Responses to Earlier Comments:
Hi Blaze and War Sage - I need to put aside the Cat Fight for a chapter or two while I get on a better track (See Note below) I loved the snips between Evvie and Ellen. I'll get back to them soon.
TakingThrone - I encourage reviews and you gave one. Yours had all the earmarks of an honest critique, and I can work with that. My takeaway from your remarks is that you think Cru has an unremarkable character development - He just goes with the story flow. You connected with Evvie, and based on your comments, I can see why. When it comes down to raw details, hers is the story of accomplishments, more than Cru.
***All comments are welcome. I'll respond where appropriate***
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 - Wolf Pack, Dining Hall, modeled, etc. They are in there as is. I wanted to avoid introducing new terms, explaining them, and potentially causing confusion if/when they are used later without their explanations.
Chapter 29
Decoded
"I'd give him a medal if I didn't want to throttle his neck."
~Cru's Journal if he had time to keep one.
Please Note: A major script change has occurred. I made small changes starting in Chapter 22 that were mostly minor but together, removed Cru from being drafted into full service by the military. Full military service was not sustainable. I lost the ability for Cru to be anything but a Character Insert in episodes that didn't need him. Adama had already stated the military cannot be used as a policing force without consequence. I needed things for the Marines to do and Cru to lead, but not be a police force. I put thousands of words towards 3 different approaches, with nothing worth publishing.
Cru remains in the rotation for bridge command duty during overnight hours. He's back on Bree's Twin, mostly, where there are far more situations to write about. My apologies for any confusion. The following finishes up the Scar episode before moving on.
~~~~~/~~~~~.
Galactica
The Pilot's O-Club
Admiral Adama and Colonel Tigh stood near the entrance watching the room. A great celebration was well underway. More than thirty pilots, both viper and raptor, were in attendance. Cheap ambrosia was present and in great quantities. It flowed like water.
"We heard your little dust off," said Colonel Tigh as Cru joined the merriment. It was a raucous event and Tigh spoke loud enough to be heard.
"In the CIC?" said Cru. He made a face like one caught in an awkward situation. "You were both there?" He referred to Admiral Adama who was standing next to Tigh.
"Yep," said Tigh.
"Not a finer moment, Colonel," said Cru at the same volume. "Lieutenant Deepwater and I got caught gawking - well - I did anyway. She was along for the ride." Cru gave a respectful nod to Admiral Adama. "Good evening, Admiral."
"Drink, Major?" Adama called over the din. He didn't wait for Cru to answer. He waved over an ensign with a bottle. The fellow was pouring with a heavy hand into any glass in need.
"That true?" said the Admiral when Cru had a glass in his hand and had taken his first swig.
"It is, sir," said Cru. "We ran up on four - or they ran up on us. We got two kills at point-blank - lost a lot of paint - I expect the gun-port videos will be entertaining."
Just then, Kat stumbled off the platform she had been standing on, followed by lots of cheers and more pouring of drinks.
Cru smiled. "...But maybe not more entertaining than the current festivities."
"They've been at it a while," said Adama.
"What about the other two Cylons?" said Tigh as the commotion settled down a little.
"No idea, sir," said Cru as he shrugged.
"Cut and ran, I bet," said Tigh.
"Agreed," said Cru as he gestured towards Kat. "Switching topics if no objections - I see Captain Katraine has got the Top-Gun mug. The radio said she got Scar. Good riddance, I say."
"It's unconfirmed," said Tigh. "We'll see when they pull the video. Lieutenant Thrace couldn't confirm. She was too busy running."
Cru gave a smile. "That would be 'Captain Thrace', sir." He knew Colonel Tigh's dislike of Starbuck. It was the kind of loathing that bordered on legendary.
"Whatever," said Tigh. "We'll see how long it lasts."
"You mean her being a captain?"
"Yeah," said Tigh. "The fastest way for her to drop rank is to get a promotion."
Cru smiled again. Tight wasn't wrong. A foul temper, strong drink, and a quick right hook towards an 'Old Salt' senior officer make poor bedfellows when staying out of lock-up and when preserving rank.
Adama spoke over his shoulder. "The ambush tactic used on Starbuck was consistent with Scar." He took a drink without looking back. "Kat confirmed it was Scar and her view was 'four-by'. It's good enough for me."
"Well, I can help you with that one," said Cru.
"What do you mean? said Tigh.
Cru smiled. "Lieutenant Deepwater is bringing up a souvenir."
Dragoon arrived as if on queue.
"I had one of Chief Tyrol's guys clean it up and make it pretty," said Dragoon.
"Nice," said Cru. "Good call."
One by one and in small numbers of two and three, the revelers turned to see what Dragoon held. A wave of emotion swept over as recognition dawned. A cheer went up, first in the back where Cru, and Tigh, and Adama were, until it reached Kat and took her up with a loud undulating force.
Kat ran - or most will recall she more or less staggered in a forward gate - towards Dragoon.
Dragoon gave up the prize, willingly into Kat's hands, as Kat snatched up the weighty object and held it aloft.
"It is done!" shouted Kat. The room erupted.
There was no mistaking the angled cut into the pitted chromium metal. Scar the Menace, Scar the Scourge, Scar the killer, was dead.
~~~~~/~~~~~
Galactica
Admiral Adama's quarters
Two weeks later
"Admiral Adama, Major Cru is here," called a marine as he gave a knock on the hatchway entrance.
Adama was in his quarters sitting at his desk, pouring over a stack of reports. A star map with grid lines was spread out on the desktop and was held from rolling up by a coffee cup on one side and a pen holder on the other. The light in the room was low, except for a single desk lamp.
"Send him in," said the Admiral as he removed his glasses and stood.
"Reporting as ordered, sir," said Cru as he entered.
"Major, thank you for coming," said Adama. "At ease," he said with a short wave.
"Thank you, sir."
Cru had just finished his watch as OOD on the Galactica bridge. The night and early morning were uneventful. The paperwork was done in less than ten minutes.
"Do you need a report, sir?" asked Cru. "It was a slow night."
"Not necessary," said Adama. "I'll check the logs."
"Very good, Sir."
"Major, I've read the fitness reports on the Marine you recommended for promotion. I've no objections. Work with Colonel Tie to get it done."
"That's great, sir - will do."
"On a related subject," said Adama, "there's another matter long overdue."
"What's that sir?" said Cru.
Adama reached into a drawer and pulled out a set of pins. He held them out to Cru. They were red and gold and glinted in the light. They were the pins of a Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel."
Cru smiled. "That there is a whole lot of trouble. Have I mentioned I type with only two fingers?"
Lieutenant Colonels were ranking officers above Major and under the "Full Bird" Colonels like Colonel Tigh. Their roles were often on the administrative side of command-level decision-making. Good typing skills were a plus.
Adama gave a light acknowledging chuckle. "Colonel Tigh has been pushing for it. He says it's important as the crews intermix. I agree with him. Pegasus had a full complement of officers at the onset. Galactica was lean, even before the attack."
"She was standing down, sir," said Cru, "after a brilliant run."
"Indeed, she was," said Adama as he dropped the pins into Cru's hand.
Cru and Adama stood in silence for a moment as they considered the good ship and its well-deserved retirement, only to be brought back as guardian over the last of humanity.
Adama continued. "Your duties will continue on the bridge as they are. You will continue your work with the Marine rank and file. I'll need regular reports on your progress."
"...And my work on Bree's Twin?" asked Cru. His converted freighter was as old as the Galactica and needed an able hand at the helm, not unlike Galactica.
"The promotion comes with certain responsibilities. You will continue to divide your time between both ships. We have some mending to do with the civilian population after the Gideon situation and other mishaps. Your position as a Ships Captain and the fleet-wide supply chain can aid in that - at least the President thinks so."
"The President was in on this?" Cru held the pins up in the light and wondered where the Admiral had got them.
"Promotion to a senior rank requires government review. I spoke with her and we are in agreement." Adama gave a reinforcing nod. "We were not going to leave it up to a Council vote."
Cru understood. The council would see it as a small opportunity to show control over Adama's actions and by extension, the military. The promotion could take months and would likely come with 'quid pro quo' requirements.
"She sends her congratulations," added Adama.
"I'm honored," said Cru with a respectful nod.
Adama returned the nod. "Alright then. The promotion is effective immediately. Congratulations Lieutenant Colonel Cru."
Adama reached out, as did Cru, and the two men shook hands.
"You're dismissed," said Adama. "We'll see you on your next rotation."
"Thank you, Sir," said Cru as he came to attention. He snapped out an about-face, but Adama caught him at the arm.
"Sir?" said Cru.
Adama gave Cru a hard stare and held it for several seconds. "I will not forget what you did for me - for my son. It's a well-deserved promotion, to be sure, but it is also personal."
"Understood, sir," said Cru in a solemn voice.
~~~~~/~~~~~
Bree's Twin
Bridge
Bree's Twin was recovering from its most recent FTL jump. Right after the jump, John smelled what he thought was a hint of burnt electronics.
Cru sat on the floor with a maintenance panel open, troubleshooting a complicated wafer switch. It smelled like something had shorted and overheated. John sat in his co-pilot chair watching the console and all of the controls. Evvie's daughter Emily had just been on the bridge bringing John a lunch of sauteed chopped vegetables and a small square of protein cake. With Cru on the bridge working, she offered to bring lunch up to him as well, for which he was grateful.
"Mr. Tanner," said Cru with a welcoming smile. "What's this about?"
"Captain," said Tanner as he stepped onto the bridge, "this is Trevell Mosset - your radio guy." He gestured to an older young man who had followed him up and stood just behind him.
"We've met on several occasions, as I recall," said Cru to John. He leaned forward from his place on the floor. "Hello, Mr. Mosset."
"Hello Captain," said Trevell.
Trevell was a twenty-eight-year-old who had family on Virgon. He was part of an electronics maintenance team supporting broad-stream communications in the city of Pellier. As the attack unfolded, he took a small sub-light transport to get back to his wife and son. The transport's pilot turned up and off-planet when Admiral Nagala arrived with the remaining battle fleet and began his doomed counter-offensive. Trevell watched from a window as the fleet was overwhelmed and systematically destroyed. Far below, on the planet's surface, Pellier went up in flames.
"Trevell," said Tanner. "Can you tell the Captain what you just told me? About the RF signals you've been watching?"
"RF signals, okay," said Cru as he set down his tools and stood. "Color me interested."
Cru wasn't interested - not really. His work wasn't critical, the FTL was resetting without issue. And, Emily would be up soon with lunch. It was a good time to take a break.
"Okay," said Trevell. "I've been tracking signals for a while, and keeping the comm gear working. It's what I do. Six weeks ago I took an interest in the Rhadamanthys."
"Small passenger ship - got it," said Cru.
"Yes, Captain," said Trevell. "Well, right after every jump is announced, going back nine jumps, the Rhadamanthys has this faint, almost undetectable, radio-frequency signal that flips on."
Cru gave an understanding nod. "Maybe they are still using a wireless network to initiate their FTL jumps. Are you able to determine that? If so, they need to disable it and use their manual process - no networks are allowed." He looked over at Tanner. This was a small issue that Tanner or John could have managed. A call over to Colonial One, to some newly installed compliance official, would see it corrected.
Tanner gestured him back to Trevell with a facial expression urging Cru to listen.
"It's what I thought it was, too, Captain," said Trevell. "But, I figured out what it is. They are ID devices with transponder tech. I can read the data. Each time, it's information on someone different from the prison ship Astral Queen. They're ID bracelets."
"To clarify, Trevell, you're saying each time we jump, you get a radio signal from a prisoner ID bracelet. What's in the data?"
"Captain, there's basic health information but it's the location information that bothered me. It's no one's position aboard ship, as you would think. I think they are using a substitution cipher. If I'm correct, and I think I am, the translations look like jump coordinates. I wrote them all down." He held out a folded page of paper. "There are nine of them."
"You're just bringing this to me now?" said Cru to Trevell. It wasn't a judgment. It was Cru digging out facts.
"I just figured it out fifteen minutes ago, sir," said Trevell, "and ran for Mr. Tanner."
"I brought him up, immediately," said Tanner.
"It wasn't easy," added Trevell. "It's a substitution cipher, or 'Book Cipher'. You and the recipient have to have the same book to decode the message because it identifies page numbers, paragraphs, and character locations that correspond with each word or number."
"Do you have this book?" asked Cru.
"Well, it's not a book, Captain, it's the Cimptar Peace Accords. It just occurred to me. It's the only document the Cylons would absolutely have."
Tanner retrieved the jump logs from their folder. The two men stood side by side as they tracked through the most recent entries. The numbers on Trevell's list were the same as their nine most recent jumps, with slight differences between the locations of Bree's Twin and the Rhadamanthys. Someone or perhaps another hidden Cylon was giving away their jump destinations just as the fleet jumped away.
"John, patch us through to the Galactica," said Cru. "Demand the duty officer - no one else."
"You got it," said John as he picked up the console handset.
"There's one more thing," said Trevell.
"Okay. You've earned my attention…"
"Each of the ciphers has an extra number counting down - it's on every one of them."
Emily showed up, just at that moment, with Cru's lunch. She smiled and said, "Two more of you. I'm glad I made extra…one moment and…I'll…" Her smile failed and so did her words.
"Emily, Honey," said Cru. "Could you get on the squawk and call your mom to the bridge - quickly, please."
Emily paused for a moment, reading the severe faces of those in the room. She knew Cru's face when he was trying to conceal some danger they were in. John was terrible at hiding it. She slowly and carefully set the plate of vegetables down on a nearby cabinet, and then she ran full-tilt for the intercom at the bottom of the stairs.
Cru turned back to Trevell. "You said it's counting down - what's it at now?"
'It's at zero."
John was waiting for a response from Galactica when his attention was drawn to the DRADIS screen. The resolution was set for a wide spectrum view. Most of the fleet's ships were visible and it was clear that the Rhadamanthys had moved. He switched one of the monitors to a camera that pointed toward where the small passenger liner should have been.
"Cru," said John, "the Rhadamanthys is out of position. I think they know something we don't."
John looked at Cru as Cru turned towards John. Recognition dawned.
"We're under attack," said both men at the same time.
This ends Chapter 29
Author notes while writing:
This installment jumped around a bit while moving back to Cru staying on Bree's Twin. I feel like I'm sacrificing a chapter to get on a better track.
We are at "The Captain's Hand" episode. I feel that Cru should have been in there along with Lee Adama, and in the Hostage situation in the Sacrifice episode, but this is the departure I needed so Cru could be more than just a Character Insert.
