Please leave a review. This story is the lead story of all my BSG stories. This story takes place three months before the attack on the 12 colonies of Man.
Dreadnaught Tempest
The Mission
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.
Dreadnaught Tempest:
Three months before the attack:
Leonis Museum Space Park:
CIC Tempest:
Commander Nancy Owens sat in the command chair going over the next day's list for the tours and crew rotation that were going to be run tomorrow. She was checking off everything on a secondary list as she went.
"Hey, Chief Lars, we're getting our Tylium fuel in thirty minutes so we can keep the lights on," Nancy said to the red headed deck chief in charge of the landing bay.
"Good, we're getting real low," Chief Tyron Lars said from his station on the CIC.
"What the frak?" Nancy said as she picked up the paper from the Admiralty.
"What is it Nancy?" Tyron asked.
"I have a message here asking if cargo bays one and three were still unfilled… Wait this is for Commander Myers, she was killed last month on Caprica in a skiing accident. What the hell is in cargo bays one and three? What's in the rest of the eight cargo bays?" Nancy asked.
"No idea," Tyron said.
"Well, let's go check it out. Since they are in a part of the ship not seen by the tours," Nancy replied and stood up. As they were walking to the door, she said, "Cadet Hays, you have command."
"Yes, Sir," the young woman said and walked over and sat down in the command chair.
Walking through the dimly lit ship, Nancy wondered what the ship would have been like forty years ago fighting the Cylons. She was two miles long, bristling with sixty, triple-mounted heavy KEWs (Kinetic Energy Weapons), two hundred light defense KEWs, twenty missiles tubes, ten per side, one hundred CIWSs (Close-In Weapons System), and six forward firing heavy KEWs in dual turrets. She had forty MK-III Vipers, twenty Mk-II Raptors and seven thousand people crammed into the ship's ten decks.
She was the only survivor of her class of eight, and in her last battle, she came home limping from damage, bleeding air. Half her crew were dead, most of her weapons wrecked, but she had taken out four base ships by herself, and had completed her mission. Rebuilt, after the war, she remained on active duty for twenty years before she was retired, and was turned into the museum she now was.
Crammed into her massive landing bays in the midsection of the ship were thirty Mk-III Vipers and thirty-five Mk IV's as well as twenty MK-II Raptors from the first war. Her manufacturing plant that produced her ammo for the massive ship had been changed to make three-inch replica shells, Vipers and Raptors. Her molds for the ships ammo, and the onboard craft sat behind roped barriers, so people could see the size of the shells she used to fire or the craft she had built to sustain her.
Walking up to the doors to cargo room one Nancy used her command override and opened the huge door to the three-story room. Stepping out onto the catwalk that looked into the room, they stood there looking down into the packed room. The room was packed with thousands of pallets containing cases of food. She could see everything from canned to dehydrated foods and crates of containers that contained flour, salt, and sugar, to the cases of MRE's that were just waiting to be used. Stacked against the far wall, to the roof, were cases of bottled water.
"There's enough food to feed a standard crew for several years by the look of it," Nancy gasped out.
"Looks like it," Chief Lars replied as he shook his head in surprise.
"Let's check cargo room two," Nancy said.
Stepping out, they closed the door crossed the hall to room two and opened the door. Inside were thousands of more boxes. As they looked at each they saw things like soap, toilet paper, coveralls, uniforms, cigarettes, chocolate, coffee, and thousands of other items to keep a ship's crew happy.
"This is weird," Nancy said as they stepped into the hallway and Chief Lars closed and dogged the door.
"Yes it is, door three?" he asked.
"Yes, we need to figure out what's going on. We will need to check all eight of the cargo rooms," Nancy replied, and turned to start off as the Chief finished sealing the room.
They walked five hundred feet down the corridor and she opened the door with her code. Stepping into the room, she saw eight rows of steel bins and they must have been stacked ten high. The first seven rows were the same size while the eighth was double the thickness. Each was marked with a number, and that was it.
"What the hell are those?" Nancy asked.
"No idea, Sir. We'd have to open them up to find out," Tyron said.
"Not going to happen. Come on, let's check out the rest of the cargo rooms," Nancy ordered as they stepped out of the room and pulled the door closed.
Stepping across the room, they opened cargo bay four and were again floored as they looked at the crates of parts for the ship. New weapon coils, pallets of diagnostic equipment, tools, and a million mundane items that were usually stored for the ship.
Commander Owens, report to the CIC… Commander Owens report to the CIC," came through the speakers.
Reaching over to the wall by the door, Nancy picked up the handset and said, "Owens."
"Sir, Admiral Corman is on the horn for you," Cadet Hays replied.
"Shit! Ok, I'll be right up," Nancy said and hung the handset up.
"Chief, I have to run up to the CIC. Admiral Corman is on the horn for me," Nancy said to the chief whose eyes went wide at the mention of the Admiral with a temper.
"Oh shit. What did we get into?" he asked as they started walking back the way they'd come.
The walk took three minutes to reach the massive CIC or Combat Information Center, as it was known as. Opening the hatch Nancy stepped into the room and walked to her chair.
Sitting down in her chair, she picked up the handset and said, "This is Commander Owens. What may I do for you, Admiral?"
"Stay the frak out of those cargo bays. Do I make myself clear?" Admiral Peter Corman voice snarled through the handset.
"Sir, I was following the orders I received this morning to check them," Nancy replied, and prayed that it would deflect his anger from her as she picked up the paper.
"I… what orders?" came the demand.
"Sir, I received an order in the mail packet this morning and its title coded as 93KD62F37DJDN7 and the messages states that I was to check cargo bays one and three, and report if there was still room in them for more deliveries. So that's what I was doing," she replied.
Nancy heard the shuffling of papers, and then the admiral was back.
"That was a mistake, that report shouldn't have been sent to you but it was. Tomorrow, I want you here so we can talk about it… make it seven pm at the Admiralty. Just so you know. There are four shuttles coming in tonight to make deliveries to the ship. You and your crew are ordered to their bunks after they land. YOU will stay out of their way and all security cameras shall be offline. Do I make myself clear?" Admiral Corman asked.
"Yes, Sir. We won't be near the landing bays," Nancy replied and heard the handset being hung up.
"What was that all about?" Chief Lars asked.
"I have no frakking clue. How did he know we were looking in them? Cadet, did you tell the admiral?"
"No, Sir, I didn't. He called and demanded to know who was in the cargo bays," Cadet Regina Hays stated.
"Thank you, Regina. So, when do the next set of cadets come up?" Nancy asked.
"In nine hours. We will be receiving two thousand cadets and teacher from the Leonis academy. After we get them settled, the nineteen hundred cadets that are on board right now, will report to the main hanger to reboard the shuttles to leave, unless you want us to wait and help get the school tour settled. The tour is scheduled to land twenty minutes after we're supposed to leave. As you know, this is a special gathering of the descendents of the ship's crew since she was a Leonis built and manned ship. The students, families and teachers to Leonis City, Judea High School are here for three days to honor Commander Judea Holdstein, the commander who fought the ship at the battle of Cygnus..."
"Oh Frak! I forgot that, I have to be here, I better call the Admiral back and let him know," Nancy said.
"Yeah, you better," Regina replied as she turned back to her station.
Picking up the handset, Nancy contacted Admiral Corman's office and left a message about the memorial tomorrow night at nine and how she had to be here for the honor of the fleet.
Hanging up the handset, she looked at the chief and said, "He'll probably bitch and scream about it. But I have to be here."
"Yeah, he will bitch, but he will understand," Chief Lars replied as he set the clipboard down and powered up the CIC for its nightly check.
"All systems are green. There is nothing on the Dradis but the nightly traffic and the ten ships of the museum. We have the tanker Maelstrom at five hundred clicks and closing," he reported.
"Ok then, I just have one announcement to make, and we'll leave the ship in the tender hands of the cadets for the evening," Nancy replied as she picked up the handset and turned the ship wide on.
"Attention all hands, tonight some ships are coming into the main landing bay. Once they are docked, all personal except for the CIC crew are to report to their cabins for the rest of the night. I know you're all excited about going home tomorrow and I cannot blame you. I want you all to know it was a pleasure being your instructor and commanding officer for the last three weeks. Tomorrow, the new cadets are coming onboard, you will all make sure the cabins are ready for the Gold crew, and that all Silver quarters are cleaned for the next batch in three weeks.
"Also, I'm going to delay your launch tomorrow, because of the tour coming in from Leonis City, and Judea High School. As you are aware, they will be staying onboard for three days, and that this is an honoring of Commander Judea Holdstein, the commander who fought the ship at the battle of Cygnus and destroyed four baseships, and allowed the evacuation colony to escape. Commander Holdstein died three weeks ago, and it was his wish that his ashes to be interned in the chapel on the ship. The admiralty agreed. If you wish to stay and honor him, I'll delay your shuttles until after the ceremony.
"Now, for the last duty of the ship for the night, all hands, prepare to receive our fuel, it's coming in on the portside, just past the launching bays. All personal man your stations to monitor for fuel leaks and report them to the CIC. The smoking lamp is off until the ship has finished refueling us. That is all," Nancy said as she hung up the phone and the lights turned from their normal off white to the yellow for ship refueling.
Nancy watched as Regina picked up the handset on her station and started talking into it.
"Sir, it's the captain of the Maelstrom he says he is ready to lock on and start filling our tanks," Regina reported.
"On wireless," Nancy said as she leaned back in her chair and waited.
"On the air, Sir," Regina reported.
"Good evening Maelstrom this is Commander Nancy Owens of the Dreadnaught Tempest. How are you doing tonight?" Nancy said.
"Tempest, this is Captain Mike Willard of the Maelstrom. Good evening to you. I have your fuel for you," came through the speakers.
"Very good, fill us up," Nancy ordered.
"You got it Tempest, sit back and let us do our job," the captain of the Maelstrom reported and the wireless was shut off.
"Fuel is coming in at two percent every minute. We should have our ten percent allotment in five minutes," Chief Lars reported.
"Very well, I'm going to get some coffee, want some Chief? Regina?" Nancy asked as she started walking towards the kitchen off the CIC.
The 'yes, pleases' came from both of them as she entered the small galley and saw the empty pot. Quickly filling the reservoir, she had a new pot brewing for the night shift, as she pulled their cups out and added cream and sugar to hers and Regina's. Twenty minutes later, she was walking back out to the CIC. She passed the cups out and sat down in her chair. Chief Lars was doing a systems check while Cadet Hays was running a simulation on the battle computer.
"You winning?" Nancy asked as she set the cup in the holder.
"No, and I don't see how Commander Holdstein defeated four baseships," Regina replied as she picked up her cup and took a sip. A sigh escaped her as she set the cup down.
"You have to factor in several things. One he had fifty ships he was trying to save, the crew trusted him to do the right thing, and three, never count a cornered ship out of the fight," Nancy replied as she walked over to her chair and sat down.
Nancy picked up her clipboard and started on the reports she hadn't finished. She was ten minutes into it when the handset shrilled. Reaching over, she picked it up and said, "CIC."
"This is the Maelstrom you're all full, we'll see you later," came through the handset.
"Ahhh… thank you Maelstrom and safe journey," she replied and hung the handset up. "Chief Lars, how much fuel did they give us?" she asked as she turned to the chief.
Tyron turned to a different station and flipped some switches, "Sir, they filled us. We won't need fuel for years," he replied.
"Oh crap! Hope the bean counters don't get pissed," Nancy said as she set the board down, and yawned.
"Oh, well, let them bitch at the tanker. They had the inventory of how much to give us."
"You're right. I'll mark it in the log as their screw-up. Since they did give us so much fuel, why not run a full systems check on engineering, and all the other sections we've haven't used in years," Nancy said as she stood up and stretched.
"Yes, Sir. Are you off to bed?" Tyron asked.
"Yes. Wake me when those shuttles are inbound," Nancy ordered as she walked to the door and went out.
"I will," was the last thing she heard as the hatch closed behind her and she walked down the hall to her quarters. Stopping at the one that had a gold nameplate on it, she reached out and touched it like she does every night.
"Commander, you have a tough old ship here. Too bad she's obsolete compared to the modern Battlestars," she said as she dragged her fingers across the name, 'Commander Judea Holdstein.'
Walking away, she felt a shiver go down her back as she stopped and looked at the door. It was almost as if she could hear the alarms flashing from the past or smell the burned insulation from battle damage.
With another shudder, she turned and walked ten feet to her quarters. Unsealing the door, she steeped in and closed the hatch.
"Ahh a shower first," she said and peeled her uniform off and tossed it in the hamper.
Ten minutes later, she was asleep.
Five hours later, her handset buzzed and she reached over and fumbled with it.
Picking it up off the floor where it had landed, she said, "Owens."
"Sir, this is Cadet Hays, you wanted to know when the shuttles were inbound. They should be landing in fifteen minutes," Regina reported.
"Thank you, Cadet. I'll be right up," Nancy replied and hung up.
Five minutes later, Nancy was standing behind Cadet Hays watching as the first of the shuttles came into the hanger bay.
"I could have sworn Admiral Corman said there was only four shuttles coming in, but I see eight here, and thirty more heading to the other ships of the museum fleet," Nancy said.
The fleet consisted of four Gunstars, the Tempest, two light cruisers, two Patrolstars, and two military freighters all were built by Leonis before or during the Cylon war.
"Maybe he changed it?" Regina asked as she sipped her coffee.
"All right, I can go with that. I just wish I knew what they were bringing onboard," Nancy said as she sat down in her chair.
"Well…" Regina started to say.
"Well what?" Nancy asked as she turned and looked at the cadet.
"We could… I mean as long as we don't get in trouble, we could watch what they are doing on the security cameras," she replied.
"And if anyone of them looked up and saw the lights on the cameras they would know…" Nancy started to say and then saw the girl flush and added, "What did you do young lady?"
"Umm, Sir, we ahh…"
"What?" Nancy said, as she turned full faced towards the girl.
"I… I mean we the cadets got together and painted the over the lights of the cameras. We did this several weeks ago so no one would know when they were on or off so we could get together and have a party on the landing bay. We made sure everything was cleaned up and we weren't very loud. We never removed the paint so when you look at the cameras they look like they're still off…"
"You slut you. Put it up on the screen," Nancy said with a giggle, and walked over and sat down beside the girl.
"Yes, Sir, and I'm not a slut. I just like sex like any typical girl and guy," Regina replied and brought the screen up and it showed the first shuttle sitting on the landing bay.
They watched as three forklifts were driven over from their storage as the rear doors opened on the shuttle. As they watched, a stack of twenty missiles were pulled from the shuttle by the first forklift and taken to the armory lift. As it went down, a second forklift grabbed another pallet and backed out of the shuttle.
"Those are Sandskipper ship killer missiles. I didn't think any were in existence anymore," Regina said with surprise in her voice.
"They look new, wait is that a fabrication unit?" Nancy asked as the third forklift backed out of the second shuttle and went down the hall to the manufacturing room.
"Ya it is," Regina said as she turned another monitor on and it showed the unit being set in the back of the manufacturing room.
"Bring up the armory hallway," Nancy ordered.
"I can't, we didn't paint those. If I turn them on, they'd see them," Regina said.
"Leave them off, well watch on these," Nancy replied as she adjusted the camera just a hair in the main bay.
They watched as pallets of missiles, flak rounds and heavy KEW rounds were taken to the armor and stored. It was the last two shuttles that landed, that they were shocked again as the doors opened and heavy ship killer missiles were unloaded. Forty nuclear missiles were taken to the main magazine and stored.
"Sir, what the frak is going on? This ship is decommissioned, and now we're fully armed to the teeth, this shouldn't be," Regina asked.
"I know and I don't know what the hell is going on either, but I will find out tomorrow when I see Admiral Corman," Nancy said.
"Shuttle 28HG to Tempest CIC. Please respond," came through the wireless.
Nancy reached over to the communications station and grabbed the handset, "Tempest CIC to Shuttle 28HG, go ahead."
"Shuttle 28HG is declaring an emergency. Our main engine won't fire. If it's ok with you, we're going to leave her here and send a heavy lifter to pick her up later on. It should only be a few days," came the request.
"I'll log it in, but how are you all going to get home?" Nancy asked even though she knew the answer.
"We'll use the other shuttle. Sorry about the inconvenience," the voice replied.
"That's ok, if you want I'll have our cadet's look at the engine, maybe we can fix it for you while you're gone," Nancy said.
"That will be ok, thanks again," the voice replied and they heard the wireless shut off.
"Well looks like you cadets have a job to do with the help of the few teachers to get that bird fixed. Put it down on the list for the first thing after the memorial," Nancy ordered as she stood up.
"Yes, Sir," Regina said and reached over for the duty pad and wrote the shuttle down on the list for the new cadets to learn on.
"Commander Owens, may I have a word with you," asked a voice from the hallway.
Nancy flew out of her chair and turned around. Behind her, standing in the hatchway was Admiral Corman. Coming to attention, she saluted and said, "Sir! Of course, Sir."
'What the frak is he doing here,' she wondered as she walked to the door and stepped out into the hallway.
She followed him to Commander Holdstein quarters and they went inside. Stepping into the room, she saw three more admirals, and two men wearing black uniforms. As Corman walked around the desk and sat down she came to a stop and saluted the other admirals.
"At ease Commander," Admiral Corman said.
"Thank you, Sir…"
"You're wondering what we're doing here. Right?" Peter asked as he leaned back in the chair.
"It did cross my mind," Nancy asked.
"It's simple, Admiral, you and the ships of the park are going on a mission for us…"
"Admiral?" Nancy asked.
"Yes, you have been promoted to the rank of Admiral effective thirty days ago. As you're aware, your ship has been secretly rearmed and provisioned. Tomorrow, just before dawn on Leonis and after all the new cadets come on board along with the school kids and families, all the ships in the park will power up and head for point alpha on this map," he said holding up the rolled star map that was on the table. There you will be met with the fleet tanker Crispin, the replenishment ship Zoë, the repair dock Hutton, the fleet mining ship Casper, and the foundry ships Angel and Wasp. You will also have the electronics ship Mineral, the storage ship Mirage, and four liners. They are the John Craggiest, the Melanie, the Minnow, and the Scarlet. You will then proceed to Memnon where you will pick up the remaining ships of your fleet. They are the botanic cruiser Homestead, the refinery ship Nova, the water ship Voyager and the heavy construction dock Morrison. Ten freighters are also there filled with supplies as well as construction equipment."
"Why Memnon? That's right on the redline," Nancy asked.
"Because after you get there, you're to jump past the redline and continue until you are well past the Cylons. We think you should go until you reach the void. We want you to find a habitable planet and start building a colony. We cannot send any Battlestars with you for one reason and that's the President, because he wants to know where everyone of them is at every minute of the day.
So we came up with another idea. Inside the Morrison, is the uncompleted hull of the Nightshade, she was going to be a Nova class Battlestar and due to be launched in six months, but construction was halted by the president and she was ordered destroyed. Also in the dock are her flight bays. They just need to be attached. Supplies for the ship are in the Hutton's main docking bay including all her Vipers and Raptors…"
"Sir, what the hell is going on?" Nancy asked as she interrupted the Admiral.
"What is going on is this. If the Cylons attack like we think they will we want a fall back position. Your job is to find a planet, get it up and running and keep an eye out for any Cylon activities. Do I make myself clear?" Corman snapped out.
"Yes, Sir. We'll do it. But what about my crew, and the cadets, families?" she asked.
"Already taken care of, even your daughter and son are on the way to the Scarlet. Your household belongings have been packed and loaded aboard this ship in cargo bay seven. In fact your crew's belongings are there as well. Now good luck, and may the Lords of Kobol watch over you," he said as he stood up and handed her the map, folder, and a jewel case.
"Thank you, Sir," Nancy said as she took the case and opened it.
"Those were mine when I became a Rear Admiral. I felt they gave me luck as they belonged to my uncle. Good luck," Peter said and the men and woman with him walked to the door and stepped out into the hall.
Nancy put the pips on and followed Admiral Corman and almost ran into him as he reached out and caught her arm. He steadied her on her feet and then let her go.
"Nancy, you're not to tell anyone about your mission until after you get underway. Understand me?"
"Yes, Sir, I'll do my best Admiral," Nancy replied.
"I know you will. I had several cases of Scorpion Brandy brought with me. They're in your new quarters. I also had several data sticks of the Caprican Library brought up too. I know how you love to read a good book and enjoy a drink. Goodbye Admiral Owens, and safe journey," he said and walked away and stopped and turned around, "Admiral, just so you know. There's nothing wrong with the shuttle. It's a gift for your ship. Use her well.
"I will, Sir," Nancy replied as Corman turned and started walking again,
Nancy watched as the men walked down the hall and stopped at one of the bridge emergency escape hatches. The hatch opened and they stepped through the hatch and it was quickly shut from the inside.
"What the frak?" she said as she turned and walked back into her new quarters.
Going to the desk, she picked up the folder she'd set down, and read her orders. Nancy was astonished by the reports. A year ago, they had towed the Tempest to the space dock, and had retrofitted her back to her original configuration except for the manufacturing plant. New KEWs were installed, and her engines were brought up to the latest spec. The whole fleet had been upgraded over the last three years.
How long Corman had been planning this mission, she didn't know. But with what had been poured into the mission, it was a miracle that nothing had leaked. Dropping the folder on the desk, she walked out of her office, closed and locked the hatch and headed to the CIC and looked at the crew.
"Sir, a Raptor broke seal five minutes ago and jumped away," Regina reported as she started to turn around.
"I know. Regina, order me up a Raptor. I'm going down to Leonis. I need to do some shopping," Nancy ordered as the girl jumped to her feet and saluted.
"At ease, Cadet," she said.
"Sir, permission to speak freely?" Regina asked.
"You may."
"Congratulations Sir," she said with a smile.
"Thank you Cadet. Now, do you wish to go with me?" Nancy asked.
"Yes, Sir, let me call a relief…"
"Very well. Oh forget about the Raptor. Get your relief up here," Nancy said and then added, "and go get your money kit and meet me in the landing bay."
"Yes, Sir," Regina said as she picked up the handset and started speaking into it as Nancy left the CIC.
Nancy walked through the ship, and was about halfway to the landing bay when Regina caught up with her, her regulation handbag hanging on her shoulder. With a grin the two of them walked to the bay and over to the shuttle.
"Sir, she's not working," Regina asked.
"Yes, she is. Corman assigned her to the ship," Nancy said as she boarded the shuttle with Regina right behind her.
Once inside, she shut the door, and raised the rear hatch. Ten minutes later they were landing in the spaceport and on their way to the mall that serviced the port. Around them, ships were lifting off and landing while hundreds of thousands of people rushed around.
The first stop was the commissary where Nancy grabbed the manager and went up and down the aisles pointing at items. As she walked, an army of employees palletted the items she wanted and they were taken to the shuttle where they were loaded. Then it was off to the mall where more items were added to the list. Nancy used her family card and bought so much stuff that a cargo container was ordered up along with a heavy lifter to carry the container to the ship.
Regina followed her boss with her jaw most of the time hitting the floor. She couldn't figure out why the newly promoted Admiral was buying so many supplies. When she hit the bookstore and bought it out that's when she tried to ask what was going on, but Nancy told her to shush and just take notes. After the bookstore, it was the movie and music shops where she bought them out. These items she used the fleet accounts to pay for and the purchases were boxed and taken to the airfield. The last stop was the liquor store and she bought them out as well. Five stills were purchased as well and hauled to the port.
The last stop was a diner, where they had breakfast. Regina sat and went over the list, while Nancy continued to order stuff from the city on the computer station. She had the purchases sent to the port to be loaded into the container.
"What's the matter Regina?" Nancy asked.
"Sir, what's going on? Why are you buying so much…"
"Stuff? You will know later tonight when I tell the ship's crew," Nancy said as she took a sip of her drink.
'It's almost like were going on a mission, but that's impossible, the Tempest is a museum ship,' Regina thought to herself as she ate some more of her chicken.
When finished, they headed back to the shuttle port where they found the shuttle fully loaded and three storage containers loaded with the purchases.
"Ok, I want those three containers delivered to the Tempest ASAP, do I make myself clear?" Nancy shouted to the men and woman working around the three ships.
"Sir, yes Sir," came the reply as Nancy turned to the shuttle and Regina and her walked up the deck and squeezed past the boxes and boxes of supplies.
Lifting off, they flew back to the museum park with the three heavy lifters behind them. Nancy was thinking of the three ships, and she picked up the handset and called Leonis spaceport.
"Leonis Spaceport, this is Admiral Owens, dispatch a Raptor to the Tempest to pick up three flight crews," she said.
"Leonis Space Port to Admiral Owens, we are dispatching a Raptor now," came the reply through the handset.
"Thank you Leonis, Owens out," Nancy said as she hung the set up.
Flying towards the ship, she saw that the shuttles for the cadet change-over were lifting off from the planet and she knew they would be leaving soon. Contacting the Tempest, she received permission to land and flew into the bay. Once landed, she had the shuttle hauled as deep as it could into the landing bay while the heavy lifters followed her in, and shut down.
Twenty minutes later, the containers were lifted off the flight deck and taken to the ship storage with the haulers. The pilots and crews were pissed that their ships were being taken and Nancy dragged them to the side and offered them a choice to stay or go. Two of the pilots and ECOs agreed to go since they were single, they were loaded onto the shuttle and flown back to Leonis where they were sworn to secrecy by the JAG core. Thirty minutes later the two heavy lifter crews were back with their belongings.
Nancy watched as the shuttles started coming in with the Gold crew and they were quickly unloaded, and the shuttles re-launched so the rest of the shuttles could land. An hour later, the Tempest's crew has swelled to over five thousand men and woman. With everyone settled the next four shuttles came in and were lowered to the hanger bay where hundreds of civilians were off loaded and shown to their quarters.
Nancy didn't know it, but while she was gone, the ship was quietly readied to make sail. The regular fleet personal had been working every night for the last week to get everything ready under the nose of her commander. Now that it was time, two hundred fleet personal were busting their asses, to get the manufacturing plant back up and running by exchanging the machines.
Shaking her head, Nancy and Regina headed for the CIC where Chief Lars met them.
"Welcome home, Admiral," Chief Lars said.
"You knew?" Nancy asked in surprise.
"Yes, I did. I guess I should change my uniform since I'm out of it," Tyron said.
"What is your rank and position?" Nancy asked.
"Colonel Tyron Lars, Colonial Marines at your service, temporary assigned to Black Ops..."
"You're a black ops operative?" Nancy asked in surprise.
"Yes, Sir. And now, I'm in charge of your marines…"
"Sir, engines powering up. The fleet is powering up, ready to get underway," came from the engineering station.
Nancy walked over to her chair and sat down. With surprise still racing through her mind, she said, "Regina, take your place at communications and notify the rest of the fleet to form up on us. Helm set course for Blackberry point. We jump in ten minutes to Memnon to pick up the rest of the fleet."
Nancy watched as Regina walked to her station and seemed to be in a daze.
"Regina, are you ok?" Nancy asked.
The young girl jumped as she was addressed and turned towards her boss, "Yes, Sir… it's just so confusing," Regina said as she sat down.
"I know, I'll explain more later when I have time. Ok?" Nancy replied and the girl nodded her head to her and turned around.
Forty minutes later the fleet gathered together, the warships on the outside, the civilian ships in the center with the Tempest in the lead. Back at Leonis, ten nuclear warheads detonated at the museum park taking out the station buoys. Nancy wondered how they would cover the missing ships, and now she knew as the reports came in about a strike for freedom against the Colonial Government. Seconds later they flashed out of existence and reappeared near Memnon where the rest of the fleet was gathered.
The additional ships formed up with the fleet and the Nancy looked at the first of a series of jumps that would take them towards Athena's Heart. Using the maximum safe distance, they jumped seventy light years and appeared between two star systems where Nancy summoned the crew to the main hanger to address them.
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 Tempest and all its original characters and story lines presented here are the copyright (©) of their creator (©) 2010.