HYPERION – (DAY 275)

"ESSEX? I thought she was mothballed or scrapped almost fifteen years ago?" Jackson asked.

"Sir, I have ESSEX actual! It's Commander Tillman. Personal recognition coded has been authenticated." McCall announced.

FLASHBACK – TERTIUS (DAY 261) 1800 hrs

Braylen was staring at the map of the old Sector Twelve on the command table in CIC. He was mapping out the next jump with the data packet received from the javelin scout. The Electro Magnetic Radiation (EMR) made dradis lock somewhat unreliable. He had to use the javelin to map out clear spots within the cloud instead of working with the other two raptors searching for any signs of the shipyard or SELENE, which was Jenco Corporation's mobile restoration vessel. The vessel was a converted Loki class heavy cruise named after Paulo Jensen's late daughter.

"Sir, the javelin reports it fuel cells are down to ten percent. They're requesting permission for touchdown and refuel?" Markesan reported.

"Permission granted. Tell the deck crew I need that ship ready in one hour. I want to jump to the next grid as soon as the javelin is secured." Braylen responded.

"Commence FTL prep." Carter ordered.

As Markesan relayed the order, he knew that he was putting a lot of pressure on the deck crews for a quick turnaround but wanted to be able to cover as much area as possible.

"Javelin is down!" reported Barnes.

"Jump the ship!" ordered Braylen.

As TERTIUS emerged from the jump the radiological alarm sounded.

"Three cylon raiders, fifty klicks starboard! Nukes are active!" Barnes announced.

"Point defense batteries suppression fire! Carter yelled.

"XO, Plot an emergency jump to the next grid!" ordered Braylen.

"Fifteen seconds until FLT is ready! Incoming missiles! One raider has jumped away!" announced Barnes.

"Keying in coordinates!" Carter said as the ship was rocked by a massive shockwave from a nuke that was destroyed in the flak barrage.

"Now!" Braylen ordered as he hung on to the command table

The ship emerged from the jump in a violent spin deep inside a gas nebula. A moment later the ship was able to come to a stop.

"Damage report!" Braylen asked as he helped Markesan to her feet.

"The engineering captain reports that the FTL and port sublight engine are offline. Structural damage to it's cooling system." Markesan said as she held her wrist.

"Dradis is coming back online. System is mucked up, not getting clear readings." Carter said as he looked around the smoke filled CIC.

"That's not right. Launch the CAP." Braylen ordered as he looked at the dradis.

Confirm jump coordinates. Check our position!" Carter told Barnes as he grabbed the phone handset from its cradle.

"I made the mistake." Barnes announced.

"Explanation!" Braylen demanded.

"I transfixed two if the numbers as we were jolted during the attack. I'm sorry sir. " She said regretfully.

"Using our previous coordinate figure out where we are and how far of course we are." Braylen asked her.

"Getting reports of minor injuries throughout the ship. No fatalities." Markesan stated.

"We're on the other side of the interstellar cloud mass." Barnes said as she pointed to the area on the map.

"We're deep in it. Engineering reports a few hours to get the sublight engine online, at least a day for the FTL." Carter said.

"Send the two raptors out to map the area. See if they can clean up the dradis." Braylen ordered as he started looking over damage reports.

FLASHBACK – TERTIUS (DAY 262) 2100 hrs

TERTIUS had spent the last twenty hours slowly moving at minimal speed fearing that the cylons might be able to pick up any distortion that they may create within the cloud mass. Dradis was still spotty, which forced Braylen into using the raptors for CAP duty. He was starting to get frustrated at the lack of progress they were making and contemplated taking a chance. He ordered Carter to slowly increase speed to one quarter sublight.

"Raptor Two reports multiple contacts!" Barnes bellowed.

"Where?" Carter asked.

"To our forward dorsal area! To small to be raiders, probable missiles!" Barnes announced.

"Dorsal batteries commence suppression fire. Roll twenty degrees port, Negative bow angle forty degrees! " Carter barked.

"Jump Drive?" Tillman asked

"Still out and we're still deep in the muck. We can't get a good lock." Carter responded.

"Launch vipers! Have them form up aft. We're going to fight! Bring under that last volley, flank speed!" Braylen announced.

"We're heading into a clear area! Targets on Dradis! Multiple targets!" Barnes announced as the ship was hit.

"Get a targeting solution on the nearest…." Carter started before he was cut off.

"Raptor Two is in the clear! They report targets are colonial! Mark one eyeball confirmed! Odessa station, two battlestars, SELENE, plus three others! Markesan shouted.

"Transmit Jenco and colonial recognition codes now!" Braylen ordered as the ship was hit again.

"We're getting a signal over the wireless!" Markesan said!

"Paulo, that better frakking be you!" the voice shouted.

"Send my personal Jenco codes now!" Braylen ordered.

"Braylen? Where's Paulo?" Asked the gruff voice as the firing ceased.

"Ken, it's good to hear your voice. He didn't make it. How's your crew? We need to talk." Braylen responded.

"Why don't you come down in that old shuttle of yours if you still have it." The voice responded.

"I still do." Braylen answered.

"Come in the station's main hanger. We'll be waiting." The voice said as the wireless channel closed.

"Well he doesn't sound to friendly." Carter said as he turned to Braylen.

"Don't worry, he's not. He's a tough old bird!" Braylen began, " I'm taking Spencer, Coe and two marines with me. Leave a cap around the ship. If something happens get the ship out of here ASAP." He finished.

ODESSA STATION – MAIN HANGER (DAY 262) 2300 hrs

As Braylen stepped out of the raptor he could see about a dozen men and women and a bunch of shadows throughout the hanger bay. As he approached, he recognized the man dead center on crutches missing his right leg below the knee.

"Did you lose you leg again in another game of triad? You stubborn old bastard!" Braylen shouted as he walked closer.

"No, I stuck it up a newbies' arse so far, it became a permanent fixture! You little piss pot! What are you doing in that uniform? You sure took your time finding us!" the old man said in a thick Tauron accent.

"Ken, It is good to see you." Braylen said with a smirk as he grabbed the old man shoulder.

"It's good to be seen Braylen! What happened to Paulo?" he asked.

"We lost him shortly after the attack on the colonies. How's the crew? What do you have here? Braylen asked.

"Well, the crew is here. All of us are alive including my son Jacob. A couple of hours after we left orbit Paulo contacted us though wireless to head here. He had won a contract to scrap a mothballed battlestar that deactivated from the reserve fleet at ODESSA Station. Three days after we arrive all hell breaks loose. The station commander was recalled to the colonies with any functional ships and left a skeleton crew to man the station. " Mace answered.

"What do you have here? I don't recognize your friends." Braylen asked looked some of the older men and woman behind Mace.

Mace turned towards his companions and started to introduce them, Lt. Baldrick Shore, Lt. Edlyn Cooper. Maj. Joe Bixby, Capt. Peter Haals, and Capt. Sarah Nolan.

"Shore and Cooper are the only senior officers from the station left on board. Bixby, Haals and Nolan are retired colonial military. Most of them served in the Ghost Fleet Offensive." Mace started, "The station's commander encountered their transport near Styx and had the two raptors escort them here." Mace told him as they walked around the bay.

"There are about seven hundred survivors here. Eighty from SELENE, about two hundred from the station, the rest are from the transport most of them are former military with some family members. How's the fight?" Mace asked as more people started to gather.

"The colonies were destroyed months ago. Survivors are scattered. We have about thirty thousand in our group with a three different class battlestars and a few other smaller military vessels." Braylen announced.

Ken Mace stood silent for a moment and the announced that he could add the battlestar ESSEX to that group. He explained that after the others left. They inventoried the station and decided to restored ESSEX to operational status including her Mark III viper production facility. The only thing the she was missing was her primary weapon coil, pilots, and a CNP.

What about the other battlestar and vipers? Braylen asked.

"She's just a hulk, stripped down to augment ESSEX. We have fifteen Mk III and two raptors." Mace said as they stopped near his son and the others standing before a refurbished Mark III.

Braylen explained that they had a viable CNP on board TERTIUS and a weapon coil back with the fleet. He also went into full detail about the last eight months. They all agreed that they strip down, scuttle the station and rejoin the fleet as soon as possible.

DAY 275 – BATTLESTAR ESSEX

"HYPERION Actual on a secured line!" Markesan announced.

"Jason, mission completed." Braylen announced.