Battlestar Galactica
Core Control
It was cycles like these that Boomer hated his job, especially since he had never wanted to be a commander in the first place. He was a Colonial Warrior and Warriors belonged in the cockpit of a Viper, fighting the enemy on the frontlines. Unfortunately the fleet needed skilled Commanders to take charge while ensuring there still was a fleet. He only hoped his wife, Dietra would be able to hold off those incoming tin-cans long enough for someone to come up with a plan to save New Caprica before it was beyond too late.
He had lost more than many friends to the Cylons to simply watch them destroy what was left of humanity.
"Incoming Cylon fighters. Sensors read over…" Omega stopped when the screen showed the exact number of enemy signals.
"Well, Omega? How many?" Boomer barked impatiently.
"Over one thousand and five hundred fighters, Commander." Omega answered, almost gulping at the number of enemy fighters.
'Too many for us to fight.' Boomer realized. "Launch our Vipers and order them to defend Galactica and Pegasus but tell them stay close so our batteries can protect them. Prepare our defense batteries and charge our forward laser cannons."
A milicenton later Galactica opened fire with her anti-fighter cannons on the enemy fighters, spewing bolts of red light that destroyed anything they hit.
"Apollo, where are you?" Boomer wondered. "An attack is happening and you're nowhere to be found. What the hell are you doing?"
Battlestar Pegasus
Core Control
Boomer wasn't the only one to suspect that the Galactica's commanding officer had realized something. Sheba was worried about her husband and wondered if this was the reason he had disappeared but he wouldn't have simply run without trying to warn the entire colony. No matter how many disagreements they have Sheba loved her husband and knew he was anything but a coward.
'Apollo, wherever you are, hurry back.' Sheba thought as the Cylons prepared to swarm the battlestars. "Positive shield now. All batteries commence fire as the enemy comes into range."
New Caprica Asteroid Field
Cylon Command Raider
As the attack on the fleet continued three revolving red eyes watched surveyed the battle with cold machine efficiency as their fighter glided through space, firing on any humans ships in their way. The Cylons had changed greatly since their creation but one of the things that never changed was that they still built ships with Centurion pilots even though they could now build actual Cylons as fighters. The Cylons were not just advanced machines with minds of their own but they were united, a team, an entire race united in their goal so why would it be hard to believe that they would have fighters with pilot Centurion models or that they had three Centurions in the fighters acting as pilot, weapons officer, and commander.
Their machine minds worked together in piloting a single fighter, synchronized to the point that they weren't just pilots but the ships themselves. The pilot and the gunner sat at the front in the large cockpit while the commander sat at the rear station, observing the battle data shared between all Cylon ships and instantly created strategies to adapt to any form of human attack or to quickly exterminate all enemy humans quickly.
Of course the Cylons had not only upgraded their own models but they had obviously upgraded their ships as well.
One of the most interesting upgrades were the upgraded Raiders that had a red light flashing beneath the cockpit like the visor of a Cylon Centurion. The reason why was simple. The Cylons had created sentient Raiders that were considered Cylon themselves and just as deadly. When the reptilian Cylons had created their machines they started out with the simplistic Cylon Centurion model but had upgraded them through the yarhens by adding an additional 'brain' into their models, allowing both brains to interact and provide far more intelligence than any group of individual beings could ever hope to achieve.
Those that received a second brain were upgraded to command models, commanding the Basestars and planets that had been subjugated by the Empire. The Il-Series models boasted two brains that were upgraded with each new model that was produced and if these models continued to serve the Empire well they would perhaps rise to a position in the ruling council of the Empire, second only to the one Cylon who had three brains: the Imperious Leader.
The Cylon Imperious Leader himself had three brains installed in his body that allowed for heightened intelligence that surpassed any living being in the galaxy.
As the Cylons evolved new ideas took root and the Cylons decided to experiment in ways to make their fighters more capable against their enemies. That was when the idea of installing a brain in the Raiders, making them essentially Cylons that controlled the bodies of the Raiders and interacted with the pilots for better calculations and reactions. The single brain was the equivalent of a Cylon Centurion but the Raiders were essentially able to grow and learn through their combat experience and detailed records of their previous model's performance against the humans. It had even been suggested that installing a brain into the system of a Basestar would be just as much a breakthrough as it had been with the Raiders.
Unfortunately a Basestar was considered too large and too advanced for a single Cylon brain to control and the Cylon High Command was against installing two or even three brains to give them the increased intelligence to fully control the Basestar. So for now the Basestars would not receive the same upgrade as the Raiders did but they were still powerful and still formidable enough that a single Basestar would be enough to destroy what was left of the Colonial fleet.
The Raiders had yet to be fully tested against the humans but today they would earn their chance to prove their superiority as the Cylons launched their assault on the human world.
"Battlestar Galactica and Pegasus engaging our squadrons." The command Centurion stated. "Group three, attack Battlestar Galactica. Groups four, five, and six arm and attack Battlestar Pegasus."
The answer was immediate. "By your command."
Sheba watched the tactical display, seeing the battlestars attempting to cover the Galactica's escape.
"Admiral, multiple enemy ships coming in at multiple vectors. They're closing in on us and the Galactica." The tactical officer reported.
Sheba cursed. "Increase enemy suppression fire. Task our gunships to help our Vipers fend them off and route all available power to the shields"
It didn't take long for the Pegasus to shudder under the barrage of enemy fire even though the massive ship's shields were blocking enemy fire from actually touching the hull.
'Hurry Apollo. We need you.' Sheba whispered in her head as the Pegasus shook under enemy fire.
Cylon Base
Holding Cells
Troy banged his fist against the door of the cell he was in with his father, Dillon, and Cienna. "There's got to be a way out."
"Tylinium reinforced door. We'd need solium charges to get out." Apollo crossed his arms as he looked around the cell, hearing a humming sound. "Cylon fighters. They are launching now. The attack must be underway."
"What do we do, Commander?" Dillon asked.
Apollo held up his wrist watch, seeing the timer counting down zero. "We leave in five…four…three…two…one…"
Halfway across the planet five ships launched from the ground, towards the Cylon base using turbo thrusters.
"All right, you all remember the plan. Move beneath their suppression flank and go straight down into the crater. The Commander is counting on us." Captain Kir'oss stated.
"Roger Captain."
The Vipers came in at low altitude over the crater and fired their pulse lasers down, hitting Cylon pods as they opened to launch their fighters.
"Remember, don't hit the pod where the Commander's signal is coming from." Kir'oss reminded as he blasted a Cylon fighter leaving a hangar.
The Vipers flew down, continuing to shoot Cylon fighters and pods as they followed the signal from a homing beacon the Commander placed on the shuttle to inform Blue Squadron where he and the prisoners were.
Cylon Command Center
"What is happening?" Baltar demanded as klaxons sounded and the underground base shook.
"It appears that Colonial Vipers are attacking the pods above us." Lucifer answered calmly as the base continued to shake.
"That's not possible. How could they have found us so quickly?" Baltar wondered before realizing what had happened. "Apollo…He must have had a homing beacon placed on his shuttle. It must have been shielded from our scanners. And they moved in at low altitude to avoid being shot down by our anti-assault batteries."
"A very clever plan." Lucifer commented. "They are attacking the pods, preventing us from launching a counterattack."
"Yes, but their laser-torpedoes won't be able to penetrate the reinforced structure of our base and they won't try to destroy it as long as their Commander is down here with us. They'll have to land and locate his cell to rescue him first." Baltar stated.
"Logical." Lucifer conceded.
"Yes, quite logical. But I see through it. Prepare a platoon of Centurions and send them to the cells. We'll see if the Colonial Warriors can still match up with the Centurions. They'll no doubt try to rescue the commander and try to knock out the anti-assault batteries to escape. A single group of Colonial Warriors is no match for an entire garrison." Baltar smiled.
"By your command." Lucifer bowed before moving to carry out his orders.
Baltar watched as the Vipers continued their attack down to the bottom of the crater, destroying all the pods except the one the Colonial shuttle was in. "You'll have to do better than that, Apollo."
"Captain, I've located the pod the Commander's shuttle is in." Lieutenant Atilla reported. "It's at the very bottom."
"All right. Set lasers to blow the door open but do not destroy the pod." Kir'oss stated.
The five Vipers flew in formation and fired their lasers, blasting the hangar doors open and allowing the Vipers to land.
"Put on your life masks and let's go." Kir'oss said, putting his mask on and opening the canopy of his cockpit.
He stepped out and readied his laser pistol, looking around the hangar for any guards. He pulled his transmitter and listened as it beeped.
"They're close. Possibly a floor beneath us." Atilla said, looking at the readings.
"We should be careful, sir. The entire base is on alert by now and they might have two or three phalanxes between us and the Commander." Lieutenant Tristen pointed out. "We're severely outnumbered here."
"Which is why Captain Temel came with several bags of solonite explosives." Kir'oss smirked as Temel held out the satchels of explosives for the rest of the group to share. "They'll blow any approaching tin cans apart."
"I came prepared." Temel chuckled.
"All right. Check your weapons and be ready. Commander Apollo left us instructions that if we can't reach him we set the explosives to any place we believe is a critical area and blow this place up. Set the timer for ten centons." Kir'oss held his wrist computer and set the timer. "Let's go."
The Warriors quickly moved out of the hangar, following the direction of the transmitter.
"Did you hear that?" Dillon's ears picked up as he looked at the door. "I think I heard an explosion…And laser fire."
"You did." Apollo smiled. "Our rescue team is here."
"Just like you predicted, Dad." Troy glanced at his father. "They didn't think that the rest of our squad would be on standby."
"And when Baltar realizes that there are warriors in the base he'll send guards here to stop them from rescuing us." Apollo nodded.
"Let's hope Kir'oss and the others are ready." Cienna said. "This base is literally crawling with Centurions."
"They're ready. You are ready." Apollo nodded to the rest of the Warriors in the cell. "You've all trained for this. You are ready."
Cylon Base
Near the Holding Cells
Kir'oss and his team slowly moved through the hallway of the base with their laser pistols out in case of being spotted by an enemy patrol, tracking Commander Apollo's signal to wherever he was being held. It wasn't easy as they had been forced to dodge Cylons that had come looking for them, cutting them off at certain areas and forcing them to move in a single direction to the cells.
"Atilla, status." Kir'oss whispered as they moved down another corridor.
"We're coming upon the commander's cell." Atilla answered, looking down at the transmitter. "It's just around the corner."
"All right, let's be careful. The moment they realize we've rescued the commander this place will be swarming with tin heads." Kir'oss pulled out a solonite charge as he carefully peaked around the corner.
As much was he didn't wish it he was right as five Cylon Centurions, obviously advanced versions to the ones he had read about in history class, guarding the cells.
"Commander." One of the Centurions spoke. "The Command Center reports that human intruders are moving towards the cells. They are sending security patrols to reinforce us."
The Command Centurion held up its rifle. "Scan for any human sightings. Alert security."
"By your command."
Kir'oss shared a look with his team as he nodded at them and switched the solonite charge on, counted to three, and threw it into the hall. The Centurions heard the charge hit the ground in front of them and pointed their guns at just as it exploded, knocking them down.
"Now!" Kir'oss shouted.
They rushed out, shooting the Centurions that were distracted by the explosion. The Centurions staggered as laser bolts slammed into their metallic bodies until the lasers finally fried their circuits and they fell over.
"Cover me." Kir'oss said as he walked down the hall while the others covered the exit. "Commander! Are you here?"
"Kir'oss!" Apollo shouted from a nearby cell.
Kir'oss quickly rushed over to the door where Apollo's voice originated. "I'm here, Commander. Stand back."
He aimed his laser pistol and shot the door locks and Troy kicked it open a micron later.
"Commander." Kir'oss nodded as the former prisoners rushed out of the cell. "Are you all right?"
"We're fine, Kir'oss." Apollo nodded. "But we won't be for long. There's possibly a Cylon fleet coming to attack New Caprica. Are you still in contact with Athena?"
"We lost the signal before we launched our attack. I believe our communications are being jammed." Kir'oss shook his head.
"The Cylons wouldn't want anyone warning humanity's new home that it was about to be attacked." Cienna said.
"That means the attack is already underway." Apollo said grimly. "We have to move now or we'll lose our home, again."
The engines of the Battlestars roared as they moved forward, firing their plasma laser cannons at the hundreds of Cylon fighters who traded fire with them and the smaller Colonial ships. The Basestars hung back, seemingly watching as their fighters overwhelmed the human fleet. The battle was not going well as despite the skills of the pilots the Colonial Vipers were simply outmatched by the Cylon Raiders that were not only faster but they were simply more advanced and more powerful. It took over five hits to destroy a single enemy fighter and two more took its place, overwhelming the Colonial Warriors who were fighting with all they had but it simply was not enough.
"We're taking heavy hits to the flight pods and the engines, Commander."
Sheba looked at the tactical screen, wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead. "Contact the Galactica and tell Boomer to start bombarding the heaviest concentration of enemy ships. Pull our Vipers back and have them form a protection circle around us to protect the vulnerable areas."
The Galactica and the Pegasus fired their forward laser batteries, destroying over a dozen Cylon fighters that rushed to overwhelm them.
"Status of the Basestars." Sheba said, watching as the Raiders fell back to regroup.
"They're staying out of range. We can't engage without breaking the defense fleet."
"If we do that they'll slip past us and attack New Caprica. If we move to engage them it might force the fighters to break off to defend their Baseships." Bojay spoke up.
Sheba thought it over and though she agreed with it she knew what Apollo would say. "And if the fleet breaks apart the Cylons will break through the gap and attack the planet." She looked at the tactical readout again to get a better idea of how to take control of the fight. "Contact the Galactica and order them to launch all missiles at the Basestars."
"At this distance we'll be lucky if one is not shot down by their fighters or defense turrets." Bojay pointed out.
"Do it and then lay in a course for these coordinates." Sheba pointed at the locations on the tactical display. "That'll force them to slow down."
"Yes Commander." Bojay nodded and relayed Sheba's orders.
'Apollo, where are you?' Sheba thought as she looked at the screen.
The Battlestars fired their missiles at the approaching Basestars but the Cylons were already moving to intercept the missiles. Their fighters targeted the missiles which were unfortunately slower than a Viper and shot them down one by one. Those that did make were almost completely shot down by pulse lasers fired from the Basestars, destroying the missiles with incredible pin-point accuracy. Fortunately there were too many missiles and a few managed to hit the forward Basestar, exploding against the armored hull that flashed brightly as the shields attempted to deflect the kinetic and thermal energy back out into space.
Even if the missiles had succeeded in hitting the Basestars that had not been Sheba's plan from the start. She wanted to distract the Cylons just long enough for the Galactica and the Pegasus to move forward into the asteroid field, making it impossible for the Cylons to accurately target and destroy them.
"That was a brilliant move, Commander." Bojay smiled. "Now they'll have to come at us on our terms. Commander Cain couldn't have done it better himself."
"For all our sakes I hope so." Sheba whispered and looked over the scans, taking in detail of their position.
With the Battlestars in the asteroid field, slowly moving towards the Basestars the Cylons will pull their fighters back to eliminate the greater threat.
"Report Centurion." The Imperious Leader commanded, demanding an update on the battle.
"The Battlestars and the smaller human ships have taken refuge in the asteroid field surrounding the planet. We cannot lock our pulsar weapons on them." The Command Centurion reported from the holographic screen before the Cylon ruler.
"Order our missile batteries to pummel the asteroids in a standard bombardment surrounding the human ships. Strip them of their cover and order our fighters to retreat and regroup. They'll swarm the humans once we've destroyed their cover." The Imperious Leader stated, displaying its enhanced intellect that it gained from its three brains and the experience from its predecessors to strategically counter its enemies.
"By your command."
A micron later the three Basestars opened fire on the asteroids with missiles and turbo lasers, blasting away anything they hit.
