My Apologies for the extended delay.
There is still one more chapter before the end of this season.
Battlestar Galactica
The Second Fleet
Battlestar Pacifica Crew:
The Conclave
Admiral Pieter Finley (deceased)
Colonel Tillius Phineas (deceased)
Zoe Graystone (deceased)
Tamara Adama (deceased)
Blessed Mother Lacy Rand (deceased)
Doctor Alexys Whitewood (Head Scientist)
Soldiers of the One
Fleet Commander Jannus "Jann" Warryk (CO)
H.R.H Princess Helena Xander Alexandra-Knossus
Captain "Leela" Six (XO)
Captain Kaleb "Black-1" Blackthorne (CAG)
Lieutenant Leoben "Kane" Two (Nav)
Centurion Sargent Aton
Colonial Fleet
Captain Karl Agathon (Gunship CO)
Lieutenant Sharon "Agathon" (Pilot)
Jr Lieutenant Bask Tallas (Ops)
Ensign Kim Hikari (Comm)
Jr. Lieutenant Sharon "Isis" Eight (Pilot)
Jr. Lieutenant "Artemis" Six (Pilot)
Jr. Lieutenant Evelyn Kane Three (Gunship XO)
Chief Officer Simon "Jaffah" Four (Hangar chief)
Specialist Giana O'Neill (Mechanic)
Petty Officer Dana Busch (Mechanic)
Flip (Raider)
Shadow (Raider)
Doctor Jason Zhimm (CMD)
Timeline
Season 2.5, "Lay Down Your Burdens".
Summary
What if not all Battlestars had been caught up defenseless by the Cylon Attack? What if the Civilian fleet that the Pegasus encountered had survived and found another Battlestar? What if the infected Baseship from "Measure of Salvation" had occurred earlier, and had been found by said Battlestar? And what if, months before New Caprica, the Fleet encountered a Second Fleet of human survivors? Welcome to BSG96 Pacifica.
Act XIV – Facing the Burdens Part-3
[Day 273 since the Fall of the Colonies]
[6.225 Humans, 738 Cylons]
[Cylon Outpost D-31]
When Simon O'Neill opened the hatch of the Cybelle, the last thoughts in his mind were his family. Not the Unity, his brothers and sisters, but his wife, and his daughter. He had fully expected to die, as he could not feel the Resurrection Ship nearby, but somehow, he downloaded into a new body, just long enough for Cavil express his disappointment, and place him in Cold Storage. Still, felt like a small price to pay to keep the two most important people in his life safe. He drifted into his prison in peace, praying to God for the safety of his family...
- "Here he comes." - Simon Jaffah said, as he got the readings from the resurrection tank.
Besides him, Giana O'Neill observed the tank with anxiety, as the hand twitched and the body convulsed in the liquid, right before his eyes opened, with a deep first breath of life..
- "Oh, my Gods..." - Giana exclaimed, with tears rolling down her face, as she saw her husband come back to life...
Simon O'Neill looked confused for a moment, and he looked to his right, seeing Jaffah...
- "W-what... how?" - Simon asked, confused.
- "Welcome back, brother." - Jaffah replied, and with a nod of his head, he pointed to Giana - "You were missed, deeply."
The Cylon Medic looked to his left, and was startled to see his wife at his side besides the tank.
- "G-Gia..." - He said, in disbelief before the sight of his wife once more, his voice shaken by the surprise..
She tentatively touched his face, caressing him as she was sure in his eyes, that he was Her Simon, the man she loved...
As he started to rise from the tank, she gave up on her own impulses, and lurched at him, hugging the Four with the determination to never let him go again... Simon held his wife in his arms, as he wept openly, thanking the One True God for the bless of being able to hold the woman he loved once more. Jaffah stepped away, looking at one of the Eights that were in the mission, and he said:
- "Help them when they're ready. I gonna see how the rest of the operation is going," - Jaffah said..
- "No problem, Chief." - The Eight replied.
He walked on the corridor in the middle of the storage, observing the other tanks, and then stopped when he found one of the targets of interest on the Commander's list. He stepped behind the ensign that was helping the naked woman get out of the tank, and as he felt his presence, he stepped away, letting the Chief come closer...
- "Are you Shelley Godfrey?" - Jaffah asked.
The Six looked at him, and nodded, still not fully recovered from the download, and he said:
- "W-who are you people?" - She asked, wary of the humans that were around her... - "Why are the humans here?"
- "I'm Simon Jaffah, Model Four, Crew Chief of the Battlestar Pacifica. All the Cylons and Humans that you see here serve with me on Pacifica." - He replied, and leaning to her, he added, with a grin - "And so do you now. Welcome to the Fleet."
Shelley Godfrey looked at the Four, suddenly more worried for her well-being than she was when she was boxed...
In other part of the Cold Storage deck, two soldiers were doing a security sweep, when one of them noticed something...
- "Hey, are you hearing this?" - Jon Camargo asked
- "Hearing what?" - Titus Claremont replied.
- "Dude, are you deaf or something?" - Jon asked, as he approached the bulk wall, trying to get a better.
- "If by deaf you mean I cant hear the little voices inside your head, then yes, by all means, I'm deaf..." - Titus replied, with sarcasm.
Camargo put his ear against the metal, and heard clearly the sounds behind it. He immediately moved away from the wall, and looked around.
- "There is something behind this wall." - He said to his fellow crewman. - "There must be a door or somewhere here...
- "I don't see anything. Gods, this gear weight a ton..." - Titus complained, and leaned against a column...
Unbeknown to him, his touch lit a panel on his back, and when he heard a hum he immediately moved from the column and turned around with his rifle in is hand, ready to fire. Jon turned around, as he heard the commotion...
- "What the heck?" - Titus asked, surprised.
- "What did you do, you duffus?" - Jon asked.
Another sound made both soldiers looked around, and they saw the whole bulk wall, that was in fact a huge blast door, start to open, catching the attention of everyone in the deck. The lights on the hidden deck lit up, and behind them, both soldiers hear the voice of Jaffah:
- "What is that?" - The Four asked.
Immediately Titus turned around, looking up to the black Cylon (who frightened him a bit) and pointing at Jon, he said:
- "He did it!" - Claremont accused.
Jon looked in disbelief to his friend, in his eyes, the clear unspoken tough in the young marine's mind as to if his buddy was really serious...
- "Good job, Mr. Camargo." - Jaffah said, as he passed both soldiers.
Titus looked first at Jaffah, then at Jon, outraged that he was not being given the merit for his discovery, even tough he accused Camargo of being the author of the misdeed. Jon just gave him back a smirk before following the Chief. Claremont sighed and walked behind his friend, his ego bruised:
- "Dude, life is so unfair..." - Titus muttered.
As they moved inside the secret deck, they noticed cages of various sizes, and a multitude of noises started to grow louder... Jaffah passed his hand over another console, and the lights on the cages were turned on. The surprise in his face was clear, as he saw exactly what was inside the cages...
- "Oh, Boy... Dana will go crazy now.." - Jaffah said..
- "he, he, he... Miss Cuddles will have a nerdgasm when she finds out about them..." - Jon commented to his friend, as they looked at dozens of dogs, cats, birds, and all sorts of small animals..
[Space over Caprica]
The Raptor Rescue Mission jumped in the lower orbit of the fallen Capital of the Colonies, and immediately, from her side view, Kara "Starbuck" Thrace saw the battle raging over the planet...
- "There they are!" - She exclaimed.
Both Erin Mathias and Leoben Kane moved from where they were to look trough the windows, and they saw Pacifica engaging four Basestars.
- "Oh my Gods, they will be slaughtered this way!" - Erin said, frantic, as she watched the Battlestar's Cannons struggling to destroy the missiles launched by two Basestars, as the other two ships advanced towards them.
- "Frakk, fasten your seatbelts, people, we have to give them support!" - Kara said.
- "Kara, wait!" - Leoben said, as he kept watching the battle.
- "Wait? Why... oh, For the Love of the Gods..." - She said in horror, as she saw the other two Basestars open fire...
The teams in the Raptor watched in horror as the missiles from the last two Basestars approached Pacifica, just to be taken by surprise as the projectiles exploded mid-air in collisions against the other missiles launched by the first two Cylon ships.
- "What the Frakk?" - Erin said, confused.
- "Those Basestars are ours." - Leoben said, in a joyful voice.
They saw in fact the Basestars firing against the other Basestars, but before they could even think of celebrating, the DRADIS alert sounded in the screen.
- "Incoming Hostile Raiders." - Leoben informed.
- "Evasive Maneuver, All Raptors, Evasive Maneuver!" - Kara blasted over the comm.
The Raptors started to move, as some of the Raiders exploded before they got into range. Trough the comm, they heard a human voice:
- ==Ihhhh-HAH! Jaba-laba-laba!== - Kaleb "Black-1" Blackthorne proclaimed his Scorpian battlecry - == We've got your back, Caprica Mission. Proceed with flying plan. ==
Kara looked over her shoulder to Leoben, and he said:
- "He's into that Gunslinger Stuff." - Kane explained, slightly embarrassed by the mannerisms of his fellow officer.
- "O-kay..." - Kara replied, holding bak her tongue as she turned back...
On the Tau Wing, Lieutenant Graz "Speed" Brunno, a Cylon Model Two, lead the fighters as they kept the Raiders away from the Raptors...
- "Tau One to flight group. Keep the heat on them, people!" - Brunno replied - "Launch the missiles! break their line!"
- ==Aye Aye.== - the other pilots replied over the Comm
Vipers and Raiders moved in formation, and scores of missiles flew in the vacuum of space against the enemy Cylons, causing heavy damage among them and forcing them to break their attack to regroup.
- "That's our cue, people. Dive in!" - Starbuck ordered over the comm.
The Raptors broke from the fight and accelerated towards the surface, leaving the Cylon and Colonial forces behind.
[BSG96 Pacifica]
- "Internal explosions on both enemy Basestars, Commander!" - Bask Tallas informed from his console
- "Excellent." - Jannus Warryk replied - "Miss Hikari, get me Ionian actual."
- "Aye Aye, Sir!" - Kim Hikari replied.
Jann glanced at Leela Six as she kept her eyes on the DRADIS:
- "Are they inside?" - He asked.
- "Yes, and they're heading for the drop point." - Leela replied.
- "Sir, Ionian Actual on the line." - Kim informed.
[Basestar Ionian]
On the command center of the Basestar dubbed Ionian, the Two known as Drake Two, leader of the crew currently operating the ship projected the communication from the Battlestar...
- "Drake here." - he spoke
-== We gonna move to the next part of the operation, so I'm leaving you in charge of protection for the rescue mission, Mr. Conoy == - Warryk informed
- "We scrambled the signal enough to keep them in queue for a long time before they can download again." - Drake informed - "We'll continue to transmit the false transporters to keep the Unity away. You can jump free of worries, Commander."
-== I'm counting on you, Drake. May God Guard You.== - Warryk replied.
- "May God Light your way." - Drake replied.
As the two Basestars moved in position, Pacifica moved away, jumping as soon as it broke high orbit.
[Planet Caprica]
In the forests on the outskirts of Delphi, The rescue group led by Starbuck was moving towards the Refugee Camps. They landed their raptors far, as they didn't have means to communicate with the people on the ground, and made their way on foot...
- "So, Mr. Kane, where are we exactly?" - Kara asked.
Leoben looked at his navigator, with the information streamed from the Two Colonial Basestars in orbit, and said:
- "We're about a klick away in that direction" - The Cylon informed, pointing towards a hill..
- "Movement ahead." - Mathias said, as she had noticed an unnatural movement in the bushes..
Kara immediately made a gesture and all her group crouched and hid behind any available cover... As she looked trough a hole in the fallen tree she took cover, the Blonde Ace saw in fact, a lot of movement in the bushes... She adjusted the helmet, that was a bit too large for her head, and looked at Erin and Leoben...
- "Cylon?" - She asked.
- "I don't think so... too random." - Kane replied.
- "Friendlies, then?" - She asked again.
Mathias and Leoben exchanged glances, and she said:
- "There is only one way to find out..." - The Marine said, and then, shouted - "You got a Samuel T. Anders there?"
A few more seconds, and a female voice asked back:
- "Is there a Kara Thrace there?"
Erin looked at Starbuck, that had already a smile on her face:
- "Friendlies." - Mathias concluded.
- "Who want's to know?" - Kane shouted.
From the other side, they heard a male voice:
- "If there is, tell her that she took her good, sweet time getting here."
With that, Kara left cover, standing up as she saw the members of the resistance doing the same on the other side. She smiled brightly as she saw Samuel Anders getting up, the rest of the soldiers also leaving cover, and moving closer to the civilians.
As both groups greeted each other, Kara hugged the former Pyramid player, that returned the hug wholehearted:
- "What took you so long?" - Sam asked.
Starbuck didn't respond, saying instead:
- "We have marines in Raptors. We're gonna get your people out of here." - She said.
- "As good as your word, huh?" - He joked.
- "Yeah! Good as my Frakkin' word. What, did you think I was going to leave you here?" - She asked, and kept bragging - "Now you feel like a big Frakkin' idiot, don't you?"
- "Alright. Just shut up and saves us already, okay?" - Anders replied, with a grin.
Approaching them, Hillard said:
- "People, this is nice, but we have toasters in our ass." - He said.
Looking around, Kara noticed the low number of people with Samuel:
- "Where are the rest of your people?" - Kara asked.
- "This is it. Toasters hit our base camp this morning." - Sam replied. - "I've lost half of my crew."
A sound of whistle, a loud sound of whistle was heard, and immediately Kane alerted the group:
- "Incoming!" - He shouted.
The group took cover, as all hell broke loose around them, with mortar shells hitting the ground in horrific explosions, and bullets flying over their heads...
- "Frakk! Back to the raptors!" - Starbuck ordered
Two soldiers that tried to move first were caught by a mortar impact, and flew back, severely injured...
- "We can't! They blocked our way back to the raptors!" - Mathias yelled.
Besides her, Kane used his comm...
- "SAR to Pacifica. We're under heavy fire!" - The Lieutenant said - "We need support!"
[Second Fleet]
[Gunship Cancer]
After leaving Sharon and Hera under the care of Doctor Whitewood aboard the Cadmus, Karl Agathon took a shuttle to his new command.
The Cancer and its sister ship Aries were both of Cygnus Class design. They both were about a 3/4 the size of the Pacifica, half the Galactica's size, and a bit over 1/4 of the mighty Pegasus. That, however, didn't reflect in weaker firepower. Their role was fleet defense, and to that effect, they were pretty reliable, was the months after the Fall had proven...
Commander Warryk told him that this was a temporary position, as he hinted that he had bigger plans for him, but Karl was happy enough already, with the woman he loved free and their baby healthy and safe. He entered the small CIC of the Gunship, were automation meant a smaller command center. There he found his second-in-command, Evelyn Kane, a Number Three, and "sister" to Lieutenant Kane of the Pacifica. Her long, dark hair was unmistakable as he found the Jr. Lieutenant with her back to him, reading information on the monitor...
- "Anything interesting?" - Agathon asked.
Caught by surprise, Evelyn turned around, slightly flustered:
- "Captain!" - Ms. Kane replied - "I'm sorry, I didn't know you were back."
- "At ease, Miss Kane." - Karl said, in a relaxed tone - "So, anything interesting developing?"
Evelyn stepped aside, letting Karl get a glance at the information on the screen... Agathon's expression was serene as he read the news:
- "So, Baltar is up in the polls now..." - He stated.
- "Apparently." - Evelyn replied - "People are dubbing the planet New Caprica."
Agathon moved back to his station, and said:
- "I fully expected this after the last debate." - Agathon said, as he moved towards the CNC console. - "Reports on Zeta Wing?"
- "Zeta 1 to 6 completed the jumps on the nearby sectors." - Evelyn replied - "Everything reports clear."
- "Clear is good for a change. Anything else?" - Agathon asked.
Ms. Kane touched the datastream on the console, and replied:
- "The Movers with the workers from the First Fleet returned to Galactica twenty minutes ago." - the Three reported - "The next group for the second turn is not due for another five hours."
Agathon nodded looked at the DRADIS, observing the movements of the fleet under his temporary command...
- "Sir, communication from Pegasus." - An Ensign informed, and he added - "Is Her Highness."
Karl got the handset, as the officer transferred the call:
- "This is Cancer Actual." - He identified himself
-= Hello, Captain, This is Helena.=-
- "Your Highness, what can I do for you?" - He asked.
-= There is a meeting of the Colonial Assembly in three hours and as Highest Ranking Officer in the Fleet, I need you to attend that meeting. =-
- "I would be honored." - Karl said - "However, Commander Adama is the highest ranking officer in the fleet right now."
-= Commander Adama might be your superior in rank, but he is not part of this fleet, Captain. I, however, invited him as an observer, in a gesture of good faith. =-
Agathon didn't want to think on how that would resonate with the Old Man, but that was not his problem anymore...
- "I will be there, Your Highness." - The Captain replied.
-= Good. I see you there, Captain.=-
The transmission ended, and as he put the handset back on its base, he looked at Evelyn:
- "Ms. Kane, I have a meeting in three hours on the Colonial Assembly." - Karl informed her, and with a sheepish look, he asked - "Now, what exactly is that they expect of me there?"
Evelyn looked at her CO and started to explain how the assembly worked, and what he was to do there...
[Space over Aquaria]
It had been an hour since Pacifica jumped over the frigid Colony of Aquaria. On CIC, Leela Six and Bask Tallas waited patiently for the return of the SAR led by the Commander to the devastated surface of the planet.
- "45 Minutes, Sir." - Tallas informed, as he had done, every five minutes since the departure of the rescue team.
Leela nodded in acknowledgment as she kept her eyes on the DRADIS for the Unity patrol that has just passed by them... she observed as they kept their route and jumped away
- "Another Patrol left." - She stated.
- "Thank God our Hybrids can hide us from their sensors." - Hikari said.
- "We have six more minutes before the Basestar jumps in." - Tallas informed, looking at one of the many chronometers they had on counting.
The Captain put her two hands on the console, looking even more intently at the DRADIS, in hopes that she would see the any of the transports showing up on that moment. She kept looking, and looking but nothing changed... as she put her head down, Tallas said, with enthusiasm:
- "Finally!" - The lieutenant said - "SAR is leaving the surface!"
She looked at the DRADIS, and saw the shuttles moving towards them.
"Captain, The Commander is on the Comm." - Kim said, pointing at the Handset.
Leela picked up the comm immediately:
- "Pacifica to SAR. How was the mission?" - She asked
-= Astonishing Success. Package delivered. We're bringing the Infiltration Team and the Warheads.=-
- "Excellent news, Commander." - Leela replied - "They sure could use some help in Caprica right now."
-= Caprica will have to wait. Plot a jump to Canceron. Warryk to task-force. Implement next stage.=-
On DRADIS, some of the shuttles spun up their FTL drives, and after a few seconds, they jumped away, as the rest of the shuttles entered the hangar.
- "All birds are back in the nest." - Tallas informed her.
- "Very well... Navi, get the FTL online, set coordinates to Canceron." - The Captain ordered. - "Helm, take us in..."
In space, Pacifica moved into low orbit, circling the cold planet. On the screens, the images of the once magnificent oceans of Aquaria, with the millenarian glaciers fragmented and blackened by the black dust resulting of the nuclear attack, gave a true sense of a dead planet to the officers. Leela sighed, a taste of remorse creeping um in her throat. She looked at the clock, with only a few seconds left on the count. Soon, Ballas said:
- "DRADIS Contact!" - He said. - "Two raiders. They are heading to us."
- "Gunners, take them out." - Leela ordered.
The port cannons came to life, turning and aiming at the two approaching enemies. As soon as they got into firing range, the kinetic weapons fired; The two raiders dodged the first spray, gaining precious seconds so that their reinforcement could zero in to them. A second volley hit one of the raiders, that lost control, falling down on the planet, and a third firing sequence took the other fighter, but by then, their job was done...
- "Multiple Contacts! Basestars!" - Tallas shouted, as the glass doors opened and the Commander entered the CIC.
- "Commander." - Leela acknowledged Jann, as he came in.
- "Is the FTL online?" - Jann asked.
Warryk marched to the CNC console, and Bask reported to him:
- "Drives Spun Up and charged." - Tallas informed
- "Incoming Missiles!" - Hikari informed, with some sense of urgency.
- "Activate BMD, Deploy decoys." - Leela ordered, looking at her CO.
The Battlestar's point defense railguns fired against the missiles, and dozens of flares were launched, reaching the Cylon projectiles in a big sequence of fireworks in the flak field...
- "Twelve seconds to mesosphere..." - Hikari informed.
- "They're gaining on us." - Tallas reported
- "They launched Raiders." - Leela said.
- "Helm, on my mark, ten seconds booster!" - Jann ordered - "All Hands, Hold on!"
Around him, the officers in the CIC braced themselves, as Hikari sent a ship-wide transmission...
- - "Mark!" - Warryk said.
Pacifica's thrusters burned brightly, propelling the Battlestar even faster. The planet's gravity made the crew feel the momentum even more, as they accelerated. Warryk kept his eyes on the CNC console, keeping track of the movements of their pursuers...
- "They are following us!" - Tallas exclaimed
- "DRADIS contact!" - Leela shouted - "Four basestars ahead!"
Besides Jann, Tillius Phineas leaned over the CNC console...
- "They took the bait." - Loudmouth said, as he saw the incoming missiles from the newly-arrived basestars showing up on DRADIS...
Warryk raised his head to the DRADIS monitors at the same time that Hikari spoke:
- "We've reached the mesosphere!" - The young ensign spoke.
- "Launch emitters!" - The Commander ordered
From the dorsal missile launchers, dozens of round-shaped projectiles were fired, heading straight to the ocean...
- "Emitters launched!" - Bask informed him.
- "JUMP!" - Warryk shouted.
Pacifica's FTL created a spatial distortion for a fraction of second, before disappearing, leaving the Cylon missiles to hit themselves, creating more fireworks, before the first of the projectiles reached the ocean, its outer shell opening, revealing a odd-shaped machine inside, with a blinking light, that after a few seconds, started to pulse increasingly fast...
The Cylon raiders flying over the water tried to survey what the humans had fired, when as the emitters sent a burst of radio waves... a huge light from the water surrounded the raiders, and before they could react, columns of fire encircled them, as the Aquarian ocean's treated salt-water solution was disrupted by the radio waves, its molecules of hydrogen and oxygen were separated and left free to burn at the faintest of the sparks, in a chain reaction that was made possible by decades old conspiracy and the weeks old wireless transmitters planted by the Infiltration Team all over the planet... The huge ball of fire rose up to the skies, taking the Basestars by surprise, before they could jump away, and the dead planet's atmosphere was consumed in fire.
[Space over Canceron]
Pacifica jumped in high orbit of the planet, but their attention was focused on the planet they had just left. Picking up their VR gear, the human officers joined the Cylon officers in the projection of the view of Aquaria, that now burned brightly as Helios Delta... The Oceans of Aquaria burned during the Fall, but now, the Soldiers of The One made sure that every Cylon in the Unity remembered the day that they returned to the Helios System...
- "Captain, have the Cloud warheads assembled in the missiles and ready to launch." - Jann ordered. - "Mr. Tallas, launch the raptors, and drop the supplies on the established coordinates."
Bask got in contact with the Hangar, and Leela nodded briefly, placing her hand in the datastream...
[Forests of Caprica]
The situation had not progressed much since the Cylon ambush. The SAR team and the members of the resistance took cover in some ancient ruins on top of the hill, as the Cylons kept coming...
- "Frakk! Conserve your ammo!" - Kara shouted, as she saw one of the marines spraying agains the woods. She looked at Sam and said - "Some rescue party, huh?"
- "Well, it could be worse..." - Sam joked, as he kept pressing both of them against the wall, to escape from the bullets.
- "Really?" - Kara asked, skeptic - "How could that be any worse?"
- "Well.. I could be cuddled up with one of the guys instead of you.." - He said, with a malicious grin
Thrace looked at Anders, the disbelieve blatant in her face for a moment, and she elbowed him:
- "We're in the middle of a fight and you're thinking about frakkin'?" - She asked him, in a low voice.
A shot hit the edge of the wall, and some debris flew on them, what made Sam pull Kara and use body to protect her, as Hillard and Mathias fired against the Cylon centurion. Leoben, that was on the opposite side of the hideout, saw a Centurion jumping from behind the hill, inside the ruins.
The sudden appearance of the Cylon soldier made Jean Barolay stumble and loose her gun. In a split second, before anyone could react, Kane jumped into action, grabbing the Centurion by his Breast Plate, and showing inhuman strength, he threw the Centurion against the wall, that crumbled with the impact... some of the marines immediately shot down the fallen cyborg before he could react.
Crouching down, Kane helped Jean on her feet, and she looked at him with surprise:
- "T-thanks..." - She said.
- "Don't mention." - Leoben replied, as he found cover behind the base of a fallen column.
Suddenly, they heard some loud sounds, and three missiles flew across the sky, over their heads, and against the centurions, followed by two Raiders...
- "Incoming!" - Hallard shouted.
- "No! Those are our raiders!" - Kane said, with relief...
The raiders were followed by Vipers, that also fired at the Cylons, and over the wireless, Kara heard the voice of Speed Brunno...
-= Your path is clear, SAR, get back to the Raptors! =-
- "About time... Everybody, back to the ships!" - Starbuck ordered...
The officers and civilians left the ruins, amidst heavy suppressing fire provided by the aerial support. Running trough the woods, a few of them were shot by centurions that were trying to get to them...
- "More Toasters! Take them out!" - Anders yelled.
As soon as they got to a open area, they saw the Raptors from the SAR, and some more that were on the air, firing at the Cylons that were pursuing them. Some more centurions ran from out of the woods, and Kara saw, in horror, as one of them took aim on her and Sam...
- "Look out!" - she heard a voice shouting from above.
Before they could fully understand what was going on, they both were shoved in the ground as Isis Eight and fourcenturions jumped fro one of the Raptors. Sharon dived, bringing Thrace and Anders with her to the ground as her team fired against the other Centurions...
Kara and Sam groaned, as they looked at the blue-haired Cylon...
- "S-sharon?" - Sam asked, surprised by her looks...
- "Not the Sharon that you think I am, stud." - She said, with a smile.
- "Isis? What are you doing here?" - Kara asked.
- "Saving you cute little behind." - The Eight replied
- "what..?" - Starbuck tried to speak, but she was silenced by her fellow pilot, that kissed her.
Sam looked at the scene with surprise, as Kara was, was too stunned to react... Isis ended the kiss as suddenly as she initiated it, and got up, while the Pacifica's Centurions kept pushing back on the Unity forces...
- "Get to the Raptors!" - Isis said, as she got up, getting her pistol from her holster and pointing at the woods...
With renewed sense of urgency, Thrace, Anders and the rest of the group moved into the Raptors. Mathias kept the suppressing fire, and the raiders and vipers fired more missiles, giving them the time to take off...
Kara set on the cockpit, and fired up the engines, as Isis jumped on the co-pilot seat, and manned the guns.
- "Ok, people, hold on, we're getting the frakk out of here!" - Starbuck said.
Sam grabbed on to a handle, as did Mathias, Hallard and Barolay. Leoben took control of the ECO console. When another Two, wearing the marine uniform, entered the ship, the three members of the resistance looked at him surprised...
- "Another day of work, huh?" - Leoben "Hammer" Twojoked, as he helped a Centurion inside the ship.
- "What the Frakk?" - Hallard asked.
- "Close the hatch." - Kane ordered. - "Captain, get us out of here."
- "You don't have to say it twice." - Thrace replied.
The Raptor took of, and as they moved up, The Lieutenant gave the good news:
- "All raptors accounted for. I'm putting the coordinates to the jump now." - Kane informed.
- "We're not jumping" - Isis said - "The Ionian is in orbit waiting for us..."
- "Ionian?" - Mathias asked.
- "Basestar Ionian, the newest addition to the Second Colonial Fleet." - Isis said, pointing at the DRADIS, where the very strange sight of a Cylon Basestar broadcasting a Colonial Transponder was showing up.
- "Whatever... At least we won't be cramped up to the return trip." - Erin said...
They looked out of the window as they reached the Exosphere, and the Colonial Basestar was waiting for them...
[High Orbit over Canceron]
- "Sir, The warheads are ready." - Lieutenant Tallas reported. - "We can launch at any moment."
- "Are you sure you want to do this?" - Leela asked, in a low voice
- "Is the only chance that they have right now." - Jann replied, in the same way - "We can't accommodate them right now. This way, we even the odds, and they have a chance..."
She glanced at him, and saw his eyes fixed on the Map overlay on the console...
- "Miss Hikari, what is the status of the supply runs?" - Warryk asked.
- "All raptors completed their run, sir." - Kim reported – "They all broke low orbit."
Jann looked at Leela, that was focused on him, and nodded. The Six touched the datastream. The Missile Launchers pointed towards the planet below, and fired. Five rockets moved in different directions across the globe, and released a greenish gas in the skies over specifics coordinates... soon the green gas expanded, and building up on the radiation that was abundant in the atmosphere, kept expanding...
- "Report, Captain?" - Jann asked.
- "The Radiation Cloud will cover the planet completely in twelve hours." - Leela said - "The Datastream can't get anything on the surface already. Any Cylon that does not leave the surface in the next ten hours will be cut out of the stream."
- "What about the radiation levels, Miss Hikari?" - Warryk asked
- "Falling within expected range, Commander." - Kim said - "If the calculations are correct, they will stabilize in lower ranges in eighty four hours."
- "... and by then, the planet will be effectively sealed for at least sixteen months." - Leela concluded.
Bask exchanged glances with Kim, but didn't voice his opinion.
- "Raptors are returning to hangar." - The lieutenant informed.
- "Commander, Ionian reports that they have the SAR team aboard..." - Hikari said.
- "Very Well. Order them to jump back to base." - Warryk said.
Hikari went to pass along the orders, and Loudmouth spoke to Jann:
- "You now have two Basestars and a Shipyard under your command." - Phineas said - "Adama won't be very happy about it."
- "That's why we won't say much to him." - Warryk replied, in a low voice, as he looked at the live image of Canceron, the green gaseous layer covering the continents..
- "A wise choice." - Said Pieter Finley as he approached the CNC console.
Leela noticed the demeanor of her CO, the way he seemed to be talking to someone imaginary. Hikari and Bask didn't know better, but they dismissed that as being a quirk of a strangely brilliant man, but she knew better. Sometimes, she just wished she could participate in those conversations...
Whatever the Conclave was talking with Jann, he seemed at easy, and that was at least a good indicator. However, she was careful not to let those meetings bring to much attention to the CO; that could raise inconvenient questions regarding his mental stability...
- "Commander. Our FTL drives are charged and ready, sir." - The Captain informed
- "Then, by all means, Leela, take us back home." - Warryk said.
The Blonde Captain nodded, and with her hand still in the datastream, she passed along the order to the hybrids...
END OF ACT