FicWad

XIII

CIC onboard the Adama was almost silent, as the bridge crew tried to follow the snippets of what was going on below them. Lee had never seen the tension so high inside the nerve center of the ship. They couldn't make out everything, as they were overlapping calls coming in, which made the situation even more unbearable.

Finally after ten minutes, although it seemed like an eternity, a voice crackled through on the speakers, "Adama Actual, Raptor 330, this is Sunshine, we have our MIA, repeat, we have our MIA, returning to base."

The room exploded in a cacophony of joyous sounds as people yelled, hugged, cried and made an unseemly display, and their Admiral didn't mind one bit. Brevin Cross came up to The Boss, smile, and shook his Admiral's hand, "We got him back, Boss."

Lee was as emotional as everyone, although he hid it as best he could. He wondered for a moment if he would have been so choked up had this been someone else they had rescued and not simply the brother of his best friend in the world. Brevin Cross sensed what Lee was thinking immediately.

"Don't sweat it, Boss", he said, clapping Lee on the back, "Everyone knows how close you are to the Bonds, but they also know you'd have busted your ass to get any one of them back, too."

"Thanks, XO", Lee said, and looked around at his team, then pumped his fist in the air.
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Governor and Mrs. Bond had been alerted that Nick had been found and rescued, and was heading back to the William Adama. They were told he was in bad shape, but alive. Abby Bond-Creider was hustled off of the Carl Sagan and brought to the Flagship.
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Natalia Schrevrenko, like everyone else in her hangar, had been following the snippets of the chaos on the surface, and like had happened in CIC, the place erupted when it was announced that Captain Bond was coming home. The Ensign fell to the floor on her knees, crying uncontrollably, part in agony and part in happiness, she couldn't tell the difference.

Captain Kamala Wimbusi saw her, and immediately ran to her, and joined her on the floor, with tears in her eyes as well, "Natalie, we got him", she yelled as she hugged her Ensign. After a few moments, they got to her feet, "Ensign, we need to get you over to the Governor and Mrs. Bond. You should be with them when Nick arrives on board."

"Spasibo, Captain", she said, smiling through her tears. The two them left and with an MP escort, went to the Governor's quarters.
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When she arrived at the Governor's living arrangements, the MP's opened the doors for them, and in came Wimbusi and Natalia. Judith Bond saw her, and with a tearful smile, ran over to the young lady, and they both hugged and cried, one getting her son back, and the other getting the love of her life back. Judith held her for several minutes until Natalia was calmed.

'Our boy's back, Natalia", Judith Bond exclaimed, kissing her on the forehead, and wiping at her tears.

"When will he arrive?", which was all Natalia was thinking about.

The Governor answered that "The MP just told me he'll be aboard in approximately seven minutes. They want to take us back to the Hangar when he arrives. I will warn both of you, Admiral Adama says that he's in bad shape."

That visibly deflated the women, but they had him back, and whatever happened now, they thought they could deal with it.

Abby joined them a few moments later, and under heavy guard, they were escorted to the Hangar.
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Starbuck was still cradling Nick in her lap as Ito Genda smoothly landed the Raptor in the Port Hangar bay of the Adama. Captain Dalbott had been doing what he could to for the unconscious pilot. His main concern had been to stop the bleeding between his groin and his thigh, and he had pretty much done that. Fortunately, the bullet that had hit him was a small caliber, and had been fired from a distance, or else it would have done more damage.

Medics were waiting and brought a gurney up to the side of the Raptor. Kara and Dalbott, with the help of Kelsey Graham, lifted Nicholas towards the gurney, where the medics began to wheel him towards Sick Bay. Doctor Patel and her team were there waiting to examine him.

As he was wheeled by, Abby, Judith, and Natalia were sobbing, stunned by Nick's appearance. The Governor was clearly shaken at the condition of his son, even though the MP's had told them he was in bad shape. But he's alive, and he has a chance, the Governor comforted himself.

After Nick was wheeled away, the family turned back towards the Raptor. Admiral Kara Thrace-Bond was still standing on the wing and met her family's eyes. The look on her face was as grim and as ashen-faced as they could ever remember. She jumped off the wing, and slowly made her way towards them.

There was no rushing to each other, but Kara and her Mom met halfway. Judith Bond looked at her adopted daughter, and put both her hands on her cheeks, "Thank you for bringing Nick home to us, Starbuck." Her mom said, controlling her emotions this time. Kara couldn't remember her mom ever using her Call Sign, and that broke the demeanor on her face. She didn't fall apart, but the tears came back, as she hugged her mother.

"Mom...it was horrible down there", she said, still embracing her mother, "I was almost on the ground when he was shot", she said, punishing herself for not being ten seconds quicker.

"I know it was, babe, but you and your crew got him, that's all that matters.", she smiled proudly at her daughter.

She then hugged Abby for what seemed like an eternity. Abby then excused herself to head to Sick Bay to get an update on her brother's prognosis.

She went to Natalia next, "He's home, Natalie", she said, hugging the newest member of the Bond Clan, whether official or not, "And he has a chance."

"Thank you Admiral", then she paused, "Thank you...Kara". The two warmly embraced with small smiles on both their faces.

The Governor came to her next, "Rough day, honey?". Kara actually laughed, remembering how she had said that to him after he was shot during the terrorist attack.

"Roughest one of my life, dad", she said, taking a big breath, and holding his hand, "but we brought him home, dad. We brought him home." She put her head against his chest, soaking in the love and support that she desperately needed at that moment.
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Later That Evening

Clevin Monteith looked at the carnage in front of him. Thirty-six of his men and women lay dead, after the sharp, short battle that had taken place here. The survivors had filled him in: they almost had the pilot, but then the aircraft and the Special Op forces had all converged at the same time and had taken the pilot first. His bargaining chip vanished with the Raptors.

He was damned if he would give up what he had built for himself-what his slaves had built for him. He wanted revenge; he vowed revenge; he wanted that Admiral's head on a platter.
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Admiral Adama was meeting with Governor Bond, Admiral Thrace-Bond, his XO, General Grayson and Colonel Otter, in a debrief of the events that had culminated with the successful rescue of Captain Nicholas Bond.

"Admiral, I have to tell you", Kendrick Grayson started, "If those yahoos had had real weapons, this would have turned out different", he said in a stark moment of honesty, "If that guy who shot Nick had had a weapon like ours, the Captain wouldn't have survived, sir."

Kara and the Governor were calm on hearing that, but they knew Nick wasn't out of the woods yet. He was still unconscious. The Doctors were still evaluating his prognosis. The groin wound wasn't as serious as it could have been, and they could reset his broken forearm. Their concern had been the festering wound in his buttock. They had found a half-inch piece of metal still lodged inside him. They had removed it, thoroughly cleaned the wound and had him on several antibiotics. The medication had already brought his fever down, which was a good sign, but they couldn't tell yet how much damage the lodged metal had done. They would keep him sedated for at least another thirty-six hours.

The Admiral had called them together for a very specific decision. After the meeting, he had with this person who had visions of grandeur for Caprica, and the fact that this group hiding in the mountains could forestall any chance to rebuild Caprica City and to re-establish it as the Capital of The Colonies could conceivably unravel the entire long-term mission for these worlds.

"I agree with you, Kendrick", the Admiral answered sullenly. He also knew if those people had weapons like theirs, they would have lost more than Nicholas Bond. "We got off lucky this time-no offense Governor, Admiral", he said glancing at the Bond's." They didn't take any and understood perfectly well that Lee was right.

The Governor was as shrewd a politician as the world had seen in many years, and he had an idea of where Lee was going with this brief, "The question is, Lee, what do we exactly do about it?" He wasn't just asking Lee, but everyone, because what they decided here would affect future missions to The Colonies.

Lee took a breath, and went right to the heart of it, "I'm proposing that we leave a division's strength of ground forces here, to counter these nuts in the hills", no one looked shocked, but none of them liked the idea, "We would also leave a force of Raptors and Falcons here as well. The plan is for the Caprica and the Libran to be here a few months before we depart. I'm going to make a further request to UED in my next report to them."

Kara got it before even her father, "You're going to request more Battlestars to join them, aren't you?", her eyes went wider with those words.

Justin Bond listened to his subordinates for the moment, and Lee continued, "That's Correct, Admiral", he confirmed, "I'm going to request two additional Battlestars and about thirty additional support ships to accompany The Fleet here."

General Grayson was getting the idea, "We bring in the extra Battlestars, so we can do what we need to do here on Caprica and still do the work we came here to do, right?"

"You've got it, Ken", Lee nodded again, "I understand this is a long-term commitment and investment in The Colonies, and none of us will live to see the true fruition of those plans, but if we fall behind now, we lose the positive momentum moving forward."

"We've only been here, and on Aerilon and Canceron", Kara added, "and from the reports I've read from Rabbit, the latter could cause some problems in Hades. Nothing has happened, and the people there are playing it cool, but General Trevor reports unrest there."

"I'm aware of that", Lee said without rancor, "We don't expect many problems on Sagitteron, Aquaria, Scorpia and Libran on the Far Side, and over hear, the only place we could see trouble from beside here is Tauron."

Lee's logic was sound. They had known that the unknown would raise its head here. Caprica had thrown a wrench into their plans, and it would have to be dealt with if the long-term plans of UED would be successful.

The discussion went on for some time, and the Governor remained silent, taking a few notes as things went on. He had his own ideas but felt it was healthy to let those below him use their minds to help shape a policy that he would ultimately have to approve.

The discussion drew down, and finally, the Governor spoke, "As always, everyone has valid ideas and opinions on what's to come. And we all know it won't be easy", he was looking down, the stress of his son's condition still front-and-center on his mind, but he also had a Fleet to govern. "One thing I believe needs to be brought to everyone's attention is the fact that when Caprica and Libran sail here with their fleet, the next Colonial Class ships won't be ready to sail for two years after that."

Everyone stopped cold for a moment. Lee was embarrassed to admit he hadn't thought of that, and he reprimanded himself internally for the omission. The Governor continued.

"We could appropriate two Terran Class ships, but do you think that would be enough, Lee?"

Lee paused for a moment, doing some mental math on the fly, before answering The Boss, "For what I'm thinking, Governor, it would be thin, I have to admit."

Justin Bond went silent for a few moments, still looking at his notepad, pen sitting on top of it. He was chewing on some ideas and needed a few moments before going on.

"Lee, I want to see your force projections before making a final decision, but at this time, I"m leaning towards requesting four Terran Class Battlestars to accompany the Caprica and Libran on the voyage", and he made another mental note, "That fleet sails in just over a year, so we have to make our recommendations quickly. You all know putting together a fleet is a Herculean task, and the more time we give them, the better."

"Aye, Admiral". Lee replied like the pro he was.

"Thank you, Admiral", he nodded his head, "If you can get those projections to me within a few hours, I'll go over them tonight, and have my decision in the morning."

Kara objected, "Dad", she said reverting to just Kara again, "Do you really want to be studying that while Nick is in such serious condition?"

For once he rebuked his daughter, "Admiral Thrace-Bond, as Governor of this fleet, I have a responsibility to everyone here, no just our family", he didn't raise his voice, but he had to compartmentalize even during such a personal crisis, "And as the Commander-In-Chief our Military here, I need to study Lee's plans and get back to him ASAP. We don't have the luxury to sit on this for a few days or weeks. Out message won't get back to Earth for forty days, and that's forty less they'll have to put this together."

Kara slightly blushed, as her father had rarely scolded her publicly like that. But on reflection, she knew he was right. He then sought to soften the blow he had administered to his daughter.

"Besides, honey", he wanly smiled, "I don't think I'm going to get much sleep over the next few days." She nodded at him, accepting the point.
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IVX

The Doctor's were cautiously optimistic that Captain Nicholas Bond would recover, but it would be a long, arduous process for the Captain. His arm was set and would heal properly, they believed. The gunshot wound had done some damage, but he may have scars there, but the damage shouldn't be long-term.

The infection still lingered. His buttock was slow in starting to heal, no doubt because that piece of metal had sat in there for two weeks, and hadn't been cleaned. The fever had come down, but was still at 101 Fahrenheit, but wasn't budging. Doctor Patel had told the family that until it broke below 100, she would keep him sedated. Once the fever broke, she thought the healing would speed up.

The other concern was how long he had had the fever, and would that and the infection cause any lingering neurological problems. Patel didn't think so, but she had no way to know how long his fever had been up around 105. That could do some damage to his brain. It just too early to tell.

The evening after his Meeting with his Commanders, Justin Bond sat near his son, with the projections Lee had given him. Lee was correct: using two Terran Class Battlestars would give them a smaller margin for error if more problems arose. But he studied the brief through the night, only pausing to get a drink or a bite to eat or go to the bathroom. He also checked on Nick every now and then-and also on Natalia. She had not left, save for short breaks, since Nick had arrived back.

He was still pouring through the report, sitting on the couch near his son's bed, when Natalia come over and sat next to him.

"Anything wrong, honey?", Justin Bond looked at her, "Do you need anything?"

"Governor, I haven't slept in at least thirty hours. I'm just emotionally and physically exhausted. I don't want to leave, but I need some sleep."

Justin Bond got up and went to a closet in the room. He pulled out a pillow and a blanket being stored there. He brought then back to the couch. He sat down, and put the pillow next to his thigh, and handing the blanket to Natalia. "OK, my dear. Nap time. You put that blanket on and lay down here for a while and get some sleep. I have some studying to do still", he gave her a warm, loving smile to ease her mind somewhat.

"Spasibo, Governor", then she paused, and moved next to him, kissing him on his cheek, "I mean, Spasibo Papa." She lay down and was asleep in five minutes, Justin Bond's arm on her shoulder.

Justin Bond studied Lee's work most of the night. At 0900 the next morning, he advised Lee he would ask for four Terran Class Battlestars to join the next fleet. He would request the Battlestars John F. Kennedy, Charles de Gaulle, Pegasus, and Galactica as the ships he wanted.
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Admiral Caprica Baltar was on the Laura Roslin holding a meeting with Commander Chase Carrico, General Trevor, and Captain Mathers. While the situation on Canceron had not resulted in bloodshed, as it had on Caprica, there were tensions in and around Hades. Blade Scroggins had informed the other factions about the intentions of The Fleet for the long-term, and it had received a cool reception. No overt hostility had been shown, but people there were thinking seriously about the future.

"From what Lee told me, Governor Bond is recommending that we leave a permanent garrison on Caprica of ten thousand", the Admiral stated at the beginning, "The fighting was short, ugly and successful from our end, but the Governor is convinced we have made an enemy of those people."

"Admiral, if I may", General Trevor thought aloud, "I don't think we're to that point here. We've had no problem in The Souther. They like the idea of trying to turn some of the desert into a land that can be cultivated and used for other purposes. They weren't happy with the news that Tylium is now useless for a fleet, but they're quite open about the future."

Cory Mathers spoke next, "From what I can see in Hades, they aren't too happy about the Tylium news. They feel that nixes any leverage they have over The Souther Continent", she was glancing at her computer screen while talking, "I agree with General. There was no open hostility to what they told us, at least not on the surface, but I can't say they're jumping with joy."

"Kara sent me a Copy of the Governor's recommendations for the next fleet to come here, and he's practically doubling the number of forces that will be at their disposal: Two Colonials, four Terran's and fourteen DSE's", everyone had seen the proposal that the Governor had transmitted back to UED, and it was an eye-opener.

"The only conclusion I can come to is that they expect to have to fight for the area of Caprica City", Chase Carrico had sensed that from the moment he read the document, "If there's fifteen thousand up there who are loyal to this jerk, a force of ten thousand, even with our technological superiority, would mean a lot of casualties for us."

'That's how I read it too, Chase", Caprica said uncomfortably. UED knew there were a lot of unknowns for the first mission, but while they had made educated guesses on where trouble could brew, Caprica City hadn't been on the list. The quest to re-establish The Colonies, at least in the short run, would have to be altered.

"Any news on Captain Bond?", his fellow CAG inquired to the Admiral.

"He was in real bad shape guys", Admiral Baltar said quietly, "His main wound is being stubborn in healing. Kara told me they thought they would only have to sedate him for thirty-six hours, but his fever is still above 100, and they want him sedated until it breaks below that mark. It's going to take him a long time to get over this."

The room went quiet for a moment. Caprica had been heartsick-as had everyone, quite frankly-when the Captain's Raptor had been shot down. His rescue buoyed the entire fleet, but his slow recovery was fraying nerves, especially with those who were in the family, or close to the family.

"So, Admiral", the Roslin XO summed everything up, "at least for now, I gather we won't be leaving a garrison behind here?"

Admiral Baltar nodded, "That's correct, Commander. I can't see how we could if we're going to commit an entire ground Division to the Caprica City area. I might recommend small scout teams to keep an eye on developments, but nothing more than that.", she paused and looked around at the assembled, "And we have to prepare for our movement to Aquaria. That won't take long, we know that, but we still have a mission to fulfill."
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Finally, on day six, Nick's fever broke below 100, and the Doctors felt comfortable in allowing him to start waking fully. He still was a long way from full recovery, but they felt with the fever down, he was out of danger for the moment. Doctor Patel concluded that the antibiotics were beginning to work on his wounds.

Two days later, he woke up of his own volition, feeling he had been in a long, confused dream. He began to move around, and his eyes started to focus for the first time in over a week.

The first sight he saw was his mother.

He groggily smiled up at her, "Hi mom", he said with a sleepy smile on his face, "I'm home."

Judith Bond laughed through the tears, leaned over and gently embraced her son, "Welcome back Nick", she kissed him on the forehead, "it's good to see you awake", she said in almost a whisper, grabbing his hand for a moment.

"It's good to be awake", the Captain responded, "I still feel like hell, though."

Abby came up next, "Well you should feel like hell, you got yourself in a mess of trouble", she kissed her big brother on the cheek, "but it looks like we're going to be stuck with you", they both quietly laughed.

Kara came up next, shaking her head, a smile on her face mixed with tears in her eyes, "What is it with the men in this family?", she said, gently hugging her "little brother", "Do I always have to come running to save your butts-in this case, literally?" The entire family laughed.

"Uh, sis, don't say anything about my butt for a while, OK?" which made Kara laugh happily, kissing him again. "But thank you for finding me, Starbuck." He had tears in his eyes now, knowing that his sister had saved his life,

"I never gave up on you, kiddo", she clasped his hand, "Welcome home, Captain."

Finally, his father appeared. Like he had done with Starbuck a few days before, he flipped the script on Nick. Nick had used his own talent of sarcasm on his father after he had been shot in New Caprica, now the favor was returned, "Thanks for scaring the hell out of us, Nick", he smiled and winked at his only son, "it's been fun." Nick gave a small, tired laugh.

"I always said I wanted to be like you, dad", he smiled up at his father, "But I think this is overdoing it, don't you?" Justin Bond nodded a laugh and then kissed his son on his forehead.

"By the way, young man", his mother reappeared in his line-of-sight, "there's more family here who wants to say hi to you." She smiled more broadly.

"Who?" Nick puzzled, "Brett and Katraine?"

"No, son, someone very special to you", and Judith Bond turned to look behind her.

Natalia Schrevrenko stepped forward and smiled at her guy. "Well, Mr. Bond, it's about time you got back here?" she said with mock sternness, "You broke a date with me, remember?"

Nick's face lit up, and he actually tried to rise to greet her but didn't get far. She leaned over and hugged him fiercely, tears streaming down her face. "I thought I had lost you, Nicholas..."

"Not a chance, Ensign Schrevrenko", he looked into her eyes. After a moment, the scene in front of him clicked, "Wait a second, how did you guys..." and he looked around at his smiling family.

"Natalie came to us after your Raptor went down, son", the Governor informed him, "we couldn't let her go through this alone."

Nick shook his head, "Typical", he said with a laugh. Then he looked over at his sweetheart, "Babe, I thought of you every moment; it kept me going even when I could barely stand up. It's shown me how fleeting life is." She put her forehead on his, and then continued, "I know this will sound out-of-the-blue, but almost having lost the most important things in my life, I know we're never promised a tomorrow." He took a small breath, "Will you marry me, Natalia."

Naturally, everyone was taken aback, and their tears came again. All three women had a hand over their mouths.

"Well, since your parents have already made me an official part of your family, I see no choice but to accept, Captain." Her eyes were beaming at him.

"They did what?", and he looked at his parents. But Kara spoke up.

"It's what we Bond's do, little brother", she said happily, "we look out for each other. We don't let any of us suffer or celebrate alone."

"I feel like I'm late to my own wedding proposal", he said sardonically. Everyone burst out laughing.
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EPILOGUE

Two Months Later, UED Headquarters, San Diego

The UED Commander-in-Chief, Admiral Louis Hoshi studied the information that had been transmitted to him by Governor Bond from The Colonies. He was staring out at the mighty Pacific Ocean, still digesting the news of the events on Caprica and Canceron. News of the fight on the Caprican Mountain Range after the shoot-down of Captain Nicholas Bond had hit him hard.

The recommendations the Governor had sent had everyone at Headquarters talking. Hoshi knew the Governor was no war hawk and detested having to use force. That made his recommendations even more worth taking note of.

He had hoped with all his being that The Fleet-any of the fleets that were sent would never fire a shot in anger. To know that there had been combat on his home world saddened him to no end.

UED Brass had been sent into a conniption over the news, and they had been going back and forth on the events, and the Governor's recommendations of adding four Terran Class Battlestars to the next fleet. Hoshi couldn't imagine he would over-rule the man on the scene, and still felt that way, but many at UED had been against sending part of the Earth Picket to The Colonies.

Hoshi had come to some conclusions. He would order the construction of another fifteen Terran Class ships. The idea of sending only the larger Colonials to The Colonies had been correct, but he could see now that the smaller Battlestars could be used much as smaller American "Pocket Aircraft Carries" had been used in regard to the full-sized Carriers during The Second World War: as a supplemental force for the unknown.

He had also concluded he would send the ships that Governor Bond had requested. The J.F.K and the De Gaulle had been launched with the latest in weapons, armor and other essentials. Galactica and Pegasus had come off a retrofit and upgrade the year before and were up to par with the other ships.

Finally, with the enhanced force that would sail in about eleven months, he had made some Command Decisions as well.

The first thing he did was to call Admiral Karl "Helo" Agathon, who was still The Boss on the Winston Churchill. The Churchill had been in the outer reaches of the Solar System on duty, and he recalled the Admiral to meet him in San Diego.

"Reporting as ordered, Admiral", Helo saluted The Boss. Louis had a light lunch and drinks brought in before they talked. He went over the information from The Colonies with his old friend.

"Gods", Helo said with amazement, "that certainly wasn't expected, Louis", he noted, still reading the report. "I'm glad that it looks like Nick is going to make it, but this spells real trouble."

"That's what the Governor thinks as well", Louis Hoshi agreed, "And Caprica tells us things are quiet on Canceron, but there is unease at what Trevor told the people in Hades."

"Is Lee going to garrison Hades as well?"

Admiral Hoshi shook his head, "No. Caprica is recommending a small scouting party to monitor events there, but they're going to be spread too thin, what with ten thousand committed to Caprica."

"Caprica made the call, not Starbuck?" That confused Karl.

"That's correct, Helo", he confirmed, "When Nick was reported MIA, she and her parents went over to the Adama. Caprica stepped in and made the call, and Governor Bond backed her completely. In fact, Kara flew some Raptor missions for the SAR, and she was the one who actually rescued Nick during a firefight."

Helo let that thin smile cross his face and he shook his head, "I might have known", he thought of his friend, "She doesn't like anyone messing with her brother or sister."

"Kara sent me her own follow-up, and she told me she was as scared as she ever has been when she saw Nick, while shots were being fired."

The smile left Helo's face. "That had to be tough", he conceded.

"I actually called you here because I've made some Fleet decisions based on the Governor's suggestions." He told Helo about the four Terran Class Battlestars that would sail with the Caprica and Libran. He then dropped the bombshell on Admiral Agathon.

"Also, Karl, I am going to change assignments as well. I'm ordering you to take over the Battlestar Libran, and prepare her for the mission to The Colonies."

Karl's jaw hit the floor, "You want me to go to The Colonies?" Athena is going to love this, he thought to himself.

"Yes, Karl", Louis nodded, "The Caprica will be the Flagship, but you've been in combat. Admiral Silva is capable, but with the news from Caprica, I want someone who knows The Colonies, and has seen combat on a fleet."

"Of course sir", Helo said, taking a breath at the news. "I'll prepare for my transfer immediately."

"Thank you, Helo. I know it's sudden, but I feel this is the best move."

"Is Admiral Fletcher still going to take the Caprica?"

"No, I'm having Fletcher assigned to the Kennedy, so he'll be going still. I've talked to him. He's disappointed but he said he'll work their tails off on the J.F.K. Like with your new ship, I want someone who's been in combat on a Battlestar to head the Flagship.

'Who else is there, sir?" Karl couldn't think of anyone else down here who could take such a comment.

Louis looked him dead in the eyes, "There's me, Helo", he said evenly, "I've tendered my resignation as C-in-C. I've requested, and have been granted the command of the Battlestar Caparica."

To be continued in the next installment of this series.