Battlestar Chiron
WAR
Chapter One
The Cylons were created by Man.
They were created to make life easier on the Twelve Colonies.
And then the day came when the Cylons decided to kill their masters.
After a long and bloody struggle, an armistice was declared.
The Cylons left for another world to call their own.
A remote space station was built...
...where Cylon and Human could meet and maintain diplomatic relations.
Every year, the Colonials send an officer.
The Cylons send no one.
No one has seen or heard from the Cylons in over forty years...
Until Now.
Virgon Space:
Thirty minutes before the attack:
CIC Chiron:
Admiral Walter Griffin walked onto the top deck of the main CIC of his command. The newly commissioned Titan class Battlestar even smelled new to him as he came to a stop at the rail overlooking the CIC room. Below him, in a half circle, the command crew sat at their chairs as he looked around the room. In the center of the room, the massive Dradis center projected its holographic screen up into the room forming an eight-foot window allowing the second floor to view the information it contained.
In commission for less than three weeks, the new Chiron was one of the most powerful ships in the fleet, but the cost to build her would cost the fleet eight of the older Battlestars, Battlestars like the Galactica and the rest of the Armageddon class, like the two currently flying on the Chiron's flanks, which would be sent to the bone yard and broken up for scrap.
"Status of the escorts?" came the voice from the commander of the ship, snapping Admiral Griffin out of his thoughts.
Walter watched as the commander of the ship, Commander Edward 'Contrail' Moore was walking around the Dradis station yelling out orders to the command crew.
"What's the condition of the ships we're supposed to escort?" Edward said as he paced around the Dradis table.
"Sir, the destroyers Griffin, Hydra, Hasp and Greenfield are ready to jump with the civilian ships. The Battlestar Armageddon and Devastation are ready as well," replied Colonel Isaac Hilliard as he looked up at his commander and added, "Their bays are loaded with the extra Mk-VII Vipers and Raptors for the mining colony. The colony ships are prepared to jump as well."
"Good," Edward said.
Walter sat down in his chair and thought of the two forty year old Armageddon class Battlestars produced during the Cylon war as a stopgap to fill the battle line. The two old ships had served with honor and glory, but were now just glorified transports for the government to resupply the outlying colonies.
"Prepare to jump to mining sight Gamma…"
"Sir, transmission from Virgon Fleet Headquarters. They report that there is a Raptor inbound to us. ETA is fifteen minutes," the communications officer reported.
"What? Now?" Edward asked.
"Yes, Sir, apparently they forgot to install a vital piece of software into the network system, and their bringing it out to us to install," the officer reported.
'Frak, we're going to miss the window,' Walter thought as he looked at his watch. Standing up, he went to the rail, and looked down into the room, and said, "Edward, send the fleet on. We will catch up to them in forty minutes. Find out what this update is?"
"Yes, Sir," Edward said as he looked up at his boss.
Around the ship, two old Battlestars, four destroyers, three mining ships, a Tylium tanker, one old refinery ship, two flattop repair ships, six cargo ships carrying supplies and prefab buildings, and three passenger ships each carrying five thousand colonial marines, pilots, miners and their families for the new colony started jumping.
1*1*1*1
Raptor 654358:
'Frak! They're jumping! Cavil is going to be pissed,' she thought as she watched the ship get closer. "What are they doing? I'm supposed to install this software in the ships computers," Agatha Hope asked the Raptor pilot.
"I'm not sure, Miss Hope, but the Chiron is still waiting for us," the pilot reported as he pointed at the humongous Titan class Battlestar.
"Raptor 354358. The Admiral wants to know what the software is," came through the speakers.
"Tell them it's an emergency update to the CNP, Fire Control and Emergency Command Code. We found a gap in the system and need to replace it," Agatha said as she looked into the cockpit.
The pilot quickly relayed the information as they flew closer to the ship and headed for the stern of the massive landing bays.
"Raptor 354358 you're clear to land on landing bay Baker. The Admiral says to do the update ASAP," came through the speaker again.
"Roger Chiron control. I read landing bay Baker," the pilot returned.
"Call the ball, 354358."
"I have the ball," the pilot said as he flew into the bottom deck on the portside landing bay and shut the power to minimum, so the maglifts could lock onto their craft. Three minutes later the elevator started, and slowly lowered to the main deck. The hatch went up to allow their visitors to exit the craft.
Agatha looked around the huge hanger. Off to one side sat thirty of the deadly Mk-VII Vipers and ten Raptors. She knew that the other half of the hanger, divided by the giant blast walls held another thirty to forty Vipers. 'This ship has to be destroyed, with up to four hundred Vipers in her giant landing bays, and eighty heavy rail guns, she could wipe out a good chunk of our forces,' she thought to herself as she started walking towards the far doors.
"All hear this, we jump in eight minutes. Secure all non essential equipment," blasted through the speakers as she walked through the door and headed for main computerization.
"This is the Admiral speaking. Set condition one throughout the ship. We will be jumping in four minutes. We should return home to the colonies in three to four weeks depending on how… What do you mean we have unidentified ships at extreme range?" came through the speakers before it was shut off.
"FRAK! I'm late!" Agatha said as she started running to her destination.
1*1*1*1
CIC Flag Bridge:
"What the frak are they doing?" Walter said as he looked at the five ships at the edge of the system.
"Not sure Admiral. It's not unusual for ships to appear in that location, it's on a direct heading to Caprica," Isaac replied.
"But it is unusual for them not to squawk an ID on them and I don't like it. Bring the ship to battle stations, and prepare to launch Vipers," Walter ordered as he saw a pair of Patrolstars heading for the unknowns.
"Yes, Sir," Commander Moore said as he picked up his handset and said, "All hands man your battle stations. This is not…"
"Admiral, I'm receiving a message from Picon Fleet Headquarters in the clear," came from the communications station.
"Put it on speakers," Walter said.
"This is Admiral Nagala aboard the Battlestar Atlantia; Picon Fleet Headquarters has been destroyed by a fifty megaton warhead by the Cylons. The Scorpion shipyards have been attacked and Caprica City has been hit by a nuclear warhead as well. People, we are at war. I want all remaining fleet elements to join with the Atlantia at Virgon for the counter attack. That is all."
"You heard the Admiral. All hands man your battle station," Walter said into the handset he had yanked off the wall and issued his orders as the ships alarms started sounding.
"Incoming FTL signatures,… its colonial fleet units. I have the Battlestars Atlantia, Indra, Manticore, Apollo, Glorious, Atlas, Mercury, Solaria, Uranus, Rhiannon, Cerberus, Fenris and four Valkyrie class ships, the Hjörþrimul, Sanngriðr, Svipul, and the Guðr. Ten destroyers, six gunstars, five Patrolstars and twelve frigates have joined up with us as well," Colonel Isaac Hilliard reported.
"Good, notify Admiral Nagala we have the right flank. Notify the Indra, Manticore, Apollo, Glorious, and the Atlas to form a stagger formation with us. Launch all Vipers for combat and Raptors for CSARs," Walter ordered as the lights dimmed and turned to red.
On the main screen, the ships of the fleet moved around. With the flagship forming the left wing with her four escorts and the Valkyrie's in the center, they closed on the incoming ships.
"Sir, Admiral Nagala is ordering the Patrolstars to fall back and perform CSAR duties. He also ordered all civilian ships over Virgon to jump."
"More Dradis contacts, enemy ships now number ten and closing, Raiders are closing on the Atlantia, Mercury, Solaria, Uranus, and the Rhiannon," Isaac said as he highlighted the boards.
"Very well, let's begin the dance. Set bow guns for extreme range and fire," Walter ordered.
"Sir, at this range, a hit is unlikely," Colonel Hilliard said.
"I know Colonel but let's keep firing. The more we learn now, the more we can counter when we're in knife range," Walter replied as he watched the wave of Cylon fighters closing with the left flank.
"Mercury is in trouble!" the com officer shouted.
"Why isn't she firing?" Walter shouted as he watched the Solaria and the Chiron's sister ship the Uranus started firing erratically.
"The Mercury has been hit with four nukes, she's breaking up…"
The explosion polarized the camera's filters as they relayed the battle to the CIC monitors.
"Frak! How?" Walter asked.
"Sir, reports coming in now. Our Vipers are shutting down as soon as they get in range of the enemy. Battlestars Atlantia, Mercury, Solaria, and Rhiannon are the same. The Uranus is under attack now, but her firewalls are semi protecting her as is the Fenris…"
The destruction of the Manticore stopped the conversation as she was sliced in half by the Battlestar Hjörþrimul. The Hjörþrimul had been in a turn to bring her portside weapons in the clear to fire when she shut down and sliced right through the old Battlestar. Both ships exploded into a giant fireball.
"What the frak happened?" Walter said as his eyes registered the complete destruction of the Hjörþrimul and the Manticore.
"Cerberus is under attack. She's trying to protect the flagship… Heavy damage to the Indra."
"Apollo, and the Glorious just blew up. They were hit by four nukes each!"
"Sir, we have a situation down in the computer room. Someone just killed the marine guards, and went into the room and dogged the doors. Sergeant Wicks reports gunfire in the room, but he can't get inside," the internal com officer shouted.
"Take the computer room out of the net!" Walter shouted.
"Disabling the room now," Isaac shouted over the sound of explosions as he ran to the computer substation and used his command codes to cut the room out of the command circuit, and added, "The room is off line, and no way they're getting access now."
"Good dispatch marines to the computer room and arrest the saboteur," Edward shouted as he grabbed the rail.
The missile hit just in front of the forward landing bay on the starboard side. The explosion caused molten plasma to race across the armored section of the ship, destroying several KEW batteries, and four air-to-air missile batteries. It also jammed three external landing bays, and destroyed the four cameras in that quadrant of the ship.
The entire CIC crew climbed to their feet and on the screen three more Battlestars went offline and were quickly destroyed.
"Atlantia is off line! Fenris and Uranus are moving in to cover her,"
"Recall all fighters, launch Raptors to tow any disabled ones into the landing bay," Walter ordered.
"Recalling all fighters, Raptors and heavy lifters, are lifting off to recover disabled fighters.
"Sir, we just lost the Sanngriðr, Svipul and the Guðr, the center is wide open… incoming Raiders…"
"Recall our fighters, fire flak suppression into those enemy fighters. Continue firing on the enemy baseships.
1*1*1*1
Baseship Alpha:
Cavil was smiling as he watched the Colonial fleet being destroyed. "Target the Atlantia with all weapons," he said with a cackle.
"Seven Battlestars have been destroyed, four more have shut down. We have light to moderate damage to three baseships. All enemy Vipers except for the older models have been knocked off line. Raiders are concentrating on the Colonial Flagship and her escorts. The Battlestar Fenris is trying to cover her, and Uranus is moving up as well," a number six replied.
The ten baseships spun on their axis and started firing all their weapons at the disabled Atlantia and the Fenris that was trying to cover her. Their massive broadsides were tearing the lead baseships apart.
"Why are they not shutting down?" Cavil screamed.
"They are heavily firewalled. We're trying to shut them down at this time," Six replied as sixteen nuclear weapons hit the Atlantia and the Solaria. They were quickly followed by four of the gunstars, and five of the destroyers being taken out with more nuclear warheads. The blinding flash shut down all theDradis computers for ten minutes.
1*1*1*1
Battlestar Chiron:
"Indra just blew up!" was shouted from across the room.
"Sir we've recovered three hundred and fifty-six Vipers and Raptors from all ships. The Uranus has fallen back to us, along with the Fenris, and the Atlas is behind us with the frigates Gallant Gypsy, Freedom, and the two remaining gunstars Anderson and Slammer," Isaac reported as the Chiron was hit with sixteen normal missiles, blowing a huge hole in her starboard side.
"Fenris is abandoning ship, she has heavy damage and her FTL drive is off line," the communications officer shouted.
On the main screen hundreds of escape pods, Raptors, shuttles, Vipers and heavy lifters left the stricken ship as she started firing every weapon she had left at the Cylon fleets. The space between the advancing Cylon ships was filled with a wall of shrapnel from her flak cannons and light missile batteries while her main rail guns started tearing holes into the larger baseships. Nuclear missiles were launched and they flew through space towards the Cylon fleet.
"Message from Fenris, get our people out of here, and fight another day. The Cylons will fear the day they attacked the Dog!"
Walter watched as the mighty Battlestar turned and charged towards the Cylon fleet. Her main weapons fired their deadly cargo at the nearest enemy Baseship which crumpled under six hits and blew up; the explosion masked the Fenris as she sailed through the debris field, firing her forward guns on salvo fire at the next baseship. The remaining eight Baseships retargeted the Fenris and fired every weapon at the burning ship. While their mother ship attacked the Cylon fleet, hundreds of escape pods shot towards the surviving Battlestars, Gunstars, destroyers, frigates and Patrolstars. As the last of the heavy lifters jumped out carrying Vipers in their claws, the Fenris locked horns with two of the Baseships.
"All ships, jump to coordinates Baker One Nine! Walter shouted into the handset as the Fenris was hit with four nuclear warheads. Then he said, "Fire all tubed nuclear missiles at the incoming Raiders as well as the standard missiles."
The blinding flash of all three ships, and the thirty nuclear missiles inside the Raider's fighter wings allowed the rest of the fleet to jump to safety.
First Edited by Bill Lewis
Final Edit By TeNderLoin
Battlestar Galactica™ is a registered trademark and copyright (©) Glen Larson & the SciFi Channel. Thank you to the Battlestar Wiki and The Battlestar Galactica Role Playing Game, Battlestar Prometheus have proven invaluable for the information they contain. All material found in this story is for entertainment purposes. No copyright infringement should be inferred or is intended. Battlestar Chiron and all its original characters and story lines presented here are the copyright (©) of their creator (©) 2010.