Who did this, Star?" Apollo asked gently. "You know me, Apollo, it could have been any one of a number of ladies." He turned towards his lover, mask firmly in place, but couldn't meet the green eyes. 'Don't make me lie to him, please Gods, don't make me lie.' "This wasn't a woman's mouth," Apollo said stating it as a fact. Starbuck thought of a number of responses, starting with "and you know the shape and size of the mouths of all the women I've been with?" He discarded them all and remained silent. "Was it Boomer?" "He doesn't swing that way. Ever." Starbuck was relieved to be able to firmly speak the truth. "Then who?" Starbuck managed a shrug. "I'll just go." He moved to roll away from Apollo and off the bed, but was caught in an iron grip. Apollo straddled him in one fluid move, fully aware of the wide-eyed terror in the blue eyes and the uncontrollable trembling beneath him. "Why won't you tell me?" he demanded. 'Because you wouldn't believe me,' Starbuck thought. He redoubled his struggle to get free to no avail. Apollo's handprints would be on his shoulders for Adama to see. He gasped as Apollo's knees compressed his ribs. He gave up his fight against Apollo to concentrate on keeping his sphincter from releasing. He wondered if he'd survive Apollo's cold wrath. And if he did, whether he'd survive Adama's hot rage. Then he wondered if he wanted to survive. "Go ahead," he whispered. Apollo felt the sudden relaxation under him as Starbuck surrendered. "Who are you protecting, Starbuck?" 'You. Me,' "Does it matter?" "Yes." That single word undid Starbuck. It mattered to Apollo. Starbuck mattered to Apollo. "Your father," he whispered. "Your father does this to me. He has for yahrens, since the first summer at your house." Shock at Starbuck's words made Apollo release his grip, but Starbuck didn't run. He rolled over in place and sobbed into the pillow. It didn't matter that Apollo wouldn't believe him, that if Apollo didn't beat him to death Adama surely would. The relief at telling the shameful secret to someone who cared was all that mattered. Apollo didn't want to believe Starbuck's words, didn't want to believe that his father would hurt and abuse anybody, especially his son's best friend. But he looked down on the sobbing form of his lover and knew at once it was true. Gently gathering Starbuck in his arms, he kissed the tear streaked cheeks. "I want to know everything Starbuck, how it started and what he does to you," Apollo whispered. "No I can't. I've told you to much already," Starbuck sobbed. "Tell me," Apollo said gently yet authoritatively. Taking a deep breath, Starbuck started at the beginning, telling Apollo how Adama had come up to him at the big rock by the lake. He sobbed harder at the memory of what Adama had said that night, the threats that had been made to him. Apollo cried along with him when he told of the humiliation he had endured at the hands of the Commander after he had been stationed on the Galactica. Apollo was sickened by the tale, not wanting to believe his own father would force anyone to perform such degrading acts. His father knew the Book Of The Word from cover to cover, could pick out a chapter or verse and quote it word for word, he prayed over every meal, preached at his children about goodness, love and mercy, attended every religious service possible, even took part in them whenever asked. How could a man like that force a young boy into sex, and threaten him with ruin if he told, how could a religious man like his father force a junior officer under his command into sexual servitude, and take pleasure out of the younger man's pain. When Starbuck reached the end, his sobs had become uncontrollable, Apollo held him tightly as he said, "This is going to stop, you can't take it anymore, and you don't have to." "There's nothing I can do, Apollo," Starbuck cried. "Oh yes there is. The next time he orders you into his bedchamber you will refuse to go." "Oh Gods, Apollo, I wouldn't dare; he'll punish me so ba..." "No he won't, " Apollo said as he climbed out of bed and started to get dressed. "I'm going to his quarters now to confront him about this." Starbuck stared at Apollo wide eyed. "*NO* you can't do that, please Apollo." Starbuck was near hysterics. "You can't talk me out of it Starbuck. I've made up my mind. I'm going." Apollo turned and left. As the door closed behind him, Starbuck threw himself face down on the bed and cried. **** Adama lay on his lounger, relaxing from a hard day on the bridge and wishing he had ordered Starbuck to service him again tonight. He felt his organ stir as he thought about what he could be doing to the younger man right now. He could have had the lieutenant tied to his bed, or kneeling at his feet, or even better, bent over the back of this very couch. Adama moaned loudly when he thought of that round, firm rump raised in the air, ready for his taking. His pants suddenly became too tight, and he quickly unfastened them, slipping his hand inside and stroking his hard penis. He was concentrating on his own pleasure so completely that he didn't hear the door open and was unaware that anyone was watching until he heard Apollo's angry voice. "Imagining what other horrors you can inflict on Starbuck?" Adama jumped to feet, his pants falling and gathering around his ankles. "What do you think your doing barging in here unannounced?" "I came to tell you that Starbuck has told me everything about your dirty little secret, about how you forced him to perform for you sexually and how you threatened him if he told anyone. It worked for a while father, but I guess you didn't stop to think that bruises can seen, especially by a lover." "*Lover*?" Adama spat. "Starbuck has no lover; he isn't good enough to have one." "Oh yes he is. I know because I am that lover. I thought you were a religious man father. Isn't there something in the scriptures about burning in hell for harming a child? Better to put a mill stone around your neck, I believe it says. That's what Starbuck was the first time you raped him, a child." "You're taking the quote out of context." "I'm not finished yet, and I don't care about context, either you stop abusing Starbuck or we'll go to the Council and expose you. You'll be ruined not only as Council President but as Commander as well." "Your a fool, Apollo. Can't you see the little slut has lied to you? He's purposely trying to come between us." "How dare you! I know he's not lying. I believe every word he said." "All right, so he's telling the truth, but do really think the Council will believe him? Think about it, Apollo; think about our family, my position as Fleet Commander and Council President. Then think about Starbuck's; he has no family, has no idea who his parents are, he's just a nameless little orphan who came from nothing and has nothing. Who do you think the Council will believe?" "You make me sick," was all Apollo could say before he turned and left. *** "Where is he?" Apollo asked for the fourth time. "I don't know, Apollo," Boomer replied. "It's not like Bucko to be late for a free meal. He said he had a report to turn in and he'd be right down." "A report?" Apollo was instantly suspicious. "He turns in all his paperwork to me - or I thought he did." Boomer shrugged. "The Colonel and the Commander occasionally ask one of us to make some observations or do some research for them," he volunteered. But Apollo's uneasiness was not assuaged. "It's too convenient," he muttered. "What is?" Apollo realized that he couldn't betray Starbuck's secret life. He would never be able to look his comrades in the eyes if he thought they knew what he did with Adama. He could barely look at Apollo anymore. "Nothing. I'm going to head toward the bridge and see if I meet up with him." "Want company?" Apollo hesitated. "Yeah. Yeah, I do, if you don't mind." "Something's up. You think something's happened to Bucko." Boomer put up a hand to stop Apollo's denial. "It's okay, you don't have to tell me what. I'll watch your back, just in case." "Thanks, Boomer, you're a true friend - to both of us." They hadn't gone far before they heard a dragging sound accompanied by a choking cough. They quickened their pace but before they rounded the corner from which the sounds seemed to come, there was a moan and a thud, as if a heavy object had fallen. Apollo broke into a run. By the time Boomer rounded the corner, Apollo had a bloody bundle in his arms. A closer look showed Boomer it was Starbuck, who had obviously been badly beaten. He was speaking in a fast low voice, pausing to choke up bloody sputum from time to time, and Boomer knelt next to the pair to hear what he was saying. "...tried to get away, but he had recoded the locks. He had a cane, a walking stick with studs. I don't feel very good." Starbuck turned his head so he wouldn't soil Apollo, and coughed up more blood. "Who had a cane?" Boomer whispered. Starbuck jerked around, suddenly aware of Boomer's presence. "No, no, no. Apollo, you didn't - you wouldn't ..." The rest was lost in a spasm of coughing that left a pink froth on Starbuck's lips. Apollo held him close until the spasm was over, stroking his hair, and shushing him. "No, I wouldn't and I didn't. But unless you forbid me now, I am going to tell him." Tears streaking his bruised face, Starbuck shook his head and looked over Apollo's shoulder at Boomer. "I'm the Commander's whore, Boomer. He was ... displeased with me, so he ... punished me. So now you know," he said tonelessly. "Frak!" Boomer swore, and Starbuck cringed, curling against Apollo for protection then crying out with pain. "No, Bucko, I'm not cursing you. I'm swearing at myself." Starbuck looked up hesitantly, confusion clear in his eyes. Apollo, too, looked bewildered. "Bojay told me he was getting kicked off the Galactica 'cause the Commander wanted you for himself. I didn't believe him; he was such a troublemaker, no one was surprised he got transferred off ship. But it was true, wasn't it." Starbuck nodded. "Wanted to send you both away. But I begged him - I promised ..." "Never mind," Boomer said hastily. "I don't need to know what you promised. I bet he made you keep that promise to the letter and beyond though." Starbuck nodded. Apollo shifted Starbuck in his arms. "We've got to get you to Life Center, Bucko," he said. "I think you've got internal injuries, not just cuts and bruises." Boomer looked more closely and realized Starbuck was naked, clutching his clothes against him in a ball. 'Adama did this,' he thought, finally coming to grips with what he had seen and been told. 'Our Commander did this to my friend - has been doing this and I never even suspected. What kind of friend am I not to notice?' Starbuck saw Boomer's expression change, and reached out to him. "Boomer? It's okay. You couldn't know. I made sure of it. And he never hurt me like this before." He sighed and said to Apollo, "What kind of story can we tell Life Center?" "Tell them the truth!" Boomer cried out. Starbuck shook his head. "They'd never believe it. It's just the word of a nameless orphan against the Commander of the Fleet, the head of one of the Kobolian Houses, the President of the Council." "We'll back you up," Boomer insisted. But Apollo demurred. "I tried that, Boomer. Father laughed in my face when I confronted him - admitted everything and then laughed at me when I threatened to expose him." He started to stand, accepting Boomer's assistance as he rose cradling Starbuck. "We'll think of something," he assured the man in his arms. "I wish you hadn't gone back to him though, Bucko." "Didn't." Starbuck tried to straighten up, but his strength was gone. "Went to give him an observation report, underside gunnery conditions. Told me you had convinced him to stop. Said I'd left something in the ... dressing room." His voice was getting weaker and Apollo tried to quiet him, but he insisted on finishing. "Might not make it. Want you to know. Didn't go to him for sex. Promised you. Wouldn't break my word. I don't do that." He said the last with all the dignity and pride he could muster. "Nothing in the alcove, of course. Had me trapped then. Got his pistol out and made me strip. Then he started in with the cane, all over, didn't care where he hit me. Tried to get out ..." Starbuck realized he was repeating himself and fell silent. After a micron, he continued. "Someone came to the main door. He threw the stick at me and shut me in. Locks must've been connected. Door unlocked and I grabbed my clothes and ran - tried to run. Tried to get to you. Tried." His head fell forward onto Apollo's shoulder. Boomer and Apollo exchanged looks of alarm. Boomer leaned forward and gently touched the unconscious man in Apollo's arms. "Still breathing, but we'd better get to Life Center fast," he said. "A med team's on the way," came a voice out of the shadows. Boomer and Apollo jumped and Starbuck moaned and the jostling. "Tell them the truth." Colonel Tigh stepped out of the shadows. "Here's all the evidence you'll need." He handed Boomer a vid disc. "I called Life Center and started looking for him as soon as I viewed the disc. There's more where that came from. I've got every ... encounter that occurred anywhere in the Commander's quarters. I know it was wrong - I should have stopped it yahrens ago. But I never thought he'd go this far - actually injuring the boy." He shook his head. "I'll testify if necessary." *** It wasn't necessary. When his bluff was called, Adama proved a coward. To save his reputation, he agreed to go into exile on the next habitable planet, using a sudden life-threatening illness as an excuse. There was no trial, no public announcement. The Council was in disarray, completely unprepared when Tigh refused the promotion to Commander and a seat on the Council. Instead, general elections were held for the first time since the Destruction and Athena and Omega became Council members and representatives for the military. Apollo accepted command of the Galactica, promoting Bojay and Boomer to captaincies. Starbuck's "unknown assailant" had done enough damage to end his active military career. But, as Athena turned to politics, he took the reins of the nascent Academy upon his release from Life Center. He was still using a hover chair during on-duty hours when, several sectares later, it was announced that a suitable planet had been found. Starbuck instructed the trainers to dismiss their classes out of respect to the departing Commander and pushed his chair to its limit to get to the shuttle bay and see the departure with his own eyes. As soon as he arrived, he shut the chair down and stood unaided. Apollo was waiting to say goodbye to his father, of course, and hurried over to his newly sealed mate's side, an expression of concern crossing his face. "You didn't have to be here, love," he whispered. Starbuck disagreed. "Yes, I did, 'Pol. I have to know he's gone." "All right, but you should sit and save your strength." "No. His last glimpse of me will show him he didn't break me. I will be standing at your side, whole and healthy." "I gave instructions that there be only enough fuel for the trip down," Apollo assured him. Adama entered the shuttle bay just then, and Starbuck merely nodded as he turned a pale and set face towards his nemesis. Adama's "illness" had confined him to quarters and he did indeed look wasted and drawn as he said his farewells from his quarters via Unicomm and then, escorted by a phalanx of armed warriors, made his way to the shuttle bay to go to his new home. Apollo squeezed Starbuck's shoulder and approached the old man, Starbuck a pace behind and to the side. The escort parted for them, but reformed protectively around and behind. Apollo stopped just out of arm's reach and drew himself to attention, giving Adama a formal salute. "Goodbye, Father," he said loud enough to reach Starbuck's ears. "May the Gods look after you and see you receive the future you deserve." Adama merely nodded, not deigning to return the salute. He walked up the gangway unaccompanied. Apollo was about to signal for the gangway to be raised, when Tigh ran into the bay, hastily packed duffle in hand. "Permission to leave the ship, Commander," he said, drawing to a halt in front of Apollo. "Permission granted," Apollo said aloud. Then he stepped closer. "But why?" "I love him," Tigh said simply. "I always have, but he would only have me in secret. Had to keep up appearances, have a prestigious career, appropriately pedigreed wife and family. I finally cut the relationship off. That's why he took up with Starbuck. My fault, and I'm very, very sorry. But now there are no appearances to keep up and I can have him to myself. Godspeed, Apollo. Take care of the man you love." Apollo put his hand on the older man's shoulder. "You, too, Colonel. You, too." Tigh nodded and executed a smart about-face. He marched up the gangway and stopped in the entrance. "Permission to come aboard, Commander," he said into the darkness of the shuttle's interior. Those outside heard no response, but he entered and the door slid shut behind him. The gangway was withdrawn from within and Omega's voice sounded over the Unicomm clearing the bay for departure. Starbuck moved back barely far enough to be clear of the exhaust and remained squinting out past the force field until the shuttle's turbo flames had long disappeared, Apollo's hands on his shoulders. Finally Apollo said, "Let's get on with our lives, now, Bucko." Starbuck turned in Apollo's arms and said. "Yes, it's time to do just that, isn't it? Take me home, Commander."