Chapter 12
Ragnar Anchorage
The Centarus jumped to the Ragnar Anchorage and Adonai asked, "How many of the civilian ships made it?"
"Forty-six, Admiral," said Viera, "With the Gemnes, it's forty-seven. Total amount of ships that made the jump: forty-eight."
"Forty-eight?" asked Adonai.
"Byzantium didn't make it," said Viera, "There a massive nuclear explosion after we left. Byzantium's gone."
Adonai tensed up and smashed his fist on the table. "FRAK!"
"We down to one battlestar," Persephone said to herself.
"Sir, we've got tons of debris on the DRADIS," said Viera, "It looks like there was a fire fight here. There are remnants of dozens of ships. At least one of them was a battlestar."
Adonai looked up at Viera, his eyes ablaze. He told the lieutenant, "Get a raptor out there. I want to know which battlestar it is."
"Yes, Sir," said Viera.
"After you do that, Viera, calculate a jump," said Adonai. He rubbed his eyes.
"To where?" asked Viera.
"Beyond the Red Line," said Adonai, "There's nothing here for us. They Cylons took all of that away from us."
"I've never calculated a jump that far."
"No one has, Lieutenant. The Red Line is the boundary. You're going to be the first one to do it. Go make history," said Adonai.
"Yes, Sir," said Viera. Viera left to carry out the admiral's orders.
Persephone walked over to Adonai's side of the table and asked quietly, "Are we just going to leave our homes behind?"
"Yes," said Adonai, "They're nuclear wastelands now. As much as I hate to, we have no choice. This system is Cylon hornet's nest."
"I know," said Persephone, "But we don't know what's beyond the Red Line."
"Yeah, we do," said Adonai, "We know Kobol's out there."
"That's it," said Persephone, "Nothing else."
"Something is better than nothing," said Adonai.
"I guess you're right," Persephone replied. She looked out into the hallway next to the CIC and saw Helena running to the room, "Looks like our new president has found her way here."
Helena came into the CIC and asked, "What happened?"
"The Cylons jumped in on us at Icharus Station," said Adonai, "We lost four ships including a battlestar."
"So that makes this the only battlestar left?" asked Helena.
"Yes," answered Adonai, "This is the only battlestar left."
"Sir, we have a list of our pilots that aren't aboard," a specialist told Adonai and handed him a list with several names on it including the ship's CAG.
"We lost our CAG," said Adonai, "How many of Byzantium's people made it?"
"Only four, Sir. Captain Swanson has asked to see you, but I told him you were busy," said the specialist.
"Tell him I'll meet with him once we've jumped out of this system," said Adonai.
"Yes, Admiral."
Raptor 618
Jewels flew her raptor towards the wreckage. It looked like there was once a fleet here but the Cylons won out. She shined her light across the space and found a flight pod of an older model battlestar. She flew the raptor onto the other side and turned it around. She shined the light on the name of the flight pod. It read, "Galactica".
Jewels got on her radio and said, "Centarus. Jewels. The destroyed battlestar is the Battlestar Galactica. From the remains of the other ships, I'd say there were around sixty different ships out here. Whoever they were, they didn't make it past the Cylons. From my readings, the Galactica was hit by half a dozen nukes and countless ship to ship missiles. That could have been enough to severely damage a newer battlestar, but for the older Galactica, it destroyed her."
"Copy that, Jewels. Return back to Centarus. We're getting out of here."
"Understood Centarus. I'm heading back," Jewels replied.
Centarus
Conner Gailec had drawn blood from the very cooperative Nathan, and he was testing it's characteristics compared to human blood. So far nothing had changed. They were identical. Conner didn't know what to try next. He sat down in his chair and spun around thinking what would be able to tell the difference. There was a knock on his door, and Conner stopped spinning. He got up and answered the door. He saw Brianna standing on the other side. He said, "Brianna, what brings you here?"
"I heard that the admiral put you to work on something. I was wondering what it was," said Brianna.
"I can't tell you. It's classified."
"Do you need an assistant?" asked Brianna, "I'll be more than willing to help."
"Really?" asked Conner, "I won't tell you why, but what could distinguish two different blood sample that are practically identical with one being human?"
Brianna thought and said, "Try a radiation that humans aren't effected by. If you have a human sample, that won't change, but if the blood sample isn't human, it will be effected."
Conner thought for a minute and said, "That's genius. I can't believe I didn't think of that. Thank you. I'll let you know if that works. I will, but I have to get back to work."
"Okay," said Brianna, smiling. She added, "I'll see you later."
"I'll see you too," said Conner before he shut the door to his lab again. He walked over to his sample and said, "Sillica radiation."
He went on with that theory for his determination.
In the CIC, Adonai waited patiently as the jump calculations were being made. Persephone had gone back to be with Allison. Helena was sitting down in the CIC not knowing what to do. She wasn't ready for all the responsibility that was about to burden her. She was a first term delegate to Quorum back on Caprica. She was a political rookie according to her peers and they were right. She was still learning the ropes when it came to how the government ran. Now she was thrust up ten places and now sat in the presidency. She was scared of what she would have to do and all the weight that was going to be put on her shoulders. She was slightly relieved, however, with her knowing the fleet admiral. That calmed her a bit but not enough. She stood up and walked over to Adonai. She asked him, "How much longer before we jump?"
"About half an hour," said Adonai, "Calculating a jump as far as I ordered takes a while."
"Oh," she replied.
Adonai looked at Helena and saw what she looked like. He was concerned and asked, "Are you okay?"
"No, Struchen, I'm not. I was only serving my first term as the Sagittaron delegate. I've only been in office for two years. Now I'm the fraking president of the fraking Colonies. I don't know what to do."
"Do what you believe to be right. Other than that, create a new Quorum. Get a vice president. That way the stress falls on all of you and not just one person," Adonai said.
"I know. I'm just scared of all it," said Helena.
Adonai put his hand on her shoulder and said, "I know. I'm terrified right now. I never planned on being the admiral of the fleet, and I never dreamed of protecting the remnants of humanity against an endless enemy horde. We've both been thrown into positions of leadership and power that neither one of us are ready for. We just have to follow what we believe in and not waiver."
"I know your beliefs, Struchen, but I've been praying to the Lords of Kobol ever since you said we're leaving this system," said Helena, "It helping me relax a bit."
"I been praying too, Helena, but not to the Lords of Kobol. You believe what you believe and I'll believe what I believe and that will help us persevere in the end. Don't stop praying just because I don't believe in the gods."
"Thank you," said Helena. She hugged him and he hugged her back. After the hug was over, Helena said, "You're one of the few people that makes me feel short."
"I'm three inches taller than you," said Adonai with a smile.
"I know, but I need something to make me smile," said Helena.
Adonai looked at Helena in the eyes and said, "Do you need to go back to your ship? I'm fine here."
"No, no, I'm good," said Helena.
"Are you sure?"
"No," said Helena, "Are you good?"
"No, I'm not," said Adonai, "But I've a few friends and my youngest sister onboard."
"Isabel's here?" asked Helena.
"Yeah, but haven't seen her since before the attacks. I wonder where she is," said Adonai.
"She'll show up," said Helena, "Isabel was crushed when you left. Joey, however, wanted to follow you wherever you went, but your parents wouldn't let her."
"Joey always wanted to be like me. She even became monotheistic because I was," said Adonai.
"She wanted to join the Colonials too."
"Now she's gone in a raging inferno," said Adonai.
"You don't know that. She could be on one of those ships," Helena replied.
"What the odds of that?"
"I know they're small, but still," said Helena.
Twenty minutes later, Viera said, "Coordinates plotted. We're ready to jump."
"Give the coordinates to the fleet and let's leave this hellhole behind."
"Yes, Sir."
Viera gave the fleet the coordinates and the orders to jump on Centarus's mark. A few minutes later, sirens went off again. Viera looked at the DRADIS and said, "Four baseships just jumped in."
"Tell the fleet to jump!" ordered Adonai.
Viera got on the radio and said, "Centarus to fleet jump. I repeat jump!"
The civilian ships and the Gemnes all jumped at once. Adonai said, "Let's get out of here. Jump Centarus."
"Yes, Sir," Viera said, "Jump!"
The Centarus jumped as dozens of missiles were flying towards it. All forty-eight ships made it during the jump, and the Centarus fleet didn't have the same fate as the Galactica fleet.
