Survival of the Battlestar Stryker:
Written by: Wes Imlay
(Author's Note: This story has some characters and elements from my 'Stryker Chronicles' story, but is set in the same universe as my 'Battlestar Victorious' series and other stories here on . )
Chapter One: Kiss the Past Goodbye:
Battlestar Stryker (BS-96)
Three Days Before the Fall:
Commander's Quarters:
"How was the ride from the Warlock?" Commander Jason Aeneas asked the man sitting across the table from him.
"Not too bad, my crewmates and I were surprised to learn we had been selected for the assignment," Colonel Jerome Cyprian said.
"Fleet Headquarters wanted you and your people onboard the Stryker sooner than planned," Aeneas began as he pulled a set of orders that he had received, "Colonel Sarah Graham will take over for the inactivation of the Warlock while you and Colonel Bradford will oversee the decommissioning of the Stryker."
"Will that affect the commissioning of the new Stryker?" Cyprian asked.
"The senior staff and I are heading to the dock where the Stryker now sits to help get things up and going; this is a unique commissioning ceremony taking place. You will have command of this Stryker and then when this one is decommissioned you will oversee the decommissioning and inactivation process."
The plan was to do a dual commissioning and decommissioning ceremony for both Strykers. The crew of the old Stryker would decommission the ship and then walk across the dock to commission the new Stryker.
"That won't be a problem for the crew and I, we'll make sure the old girl is taken care of," Cyprian said.
"Considering the plans for her, that may not be necessary," Aeneas said as he pulled out a large brown folder and passed it to Cyprian, "This is a list of items requested by the Stryker Museum on Aquaria and the Stryker Memorial on Picon. Most can be packaged and sent off while this Battlestar Stryker is inactivated."
Cyprian took the folder and took out a list that went on for several pages. The Stryker Museum was located in New Aquarius on the colony of Aquaria. The oceanic world was the home colony of the legendary Fleet Admiral Jonas Ingram Stryker, the man who led the charge to combine the military forces of the twelve colonies into a single fighting force.
The Stryker Memorial was on Picon, where Stryker spent most of his life during and after the Cylon War. Aquaria was where Stryker was buried when he passed away, but Picon had adopted the admiral as one of its honorary citizens. Now that the first battlestar named after him was being decommissioned and sent to the scrap yard both wanted pieces of the ship to display.
"In that case, I'll do it as a matter of professional pride," Cyprian said, it seemed a shame that the Colonial Fleet was so eager to send the Orion-class battlestar to the scrap yard but with the name being used for the new Stryker-class heavy battlestar it was something that needed to be done in light of the cuts being done to the fleet by the Adar Administration.
"The work you did on the Dragon, Romulus, Temeraire, Nicopolis, Patera, and the Achaea was praised by Admiral Bennett," Aeneas said. Rear Admiral Patrick Bennett had been in charge of the Bureau of Ships for the past three years, having replaced Rear Admiral Scott Tolan when he had been given command of Battlestar Group 66.
The Romulus was a Fleet Command Battlestar and bore enough of a resemblance to the Atlantia that the two were grouped together as a class. Due to the budget cuts to the Colonial Fleet it was decided that only one would be needed and Romulus was the one chosen to be taken out of service. The Dragon was from the older Indra-class of battlestars and had been the last of its kind still in service. The Temeraire, sister ship of the Stryker, was the first of the Orion-class battlestars to other three battlestars mentioned were escort battlestars from the Orianos-class that dated back to the Cylon War. Unlike other members of their class they had actually been modernized over time and were still considered to be of use to the Fleet.
"It's a shame to have to take the ships out of service but it's best that the job is done right in case we need them again," Cyprian said. He might have been in the minority but he had heard too many stories from his parents about their lives during the Cylon War. It had been when he had turned fourteen that his parents decided to relate their experiences in the Colonial Army fighting on Tauron against the Cylons. He barely remembered the last four years of the Cylon War though that may have been a blessing. His parents had kept him with his grandparents on Gemenon while they were fighting the Cylons so he never really experienced the war from where he spent the first four years of his life. He was now forty-four though he looked younger than that due to a combination of good genes and luck.
"Indeed, well with this out of the way why don't you go to the Mess and get some food while my items are loaded onto the transport shuttle that brought you here," Aeneas said as he stood up and offered Cyprian a handshake, "Congratulations on your new command, as temporary as it might be, and send the old girl off properly."
"Thank you Commander, we'll see you at the ceremony for the new Stryker," Cyprian said as he released Aeneas' hand and left the room to go find the Officers Mess.
Cyprian closed the hatch and began walking aft towards the Mess. He did not notice the officer who walked up to him.
"How'd it go with Aeneas?" Lieutenant Colonel Cecil Bradford asked as he caught up with Cyprian.
"In about an hour he'll be on his way to the new Stryker and we take care of things here until the decommissioning, it's a bigger job than the Warlock," Cyprian said as he mentally checked off the differences between the Warlock and the Stryker.
"It's a larger ship than the Warlock so naturally it's going to be a bigger job. What's our first order of business?" Bradford asked.
"We're going to get some dinner from the Mess and go over the list of everything the two Stryker museums are going to get off of the ship," Cyprian wondered how much of a fight there was going to be between the Aquaria and Picon museums, it was though they were two dogs fighting over a piece of prime rib steak.
CAG's Office:
"As you know, in three days the formal decommissioning of the Stryker will take place. That will be followed by the immediate commissioning of the new Battlestar Stryker," Major Irene Artemisia said to the five Viper squadron commanders and the three Raptor squadron commanders.
"I know my pilots are ready for the ceremony," Captain James Sykes announced.
"You may think that, but I have doubts about mine," Captain William Sutherland said.
"I think that's because you always have doubts about your pilots," Captain Caitlyn Raborn.
"Only because I don't want them to get complacent," Sutherland shot back.
"Will the two of you knock it off, we're under enough pressure to get this right without the two of you at each other's throats," Artemisia said before things could escalate.
"Any other developments we need to know about?" Captain Edwin Guerrero asked.
Artemisia nodded, "Ensign Paul Stryker, Admiral Stryker's grandson, will be arriving later this morning from the battlestar Poseidon. He's going to take part in the flyover with my squadron."
The rest of the meeting involved going over the plans for the air group. They would all fly over the old Stryker before landing on the new one, something quick and easy enough if all of the pilots were prepared. Artemisia had little reason to worry; she was only carrying on the work of the previous CAG. Major Kaspar Vidar had already left to help coordinate the ceremony from the new Stryker. When this was over she had her new assignment waiting for her as CAG of the soon-to-be commissioned Stryker-class battlestar Kronus, the first ship named in honor of the retired Fleet Admiral John Kronus.
Three Hours Later:
Commander's Quarters:
"Looks like you've settled in nicely," Bradford said as he examined the few decorations that Cyprian had put up since taking residence.
"The quarters are bigger than the ones I had on the Warlock," Cyprian noted.
"Do you ever feel like we're just nomads living from one ship to the next, it's like we're always passing through," Bradford said as he poured himself a glass of water.
"Sometimes it's like we're in some sort of military hotel and we're just renting space until we move on."
"I think this is the largest assignment we've had so far, or at least the most high-profile one. We get to send the first battlestar named for Admiral Stryker into retirement, not that it's going to be a hard job since she's going straight to the scrap yard," Bradford said after taking a drink of water.
"The work is steady, and perhaps it will keep my name in the running whenever the time comes to replace Bennett one day."
"It's not a bad idea when you put it like that, just make sure I get moved along up with you. Right now you are temporarily in command here and I'm the XO."
There was a buzzing at the hatch, Cyprian pressed the button for the intercom and announced that the person at the hatch could enter. The wheel spun around and the hatch opened, allowing a lieutenant to enter.
"Commander Cyprian, I'm Lieutenant Rajesh Suman. I'll be your Communications Officer until after the decommissioning," Suman said as he stood at attention.
"At ease Lieutenant Suman, I'm glad to have you here. Any chatter I need to be aware of?" Cyprian asked.
"I received a message from the transport shuttle Richland will be docking with us at 01:35 in order to deliver the delegation for the ceremonies. It is expected that they will be given a guided tour of the Stryker during the three days it will take us to arrive at the dock," Suman said.
"Who are the dignitaries for this? I thought they would head directly to the dock for the ceremony," Cyprian said, he really was not a big fan of surprises. Growing up on Virgon, his parents would always make the comment that in their experience surprises meant a sign of trouble.
"The members of the Stryker family will be on hand as well as various dignitaries. Specifically from Aquaria and Picon, the other ten worlds are sending representatives as a token of appreciation to Admiral Stryker. President Adar has sent word that he will be sending Assistant Secretary of the Fleet Alvaro Sanchez," Suman said giving the gist of the message he had received. Being so close to the President meant that Sanchez often got some of the flak from the people in the Colonial Fleet whose livelihood was threatened by Adar's sweeping cuts.
"I have yet to meet the rest of my senior staff besides yourself, who is on watch in the CIC?"
"That would be Lieutenant Rebekka Stotland, she'll be going over to the Stryker to take up the same position while I will not," Suman said.
One of Cyprian's eyebrows arched, "Is there a reason why?"
"I've started the paperwork to resign my commission in the Colonial Fleet. I have an uncle back home on Caprica who passed away and in his will left his Caprica Beach business to me."
Bradford whistled, "I can't fault you for doing that, especially when you'll be living at Caprica Beach."
"I would try to disagree with my XO here but he's got a point, I don't fault you for that Mr. Suman but I am glad to have you here for the next few days."
Suman made his exit from the room and it was then that Cyprian opened up the list of items that were to be removed from the battlestar after it was decommissioned.
"Anything of interest?" Bradford asked.
"Both museums get one of the flight pod name plates, each want equipment from the engine room," Cyprian looked before his eyes widened in amusement, "It looks like there's going to be a war for which one gets to reassemble the CIC, at least there's more than one ready room for them to get their hands on, and the list of requests goes on and on."
"You're sort of a part-time museum curator this time around," Bradford joked.
The terminal on the desk beeped and immediately began printing out a piece of paper. Cyprian took it out and looked it over.
"Does it bring good or bad tidings?" Bradford asked.
"Let's just say when we're done with the inactivation we now have a destination. For the sum of one hundred and ten thousand cubits, the soon-to-be ex-Battlestar Stryker has been sold to the Heraclea Salvage Company."
"The Bureau of Ships didn't waste any time selling the ship off did they?" Bradford asked with a degree of incredulity in his voice.
Cyprian shook his head, "The sooner they can make money off of scrapping the ship the better.
"I suppose that's one advantage we have with our line of work, we don't have the time to develop an emotional attachment to these ships," Bradford said.
Cyprian did not answer, he looked at his watch to see what time it was, "It's now 19:26 so I'm going to get some shuteye before our guests arrive and I have to play tour-guide."
"Enjoy your nap, I'm going to the CIC to see how the crew there is doing," Bradford said as he got out of his chair and left the room.
Port Flight Pod:
"This is Viper 7518, coming in for landing on the Port Flight Pod hands-off approach," Ensign Paul 'Torch' Stryker said to the LSO.
"Roger that Viper 7518, prepare for hands-off," the LSO's voice said. "Datalink is secure, we have control!"
Stryker felt the steering tighten up as though the controls had been taken from him by some unseen hands, the auto-landing system had engaged and he was going in. He relaxed his body, feeling both a sense of anticipation and dread mixed together. Just this morning he was on his battlestar, the Poseidon, set for a day of battlestar qualifications.
There were plenty of great perks to being the grandson of the legendary Admiral Jonas Stryker, but the expectations could be enough to overwhelm most people. Here he was doing all he could to live up to a legacy, his brother Joseph was doing the same though he was only a sophomore at the Fleet Academy, and he hoped he was doing enough to carry on the Stryker name.
The Viper entered the flight pod and came to rest on one of the magnetic lifts; he closed his eyes as the descent into the hangar began. He opened his eyes as the Viper was pulled onto the hangar deck, where the operator of the towing vehicle parked him in a nearby spot. A ladder was attached and the cockpit covering was removed. Stryker stepped onto the ladder and made his way down to the deck below.
"Ensign Stryker, welcome onboard the Stryker," the deck chief said as she came to attention and saluted.
Stryker returned the salute, "Thank you Chief. What's your name?"
"Senior Chief Alice Johnston at your service," she said.
"How come you're not on the new Stryker getting everything ready for the commissioning?" he asked.
"I've been on this ship for the past five years, I want to send her off into retirement before I take my new posting," Johnston said with no small amount of pride in her voice.
"I see you made it onboard in one piece," a woman's voice called out over the noise of the various maintenance jobs being carried out on the Vipers and Raptors.
Stryker turned to see a woman in a blue officer uniform. It took him a second but he recognized who she was.
"Well if it isn't Two Shots," he said with a smile as he walked up to her.
"Well if it isn't Torch," Ensign Chelsea 'Two Shots' Ware said as she gave him a hug.
"I don't know my way around here, which squadron am I flying with?" he asked.
"I'm your escort for this little trip," she said.
"Let me guess you knew I was coming and promptly volunteered for it?" he asked with a mischievous smile.
Ware gave him a confused look, "What makes you think I volunteered? I simply drew the short straw in the squadron so here I am."
"That's what I get for making assumptions," he said as he tried not to laugh.
"Yeah, you sons-of-legends really need to work on not thinking so highly of your opinions," Ware said.
"You're a fine one to be talking Chelsea, you're in the same boat as I am," Stryker said.
"As of this moment in more ways than one," Ware said as they both started to laugh. They both came from famous military families. His grandfather was Admiral Jonas Stryker while her grandfather was Admiral Gary Ware; it seemed between the two of them it was an understanding of the world they both grew up in that helped them to become close.
"We'd better leave before we get run over by one of these knuckle-draggers," Stryker said as he motioned for Ware to lead the way.
"Right," she said as she walked over to a set of stairs that led to one of the corridors that would take them away from the hangar."
"I haven't seen you since graduation, how are you and what's-his-name?" Stryker asked her.
"His name is Joel, and to answer your question…we broke up when I was back home on Tauron a few months ago," Ware said as she called for a group of crewmembers to make a hole.
"Sorry to hear that, what happened?" Stryker asked.
"I came home to our apartment to find that the future Dr. Joel Flynn was practicing how to give a breast exam to a woman whose name I didn't know. Let's just say he seemed to be enjoying giving the exam a bit too much," Ware said and for a moment she was sure Stryker saw the anger in her eyes the memory brought back.
"Wow, well you could always send your family after him to teach him a lesson," Stryker said as they turned a corner.
"He's not worth wasting my time over. What about you and that woman you brought to the party we threw after we graduated?"
Stryker shrugged, "It was one of those things that didn't work out."
Ware turned her head around enough to give him a look, "You are so forthcoming, Paul."
"She started wanting to move things further than I was ready for. She wanted to move in with me and we'd barely been together for a year, do you know what my family would have thought of that?"
"I'm sure it'd have been fine, not like you were causing a scandal that would have tarnished the great Stryker family name," Ware said to him.
"Like you didn't tarnish the Ware family name the night of the party when you earned your nickname and call sign," Stryker retorted.
"I think it was that cold medicine I took that day, the ambrosia must have counter-acted with it or something," Ware said. She had two shots of ambrosia and had become sick after drinking it. Because of that when she and a group of her fellow graduated were assigned to the Stryker the name 'Two Shots' had followed her.
Stryker Viper Squadron One Ready Room:
The Viper Ready Room is a unique place. It is a collection of various personalities all forced to intermix and react from one another. Ready Room One was no different and was currently occupied by some of the pilots from the squadron engaged in various activities.
Major Irene Artemisia was in her adjoining office having a talk with another officer, Stryker assumed by the pips on the man's collar.
"I read about the CAG, who are the other people?" Stryker asked.
"The officer in the office with the CAG is Captain Ryan Eaton, the XO of the squadron," Ware said as she pointed to Artemisia's office.
"What about the group over there?" Stryker asked as he pointed to a group of pilots playing Triad.
"The group over there playing Triad is Ensigns Marcella 'Scorch' George, Samantha 'Sugar' Sears, Thomas 'Tank' Murray, Gordon 'Sandman' Caswell, and Lloyd 'Rascal' Jackson. They came over here with me six months ago when we got posted here. The pilots we replaced are training over on the Titan," Ware said.
"What about the group over there watching the movie?" Stryker said as he pointed to a group watching the Neveah Ratliff movie 'Noble Causes'.
He saw a scene of the movie that was taking place on the hangar deck of the 'Achilles' but he was not sure which battlestar the scene had been filmed on. He had recalled reading an article about the movie being filmed on the Athena and the Cerberus.
"Lieutenants Woodrow 'Flex' Graham, Grazio 'Condor' Lanciere, Brett 'Bull' Brewer, Daniel 'Sparky' Sparks, Keith 'Thumper' Blackwell, and Caitlin 'Trax' Stephenson," Ware said as she waited to introduce Stryker to more of the pilots.
"What about the group of pilots sitting over there watching the Colonial Fleet News Channel?"
"Lieutenants Sharlene 'Runner' Salas, Nico 'Lightning' Bautista, Spyro 'Raven' Tryphon, and Lieutenant Aria 'Dice' Antonella are sitting together in their little group. The rest are Ensigns Janice 'Dragonfly' Greene, Jennifer 'Vapor' McNeil, Jessica 'Whiplash' McKnight, Nalani 'Hawk' Haukea, Lieutenant, and Claudio 'Razor' Roma; now those are all the pilots that are here right now. The rest are probably in their racks at the moment. I know you're only going to be here for three days but I think you'll be able to get to know most of them," Ware said as she motioned for Stryker to follow her into the room.
The heads of some of the pilots turned when the pair entered the ready room, it seemed they were sizing him up to determine their opinion of him.
When they reached the office Ware knocked on the door, "Major, I've brought Ensign Stryker."
"Thank you Miss Ware," Artemisia said before motioning for Stryker to come in.
"I'll be waiting for you, when you're done we can get a bite to eat at the mess," Ware said to Stryker as she walked away.
"Close the hatch," Artemisia said to Stryker.
"Yes ma'am," he said as he turned to close the hatch. When it was close he saluted the Major, "Ensign Paul Stryker reporting for duty."
Artemisia returned the salute, "Have a seat Mr. Stryker, I take it everything has gone well since you arrived."
Stryker took a seat and nodded, "The auto-landing system worked fine and I had no issues since I've come onboard."
"That's good to hear, scuttlebutt was that the hands-on system was going to be taken offline but Commander Aeneas thought it would be better to keep it operational until the day of the decommissioning," she said.
"I must say for an older battlestar she's been well-cared for," Stryker said. He had been a young boy when he had attended the christening and launch of the battlestar. Now he was a Viper pilot and had been selected to help send the ship into retirement.
"Like most of the Orion-class she was given an overhaul and modernization, but politics being what they are…I know your grandfather would have disapproved."
Stryker nodded, "In the few years before he died he had little to say about Adar that was 'polite', it seemed the two of them had a falling out around the time the 'Fleet Reduction Plan' was put into effect. I guess that's the curse of peace. We get so used to it that we seem to forget that only four decades ago we were on the brink of annihilation and think that its ok not to spend money on defense because to do so would destroy our belief that peace really is just that."
President Richard Adar's 'Fleet Reduction Plan' was proposed as a way to 'eliminate the excesses of the Colonial Fleet but still leave it as a fighting force capable of defending the Twelve Colonies'. It rejected the main tenets of the Stryker Doctrine, in particular the rule about the need for two hundred and forty active battlestars, in favor of an approach that would reduce the Fleet's strength in terms of numbers of active ships and personnel.
In truth it was this plan that led to the evolution of the Titan-class and Stryker-class battlestars. Twice the size of the Mercury-class, and able to carry twice the air group, it seemed these immense vessels would solve the Admiralty's problems and make the Adar Administration happy. One of the reasons why the Administration was happy with the design was the fact that despite their size they were only marginally costlier to build than a Mercury-class because of the use of proven methods and materials.
"I'll give you some time to get situated onboard. You'll need time to practice with the squadron for the flyover during both of the ceremonies. It's good to have you onboard with us Mr. Stryker, I know it goes without saying but I've always been an admirer of your grandfather," Artemisia said as she shook hands with Stryker.
"Thank you Major, it's an honor to be onboard," he said as he left the office.
01:35 Hours:
Battlestar Stryker CIC:
"This is the transport shuttle Richland to the battlestar Stryker, do you copy?" the voice of the pilot said to Lieutenant Suman.
"Richland this is Stryker, we hear you loud and clear," Suman said.
Cyprian took his eyes off of the DRADIS screen and looked over at Suman, "Have the Richland land on the starboard flight pod, we'll attach an umbilical to their airlock and the passengers can disembark from there."
Suman nodded his understanding and began to relay Cyprian's instructions to the Richland's pilot.
"Docking should be complete in ten to fifteen minutes, Secretary Sanchez requests that you meet him at the airlock whenever he and the rest of the passengers disembark," Suman announced.
"Very good, have the pilot send over a passenger manifest. I want to know who all is going to board my ship," Cyprian said.
Moments later came the sound of paper printing out over at the Communications Console. Suman pulled the printed paper out and handed it over to Cyprian, "This is a list of the passengers who will be boarding. He had done some preliminary research on the Stryker family, to get a better feel for the people he would be ferrying out to the new battlestar for the dual ceremonies.
One name caught his eye and his mind let loose a mental scream of frustration.
"You know if you grip that rail any tighter you might actually snap it in two," Bradford said as he walked up to where Cyprian was standing.
"I think we're going to have to be on our best behavior when one of the Stryker family boards," Cyprian said when he finally got his composure back to where he could talk like he normally would.
"Why do you say that?" Bradford asked though he had a feeling he would not like what the answer would be.
"One of the members of the family is none other than Jonas Carl Stryker, one of the grandsons of Admiral Stryker," Cyprian said as he watched the realization sink in on Bradford's face.
"Frak me, not that bastard," Bradford said as he practically spat the words.
Cyprian nodded, "Yes the pacifist himself is going to be here for at least one of the ceremonies. Five cubits will get you ten if you can guess which one."
"Yeah, he wants to see this ship decommissioned and sent off to the scrap yard where it can be torn apart. Not just because it's a warship but because it bears the name of his grandfather, who from everything that's been said and written is a man he despises," Bradford said.
He had read the same reports on the Stryker family that Cyprian had received and Carl Stryker was a man he would have loved to have shot out of an airlock. He was the member of the Stryker family who had published a book that placed the blame for the Cylon War on the Colonies, even going so far as to insinuate that his grandfather was no hero but instead a warmonger who should have faced a war crimes trial along with other members of the military. He had organized so many protests at various military installations, and according to the rumor mill had organized a protest that was to take place at the commissioning/decommissioning ceremony in three days.
"Knowing this, I wish I'd have just stayed on the Warlock and given someone else the job on this ship," Cyprian said before letting out a sigh of resignation.
"Remember if you need a witness to vouch for your temporary insanity you know I have your back," Bradford said as he patted Cyprian on the back.
"Thanks," Cyprian said as he left the CIC and made his way down the corridor to the access stairs that would take him to the deck below. There was only one Stryker family member who was missing from the group and that was Joseph Stryker. The nineteen-year old was a cadet at the Fleet Academy on Picon and was helping with a training exercise for the freshmen cadets. Commander Aeneas had dispatched a Raptor to make its way to Picon and pick up Stryker up but the craft had developed engine trouble and was forced to land on the battlestar Tulare for repairs.
He realized he would need to make one more stop before he met up with the Stryker family and the various dignitaries. He rounded a corner and headed towards his quarters, it would be improper for him to meet them dressed in his service uniform, this type of occasion would require him to change into his dress grays as well as attach his Commander pips since for now he was temporarily promoted to that rank.
Twenty-Seven Minutes Later:
Starboard Flight Pod Airlock:
The pilot had taken longer to get in position than anticipated, but Cyprian did not mind that so much. He stood there ready for the Stryker family and the other dignitaries who would be coming through that airlock, he was as ready mentally as he could be. Hearing that Carl Stryker was on the list just tightened his stomach into a knot of sickness. The man was nothing but disrespectful to both the military and his grandfather's legacy. Now he was going to have to be nice to the man and fight the urge to either slug him in the jaw or shoot him out of this very airlock once the transport shuttle left.
Cyprian stood at the airlock waiting for it to open; he had now looked more presentable for a formal occasion. He looked down at his leather sash at the various decorations that were pinned to it along with his flight wings. He had been a pilot most of his career, with posting among various battlestars. He had seen actual combat before, both planet-side and in space. He had been assigned to Scorpia as soon as he had graduated from Abry Military Academy during the last part of the campaign against the Green Army. His posting was to Fort Autzen and the squadron he was part of was tasked with flying over parts of the Demeter Jungle and launching missiles to either clear part of the forest for the Army and Marine forces or to take out Green Army bases in the area.
His last taste of battle had been when he was a Captain on the Mercury; the air group had engaged the Tauron pirate group known as the Erebea. He had earned his last combat decoration that day. Before his current assignment with the Bureau of Ships had been offered to him he had served as a Viper instructor at Vaught-Hemingway Fleet Air Station in Oxford, Caprica. He never imagined he'd be one of the people with the job of sending the battlestars of the Colonial Fleet to their last resting place or at least preparing them for that journey to the warship graveyard.
There was the sound behind the hatch of the airlock engaging, the familiar hiss letting him know that there was in fact a hard seal. He stood straight and waited for the people of the group to emerge from the other side. The hatch slid open and out stepped a young woman who looked like she could not have been far removed from college.
"Commander Jerome Cyprian," he said as he extended his hand.
The woman took his hand and shook it, "Christine Collier, I'm with the Memphis Press Scimitar on Picon."
She was the first of several journalists who had come on the transport; all in all there were fourteen of them on hand for the ceremony. It seemed their publications had assigned them to cover the decommissioning while they had a counterpart to cover the commissioning of the new Stryker.
All of the reporters huddled around the airlock with their respective camera people to make the normally roomy area around the airlock seem almost claustrophobic. They were all lined up to get pictures of him greeting the Stryker family as the boarded the ship. They had to wait for one other group to disembark first, which would be the thirty-eight representatives of the Picon and Aquaria Stryker Museums. Their sole purpose onboard was to inventory and catalogue items that were to be packaged up and sent to their respective museums for display.
'Gods help me if they both want the same thing, I'll go from being a Commander to being the referee of a pro-wrestling match," Cyprian thought to himself after he greeted the last of the group, his forced smile beginning to ache the corner of his lips.
The next person to step through the air lock was Governor Jarrod Franklin of Scorpia, who came through along with his group of staffers.
"Commander Cyprian, I presume," Franklin said as he extended a hand to the CO of the battlestar.
Cyprian nodded and shook Franklin's hand, "Commander Jerome Cyprian, allow me to welcome you and your people onboard the Stryker."
Next out of the airlock was Assistant Secretary of the Fleet Alvaro Sanchez, who came out looking as though he was dressed and styled for a high-level press conference.
"Secretary Sanchez, allow me to welcome you onboard the Stryker," Cyprian said as he shook hands with Sanchez.
"A pleasure to be onboard Commander, from what my sources tell me there's none better than you to send this ship into the sunset," Sanchez said.
"Thank you for the compliment," Cyprian said. Sanchez said nothing and walked down the corridor to the spot where Franklin and his staff were standing.
The next person out of the airlock caused the reporters to start buzzing about with activity. Elizabeth Stryker, the widow of Jonas Stryker, made her way out of the airlock. She was in her eighties now, but still carried herself with a sort of regality as though she was the matriarch of a proud family and was aware of it. Perhaps that was because she came from a family that had once been royalty on Picon that gave that impression.
"Mrs. Stryker," Cyprian said as he offered her his arm to help her step out of the airlock.
"Thank you Commander Cyprian," she said as she accepted his gracious offer of polite was a sound of cameras snapping on to record the moment and he was sure there would be plenty of video and photographs sent of this sent out through the Colonies.
'Perhaps the decommissioning of the Galactica will overshadow this,' he thought to himself. The Galactica was perhaps the most famous of the battlestars and the decision to decommission it should get the bulk of the reporting, the Orion-class Stryker was only getting all of this attention because it was named after Admiral Stryker.
There were five Stryker children, three daughters and two sons, and all of them would be here for the ceremony along with their families.
The next out was Claudia Holland, the eldest daughter of Stryker, along with her husband Randall Holland. They were accompanied by their four children; Alana, Jordan, and Archibald. Cyprian greeted them as best he could with the knowledge that every moment was being recorded for posterity. In fairness to them the four children were well behaved, perhaps out of shyness more than manners, nevertheless Cyprian was a bit uneasy at the sight of them.
The second of the Stryker daughters, Juliette Shepherd, came out of the airlock. She was accompanied by her husband, Wesley Shepherd, and their three children. She seemed to be in awe of the surroundings, as though she had never been on a battlestar before. The three children, Julia, Mia, and Ryan Shepherd seemed to be as awestruck by their surroundings as their mother was.
The last of the Stryker daughters, Tonya Ferguson, stepped out to be greeted by the sight of Cyprian and the mass of media assembled around them. She was the only one of the daughters who had not married; her marriage to media magnate Glen Ferguson had ended in a very public and bitter divorce. They had three kids together and they had accompanied their mother for this trip. The younger two, Amanda and Robert, followed their mother out and then came the eldest of the three and it was the one arrival Cyprian was not looking forward to.
It was then that perhaps the tensest moment of the day arrived. Out of the airlock came Jonas Carl Stryker, who preferred to be known as 'Carl', and he looked at his surroundings and at Cyprian with a cold disdain.
"Mr. Stryker, welcome aboard the Battlestar Stryker," Cyprian said as he offered a handshake.
"Go frak off," Carl said as he brushed by Cyprian leaving the Commander with his hand extended.
'We are going to have to come to an understanding before this day is done,' Cyprian thought to himself.
There was not much time to ponder that as Cedric Stryker walked out along with his wife Emilia and their two children. Two of their four children were Paul and Joseph Stryker; one had just landed his Viper on the Stryker while the other was still awaiting transport from the Fleet Academy. Along with them were their other two children, Georgia and Elizabeth.
"Will our son be joining us soon?" Cedric asked on behalf of both him and his wife.
"I've sent word to his squadron commander to have him meet us in the onboard Stryker museum. I'm sure he'll be there whenever we arrive," Cyprian said as he motioned for them to join the rest of the group.
Now was the time for the last of the Stryker children to come onboard. Major Alan Stryker, an officer in the Colonial Fleet until an injury from a shipboard accident caused him to be given a medical discharge, walked through the airlock and stepped onto the deck. Cyprian came to attention and saluted the former officer as a sign of respect.
Alan Stryker returned the compliment with a text book salute, "Thank you Commander, even after all this time I can still give a proper salute."
"It's a pleasure to have you onboard Major Stryker," Cyprian said.
It was then that his wife Lauren came out the airlock along with their five daughters; Sarah, Rachel, Rebecca, Carly and Kenly.
The reporters dispersed after he walked away. Some were going to follow the group to the onboard museum while the rest would wander the ship to take pictures and interview various crew members. As far as he was concerned they were more than welcome to it, just as long as they did not interfere with the operation of the Stryker or the prep work being done for the decommissioning.
"Now if you would all be so kind as to follow me," Cyprian said as he motioned for the group to follow him down the corridor. He heard the footsteps as not only the Stryker family and dignitaries follow him but also the various reporters and camera crews who were going to find some sort of angle to use when it came time to publish this story.
Battlestar Stryker, Jonas I. Stryker Onboard Museum:
Twenty-one years while the battlestar was still in the beginning phases of construction Elizabeth Stryker proposed a space in Officers Country on the Stryker be set aside as an onboard museum dedicated to her husband, it would be a place where officers could come to gain a better appreciation of their ship's namesake as well as a place where civilians could come to whenever the ship was in port and open to the public for tours.
Part of Stryker's renown was the fact that he was the driving force behind the Colonial Fleet. He was able to take twelve different militaries and form them into a single uniform fighting force that was able to hold off the deadly Cylon onslaught long enough for there to be a peace treaty hammered out between the two sides. To most it seemed only logical to include such a museum on the ship dedicated to the 'Father of the Colonial Fleet'.
Though he publicly approved of the decision, Stryker confessed that he was uncomfortable with a battlestar not only being named after him but having an onboard museum dedicated to him as well.
This large space held several exhibits from Jonas Stryker's life. The room itself was paneled in medium-colored Picon Oak. Attached to the walls were large picture frames, in each one was one of the eleven rules of the Stryker Doctrine. Also in a large oak frame were the various medals and commendations Stryker had earned throughout his distinguished military career. When the current Stryker was taken out of service one of the first jobs was to disassemble the room and move it over to the new Stryker.
The group came into the room, the reporters and camera crews taking positions along the walls of the room. Cyprian waited for them to file in and get settled, his eyes focused on the various items displayed around the room. There was one of Stryker's uniforms that were now worn by a mannequin in a display case; near it was a large model of the battlestar Leonidas. The Leonidas had the distinction of being Stryker's flagship during the Cylon War; its loss to the scrap yard was still seen as somewhat of an embarrassment. Right beside it was a painting of the Aquaria Space Fleet Battleship Aquarius that Stryker served on when the Cylon War broke out and above it was a picture of Jonas with Commander Alan Wallace on Jonas and Elizabeth's wedding day.
"I know I have said this before but I wanted to thank you all again for attending the upcoming ceremony where we will retire this fine ship and breathe life into a new one that much like this one bears the great name Stryker," Cyprian said and almost shot a warning glare towards Carl Stryker but thought better of it.
"Before I go further I have been given a request by Mrs. Elizabeth Stryker to have our chaplain say a prayer and I feel that it is best we do that," Cyprian said as he moved to the side to let Charles Brannon move to the center of the room.
"Everyone please bow their heads," Brannon requested and most of those in the room did as they were told.
"Lords of Kobol hear our prayers. We thank you for bringing us here for the point of remembering a life and a name that we of the Twelve Colonies have come to hold in reverence. To have the Stryker family here with us is a great honor, and it speaks a great deal of the works done by Fleet Admiral Stryker before, during, and after the Cylon War. We hope that the spirit of this great man and great family can live on in the next battlestar to bear the name as it has lived on for almost two decades in this battlestar. It has been said that ships have souls and if that is true then may we ask that the battlestar Stryker forgive us for what is to transpire here at the end of its days, but as it is in the life of humanity it is the same in the life of a ship. So say we all…"
When Brannon finished the group replied with 'So say we all…' and it was then that Cyprian took his spot at the center of the room.
"There will be a chance for pictures and interviews either later today or tomorrow, for now I would like for all of you to get settled into your guest quarters," Cyprian said.
"Would you like for me to take over, sir?" Lieutenant Victoria Wells, one of the officers from the Public Relations department, asked as she walked up to Cyprian.
"Yes, make sure they make it to their rooms and understand that while we are decommissioning the ship it is vital that they not wander around without an escort," Cyprian said as he turned and left the room. Unfortunately, even with the Stryker being taken out of service there was a never-ending mountain of paperwork that needed to be handled.
Commanding Officer's Quarters:
Cyprian sat at the desk and eyed the mountain of paperwork that was waiting for him, it was all a bunch of bureaucratic nonsense in his mind but it was part of the job. It seemed Lieutenant Suman had delivered enough to make sure that he would not be bored for the next three days, not that there would be any danger of that anyway. The item at the top of the pile was a note from Fleet Headquarters advising him to that it was important that all ammunition be offloaded after the commissioning of the new Stryker rather than have it released into space and detonated as was the normal ceremony. It seemed that with the budget cuts the Fleet could not afford to waste too much ammunition. He was reminded of a report he had read from the Illustrious, one that stated that the Vipers and gun crews were to use their weapons without ammunition during training exercises. It seemed that to save cubits there would no longer be such things as live-fire exercises, perhaps it was a good thing he was doing inactivation work instead of serving on the front line…the odds were he would have shot off a very candid memo and found himself relegated to some meaningless job at the far end of space.
He took out a letter and looked at the picture inside of it. The picture was of him and his girlfriend back at their home on Virgon. Most of his life as a bachelor was great and he had not planned on it changing anytime soon, that was until he was in Caprica City two years ago and met her. Her name was Adriana White, and she was a nurse at the William B. Preston Medical Center in Delphi. They were both sitting in the lobby area of the Sproston Restaurant & Grille waiting to be seated when they struck up a conversation about the rivalry between the Caprica Buccaneers and the Picon Panthers. They ended up having dinner together that night and did not part company until the next morning.
Now they had talked about taking 'the next step' in their relationship and were planning to move in together. The last time he had been to Caprica to see her they had gone house hunting in Delphi though they had yet to pick one.
The wheel on the hatch spun around before it opened suddenly, causing Cyprian's thoughts to be interrupted. He looked towards the hatch and saw Carl Stryker standing there looking as though he was sizing him up.
"You know in polite society most people knock or announce their presence before entering a private room," Cyprian said, his voice subtly hinting a warning about the next time Carl might wish to pay him a visit.
"If I was in 'polite' society I would but this doesn't count," Carl said as he began to walk towards the desk.
"Right," Cyprian said, not wanting to take the bait.
"Nice looking girl you have a picture of," Carl said as he craned his neck to look at her, "What did that piece of tail cost you, do you think I can afford her services?"
"You are trying to push my buttons aren't you?" Cyprian asked, this time it took a bit more effort to keep his emotions in check.
"You think you're worth me causing over trouble, you military types really do have high opinions of yourselves," Carl said with a laugh before he continued, "It's your whole culture I have a problem with. You think you're a bunch of damn heroes because you have all these toys to play with. The only reason I'm here is so I can see this damn monstrosity sent to the scrap yard where it belongs, if only we could take the Stryker myth with it."
"For over two decades this ship has done its job and if the Cylons had returned it could have done it appropriately. This crew takes great pride in serving on the Stryker, that's why even though its time is running short it still looks every bit like a well-maintained piece of equipment," Cyprian said.
"Spare me the lectures Commander," Carl said in a way that made Cyprian's rank sound like an insult.
"It's a shame I can't do it but one day someone will teach you the error of your ways. Gods willing, it won't be too late for you to learn it," Cyprian said.
"You even lay a finger on me and I will have my lawyers suing you and the Colonial Fleet so quickly your head will spin," Carl said with an 'I dare you' look on his face.
Cyprian stood up and walked over to the front of his desk, Carl Stryker tensed as though he was finally getting a chance to throw a punch. Instead, Cyprian picked up the receiver on his desk and made a call. He covered the mouthpiece of the receiver and talked low enough to where Carl could not hear him.
"What the frak was that all about?" Carl asked.
Cyprian smiled, "You'll find out soon enough Mr. Stryker."
Carl moved to within inches of Cyprian, "When it comes to the military I am a dedicated pain-in-the-ass…by the time we reach the dock for the ceremony you'll be begging for the chance to let me off this ship."
"If I put you off of my ship then you'll find yourself in the middle of space without any kind of suit on to protect you," Cyprian whispered in Carl's ear.
The hatch opened and in walked four Marines, each took up a position around Carl.
"Lieutenant Howard, I want you and your Marines to escort Mr. Stryker back to his quarters. He is to stay there until we arrive at the dock for the decommissioning ceremony. In effect he is under house arrest until I decide otherwise, I want two Marines guarding his quarters at all times to make sure he does not leave," Cyprian said and with a sense of satisfaction watched as the Marines escorted a protesting Carl Stryker out of the room.
He walked over and closed the hatch to his quarters; he actually felt a genuine sense of satisfaction over what he had just done to the self-righteous ass. How he was related to the Styker family was a mystery to him.
"He must have been adopted and his parents never told him," Cyprian said to himself as he started working on reducing the amount of paperwork that Lieutenant Suman had delivered to his desk.
He picked up the remote control on the desk and turned on the televison that was mounted on the room across from him.
The channel was set to the last one Commander Aeneas had it on, in this case the Colonial Fleet News Service.
A man was standing on what seemed to be some sort of space station. Cyprian deduced it was a military location judging by the number of battlestars visible beyond the large window the man was standing in front of.
"This is Nasib Imad at the Lampetia Shipyard, and behind me to the right you can see the giant Illustrious-class battlestar Ark Royal. The battlestar, affectionately known as 'The Ark' was decommissioned a week ago after suffering a minor fire in the Chief Petty Officers' mess that resulted in one death and two hospitalizations. Though the fire was rapidly extinguished, and the ship was operating normally the next day, the timing of the fire coincided with a further reduction of the defense budget by the Adar Administration. The decision was met with outrage from the citizens of Virgon who hold the ship and name in high esteem," the reporter said as the cameraperson kept the image squarely on him and the Ark Royal.
"Give him time and Adar might run down the whole damn battlestar fleet if he's able to, I wouldn't put it past him," Cyprian said with disgust.
He went over more of the message traffic that was deemed 'High Priority' before his attention was caught by another news report.
A woman was standing in front of a building he believed was on Virgon.
"This is Cecilia Roman reporting live in Boskirk from the Virgon Parliament, it was recently announced that the Colonial Government was sending supplies to the city of Hadrian which was hit by a large seismic quake yesterday. Large quantities of food and medical supplies have been loaded onto the Battlestar Indomitable for transport from Caprica to Virgon. From reports received from anonymous sources within the Colonial Fleet it would appear the Indomitable was chosen because, apart from the recently decommissioned Ark Royal, the name dates back to the days of the Virgon Royal Fleet before the Articles of Colonization were adopted. It has been suggested that the choice of the Indomitable was a move to ease the tensions with Virgon surrounding the sudden and controversial decommissioning of the Ark Royal."
"There is a part of me that would rather have the job the Indomitable has than this one," Cyprian admitted, it would probably become more interesting now that the press and dignitaries had arrived onboard.