Part Two – "Wings"
New Caprica Residential Block
It was late, and Lt. Troy knew his optimal window for launch was closing, but he wouldn't be able to sleep well knowing he had visited New Cap and didn't give him a visit. His new Viper waiting at the spaceport could wait a bit longer - after all, he did design it.
The apartment door slid open, revealing a dark, tired-looking man slouching in a wheel-chair. He smiled and straightened instantly upon seeing an old friend. "Boxey! Oh- sorry… I forget you haven't gone by that since you were as tall as me in this chair."
"Don't worry, you can still get away with it Boomer."
"So what brings you down here?" he asked in his deep, gravelly voice. "Don't tell me you're here just to see ol' me?"
"Actually I just had the honor of performing the first atmospheric flight with your newest baby. She's a thing of beauty – no doubt."
Pride visibly swelled in Boomer to the point where it looked like he might actually rise out of his chair from it. "Now that's my pride and joy right there. But she sure didn't appear outta no-where." The aging warrior rolled over to his workbench, where designs tracing the evolution of Viper design before and after The Fall were scattered. The later were almost entirely designed by Boomer, with some help from Dr. Welker before his passing.
But the Scarlet class was all Boomer. The flight avionics were the most advanced ever envisioned. The computers he created from his chair in this cramped apartment allowed the Scarlet-class to perform maneuvers only dreamed about by pilots of earlier craft. The beauty and in-atmo functionality of the inverted wing design combined with the sheer power of the engines made it the fastest thing known to man in space or air. His pride in the design was equaled only by his despair that he would never get to fly it himself.
The two pilots starred at the iconic craft they had spent so much time in and around, reminiscing for what could have gone on for hours if Troy hadn't spoken up. "I don't have much time; I need to get back to Galactica. Starbuck just took Dalton on her first patrol… the skies are no longer safe."
"Yeah…" Boomer began, slowly drifting out of his memories in the cockpit. "…definitely don't want to get stuck down here. Civilians need a planet… but pilots need a Battlestar. Get back to yours."
"It's yours too… and it always will be."
Troy said his goodbyes and promised to visit soon with the others, then he hurried off to the spaceport, leaving Boomer in much the same position he had been before Troy arrived. Very soon the thrill of seeing adult Boxey and the pride in his "baby" wore off.
Sometime later, watching Troy's Viper climbing into the clouds and feeling his physical limitations more powerfully than ever, he spoke quietly to himself. "Pilots need wings."
Space
Evil had wings too. Like a great predatory bird it soared through the void, looking for good life to corrupt and feed upon. Sure, it passed much lesser life, animals, savage creatures and a few space-faring barbarians. These were not of its - His- concern. After all, he had "offspring" for the extermination of these cosmic nuisances.
No, evil searched for the truly rare thing in the universe these days: human life. If his creations couldn't find it and finish what they started – he would. For men had defied his power, something only The Lights had the strength to before. They were they only true foes of evil.
Foes that would pay dearly when found.
Count Iblis had a plan.
Galactica, Port Hanger Bay
As Troy pushed himself out of the cockpit he noticed a large formation at attention near a shuttle at the far end of the flight deck. Everyone in the flight pod not actively working on a space craft was part of it.
At the back of the group, and plainly slouching was a very familiar father-daughter team in flight gear. "Troy, you're late. Dalton here's already earned her wings with her old man," announced Starbuck, an unlit cigar twirling between his fingers. "We get back to what appears to be a celebration of her first landing… only to find out we can't even light up her first cigar in honor because the President decided to drop by un-announced."
"Captain, do you really mean to get her started on that damn-habit of yours? You've already got her gambling."
"You're just upset because I took your twenty cubits last night," Dalton pointed out while adjusting her new wing-shaped insignia. "Anyways, it's an occasion. I'm officially a Viper pilot." She gestured to the Azure-class Viper that now displayed her name on the side. "Dad's finally got someone to really compete with him up there now."
"Aren't we supposed to be at attention?" Troy asked coyly, ignoring the jab while straightening up. As he did, his height allowed him to see through the ranks and catch a glimpse of the President walking past with… Troy's expression went blank.
"What do you see up there?" asked Starbuck jokingly as he prepared to ignite the fumarello party regardless. Dalton smiled in approval at his brazen-ness.
"It's… my father."