Chapter Twelve: Time to Be Heroes
Three Hours, Forty-One Minutes since Chapter Eleven:
Battlestar Colossus, Flag CIC:
There was an understandable tension in the Flag CIC of the Colossus. Crew went about their duties as they normally would; but there was little conversation. There seemed to be an understanding that the operation was entering what could perhaps be the most critical part. The three Reynard class marine attack ships had successfully landed on Ostarsis and offloaded their load of Army and Marine forces to engage the Cylons after the planetary bombardment from the warstars and cruisers had ended.
Fleet Admiral Scott Tolan had felt a sense of fortune when the Clermont, Reynard, and Croatan had been discovered docked at Linden Shipyard, the same shipyard where the decommissioned Black River had been stored for maintenance work, where their overhauls had been completed.
"Admiral, there's a message coming in from General Maxwell," Ensign Lucien Whitfield reported as he took the printout from Communications and brought it over. The young ensign quickly walked over to Tolan to hand him the report. The paper it was printed on had been recycled so many times that it had a rough, worn feel to it.
"Thank you, Mister Whitfield," Fleet Admiral Scott Tolan said as he looked over the report.
"Looks like the ground forces have managed to clear out the majority of the Cylons and have freed several thousand prisoners from the prisons," Tolan said to Whitfield.
"That's a promising development," he commented.
Tolan nodded his head, "We've been fortunate so far, I can think of a few of my friends saying this was too easy."
"You think the Cylons are going to come back?"
"Yes they are. The toasters know we're here and I'm sure they'd love to jump in and finish us off," Tolan said as he looked down at the message. It would soon be time for the people in the Kria Bunker to make their big entrance onto the battlefield.
"If you don't mind my asking, have you thought about Canceron much since the attack?" Whitfield asked.
"Truthfully, yes I have. My thoughts aren't on Amarna or Iopolis but more on Clio. What about you; any thoughts about Caprica?"
"Most of my family lived in Carthage; I read reports that it took a direct hit from at least three nukes. I wish I had been there to spend time with them before all this happened instead of being on some damn colonizing mission."
Tolan put a reassuring hand on Whitfield's shoulder, "Then there would be a chance you wouldn't be here now to exact some payback. I know it's not much but what we're doing gives us a purpose."
"I wouldn't be surprised to find out that there were those who would prefer the afterlife to what we're living right now."
"If you were one who believed in the afterlife then that would be something to look forward to."
"Considering what the Cylons did, is there even a reason to believe there is one?"
Tolan thought about it for a moment, "There has to be. I'd rather believe that, despite all that's happened, there is something more to this life."
"You're fortunate sir; your family is still alive and together back with the civilian fleet."
Tolan's mind went to the family he had waiting for him. Emily and their triplets were waiting for him to return from this mission. He had promised them that he would, though only Emily would have remembered such a promise. There was also Brooke Bowman. She and her husband, Commander Artimus Bowman of the Battlestar Hermes, were family for all intents and purposes. He knew that promising her that he would return was as serious as the promise he had made to Emily and he was determined not to let either one of them down.
The idea that he could fail and not return was in the back of his mind but he had sworn to do all he could to avoid that happening. While he knew it was possible, he could not let the fear of it get the better of him.
His thoughts were interrupted when one of the enlisted crew brought him a report from the Athena. Tolan read it over and shook his head in disbelief, "The hull is starting to come apart."
"Is something wrong with the Athena?"
"It seems the stresses of combat has caused the hull to start to tear, there have been reports delivered from various areas of the ship where the hull seems be coming apart."
"Has the Athena been that badly damaged?"
"You have to remember that she's an old lady and there's no telling how much hull damage might have been done due to being stored in Category X," Whitfield reminded him. When the Athena as decommissioned and struck from the list of Colonial Fleet vessels it had been stored in what was known as 'Category X' meaning that no attention was given to maintaining it in a status where it could be brought back to service if the need arose.
"There should still be no reason for a ship built during the Cylon War to start tearing itself apart like that," Tolan muttered as he silently cursed his luck. Losing a ship during any war was bad enough, but in this war every ship that was lost could be a devastating blow.
"If I may make a suggestion, when we get back to the fleet we can have the Athena dock in the Vestal and a more thorough hull inspection can be done to determine what is happening."
"That would be preferable, the thing is that we cannot afford to lose another ship and that goes double for a battlestar. I also can't afford to send her away in case the Cylons show up. We'll need both her birds and her guns."
"You'll risk losing the ship and its crew if you do that," Whitfield reminded.
"That's the thing about war Mister Whitfield, there are times when you have to roll the dice and pray that they come up in your favor."
"Do you ever worry that the dice won't come up in your favor?"
"My grandfather taught me some important lessons as I was growing up and one of those was that no matter what your plan is you should always have a backup, just in case."
"In that case, I hope you have a backup plan ready in case things don't go as planned."
"There's no need for you to worry about that, I always have a plan," Tolan said although he mentally added, 'It may not be a great plan but it's better than having no plan at all.'
Kria Bunker, Conference Room 4-B:
Major Darren Clay and Colonel Bridget Woods were alone in the conference room. Reports brought to them were on the table in the center of the room, with each officer on opposite sides of the table looking over them.
"Your person, Bonilla, she seems to know what she's doing," Clay said.
"She's been an asset to me from the moment we started hiding from the Cylons," Woods replied. Sharon Bonilla was a computer technology expert who worked in the security industry for the various banks of the Twelve Colonies. She had been the go-to computer person for Woods.
"A pity she didn't go military, I could see her doing much more for the Colonies working for Defense than she ever did for the banks."
"I don't know why she didn't go military but the important thing is that we have her here now."
There was a loud booming sound echoing through the room as if some giant was banging on the side of an equally colossal drum. The room shook for a few seconds and small pieces of masonry broke free, tapping them on their heads.
"There must have been some additional shelling requested from the ground forces," Clay said.
"Probably, but the scary part is that I've started to get used to the shelling. It wouldn't surprise me if the others in the bunker have gotten to that point," Woods replied as she scanned the copies of the communications relayed from the ground forces.
"I admit it surprised me how well my men and I have held up. Then again I've been in worse scrapes than you and your people," Clay said knowing that Woods could not really argue the point.
"I will be glad to be out of here and back on a battlestar, it will be nice to be back in my element."
"Are you telling me that you have no desire to lead a ground force ever again?" Clay asked knowing he was probably irritating her.
She did not take the bait. "I'll leave the ground fighting for those who were given 'special' training for it. I'll be more than content to command a battlestar again."
"Not that I want to cut this talk short, but we should be go make sure we have everything ready. No harm in double and triple checking everything just to play it safe."
"I agree, if you need me you can find me in my quarters," Woods said as she turned and left the conference room.
When Woods had left the room Clay ran a hand over his head and took a deep breath. The time was almost upon them and he began to feel a faint sense of doubt creep into his mind. None could ever know what weighed on his mind; that was a burden of command that he carried, and he would not let even his most trusted people know. A public persona was the one people needed to believe in. If he let that persona slip and showed his doubts about what was to come then that could be as deadly to them and their mission as opening the Kria Bunker's massive blast doors and letting the Cylons know that they were there.
'Dad, if you were here now you'd probably do the same thing,' Clay thought as his mind brought back memories of his father. Captain Damien Clay had been a member of the Colonial Fleet's Special Forces when the Cylon War began. Later on in the Cylon War, he would become a member of EPSILON, a group of soldiers tasked with ensuring that the ships of the fleet would not fall prey to Cylon boarding tactics. The goal had been to prevent another incident like the one that happened to the battlestar Achilles to happen to another ship. In the coming battle, he would need to find the kind of inner strength to get the job done that his father had undoubtedly used.
Kria Bunker, Mess Hall Three:
"I know you probably don't like being away from your ship, but at least you can confirm that my brother and his ship survived the Cylon attack," Cadet Carlo Roma of the Aquaria Military Academy sophomore class said. His brother, Ensign Claudio 'Razor' Roma, was a Viper pilot onboard the Battlestar Stryker.
"If I had my preference I'd have rather stayed on the Stryker instead of having to survive in the wilderness," Ensign Paul 'Torch' Stryker said.
"I do envy you a bit, Torch," Fleet Academy cadet Sophia Tolen said before adding, "You have at least had the chance to fly a Viper and land on a battlestar."
"Raptors are just as much fun to fly as a Viper is, Tolen," Major Larsen 'Magic' Banks shot interjected.
"I'll be diplomatic then and say something that I heard about flying that rings true. As someone once said to me, 'Flying is one of the most exciting things you can do with your clothes on.'" Stryker said.
"I have to agree with you on that one, Torch. I was given some basic understanding of flying a Viper before I switched over to Raptors," Banks said.
"Did you ever use your Viper training?" he asked.
The room shook with the sound of heavy weapons fire landing nearby, reminding them that a battle was taking place nearby.
"Admiral Tolan made me CAG of the Victorious and I flew a Viper during an engagement against the toasters at Cosmora," Banks said and he noticed Tolen flinch at the mention of Tolan.
"You two have some stories to tell about being deployed, that's for sure," Darius James, a member of the pirate ground Eastern Alliance, said with a shake of his head.
"Magic probably has more of them than I do; but when you think about it, we have quite a bit to tell," Stryker said.
"Don't even let me get started on laundry on a battlestar," Banks said which drew an understanding laugh from Stryker.
"I understand how that is, I'm sure it was same for me on the Poseidon as it was for you on the Victorious."
"Attention all personnel, this is Major Clay, I have received a communiqué from General Maxwell informing me that both he and General Hyde are unloading prisoners that have been rescued from the prison camps here on Ostarsis. When that is done, it will be time for us to leave this rock permanently. Further updates as they arrive, Clay out."
Colossus, Flag CIC:
"Admiral Tolan, reports are coming in that the transports are bringing the wounded and prisoners from the camps up. What ship do you want them to make their way to?" Whitfield asked.
"I want them to dock with the Black River. If I recall, they have the medical facilities to serve as a combat hospital," Tolan said. The Black River was a Marine Command Ship of the Hesperus class.
"Fortunately for us, we have the three Reynards with us as well," Whitfield commented. The Reynard class was a similar version of the Hesperus, only without the command facilities. Usually the two vessels worked in tandem on the idea that more troops would be available as well as additional medical facilities.
"I'm glad it's an option we have. In the kind of war we've been in for the last seven months you use whatever weapons you have at your disposal," Tolan said in reference to the Black River. The ship should have still been in active service. Budget cuts ultimately led to its decommissioning. The Colonial Fleet must have seen the value of it as it was maintained in an excellent state of preservation so that bringing it back up to service was relatively easy.
"Forgive me for saying this but if that's the case then we should have brought the Victorious, Achilles, and Maytoria with us for this battle?"
"It's a matter of using our forces wisely. We needed to leave some of our ships behind to protect the civilians in case the Cylons show up."
"Do you trust the Eastern Alliance to join the fight if the Cylons do try to attack the civilians?"
"I like to think so, it's not like we're making an alliance with the Erebea, and if trouble comes then they'll be in the fight with us. Like it or not we're in this together."
"I understand that their odds of surviving go up by working with us. The thing that bothers me is can you trust Magnus Ah-Mun?"
Tolan thought about it before he said, "The man was once a pilot in the Fleet during the Cylon War, I doubt even a life of piracy has caused him to lose his sense of honor. He's been cooperative with us so far, I don't see that changing any time soon."
"I wish I shared your optimism, sir."
"Mister Whitfield, you just need to stop being so pessimistic."
"With all due respect Admiral Tolan I see myself as being more of a realist than a pessimist."
"That's what all pessimists like to think," quipped Tolan.
Daventry, Ostarsis:
Army/Marine Mobile Command Unit:
"There they go," Brigadier General Otus Maxwell of the Colonial Marine Corps said as one of the Marine dropships began its ascent from the surface.
"Are you sure there aren't any of the air defense towers remaining?" Major General Alice Hyde of the Colonial Army asked as she watched the dropship's progress towards the sky.
"I'm sure the warstars and the cruisers made short work of those. Otherwise, we'd have been in serious trouble whenever we landed. I wondered if the Cylons had some surprised hidden but nothing has shown itself so far."
"Once we get the prisoners and wounded off we should send word to Clay to get his people out of that bunker as quickly as possible."
Hyde looked around their surroundings. Daventry had once been one of the jewels that made up the cities of Ostarsis and now it was all a smoldering ruin. Orbital bombardment from the Colonial Fleet and their ground engagement with the Cylons had made sure that the gleaming playground of the rich and famous lost its entire luster.
"When he makes his run for it we'll need all three Reynards plus the dropships to get everyone off at the same time."
"I'd rather we do that then spend our time waiting for a possible Cylon counter attack."
Maxwell looked at the hulks of the three Reynard attack ships. They were specifically designed for landing operations after an area had been bombarded from space. The Cylon garrison on Ostarsis had been mostly neutralized. This explained how easy it was for the Army and Marine forces to root out the pockets of Cylon forces that had survived the orbital bombing.
"We've done well, Maxwell," Hyde said as though there was a chance she was about to say something she did not think possible, "your Marines have done a damn good job out here. I didn't think our forces could put aside our rivalry but it seems they did that."
"Damn it Hyde, now you're going to force me to go and say something nice in return," Maxwell said as he shook his head in disbelief, "I think your troops showed that when we're fighting a common enemy we can stop the in-fighting and kick some Cylon ass."
"Now was that so hard?" Hyde teased.
"You have no frakking idea," Maxwell muttered as he walked out of the mobile command center to converse with his officers. As he spoke to them, his nostrils flared as they recognized the smell of an impending battle.
In the distance he could hear sporadic bursts of assault rifle as the troops exchanged fire with the few Cylons still in the area. They had managed to take most of the enemy forces but there were still those stubborn holdouts determined to fight to the last. The ground forces had paid their share of the price for liberating the prisoners and were continuing to pay for it a little at a time.
Colossus, CIC:
"Thank you for being so prompt Mister Leyen," Commander Dorian Mercer said as he took the reports from Major Andras Leyen, the Tactical Officer of the Colossus, and began to scan over them.
"Chief Minden reports that all fires have been extinguished and the DC parties have helped evacuate the wounded to sickbay," Colonel Anna Wong, the Colossus' XO, reported.
"That's a relief, looks like our girl is as tough as advertised," Mercer said with the joy one would expect of a proud parent.
"Tell that to the crew of the Geryon," Wong reminded.
"There was no way we could have known about the Cylon backdoor in the CNP. Besides, Admiral Aylmer ordered us to jump away before the toasters could try to destroy us," Mercer said as his mind went back to that day when the Colossus, Geryon, and the Indra engaged the Cylons after their colonization force had been recalled to the Colonies by President Adar in the immediate aftermath of the Cylon attack. Vice Admiral Matthew Aylmer, using the Geryon as his flagship, had ordered all ships of the colonization fleet to jump away before the Cylons got too close. Mercer had followed orders though it was with General Hyde protesting vigorously.
"Did the Chief send his reports on the air wing?"
"Major Bahadur filed his reports," Wong said as she thumbed through the reports that the CAG, Major Javed Bahadur, had sent once the squadron had landed, "Nothing yet from Chief Mendin but I'm sure he'll get those in soon."
"Not bad for a day's work, if this were a normal time of war I'd grant the crew shore leave."
"I think you can let them spend time on the Olympica and they'd enjoy that just as much."
Mercer smiled at her, "Do I detect my XO trying to tell me something?"
"You're the smart Aquarian; I think you can tell when I, a Leonisian, am trying to hint that she wants shore leave on a luxury liner."
The two shared a short laugh, with all the tenseness of the rescue mission; it was something that was needed.
"Fair enough, when we survive this you can be the lead officer of the first group sent on shore leave."
"What do you think of Admiral Tolan so far?" Wong asked quietly as her head instinctively turned to where the Flag CIC was located.
"Just between us, I had my doubts about him when he came onboard. I think most people who had never served under him just knew him by reputation, and the majority of those people were probably influenced by what Admiral Stryker thought of him."
Kria Bunker:
Communications Center:
Clay and Woods both looked over the piece of paper that had just printed. It contained a phrase, the one phrase they had long desired to read.
"Over all of Ostarsis, the sky is clear," Clay said quietly as the meaning of the phrase began to sink in.
"I never thought I'd be so happy to see that message," Woods exclaimed as she felt a wave of relief come over her. After all this time, the seven and a half months spent here on Ostarsis had felt like an eternity.
"I figured you would be, but let's save the celebrating for when we get off of this rock," Clay said as he walked over to pick up the receiver that would allow him to address the people inside the Bunker. He looked over at Woods and she simply nodded her agreement with what he was about to do.
"This is Major Clay, I want everyone's attention for what I am about to tell you. I am here in the Kria Bunker's communications center and I am holding a communiqué from General Alice Hyde. I won't bore you with the technical details but I will tell you that the Colonial Army and Marines have cleared us a path to Daventry and from there our rescue from his miserable hunk of rock we've been forced to call 'home' for the past seven months. I know you've been training as hard as possible for this and I have kept you busy stripping as many supplies as we can bring with us. I assure you that when we reach our ships and you step onto that deck you will be breathing the air of a free person, and that will make all the hardship and sacrifice worthwhile. You have been divided up into groups and assigned numbers. Now is the time for you to take your place at the exit points assigned to you…be ready to leave here within the hour. Gods willing we will meet up again so that we can leave Ostarsis once and for all."
Clay took his finger off the 'transmit' button and set the receiver down.
"Let's get to our spots, Clay," Woods said as she offered him her hand, "It's been a rough ride but I'm thankful you were here to help with it."
Clay shook her hand, "It's been an honor, Commander Woods. If all works out I'll see you on the other side."
The two officers left the room followed by the personnel stationed there when the message came in. Everyone in the Kria Bunker knew what was about to happen. Their time spent in the shadows was about to end. Once they left the bunker there would be no turning back. If any Cylons had not been killed by the Colonial forces then they could pose a danger.
Woods saw the other five people assigned to lead the groups out of the bunker. Major Larsen Banks, Lieutenant Lamont Evans, Ensign Angela Rigel, Ensign Paul Stryker, and Darius James were hurrying out of the Level Three mess hall.
"The five of you over here," Woods shouted as she motioned for them to come into the nearby office area. When they entered the room she closed the door, "You heard the announcement. This is the moment we've been waiting for."
"It's hard to believe it's actually happening," Rigel said.
"I agree, ever since we escaped from the Cylons it seems all we've done is wait here until we were rescued or the toasters found us," Evan said.
"If it wasn't for finding this place we'd have all bought it long ago," Banks said and he was glad to see Stryker nodding his head in agreement.
"I know Clay has been leading us lately but you did well when you were on your own," James added.
"Thank you, Darius," Woods said as she dropped her formality, "I have worked with all of you in the past, with the exception of Ensign Stryker. I just wanted to let you know that all of you have made me proud. I know fate forced us into this situation but I think we responded and did what had to be done."
"If you don't mind me saying there is something I've thought since the worlds came to an end," Banks offered.
"What would that be, Magic?" Woods said using his call sign.
"I've told myself that there's nothing to complain about, life is a gamble and we're still in the game."
"Good quote to use," Woods said before choosing her next words, "It's been an honor to have gone through this…adventure with all of you. Stay safe out there leading your people to the landing zone and I will see you all on the other side once we're away from here one and for all. May the Gods walk with you."
The others echoed the sentiment before leaving the room. Woods took a deep breath to steady her nerves. This was actually going to happen; they would finally be rescued. Her mind tried to be rational and remind her of how slim their chances of survival were. However, she held to her belief, the one she had held onto for seven months, which was that even a slim chance of survival was better than having no chance at all.
Two Hours, Twelve Minutes Later:
Army/Marine Mobile Command Center:
"The wounded and the rescued prisoners have been loaded onto the Black River," Hyde said to Maxwell once she stepped out of the mobile command center.
"We've started loading up our equipment onto the three attack ships. Have you heard from the resistance?" Maxwell asked.
Hyde put her binoculars to her eyes and scanned the horizon. "Nothing yet. Wait. I think I just saw the mountain open up."
Maxwell raised a skeptical eyebrow at her, "Are you sure you mean that?"
Hyde pointed towards a nearby mountain range, "Look in that direction. I swear the side of the mountain just opened up."
Maxwell let out a small chuckle and looked through his binoculars in the direction Hyde was pointing. He was expecting to see nothing but a mountain until he saw the opening and as he zoomed in with the binoculars, he saw people coming out of it. "I'll be damned; it looks like our people are coming to us."
"Admit it, Maxwell, you thought I had gone crazy."
"I thought that about you long before this operation," Maxwell grunted as he kept his eyes on the people streaming out of what appeared to be a set of large blast doors.
"I'll ignore that for the time being," Hyde said as she continued to look at the people leaving the Kria Bunker, "Looks like we're going to need to use the transport shuttles that came back from the Black River. Which battlestar should they go to?"
"Send them to the Colossus, it's the largest ship in the task force and can handle the extra personnel easily enough."
"I agree with you, the nice thing I've observed about the Titan class is that it has plenty of space."
"Did you ever go on the Colossus when it was with your colonization group?"
Hyde shook her head, "I spent my time on the Geryon since it was Admiral Aylmer's flagship. Going by size alone those ships were impressive, if I hadn't have had a guide with me during my initial visits I'd have been lost for about a week."
"I toured Titan after it was officially commissioned; I did an inspection of the ship's MARDET," Maxwell said before he got quiet again.
"I believe we need our troops to start loading up the equipment they don't need. We seem to have sent the Cylons packing from here. If there are any nearby they're not trying to make any kind of move against us."
"I hope they stay away. Gods know we've done enough damage on their account," Maxwell said as he surveyed the ruined city around them.
"We certainly didn't help with that but I can say with complete honesty that they started it," Hyde said as she looked around the city as well, "The sad part is that this was a really beautiful city before the Cylons invaded. I can see why the rich and famous used it as their personal playground."
"Yeah it was like their mini-Caprica, or at least that's what the videos always presented it as."
"Well there's no use in reminiscing over the past, let's get ready for those people from the Kria Bunker so we can load them up and out of here."
"Sounds good to me," Maxwell said as he began giving the orders to his Marines while Hyde did likewise with her Army troops.
Unknown to the ground forces, the enemy was currently keeping a close watch. Off in the distance on a hilltop were the remains of a Cylon listening post that had been set up when Ostarsis had been occupied. The structure had taken a direct hit from a shell fired from the main guns of the warstar Svalin.
Ostarsis, Solares Hill:
To the north of Daventry was the area that served as the eastern border between the middle of Ostarsis and the northern area that had yet to be transformed into a habitable area. This mountainous region was known as the Snowdonia Mountains. Among the many peaks of this mountain range was Solares Hill. After the intense bombardment from the Colonial Fleet, the mountains bore scars from where the shells had impacted and exploded. It was as though giant invisible javelins had been thrown at the mountains.
Centurions had been stationed in the area in case of such an occasion. However, their orders were to avoid detection when the Colonials came to the moon. Word of the operation had been leaked in advance and the Cylons had decided to use this to their advantage. When the ships left the ground and began to make their way back into space was when the Cylons would strike and eliminate the largest known group of military survivors in one attack.
Utilizing a communications device, it sent a coded message to the Cylon fleet that had 'retreated' from Ostarsis after an initial confrontation with the Colonial forces. The message was now sent and the Centurions waited there, knowing that the time had arrived to eliminate the task force that lurked up in the stars around Ostarsis.
Atteria System:
Cylon Baseship:
The Number Four known as Kimmel, the model who portrayed a Colonial Fleet officer, was in charge of the Cylon task force took his hand out of the data stream and smiled, "The Colonials are preparing to leave Ostarsis, and the prisoners are preparing to board their shuttles."
"I can't believe they survived," Five said with obvious disbelief in his voice.
"You were so certain you had destroyed them when the centurions blasted the cavern's entrance," One said as he walked over to where the Five was standing, "The trick to killing an enemy is to make sure that they are actually dead. That's how this process works!"
"There are times when the seven of you fight like some dysfunctional married family," Admiral Peter Corman said as he watched the scene unfold from the chair that he was tied to.
"You have done nothing but taunt us since you were brought on here," Three said as she walked over and put a hand around the front of his throat, "Perhaps I should go ahead and put you out of your misery."
"You're not going to get me to beg," Corman said.
"We're not going to kill him just yet," Kimmel said as he took a hold of Three's hand and removed it from Corman's neck.
"You're just delaying the inevitable," Three said once he had released her hand.
"I want him to watch his forces fall in battle and know that the both the ships and the crews on them are gone with the rest of humanity."
Three looked at Corman, "A pity he wants you alive, I could think of so many ways to end your life."
Corman glared at her. "If you only knew how badly I wanted some earplugs right about now."
"I want to give the people on the ground time to get airborne and then we'll eliminate them all once they're in space," Kimmel announced as he smiled at the thought of knowing that he would eliminate Scott Tolan and his task force.
He felt a large measure of pride in what was going to take place when his forces jumped to Ostarsis. Scott Tolan had been like many of the other officers who had survived the initial attack on the Twelve Colonies, an annoying fly that had yet to be effectively swatted. Now was the time to remedy that problem permanently.
He had to swallow his pride when he was with Tolan's fleet and accept the man's authority. There had been times he wished he could have pulled his sidearm out and simply put a slug right through the man's heart or head but that would have been too simple. What better way to defeat Tolan than at his own game on the battlefield?
Forty-Eight Minutes Later:
Battlestar Colossus, Flag CIC:
"The Army and Marine forces have been loaded up on their ships and are preparing to leave the surface along with all of the supplies that could be salvaged from the Kria Bunker," Whitfield reported as he did what he could to hide his excitement.
"Were there any casualties or engagements with the Cylons?" Tolan asked.
Whitfield shook his head, "Negative, sir; it appears the orbital bombardment and the combined forces of the Army and Marines was enough to obliterate the enemy garrison."
"That's a pleasant surprise," Tolan said as he allowed a smile to come to his lips.
"Admiral we have multiple DRADIS contacts dead ahead of the task force," Lieutenant Tanya Mullins announced from Tactical.
"Friend or foe?" Tolan asked.
"Cylons sir, we have eleven baseships coming our way."
"I want Condition One set throughout the fleet. All ships are to take up defensive formations, put us between the Cylons and Ostarsis. I want Vipers launched immediately with at least one squadron left in the tubes ready to launch if they're needed. Let all flag and commanding officers know that if the Cylons are able to get past us, the three Marine ships and the transport shuttles are sitting ducks," Tolan ordered immediately and watched the movements of his task force on the DRADIS screen as the ships began to follow his orders.
"Our Vipers are within range of the Cylon Raiders," Mullins reported.
"Looks like things are heating up again," Whitfield stated.
"That's an understatement, Mister Whitfield. All we can do is fire our guns and make them regret coming back for another visit," Tolan said as he watched the distance between his force and the Cylons shrink.
"Our forces have begun engaging the Cylons, automated damage reports are beginning to come in," Whitfield reported as he watched Mullins' screen come to life with reports from the various ships in the fleet.
"Have any ships suffered additional damage yet?"
"Nemesis and Conqueror are reporting fires breaking out on the ship, the corvettes are trying to throw up flak to protect us and the other battlestars but they're taking a pounding, and the warstars are reporting that some of their point-defense guns are out of commission."
"Tell the corvettes that if they cannot hold out longer then they have my permission to jump away," Tolan said. Truth of the matter was that the corvettes were not ideal for a punching match such as the one they were currently engaged in. It was a risk but he could not have allowed them to stay where they would be among the first ships destroyed in the firefight. He was already feeling thankful for his decision to send the Vestal away instead of having it stay on the periphery of the battle.
"Sir, the lead Cylon baseship is breaking formation and coming closer to us along with three other baseships," Mullins reported with her voice betraying the fear she was feeling.
"I wonder if the Cylons know I'm on here; wouldn't surprise me if those bastards know it," Tolan said as he looked at the electronic reports Mullins was forwarding to the Command and Control Station. The reports were painting a grim picture. It seemed as though the earlier action had weakened his forces and now the Cylons were closing in for the kill.
"Missiles incoming," Mullins announced and all eyes went to the DRADIS screen. If it were possible to hold the line long enough to get everyone safely off Ostarsis then they could jump away before the Cylons killed them all.
With a deafening boom, the missiles from the baseships made contact with the hull of the Colossus. Consoles flickered and sparks flew out of various pieces of equipment. The impact of the missiles was strong enough to fling several of the officers in the Flag CIC to the deck hard; Fleet Admiral Scott Tolan was among them. He grabbed a hold of the Command and Control Station and picked himself up off the deck. The other personnel in the Flag CIC were starting to get themselves off the deck and go back to their duty stations. More missile impacts from either the baseships or the Cylon Raiders caused the Titan class battlestar to shake as though it were a ship being tossed on the ocean by a violent storm.
"Sitrep," the Admiral of the Fleet called out.
"Commander Mercer has already deployed the Damage Control teams. All ships are starting to report heavy damage from engaging the Cylons. The battlestars are also taking a beating. The Helios has sustained damage though Admiral Sakura reports that they are only flesh wounds. The Xanthus has sustained moderate damage to the topside of its hull and to the port flight pod. The cruisers are reporting damage to barrels of their main turrets but that has not stopped them from firing at the Cylons. The warstars are reporting that their armor is keeping them from sustaining serious damage but Admiral Ramos is not sure how long that will last. The battlecruisers are reporting heavy damage along the lines of what the cruisers have suffered. The Indra and Athena are not sure how much longer they can hold on. We have reports of multiple hull breeches but we're still doing better than a lot of the ships out there…" Mullins said before she received a new status report, "The deaths of Admirals Morton and Haddock have been confirmed."
Tolan mentally wanted to shout 'Frak' but knew this was not the time or place, "Send word to Commander Arrington on the Svalin that she is now in command of Admiral Morton's gunnery task force. I want all ships to hold the line until they're no longer able to."
"Admiral, the transports from Ostarsis have begun liftoff from the surface and are bound for space," Ensign Lucien Whitfield announced.
'The stakes have just been raised,' Tolan thought. The whole point of this mission was to get those people off Ostarsis. Engaging the Cylons was a necessary part of the plan but if he could have done it without fighting the Cylons, he would have preferred it. He had to do what he could to give those transports and the three Marine assault ships a chance to get out of Ostarsis' atmosphere and jump away to safety.
The Colossus rocked with more hits from the Cylons, they were in trouble and there was no telling if they were going to get out of this with the forces they had on hand. What could they do tip the scales in their favor?
Tolan thought for a moment about what to do and it was then that the idea came to him. A part of his mind told he was crazy for even thinking of trying it but he knew it was a risk that he was going to take. However there was really no other way around it and ultimately had to be done, "I want a Priority One distress signal sent out away asking for any assistance that can be given. Transmit in the clear. Send my authorization code along with it."
Whitfield nodded and began entering the distress message. Transmitting it in the clear would allow it to be picked up by any Colonial Fleet units that were not past the Red Line. Sending Tolan's authorization code, something that came with any flag officer in the fleet, should put any fears of the distress call being a Cylon trick to rest.
"Distress call has been sent," Whitfield announced.
"Excellent," Tolan said with relief at the prompt response from Whitfield and the rest of the staff. A resolve began to form in his mind. He began to realize that this was going to be the moment where they could either win the day or lose it all, "I want you to send word to all ships…they are to hold the line no matter the cost."
