Responses to Earlier Comments:

Chronos - Right. With the council often bickering over Roslin's government and the absolute military power of Adama and Garner, it is easy to assume people would develop smaller trusting groups for self-preservation purposes.

War Saga - They are indeed separated from the fleet with heavy loss. I stepped away from Canon. The series did not show the Galactica losing many ships in the fleet until crossing the radioactive star cluster. I remember reading about supply convoys in WWII. It wasn't the escorting warships that were sunk by submarines, it was mostly the merchant freighters.

Guest comment for Ch26 - I have to stop short of calling it a given but I would also never disagree with opinions on situations I have only experienced from the outside looking in.

***All comments are welcome. I'll do my best to respond***

Disclaimer: Please note: I own no part or share in the Battlestar Galactica realm, commercial or otherwise. This story is submitted for entertainment purposes only. Oh, and any similarities to people present or past are purely coincidental.

Reminder: I did not spend time making up non-earth names for BSG things - cladding, warrants, jeans, 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 31, Alone, but are we?

"In the vastness where stars meet shadows,

Grant us refuge from this relentless pursuit.

Guide our ships through the celestial expanse,

Shield us from the looming darkness that follows.

In humility, we seek your merciful hands,

So say we all"

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

Bree's Twin

Bridge

Amidst the canvas of a trillion twinkling stars, seven ships clung together, their battered forms a testament to the attack they had endured. Each vessel bore its scars – some were pockmarked where missiles had struck, leaving craters and jagged metal. Others displayed the signs of being strafed by Cylon raiders, the scorch marks and superheated dents paying an account of holding on until the last moment and fleeing a hair's breadth ahead of death. Despite their battle-worn appearances, these ships stood resolute, a symbol of unwavering survival in the face of relentless pursuit.

"This is Captain Cru of Bree's Twin." Cru's voice crackled over the short-wave wireless. "Galactica and Pegasus know our coordinates. I trust someone will come for us in due time. As you saw, the fleet took a pounding and they'll have much to recover from. We should take steps to be ready when they arrive."

Cru knew the battlestars would hold their ground until there was nothing left to defend - either the remainder of the fleet made their jumps to safety or those unable to escape met their end.

Cru continued. "Captain Colfax is compiling a priority list for critical repairs. Ships incapable of FTL jumps or trouble with life support systems take precedence, and everything else in succession. Meanwhile, be ready. Keep to your radios. Keep the chatter low so we can hear critical communication. If any of you happen to have a Council member aboard or a Vice-Councilor or someone in a governmental capacity, please ask them to contact me."

Bree's Twin had most of the food crops and all of the spare fuel, including a sizable amount for the newer ships. Cru did the talking and the others listened.

~~~~~/~~~~~

Time clicked away, marked by the slow crawl of minutes, one after another. Thirty-three of them came and went without the Cylons' arrival, which was no surprise. The Cylon capital ships launched all their fighters in the attack and it would take hours to recover them. If luck had held, the Galactica and the Pegasus had damaged or destroyed all three.

They were alone but they were not far away. Evvie had only a short amount of time to work up the jump numbers they used, so a tight, long-distance jump was impossible. A fast, non-FTL ship could reach them in less than three months. Still, they were well beyond any chance-notice by the Cylons. The enemy would need to know their precise coordinates, which was not impossible. Evvie had sent jump numbers to the Coba, a ship of five hundred souls. The coordinates were encrypted in a way not yet broken by the Cylons, or so they hoped. Still, the Coba did not make the rendezvous. If that ship was boarded, the Cylons might learn their location.

The small cluster of ships remained vigilant.

~~~~~/~~~~~

John piloted the shuttle out and around to assess the damage. What he found confirmed Cru's thoughts.

Bree's Twin had been converted from a freighter to a tanker, which needed much less room than the storage holds provided. As a result, large hollow gaps existed between the outer hull and inner walls, especially in the corners. The missile that struck Cargo Hold One, pierced the cladding and armor and detonated. The explosion ripped open a gaping hole, roughly forty feet in width. It tore away the underlying steel framing but did not burst through the thick inner walls.

Bree's Twin, like the other ships, had its share of the injured. Most had been knocked off their feet or were in the way of falling or shifting furniture, cargo, or equipment. Cru had a small team of medical and first aid people. They moved through the ranks doing what they could to bandage cuts, set bones, and comfort.

"Cru, this is Colfax," called T-Dog over the short-wave. He was busy directing much of the repairs from the fleet-sized repair and salvage ship, Virgon Express.

"This is Cru," replied Cru with a click of the mic.

"Cru, we gotta abandon the Coronis. We're losing it."

The light transport ship, Coronis, had a hundred and twenty-six people aboard. It was missile-struck as it jumped away and was ablaze within, as it arrived. The loss of life was heavy. Only seventy-five made it to the gathering point for extraction.

Cru looked out at the stricken vessel which was no longer under power, some three miles distant.

"We need all shuttlecraft to ferry off their people," continued T-Dog.

"Understood," said Cru as he turned to John. "John, notify the other captains to send anything that will fly. Talk to Tanner - ask him to start making room for survivors."

"On it," said John.

Cru turned to Devina.

"Devina, can you take the shuttle over?"

"Sure, Captain, but it's small," said Devina. "I might fit three in there with me."

"I know," said Cru. "It's better than nothing and we don't want to be short by that many seats"

"Agreed, will do," said Devina as she turned and headed down the stairs toward the receiving deck.

"Cru, how many can you take on The Twin? Can you take forty?" T-Dog urgently called out. "The others are at full capacity."

"Forty-four," said Evvie as she arrived on the bridge."Our engineers say that is our absolute limit."

"Forty-four," Cru echoed into the mic. "Evvie says that's our top."

"That'll have to do," replied T-Dog. "I'll send them your way. That'll leave thirty-five. I'll start-"

T-Dog's sentence hung in the air, unfinished. The Coronis as a recognizable ship, was gone. The ship lurched violently as a powerful explosion ripped through its aft engine section and tore into the cabin. In an instant, decompression ripped the ship open from stern to bow as if it were made of paper. A second explosion from the fuel tanks and oxygen supplies ended any possible hope of survivors.

"Oh no…" said T-Dog. "Cru, are you seeing this?"

"I am," said Cru. He stood motionless, his gaze fixed unblinkingly at the ball of fiery light and the expanding debris cloud.

"No! No! Noooooo!" Evvie cried out.

John stood in disbelief. His heart ached. The Coba was likely lost and now, so too was the Coronis.

A silence prevailed and they all grappled with the weight of what they'd lost, each dealing with it in their own way.

"Devina, stand down," said John over the intercom with the click of a button. His voice was low and wounded. "It's too late. They're gone."

~~~~~/~~~~~

Bree's Twin

Bridge, Two days later

John rang up Cru in his cabin. Devina rang up the whole of the small fleet.

"Cru, the Cylons have found us," said John over the intercom. "Three marks, small profiles, about eight minutes away."

"Attention, attention," called Devina over the wireless. "We have Clylon contact. Prepare to jump, destination to follow."

"Start the countdown," replied Cru into the handset. "Call out to the others. Confirm their responses."

"Already underway," said John.

"Good. I'm on my way up," said Cru as he jumped from his bed and pulled on a shirt and jeans.

It was four o'clock in the morning of their second day away from the fleet or whatever was left of it. Bree's Twin and the other ships waited in the darkness for any colonial contact. Despite Cru's and Evvie's best efforts, hopes were beginning to fade.

"Mrs. Hawkins is on her way up," said Devina as Cru topped the stairs.

"Standing by for jump - just need your choice of numbers," said John. "Main checks are complete."

"Good, good. Thank you," replied Cru. "Can the Argo Navis jump yet?"

"No they cannot," said Devina.

There was a silent pause. In less than two minutes, people would be left behind.

"Everyone else?" asked Cru.

"Still checking in," said John. "The Edina and the Carina are doing their finals."

Cru gave a nod as he glanced at the DRADIS. There were two small vessels at some ten miles distance - only a minute and a half of flight for missiles to span. One of the forward cameras was focused on them. The image was not clear but it was obvious they were transports. Perhaps boarding was their intention. No one wanted to find out.

"There were three of them, but one jumped away," said Devina. "They closed only a short distance but stopped and are standing off. They've not moved."

Cru looked out at the ships around them and off in the distance where two small specks of reflected light marked the Cylons.

"Cru, the other captains are starting to panic," said John. "They want to know which jump coordinates to use."

Cru paused in thought. The Argo Navis needed more time. He contemplated an attempt at negotiating with the Cylons if they would listen. He reminded himself that the Cylons wiped out fifty billion people in a surprise attack. He need not negotiate in good faith. If he could stall an attack long enough to get the Argo Navis away, he would promise them anything, break that promise, and sleep well with peace of mind.

"John, tell everyone to jump," said Cru, "anyone who can."

"I'm on it," replied John. "Which coordinates?"

"Use escape coordinates delta, please," said Cru.

Evvie had calculated four sets of jump coordinates. She usually created just one set, but the situation was dire and she wanted Cru to have options. The delta set of numbers was the furthest jump of the four.

Just then, a voice called out over all the standard frequencies. "Don't run. Please don't run away."

It was a man's voice, or at least in a human sense. It was not an old voice, but it was gravelly and low, with an almost breathy quality.

"Ummm," John hesitated. "Do I send them? Are they jumping?"

"Send them away," Cru replied without hesitation. Whatever game the Cyons were playing, the small fleet's survival depended on moving away from the next attack.

"Sending the ships," repeated John, "...escape coordinates delta. Confirmed?"

"Yes," said Cru. "Confirmed."

"Attention all vessels," called John over the wireless. "Proceed to escape coordinates Delta, immediately. I repeat - proceed to escape coordinates Delta, immediately."

Within moments, ships were blinking away. It was a requirement for survival but the lack of hesitation, the quickness to action, was unsettling in that the Argo Navis and its five hundred passengers were being left behind, presumed to their deaths.

"I wish to speak with Lieutenant Colonel Cru," said the voice. "He is Captain of the Bree's Twin."

Evvie's breath caught in her throat. "They already know you've been promoted."

"The ink's barely dry on the warrant," Cru remarked with a nod.

Admiral Adama insisted on a signed promotion warrant, which was in line with tradition. His and President Roslin's names featured on the rolled-up document in Cru's cabin.

"The bastards are still among us," John grumbled. "Frakkin' panheads."

Cru took a quick glance out the windows. "Is everyone out? Who's still here with us?"

"Argo Navis and the Virgon Express," Devina answered. "The Argo Navis' FTL is still broken down and T-Dog said 'No' to leaving."

"Not a surprise," said Cru. "He's got people aboard the Argo Navis."

"I just want to talk," said the voice, which brought everyone back into focus.

"I bet it's a Leoben," John suggested. "I heard they like to talk."

"Yeah, that would be handy," said Cru. "The Argo Navis needs all the time they can get."

"So we're going to speak with them?" asked Evvie as she entered onto the bridge. Her tone suggested she didn't like what she heard. No one did.

Cru nodded. "We are. Let's hear what they have to say."

"Okay…," said Evvie under her breath.

"Colonel Cru? Captain?" said the voice. It was indeed a Leoben. "Can we talk?"

Cru picked up the handset and gave it a click. "This is Cru.

"Cru?" said the voice. "Can I call you 'Cru'? I don't wish to offend."

"That's fine," said Cru. He covered the mic and turned to the others. "Cylon pleasantries. Lovely."

"Okay," said Leoben. "Okay, good."

This ends Chapter 30

Author notes while writing:

This is a short installation. I've got another 3,000 or so words that are almost ready. The FanFiction site seems broken for months now, and I'm worried I'm burning up time that might be used better, elsewhere. FF is my little therapy of sorts and the visitor count/comments help me keep doing this. Crossing my fingers for a return to normal.

I haven't spent a lot of time with Cru being the voice of authority over this small group of Captains other than a presumption that they know he's a military leader and Bree's Twin and it's crops and fuel are their only lifeline. At 100,000 words, I think that ship sailed. :) I'll need to work on that moving forward.

I said up front that I stepped away from canon. But really, the civilian life was minimally covered in the series so just about all of it can be considered new ground.