BY YOUR COMMAND - Static ARCHIVE

Brilliant sunlight.

Dazzlingly brilliant sunlight.

Dazzlingly brilliant sunlight that bounced off the crashing waves and the powder white sand with equal ferociousness. The beach curved in a perfect crescent, framing the impossible blueness of the waves that foamed startlingly white as they broke close to shore. There must be a sudden shallow there, a sandbar or - more likely - rocks just below the waterline, to cause the waves to dump like that just short of the beach, Apollo thought as he took in the sight.

Apollo was standing on the end of a small cliff, a headland of light-coloured rock that jutted out into the water. The position provided him with an uninterrupted view of the whole beach, from where it started at the next headland along to where it tapered to an end just below him. He remained there, silent and unmoving, continuing to take in his surroundings, still amazed at what they'd found here while on a mission to check the mineral composition of this planet's seawater.

The place was picturesque beyond belief. It looked too perfect to be real, consciously created rather than any accident of nature. It was, quite simply, stunning. It was also giving Apollo a headache, despite the safety goggles he wore, which were designed to cut out the worst of the glare. What would it be like to view that scene with the naked eye? Stupid question. The retina would be burnt away in an instant, impossible to see anything even had his eyes been able to distinguish water from sand in the glare.

"You're *really * sure that we can't take these things off?" a voice asked plaintively from a little way behind him.

Apollo turned, unsurprised. It was Starbuck, of course: there was no one else here. In fact, there was no one else - nothing else living - on the entire planet as far as they could tell. They were alone on a dead world. It should have been depressing and yet - and yet - it was the sort of place that didn't really lend itself to those sorts of sentiments. The waves continued to crash, belying the stillness of death, and the sand still glittered, pretending to be a thousand million tiny jewels just waiting to be plundered.

"I suppose you could put it to the test if you really wanted to," Apollo replied with exaggerated patience, "but I'd hate to be put to the trouble of having to break in a new wingmate at this late date."

Apollo was certain that Starbuck rolled his eyes at that, although of course he couldn't actually see Starbuck do it because of the tinted goggles that they both wore.

"Okay, okay! I was just wondering..." Apollo could hear the frustration in Starbuck's voice, and see his discomfort in the way he kept shifting slightly, unable to remain still in the blistering heat. "Tell me again just why we were the ones that were given the honour of checking out this planet?"

"I think Tigh thought that he was doing us a favour. He said something about giving us a nice, easy assignment for once, with minimal danger."

"Ha!" Starbuck replied. "A favour is when you get sent on a mission to somewhere you actually want to go, like... hmmn, remember that pleasure resort on Sagitaria? The women who ran that... now there were some people who knew how to have a good time!" He smiled reminiscently for a moment before his lips quirked into a frown. "Instead, I'm stuck here with you," - he jabbed a gloved finger into Apollo's chest - "checking the salt levels of a dead ocean," - the finger moved to point accusingly at the unending blueness before them - "I'm overdressed and covered in sweat, and to top it all off I can't even strip off and go for a swim even though the whole planet is nothing but beach and water. This is definitely * not* my idea of a favour!"

Apollo turned away to hide a smile. Starbuck had never been fond of tranquillity or quiet. To him, there was nothing better than a crowd of people, plenty to drink and eat, the opportunity to game and the opportunity for... other pleasures of the flesh. So he said, and so his behaviour implied, at least. Apollo couldn't help wondering if Starbuck had noticed the stark beauty of this place, though, or if it really was as boring for him as he said it was. Apollo could never be completely sure of Starbuck when he was in this sort of mood.

"No, this is no * favour*," Starbuck went on. "This is Tigh's idea of retribution. I just wish I knew exactly what it is that he's found out about!" He looked out at the water in disgust again. "So, do you think we've tested enough samples of the water, or do you feel the need to try some more, just to be sure that it's all the same? Or maybe we could check for a hidden Cylon base over the other side of the next sand dune. If we did find one, that might liven things up a bit, at least."

"I think we're just about done, Starbuck," Apollo said calmly. "There's too much salt in the water for it to be of any use to us. The place is pretty, but there's really not much worth- " Apollo broke off as a sudden, extra-large wave near the far end of the beach caught his eye and drew his attention to... something he hadn't noticed before.

"Apollo? Keep telling me that we can leave. Don't stop now!" Starbuck sounded panicky.

Apollo didn't answer immediately, just continued to stare at the other headland, wondering if the glare was making his eyes play tricks on him, or whether he was really seeing what he thought he was seeing.

"What are you looking at?" Starbuck asked then, his tone a mixture of foreboding and resignation.

"I don't... I think we'd better go over there and take a closer look."

"Why did I know that you were going to say that?" Starbuck said, with an unhappy smile. "It's only rocks, you know, 'Pol. That's all there is on this planet. There's water and salt and rocks, and sand that used to be rocks. That's it."

"If we go down there we'll be out of the sun. Look, you can see the shade."

"I was thinking of a little more than just shade. Something like the nice, cool black nothingness of space, for instance."

"The sooner we get down there, the sooner we can finish up here and leave."

"You're the Captain."

"Yes, I am."

"Yes, sir, Captain, sir." There was no mistaking the mocking tone. But Starbuck followed Apollo down the sloping dunes next to the headland and back onto the beach, just the same. When all was said and done, Apollo * was* the Captain, and neither of them ever forgot that.

*****

Apollo leaned closer in to the cliff face, noting the unnatural smoothness of the rock here. He knew that he'd been right to come over and take a closer look. Even Starbuck agreed with that now, though he had been heard to mutter - to nobody in particular - about the irony of drowning in sweat when there was an entire ocean of water just a few steps away. Starbuck's protests had abruptly vanished as they'd neared their destination and he'd realised just what it was that had caught Apollo's attention.

The thing that Apollo had seen wasn't just a patch of dark-coloured rock near the base of the headland. The dark patch was an opening in the cliff face. It was a cave, or perhaps the entrance to one. And it wasn't just any sort of entry, either. It was a perfect circle.

This, at least, was no accident of nature. The round hole had been *made *, there was virtually no doubt about that. Of course, it could be argued that the smooth edges of the hole might have been the result of water rushing back and forth through the opening with the turn of the tide day in and day out, as ages passed. The carvings in the rock all around the hole suggested that this probably wasn't the case, though. They were subtle carvings, blending in effortlessly with the natural contours of the rock face. They were impossible to discern from any distance; it was only possible to see them close up, like this. Like the opening in the cliff face, they, too, would have been overlooked if Apollo had not been looking in just the right direction at just the right time of day to make out the circle at the base of the headland.

"Do these mean anything to you, Apollo?" Starbuck indicated one particular set of markings, directly above the hole. They reminded Apollo of the hieroglyphs used by the Ancients - sort of.

"No. They look like they should be familiar but... No. My father's the real scholar in the family, though, not me."

"Bets on how long it will be before he comes down here himself once we tell him about this?"

"I don't think you'll get many takers for those sorts of odds."

They both laughed.

"So, do you want to do the honours?" Starbuck gestured meaningfully towards the hole.

"Go ahead," said Apollo. "Here's your chance to get right out of the sun!" He noticed the momentary look of surprise on Starbuck's face as he mentioned that. It seemed that with the discovery of the hole and the carvings the mission had suddenly become interesting and Starbuck was no longer so keen to escape.

The hole was a little way off the ground - about waist height - but that posed little difficulty for Starbuck. He braced his weight on his hands, then hoisted the lower half of his body up. He wriggled along on his stomach for a brief moment, and then he was gone. No more than a centon later, Apollo heard Starbuck's shout that the ceiling height increased dramatically not far from the hole and that he was already standing.

Apollo stopped only to grab the pack full of testing equipment in addition to the standard gear issued for this sort of mission. He placed the pack at the mouth of the tunnel - which he now realised was a more adequate description of the opening in the cliff face - then pushed it inside, as hard as he could, before hollering to Starbuck to get the torches out and wait for him. Then Apollo pulled himself up into the tunnel.

As Starbuck had said, the height of the ceiling increased sharply not far from the tunnel's mouth. Apollo got to his feet and moved along the narrow confines cautiously, feeling his way along the too-smooth rock along the side. Even so, he still managed to very nearly cannon into Starbuck before he'd gone very far. It was very nearly pitch dark in there.

Apollo caught Starbuck's sound of exasperation a moment before he heard the click of the fastening of the lieutenant's goggles disengaging. He was unprepared for what Starbuck did next, though. After standing there without saying anything for a moment - probably as long as it took for his eyes to adjust to the near darkness - Starbuck started to laugh. The acoustics of the place caught the sounds and then the laughs were echoing all around them. The roof of the cave must be very high. Apollo wouldn't have been at all surprised to find that a good section of the headland had been completely hollowed out to form this place.

"It's okay, Apollo," Starbuck managed at last, and Apollo could hear his friend's struggle to get his voice under control. "It's a little dim in here, but you'll be able to see without too much difficulty if you take those goggles off."

"Starbuck..."

"I know, I know. Trust me, Apollo. You'll want to see this."

Apollo sighed, then drew back the protective hood he wore and reached for the clasp on his goggles. Once he'd removed them, he was relieved to be able to feel the cool air of the cave against his skin without impediment. The protective clothing they'd been forced to wear had at least kept them alive, but it wasn't really designed for prolonged exposure to these sorts of conditions. He would have to-

It was then that he realised that most of the dim light illuminating the cave was not emanating from the entry way. Most of it was filtering down from above. He looked up.

"Oh Lords! Is that a... skylight?" Apollo exclaimed.

"Yes," Starbuck replied, a grin in his voice. "But that wasn't what was making me laugh. Have a look at this," he said, handing Apollo a torch.

With the aid of the torch's light , Apollo could make out Starbuck's raised arm, pointing towards the middle of the cave, or cavern or... whatever this place was. Apollo bit his lip as he realised just what Starbuck was pointing at. He knew now what had made Starbuck laugh. In the very centre of the cavern was a perfectly round pool. Apollo could see the light catch on the water, turning the pool's miniature waves - courtesy of the breeze blowing in through the entry they'd used - to a shining silver.

"So I suppose you think that you're going to get that swim you've been dying for ever since we landed here?" he enquired.

"Apollo!" Starbuck sounded hurt. "I wouldn't dream of doing such a thing! I'm on duty!" Apollo noticed, though, that Starbuck had already discarded the heavy outer layer of his clothing.

"That's good to hear," Apollo said, trying to sound as serious as possible. "You can keep watch while I take some water samples from the pool, then."

"Apollo!"

"What? You don't think that's such a good set up?" Apollo pretended to think about it for a moment. "Just reconsidering, I suppose the results of the tests *would * be more accurate if we took more than one sample of the water."

Apollo was about to add that Starbuck might want to strip off and get into the water to collect the samples, but he was stopped by the sound of a large splash. He wasn't really surprised: Starbuck was never one to waste time over anything.

Apollo hurriedly stripped off the rest of his clothes. He bent down beside the edge of the pool and shone his torch close by the surface of the water, finding, to his surprise, that the water was clear and the smooth, flat bottom of the pool visible. There was something to be said for the complete absence of life on this planet - he definitely didn't want to share the pool with tiny microbes or the slimy, primitive water plants that he'd been half-expecting to find there.

He slipped into the pool feet first, shivering slightly as the cold water closed over his head. He remained immersed for a few microns, letting himself become one with the water all around him, before launching his head and upper body upwards again. The air burst into his lungs with his first deep breath as his head broke the surface. He flung back his head, flicking his hair out of his face, then remained where he was, near the centre of the pool, treading water as he looked about to see where Starbuck had got to.

Even in the gloom, he spotted Starbuck almost immediately. The lieutenant was floating on his back near the edge of the pool - close to the steps leading down into the water that they'd both failed to notice before, Apollo realised.

Mentally cataloguing the steps as a point to note in his report, Apollo found his gaze drawn back to Starbuck. He wasn't sure just why that was so: the sight of Starbuck was hardly a novelty. They saw each other every day. They'd certainly seen each other naked before. He wasn't sure why it seemed different this time. Perhaps it was the unexpectedness of the situation: floating about in an alien swimming pool located inside a hollowed out headland could not be considered routine circumstances for this sort of mission - for any sort of mission, really.

He could see Starbuck's wet skin, silvery as the water in the dim light. So sleek-looking, so smooth, so- Apollo swallowed hard. Where had that come from? He was the captain, he reminded himself sternly. He wasn't supposed to think things like that about officers under his command. Not even - especially not - those who were his friends. Not even - really, *really * especially not - Starbuck.

Abruptly, Starbuck moved, righting himself in the water then moving off at a leisurely pace towards the steps. He seemed to have all but forgotten Apollo's presence - probably the relief of cooling off in the water after so long wearing that too-heavy protective clothing.

Apollo wasn't even aware that he was following until he was more than halfway there. Once he realised what he was doing, he stopped immediately and started treading water again. He reminded himself, sternly and seriously, about the consequences of the course of action that was suggesting itself to him right then. He reminded himself of how sorry he'd be later. He asked himself if all the good reasons why he'd held back from doing something just like this for all these yahrens were suddenly worth nothing.

Apollo smiled grimly. He knew what was right and he would do what was right. Consequences were important. He'd got himself back under control and things were as they should be once more and he couldn't stop looking at Starbuck. His eyes caressed Starbuck's skin and hair, all glistening in the soft, gloomy light. So beautiful, like a piece of art, he thought - and found himself chuckling quietly at the thought of Starbuck's likely reaction to being described in such terms.

But he still couldn't stop looking at Starbuck.

Apollo discovered that he was swimming again, heading unerringly toward the steps where Starbuck lounged, his body half-submerged and his eyes closed. The light still played down on his glistening skin. Starbuck's hair was slick with water and had been pushed back away from his face, except for a few strands of hair that had plastered themselves to his forehead. Apollo noticed a droplet of water hanging perilously from the very tip of the hair. Then it dropped, creeping stealthily down the side of Starbuck's face. It was so simple a sight, yet it mesmerised Apollo. He could already taste it: water mixed with sweat, water mixed with the taste of Starbuck. Water on skin, water on eyelashes, water on lips... It all combined together in Apollo's mind in a flurry of disconnected images and coalesced into one overwhelming need: the need to touch. He felt as though he would die if he didn't touch Starbuck soon - and he didn't want to die.

Just touching was all right, he assured himself. Just touching wouldn't have consequences. All the good reasons he'd reminded himself of would not be violated by a simple touch.

He really only meant to touch him, just gently reach out a hand and wipe the moisture from Starbuck's face. There was nothing wrong in doing that, after all, he told himself. Just a friend touching a friend. And if he touched Starbuck that would be enough. He clung to that thought.

And then, somehow, he was kissing him. Not gently, either. Somehow, between the moment when he'd decided that he could no longer refrain from touching Starbuck and the moment when he'd actually done something about it, the desire for contact had turned into this devouring, demanding, familiar need. How long had he wanted this kiss? Too long. It had been something secretly longed for, for so very long, made worse by the knowledge that it could have been his all along, if only he hadn't...

Apollo gave in to the inevitable then. He pressed Starbuck back against the steps as he felt the other man's body stiffen in shock at the unexpected contact. He continued on with the kiss, determined to get as much as he could before Starbuck pulled away. This would be his only opportunity. He thrust his tongue deep into the wet cavern that was Starbuck's mouth - a wet cavern in a wet cavern, he thought irrelevantly.

But Starbuck didn't pull away. Instead, Apollo found that Starbuck was leaning into the kiss, taking it over, and his body was pressed hard against Apollo's, wet skin sliding urgently against wet skin. Pleasure streamed through him at the sensation and the heat contracted in his groin, making him hard - making him harder, actually, he realised with some surprise. The water apparently wasn't quite as cold as it had seemed at first.

He pushed his cock up against Starbuck's thigh, needing more than simple contact now. He'd needed more than that all along; he just hadn't allowed himself to admit that before. There was no room left for anything but honest desire now, though. His lips left Starbuck's and moved along his jaw, breaking the kiss but reluctant to break the contact. Apollo felt real dread that if he stopped touching Starbuck, even for a micron, the spell would be broken and he would have to be responsible for his actions again. His tongue found the droplets of water on the side of Starbuck's face and Starbuck shuddered, and reached for him, pulling him with him up the steps until only their feet remained in the water.

And then touching was no longer enough, either. The need to be touched in return was an even stronger imperative.

Starbuck obliged, whether through a previously undiscovered telepathic talent or because he couldn't wait any longer, either, Apollo neither knew nor cared. His cock was the centre of the universe, and Starbuck's mouth was universal pleasure. He thrust hard. So good. The stroking tongue caught his rhythm. The universe quivered in delight.

And then it stopped.

Apollo couldn't stop a cry of protest as the mouth left him, but before he had time to demand of Starbuck just exactly what he meant by stopping *now * Starbuck's hand replaced the longed-for mouth. And, more. Apollo almost came right then as he felt Starbuck's cock, hot and hard against his own. Starbuck had both cocks in hand now. The friction was almost unbearable.

Everything was hot - too hot. Scorching, like the heat outside. Tumult of want. Welter of needs. Frenzy of anticipation. All just words, consumed by heat. The universe, consumed by heat in a conflagration of body against body.

A sob caught in Apollo's throat as he came, so hard that it hurt. His fingers dug into Starbuck's skin, as he was dragged into that place where a single clear tone rang out. He hung there, suspended for an endless moment. Then he was back on the floor of the cavern, spent and panting.

It took Apollo a while to realise that Starbuck had come, too - probably almost at the same instant that he had. His face burned slightly at the realisation that he'd been too involved in what he was experiencing himself to be aware of his lover's needs. He'd have to make sure that he did better next time.

Next time? When this time shouldn't ever have happened in the first place? That was a question worth contemplating, even though a part of his mind protested at the very idea of doing anything more than lying here, boneless and replete, for the foreseeable future.

They stayed where they were for some time. Perhaps Starbuck was as reluctant to break the contact as Apollo. Perhaps he was simply unable to move in the aftermath of it all.

Finally, Apollo propped himself up on one elbow and asked thoughtfully, "Why did we just do that?"

Starbuck's head shot up at that. "You're asking *me *?" he demanded incredulously, all his previous languor suddenly gone. "*I* wasn't the one who jumped his best friend without so much as a by your leave!"

"I didn't hear you complaining too hard," Apollo replied.

"If you remember, my mouth was kept fairly busy - not to say full - for a lot of the time."

"And you didn't think there was anything at all... unusual about that?"

"I didn't have much opportunity to *think * much at all! And how do I know what's usual for you, anyway? It's been a very long time, you know."

"Yes." Apollo smiled briefly, remembering their younger selves. "Neither did I - have much opportunity to think about it then, I mean - but I'm thinking about it now."

"You regret it," Starbuck said flatly.

"No!" Apollo said, genuinely surprised. He was having serious suspicions about just what the catalyst for the encounter had been, but he knew that that was all it had needed: something to trigger what was already there, between them. "I don't regret any of it. It's just occurring to me now that the timing is... odd."

It was Starbuck's turn to look thoughtful. "The dedicated, hardworking Captain Apollo, you mean? He's really not the sort of person to go in for that sort of thing - at least, not while he's on duty, anyway."

Apollo didn't even have to look to know just what sort of mischievous grin would be adorning Starbuck's face right then. "Yes, that was what struck me," he said.

"You think there's some sort of alien aphrodisiac in the water?"

"I'm not sure. Could be. I think it's more than just the water, though. Everything we did as soon as we got in here seemed a little... off to me, a little unbalanced. I mean sure, you're... impetuous sometimes, Starbuck, but to dive into a pool like that, on an unknown planet without even knowing if the water was safe, or if there was anything else in the water, or how far down the bottom was..."

"Okay, okay, you've made your point! No need to rub it in that far!"

Apollo smiled slightly. "But you see what I mean? Maybe it's the water, maybe it's something about the whole place. I think it lowers our inhibitions somehow and exaggerates aspects of our personalities. It builds on what's already there."

"What's already there, Apollo? Was all of that already there?" Starbuck's voice sounded deadly serious. Apollo wished that he could see his face properly; this was suddenly terribly important.

"What do you think?"

"I asked you first."

Apollo closed his eyes for a moment. Once he said it, there could be no going back.

"Yes," he said.

It was major - and uncharacteristic - concession. And Starbuck knew it. He smiled, but "Good," was all he said in response. To Apollo's surprise, he got up, picking up a discarded torch as he did so.

"I'll be right back," he told Apollo, and Apollo watched, slightly bemused, as Starbuck headed back toward the entrance.

True to his word, a bare couple of centons later, Starbuck was back. "Just thought I'd check up on conditions outside before I said any more," he explained cheerfully.

"And?" Apollo prompted.

"Sandstorm," Starbuck said simply, coming back to sit beside Apollo again. "Couldn't you hear it? There's no way we can go out there now; it'd cut our skin to ribbons, even wearing those." He indicated the piles of discarded clothing on the far side of the pool. "I guess we'll just have to stay in here and wait it out." His hand touched Apollo's shoulder. "Can you think of anything we can do to pass the time?" His lips were a breath away from Apollo's face now.

"I'm sure you can help me think of something," Apollo assured him, then bridged the gap between them, fitting his mouth carefully against Starbuck's lips, where it belonged.