What If Starbuck Hadn't Got There In Time?
"Any word o n the chief, sir?" asked Cally. She had been worried ever since the Marines from Pegasus had taken the Chief and Helo away. Some of the Galactica's crew had tried to find out why, but they had simply pushed them away with their guns ready to be used.
"He's going to have to stand trial" Adama said with a sigh. It was his opinion that the pair had done nothing wrong. From what the Eight in the sickbay had told him, it was a pure and simply accident that Thorne had died.
"He's a good man, sir" Cally added.
"I know. I'll do everything-" Adama was cut off by the tone of the intercom and Gaeta's voice flooding through.
"Attention Galactica. Pass the word for Commander Adama to contact CIC ASAP" Adama frowned for a moment and then went to the phone that was next to where he and Cally had stopped.
"This is Adama"
"I just talked to Fisk. Court-Martials are over" Tigh's voice was all business this time round. Adama was surprised. He hadn't been told about the Court Martials yet.
"Over? When did it start?" he asked his old friend.
"I don't know, but they've been found guilty o n all counts. She's going to execute them for murder and treason" Tigh said. Adama nearly exploded with rage and he let his head and shoulders slump forwards. Cally didn't hear what was being discussed, but she knew at once what had happened. She wondered about the Commander's reaction to this, and also about what was happening with the pair in Pegasus's brig. Adama seemed to have made a decision though because he straightened up again.
"I want a marine strike team in a raptor in five minutes. Prepare to launch alert fighters" and he put the phone down before Tigh could speak another word. "You have work to do" and Cally realised what he was going to do.
"Sir" she replied formally, and walked fast towards the Hanger Bay. Adama simply walked off towards CIC with a plan forming in his mind.
#
"Pegasus, Galactica, please secure a channel. Commander" Dualla spoke into her head set before indicating to Adama that it was safe to speak. Whilst he didn't want the civilian fleet to hear the exchange, he had ordered it piped all over Galactica.
"You told me they'd get a fair trial. What kind of a trial could have possibly had?" the Commander's gravely voice held anger that most of the crew had never heard before.
"I assure you I heard them out. I weighed their statements against those of the guards and I took into consideration their service records and commendations. It was a difficult decision Commander, but I dare say it was a fair o ne" Admiral Cain said, and Adama nearly cursed on the link. Had she not remembered what Tyrol and Agathon deserved?
"They have the right to have their case heard by a jury" he told the Admiral
"I am a flag officer o n detached service during a time of war. Regulations give me broad authority in this matter" Cain said as if that solved the matter. Adama didn't reply but simply turned round to Tigh.
"Launch the fighters" and then he spoke again to Cain. "You can quote me whatever regulation you like. I'm not going to let you execute my men"
"I highly suggest you reconsider that statement, Commander." Cain began, but then somebody seemed to interrupt her with information. Adama assumed that the other Battlestar had picked up the launching of the Vipers and the Raptor. "Commander, why are you launching vipers?" Cain asked when she came back on the line.
"Please arrange for Chief Tyrol and Lieutenant Agathon to be handed over to my Marines as soon as they arrived" Adama stated calmly before he lost the little control he had on his temper.
"I don't take orders from you" Cain spat over the link between the two ships.
"Call it whatever you like. I'm getting my men"
"You are making such a mistake"
"I'm getting my men" and Adama slammed the phone into the holder. A few moments later, and DRADIS picked up Pegasus's entire alert fighter group being launched from their tubes.
"Oh Frak…" said Dualla. Adama couldn't bring himself to reprimand her because it was exactly what he himself was thinking of.
"Launch the Alert fighters" Tigh ordered. "Set condition one through out the ship, and have the rest of the pilots get to their planes" and alarms started to go off all over the ship. "What do we do, Bill?" Tigh asked his old friend and comrade. Adama seemed to think about this for a while.
"Close all bulkheads and seal the compartments" he ordered and spun round to Dee. "Tell our fighters that they are not to engage. Make defensive postures only. Normal rules of engagement apply" the dark skinned woman nodded before speaking rapidly into her mic/headset. The Vipers of both ships danced the dance of death, and the whole of CIC watched the DRADIS console at the flurry of ships as they darted around. Some of the civilian ships had called to ask about the 'aerobatic display' that was taking place. For the next two minutes, Kat who was leading in the absence of Apollo and Starbuck kept asking for permission to shoot. Adama refused permission telling her to wait and see what would happen. The only way she and the rest of the Galactica complement could shoot was if Pegasus or her Vipers opened fire first. Time ticked by until DRADIS picked up the arming of Pegasus's main weapons. Before Gaeta could say anything, the other Battlestar fired a single high explosive round into the mass of Galactica vipers. Seven of their number exploded in balls of firey destruction.
"Gods…" said somebody. Adama was surprised to hear that the voice was his own.
"Galactica – Kat. Request permission to fire" the voice was urgent.
"Permission granted Kat. You are cleared to engage" Tigh passed on the order himself.
"Roger that, Galactica" Kat replied. "Targets bearing dead ahead on course 230 – Red and Blue Squadrons engage" and the vipers fulfilled their primary purpose – killing machines. Moments later and the Galactica was fired upon by the Pegasus and so the last of the original battlestars turned its guns on its own side and began firing. Pegasus's Raptors launched minutes later and flew to Galactica with heavy missiles which poured into the side of the already battered ship. Sparks flew from power lines and consoles all over the ship. Some of the weaker lines ruptured and began spraying coolant in the corridors. In the CIC, Adama and Tigh watched as their vipers vanished off screen as they were destroyed.
"Lock main batteries onto the engine cluster of Pegasus" Adama ordered. The orders were passed on and the main cannons of Galactica locked on to the engines of her counterpart. "Fire" and a salvo of four shells burst from Galactica, flew through space and then ripped into Pegasus's engineering section. The engines darkened then blew up into pieces as Pegasus became disabled. The Galactica vipers took this as a good omen from the Gods, and pressed home a new attack and began shooting to kill. The battle went on for minutes until Gaeta noticed that the other battlestar was shooting its guns in a manner that suggested that main power had been taken out along with the back up generators.
"Do we order our ships to finish Pegasus?" Tigh asked his friend. He – like Adama – had taken a few cuts here and there plus his forehead was a complete mess.
"No" Adama said, and then to see that Dee was still in her place though she looked as batter and shaken as Galactica herself. "Put me on to Pegasus and all colonial forces Priority One in the clear" and he picked up the phone. "Galactica to Pegasus. You are heavily damaged and out of control. Your engines have either been disabled or destroyed, and your guns are ineffective at manual firing at this range. Do you surrender?" and there was a pause before Cain came on the line.
"You have brought death to us all, Adama. By starting this battle you have finished the human race" and Adama simply collected his thoughts before turning to Tigh.
"Have a Raptor ready to launch in ten minutes. Have a Marine strike force waiting inside for launch. I'm going down to the brig to get our Cylon prisoner out. I'm going to board Pegasus" and Adama left the CIC before Tigh could say anything to him. On the way down to the brig, he found two officers who worked under Gaeta in the navigation department and ordered them to follow him. They stopped only at the stores to pick up a new uniform for somebody.
#
The Raptor left the Galactica with Sharon Valleri at the controls. She had been sworn in as an officer of the Colonial Fleet minutes before. In the back of the craft sat the Marines who would accompany Adama to the Pegasus. The man himself was sat up front with Sharon. Several of Galactica's vipers lay off the port and starboard beams as escort. They had three minutes to reach the combat zone, but when they reached there, the pilots of the Pegasus had decided to surrender to Adama. He ordered them to assume station next to Galactica under the watch of their Anti-Aircraft weapons and vengeful pilots. The flight to the other ship was uneventful and they made a perfect landing. But when Adama stepped off the Raptor, he found a squad of Marines facing him and his Marines. He stared them with a blank face before they allowed him to pass. Whilst they had served under Cain, they knew that Adama was the most respected commander in the Fleet – even if he did insist on having his ship not have a network. He, the Marines and Sharon walked through Pegasus's corridors looking at the damage that had been inflicted by Galactica's weapons and saw, heard and smelt the death around them. The group walked into CIC where Cain blew her top and ordered Adama and his party's arrest. The Marines faced each other as Adama spoke to the CIC crew.
"I have been through the same sorts of horrors that you have been. The difference is that Admiral Cain has used unlawful and immoral methods to achieve her targets. She and many members of yourselves have committed war crimes in raping and torturing members of the enemy. I have come here under the authority of the Colonial Fleet to relieve Admiral Helena Cain of her command" and Cain went several hundred colours of red before she exploded.
"You can not relieve me of command" she spat. "I hereby dismiss you from the service of the Colonial Fleet forthwith. Marines? Take him to the brig until we can arrange transport to a ship of my choosing" but to her surprise nobody moved.
"As you can see, there is a member of the Cylon race standing beside me. At first, I thought her to be dangerous. But I have learned that she is an honest person and that is why she is an officer as much as I am. I thought at first that humans and Cylons couldn't work together, but Lt Valeri is here because to prove otherwise. This has been a terrible mistake for both sides, but the fact remains that Admiral Cain has committed war crimes. I repeat my previous statement: Admiral Cain is relieved of her command as the command of the Colonial Fleet" Adama said with that forced calm, and Cain looked between him and her officers.
"Take him to the brig to face charges of mutiny and insubordination" but Fisk – her XO – moved to her side with his weapon drawn.
"Admiral Cain, you have been relieved of your command. Please hand over your sidearm and allow yourself to be escorted by the Marines to the Brig on Galactica" and Cain looked at Fisk who roughly took her sidearm. She was grabbed by one of the Marines and took her to the waiting Raptor which was being guarded by one of them who had been left behind. To his surprise, Fisk was also placed under arrest and Adama ordered a call put through to Tigh. Over the next few hours the damage began to get repaired, funeral services held and numerous people arrested and placed on trial for multiple crimes. The Cylon prisoner in the Pegasus brig was moved to Galactica where Cottle treated her for all the injuries she had sustained. Adama and Roslin went through Pegasus's officers and crew with flaming swords of fury as they weeded out all of the people involved in the many murders and multiple rapes of the Cylon – later turning out to be a Six – and these people were given fair trials and either busted down in rank or dismissed from the service. Things seemed to be getting back to normal when Starbuck jumped in with the Blackbird which – with no transponder – caused the fleet to think she was a Cylon raider. The pilot looked at the damaged ships, the wreckage of destroyed vipers and cursed as she flicked on the comm.
"Galactica – Starbuck. What the FRAK went on?"