Title: Brothers in Arms
Author: Ash's Boomstick
Contact: "Ash's Boomstick"
FR-15 For bad language
Summary: History tells us one thing, knowledge tells us another however ancient legends and hidden myths may yet hold the truth about the past and the future for the people of the known galaxy. A Stargate SG1 Crossover
NOTICE: THIS STORY MAY BE DISTRIBUTED FREE OF CHARGE BUT MUST NOT BE SOLD OR EXCHANGED FOR FINANCIAL RETURN IN ANY FORM.
-COPYRIGHT/DISCLAIMER NOTICE-
"Battlestar Galactica" "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century" , its characters, and certain technological devices and/or references to such, from the television show, past present of near future, may be or are registered trademarks of, and may be or are copyrighted by the Universal Studios Corporation and any new owners in the future.
Only certain characters and technologies are mine and these are the creation of the author who is solely responsible for them as such. Neither Studio is responsible for the content of this story.
THIS STATEMENT MUST ACCOMPANY THE STORY "BROTHERS IN ARMS" IF DISTRIBUTED. THIS STORY IS FREE OF CHARGE AND MAY NOT BE SOLD OR EXCHANGED FOR FINANCIAL RETURN IN ANY FORM. THIS DEDICATION MUST ACCOMPANY ANY DISTRUBUTION OF THIS STORY.
Dedication: To the Unusual Suspects.
This is one of five stories that I am posting for people to make their choice on which of these prologues people would like to see the most of.
Battlestar Pegasus
Flagship
Colonial Fifth Battle Fleet
"The Fleet stands ready to jump to light speed Commander."
"Very Well Tolan, being jump preparation, destroyers to take point Gunstars to flank the Capital ships."
"Aye Sir." Tolan grinned.
Outside the Viewport the Colonial officers watched as the massed ships of the Colonial Fifth Fleet began to form up, a score of Destroyers took point as cruisers and gunships milled around gradually straightening into lines or squares of ships expanding outwards to englobe the crucial heavy warships. On all sides more than three hundred escorts surrounded the Battlestars, over a dozen of the most powerful vessels ever designed by mankind, from the fifty yahren old monolithic, highly modified Battlestar Selkie to the flagship of this fleet the five hundred yahren old Columbia Class Battlestar Pegasus.
More and more ships had dropped into place behind the Battlestars stretching out far beyond visual range, frigates and bombardment ships locked their long range weapons forward while yet more escorts brought up the vanguard positions to either side incoherent beams of energy scanning the far voids for any signs of life. Vipers streaming past the incredible number of warships flying patrols between the spaced out vessels checking for anything that seemed out of place or that may be watching them from without.
However unlike the missions beforehand this fleet was not alone in its make-up of human built slabs of armour and dart like fighters, within the hordes of human vessels in the main fleet more than sixty other vessels sat clustered together in groups, some were built much like the Battlestars while others loomed even larger and more powerful than the most modern of the Colonial Warships. Many more however were smaller and much unlike anything else seem in the armada, those scant few lucky ships were the last remnants of the myriad of navies that had fought and fallen against the onslaught of the Cylon Empire, those that could flee to the Colonies looking for sanctuary against their enemies.
The full might of the fifth fleet had been assembled for this assault reinforced by surviving Battlestars and cruisers from at least two fleets gutted by the Cylon forces, Cain had been more than pleased when a dozen more ships fresh from the shipyards of Caprica and Picon had been assigned directly to the Pegasus' own task force in place of the exhausted and damaged task force that had been forced to sit out this battle.
Settled within his fleet sat dozens of ships that were alien in literal ways to humanity, over the thousand yahren war several races had been devastated and destroyed by the Cylon advance. What few warships that remained from those lost races had flocked to the banner of the Colonial Living Legend and now they stood alongside their allies determined to make the robotoic interlopers pay with their very existence.
Sitting to the port side of the fifth fleet's command group sat some of the remnants of the lost fourth fleet, for some time the fourth had been the Colonial fleet's mailed fist breaking Cylon thrusts and destroying any attempt to attack the colonies head on. But now after hundreds of yahrens and a dozen major battles the great fleet had been reduced to scattered groups of cruisers and destroyers surrounding a single pair of ancient Battlestars the oldest of their kind remaining in the fleet. Those that had not remained with them had been dispatched to the homeworlds to bolster the first fleet and the rebuilding third, ships that if Cain had to be frank would have better served his forces.
To the starboard those ships that returned or were left behind by the long lost sixth fleet sat, the fact that so much of the Fourth's remaining power had been siphoned off to the other fleet, Cain had demanded that they be merged with Cain's own command to increase available firepower. His demands had been met with agreement and three more Battlestars and a score of escorts had rejoined the fleet, given the fact that the third was being reconditioned the fleet commanders were willing to allow Cain enough rope to hang himself with and he knew it.
Cain was in deep thought as he watched the myriad sections of his grand fleet gather on the scanners, second only to the now lost Fourth Fleet under Kronos his Fifth had been the biggest concentration of allied forces since the early years of the war when hundred ship formations and thousand ship battles had been the norm. Now however with the exception of the Colonial Home Fleet, the rebuilding Third Fleet and the Ninth currently patrolling the outer reaches of Colonial space it was the only fully combat capable force left and the only one available for long ranged combat away from their borders.
He was unhappy that he wasn't able to gather more ships for the fleet, but the Battle Fleet he did have should make mincemeat of any force in the area and to be honest demanding even more ships would have been greedy even for him. Intelligence had gathered proof that the Cylons had been moving forces back towards their inner sectors in order to repair them after so long on the front lines. If the fifth fleet could recapture the Molecay sector and the critical Delphian shipyards then the Colonial allies would be able to take the offensive quickly with the Delphians leading the flank with the fifth and third fleets.
The ships he did have however would be enough to overwhelm any garrison the Cylons could have put into the area, the planet was still under siege after more than fifty years and he was there to make sure that the Cylons would pay for their trespass. More than thirty minutes passed as he went over his plans again, interrupted by his exec he looked out of the bridge window. The hundreds of vessels under his command were assembled and in formation, the huge lumbering human warships interspaced with the slowing ships of the Delphain Empire and the insectile dreadnaughts of the long since destroyed Hasari Commonwealth Cain looked over the scanner screens and nodded approvingly, it was time.
"Colonel."
"All vessels are accounted for Commander, the fleet train have taken position to the rear. Destroyer groups are escorting as ordered."
"Fighter probes?"
"Silver Spar Leader and Bronze Shield Leader have landed, the other fighters are already aboard their vessels."
"Excellent, send to all ships. Immediate shift into light speed and get us to Molecay."
"Gladly Sir."
Almost as one the Grand Fifth Fleet of the Colonial Alliance launched into light speed ripping their way through space towards the Delphian homeworlds and to the first step to victory over the Cylons.
Earth Ship New Sydney
Alpha Class Destroyer
Theta Colony Defensive Flotilla
"Yellow Alert All Pilots to their fighters, all defences to standby. Repeat all Pilots to their Fighters."
"Report." Colonel Danton ordered.
"A massive force of unknown ships has appeared close to the outpost at Theta Colony Four, defence command has informed us that their own fighters have begun launching, Theta Base One has already dispatched a full squadron of starfighters to identify." The Chief replied, "Theta's planetary defences are powered, fighter squadrons are fuelling and standing by. Shield is at full power."
"How many ships are we looking at."
"Unknown at the moment Theta Base has them on scans but they are too far away to give a full accounting, some are extremely large carrier craft others are likely to be fighter squadrons perhaps full flotillas."
"Send a report to Earth Defence Command."
"Already on its way Sir, we're just awaiting confirmation of reinforcements if needed."
"Sirs, the unknown forces are in ID range. Three Draconian starfortresses and fighter escorts full launches detected, they must be going all out for this one Sir."
"Activate the Stargate and contact Earth we need help as soon as possible, call back the recon squadron and launch everything we have."
Theta Colony was one of the major worlds along the Alliance's trade 'spine' harkening back hundreds of years to long before the Earth had recovered and returned to space, their immense mineral wealth and biosphere was crucial to the long term recovery of the home world and the breadbasket of the entire sector. Once they had joined the Alliance the other planets had contributed forces to protect them, Earth itself had posted four squadrons of fighters and a full flotilla of their newer gunship/destroyer class ships.
Another six fighter squadrons and a few more light ships were scattered throughout the sector on patrol or defending other critical areas, mostly from other worlds that had bought or built their own variants of the Earth's Thunder Class Fighters. Others were different classes and types including the more ubiquitous Hatchet fighters and Draconian Gunships, stolen or bought from the Draconian Empire and now arrayed against their former owners.
However even with the destroyers and reinforced squadrons the defenders of the Theta system were outnumbered and outgunned by the incoming forces, each of the pilots and their ships were worth several of the Draconian fighters but in the numbers they were facing the enemy ships could take those losses and come out the other side with a sizeable force. The destroyer group would be of use against the Hatchets but the massive fortresses were another matter, all Danton could hope is that the Earth forces would be able to bolster their lines against the Draconians and quickly.
Theta had received planetary anti fighter pulsars and a class one shield originally used by one of the inner planets, it would hold against the incoming ships for a small while but three ships would cause damage that any follow up attack would use to their advantage. The entire defence now lay in the fighters and the pilots that flew them, some of them were green as grass but they were led by men and women that had flown for years and now made their home at Theta each bloodied by the attrition battles with the Draconians or other enemies of the Federation.
"Against that lot Colonel we don't stand much of a chance."
"We'll have to hope Rogers' new training programs do what they need to." Danton replied, "For all our sakes."
Earth Defence Directorate
Tactical Command Centre
New Chicago
Deep below the surface of the domed city of New Chicago the Tactical command centre had been the base of operations for the defence of Earth for over one hundred years, originally designed for the command and control of the now-defunct class one planetary shield as well as the planet's ground defences and fighter squadrons the Command Centre had grown and improved to an extent that they wouldn't have expected only ten years before.
A small semicircular office sat high above the screens and readouts overseeing the hundreds of men and women co-ordinating the defences of not just the planet but the solar system, yet more staff were keeping track of ships and fighters throughout the Federation itself. A far cry from the weakened squadrons and compromised shield that made up the Earth's defences during the last attempt against the Earth's solar system by the Draconians, now they were far stronger and meaner than anything else out there.
The commanding office sipped at his coffee as he watched another patrol take off on the screens below him, he missed the buzz of the take off as the magnetic tubes launched him out of the fighter bays far below the surface. Being sidelined was difficult enough but watching the next generation of pilots fighting the good fight was even more so, sighing the figure turned from the screens.
"Colonel." A voice came from outside his door.
"Yes Lt what is it." His weary voice came back, the Colonel had been on duty for more than fourteen hours and was sincerely hoping that his relief would get a move on before he left and dragged the lazy bastard to his post.
"We have an incoming distress call from Theta System, Base One are reporting major Draconian incursion in Federation space. Three Starfortresses and heavy fighter support, Theta has launched all available squadrons and are requesting immediate backup. Our ships are already in system and are also requesting aid."
"Who's in rotation?" The commander asked grabbing his jacket from his chair, he followed the officer down to the main deck. The young woman looked over the incoming reports from Theta.
"The New Australia and her flotilla Sir, Colonel Danton commanding."
"Crap, he wouldn't want help unless it was necessary."
"If this is another major probe Sir?"
"Then we're in for a world of hurt, good job Lt." The Colonel responded "Start full launch procedures, I want everything we can get in the air. Call up the reserves as well."
"Aye Sir."
With that Colonel Buck Rogers left the command room.
In the Defence Directorate Offices Elias Huer was frantically ordering his personnel to their stations, his own computers currently working through the information streaming in from the defence stations throughout the Solar System. So preoccupied with his work that he didn't notice the figure behind him until a firm hand clapped him on the shoulder, whirling round he almost fell over his own feet only to be kept upright thanks to his long term friend.
"Careful Doc." Buck grinned, "I see you've got the gist of our problem."
"Quite right, the Theta system pickets are getting positive locks on the unknown force. They have three command vessels and hundreds of starfighters of an unknown type. There could be more are hiding in the wake of the larger ships not to mention the possibility that they have increased the abilities of their command ships above and beyond that which we have seen."
"Theta Colony just identified the incoming ships as Draconian Fortresses."
"Draconian?"
"Yep." Buck shrugged, "I know, I know. Draco promised to leave Earth alone but I guess he decided that we we're worth keeping it. Three ships and Hatchets."
"Hatchets? Then it's not an invasion." Huer surmised, "Then it's a defensive probe or a raid."
"Yeah, that's what I thought."
"Three fortresses and fighters aren't enough against any of the main planets, Theta is a newer member and even then they would be able to break any attack up long enough for a Federation member to reinforce them."
"Well they're attacking even with the fact that they'll be smashed before they can kill the planet." Buck replied, "They've got a function planetary shield and anti-ship weapons installed right?"
"Yes but only to a class one state, we've not been able to produce enough long range pulsars to refit their defences."
"Great, I've got Sixteen squadrons in the air and the rest scrambling across the solar system… you know we've got a hell of a lot of defences now Doc."
"No Buck."
"What?"
"I'm not putting you in a starfighter again, when you took command of the planetary defence corps from General Deering you became one of the most indispensible members of the Directorate's armed forces. You will be best situated following the squadrons from Command and Control than leading from the front, besides unless you have been keeping up your qualifications even with the council edict on allowing you into fighters again you aren't capable in the newest types of fighters in the directorate."
Buck stayed silent
"You did, didn't you" Huer replied it wasn't a question.
"I persuaded a few of the old timers to let me joyride in the newer marks."
"The Gunships?"
"If I say no will I get in less trouble?"
"Buck that edict is there for a reason you're not a young man any more." Huer fumed, "Wilma, yourself even Colonel Danning have been refused flight clearance to keep you at home to co-ordinate and teach the next generation of pilots. What can't you see about that?"
"Danning went into the Navy, he's on the front lines all the time."
"He's in a ten thousand ton warship Buck not a fragile starfighter."
"Doc, I'm a fighter jockey. I fly when I can still to keep my skills, I'm as fast and as capable as I was when I entered this mad century. Theta is outnumbered and outgunned like crazy, we need every pilot we can get to reinforce them before the Draconians destroy the entire system." Buck exclaimed, "I belong up there."
"Buck I'll make you a compromise." Huer sighed, "I have a feeling you'll find a way around my orders no matter what I say, you can't pilot a fighter but you can use a command destroyer to co-ordinate from space, but the second your ship begins to take fire you get out of there and return to the Theta stations or to one of the colonies."
"Doc you got yourself a deal."
Earth Ship New Johannesburg
Command Class Destroyer
Earth Defensive Flotilla Command Ship
Four Hours Later
High above earth the combined fleet of the Earth Defence Forces were scrambling from their hidden hangers below the planet's surface or deep under the lunar rock. Hundreds of Warhawk class fighters were streaming into orbit while dozens of larger gunships formed up into squads pulling into parking orbit close to the orbiting fighter outposts. Since the return of the Searcher and her crew to Earth after their seven year mission throughout the galaxy and the flaring of hostilities with a number of small powers found across space the people of the Solar System had decided that enough was enough.
As such a number of historians and combat officers had been seconded to R&D to assist with the complete redesign and reconstruction of a force that had been gutted over the decades of conflict using old equipment and inferior training that had caused more losses than at any other time in the directorate's history. Now however the fighters had been redeveloped and upgraded as well as the training making the most of these new craft, however the increase in fighter numbers was not the only improvement to the earth forces.
Several years later and the Earth Defence Directorate had dozens larger gunships formed up into flights, each ship outgunned an entire squadron of Draconian Hatchets with a full wing capable of intercepting and holding the far larger carrier ships to a draw allowing for reinforcements to form up and attack. A combined force of fighters and gunboats had been responsible for the first total annihilation of a draconian fleet with minimal losses, the Earth's loss had been three older Thunder Fighters and their pilots for two fortresses and their entire fighter contingents.
However the attacks had also proven that they were woefully ill equipped to coordinate their forces when away from the main directorate headquarters on Earth, as a result then-Major Buck Rogers had brought forward a design based loosely on those of his own time, the design tentatively called a 'Destroyer' was capable of fleet co-ordination of the entire earth forces and any allies that may get involved. However due to the mass production of fighters and gunships the destroyer shipyards and actual ship construction was reduced to only two per year per yard for the last five years.
With the gunships and fighters under commander of the Directorate HQ on Earth the fleet in being was detached to Mars Command in case of a worst case scenario, several years of construction had allowed for a sizable defence fleet in the sol system now under the command of General Wilma Deering. Formerly the commander of the Defence Directorate Starfighter Corps, Deering had re-taken command of the Corps after their return from the Searcher deep space mission and been tasked with rebuilding the fighter corps.
Her departure from Earth's fighter corps had come through blind misfortune when she had been shot down by a pirate flotilla during patrol, resulting brain damage from the crash landing had left a slight tremor in her right hand at times of stress. Now with her piloting days were effectively over she had decided to step down as fighter commander in favour of someone else, however before handing over her resignation she had been approached by Huer for a very different job.
Now her seven vessel fleet had become the main punching force of the Earth defences capable of taking on several of the Draconian's best ships in a stand up fight, this final tier of highly modified ships had allowed for the slow dissemination of the older fighter squadrons from Earth to their colonies. Along with planetary shielding and anti fighter batteries also of older types the colonies and Federation members were now better defended than they had ever been.
Nine squadrons of fighters had fallen into position surrounding two full squadrons of gunships already holding station, the rest of the fleet was staying behind orbiting the planet in case the attack was a feint, behind the cloud of small craft the Destroyer group sat in support. While the fighters continued to form up close to the warships, two more of the fleet's destroyers settled to the flanks completing the reinforcement group.
"General, our forces are in position and ready." Sarah Brown looked up from her comms screen, "The last of the fighters are entering position."
"Good, have the starfighters enter slip formation. Gunships to flanking."
"Yes Sir."
Wilma sat back in her chair surrounded by the controls and screens of her command desk, leaving the cockpit was the most difficult thing to do for a pilot, but her time as the executive officer of the Searcher had stood her well allowing her to take command of the first flagship of the Earth Stellar Navy.
"Who have the Directorate decided to send as the fighter commander."
"Umm… that's the problem General."
"He did, didn't he?" Wilma Deering sighed
"Yes Sir." Sarah replied, "The London's hailing us."
"Get me the New London on the comms." Wilma shook her head "and divert it to my screen."
Buck sat back in the day quarters of his new flagship browsing the information gathered already about the enemy forces, another report a few minutes before had indicated that the four Thunder fighter squadrons already in theatre had been able to force the Draconians to break off their attack. Outnumbered as badly as they were the losses had already begun to mount, the destroyer pair and gunships in the sector had already reoriented and begun a full burn back to Theta colony but it would take time and the enemy fleet was already close to the planet.
He was itching to get back into the cockpit but Huer had been right even keeping his flight certification had been tough, he'd not fought a fighter on fighter combat in nearly two years and a basic patrol in almost as long. His place was with the planetary command staff or the fighter training school, Earth's defenders had come a very long way since he arrived in this century but even so he couldn't help but want to be back in the thick of it instead of commanding a fleet of fighters from the armoured cocoon of a warship.
"Colonel Rogers."
Buck pushed the button above his head turning the intercom on "Rogers here."
"We have an encoded priority transmission from the Johannesburg, General Deering's responding to your hail Sir"
"That sure as hell didn't take long." Buck smirked, "Put it through here Commander."
"Aye Sir." Buck could hear the Smirk in the Ship's Master's voice, "Good luck Sir, you'll need it."
"Insolent puppy." Buck smirked as Harris killed the connection.
"Buck what the hell are you doing?"
"I'm laying down looking over reports, you?"
"This isn't funny."
"Really I thought it was hilarious."
"Denton's already on site and I'm leading the flotilla through the Stargate, what makes you think that you coming with us is a good idea."
"I've been planetbound for two years Wilma, I've been training pilots in simulators and rebuilding the corps from scratch. When the Draconian hit I was just about ready to jump a fighter and join a squadron."
"That's insane Buck you're not cleared on the Warbirds…. Are you." The question/statement made him shiver slightly.
"My flight clearance is the reason I'm on a destroyer not a fighter." A little white lie with a bit of omission and a sprinkle of truth was always useful in this situation.
"Are you?" Ok so that didn't work, "Dammit Buck."
"Hey half the time I'm stuck in an office or in meetings there was no way I wasn't going to get some stick time in if I could." Buck argued back, "Besides I also hadn't seen my wife in over six months, I got bored."
"You know that wasn't my fault."
"I'm not blaming you Wilma, I just needed to get back into the seat once in a while."
"Alright Buck I'm not getting into an arguement while sitting on by bridge, whats the status of your forces."
"Nine Squadrons of Twenty Fighters, Two squadrons of Nine Gunships and the New London in command. Six spare fighters in the bay."
"Good that should be more than enough." Wilma replied, "Let's get this show on the road."
Buck smirked at his wife's use of his old school colloquialism. "Yep, We're as ready as you are." He grabbed his jacket as he sat up and walked to the door. "Good luck General."
"You too Colonel, see you soon."
Hearing the channel close Buck composed himself and strode through the short corridor to the bridge of the ship, the fleet had already begun moving as he made his way to the command centre of the warship. He had left the Captain in overall control of the New London but had commandeered the tactical/conference room to co-ordinate the squadrons under his command, he wasn't as concerned as he might have been with the fighter squadrons and gunboats crews trained in the new combat techniques he and Wilma had put together as well as input from Danton, Hawk and other survivors of the older squadrons.
Smiling to himself slightly he sat down next to the ships' Captain as they awaited the order to proceed.
"Problem Boss?" The Commander was still smirking.
"Nothing that I couldn't cope with Zig."
"One of these days boss she's going to get you grounded permanently."
"Maybe but then I'll just find another way around it."
"All stations this is the Bridge." A voice interrupted them, "Fleet is cleared for stargate travel, Red Alert. Action Stations."
"And here we go." Buck whispered as the klaxon sounded.
Ahead of the amassed Earth fleet the massive four pointed stargate began to glow as the first vessels approached, waves of energy flowed throughout the construct opening up the folded space tunnel between the Sol System and the Theta System. Dozens of fighters and gunships slipped thorough between the immense generators escorting the larger destroyers at the rear, hundreds of men and women had trained and bled for this chance and now as their half millennia old commander would say… the enemy would pay for this attack…
In Spades.