As Battlestar Group 11 engages Cylons at the Armistice line, only time will tell what their greater plan is.
Inspired by Battlestar Prometheus.
Pictures copyright their respected owners.
Characters in Battlestar Phoenix, Part One:
Commander David Connors (Commander of BS Phoenix)
Major Adam Joseph (XO of BS Phoenix)
Admiral Adrianne Cayne (Commander of BS Athena)
General Naim Krasqi (Commander of BS Taurus)
Major Caleb Brewson (Commander of Gunstar Reaper)
Multiple officers in CIC's
Tauron Cavil (A copy of "One" posing as a veteran pilot from the First Cylon War turned instructor, onboard Athena.)
Joanne Faust (A copy of "Six" posing as a Systems Analyst onboard Phoenix.)
Lt. Louise Adams (Viper Pilot, Yellow Squadron)
Cpl. Stephen "Ranger" Williamson (Viper Pilot, Yellow Squadron)
Chief Lt. Bill "Hawk" Atmus (Viper Pilot, Leader of Yellow Squadron)
Various Raptor/Viper Pilots
Chief Ciirol (Head Deckhand aboard BS Phoenix)
Various deckhands
"DRADIS contact! Two Basestars, bearing 89, carom 220!"
The CIC of the Battlestar Phoenix was rocked as a missile managed to get through the flak barrage. Phoenix had been on a usual recon mission (along with Battlestars Taurus and Athena) when it was attacked. The Cylons attempted to break through to her new and advanced computer network, but it was shut down just seconds before the virus was unleashed. Now, the Cylons had to do it the dirty way. Phoenix fired all batteries as the nearest Basestar sent yet another barrage of missiles at it, while Taurus and Athena continued to hammer the other Basestar, which was already showing signs of a beating.
-6 MONTHS AGO, 48 HOURS BEFORE CYLON ATTACK ON COLONIES-
Lieutenant Louise Adams was to report to Battlestar Phoenix, which was docked at the Tauron Shipyards. As Raptor 1194 dodged a Gunstar on its way out of the yard, Louise saw the Phoenix in all its glory. Battlestar Phoenix was a Mercury class Battlestar and one of the finest in the fleet. It was loaded to the brim with 200 Viper MK VII space superiority fighters, as well as a dozen nuclear missiles and a new and advanced FTL drive.
Lt. Louise also saw the other two massive ships that made up the recon force called Battlestar Group 11, Battlestars Taurus, flagship of Tauron, and Athena, a ship built for taking a pounding, giving one back and also doing recon duties. Taurus was an advanced Jupiter class Battlestar with armour that could withstand two nuclear missiles at point-blank range, while Athena was another Mercury with a larger than usual Raptor contingent, 80. The three warships were a fine team, and had already had battle experience in the past, when a colonial separatist group on Tauron managed to capture a pair of Battlestars.
"Raptor 1194, you are cleared for landing on deck 1." The confirmation came in that the deck was clear.
"Roger that, landing now."
After they had landed aboard the Phoenix, Louise reported to CIC.
"Lieutenant Louise Adams reporting, Commander Connors!" The enthusiastic pilot shouted.
"At ease, Pilot," came the reply from Commander Connors, "Good to have you onboard! As you know, we have been getting increasing reports of Cylon activity on our side of the Armistice Line, and Group 11 has been ordered to check it out. You have been assigned to Yellow Squadron, who is located on deck 14. Chief Ciirol will be there to guide you to your Viper and give you more details on our mission. Good hunting, Lieutenant!"
As Lt. Louise made her way down to deck 14, she bumped into a strangely familiar looking systems analyst. This woman had blond hair, strong arms and a body that made deckhands and officers alike kiss her feet.
"Hello?" The analyst was trying to waste her time, but Lt. Adams needed the help.
"Hello..."
"Are you looking for your deck?"
"How did you know?"
"Well, you have that 'Pilot who can't find her deck' kind of look on you!"
"Yeah, I'm on deck fourteen, with Yellow Squadron."
"Luckily for you, that isn't too far from here. You need to be here," she used her stylus to press on the computer she was holding, "And you are here, so this is the fastest route." A route was laid out in pink on the background of a Mercury class, showing the exact route to get to deck 14.
"Thanks." Louise's reply reverberated down the deck as she called back to the analyst.
Louise hit deck 14 after two minutes of walking. It turned out that deck 14 was also the main deck for repairs and producing new Raptors, as a pair of facilities at the rear said. Yellow Squadron was also the inhabitant force of this deck. Yellow Squadron was led by Bill "Hawk" Atmus, an experienced fighter pilot whose grandfather racked up a total of 159 Raider kills during the First Cylon War.
"Well, well, well. It if isn't Lt. Louise Adams herself! Welcome to Yellow Squadron. Chief Ciirol will take you to your Viper. Chief... CHIEF! YOUR NEW PILOT IS HERE!" Atmus loved shouting, but most of all, he loved his crew. Chief Ciirol came quickly and took Louise to her Viper, a MK VII in pristine condition. Every last point, from the engines to the cannons, was cleaned and gleaming, like it was a new Viper from the factories.
"You know the basics, but if you have amnesia, then here's a recap." Ciirol began to move around the ship, and beckoned Louise to follow him.
"The Viper MK VII has three Kinetic Energy Weapons, firing bullets at a rate that beat the Viper MK II's and the Viper MK IV's. It can also be equipped with missiles, and has hardpoints under the wings. Battlestar Group 11 has made missiles a part of all of her Vipers' armaments, and each Viper has four conventional missiles, though they can be equipped with nukes and Rocket launchers to house large numbers of rockets. For propulsion, it has three sub-light high power engines and a reaction control system for when your reflexes don't save your butt. It is also has landing struts, so you can land badly in a hangar bay and still live to fight another day. You also have reverse thrusters to return fire on any chasing enemy forces. It will be pretty easy as the new CNP network has made flying Vipers a hell of a lot simpler. Keep your eyes on the field though, as a computer won't save your life from incoming bullets. Oh, and I almost forgot, you have Electronic Countermeasures inputted into your Viper. Your Viper is Viper 2875. Any questions, pilot?"
Louise just kept her eyes on the beauty that she would be flying. Ciirol asked her again and then just moved off when he didn't get a response, while muttering to himself. Louise climbed onto the left wing and looked at the cockpit. She had flown a Viper MK V and MK VI before, but this fighter was like no other.
-44 HOURS LATER, THREE HOURS BEFORE CYLON ATTACK ON COLONIES-
Battlestar Group eleven was now extremely close to the armistice line. Viper patrols along the line had reported no Cylon activity, but a Raptor pilot reported spotting a small ship jumping in and heading straight for Battlestar Group 11.
"Arrow here, I have an unknown contact on DRADIS, it's on the other side of the Armistice Line and coming at us fast. Taurus CIC, what should we do?" Arrow, the Raptor pilot, sounded and was visibly worried, as the DRADIS contact was joined by another.
The Command Deck of the Taurus communicated to Phoenix and Athena, who agreed that the only option to take was to launch alert Vipers and lay in wait. The two ships came closer and Tauron Cavil, a copy of "One" based on Tauron, knew exactly who it was. "It's the Cylons, they've come back to attack!" he shouted out. The message went down all the way to the Athena CIC, but by then, the Cylons had launched their Raiders and the first barrage of missiles was incoming!
The Battlestar Group changed the signature of the Cylon capital ships to "Basestars" and the fighters to "Raiders". Athena, Taurus and Phoenix, as well as Gunstars Sentinel and Reaper launched all fighters. Lt. Louise Adams was pressed into action, as the alarm rang across the Phoenix. She put her flight suit on, jumped into her cockpit, waited as the deckhands placed her Viper into the launched tubes and held on for dear life as she was launched into the middle of a brutal conflict.
Flak fire from BSG 11 created a massive barrage to stop the incoming raiders but many still got through, as a pair of missiles made it through and hit Battlestar Taurus on her on her alligator head, causing minor damage and rocking the CIC. Adams followed members of her squadron as she ripped apart a trio of cylon raiders, clearing the way for two Raptors to launch a hail of missiles at the nearest Basestar. The Basestar was rocked by explosions, as another hail of missiles destroyed three vipers and one of the raptors.
And then Lt. Adams saw some bigger raiders, which looked like armed boarding ships. "Lt. Adams here, I've spotted some bigger cylon ships. They look like boarding craft."
"Roger that, Viper 2875," came Commander Connors' response, "Engage and destroy these Heavy Raiders." She complied and sent a pair of missiles at one Heavy Raider while another was blown up in a hail of cannon fire from her Viper. A third Heavy Raider fired a hail of cannon fire from a 6-barreled Kinetic Energy Weapon at Adams, who barely dodged the incoming fire, receiving damage to her Viper. She returned fire and damaged the port side of the Heavy Raider, while another Yellow Squadron pilot, Corporal Stephen "Ranger" Williamson (Who was also her closest friend) turned the raider into a burning wreck with a missile and a burst of KEW fire.
"Thanks, Ranger!" Louise sounded relieved at the fact she was still alive after staring death in the face.
"Not a problem, Adams!"
The pair continued to fight with the raiders, as another boarding party was sent at the Battlestars.
Meanwhile, Gunstar Sentinel had been hit by a trio of missiles and was suffering heavy damage thanks to the Cylon attack. It managed to keep on going until a lone raider was spotted way off to the west on DRADIS. It fired two nuclear missiles which hit home, destroying the ship in a cacophony of explosions and debris. It went down with all hands, baring 12 crewmen and 4 pilots who managed to escape on Raptors just seconds before the nukes hit. Seeing this loss, Battlestar Phoenix sent a hail of missiles at the closest Basestar, while Castle, a viper pilot, sent the Nuke raider to its grave. Gunstar Reaper sent a pair of nukes at the nearer Basestar, which mingled with the missiles launched by its parent ship, the Phoenix. The Basestar had no chance. It was destroyed, along with dozens of raiders hit by pieces of the ship flying off in random directions.
A quartet of smaller Strikestars and Firestars were also allocated to BSG 11 and now the Raiders focused their attacks on these. Firestar Snake was destroyed, and Strikestar Rebel also fell soon after. The other Basestar was now rocked by explosions and was showing signs of defeat, when Gunstar Reaper detected radiological signatures.
"Enemy nukes inbound!" Reaper Commander Major Caleb Brewson shouted into the speaker which connected Reaper to her parent ships, "Prepare for impact!"
Five nukes were headed straight for the remaining Colonial capital ships. The flak barrage stopped four of the missiles but one got through and hit Battlestar Taurus, causing light damage to the spine of the ship, though the armour prevented the majority of the blast coming through. The Colonials then pushed back, destroying the last surviving "Mini Basestar" small craft, and then Battlestar Group 11 was set for the surviving Basestar. However, what they hadn't counted for was the tenacity of the Cylon boarding party. Of the 100 Heavy Raiders that were deployed, 37 made it through and had boarded the Athena from the port hangar bay. Out came a huge force of centurions, hell-bent on reaching the air vents and taking out the Athena.
However, what they hadn't counted for was the skill and quick thinking of the conial marines, who had prepared for such an attack. A Viper MK VII came into the hangar bay, ripping apart Centurions and Heavy Raiders like they were ragdolls. The surviving Raiders evacuated, leaving their passenger centurions to their fate while causing damage to the Athena hangars after they left a parting gift.
The survivors shot down the Viper by shooting the pilot and headed towards the air vents, while some made a diversionary attack on the CIC. Colonial marines and crewmen put up a fanatic fight as bullets ripped through both flesh and metal, causing heavy casualties on both sides. The Cylons kept pushing, despite losses that meant they couldn't do their objective, but in the end they were defeated, their metallic bodies lying on the floor, littering the decks as smoke poured from their wafer brains.
The last Basestar was then finished off, its last volley of missiles pouring a final burst of hell upon Battlestar Phoenix. Any surviving Raiders jumped away, as it became evident that the battle was lost. BSG 11 was cheering their victory, but mourning the loss of three warships and many crewmen. They were returning to Tauron when they heard the news...