2000 Days later

(Battlestar Xanthi – XO's Quarters – Day 4000, 0715)

Colonel Tyler Williams finished dressing and sat behind his desk. A thick pile of paperwork was waiting there for him. Fortunately, the bulk was housekeeping, so that could wait. He put those papers aside and was left with a small pile. These were personnel transfers. Two of them were cooks being transferred to the Columbia. Xanthi's chef had been replaced two months ago and the new guy had streamlined things enough for the two cooks to be transferred. And the kitchens on Columbia were a frakking mess. (Williams had seen the list of complaints from the crew and it was huge.)

"How the frak did I land this job ?"

He had been a bitter LSO until day 2205, when there had had been a fire in the starboard flight pod. He had managed to drag seven guys to safety before the folks in CIC had closed the doors and vented the compartments. It had made his realize that he still had what it took to be a Colonial officer, even without his left leg. (Which he had lost on day 1985, but that was another story.) He had managed to climb the ranks to full Colonel and ship's XO. But that was not important now. He had other things to worry about. He signed the transfer orders for the cooks, then opened the third – and last – folder.

"About time." Williams muttered.

Xanthi's air wing was mainly made out of nuggets. A fact her CAG – Lieutenant-Colonel Dan McIvers – had been complaining about. This was because a lot of her experienced pilots had been killed. Fred 'Tapdance' Rogers, Anton 'Walker' Vale and Dennis 'Tiger' Kyle were all dead. Even Ralph 'Dodger' Wallace – a very promising Raptor ECO – was gone. To make things worse, Peter 'Bombrider' Aurelius had left on Day 3495 to become the CAG aboard the Atlantia. (He had been promoted to Major along with the transfer.) This had left McIvers without a good second-in-command, until now…

"Captain Gaius 'Rufus' Nash, Battlestar Anubis CAG."

Nash had served aboard the Xanthi until Day 2909, when he had been transferred to the Orion-class Anubis. On Day 3639, he had been promoted to Captain and made CAG. And he had done well. Assignment to the Anubis was voluntary. When Nash had become CAG, she had carried four Vipers. Now, she carried twelve Vipers and two Raptors. ~Thank you, Admiral Magnus.~ Peter Magnus had been promoted to Admiral several months ago. While other Admirals moved to Fleet HQ, Magnus was still aboard the Atlantia. Williams signed Nash's file and headed out. It was time to give McIvers the good news.

(Raptor 204 'Widowmaker' – Cockpit – Day 4004, 0700)

It was good to be behind the controls of Widowmaker again. Gaius Nash flew the old girl into Xanthi's starboard flight pod and put her down right on the mark. In the back, his old ECO Tammy 'Ace' Byron, whistled. But things had changed. These days, she was held the rank of Warrant Officer and flew the Widowmaker herself. In fact, she was the CO of the 'Wild Bunch', a pack of four Raptors crewed by enlisted men and women.

"Just like the old days, Ace ?"

"Just like the old days, Rufus." She said and smiled. "It's good to have you back, the wing needs leadership. Lucky…" Lucky was Dan McIvers call-sign. "…does what he can, but he's only one man. He keeps things running fine. But we need somebody who can boost morale. And that's you."

"Great, no pressure at all then."

"Hey, they…and you…don't pay me to pull punches."

Rufus grinned. Ace was right on the money always. And he had an idea or two on how to whip the air wing into shape. Of course, he would have to run them by Lucky first. Still, he had to begin somewhere. The elevator engaged and they began lowering into the hangar.

(Battlestar Xanthi – Starboard Hangar – Day 4004, 0827)

Nash had settled into his bunk – getting some shuteye – and showered. Now he was walking across the hangar and taking notes. As he saw it, the problem with the Big X was that the last stretch of training – which she covered – took nine months. And in a war with the current numbers of casualties, that was really bad news. ~One bullet in the wrong place and poof…it's all gone.~ It was a hard truth that was a killer for morale. ~No way to change that.~

"Planning to take over the hangar, Rufus ?" A male voice said.

"Nice to see you're still around, Fixer."

Thomas 'Fixer' Wallace was the Big X's Chief of the Deck for the starboard hangar. While the port hangar had been suffering from high overturn, Wallace had been around since Day 1107. He had been handpicked by Commander Magnus for the job. The two men exchanged smiles. Fixer gestured towards a nearby Raptor and the two of them sat down inside it.

"How are things going, Fixer ?"

"Well, I presume Ace told you about morale ?"

"Yeah, I got the cliff notes. But I need the scuttlebutt and the opinion of somebody who's been here for a while." Nash began. "I figure if I can do something about the top ten troublemakers, it'll make a dent. So, what intel can you give me ?"

"Okay, I hope you brought plenty of paper. Because there's plenty to tell…"

Nash nodded and Wallace began talking. What they didn't notice, was that they were watched. Commander Leyton and Lieutenant-Colonel McIvers were watching from the catwalk. The Commander looked at the CAG and smiled, who smiled back. They both had the feeling that things were about to change for the better.

"You know, he might end up with your job." Leyton began. "What do you think about that ?"

"Well, based on Commander Engels reports…" Commander Rick Engels was the skipper of the Battlestar Anubis. "…he's got the chops and the leadership skills. And he's got the charm too."

"And what about you then ?"

"The way this war has been going, I'll be dead when that happens."

"Maybe not." She took out a folder. "This just came through the pipeline. The Yashuman lost her XO two weeks ago. And there is a short list with just three names on it. And you are at the top. Which means that the job is yours if you want it." McIvers took the folder. "Think about it, Daniel."

"You think that's what they are hedging their bets ? That they send Nash over for that reason ?"

"Fleet Command is not that smart. Admiral Magnus on the other hand, is well-connected enough and cunning enough to…"

McIvers nodded. It sounded like the Old Man all right. Magnus had not survived this long by being stupid. Before he could reply, the PA system came to life and the voice of Colonel Williams told them that there was a fire in the port flight pod. He ordered the fast response teams to do their thing. But McIvers and Leyton were already on the move…

(Battlestar Xanthi – Port Flightpod – Day 4004, 0830)

McIvers first instinct was that they had been attacked by the Cylons, but that was not the case. A malfunctioning welder had exploded, with catastrophic results. The knuckle-dragger using it had been working on a Mark-III Viper, which had caught fire and gone up in a massive blast. There were wounded and charred crewmembers all over the place. McIvers cursed when he saw the chaos. It took everything the fire suppression system had to keep the blaze from spreading. Everybody who wasn't wounded or burned, was fighting the fire with handheld gear.

"We have to clear the section and vent it !" Leyton said. "Or we'll lose the whole pod !"

She grabbed one of the wounded and began carrying him out. McIvers grabbed another and did the same. As he put the man down, the fast responders arrived and pitched in. Colonel Williams' voice came over the PA again.

=/\=All hands, prepare for venting of port Flightpod, section B.=/\= There was tons of stress in his voice. =/\=All hands, clear section B, right now ! Repeat, clear section B !=/\=

McIvers ran back in and grabbed another wounded crewmembers. Around him, the knuckle-draggers and responders were doing their best to get everybody who was still alive out. He spotted Leyton carrying another wounded crewmember. A loud rumble announced that they had to get out of dodge, because the section doors were closing. He made it out and put his load down. As he did so, there was a loud thud. Which was a problem, because there should have been two.

One for each set of doors. ~Crap.~ He looked back and saw that the far doors were closed. But the near doors were jammed. They were blocked by a piece of debris from the Viper. Leyton spotted it as well and bolted. McIvers joined her and they tried to clear the doors. It refused to budge. Two knuckle draggers came to their aid, but to no avail.

"It has to be pulled from the inside !" Leyton said.

"I'll do…"

That was a far as McIvers got before Leyton decked him with a single punch. She reached into her pocket and took out her lucky one cubit coin. She threw it to one of the knuckle-draggers, who caught it. The look on the man's face was one of horror. Nearly everybody aboard the Big X knew what this coin was and what it meant that she had given him this coin.

"For Colonel Williams." She said. "Vent the moment these doors close, that's an order !"

"Yes, Commander."

She passed through the crack and pulled the debris clear. The doors slammed shut. And twelve seconds later, Section B was vented.