Operation Exodus

4:4 Rebels

Six months later...

Avalon System, Eternity Station

Fleet Admiral Stryker watched from the observation deck as two new Battlestars and several firestars passed in formation on slow flyby near the Eternity. Just days before those ships had been commissioned into the fleet. Many more were under construction as part of the fleet rebuild program.

Stryker was pleased; although they had done a tremendous job so far, it was not over yet. There was a lot to be done, and he knew it wouldn't be easy. Aside from Caprica City, several other sites had been chosen for new cities that would be named after famous cities from the colonies, and they were already under construction by combined efforts from both civilians and the military.

President Roslin and the quorum have continued to be a pain in the ass; most of them still believed that Stryker's plan for fleet buildup was pointless or excessive. Many in the quorum believed that the Cylons couldn't find them, but Stryker and the rest of military command knew better. Even if the Cylons were not a threat however, then the Harvesters are. Though convincing the civilian government of that when they hadn't seen the Harvesters and were mostly willing to laugh off reports the Admiralty had presented as fact, such as their history, even that reason for the military buildup was derided. Still, the Cylons would come: he could feel it. Wherever they are, they'll be looking for the last of the colonials to finish what they started and they would let nothing get in their way. Eventually they will find Avalon: he'd known this all along and had been preparing for this eventuality from the very beginning, the civilian government be damned if they refuse to see reason until the Cylons show up and start throwing nukes up their ass. Sooner or later the attack will come and when this happens, he must ensure that the Colonial fleet wins no matter the cost. The military buildup will be forced through no matter the backlash from the government and the growing naysayers that Tom Zarek seems to be growing more and more in control of.

Admiral Thorn, who had grown into being like a mentor to him, and a good friend besides, had advised Stryker wisely over this year: helping him with everything. His last advice was to find a woman, get married and have a family. Stryker's first response had been that he had too much to do and that didn't have time to look for and handle a marriage, and a family. Admiral Thorn was obstinate and stubborn in getting him to change his mind however.

"Do not throw your life and everything you have into just your work," Admiral Thorn told him, "I lost my wife and my children in the Cylon attack. Every person in the military lost someone; husbands, wives, children, brothers, sisters, parents. Do not let work get in your way; find yourself someone and get a family. You are smart and a brave man. You are still young and you have time still, and even with a few million people on the colony: we could use all the children we can get to repopulate our society with the next generation. Besides, as Fleet Admiral you have other Admirals, Commanders, and other officers to delegate, and rely on, to get work done."

Of course Thorn was right; he had always been alone since the Cylon attack, sitting and stewing in his office like an old man. Even his sister who was a ship Commander had a boyfriend, and no doubt it would not be long before the two of them married.

It didn't take long for Stryker to find the woman of his dreams. He found her after he went to one of Eternity's bars. At first everyone saluted him and treated him as a commanding officer, acting uneasily around him, but after a while they started relaxing around him and got used to his presence; they started to ignore him and began treating him like anyone else. Yes the shipyard's bar was no place for the Fleet Admiral, but he was human like everyone else; he could have his private time when not on duty. He found his love soon enough; she was playing a piano, one of several old ones that survived.