Part 10 – The Gods Have Put A Finger On Your Heart

Apollo climbed up the ladder into the Celestial Dome. He was surprised to find it already open. Slowly he looked up to see Loraio sitting at the controls.

“How the frack did you get up here?” he asked once the hatch was closed, sealing off most of the noise from the main thrusters.

Loraio grinned. “It wasn’t easy, believe me.” He looked out at the stars. “I saw a shuttle launch about ten centons ago. He’s gone, isn’t he?”

Apollo nodded. “Yeah.”

A deep sigh escaped Loraio. “I’m still not rid of him, though, you know.”

“I know,” Apollo said as he got up on the platform behind him. “He’ll be the weight you carry with you for the rest of your life.”

Apollo reached underneath Loraio’s arms and turned on the controls to receive the transmissions on the Gamma frequency they had picked up the transmissions on previously.

“What are you doing?” Loraio asked.

“Well, we received an unknown transmission on a gamma frequency that led us right to the Cylon Base Star.”

“A lure?”

Apollo nodded. “That seems to be the general consensus. Unfortunately, all of our recordings were destroyed when the Electronics Lab on the Galactica was hit during the battle.”

“And you’re not so sure…”

“You’re very observant,” Apollo said with a wide smile.

“Well, up until now I’ve never really thought so.”

They both looked at the scanner which showed nothing except snow and static.

“Patience,” Apollo said.

“How did you know…” Loraio began. “How did you know when I was in the Life Bay and feeling sorry for myself to bring Lira to me?”

Apollo’s face darkened slightly, then he smiled. “After I lost my wife, the only thing that kept me going was seeing that little boy every day. I needed someone else to live for, cause I really didn’t feel like living anymore.” It seemed like he was rehashing a lot of old ground today. First with Sheba… now here.

“I don’t know what I would have done after Pisceria without her. After I found out what my father had done…”

“Did you ever ask him why?” It was a question that had been on the minds on most Colonials, Apollo included, since the realization of how they had been sold out to the Cylons by Baltar had surfaced.

“I don’t want to know Apollo. One of my biggest fears is that I might actually understand where he’s coming from.”

Despite the seriousness of the matter, Apollo couldn’t suppress a light chuckle. “I can remember my younger brother saying almost the same thing about my father.”

“Really?” Loario was incredulous.

“You might find this hard to believe, but most of the people I know spent their whole adolescence swearing they weren’t going to end up like their parents.”

“Including the Commander’s son?”

“I’d have to admit that out of all the friends I had, I wasn’t as unreceptive to my father’s ideals. But Zac, on the other hand…” he smiled, remembering the frequent clashes when his father was home between the Commander and his younger brother. “Whatever position my father took, you could lay odds that Zac would take the polar opposite. About a year before he went to the Caprican Military Academy, he went through a disarmament phase. He was even filmed at a rally.”

“Commander Adama’s son at a disarmament rally?”

“Yeah. It was pretty bad. I had just been assigned to the Galactica, fresh out of the Academy, when it happened. I never saw my father so angry. Even Starbuck thought that Zac was out of line. I don’t know what my father said to him when he went home, but Zac never spoke about disarmament again, pulled up his grades, and went to the Academy the next fall.”

“You might want to consult with your father on what he said. You may need to use it eventually.”

Apollo smiled. “Boxey is a very precocious boy. I am sure I will have my hands full. I never really thought about it from that perspective before, though.” He grew serious again. “Have you given any thought to what you’re going to do, Loraio?”

“Dr. Salik wants me to enter the med-tech program.”

“A med-tech?”

Loraio shrugged. “It was something I was interested in on Pisceria. Of course, my father wouldn’t hear of it at the time. But now…”

“It’s going to be hard when patients are skeptical of allowing Baltar’s son to treat them,” Apollo did not want to upset Loraio, but he wanted to make sure he had a realistic grasp on the situation.

Loraio nodded. “I know what I’m up against. Cassiopeia and Dr. Salik seem to really believe in me, though.”

“I think you better make sure you’re doing this for yourself, Loraio, and not for what anyone else in this Fleet wants you to do.”

“Can just a little bit of the reason be just because my father didn’t want me to do it?” he asked with a wide grin.

Apollo smiled in return. “I think that would be all right.” He checked the scanner again. Still nothing but static and snow. “Have you ever heard the story in the ancient writings of the man who had to endure countless trials to prove himself to the Gods?”

“I’m not very familiar with the ancient writings,” Loraio admitted.

“The story goes, if I remember correctly, that one of the Gods decided that he was a righteous man when he was born and put his finger on his heart. The other Gods put him through all sorts of anguish to test his faith and his righteousness. And after all was said and done, he still chose to do the right thing.

“So when they describe someone who is very righteous despite facing adversity, they say the Gods have put their finger on your heart.”

“And you think that describes me?” Loraio was incredulous.

“I think it’s accurate. You may not believe so, but I wouldn’t expect that you would.”

“You mean because I’m so righteous,” Loraio teased.

“Now don’t go getting all cocky on me or you’ll blow my whole theory out of the sky,” Apollo said with a smile. “I think you’re going to make a very big impression on this Fleet. And I think you will do that because you are Baltar’s son, not in spite of it.”

“I think you have a whole lot more faith in me than I do.” Loraio boosted himself out of the control chair. “And I think I better get moving if I want to have meal period with Lira.”

“Can you get down?” Apollo asked.

Loraio smiled. “I got up, I’ll get down. One way or another. At least you won’t hear the loud crash over the noise of the thrusters.”

As Loraio was about to open the hatch, Apollo leaned over and held it down. “Listen, there’s a big victory party going on in the Officer’s Club. Why don’t you come on over and join us?”

Loraio straightened up as best he could and smiled, “Thanks. I think I’d really like that.”

The End

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