Chapter 1
The dreams haunted him. The one most people considered the most talented pilot in the entire fleet, and he couldn't catch the Cylon ship before it slammed into the Galactica's bridge. The spirits of the bridge crew stood over his bed, pointing accusing fingers at him. The most damning images were those of his father, Adama, and his sister, Athena, accusing him of failure. Failing to save them once again from the threat that would never end, not until they were all dead. Thirty-seven people died on the bridge that day. Hundreds more throughout the fleet, and Apollo secretly blamed himself. It had been eight years ago.
He awoke to the blaring claxon alerting everyone that the Cylons were once again attacking. It was the third attack in as many days. For over a year, he had slept in his uniform. He confidently strode onto the bridge, and asked for a status report. It wasn't the worst the fleet had suffered since fleeing the colonies, only four squadrons of delta-class Raiders. For a moment, he was lost in thought, then ordered all fighters launched. Within moments, the ships were in the sky, heading toward the mechanical threat.
Apollo thought back to the time he was the leader of Blue Squadron, and how easy it had seemed to outfly the Mark-I Raiders and their Centurion pilots. These days he knew, it was a challenge for their best pilots to even survive against the new Raiders. Even now, Dr. Bella was attempting to decipher the coding of a downed ship. It was no easy task. In the old days, Centurions actually had to manipulate controls to make the ship move. In the new ships, they merely interfaced and communicated with the ship directly through their central processors. In essence, the ship became an extension of the Cylon piloting it, and as a result much more lethal.
He felt helpless on the bridge of the Galactica. Something deep down was bothering him, the friends he had lost during their exodus toward a place he still only half believed existed. It was his father's faith that drove him to continue their journey. Adama was certain Earth existed, and that one day they would find it. He thought of those who had not survived this far, Boomer, Jolly, Starbuck, Serina, Athena, Greenbean, Colonel Tighe, and his father, whose vision he still pursued. How much longer he wondered, how many more would fall to the Cylons?
Captain Boxy angled the squadron towards the incoming Raiders. He whispered a prayer to the Lords of Kobol, as he always did before going into battle. He prayed against all hope that they would all make it home safe. Only a few more centons, and the battle would be joined.
The battle seemed to rage forever, though it only took minutes to reach it's conclusion. As the Cylons broke off their attack, Boxy again wondered why. Why do they attack, and then withdraw without gaining any forseeable advantage? Granted, Blue squadron had done well, and only lost 3 ships, but the Cylon force still had them outclassed. Why break off the attack? It almost seemed a familiar ploy, just to let the Colonials know that they were still the prey, and could be finished off at any time? The question still bothered him as he landed his ship and turned it over to the maintenance crew.
Even as Boxy walked onto the bridge, he could feel the tension in the air. Everyone was on edge, knowing the Cylons could still decide to wipe them out at any time. "Father, can we talk a micron?"
Apollo had a feeling what was coming, so he motioned his son over to a corner of the bridge. "What is it Boxy?" "The attacks don't make sense. They engage us just long enough to take out a few pilots, then pull back. They have to know they have us outgunned. It's frustrating."
Apollo nodded, "Yes it is. And I think it's designed that way. They want to wear us down, and let us know that they can get us whenever they want. But they also know that we are searching for the lost tribe. They have no other way of finding them, if they even exist."
"So we are leading them straight to Earth?" This thought bothered Boxy to his core, the frustration was wearing on him and Apollo could see this. "So they can wipe out those people alongside of us? Those who weren't even involved in the war?"
"None of us were around at the start of the war, and the Cylons don't care. Our only hope is that the people of Earth can help us. And I can only hope that we are leading them to Earth. Because if we aren't, then it's only a matter of time before they do wipe us out. Or at least try to. With any luck, Dr. Bella will figure out a way to remotely disable the Raiders."
"Maybe we should go on the offensive, attack them for a change, they'd be taken by surprise. At least get that base star off our backs for a while." This wasn't the first time Boxy had suggested this, and he knew well the reasons they hadn't done just this.
"We don't have the firepower to take out a base star. Maybe once the new fighters are out of the testing stage, maybe then we can turn things around. But until that happens, or we find Earth, we have to do the best we can to survive." Apollo knew that his son was aware of all this, but maybe the young man just needed to hear it again. Apollo smiled as a thought occurred to him, "You know something, you are starting to sound like my younger brother, Zack. I never mentioned him to you before, but we were on patrol at the start of the Holocaust, when we ran across the armada on it's way to the fleet. His ship was hit, he had lost an engine, but tried to get back. I had to leave him to warn Adama what was coming. He was killed just shy of the fleet."
Boxy digested this new information. He had known of Zack, from talking to Adama, but he didn't know the details of his death. Boxy always had assumed he was lost during the fight, but not that he was the first casualty of billions.
Chapter 2
The dream still haunted him. Being taken aboard the Borg ship, and turned into Locutus. Picard awoke in a sweat, still hearing the voices of other Borg drones. He shut the memory out, and got ready for his duty schedule. Once in uniform, he strode out of his quarters and down the hall toward the turbolift. Guinan approached him from a side corridor, and asked for a moment of his time. Being rare that she asked for anything, Picard readily agreed.
"Jean Luc, I had a dream last night. It may have been a vision, perhaps not. It was fragments really, a battle in space, but not by anyone or anything we know. Strange machines, a desperate people, a convoy, searching for something." Guinan struggled to find words to describe the images she saw. "I'm sorry Picard, it's not easy to describe them, but I have a feeling this somehow relates to us."
"To us, how?" Picard was genuinely curious now, Guinan was not one to bring something up to him on a whim, "I'm not sure. It's just broken images and feelings." At this point a level of frustration weaned its way into her. She forced it out again. "I'll let you know if anything becomes more clear." Guinan walked away, and Picard put this information in the back of his thoughts. He made his way to the bridge, but was again intercepted. This time by Wesley Crusher. "Captain, I just wanted you to know, I'm glad we could put the acadamy incident behind us, and I'm thrilled to be back aboard the Enterprise."
"Well Leutenant, we all do make mistakes. It pleases me that you realized yours, corrected it, and most importantly learned from it. As starfleet officers, we cannot hide from our duties. That is a lesson you learned the hard way."
"Yes, sir." Wesley answered as they walked onto the bridge. Data turned from his position at Ops and looked at Leutenant Crusher, "Welcome back Wes." Riker and Worf also greeted the newly appointed officer. Once the pleasentries were done, Wes took his position at Helm.
Worf's console beeped alarmingly, "Captain, incoming message from Starbase 209, urgent and scrambled." Automatically Picard said "On screen."
The forward viewer filled with a smoky image of the Starbase. A bloodied Admiral stumbled into view. "Attention, all ships in sec..." The screen garbled for a moment, then focused back in, "attack...(static)...repeat, we are under ...(static)...Borg..." And the screen went blank. Picard had seen enough. "Lay in a course for Starbase 209, maximum warp! Engage! Red Alert! All hands to battle stations!" The crew braced themselves for the encounter they knew they might not survive. "Data, prepare shields and weapons configurations for dealing with a Borg Cube."
Commander Data punched several points on his console. "All systems adjusted for all known Borg defensive capabilities." Leutenant Crusher had a thought, "Captain, has anyone tried beaming an armed photon torpedo to the center of a Borg cube?"
"I don't believe anyone has. Their shielding would prevent such an attack." Picard thought the logic of this was sound, Data was about to prove him wrong. "Captain, if we were to send out a probe specifically armed with an ion pulse matching their shield frequency, it could disrupt their shields long enough to perform such an action. The timing would have to be precise, however, it could work."
Picard thought about this for a moment, he knew they had over 2 hours before reaching the starbase. "Make it so." He was willing to try anything to destroy those who had violated his very soul.
Chapter 3 The Borg had come and gone. When the Enterprise finally reached Starbase 209, nothing was left. The entire Starbase was gone. Picard had assumed it either destroyed, or assimilated. "Captain, long range scans indicate no vessels in the sector." Worf informed Picard. The Captain had known they would be too late. "Scan for their ion trail, and set a course to follow them."
A few hours later, there was still no sign of the Borg ship. The Enterprise continued to follow them, but had yet to catch up. "Again, the bastards have adapted." Picard thought to himself, "They know the limits of our engines, and are outrunning us." He was brought out of his reverie by Worf, "Sir, long range sensors indicate two ships entering scanner range, closing fast. Sir, four more behind them."
"On viewer." Picard thought the worst, six Borg cubes, and all of them heading for the Enterprise. The image on the viewscreen allayed that fear. What he saw were two small ships, fighters perhaps. They were being pursued by four other ships, and they were being fired upon. Picard tapped his com badge, "Guinan, report to the bridge." This order surprised everyone on the bridge. "Helm, all stop."
Three long minutes later, Guinan strode onto the bridge, caught a glimpse of the viewscreen and stopped dead in her tracks. Picard looked over at her, "I presume my question has just been answered." Guinan stared at the battle on the screen, and reached out with her senses. In a somewhat distant voice, she said, "We must help them." Which ones, Picard wondered, and in what way? Despite the fact that he could justify breaking the Prime Directive on many occasions, could he justify it to kill entities he had no cause to? "Open hailing frequencies." Worf keyed open a channel, "Open, sir."
"This is Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Federation Starship, Enterprise. Break off your attack, and identify yourselves." Picard watched the viewer, as one of the two smaller ships was hit in the tail section. Data, without being told to, had scanned all six ships. "Captain, the two smaller ships are showing humanoid life signs. The other four show no life signs. The ship that was just hit has sustained major damage to her engines, and the pilot appears to be injured."
Well, at least Picard could get away with helping an injured pilot. "Beam the pilot to sickbay. Worf, take a security team to sickbay." Worf left the bridge, calling for an armed team to meet him there. No sooner did they have the pilot out of his ship, it was hit again and destroyed. The four larger ships swarmed against the now lone humanoid.
Riker had taken over tactical, and had locked phasers on the attacking drones. "Captain?" Picard turned to Riker, and knew what his first officer was ready to do. "Make it a warning shot, Number One." Riker touched the controls, and the Enterprise's phasers came to life, and hit one of the larger fighters in the engines. The craft spun out of control, and away from the battle. The other three ships turned their attention to the Enterprise, and began firing in earnest. Their attack was futile, as their lasers bounced off the Enterprise's shields. Riker fired the phasers again, this time destroying one of the attackers. The two remaining ships broke off their attack and retreated.
"What happened to the other humanoid?" Picard asked Data. "When the three other ships turned to attack us, the pilot took the opportunity to flee. I am tracking his course."
"Lay in a course to follow that ship, at a distance. We don't want to scare him into not returning home." Leutenant Crusher keyed in the order, "Aye, Sir." Picard started for the turbo-lift. "Number One, you have the bridge. I'll be in sick bay."
Guinan followed Picard, and they both walked into sick bay together. As they entered, Doctor Crusher and her team were working on the pilot, with security standing far enough away to not be intrusive. Minutes later, they were finished, and Crusher motioned Picard into her office. Picard motioned for Guinan to join them. "Doctor, how is the pilot?" She sat down and sighed, "He'll be fine. But we have a little bit of a mystery." Picard's curiosity already peaked, went even higher. "Indeed, Doctor, more than you know." Picard explained the visions Guinan had. "Well, I can add this much to it, his DNA structure is identical to ours. If it wasn't for the uniform, and the ships, I would swear he was from Earth." At this point, a nurse came in and told them that the pilot was waking up.
Chapter 4
Boxy awoke, and thought he was dead. He was certain of it. He thought back to his last moments, the Cylon getting the lucky shot, his engines exploding, the shrapnel ripping through him. He noticed his uniform was gone, and he felt uninjured. At least being dead wasn't painful. He opened his eyes and closed them again, the light burned his retinas. After a moment, he opened them slowly, allowing his eyes to adjust to the brightness. He looked around, saw a very bright and clean room, as well as several people standing nearby watching him. They were dressed in strange uniforms, but were obviously human. He stirred and sat up. "Are you the Lords of Kobol?" They must be waiting to lead him to his judgement. They didn't answer him. Questions formed in his mind. While he was pondering the next one to ask, an attractive red haired woman walked in and up to him. She held a device of some sort over him, then she put it down, and spoke to him. "How do you feel?"
"A little disoriented, but otherwise fine. When will I be taken to judgment?" Boxy was sure he'd be allowed into the next level of existence, after all, he was here, wherever here was. He looked around again, and noticed his wingman nowhere to be found. "Did Klytus survive?" Boxy hoped his best friend had made it, but alone against four Raiders, it wasn't likely. The woman smiled at him, "Yes he did, and we are following him back to wherever you came from." Boxy wondered exactly what that meant, weren't the Gods all knowing? "What do you mean? Wherever we came from? Aren't you the Lords of Kobol?"
"I'm afraid not, you are onboard the USS Enterprise. We beamed you aboard right before your ship was destroyed." His mind reeled, could it be true? Was he actually alive? How did they rescue him? A million questions ran through his mind. Then he remembered, the strange ship that seemed to appear out of nowhere. "How did you..." He couldn't figure out which question to ask first. Aparently the woman sensed this, "Just relax, you are safe. Let's take it slow. I'm Doctor Beverly Crusher. What's your name?"
"I'm Captain Boxy, flight leader of Blue Squadron on the Battlestar Galactica." He prayed this wasn't some sort of sick Cylon trick, he had heard of human looking Cylons, meant to infiltrate the fleet. But why save his life if they are following Klytus back to the fleet? Unless he really was dead, and Boxy their only lead back. But no, the Cylons knew where the fleet was, the constant attacks proved that. What in blazes is going on? "Umm, could I get some clothes?" Two other people walked in, a black woman in robes, and a bald man. The bald man spoke to him. "I think clothes would be appropriate. Then we can talk. I am Captain Jean-Luc Picard, and we have much to discuss."
Someone else brought Boxy a clean uniform identical to the one he wore. Again he thought about the possible Cylon angle, but it still didn't add up. He noted that they didn't return his laser pistol. It didn't matter, if it was a cylon trick, he'd never be able to fight his way out anyway. The bald man and the black woman led him to a very comfortable room, and told the escorts to wait outside. They sat around a table, there were small viewscreens arranged around the table, and a larger one on the wall. "Please tell me where I am." He ventured the request, hoping to get some answers. "You are on the USS Enterprise, a Galaxy Class starship representing the United Federation of Planets. We beamed you aboard after your ship had been damaged in what seemed to be a rather unfair assault. Now, would you tell me who you are? And where you came from?" Boxy figured these people, whoever they were, had saved his life, and treated him well. So he might as well answer. "I am Captain Boxy. I am the leader of Blue Squadron of the Battlestar Galactica."
"Well Captain, would you mind telling me why you were under attack?" Ok, this is going to get complicated, should he start out by telling them about the war? Better wait on that one, start out simple. "Klytus and I were on a routine patrol. Scouting in front of the fleet for any Cylon activity. We must have stumbled onto a remote base, they sent up eight Raiders to jump us. We managed to get four of them before I got hit."
"We detected no life forms in those fighters. They must be controlled from the nearest base." Captain Picard seemed an intelligent man, it also seemed that although only a Captain, that he was in command of this ship. How could he not know about the Cylon Empire? "No, they are controlled by Cylon Centurions. Machine warriors that are intent on destroying us all." This last visibly shook Picard, what did it mean to him if he had never heard of the Cylons? At this point a chime interrupted their conversation, along with an announcement. "Captain Picard to the Bridge." Maybe he wasn't in charge after all. Picard stood, asked the black woman, apparently named "Guinan" to take him somewhere called "Ten Forward" and continue speaking with him. Then he excused himself and left.
As they walked the halls of the ship, Boxy was impressed with everything he saw. When they got where they were going, he noticed that they were no longer being escorted by the security team. Apparently they trusted him to some extent. Guinan offered him a drink, and they started talking about the Federation, but eventually got around to the Cylons again.
Chapter 5
Klytus landed his Viper, and made his way to the bridge. It was now his sad duty to inform Commander Apollo that his son was dead. He found that once he got to the bridge, he needn't say a word. "What happened?" It was an obvious question, but not one he was fully prepared to answer. "We were jumped, eight Raiders. We got four of them, then some weird looking ship showed up. They got...they..." No more words would come. Apollo knew the Cylons had killed his son. Now he knew how Adama had felt when Zack was killed. "Tell me what happened after they shot Boxy down."
"The new ship distracted the Cylons, and I escaped." Klytus was clearly distraught. He and Boxy had been best friends since they were kids. "Where did you get jumped?" Apollo didn't want to draw this out, he knew the pain the young man was in. After getting the coordinates of the now exposed Cylon outpost, he let Klytus go back to his quarters.
Apollo debated how to deal with this new threat, could they skirt around the outpost just out of scanner range? Well, he had time to decide on that. Maybe they should attack, no, that was his anger and grief speaking. He had to keep a level head about him, or else they might all end up dead. It wasn't bad enough that they had lost over fifty of the two hundred twenty ships they started out with. Maybe, just maybe, they could use this to test the new Python fighters. In theory, the Pythons were faster and more maneuverable than the Raiders, and carried much more firepower. He decided to pay a visit to Dr. Bella's lab, and see how close he was to completing the prototype.
He walked into the lab, and was instantly greeted by Dr. Bella. Bella seemed to be quite excited to see the Commander, Apollo decided that this could be a good sign. "How is the Python coming?" The scientist took on a bit of a pseudo smugness, and announced, "She's ready for a test flight." That explained the mood he was in. "What are the current specs? What can she do?" Apollo hated being terse, but he was still bothered by Boxy's death. "Well, if everything works as designed, she's capable of near light speed, the laser generators are half the size of the Viper's, and emit an anti-proton ratio of 10 to the 50th power per cubic nanometer. The armour plating is rated to withstand three direct hits on each panel, and I decided to steal an idea from the Cylons," Apollo cringed at the mentioning of the enemy, "I've installed a cortex uplink into the helmet, meaning that with the flip of a switch, each pilot can improve the performance of the Python by thinking his actions. It is of course, optional, and would require some getting used to. For the time being, I'd recommend simply using the standard controls, until the pilots become used to the new fighters."
Apollo was highly impressed. "How soon can you have a squadron of them ready?" Bella thought about this, it had taken years to develop the prototype, and without even testing it, the Commander wanted a whole squadron of them. He knew it was a serious question, something seemed to be bothering Apollo, but Bella knew him well enough not to pry. "Well, I suppose if I can assemble a good sized crew together, maybe a month." Apollo pondered this, then asked another question, "How many can you get me in three days?"
Chapter 6
Baltar had gone completely mad, Lucifer was certain of it. He was getting old by human standards, but even the natural deterioration of age in humans didn't explain this behavior. Lucifer was glad he wasn't human, they are too frail, and subject to emotionalism, a concept he'd started to understand shortly after being assigned as Baltar's second in command. It could be quite detrimental, after all, it had cost them thousands of Centurions before Baltar was captured by the Galactica. Lucifer knew well he was next in line to succeed Baltar, the human couldn't live forever, and after that, probably even take the title of Imperious Leader. It was he personally who had integrated his own I.L. Series intellect into the Centurions, dumbed down a little of course. It was a necessary step up for them, with the Delta Class Raiders and the new interface he had developed, the old Centurions were incapable of handling the craft. Surely, they still made good ground troops, but they were too slow to handle anything complicated.
Lucifer had made these developments during Baltar's exile. He had inexplicably decided to go to the Galactica, to convince Adama to surrender peacefully. The ploy failed, and Baltar was taken into custody to stand trial for treason. How Baltar had managed to get away with only a shelter and short range radio has never been satisfactorily explained, at least not to him. The Imperious Leader may have believed that "Exiled from the fleet" story, but Lucifer was sure it was a lie. He knew Baltar far too well. He also knew where they found him, close to where a Base Star had been attacked by the Galactica and destroyed. Lucifer was sure Baltar had given some assistance in trade for his "exile". How much he was not sure.
Baltar sat on his thronelike command chair, and brooded. He was not happy these days, killing Adama didn't satisfy him. He knew Adama was dead, he had to be. No one could have survived that blast, not even the unkillable Adama. Baltar laughed out loud, "The Unkillable Adama is DEAD! DEAD DEAD DEAD!" The Centurions on duty had learned to ignore such outbursts, although they knew they were coming with more and more frequency. Perhaps what bothered Baltar the most, was that he wasn't there to see it himself. He visualized the Raider, everything but the engines and the Centurions removed and replaced with Solenite, slamming into the Galactica's bridge. Bodies being ripped apart, and burning up. Sent to Hell by his own commands. And then the Imperious Leader, the smug bastard, ordering Baltar to not destroy the Galactica once and for all. "How DARE he, call off the greatest military leader the Empire has ever known!" Baltar fell silent again.
The Centurion Commander on duty turned to Baltar, "Your eminence, a ship has appeared on the scanner." It was a standing order since his return that he be addressed regally. None of the Cylons understood why, but they did as their commander bid. Baltar didn't seem to acknowledge the information, yet spoke. "What kind of ship?"
"Unknown." This did nothing to improve Baltar's mood. He pressed a switch, "LUCIFER!" His second in command appeared on the video screen. "Yes, Baltar?" 'Insolent wretch, never gives me the respect, I, Baltar, deserve.' "Find out what you can about this approaching ship, and be quick about it!" Lucifers cranial lights increased in speed, but simply answered "By your command."
Lucifer analyzed the intruder as well as he could. From this distance, all he could tell was that it was a near perfect cube. He decided to dispatch four Raiders to investigate, and get a closer scan. He glided into the command chamber and informed Baltar what little he knew.
The Raiders approached the cube from multiple angles, each with scanners on full analysis. Back on the Base Star, Baltar and Lucifer watched the screen as the data came through. Power source; Unknown, weaponry; Unknown, crew; Unknown. That last was inexplicable, how could there not be a crew? Perhaps they had some sort of shielding that was blocking the scanners. Apparently the cube was curious about the Cylons as well, on the third pass, a greenish beam reached out and grabbed one of the Raiders, stopping it dead in its tracks. The other three Raiders continued scanning, but concentrated on the source of that beam, then swooped in to free their companion. Blue beams of light flashed from the Raiders, damaging the emitter array and releasing the Raider. All four ships then retreated toward the Base Star. The cube continued in pursuit, and fired as well. The Raiders were destroyed in short order.
Lucifer was stunned, but recovered quickly, he ordered all Raiders launched to destroy the invader. Baltar began ranting again, shouting "HOW DARE THEY?" He was ignored.
All four squadrons launched and began to assault the ship. Within moments, their weapons were useless, as the Borg analyzed the threat and adapted their defenses. Their ship was damaged, but reparable. They continued on, ignoring the fighters. The cube pulled up close to the Base Star, found a compatible channel, and began to communicate.
Baltar watched the screen in astonishment. He had known the capabilities of the Delta Class Raiders, but this ship brushed them off like flies. Then had the temerity to activate their communications screen. "We are the Borg. We have analyzed your defensive capabilities and found them unable to withstand us. We will add your technological and biological distinctiveness to our own." Lucifer activated the distress beacon to Cylon, and encoded all known information on the 'Borg'. Three Borg drones appeared within the Base Star, and were shot on sight. More Borg drones appeared in various places, including the command chamber. This time the shots from the Centurions were absorbed by a shield of some sort. They wandered around with impunity. Baltar came out of his chair, and as quickly as his aged body could carry him, moved on the drone and physically attacked it. The drone turned and stunned Baltar, then both vanished. Lucifer realized they had captured their leader, and that there was nothing they could do about it. The other Borg beamed out soon after. The cube held its position, almost taunting the Cylons to try something. Lucifer analyzed all the data they had on the Borg, and decided that no, they were not being taunted, not that it would work anyway, but that the Borg were deciding what to do with them.
Chapter 7
"Captain, the ship we were following has landed on another ship." Picard was informed as he walked onto the bridge. "What can you tell me about the Galactica?" It surprised everyone but Data that the Captain knew the name of the ship. Data had already done a complete sensor scan of the ship, compiled the information and was ready to present it. "The Galactica is basically an aircraft carrier and battleship in space. It contains a crew of 3154 humans, has a fighter capability of 250, 25 shuttlecraft, limited shielding, and the engines are capable of light speed, but no faster. Its offensive weaponry consists of 87 laser turrets located throughout the ship, 5 missile launchers, and 3 high powered laser emitters."
Picard was impressed with this analasys. "Can you tell me anything about it's origins?" Picard had hoped to get the answers from Boxy, but couldn't be sure the young man would trust them. After all, they were a hunted people. "Unfortunately not, however, the ship appears to be almost ancient." All right, the answers were going to have to come from Boxy, maybe he could get the young man to answer the right questions, by taking him home. "Data, can you take us to within their scanning range, and hold position? Let them come to us?"
"Certainly sir." Picard decided this was the correct course of action, these people were probably very cautious with new contacts. He had another idea, "Will, go down to Ten Forward and bring Captain Boxy to the bridge. I think he should be here when we make contact." Riker acknowledged the order and left.
Chapter 8
Apollo returned to the bridge of the Galactica, and ordered the fleet to stop. It was risky, he knew. They would be sitting ducks as opposed to slowly moving targets. He also knew he had to buy enough time for Dr. Bella to deliver on the Pythons. He promised six of them, including the prototype, to be flight ready in the time allotted. Apollo had cleared him to draft as many people as needed for the project. Three days was a very short time for this type of preparation, but he knew from the specifications that these new fighters could turn the tide.
"Commander, something on the scanner. A ship, it's pulled into our scanner range and stopped." Apollo wondered if this were some kind of Cylon surprise, designed to draw them in. "What the hell?" The Communications officer, Colice, uttered in shock. "What is it?" Apollo wanted to know. "Sir, there's a signal, coming in on Fleet Comm Line Alpha!" The Commander was dumbstruck. Fleet Comm Line Alpha was a private emergency channel between Battlestars. There is no way anyone could be sending a signal to them that way. He turned to his scanner officer, Dargha, "Identify the source of the signal." He thought he already knew, but how is it possible? "Sir, it's the ship that's just sitting there. Narrow beam, it has to be intended for us." Apollo ran to the console. Before he punched the accept button, "Is that ship a Battlestar?" The last time a signal had come across that channel was when the Pegasus had appeared out of nowhere, but Apollo knew the Pegasus had been destroyed. Count Iblis had seen to that. "No sir, it matches no known Colonial configuration. It doesn't match any known Cylon ships either." Dargha was good, she had anticipated his next question. Apollo pressed the button.
"This is Commander Apollo of the Battlestar Galactica." He knew the information was almost pointless, if it was a Cylon trap, they already knew this. "Good afternoon Father." It was Boxy on the screen! He was standing on what appeared to be an alien ship's bridge. Apollo could see humans in the background. They were dressed in strange uniforms, but didn't appear to be threatening his son, if it was his son. "Boxy, is it really you?" He couldn't believe it. How could it be possible? Klytus had seen Boxy's Viper destroyed. "Yeah, it's really me. And I can prove it. Muffit could sniff out mushies." Apollo knew, it was Boxy. "Did Klytus make it back to the fleet alright?" Boxy asked before Apollo could say another word. "Yes, he did. We thought you were dead." His son laughed, "Yeah, so did I. I'll explain it all shortly. You may not believe it all, but I'll tell you what happened." A thin bald man approached Boxy's side, "I am Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Federation Starship Enterprise. If you don't mind, we will approach and send a shuttlecraft over to bring your son home to you." Apollo was convinced his son was safe, and not under any sort of duress. "Of course Captain, please do." The bridge crew broke into a cheer. The screen winked out, and Apollo practically ran off the bridge to get Klytus and tell him the good news.
Within minutes, the Enterprise had drawn alongside the Galactica, and the shuttle was dispatched as promised. When it landed on the Galactica's bay, the shuttle turned around before setting down. The shuttle gleamed white, which Apollo noted was not a Cylon color, and looked new. The bluish light along tubes running the side of it went out, and the rear of the shuttle opened. Boxy ran out and right up to Apollo and gave him a hug. His uniform was spotless, although his laser pistol was missing. Captain Picard, along with four other people walked out of the shuttle. When Boxy let go of his father, he led him over to where Picard and the others were waiting patiently. "This is Captain Picard, Commander Data, Lieutenant Crusher, Dr. Crusher, and Commander LaForge. Dr. Crusher is the one who put me back together." Apollo shook all of their hands, and thanked them for returning his lost son. "Father, I wanted to wait until we were here to tell you this, these people are from Earth." Boxy let that sink in, he could picture his own face looking like that when he himself had found out.
"Earth? The one we are looking for?" Apollo couldn't believe it. They had encountered people before whom they had thought was the lost tribe. "No doubt about it. They allowed me access to their computer, and in a place they call 'Egypt', and another place called 'South America', there are structures identical to the ones on Kobol. Even some of the inscriptions are the same." Apollo tried to be cautious, but after twenty years in space, to finally find people from Earth gave him hope. "Commander, I know your fleet is very slow moving, but we can offer you some help. Commander LaForge is my chief engineer, and may be able to upgrade the engines of your slower ships. We can also offer you an escort to our nearest Starbase. We should work quickly, as we are not exactly safe here." That was an understatement if Apollo had ever heard one. A Cylon outpost in front of them, and a Base Star behind them. He was about to point this out, when Picard made a disturbing statement. "There is a Borg ship somewhere in this region of space." None of the Colonials knew what a 'Borg' was, but it didn't sound good.
Chapter 9
A few hours after the Borg had taken Baltar, the viewscreen activated again. Lucifer was shocked to see on the screen what he saw. It was Baltar, fitted with all sorts of electronics and prosthetics. "I am Nilus, of the Borg. Your technology is of no use to us. However, being that I have put in a good word for you, your vessel will be spared." Nilus smiled in the way Baltar used to when he had one of his ideas for destroying the Galactica or making Adama's life miserable. "Lucifer, I leave you to inform your empire that the Borg will be coming." And the screen went blank. The Borg cube spun on it's axis, and sped from the area in blazing speed. Lucifer turned to the Centurion Commander and said, "I don't think the Imperious Leader will take this news very well."
Lucifer was also surprised at the speed of the Borg ship, it had vanished from their scanners in milliseconds. He noted it was not heading towards the Galactica.
As he left the command chamber, and headed towards the communications center, Lucifer was unsure of Imperious Leader's response to this situation. The Borg were a force to be reckoned with, and some day, they would be marching on Cylon. He just hoped they could use what information they had to be able to withstand such an invasion.
Chapter 10
Apollo had taken the Starfleet crew on a tour of the ship, although he felt they weren't impressed with the technology. They finally made their way to Dr. Bella's lab, where the Pythons were under construction. The prototype was sitting off to one side, ready to be taken to the launch bay. Apollo gave them a brief overview of the new fighter, Geordi and Data walked over to the prototype, and began going over it with tricorders. Dr. Bella noticed this, and watched to make sure nothing happened to the prototype. Momentarily, LaForge called Dr. Bella over. "We've detected a problem with your weapons system." Geordi explained the problem and how to correct it. Bella agreed that the flaw had gotten past him. To Apollo, it was further proof, not that any was needed, that these people were here to help them. Even with the improved armour and speed, without weapons, the Pythons were useless as anything but a distraction. Suddenly, all the lights went red, and the alarm klaxon blared.
"Cylons!" Apollo shouted. He ran over to a comm system and punched a few keys, "Bridge, this is Apollo, status report!" After hearing the report, and issuing a few orders, he ran back to the visitors. "Three squadrons coming in. I have to get to the bridge. You don't have time to get back to your shuttle before they get here. Better come with me."
"Commander, we don't need our shuttle to get back to our ship." Picard tapped his communicator badge, "Enterprise, Three to beam up." Lieutenant Crusher spoke up, "Captain, let me stay, they are going to need another pilot, and I can learn to fly their Viper in minutes." He could see in the young man's eyes that this was important to him. He didn't know why, but he did know that Wes was one of the best pilots at the academy.
"Doctor?" Picard decided to pass this one off to his mother. "Wes, are you sure?" Her concern was written all over her face. "I'll be fine. This should be easy after the Colvert Starburst." Apollo chose this moment to warn the younger man off, "This isn't your fight, and the Cylons can't be taken lightly."
"Don't worry, I'm not taking them lightly. But you need all the help you can get." Wes turned to his mother, "I'll be fine." She smiled at him, gave him a hug and wished him luck. Boxy led him off to the flight deck. Apollo turned to Picard, "What was that about not needing your shuttle?" Picard smiled, "We have the technology to transport from one location to another. When this is over, I'll show you around the Enterprise." He tapped his badge again, "Enterprise, two to beam directly to the bridge. Energize." Apollo was stunned again when the two of them vanished from right in front of his eyes. As he rushed to the bridge, he again thought that with their help, they just might make it to Earth.
When he got there, the Enterprise had moved toward the incoming armada, the Vipers had all launched, and were taking point ahead of the Enterprise. He watched the scanner as the two forces approached each other, and the battle engaged.
Chapter 11
Once on the bridge of the Enterprise, Picard ordered the ship to intercept the Cylon fighters. He was also annoyed that no one detected them coming in. He would wait until this was over before finding out who slipped up. The Vipers took the point, and Picard kept an eye on the one Lieutenant Crusher was in. He ordered the transporter room to stand by to beam him out if the ship was hit. There were too many fighters for the Enterprise to handle on her own, so they were depending on the Colonial Vipers to take some of them out. Perhaps the Cylons would turn and run as Boxy had told him they have a tendency to do.
Minutes later, the battle still raged, several Vipers were destroyed, but none of the Raiders had gotten close to the Galactica, and Wes was still flying circles around the more advanced Cylons. Suddenly, one of the Raiders made a sharp turn after being hit a couple of times by the younger Crusher, and slammed right into his Viper, cutting it in half. The two pieces tumbled away and exploded. Picard leaped out of his chair, knowing it was already too late. The Raider spun out of control, slammed into the Enterprise's shields and exploded. The Cylon force had been cut down by a third, and they were still attacking. Picard ordered tactical to target as many Raiders as possible. Worf stepped up his firing, and quickly cut the number of Cylons in half again. They finally broke off the attack and fled. In all, six Vipers were destroyed.
The remaining Vipers returned to the Galactica, and Picard headed down to sickbay to deliver the bad news. Wesley Crusher was dead, and Picard had to once again deliver this information to Beverly. First her husband, and now her son. Picard broke down just outside of sickbay, he wept for the boy whom he felt was like his own son. The son he never had. He had never told either Wes or Beverly that he felt that way. It was now too late to tell Wesley, and it would sound patronizing to tell Beverly right now. Picard stood at the door, tears running down his cheeks, when suddenly the door opened. "Jean-Luc?" Her eyes went wide, "Oh, my God, WES!" Picard sobbed uncontrollably, and nodded.
Aboard the Galactica, Geordi and Data finished refitting the Python prototype. They started looking at the schematics in the Galactica's database, looking for how they could refit the other ships in the fleet. Much of the technology was incompatible with what they knew, but they worked on it nonetheless.
Apollo took stock of the losses. Six pilots lost. This time, death really did hit close to home, Klytus was among those lost. He also knew that the Federation officer, Wes Crusher, was lost. He tried to warn him off, that it was not his duty to defend the fleet. The young man was good though, he had personally accounted for seven Cylons before being cut down. Boxy had only destroyed five. The difference being that Boxy came back alive. Apollo hoped with the losses the Cylons had suffered, they would not attack again until after the Pythons were ready.
Chapter 12
Lucifer couldn't believe it. Baltar played around with them, kept them running, pushing them towards Earth, or so he believed. Of course, it was Imperious Leader's order not to destroy them completely, and now that he rescinded that order, the Galactica has the help of an unknown warship. One capable of warding off their Raiders, almost like the Borg ship. He hoped that once he spoke with Imperious Leader again, more Base Stars would be sent. The problem there, is that it would take at least days if not longer for them to get here. Although the Galactica hasn't moved in a day, and she does have to move slowly due to the ships under her protection. Another consideration is that it's likely that the Galactica came to a dead stop because of the outpost in this sector. The question mark is this new arrival. Lucifer would send out the Raiders to scan it, but they would likely be destroyed before getting any useful information. He would have to consult with Imperious Leader before taking any action.
Two days had gone by, and no attacks from the Cylons. Picard had nearly forgotten about the Borg, and the destruction of Starbase 209. With all that had been going on, it seemed like years since that incident. Of course, had the Borg struck again, he would have heard about it. Starfleet was aware that the Borg were in Federation territory. They were also aware of this new threat, the Cylon Empire. He had briefed them not long after picking up Boxy, making Starfleet aware of potential danger had been his first priority. He wondered what the Borg were up to, they had more than enough time to make another appearance. Either nearby or halfway across the galaxy.
* * *
Finally, only four days had gone by, and Imperious Leader had dispatched five Base Stars. More than they had used to wipe out a fleet of twelve Battlestars during the invasion of the Colonies. The Base Stars were under Lucifer's command, so he was ultimately responsible for making sure the entire Colonial Fleet, along with the mystery ship that all but annihilated the four squadrons of his Base Star, were destroyed. The Raiders from the nearest outpost had also been dispatched to his Base Star, taking care to circle around the sensors of the new arrival. Lucifer didn't want them knowing the amount of firepower arrayed against them. The firepower of six Base Stars, Twenty-Four Squadrons, all in one attack. Had he been human, he would have been excited.
Apollo had taken a tour of the Enterprise, and was amazed with both the newness and efficiency of the ship. The transporter still filled him with awe. Instantaneous travel, in seconds, even across thousands of miles. Now that seven of the Python fighters were ready, he decided to move the fleet forward. They would take out the Cylon outpost, and continue on. Picard's team of engineers were still working on the engines of some ships in the fleet, but some of the more dilapidated ships could be abandoned. Picard had offered refuge on the Enterprise until they reached their nearest Starbase. So far, only eight ships would have to be left behind. Of course, it could end up being more, the team was only so large, and their inspections were thorough, so he really couldn't complain. He did want to get the fleet underway. Thinking of that, he hailed the Enterprise. Instantly, they were patched through. "Captain Picard, I would like to start moving the fleet forward. Our new Python fighters are ready, and you did say it was dangerous to remain here."
Picard understood the Commanders reasoning, "All right, we will take a position alongside the Galactica, and be prepared to assist in any way we can." Apollo was pleased that Picard was willing to escort them. Even with the new Python fighters, having the Federation's Flagship alongside was comforting. He knew anything they would have to deal with, be it Cylon or otherwise, they would be in good hands.
Lucifer launched the armada. All twenty-four squadrons. He also ordered the Base Stars to close in on the fleet. If this force couldn't eliminate the Galactica, nothing they had could.
The Enterprise detected the incoming Cylon force first. Picard alerted Apollo, who already had the Python fighters moved to the launch bays. Picard also had Worf patch the Galactica through to their information on the incoming threat. Apollo forwarded a message to Picard, that this was a larger array of forces than the Cylons had used to wipe out the Colonies. Twenty-four squadrons, and six base stars. All closing in on the fleet. The Cylons were serious this time. It was clear, they meant to annihilate the Colonial fleet. Picard sent out a distress call to any other Federation ships in range, but he knew, even the closest ships would get there too late.
Chapter 13
Nilus stood watching the view-screen, the technology was beyond anything the Cylons had, from several light years away the Borg could monitor the events as they transpired. Soon enough, he would be in the seat of power on Cylon itself. The part of him that was Baltar screamed to join the upcoming battle, he wanted to destroy the Galactica. Perhaps the Borg would join the battle, and wipe them all out. Millions of voices debated this action in the data channel.
Apollo launched all Vipers, and headed to the launch bay. He would personally lead the defenders, and he would do it from the seat of a Python fighter. Dr. Bella had done better with the assistance of the Enterprise crew, three more were being brought into the bay. "Sorry Commander, ten ships is all we could muster in this short amount of time." He looked like he was disappointed in himself. "You did better than expected. I didn't think we'd even have half this many." It was true, Apollo had doubted his ability to assemble the ships that fast. As the Pythons were lined up in the launch tubes, Apollo grabbed a helmet, and climbed in. He studied the controls for a moment, closed the cockpit, looked over, as the rest of the pilots were doing the same. They each gave a thumbs up, and launched.
Once in space, he realized just how powerful the new ship was over the Viper. He ordered the Pythons to back off, stay out of the battle until they were used to the controls, they were quite touchy.
Picard watched the new fighters flying around the Galactica, he knew those pilots needed time to get the feel of the unfamiliar ships. "Arm weapons, shields to full." Picard wanted to destroy every Cylon personally, they had killed Wesley Crusher. He had fully planned on aiding the Colonials with their journey, but now he had been drawn into a war. "Intercept the fighters first, the Base Stars are secondary."
The battle was engaged, the Enterprise fired her phasers very accurately, taking down ship after ship. The Cylons fired like madmen, and apparently learned something from the last encounter. They were flying maneuvers Picard had never seen before. They were also draining the Enterprise's shields with the pounding. Vipers were giving as good as they got, they were just outclassed. Within minutes, the Colonial force was down to four squadrons total, not counting the Pythons. Apollo was ready, so was Boxy and the other Python pilots.
They joined the battle within seconds. The Cylons were not ready to deal with the new Colonial fighters. The lasers were ripping straight through their armour. They were also a lot harder to target.
The battle raged for some time, the Enterprise was starting to wear down, her shields were at 37 percent. The Cylons seemed to be concentrating their attack on the larger ship. With this information at hand, and the fact that the Enterprise's attention was focused elsewhere, the Borg decide this would be an opportune time to strike.
Lucifer noticed the Borg cube, and ordered the Raiders to ignore it. Not that they could do anything to it anyway. With Baltar's knowledge, the Raiders wouldn't last long. And maybe the Colonials can do something against the Borg, it seems as though they have some new fighters. He ordered the Raiders to scan the new ships, he must have more data on this.
"Sir, Borg cube dropping out of Warp!" Worf barked while firing on the Cylon fighters. "Data, prepare to beam an armed photon torpedo into the Borg ship." At least Crusher's idea was worth a try. "Probe ready, launching." The probe hit the Borg shields and created a rip wide enough for the transporter beam to get through. Only Data could have gotten the timing right, the hole was opened for milliseconds. Suddenly, a large corner of the Borg ship erupted in flames. "Again!" Picard hoped it would work a second time, he knew a third time would not. The Borg adapt too quickly. Data timed it right again, and the Borg cube was rocked internally.
Two of the Python fighters raced to the Borg cube, and fired repeatedly, hoping their new lasers were something the Borg had never encountered. They were correct, as the blasts ripped straight through the cube. They continued to fire on the Borg ship, ripping it apart. The cube exploded in blinding flash. Pieces of debris and flaming wreckage flew in every direction.
Apollo had never seen an actual Borg, but he was well aware of the threat they represented. He had found it hard to believe that something could be worse than the Cylons, until he had seen the records of the Enterprise's encounters with them. As soon as the Borg ship had appeared, he and Boxy broke off from the Cylons and attacked it. The Pythons were new not only to the Colonials, but something the Borg had never dealt with.
The Cylon force had been cut down to one third of its original size, and the Galactica hadn't even been touched yet. Any Raiders that headed towards it were chased down and destroyed by the new ships. The Python fighters appeared indestructible. They were being hit, but not enough to destroy them. Lucifer was livid. He ordered the Base Stars forward. It was their final chance to destroy the fleet. If the Pythons could destroy the Borg cube in short order, how long could the Cylons hold out? The Base Stars spread out in a pincer-like maneuver, at least two of them would get to the Galactica.
Picard saw the Borg cube explode, and smiled. The Enterprise would not have been enough against them, but with the Colonials help, the Borg were dealt with in short order. Now to finish off the Cylons. "Captain, shields at 16 percent." Worf informed Picard. The Cylons were a formidable foe. "Another ship coming in, at high warp." It was the USS Talon, one of the few sister ships to the Enterprise. "Hail them Mr. Worf." Worf keyed open the channel. Captain Shelby appeared on the screen. "How can we be of assistance Captain?" Picard remembered Shelby from the time the Borg had gotten him. "There are six circular vessels maneuvering to encircle us, they are Cylon Base Stars. We have the fighters under control." Shelby angled the Talon around to draw off at least one of the Base Stars.
Lucifer saw the new arrival, it was identical to the one their Raiders were concentrating on. It was moving on the Base Stars, he knew better than to ignore the ship, but he couldn't break off the attack. He ordered the other Base Stars to continue moving towards the Galactica, but to also fire on the other ship.
Few of the Raiders were left, less than a complete squadron. The Enterprise had been harder to damage than they thought. The Raiders broke off and scattered. Apollo ordered the Vipers to land, the Pythons would deal with the Base Stars. Two of the Base Stars were closing in on the Galactica, all three ships were firing. Apollo noticed that another Galaxy Class ship had joined the battle, and was going after one of the Base Stars. The Pythons split into two groups, and sped to defend their home.
The Galactica was taking damage, but so were the Base Stars. The Pythons closed in and let loose with a volley that ripped into the Cylon ships. Lucifer was monitoring the progress, it was time to bring the Raiders back into the fray. They had withdrawn and circled around. He ordered them to attack, not the Galactica, but some of the ships at the far end of the fleet. This tactic should draw some of the Pythons away long enough to finish off the Galactica. Two of the Base Stars had taken heavy damage due to the new Colonial ships. His Base Star, alongside the one nearest to it, were closing in on the Enterprise. He ordered the forward mega-lasers to lock on and fire.
Picard saw the two Base Stars closing in on them, the Enterprise couldn't get between them, they were too close together. The Enterprise was rocked when the first volley struck. "Photon torpedoes, full spread, FIRE!" The photons launched and found their targets. Both Base Stars rocked. Another spread of photons were launched, and one of the Base Stars exploded. A second volley from the Base Star not only rocked the Enterprise, but brought down her shields. The Cylons must have detected this, as they started firing all of their weapons. The Phasers streaked out and cut across the Base Star, she was taking heavy damage. The mega-laser fired again, and hit the Enterprise's portside warp nacelle. The nacelle exploded and sent the Enterprise spinning out of control.
Laser blasts continued to pelt the hull. Within seconds, the Federation's Flagship regained control, and limped back toward the Base Star. Firing all weapons, the Cylon ship was ready to finish off the unknown vessel. One last volley of photon torpedoes launched and ripped into the Base Star. Lucifer's last thought was "How?" The Cylon ship exploded in a shower of sparks. Picard breathed a sigh of relief. Apollo was told that several Raiders were attacking the fleet at the back end. He and Boxy pulled away from the Base Stars and pushed the Pythons to their limits. They arrived in time to see one of the ships in the fleet explode. The Raiders turned their attention to the Colonial fighters, it was a mistake. Apollo and Boxy made short work of the remaining Raiders, then headed back to the main battle.
Two more Base Stars were closing in on the Galactica. Only three of them remained overall. The Enterprise had been taken out of the battle, but the Talon was taking up the slack. Picard told Shelby how to deal with the Base Stars, but her ship only had two Photons left. The Pythons had taken up a new strategy, attacking simultaneously. They were ripping into the nearest Base Star, when it suddenly exploded. Four down, two to go. They moved on to the last closing Cylon ships, the Galactica fired missiles as the fighters streaked in. The Talon angled for the second ship, firing its remaining Photon torpedoes. As the Base Star exploded, the Galactica's missiles struck the other one. The final Cylon ship was rocked. The Pythons closed in, firing repeatedly. Within a minute, the last of the attackers was destroyed.
Apollo landed his fighter, and as he climbed out, the Viper pilots were waiting to congratulate him and the other Python pilots. Throughout the fleet, word spread that the battle had been won, and on top of that, the news of contact with people from Earth.
Over the course of the next few days, the most dilapidated ships in the fleet were abandoned, their people divided between the two Federation ships. The fleet got underway again, this time knowing they were safe, and going to their new home, Earth.
The End