Title: Mud III - Mudslinging Author: rita E-mail: mommacita1@juno.com Rating: NC-17 Pairings: SB/other Archive: Yes, please Series: Yes, the third in the Mud series Website: http://www.geocities.com/jennylmr/index.html (And thanks to Jenlmr for hosting me) Disclaimer: I don't own the boys, I just like to play with them. And I always put them back almost as good as new. Notes: A punishment fic for Betty and a reward fic for Jenlmr at the behest of Listmum Becky. Warnings (if needed): References to BDSM and semi-noncon m/m sex, non-graphic het fellatio, cutely wicked kids Summary: Someone was spying when Apollo punished Starbuck. *** In the previous episode, we left our intrepid heroes apologizing: "You forgive me? Just like that?" "I love you, Apollo," Starbuck said simply. "Yes, I forgive you - just like that." He paused and looked into the tear-filled green eyes with serious blue ones. "This time. Only this time. You can't ever let this happen again. I'll do my part, I won't goad you; but you have to do yours, too." Apollo nodded. "Good," Starbuck said brusquely, not wanting to dwell on what might happen if Apollo couldn't keep his word. 'It won't happen, Bucko,' he told himself. 'He loves you and he doesn't like violence. He never raised a hand to you before; he never will again.' He only wished he could convince himself completely. But he couldn't let himself stop trusting Apollo either; that would destroy both of them. In time he would trust again; for now, he'd have to fake it. "Now, let's see you get to work with that scrub brush and bucket, Captain. And I'll tell you what happens when an instructor forgets to tell the Agro Ship what sectors she's taking her class into so they can make sure the sprinkler system doesn't turn on." Now, the conclusion (maybe) of our story ... *** When Starbuck finished his story, Apollo looked up from putting away the cleaning supplies to say, "I'm so sorry, Star. I misinterpreted *everything*! It wasn't your fault at all. Let me make you comfortable and then I'm going to talk to Betty's mother about that young lady's behavior!" Apollo suited action to word and soon Starbuck was drowsing on his stomach in his bunk. Apollo looked regretfully at the beautiful backside outlined by the blanket, but sighed, knowing it was his own fault it would be unavailable to him for the near future. He shook his head, muttering, "Let this be a lesson to you, Apollo. Never take a child's word over a warrior's - even a conartist warrior," and walked quietly out of the BOQ. No one heard the muffled clunking of a small body removing itself from the air ducts. No one took notice of the same small body scurrying as fast as she could to the shuttle bay, onto the next shuttle to the Rising Star, and then to her grandfather's quarters. *** Little Jen burst into her grandfather's suite and, ignoring the woman whose head was buried between her grandfather's legs - she'd seen that before - began a rapid-fire rendition of what she had witnessed in the BOQ. The older man listened with half an ear at first, somewhat distracted by his courtesan's ministrations. But then he caught the words "Captain" and "Boxey's Uncle". "Calm down, m'dear," he instructed as he brusquely pushed the woman at his feet away, gestured that she leave, and adjusted his robes. "Take a deep breath and start over, slowly this time." He smiled benevolently. "Would you like to sit on my lap, darling?" "Err, no thank you, Grandfather," Jen said politely, seating herself on cushions a few metrons away from the old man. Her mama had told her she didn't have to put up with all of the ways her grandfather wanted to show his affection. The grandfather sighed. "Very well, Jen. Now start at the beginning and tell me everything you saw in the order you saw it happen." As Jen related the story of stealthily following her best friend Betty, first to Captain Apollo's quarters, dragged there, she dramatically pronounced, by Boxey's Uncle Starbuck, then to the huge bedroom where all the warriors slept, her Grandfather's eyes took on a strange gleam. Jen scooted back a metron on her cushions as she continued telling about watching Captain Apollo tug on Uncle Starbuck's "thingy" and how it got "bigger and redder and stood out from his belly." Here, her grandfather interrupted, stroking his robes just below his own ample stomach, "But, Jen dear, you've seen that before. It shouldn't upset you." "Oh, no, Grandfather," Jen averred. "Yours doesn't get that big or that hard, even when two of your 'lady friends' are helping you with it. And, you know what? Captain Apollo's, well, he kept his clothes on so I can't be sure, but it looked like his thingy was doing the same thing inside his pants." The older man looked annoyed and cleared his throat. "Well, never mind about that. What happened that *did* upset you?" "It was what happened next," Jen explained. "They started playacting punishment, like you do with some of your friends sometimes, you know?" She waited to be sure her grandfather understood. He nodded curtly and gestured for her to continue. "Only, when Boxey's uncle signaled the Captain to stop, the Captain didn't. He didn't stop for a long time." "Really?" The gleam in Jen's Grandfather's eyes was the brightest she had ever seen. "Well, well, so the great Captain Apollo abused his lover, did he? That will mean Starbuck will be on the market. There's no way he'll put up with that after his childhood," he murmured to himself. "And since I know what happened, and he won't want the truth about him to get out - and my guess is he'll protect his beloved Captain even if he won't put out for him anymore - he won't be able to refuse my offer." The old man rubbed his hands with glee, then patted the small lump showing beneath his belly. "Patience, old friend, patience. You'll get your chance." "Um, Grandfather?" Jen asked warily. He usually told her to "run along and play" about now. "That wasn't all." "Oh?" Her grandfather's eyebrow arched questioningly. "No. After he finished, Captain Apollo cleaned up Boxey's uncle and then he cleaned up the whole bedroom of all the mud. And Boxey's uncle told him he wasn't mad at him, just not to do it again." "Drat those two! What do they think - they're in some vid romance? Kiss and make up, will they? Well, we'll see about that!" The old man stopped his rant as though he suddenly realized whom he was ranting at. "Ah, Jen darling, it's all right. Grownups sometimes do things like that. It's all part of two people loving each other," he said in his most paternal tone, the one he used to calm and persuade the masses. "Run along and play now, there's a good girl." Jen ran out almost as fast as she had run in. Before he called her back for a goodbye kiss, as he usually did. The old man reached for the comm unit. "This is Sire Uri," he intoned into it. "Connect me with Lieutenant Starbuck." He listened for a centon. "I don't care if he's off-duty. It's urgent Council business." *** "Starbuck." The voice sounded slurred over the comm unit. "Starbuck? This is Sire Uri. I believe we need to have a talk." "Sire? Um, I'm ... a little under the weather, sir. Couldn't it wait?" "No, I think not." "Okay, I'm listening." A yawn punctuated the response. "I don't think this is something you want to be discussing with me over a public comm line, Lieutenant." "Huh?" Suddenly Starbuck was fully alert. "What's this about, Uri?" he asked suspiciously. "A ... certain incident that took place a centar or less ago in the BOQ," Uri replied succinctly. "Frak! How do you ..." Starbuck cursed himself. He wasn't awake enough to play Uri's games, not with the sedative still in his bloodstream. "Where do you want to meet?" Uri's voice turned unctuous. "Are you well enough to get to the Rising Star?" "I'm fine," Starbuck growled. "Not that it's any of your concern." "Well, you did say you were under the weather, Lieutenant," Uri returned in a patently false hurt tone of voice. "And I was apprised of the fact that you had suffered ... physical injury very recently." "Who? Never mind. Where and when?" "My quarters on the Rising Star," Uri responded in the same clipped manner. "As soon as you can get here." *** Uri did not invite Starbuck to sit. He would have the Lieutenant at his feet soon enough, he thought. He attacked immediately. "You traumatized a little girl, today, Lieutenant." "Betty? Hardly." Starbuck sneered. "I don't think you *can* traumatize that little hellion." "Betty?" Uri was confused. "No, no. Jen, my granddaughter." "Jen? I didn't have a 'Jen' in my group." It was Starbuck's turn to be confused. Uri gave up on trying to set the record straight. It didn't matter anyway. "Nonetheless," he said, with a dismissive gesture, "she saw the whole thing." "What 'whole thing'?" Starbuck asked warily. "You exposing yourself to all of Blue Squadron along with a visiting matron and her daughter." "That was an accident!" Starbuck protested. "And Apollo's sexual and physical abuse to punish you," Uri finished smugly. "Frak!" "No, she didn't witness that," Uri said thoughtfully. "I've made a ... quiet check of the Security logs and none of this was reported." "Of course not," Starbuck retorted. "Nothing happened." "Perhaps the adults didn't object," Uri admitted. "It could have been consensual - are you for sale again, little one?" "Never!" "Ah, well," Uri sighed. "But back to the point. There were minors present - I believe, in addition to the little girl ..." "Little witch." "...Captain Apollo's son was in attendance." "They inadvertently saw me naked," Starbuck conceded. "But I didn't expose myself; the little b..., Betty, the little girl, accidentally ripped my towel off. And I *wasn't* aroused." "My granddaughter saw the Captain ... stimulate you - and punish you for your ..., promiscuity." "Betty's your granddaughter?" Starbuck was incredulous. Uri sighed. "No. I don't know who this Betty is. My granddaughter is named Jen." "Oh yeah. I think Boxey's mentioned a classmate named Jen." Starbuck turned bright red, remembering the circumstances. [Note to readers: see the short story "Abbreviations"] "But - wait a second - she wasn't there - not in the BOQ!" Uri smiled unpleasantly. "You mean you didn't *purposely* subject her to your ... perversion. Unfortunately, she did witness it though." He paused. The Lieutenant stood stock still, actually he had remained virtually unmoving, most uncharacteristically, throughout the interview, Uri realized. "Are you in pain, Lieutenant?" he asked in mock concern. "Perhaps you'd be more comfortable ... unclothed?" "I'm fine," Starbuck grated, although the soft, loose civvies - he'd actually snagged a shirt belonging to Jolly and put on his loosest trousers - had rubbed agonizingly as he made his way from the Galactica's BOQ to Uri's suite on the Rising Star. Even now, when he stood completely still, he ached. And that was with pain pills. "Well," Sire Uri mused, "Perhaps I should just contact the authorities myself. My granddaughter couldn't possibly have made up such a story. It *will* mean subjecting her to an interrogation by Security, but for the safety and well-being of the Fleet ..." "All right, Uri," Starbuck growled. "What will it take to keep you - and your granddaughter - quiet?" "Dear me," the older man said. "You make it sound like I'm ... blackmailing you. I only have your welfare at heart, dear boy." His voice turned syrupy. "Now, why don't you take off those clothes? From what my darling little Jen told me, they must be rubbing against open wounds." "Will that satisfy you?" Starbuck asked, his hand going to his collar. "Well, of course, until I see the extent of the damage Captain Apollo did, I have no way of knowing, do I?" From a spy hole in the servants passage behind the wall, Jen watched wide-eyed. This was going to be even better than watching her grandfather's "lady friends" and "buddies" play naked games with her grandfather. This was Boxey's uncle. She clapped her hands over her mouth to keep the giggles in as the uncle undressed. *** The group of children gathered around the dark-skinned boy as he retold what he'd seen his older brother do, complete with a graphic demonstration. "And then she laid down and then he flopped down on top of her and bounced up and down." He belly-flopped onto the nearest lounger and flopped up and down like a piscine out of agua. The other children watched goggle-eyed with wonder. He paused for breath, then said, "And that ain't the worst: they were both naked when they did it." A chorus of "Gross" and "Eww" followed that last remark. Then Jen pushed into the center of the group. "You're full of felger, Jamal," she sneered. "Yeah," echoed Betty, following her as always. "Full of felger, Jamal." Jamal knew fighting words when he heard them. "What you talking about, Jen? I know what I saw!" Jen drew herself up to her full height and managed to look haughty. "Well," her body language and tone of voice leaving no doubt of her ancestry to anyone who knew Sire Uri. "I suppose it's *possible* that *some* men would do the work themselves. And, to be fair," she added with a condescending look, "you did get some of the details right. Of course, with another man, the first one is on his front, too, 'cause the other one uses the hole in the back." Another chorus of "Gross" and "Eww" greeted that revelation. "And how do you know that, Jen?" Boxey asked from the front of the group of bystanders. "Jamal's got his big brother. You don't got anyone but your old grandfather." "I *know*," Jen insisted. "My grandfather does sex a lot, probably more than anyone else in the fleet. And he does it with ladies and men." Her smile took on a vicious twist as she concluded, "He even does sex with your precious Uncle Starbuck, Boxey!" While the other children gasped in horror and stared wonderingly at Jen, Jamal's story having been completely forgotten even by him, Boxey shoved her backwards then tore out of the rejuvenation center. *** "Is it true?" Boxey yelled as he raced through the BOQ doors and up to Starbuck's bunk. He shook the sleeping man and pounded him on his shoulder, eliciting a cry of pain. Starbuck pulled back the punch he was about to deliver upon realizing who was beating on him. Instead he sat up with a wince and held the boy away. "Is what true? Why are you hitting me?" he asked, baffled. "Jen says you do sex with Sire Uri," Boxey blurted out. "She says she saw you. Is it true?" Starbuck looked around. While not crowded, the BOQ was never deserted. Several warriors turned away as his glance went around the room. "I think," he said forcing his voice to be calm and loud enough to carry through the room, "that this is not a discussion for the entire squadron. I'm a grown man and what I do and with whom is *not* anyone's business but my own." He put a finger on Boxey's lips to forestall the objection that was clearly coming. "But if you've heard something about my private life, you were right to come to me to find out the truth. We should share what you heard and what I'm going to tell you with your Dad though." He pulled his boots on, levered himself out of the bunk with a groan, and straightened his clothes. Then he offered Boxey his hand. "Let's go find him, okay?" *** Starbuck was standing in front of the couch on which Boxey and Apollo sat. He had kept himself between the door and Apollo, ready to bolt if Apollo showed any sign of violence and ready to exit on demand. After Boxey repeated what Jen had said, he looked straight into Boxey's eyes and spoke. "The short answer - the only one I'll give you, Boxey - is 'yes', I did have sex with Sire Uri. I didn't know Jen was watching or I would never have done it. I don't think Sire Uri knew either." With an apologetic glance at Apollo, all he dared, he finished, "I'd better go now. I'm truly sorry, Apollo. I know what you must think, but I only did it because I had to." With that he turned towards the door. "Stop right there!" Apollo's voice rang out. It was a command, no doubt about it. Starbuck stopped but did not turn around. "You're bleeding again. Go into my bedroom and take off your shirt if you can. I'll be in once I've spoken to Boxey and I'll tend your wounds." Apollo continued to use his father's command tone, knowing it was the only way to keep Starbuck from leaving the apartment. Starbuck nodded once and obeyed. "I'll be there in a few centons," Apollo called after him. "Lie down on the bed and wait for me." He turned to his son. "Now, Boxey, what Starbuck did took a lot of courage..." he began, feeling his eyes fill with tears. He knew with Uri involved there was much more to the story and 'courage' seemed an understatement. *** It was no good. No matter what Apollo suggested, Starbuck showed him how it would lead to the ruination of both of them. Finally, Apollo said, "There is one thing I can do to make it right; to make sure this doesn't happen again." "What's that?" Starbuck asked warily. He was still lying on his stomach on Apollo's bed, this time with a bandaged back to protect the reopened wounds. Apollo, sitting next to him on the edge of the bed, stroked Starbuck's cheek. "I can make you mine. Publicly. That way, you *can* say no to Uri and anyone else. And what goes on in private is not actionable if both parties consent, so Uri can't threaten either of us." Starbuck rolled onto his side, grabbing Apollo's hand with both his own. "You'd do that for me?" he asked wonderingly. "I'd do that for *us*," Apollo corrected, placing his free hand over Starbuck's hands. "You won't mind?" "I'm more familiar with being owned than with being free." He shifted and winced. "I think I prefer being kept - provided it's by the right owner." "You know the law," Apollo reminded him. "You have to give yourself freely. And the contract will stipulate it's for *private* and *exclusive* use only, okay? I won't be able to give you to someone else or share you..." Starbuck snorted. "As if you had it in you to do either. You can't stand it if someone else even *looks* at me." Apollo batted Starbuck's nose. "Be serious. I can't do it and you can't be unfaithful. It breaks the contract. And it's only in private. That way you keep all rank and privileges of a free citizen." "As much as a warrior is *free*," Starbuck pointed out. "And, unlike if we were Sealed, you can still be my CO." Apollo frowned. "Would you rather be Sealed, Star?" he asked softly. Starbuck stopped his first retort to consider. "No," he said finally. "I don't know how to do that. Can I ..." he hesitated, then shook his head. "No, I'd rather be kept by you." "What were you going to say, Star?" Apollo prompted. Starbuck looked down at the coverlet. "I was ... going to ask if ... maybe if things work out. If I can do this and don't *need* to be kept, if maybe sometime in the ... future," he stopped rambling and laughed, "as if we have a future, any of us." "Say it, Star, please?" "If maybe I can change my mind about being Sealed - being your equal," Starbuck whispered into the pillow. "As soon as you're ready, I'll propose," Apollo promised. "If it's in five sectons or five yahrens, it doesn't matter. I'll keep you as long as you need me to. And I'll Seal with you as soon as you want me to." He sealed the promises by lifting Starbuck's face to his and kissing him deeply. *** ~~And in a surprise statement today, Commander Adama announced that, in accordance with Kobolian and Caprican statutes, ratified by the Fleet Council, Lieutenant Starbuck is voluntarily indenturing himself to Captain Apollo in an open-ended contract. Both officers will remain in their military positions. The Commander refused to answer questions and both the Captain and the Lieutenant were unavailable for comment.~~ With an oath, Uri threw his goblet at the vid screen which shattered and sputtered as the circuits died. "How dare he? How dare they?" he roared. Sire Anton shared an amused glance with Siresses Tinia and Belloby. "Well, Uri, old chap, perhaps if you attended the routine Council meetings, these things wouldn't catch you by surprise," he commented mildly. Uri favored him with a glance that would have melted iron. "I suppose you supported this ridiculous statute?" he growled acidly. "Uri," Siress Belloby chided. "The IFB didn't report it, but the vote was unanimous. Not even one abstention. Except for your absence, of course." Sire Anton glanced at his chrono. "Well, my dears, I believe it's time." Siress Tinia stood, brushed invisible crumbs from her gown, and adjusted her cloak. "Oh yes, Anton! It wouldn't do to be late." She addressed Sire Uri. "Commander Adama invited the entire Council to a small celebratory gathering. He issued the invitation right after the vote." She smiled. "I'm sure he meant to include you." Sire Anton stood and offered his hand to Siress Belloby. "Undoubtedly," he agreed. "Adama always does the correct thing." Siress Belloby chuckled as she rose, nodding her thanks to Anton. "Actually, I believe he wants to nudge them into a full Sealing. Ever the romantic, that Adama." She threw a jealous glance at Tinia. "I suppose if he can't get one of his children to formally Seal, he'll do it himself, won't he, Tinia?" Tinia blushed and wagged a finger a Belloby. "Now, Siress, don't try that with me. You had your chance. All's fair in love and war!" The two women laughed. Anton offered each an arm and started them towards the door. "Sure you won't join us, Uri? You really would be welcome, old boy." Uri snorted. Anton was hardly the naif he liked to play. "What? Is Adama in need of a goat for his little party?" he spat. "No, thank you. And don't bother to offer to give my congratulations. I don't wish them well. I don't wish them well at all." The other three Councilors were at the door, Anton ushering Belloby through, when Tinia turned to respond. "No, I'm sure you don't," she remarked, utterly serious. "But luckily for them, they don't need your blessing. And they have it from the rest of us." She swept regally through the doorway which closed behind her.