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Slipping out of the command-post structure, he madehis way to the airfield without being blocked by any
of theenemy. The first ship he came to was one of the Cylon fighters that were equipped to guide the
ghost ships thatwere positioned in the front ranks of the airfield. He couldcontrol five ghost ships from this
guidance craft. It wasjust what he needed. The humans would think an entireCylon squad was attacking
them, when it was only Vulpa and a quintet of ghost ships. He looked up at the humanships. There might
be too many of them, but he wouldgive them a good battle before going down.
Pressing a control-panel plate so that the imprint of theglove on his right hand was recognized by the
scanningequipment, he brought the fuel-activation level to fullpower. To his left, he saw some children,
reacting perhaps to the sudden noise of his aircraft, crawling out of thefighter next to him. Children? What
would children bedoing in a Cylon fighter, especially children who vaguelyresembled Ravashol's cursed
clones? Everything, itseemed, was going crazy around him. No matter. The destruction of human ships
would bring back his sanity.He pressed the plates that powered the ghost ships. Aheadof him, five ships
stirred quickly to life.
Starbuck helped Apollo climb out of the elevatorshaft. A meter and a half below, on the floor of the
shaft,Croft still knelt by the body of Leda. The man just satthere, as if he were willing to wait through
eternity for aflicker of movement from her. Starbuck considered going down there, convincing him to
leave her, telling him thatthey could arrange a proper disposition of the body,burial or flames, later. But
he decided to leave Croft alonewith his sorrow for a couple of moments longer.
"She did a good job up there," Starbuck muttered.
"Both of them did," Apollo said. "By the way, thanksfor being here."
 "Told you not to worry about my timing. Though theCylon guards put up so much resistance,they darn
nearwere your welcoming committee, Captain."
"Any Cylons left in the garrison?"
"No," Boomer said. "They seem to be wiped out."
"We'll have to regroup now. Boomer, you go back and get Haals and the wounded, bring them back
here. Take asquad of Ser 5-9's people to help you."
"Yo," Boomer said. He turned militarily and strodeaway.
"Starbuck, you go get Boxey and the children."
"Right, Captain. Hey, Cadet Cree, come with me."
Cree or at least a gaunt version of the formerlycocksure cadet appeared from a shadowy niche and
weakly saluted Apollo, who returned the courtesy.
"I didn't expect to see you, Cree."
"Never said a word to them, sir."
"Well, that might earn you a bit of metal, Cree."
"A...bit...of metal?''
"An award, Cree, a medal."
"Oh, yes, sir."
"Go help Starbuck."
Apollo went back to the elevator shaft and descendedto Croft.
"We've got to go now," he whispered. "I'll sendsomeone back for Leda."
"I should have saved her, shouldn't have let her drop,shouldn't "
"Take it easy, Croft. We have to go."
Croft stood up, looked down at Leda's body.
"I wanted to get back together with her," he said. "Iwas thinking of that, back on the elevator. Well, that
wasprobably just so much bilge. She'd never've come back tome. But there were so many things I "
"Let's go."
"Right."
 They climbed out of the shaft, Apollo giving Croft thefinal hand up. Ser 5-9 approached them, saying:
"Dr. Ravashol told me to tell you that he's establishedcontact with theGalactica. They're sending down
a rescueunit. It should arrive anytime now."
Apollo told Ser 5-9 to take him to Ravashol. WithCroft following, they made their way through
labyrin-thine corridors to Ravashol's quarters. Ravashol smiledwhen he saw Apollo.
"Your rescue ship's just outside the cloud cover now. Itshould be coming through momentarily. Are you
allright?"
Apollo glanced at Croft, whose eyes seemed vacant.
"Well enough," Apollo said.
"My clones have been conducting a celebration in themain hall. Look."
Ravashol pointed toward the telecom screen. Apollolooked. The clones were, indeed, making merry, he
thought.
"Emotion has been alien to them," Ravashol com-mented. "It is good to hear it again."
"The Cylons will come back," Apollo said.
"We will be ready for them. You have saved us. You'vesaved my children."
"I might suggest you stop calling them children, sir. You may be having a little trouble with them from
nowon. They seem to be getting more and more human."
"I am glad."
The handshake between Apollo and Ravashol wasinterrupted by Starbuck bursting into the room.
"Captain! Boxey and the children. They aren't there! One of the Tennas told me the Cylons came, and
thechildren ran away in the confusion."
"Send everyone you can to search the corridors,"Apollo commanded. "You come with me, Croft. You,
too, Ser 5-9. I'll need your help getting around out there."
Croft followed Apollo and Ser 5-9 out of the room anddown a long corridor. Finally catching up to
them, Croftsaid to Apollo:
"Where we going?"
"To the airfield. The children might be wanderingaround out on the surface. The cold or the di-ethene
couldkill them!"
"But why the airfield?"
"We're going to hot-wire a Cylon ship and go offlooking for them."
 "Oh."
"That all right?"
"Sure. I just thought you wanted us to do somethingdifficult."
Boxey had been awakened briefly by the sound of loudexplosions and the lighting up of the sky. Muffit
hadbarked. Boxey had told the daggit to be quiet and goneback to sleep.
Now he was awakened by the lurch of the ship in whichhe slept. A rumble from the front of the ship sent
tremorsthrough its walls.
"We better get out of here, daggit," Boxey said, but hehad trouble getting his body to move. It felt numb
all theway through.
"Go get Dad, Muffit...or Starbuck!"
The daggit barked again, seemed to hesitate, thenshoved its snout against the exit hatch of the ship. It
cameopen narrowly, and Muffit squeezed out. The hatchslammed shut behind it. Boxey could hear
Muffy'sbarking outside. He tried to force his body toward thehatch. It was no use. He couldn't move fast
enough. Just as he'd reached the hatch by crawling, the ship startedthrobbing and Boxey could feel it lift
off the ground.
Boxey didn't know whether to be thrilled or scared.He'd always wanted a ride in a Cylon ship, he just
wasn'tsure now was the time.
Athena steadied the rescue shuttle just below the cloudcover and ordered a crewman to establish
contact with theexpedition. After a brief colloquy with a strange-lookingman named Ravashol, who told
her that Apollo,Starbuck, and Boomer were safe, she set the crew to theirproper tasks. The medical [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]