Chapter Seven: An Unexpected Turn

Abalon System:

As the Cylons attempted to close in on the fleeing civilian ships the remnants of the Repulse and Renown battlestar groups put themselves between the Cylons and their prey. Rear Admiral Percival Sherbrook now commanded the remnants of the Renown group from his flagship, the heavy cruiser Macon, while Rear Admiral Aylen Shikoba was leading the remnants of the Repulse battlestar group from the heavy cruiser Cymric.

The cruisers and faststars were joined by the pilots from both battlestars who had managed to survive the destruction of their various ships. The Vipers were engaged in a dogfight with the Cylon Raiders that would eventually cause the death of the Colonial pilots; they had no battlestars on which to refuel and rearm their Vipers. The Raptors were keeping to the edge of the battle but against the Raiders they would probably not hold up as well as their Viper counterparts.

The center of the battle line consisted of the surviving heavy cruisers Macon, Cymric, Aransas City, Leipzig, and Scotia along with the light cruisers Novara, Shalalth, Ravenscrag, and Sulkava. They were busy lobbing their shells at the Cylon baseships in an attempt to slow them down and the damage was starting to show on the three enemy ships. In spite of the damage, the Cylons kept advancing as though they could brush aside the Colonial cruisers as though they were nothing.

The faststars would have normally been in the battlestar group for the purpose of providing antiaircraft support so that the Cylons would be unable to launch missiles at the battlestar that was being protected. However, with the loss of both the Renown and the Repulse that job was no longer necessary. The faststars had split into two groups to both keep enemy fire from being concentrated on the cruisers as well as provide AA support to keep the ships safe in case a Raider did manage to get a missile through flak screen. On one side of the cruisers were the faststars Kinzer, Babur, Grozny, Ellinis, Etruria, Karanja, Perseo, Tabora, and Aydin. On the other side of the cruisers were the faststars Jasiri, Sebo, Elswick, Camborne, Nashton, Chisana, Canelo, and Muskoda. When not providing fire and antiaircraft support for the cruisers, the faststars were living up to their names by being the fast attack craft the Colonial Fleet had envisioned for them. So far their strikes had consisted of charging the baseships, launching their missiles at the Cylons, and then quickly banking away before they would have to face the return fire. Fortunately the Tiger class faststars had proven their design was an improvement over the older Clemson class.

Faststar Etruria, CIC:

The CIC of the faststar Etruria was hectic as the various personnel worked at their stations with the heightened sense of danger driving them. The fast attack craft were multi-tasking as they attempted to keep the Cylons from advancing further than they had, keep providing the necessary flak screen to keep the Raiders at bay, and manage to launch their hit and run strikes against the baseships.

In the middle of the CIC at Command and Control stood Colonel Conner Leeds reading the latest reports to come in from the ships that made up the part of the task force. He had no idea how long the faststars were going to be able to hold out, but he knew he needed to keep any doubts to himself. The ships were fast and maneuverable but in truth they were not entirely well-suited for a straight up punching match against a Cylon baseship.

"Sir, there's a message coming in from Uptown," Petty Officer Keith Morley announced from the Communications station of the CIC.

"What does Uptown want?" Leeds asked. 'Uptown' was the tactical call sign assigned to the heavy cruiser Macon, it was a way for the ships in the task force to communicate without the enemy knowing which particular ship was being referred to.

"He wants us to join White Fang, Spark Plug, and Matchbox in making a running attack between the middle baseship and the one on its starboard side. He also wants to know the status of our supply of short range missiles," Morley said.

Leeds looked at the readout showing just what they had left in their magazines. Before the Cylons had attacked and blown the Colonies to Hades and back, the Renown had stopped at Lampetia Shipyard; the faststars had their magazines filled with ammunition and missiles for a firing test at the Trevor Moon Test Range. Looking at the display he saw they had plenty of the NEXA-754 short range attack missile, he could put those to use and get a small measure of revenge for the destruction the Cylons had caused to his native Virgon.

"Send word to Uptown that High Tower has plenty of missiles and no qualms about using them," he said to Morley.

"So we're going to make a missile run against the baseships?" Lieutenant Colonel Angeline Nichols, Leed's XO, asked as she walked over to Command and Control from her station at Damage Control.

Leeds nodded. "We're going to join the Kinzer, Babur, and Grozny on a missile attack against two of the baseships."

Nichols let out a short breath. "Gods watch over us."

"Let's hope so; with recent events I think they've kind of been sleeping on the job," Leeds said. He knew Nichols was a devout believer and a product of her being raised on Gemenon, but with all that had taken place he was not too sure if bringing the gods into the conversation was wholly appropriate.

"They may still see us out of the corner of their eye," she said before asking, "Are the other ships ready?"

"Morley, let our three friends know we're ready to proceed whenever they are," he said to the petty officer and then he looked at the display of pilots who were still in the fight.

"Lieutenant Avery, can you hear me?" he said once he picked up the phone receiver that was nearby.

The voice of Lieutenant Dallas 'Champ' Avery came over the line, "Loud and clear, what can my pilots or I do for you?"

"We're about to make a missile run against the middle and starboard baseship, can your pilots help clear us a path?" Leeds asked.

"Affirmative, we'll start bulldozing you a way," Avery said.

"Excellent, just let us know when the way is clear," Leeds said before putting the receiver back into its cradle.

Viper 7532, Pilot Lieutenant Dallas 'Champ' Avery:

Avery banked hard to port to avoid a Raider that was charging straight at him. It was a game of Chicken that he had no intention of playing. He used the maneuvering thrusters of his Viper to quickly invert his Viper Mark VII and he fired a barrage of bullets from his guns at the Raider, moments later the Cylon disappeared in a fiery explosion.

'One down, nine thousand more to go,' he thought. He was, of course, exaggerating the number but at this point in time it might as well be true. He was not sure how much longer his pilots could hold out on their own; if it wasn't their ammunition running low it was the fact that their fuel would not hold out forever. Both the Renown and Repulse were gone and if they could not make it to the Stryker they were as good as dead.

There was no time for him to ponder that now; he had to clear a way for the faststars to make their attack.

"Matador, where are you?" he asked through the radio in his helmet.

"Hey, Champ, I'm coming from behind the Macon. I had to take out a toaster that was getting a little too close for Admiral Sherbrook's comfort," the voice of Lieutenant Tomas 'Matador' Rivera said.

"Can you get the rookies from your squadron to clear a path for the faststars to the starboard side?" he asked.

"Sure, let me get these rooks together and then we'll clear a path so wide a battlestar could make that attack and not take a hit," Rivera replied with the usual confident tone that Avery had come to know.

Viper 5390, Pilot Lieutenant Tomas 'Matador' Rivera:

Rivera took a quick glance ahead at the field of Raiders and he quickly surmised that if they were able to use their guns accordingly they could probably clear the path that the faststars would need. First, he had to get the remnants of his squadron together. The squadron had lost its commander and he was now in charge of the squadron much like how Lieutenant Avery had to assume overall command of the Renown's air group. He was the last lieutenant left in the squad, the rest were the Ensigns that had come aboard the Renown at the start of its last deployment.

"Okay, rooks, get yourselves untangled and come join me," he said over his helmet radio.

"Copy that, I'm on the way," Ensign Amadon 'Gangster' Sumari replied.

"Matador, what do you have for us?" Ensign Carina 'Snowball' Hill said.

"I was just starting to enjoy playing with these guys," Ensign George 'Daredevil' Shipka said with an almost childish tone.

"Playtime's over; the CAG needs us to clear a path for the faststars to make a missile attack on the basestars, so, Daredevil, you'll get to make more new friends," Rivera said in a tone that sounded like a parent.

"What about me?" Ensign Jana 'Whiplash' Reeves asked.

"I told you that you'd get some action on this deployment, you can't say I lied," Rivera said.

"It's like the toasters just wanted to make sure you were right," she shot back.

"Enough chatter, let's clear a path," Rivera said as the remainder of the squadron joined up with him.

Apart from Daredevil, Whiplash, and Snowball the other pilots joining in were Ensigns Jabid 'Gemini' Ali, Elden 'Wildcat' Kyne, Jorgen 'Shotgun' Tambini, Walter 'Battle Axe' Boone, Roger' Mauler' Scordino, and Lavell 'Moose' Jenkins. The remnants of Viper Squadron Two began plowing through the Cylon Raiders, clearing a wide swath of space that would allow the four faststars to comfortably speed through and launch their missile attack.

Faststar Etruria, CIC:

"Sir, the Vipers have cleared enough of a path for us to start the attack," Lieutenant Lorene Rosa announced from Tactical.

"Excellent, let our friends know we're ready to begin the attack," Leeds announced; Morley quickly acknowledged that the message had been sent.

"Helm, lay in a direct course for the two baseships," Leeds ordered and moments later the Etruria began to move at flank speed toward the baseships.

"Ms. Rosa, I want our missiles armed and ready to fire as soon as I give the order," he said.

"Yes, sir, missile crews are loading the missile tubes," she reported.

Leeds looked up at the DRADIS screen, the four faststars were quickly closing in on the baseships. He ran the numbers in his head, and he knew that he had to time it just right if he were to inflict the maximum amount of damage on the Cylons.

He held up the middle and index finger on his left hand as he mentally timed down to when he wanted to give the order, and about seven seconds later he lowered his hand and yelled, "Fire!"

"Missiles away," Rosa announced.

"Come on," he muttered as he watched the missiles make their way toward the baseships.

"Direct hits on both baseships," Rosa announced.

"Yes!" Leeds shouted before ordering, "I want artillery to fire at the baseships as we pass them by.

When all four of the faststars had finished their attack run Leeds let out a sigh of relief. He was not sure how much damage had been done to the Cylons but at this point in the battle inflicting even a little damage was better than none at all.

"Sir, there's a battlestar that's just jumped into the system!" Rosa announced.

"How is that possible, could it be a computer error?" Leeds asked as he looked up at the DRADIS screen and saw the icon representing an unknown battlestar that had just arrived in the system.

"Sir, I just received word from the Macon…it's the Stryker!" Morley exclaimed.

"Here's to hoping those pilots out there can get to it in time to stay in the fight," Leeds said and he could not help but smile at their apparent salvation.

The arrival of the battlestar Stryker could have easily been seen as a miracle by those desperate crews on the ships and the pilots flying the Vipers and Raptors. The Orion class ship had entered the fray and promptly drew the attention of the Cylons. It had managed to give the cruisers and faststars time to regroup as well as allow the civilian ships more time to put distance between them and their pursuers. The Raiders attempted to close the distance and activate the CNP backdoor that would allow them to power down the newly-arrived battlestar, however with the CNP disengaged the efforts were ultimately futile.

The Stryker's gun turrets came to life as they unleashed their shells at the baseships, adding more damage to the ships. The Vipers exited the launch tubes and began speeding toward the dogfight; it seemed as though the pilots who were already in the battle were getting a much needed shot in the arm with the arrival of the Stryker's pilots. The pilots were now getting their first taste of combat since the encounter with the Cylons at Ostarsis, if there was one thing Major Irene Artemisia had pounded home with her pilots was that this was their chance for both revenge and redemption.

The initial efforts of the Stryker's arrival with the coordinated attacks of the cruisers and faststars paid off as two of the three baseships began to fall back because of the damage that had been dealt.

Battlestar Stryker, CIC:

"The birds from the Renown and Repulse have landed and are in the process of being prepped for launch," Lieutenant Ernest Thompson announced from his station at Tactical.

"Any word from Medical on the pilots' condition to fly?" Cyprian asked Communications.

"Doctor Romani has begun giving the new arrivals clearance to fly and he sent word to assure you that the pilots in need of stimulants will be supplied with them," Ensign Darrel Woodside, the Stryker's Communications Officer, said.

Cyprian nodded his head. "That's certainly good to know."

Colonel Alan Stryker, the ship's XO, moved in to ask Cyprian, "Just how much trust do you have in this Doctor Romani?"

"Enough to know that he will do what's best for both the ship and its company. If he thinks the pilots cannot fly without being a danger to themselves and their fellow pilots then they won't fly," Cyprian said. He had met Doctor Vasco Romani in the time after he had taken command of the Stryker. Romani was among the doctors making up the ship's Medical Department; the two had spoken enough to have developed a decent working relationship.

Stryker let out a short sigh. "I'll take your word for it. The important thing is that we have as many able pilots in this fight as possible."

Woodside called out, "Commander, there's a call coming in for you from the Cymric. The ship's doctor needs to have a word with you."

Stryker looked at Cyprian. "I wonder what that could be about"

Cyprian shrugged his shoulders and picked up the receiver. "Only one way to find out."

"Stryker Actual, are you there?" a man's voice said through the receiver.

"This is Actual, what can I do for you, Doctor?"

"Esteban Sandoval, I'm in charge of Medical here on the Cymric. We pulled Rear Admiral Shikoba out of the wreckage of the Flag CIC and she is still alive!"

Cyprian's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "That would at least qualify as good news."

"Yes it would, Commander, but I don't think our facilities here are going to be able to give her the care she needs. Can you arrange for her to receive treatment on your ship?"

Cyprian did not hesitate. "Absolutely, do you have any Raptors available to bring her over?"

"We still have a couple of Raptors in operation; I can have her flown over soon."

"You get her moving this way, Doctor. I promise we will have our people ready to tend to her injuries," Cyprian said and with the call over he asked to be connected to Medical.

"Commander Cyprian, what can I do for you?" Dr. David Ryalls asked.

"Hey, Doc, I need you to have a team ready on the hangar deck to transport Rear Admiral Shikoba to Medical for immediate attention. From what I've gathered she was badly injured on her flagship."

"I'll have a team of medtechs ready when she arrives," he said.

Cyprian tried to remain calm as the Stryker shook from the impact on a missile against its hull. 'I'd hate to find out just how many of those we can take.'

"Do you think Admiral Shikoba will have a chance when she gets here?" Stryker asked.

"I'm not sure, but if there's a chance to save a flag officer I'm willing to try," Cyprian said.

"You do realize that you'll no longer be the senior officer if that happens," Stryker said, he was curious as to what Cyprian's response would be.

"I admit I'm winging this and trying to get the best result so perhaps having someone take the lead may not be such a bad idea," Cyprian said before adding, "It wasn't that long ago that I was merely a caretaker for decommissioned ships, seeing combat was the least of my concerns."

"You seem to have found your bearing well enough," Stryker said.

"It wasn't easy, that and having to deal with that insufferable Major Wallace," Cyprian said before realizing who he was talking to, "No offense."

"None taken. I know my family adores Arthur for the most part, but there are those who rarely have anything nice to say about him; and my wife is among that latter group," Stryker said as diplomatically as he could.

Cyprian decided to change the subject. "Looks like the Cylons are starting to pull back; we may be starting to turn the tide."

Stryker looked up at the DRADIS. "Yes but the question is for how long…"

"Long enough for us to retreat back to Amasen I hope; perhaps we have enough ships to form a strong battlestar group," Cyprian commented as he saw two Cylon baseships disappear off the DRADIS.

The loudspeaker at Command and Control crackled as the voice of a man came over the wireless.

"This is Lieutenant Robert Huntington; my Raptor has just left the Cymric with Admiral Shikoba onboard."

Cyprian picked up the receiver. "Lieutenant Huntington, this is Stryker Actual; we'll have a medical team ready in the hangar when you arrive."

"They must have gotten her out of that wreckage pretty damn quickly," Stryker commented.

Cyprian nodded his head. "They want to make sure her life is saved; can't say I fault them for that."

Heavy Cruiser Macon, Flag CIC:

Rear Admiral Percival Sherbrook took a hold of the report that had come in from the faststar group and shook his head. "Send word to the faststars to pull away from the line of battle and give the Stryker some damn AA support!"

"Aye, aye, sir, sending the orders now," the officer at Communications said as she began to transmit the order to the faststars.

"Admiral, there's a call coming in for you from the Cymric," the Communications officer said.

Sherbrook picked up the receiver. "This is Admiral Sherbrook."

"Admiral, it's Commander Rosenberg from the Cymric," the voice of Commander Harold Rosenberg announced.

"Yes, Commander, how are you and your ship holding up?" Sherbrook asked.

"We're holding our own but that last hit did a number on us. We also pulled Admiral Shikoba out of the wreckage of the Flag CIC and we discovered that she is still alive!" Rosenberg exclaimed.

"Well that is good news; is she being treated in sickbay?" Sherbrook asked as he wondered what condition the Cymric's sickbay would be in.

"I've arranged a medical transport over to the Stryker; Commander Cyprian has informed us that he has a medical team ready to tend to her injuries," Rosenberg said.

"Excellent, we've lost enough flag officers in this war so far. Keep me apprised of any developments. If you think your damage is too severe then retreat to the edge of the system," Sherbrook said before putting the receiver back into its cradle.

"Good news or bad news?" Colonel William Ault, Sherbrook's Chief of Staff, asked.

"A mixture of sorts, it depends on if the medical team on the Stryker can save Admiral Shikoba's life," Sherbrook said.

"I did a deployment on the Stryker; she's got a quality sickbay," Ault said.

"Any particular reason why you had to use it?" Sherbrook asked.

"Got into a fight with some Viper pilots from the Leonidas at a bar on Picon. I had to get a cut stitched up when I got back to the Stryker," Ault said.

Sherbrook was going to respond when the Macon shuddered from the impact of a missile.

"This is getting serious," Ault said.

"Understatement. Colonel, the outcome is still very much up in the air," Sherbrook said once he picked himself off of the deck.

"Sir, two of the three baseships have left the battle with severe damage," the officer at Tactical announced.

Sherbrook had only one order to give as he picked up the receiver and pressed the button to transmit. "Attention all ships, this is Admiral Sherbrook, I want all fire concentrated on the central axis of the remaining Cylon baseship!"

Moments after the order had been sent, the guns of the heavy cruisers, light cruisers, faststars, and the Stryker lit up the remaining Cylon baseship until it exploded into two separate pieces as its central axis gave way to the amount of firepower that had been poured into it.

"Baseship has been destroyed!" Ault shouted as the reports of the baseship's demise began to circulate.

A loud cheer arose in the Flag CIC and Sherbrook let his normally reserved formal demeanor down just enough to let a smile come to his face. This was a victory for him and it was one he felt the need to savor.

"Send word to Commander Cyprian that we are ready to jump as soon as he gives us the coordinates," Sherbrook said.

Minutes later the report came from Tactical. "Admiral, I've received the coordinates from the Stryker."

Sherbrook nodded, "Excellent, pass them along to the civilian ships and order them to jump with us."

Ishtar System:

Battlestar Stryker CIC:

"Commander Cyprian, care to explain to me what is going on?" Sherbrook asked once the communications link had been established between the Stryker and the Macon.

"Just taking some time to get our bearings before we jump to Amasen," Cyprian said.

"I see, what can you tell me about this Amasen?"

"From what we've discovered so far it was a secret base that Admiral Stryker had constructed either during or immediately after the Cylon War. We discovered it shortly after the Cylons attacked and it's given us a base of operation we can use."

"Sounds like you've been very fortunate," Sherbrook said.

Cyprian could not help but nod. "We've been very fortunate, but we dealt with our share of dangers before we managed to find Amasen."

"I know there are going to be some issues to work out, but it's reassuring to have at least one battlestar with my ships."

"Considering we were about to get underway with the decommissioning of the Stryker when the Cylons hit, it could have been a different story if the toasters had waited just a little bit longer."

"I see where you're coming from, what's the status of Admiral Shikoba?"

Cyprian looked at the papers that had been brought to him and searched for the one from Medical. "Looks like the surgeons are still working on her but at least it means she's still alive."

"I hope she's able to pull through, judging by what she was able to do during the battle she's a capable flag officer, and do you know how many pilots from the Repulse and Renown were able to land on your ship?"

"I haven't heard from the hangar deck crew on that one but I feel safe in saying that most of the pilots were able to get back to us."

"I'm glad there were survivors from those two ships, they fought hard out there against the Cylons; the last thing I'd have wanted to do was leave them behind," Sherbrook said.

"I'll send you the coordinates to Amasen whenever we're ready to jump, right now I want to take the time to get a proper after-action report ready," Cyprian said.

"I'll do the same with my ships and the ones that Admiral Shikoba was in command of, I'll talk to you once all that has been taken care of," Sherwood said.

"I look forward to it, when that's been done then I'll send you the coordinates to Amasen," Cyprian said before the line went dead.

"How did that go?" Stryker asked once Cyprian had put the receiver back into its cradle.

"So far so good, looks like the fighting so far hasn't rattled the man," Cyprian said.

Stryker nodded. "That's something we're going to need if we're going to make it out of here."

Cyprian laughed. "Yeah apart from finding a way to bring your dad back to life and turning back the years until he's the age he was when the Cylon War started."

"Yeah, and that's possible in the world of fiction," Stryker said though part of him wondered what his father would say if he were alive to see how this second war with the Cylons had gone.

Battlestar Stryker, Hangar Deck, Upper Level:

Major Irene Artemisia looked down on the celebration taking place on the Stryker's hangar deck below. The deck crew had managed to maneuver the Vipers and Raptors from the Repulse and Renown to create a large space where the Stryker's pilots and deck crew were mingling with the newly arrived pilots in a joyous celebration.

It was a great feeling for her, with all the death that had taken place it was nice for there to be a happy ending of some sort. She knew that if the Stryker had not shown up then these pilots would have eventually been lost to the Cylons. Eventually, they would come to make the Stryker their new home and they could certainly bolster the ranks of the air group.

"You look lonely standing up here," Captain Royce Blackwell of the Renown said as he and another pilot walked toward where she was standing.

"Just taking in the sight," Artemisia admitted as she turned to face the new arrivals, "Major Irene Artemisia, I'm the Stryker's CAG.

"Captain Royce Blackwell," he said and he motioned toward the other pilot walking with him, "This is Lieutenant Dallas Avery of the Repulse."

"It's a pleasure to meet you both, and I take it you're the senior surviving officers from the Repulse and Renown."

"Only because I was assigned to the Repulse on the deployment before Matador joined the ship," Avery said.

Artemisia smiled at them. "I bet the two of you were the first pair of CAGs to find themselves with an air group to command but no ship to land them on."

"Probably hasn't been anything like that since the Cylon War," Blackwell said.

"Well, I wasn't planning on becoming CAG but the toasters were annihilating us out there. I think Major Deffner was one of the first ones to be taken out. From there the higher-ups just kept falling until I finally assumed command," Avery said.

"Well, you got you and your pilots out of there so it looked like the fates smiled down on you," she said.

Avery shrugged. "Would have been nicer to still have a battlestar but I'm not about to be picky."

"Yeah, especially when you think of the alternative," Blackwell offered.

"The two of you can go get a bite to eat and then I'm sure we can find you a rack somewhere so you can get some sleep. Wouldn't surprise me if your bodies start telling you it's time to call it a night any minute now," Artemisia said.

"You won't hear a complaint from me," Blackwell said.

"There's an order I'm not about to disobey," Avery added before starting towards the hatch that would lead them away from the hangar deck.

"I think things are starting to look up for us," she said. Truth of the matter was she could not help but smile. She would have to start working out the logistical issues of where to put the new arrivals but at this time she was just happy to have them here. She would let the celebration go on for just a little bit longer before she tried to restore order; for the time left her pilots had more than earned the chance to let off some steam.

On the hangar deck one of those pilots celebrating was Lieutenant Tomas 'Matador' Rivera, the second most senior pilot to have survived from the Repulse. He had made one landing on the Stryker during the battle that allowed him to get his Viper rearmed and refueled before joined in the fray against the Cylons. Now he was back on the Stryker. This time, when his Viper was moved into its location and he climbed down the attached ladder, he immediately went down on one knee and thanked the gods as he smiled at the thought of just being alive.

"Welcome aboard," a blonde pilot said as she ran up and gave him a hug.

"Well it's a pleasure to meet you too…whoever you are," Rivera said as he hugged her back.

"Ensign Chelsea Ware; you took out that Raider that was tailing me. You saved my ass out there!" Ware said as she released her arms from around him.

"You and your ship pulled my ass out of the fire so I guess we're even," he said when he realized she had the Stryker's patch on her flight uniform.

She was going to say more until a group of her squad mates picked her up on their shoulders and paraded her around the room calling her an ace.

He took in the moment and laughed, his parents on Tauron would have probably laughed at the sight of this combined crew celebrating as though they had just won a battle.

"I see the toasters didn't shoot up your ugly mug," a familiar voice said behind him.

Rivera turned and saw the familiar face of Lieutenant Hollie 'Rancher' Riggs. "I should have known the Cylons wouldn't think you important enough to shoot at."

The two pilots clasped hands before Riggs pulled him in for a one armed hug, "Good to see you were able to make it out of there."

"It was touch and go there for a moment or two, I wasn't sure if you had bought it and gone to that big ranch in the afterlife," Rivera said. Hollie Riggs had come from a family of ranchers on Leonis, hence the reason she had earned her call sign.

"Looks like we have ourselves a new home, what do you think of her?" she asked.

Rivera looked around the bustling hangar deck. "Looks like most other battlestars but maybe there are other perks here we haven't found yet."

"Well maybe there's some luck to it considering who she's named after, "Riggs suggested.

"Gods, I hope so; our last ship didn't seem to do that much better," Rivera said.

The conversation was interrupted by a loud blast of an airhorn from the upper level catwalk of the hangar deck.

"Attention, this is Major Artemisia," the woman announced, "I know we're all happy to be safe here on the Stryker, and for the pilots from the Repulse and the Renown, we are thankful to have you on board with us. In a short while the squadron commanders and I will be taking note of whom we have on board. My goal is that you will be integrated into the Stryker's air group so that we can continue to take the fight to the Cylons!"

"I should have guessed the party wasn't going to last forever," Riggs said as the newly arrived pilots began to assemble near the forward end of the hangar bay where the deck gang was in the process of assembling a group of tables.

"At least we got to celebrate a little bit before we were crashed back to reality," Rivera said before adding, "I think we'll be able to get some sleep and in the morning look at our new home in a different light."

"The question is whether that's going to be a good light or not," Riggs said.

"Could be good or it could be bad, but right now the Stryker is the most beautiful ship I ever laid eyes on," Rivera said.

Two Hours, Eighteen Minutes Later:

Space Station Amasen:

"Looks like more of our systems are being brought online," Colonel Cecil Bradford, XO of Amasen, said as he thumbed through a series of reports that had recently come in.

"The crew is working around the clock in twelve hour shifts to bring every system online," Ensign Bahram Langar, the on-duty Communications Officer, said.

"Any word yet from Chief Johnston?" Bradford asked.

Langar shook his head. "So far nothing new; there are some areas that she's tried to access, but so far no luck."

Bradford shook his head. "Might be something Major Wallace didn't want us to find out about."

"Sir, are you sure he's capable of doing something like that?"

Bradford allowed a wry smile to come to his face. "He's an officer with the Ministry of Intelligence. Gods know what information he could be hiding from us."

"Well it could be one of those cases where he'd have to shoot us if he told us," Langar said and when he noticed that Bradford did not seem to understand the joke, he quickly said, "To go with that old joke about the MoI."

"I know what you were getting at, but in our current situation I'm not too sure if there's not a kernel of truth to it."

"Can I ask you a question, sir?" Langar asked.

Bradford nodded. "Go ahead and ask; it can only help to pass the time by."

"Do you feel safer here on the station or would you rather be back on the Stryker?"

Bradford quietly thought it over before replying, "I think we're in equal danger no matter where we are. Whether we're on the Stryker or here on this station we have those metal bastards gunning for us."

"I suppose so, but I personally think we're better off here on the station," Langar said.

Now it was Bradford's turn to ask a question, "Any particular reason why?"

"I was onboard when the Cylons attacked during the decommissioning and then when we fell into that trap at Ostarsis, I think I'd rather stay here where they can't find us for the time being. Besides that, going over those schematics it looks like this station had its armor reinforced and its armaments upgraded. I don't think the Cylons would find it so easy to destroy if they attacked."

"I appreciate the optimism," Bradford said before adding, "The downside is that this station can't jump away and with a large enough force it can be eventually overwhelmed."

"Sir, we have multiple DRADIS contacts appearing outside the nebula," Lieutenant Nicholas Groves announced from Tactical.

"Friendly or not?" Bradford asked.

"I'm getting Colonial Fleet Transponder codes; they're ours!" Groves said with the same excitement he had before.

"I take it that's a good sign," Langar said.

Bradford nodded. "That it is, and looks like Commander Cyprian got lucky on this trip."

"Shall I open up a channel?" Langar asked.

"Yes, Mister Langar," Bradford said as he picked up the receiver and waited for the connection.

"Stryker Actual this is Amasen Actual, can you hear me?" Bradford said.

"I hear you loud and clear, I brought a few friends along with me for the return trip," Cyprian said in a serious tone.

"I look forward to meeting them; anyone I should be happy to meet?" Bradford asked.

"I have Rear Admiral Percival Sherbrook and his flagship Macon, he's probably going to meet me on Amasen so have a room ready for us," Cyprian said.

"Having a flag officer will be a change," Bradford said.

"We did have two originally, but I just received word that Rear Admiral Shikoba is out of surgery but is currently unconscious. The doc says she's going to be touch and go the next few days," Cyprian said.

"I'm sorry to hear that and I hope she's able to pull though. If she doesn't, well…we all know that the human cost of this war is going to do nothing but rise," Bradford offered.

"I know we're going to lose people, but if we keep losing our high-ranking officers then we're going to be in trouble."

Battlestar Stryker, CIC:

The connection was closed and Cyprian moved the receiver back to its cradle. The Stryker had once again gone into battle against the Cylons but at least this time the result was more in their favor and they had managed to pick up some additional ships along the way. Yes, he had risked his ship answering the call for him but he now had cruisers and pilots to add to his force.

"When are you planning on going over to the station?" Stryker asked.

"I'll wait just a little while. I want to see how much damage the Cylons did and how many people we lost. I'm going to my quarters to start putting together the reports that I'm sure Admiral Sherbrook will want to read. Till then you have the deck," Cyprian said as he left the CIC and made his way down to his quarters.

After he stepped into his quarters he secured the hatch to the room after the Marine standing guard had closed it. He started unbuttoning the buttons on his uniform jacket and when that was done he slipped the jacket off and tossed it onto a nearby chair. He had mixed feelings about what all had just taken place. The arrival of Sherbrook could be a rare blessing and one that he was grateful for. He was glad that they now had a bona fide flag officer who could take overall command of the ships and take on the responsibilities of leading the battle group. The weight of command had taken more of a toll on him than even he was aware of until now.

What kind of officer was Rear Admiral Percival Sherbrook? That was an unknown that tugged at his mind. As much of an aggravation as Major Arthur Wallace was, he felt he had a feel for the way the Ministry of Intelligence officer worked and they were able to least work together somewhat. So far Wallace had not tried to usurp him and take command of the Stryker, even though the frakker had a love affair with belaying his every order.

He sat down on his bed and the more he thought about it the more he realized there was little more he could do now than just wait and see how the situation played out. If he were back home he would take his motorcycle for a ride in the country but considering his home was now a nuclear wasteland that was out of the question. He walked over to the closet and pulled out one thing he did manage to bring onboard when he took command of the Stryker.

It was an acoustic guitar he had purchased back when he was living on Caprica as a student at Abry Military Academy. His parents had insisted he learn an instrument and the guitar was considered an acceptable compromise. There were times when he felt that playing a few songs could not only relax him but it could also help to clear his mind.

He played a few chords and it was not long until he was going through some of the more recent songs he had learned to play. It would be a few hours until he met with Sherbrook; all he could do was hope for the best. At least things were starting to look brighter for both him and his crew than they were back when the Cylons first made their appearance at the shipyard.

Forty-Eight Minutes Later:

Amasen, Conference Room One-C:

"Looks like you had your work cut out making this place look presentable," Cyprian said once he stepped into the conference room.

Bradford shrugged his shoulders. "It was the best I could do with the time and resources I had available."

"Don't get me wrong, I'm sure it looks a lot better than it did before," Cyprian said quickly and hoped it would avoid any more hurt feelings between him and his former XO than there already were.

"Something tells me that Admiral Sherbrook isn't going to be all that picky about how the accommodations look," Bradford retorted.

"I'm sure of it," Cyprian said and he decided to change the subject, "Listen, Cecil, about me transferring you here. I know I probably came down hard on you after your trip to Ostarsis.

Cyprian had been on Amasen shortly after its initial discovery when Bradford had taken the Stryker to the resort moon of Ostarsis on what he believed was a rescue mission. Ultimately it was a Cylon trap designed to lure Colonial Fleet ships in so that they could be destroyed. The Stryker escaped, but lost a portion of its Vipers. In the aftermath, Cyprian had come down exceptionally hard on Bradford and had for all intents and purposes banished him to Amasen.

"I think you felt like you were doing the right thing, but I still believe you would have done the same thing I did if you had been in my position."

Cyprian nodded. "I probably would have, but I felt that being in my position means I could not afford to make any mistakes or lose too many pilots to the Cylons. I do want to apologize for how I acted; it wasn't my greatest moment as a Commander or as your friend."

Bradford was quiet for a few moments before he said, "You're right on both counts, but at least you're realizing it. You may actually grow up to be a better CO than you realize."

"Colonel Bradford, you are needed on the hangar deck," Langar's voice announced over the station's main channel.

"I think that means Admiral Sherbrook has arrived; I hope he knows we forgot to pack a red carpet to use for his arrival," Bradford said with a chuckle before he left the room.

Cyprian set down the reports he had prepared to give Sherbrook detailing not only the materiel condition of the Stryker but also its number of crewmembers, pilots, and other pieces of information he would find useful.

He was sitting at the table unaware of how much time had passed when the door suddenly opened and in stepped Rear Admiral Percival Sherbrook. Cyprian immediately stood up at attention and saluted the flag officer.

Sherbrook returned the salute. "As you were Commander Cyprian."

"Thank you, sir," Cyprian said as he took his seat. He looked at Sherbrook and could tell the man was physically tired; his face seemed to be heavy from the fatigue of near constant fighting against the Cylons. There was a part of him that wondered if when the admiral was done with this meeting he would retire to the Macon and sleep for about a week just to get his energy back.

"I'm just waiting for my Chief of Staff to arrive," Sherbrook said; moments after saying that the door to the conference room opened and an officer stepped in carrying a large courier bag. "Commander Cyprian, this is Colonel William Ault, my Chief of Staff, and he's carrying the reports of what has taken place since we started fighting the Cylons.

"I'm eager to read them, I'm sure your survival has been nothing short of a miracle," Cyprian said.

Sherbrook shrugged. "Perhaps but I think it had more to do with luck than anything particularly miraculous."

"I can see where you're coming from on that, so I guess the question is where do we go from here now that your fleet has found my battlestar?"

"The first thing I plan on doing is making your temporary rank of Commander permanent," Sherbrook said and he smiled when he saw the surprised look on Cyprian's face. "Yes, I know you were given a field promotion for the decommissioning and inactivation of the Stryker. Now it looks like you won't be going back to the rank of Colonel so you should get used to being called Commander from now on."

"Thank you, sir," Cyprian said before asking, "What are your plans for your flagship?"

"There is a part of me that would love to keep my flag on the Macon but perhaps at some point in time when things are settled I can transfer my flag to the Stryker. I wouldn't interfere with your operation of the ship but I think I can coordinate the battlestar group better from an actual battlestar instead of a heavy cruiser. Tell me, what condition are the flag facilities in?"

"Truth be told, they are being used for storage, when I took command of the Stryker there was no need for them so the extra food and items we took on were placed there for storage until they were needed."

"I recommend you get your deck gang moving on clearing those out and restoring them so that I can use them when I'm ready to transfer my flag," Sherbrook said.

"Naturally, and I hope you realize that I want to make this transition as seamless as possible."

"I understand, and I thank you for being a good officer and accommodating me as best you can," Sherbrook said before asking, "If it's all the same, I will have Colonel Ault hold on to your reports so I can read them when I'm back on the Macon. Right now, I'd like for you to find Colonel Bradford so I can have a proper tour of this station."

Cyprian nodded and went to a nearby phone so he could call the CIC to page Bradford.

"Who is in command of this station?" Sherbrook asked.

"Major Arthur Wallace from the Ministry of Intelligence," Cyprian said.

Sherbrook shot him a quizzical look. "Why would you put a Ministry of Intelligence officer in charge of this station?"

Cyprian wasted no time in informing him, "Because it was the most effective way to get him off of my ship so he would stop belaying every order I gave."

"Sounds like he's an interesting person to know," Sherbrook said in response.

"Oh that he is, and he seems to know his way around the station well enough. The only real downside is that when he's being an annoyance he's as bad as the people from the two Stryker museums I had to deal with," Cyprian said.

"Ah yes, I heard they were onboard to catalog items they wanted removed before the Stryker's dismantling began. I have to ask, just how bad was it?"

Cyprian thought of something absurd that the museum people were fighting over, "There was a very heated discussion over who got to dismantle the Aviation Jet Shop and reassemble it at their respective museum for that 'authentic battlestar experience'."

"Just how did you survive those…civilians?" Sherbrook asked.

"Read them several versions of the riot act and then dropped them off on this station the first chance I had," Cyprian responded.

"A very wise decision," Sherbrook said approvingly.

"I personally thought it was a genius move on my part, sir."

"Indeed…they fought over the Aviation Jet Shop?" Sherbrook asked with a strong tone of incredulity in his voice.

Cyprian nodded. "I'm not lying about it…just imagine if they had made a go for the Library we have on board the Stryker."

"In all honestly, Commander, I have no idea who you pissed off to pull that assignment but I think it's safe to say you got the last laugh."

Cyprian could not help but smile. "Yes sir, I suppose I did."

"Let's finish this tour and find a place on this station where we can get some decent food, I think after all we just went through a bite to eat to celebrate our good fortune is called for."

"I'll have Colonel Bradford get the kitchen to whip something up for you, Admiral," Cyprian said.

Authors Note: I know it's been some time since I last updated a story, and I want to apologize for the long wait. It wasn't something I had planned but ultimately life happened, as it is so prone to do, but this is the first of the updates as I am working on new chapters for the majority of my main stories. I promise there will be more material coming for your reading pleasure.

-Wes