Responses to Earlier Comments:

Thank you, Chronus - Using "She" for a ship seemed like a trigger word - and it may still be for some. My research suggests that it is an endearment that isn't truly understood unless one works a ship on heavy seas, as in, "The waves were sixty feet high, breaking over the bow, and she brought us safely home".

Thanks, War Sage - I'm 20 chapters in and only 60 days downrange. I'm passing over a lot of juicy content to get some Cru and T-Dog smackdown going and of course, wherever it is that Cru and Evvie go.

Hi Blaze - Thanks for your comments. It's an excellent point. If you read my comments at the end, I worry about interactions with the established characters. Once I push into the main plot line, it becomes a canon minefield. Cru is supposed to be a hero and a badass with rugged good looks. Once he steps onto the bridge with Adama and Tigh, I might have to change his name to Mary Sue. :)

***Other comments are always welcome. Please leave a review.***

Disclaimer: Please note: I own no part or share in the Battlestar Galactica realm, either commercial or otherwise. This story is submitted for entertainment purposes only.

Reminder: I did not spend time making up non-earth names for BSG things - Movie theater, welding, etc. They are in there for continuity. I wanted to avoid introducing new terms, explaining them, and potentially causing confusion when they are used later without explanations.

Chapter 20

Seventy

"I'm not a people-person...I'm just not."

~Cru's journal, if he had time to keep one.

Day 52, Early Morning

Galactica

Cru needed to get back to his ship. He had ridden along with Dr. Cottle on the shuttle trip to the Galactica. Commander Adama lay on his death bed with two lead slugs in his chest. Cottle was his only hope. Now, many hours later, a raptor was being prepped on the flight deck for Cru's return to Bree's Twin. He had twenty minutes of downtime, while he waited, and thought he should find the brig and the "detained" President.

~~~~~~/~~~~~

Lee Adama occupied the cell on the left. Roslin was on the right. Marine Corporal Venner stood "at ease" next to his desk, which was a loose form of standing at attention. Two other marines stood as sentries at the door. All of Cru's weapons were lined up against the wall, outside.

"Undersecretary Roslin, please watch your step as you exit the craft," said Cru as he stepped thru the hatch and into the brig.

Cru was not allowed to be there, strictly speaking, but with the Commander's recovery in question, and no update to given orders, Cru was able to talk his way past Venner and the two other marines who were standing guard.

"That's 'Madame President' to you," corrected Apollo but with a threatening tone. Yes, he was in a cell, but they were aboard the Galactica, a military vessel, and he was still a Captain.

Roslin raised a hand to Apollo as a signal that he should not engage. She stared hard at Cru as if gauging his character and gauging where the Major stood in the contest between her and senior military leadership.

The corners of Roslin's mouth curled ever so slightly upward.

"Lieutenant Cru," said Roslin, "would you please hold my purse while I address this group of angry construction workers?"

The President caught Cru off-guard, far more than he did to her. Cru laughed loudly and shook his head. "That's funny, ma'am," he said. "You win."

Many years before, Cru was serving a rotation on the large Trejo station. Roslin was an Education Undersecretary at the time. She took a post there to push a massive schooling effort for the families. The station was still under construction and would be for years. Cru shuttled Roslin and her team around the station in his raptor because it was faster flying to outside access ports than her trying to get through the inside work zones. And, because it was the only vehicle that wasn't covered in grease and oil.

Cru's eyes coursed along the bars from the steel-plated decking to the old yellowing tiles above. His eyes fell back to Roslin's. She stood tall. Proud. Defiant.

"It's Richard Cru, isn't it?" asked Roslin.

"It is."

"And, you are both Major and Captain. You are both Military and Civilian."

"Yes, ma'am, I am."

"How is Mrs. Hawkins? Evelyn? You were both hurt."

Roslin referred to the attack Evvie and Cru had suffered during their visit to the Pyxis cruise liner. But also, Roslin had read the report on the theft of goods and kidnapping attempt of Evvie's children aboard Bree's Twin. Cru had killed all but two of the attackers; one got away and the other Evvie had fought and killed with a knife.

"She is well, Madame President," said Cru with a nod. "She is strong."

Roslin nodded her head. "Good."

Roslin turned to Apollo. "Captain Apollo, this is Freighter-Captain Cru from the Bree's Twin. He is also a Marine Corps Major in the Military Reserve, as Commander Adama has informed me. He served three enlistments." She turned back to Cru. "Is that not true?"

"Yes, ma'am," said Cru, "three enlistments." Cru wasn't big on accolades.

Apollo knew a Marine Major named 'Cru' was out in the fleet somewhere, but he had no idea that the man who had just joined them, was him.

"Major," said Apollo in acknowledging Cru.

"Captain," replied Cru in response.

"Major Cru, I'm curious why you are here?" asked the president.

"It's a fair question, ma'am," said Cru with a nod.

Cru took in the full of the room. It was stark gray, old like the ship, and the last place the president and leader of humanity's fragile remains should be. It was disquieting for its symbolism.

"In truth, I don't know," said Cru. "The quorum has been shut down, did you know that?"

Roslin nodded. She knew it all too well.

"I think, ma'am, that I would like to read the charges against you. The military does paperwork better than anyone. I'm certain the Commander has written it down, proper, and filed it in triplicate somewhere."

"Okay major," said Roslin with a nod. "What do you expect to learn from an account written by the one who has put me here?"

"Ma'am, I'm curious what was so grievous as to be met with martial law for the full of the fleet. As a friend is quick to point out - and I concur, at no point in history, across twelve planets, had military rule ever worked well for long."

~~~~~/~~~~~

Cru found his way back to the flight deck. He was recognized by many, but not in a good way. He was soon reminded of the attack on Bree's Twin and what he did for the ship's defense. Jaskins and Holk were the two servicemen who had boarded Bree's Twin with the raiding party, and who Cru had shot dead. It didn't matter that the men were not well known. What mattered was that they were Galactica crewmembers and Cru was not. That was the key point, and it showed in the faces of many whom Cru passed by. It would be a problem soon.

~~~~~/~~~~~

Colonel Tigh had declared martial law, which did not go well, at all. The Gideon Massacre was an avoidable loss of civilian lives. It sent a wave across the fleet on how life without a president was going to play out. The former president, Laura Roslin, escaped her imprisonment and went into hiding. Commander Adama awoke none too soon.

Cru was called up to begin regular rotations on the Galactica bridge while Commander Adama recovered. The evening before he was ordered to report, ended with a haircut.

Day 54, Evening

Bree's Twin

Evvie cut hair which was one of several jobs she held while she went to university. Cru had a good pair of scissors, a mirror, a brush, an electric trimmer, and a comb. Evvie found them all and had them waiting.

Cru and Evvie were alone in the Galley. Cru sat in a chair in front of the sink. Evvie stood over him.

"Lean back," she said, as she tested the water temperature

Cru complied. The chair was tall enough for him to tip his head back with most of it over the sink. Evvie let the faucet run warm water over the top of Cru's head. She pulled his long hair into loose handfuls and held them under the water until they were wet. She ran her fingers through his hair, like a comb, before reaching for the shampoo. She poured a generous portion onto the palm of one hand. She spread it across both hands and then worked it into his hair with deep massaging fingers.

The water was warm. Evvie's fingers were firm but gentle. Her fragrant hair brushed over Cru's face.

"You're smiling," said Evvie as she worked.

Cru sat in the chair, with his head leaning back, his eyes shut, and wearing a light smile.

"This feels wonderful," admitted Cru.

"Uh-huh," said Evvie with a smile. "I expect you didn't get your hair washed often down on Caprica."

"We were out in the sticks surrounded by a lot of practical people."

"...Who didn't get their hair washed before a haircut."

"No," said Cru with a smile. "Practical people wash their hair before going to the barber."

"They didn't know what they were missing," said Evvie. She directed Cru to sit up as she began towel-drying his hair. "I loved having my hair washed. It is soothing to have someone else do it."

Cru agreed very much. He might not have agreed ten minutes prior, but now, he was a believer. His smile broadened. "Yes, well, Old Man Mac cut hair in a barber shop. He smelled of cigarettes and cheap ambro." Cru laughed. "I didn't need him to wash my hair and he only cut it the one time. He wasn't too keen on any one of the male sort, letting their hair grow out, 'like a beatnik', as he called it." Cru paused as Evvie touched his shoulder with her hip. "He and his clientele were a couple of generations…." Cru tried to focus but his voice trailed.

Evvie pressed against him lightly, as she leaned over him with scissors and comb in her hands. She was close - she was very close. He could feel her warmth. He could feel her breath on his face. She wore a light perfume that reminded him of lilac blossoms or maybe it was lavender. It was hard for him to think of which.

"Generations?" Evvie asked.

Evvie was both captivating and distracting in equal measure. Cru enjoyed the attention, but far more than he thought he should.

"They were a couple of generations older than me," said Cru at last. "They were older than my father, and somewhat set in their ways."

Evvie nodded her understanding. She pulled gently at his hair, working long handfuls between her fingers, and cutting back the layers. She used a brush to draw back over his scalp and watched how the hair fell into place when she released it.

She was done long before Cru wanted her to be.

"If you had a straight razor, I'd give you a shave." Evvie smiled as she stood back. She leaned against the table behind her, with hands on her hips and a towel over her shoulder.

Her smile was sweet and enchanting and Cru had to look away.

"I can manage that," said Cru as he looked down.

Evvie smiled but looked away, also. She had been careless with her emotions and she saw too that so had Cru. She remembered resting her hand on his shoulder as she worked, but maybe too, she caressed his shoulder without thinking. She couldn't remember. She sometimes cut her husband's hair. It was a simple thing that they shared. It was like giving or receiving a neck and shoulder massage, but it was more personal, and far more intimate.

"You clean up well," said Evvie with a somewhat fearful smile. "That old Colonel won't recognize you." She cleaned off the comb and the scissors with the towel. Her eyes did not stray upward. She did not want them to meet his.

"That would be helpful," said Cru, "but I fear they've got a hold of me now."

"Tell them you are needed here. It's too much work for John and Tanner."

"And your boy, Fletcher."

"Yes, him too," said Evvie with a nod. "It's too much work without you."

~~~~~/~~~~~

Cru was assigned to overnight watches every four days. Nothing happened - ever. But it did stretch out the duty cycle a little and gave the ranking junior officers a bigger break between their long double shifts.

~~~~~/~~~~~

Galactica, CIC

Duty Officer Cru

"Mission-Critical" comments requiring write-ups in the duty log.

1843 Hours "Reiben, you take this one. Get a note out to maintenance. Have someone from PDAT follow up. Mice and rats are not welcome guests in the ship's galley, even if someone named them."

2014 Hours "Crewman Wade, make a note of the laundry service output. Output is falling short of requirements by 6.2%. Inform Ensign Miller that either he swings some people over or I will."

2326 Hours "Parks, the patrol has noted a small leak from the Daru Mozu. Please take down the particulars and enter a priority alert for maintenance. Make sure Colonial One is aware of the re-task."

0112 Hours "Hamill, document the Astral Queen's illegal dumping. Bodies need to be properly managed, always, with no exceptions. We do not dispose of the dead without some semblance of dignity and of course, the requisite paperwork. This comes direct from the president."

0218 Hours "Pettinger, wake up. Stand if you must."

0407 Hours "The overnight O2 report is late. Somebody get on it."

0441 Hours "Twenty-two new cases of athlete's foot? Hygiene, people, for frak's sake. Wear the damn flip-flops."

~~~~~/~~~~~

When Cru arrived back at Bree's Twin, Evvie met him at the access port with a mug of her strongest coffee, a plate of something edible from Emily's breakfast work in the galley, and his tablet with maintenance highlights ranging from "It can wait a little longer" to "Eminent failure - fix it frakking now".

~~~~~/~~~~~

Bree's Twin News

A group of thugs clamped onto the access port of Bree's Twin as anger across the fleet reached a threshold. The plan was to "encourage" Cru to join President Roslin's side of the confrontation. This was before the president and a third of the fleet made their departure to Kobal. Bree's Twin had a sizable portion of the tylium stores and was a bargaining prize against Galactica's leadership. The near-do-wells chose the precise time when T-Dog and some of his people were aboard. It was grand fun. Everyone aboard Bree's Twin had guns up and waiting, including young Emily and Fletcher. The thugs quietly excused themselves, apologized for the interruption, and departed. While Cru had no desire to take sides in the confrontation, he was damn sure that Bree's Twin would not be someone's leverage.

The crops were doing great. Evvie had daily exports of squash, lettuce, cabbage, and other vegetables out to the distribution hubs. She had a small side business of direct trades for hard-to-get items like hand tools, ammunition, blankets, and building materials. She kept a flower garden. It was a little bit of beauty against the gray of desolation and hopelessness. It turned out that cut flowers were a powerful symbol of hope for better times. She received regular orders for them as well.

Tanner and Emily took down a wall between two of the rooms. Emily was a great study in welding and the use of a cutting torch. With Tanner's guidance, she trimmed out the new, larger room in steel and rerouted some of the ductwork. They built a couch with spare materials and brought in extra chairs. They, added audio and video equipment. Once complete, they had a small movie theater. Evvie was part of a group that exchanged movie disks and files. They had a library of several hundred titles. Wednesday nights were movie nights.

Cru and T-Dog acted on a plan for Bree's Twin to take on more people. T-Dog had more than three hundred workers across multiple crews. These crewmembers had family and friends out in the fleet. Others were just good people with strategic skills who were, first and foremost, not aligned with Tom Zarek. T-Dog sneaked his workers aboard Bree's Twin during "night hours", off-the-books so to speak, and without Galactica's or Colonial One's knowledge. From Cru's inventory of spare parts, they built out air handlers and reclamation systems, and waste management systems for seventy more people, all of whom would fit easily in Storage Bay three and in family-sized cubicles built by Emily, along the Tylium tanks in storage bay four.

T-Dog slowly smuggled the people over to Bree's Twin. Evvie had built powerful connections in the supply channels. It was nothing for Bree's Twin to be added to the regular food, water, and other essentials deliveries, in line with the new mouths to feed on Bree's Twin and fewer mouths to feed on the ships where they came from.

President Roslin had been reinstated as President after she and Adama met and worked through their differences - and also found the Tomb of Athena and possibly the way to Earth. When she learned of Cru's and T-Dog's ambitious effort, she was not pleased. She summoned them both to Colonial One. Cru left John in charge of Bree's Twin but brought Evvie along. Cru was tactical. Evvie was analytical. Evvie had far greater experience in diplomacy, which they might need. T-Dog was conveniently "delayed" on some "critical" job somewhere.

~~~~~/~~~~~

"Madame President, are you angry because I moved seventy people or because I didn't tell you my plans?"

"Cru…" said Evvie. She put her hand on Cru's arm, which was a simple gesture to encourage caution.

"They weren't just your plans," said Roslin without looking up. "Addinor Colfax was part of this."

Roslin wasn't wrong. Cru and John hatched the plan but Addinor "T-Dog" Colfax and his maintenance people were the only ones who could have made it work.

"Yes ma'am, he was, at my request. I hoped to keep his name out of this."

Roslin nodded but it wasn't a good kind of nod. It was more like Cru named his co-conspirator when she was already well aware of him.

Roslin looked up and took off her glasses. She stared at Cru with piercing eyes. "Most ships are overcrowded and stretched beyond capacities. People are living in their own filth and eating protein cakes that had been flushed a week before. But you and Colfax stroll in and hand out winning lottery tickets. I have riots breaking out all over the fleet and I have 47,000 people who might just want some of what you have."

"Ma'am, Bree's Twin is not a winning lottery…"

"Do not." Roslin raised a finger and pointed it threateningly. "You don't get to make billeting decisions. You don't get to choose who goes where. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, ma'am I do," said Cru.

"Go."

Cru turned in place and strode towards the door at the back of the cabin. Evvie gave a nodding bow to the president and followed Cru.

Cru stopped at the door and spoke without turning. "Captain Colfax and I were deliberate in our choices. There is a storm coming, ma'am. I need people I can trust."

Roslin didn't respond.

This ends Chapter 20

What I was thinking while I wrote:

Cru might have been best suited for going to Kobal and tracking down Roslin's group. It's part of what he did in the military. But, I expect he would have had to do something dramatic when Caprica Sharon shot Zarek's henchman, Meier. I worry about interactions with established characters and Cru being a Mary Sue.

I've made Bree's Twin out to be a near-derelict ship. It is old and dirty and dangerous. But, I can see how it would be paradise to many.

Welding is an art form. To those in the trade, forgive me for advancing Emily's skills as I did. I needed to move forward with a couple of things.

I liked Cru with his Jason Momoa look. I already regret cutting his hair and shaving his beard.