CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
BATTLECRUISER TRINITY (0305 HRS)
"Colonel", the Core Command Duty Officer reported, "the last shuttle has departed from the TRINITY. Only essential skeleton personnel are left on board".
"Very well. Send the all-clear to the PEGASUS", Marcus ordered, "Let's get their Bomb Disposal team over here".
"Yes, Sir", the officer acknowledged, opening communications to the PEGASUS.
Marcus looked around CIC. This section of the battlestar looked fully crewed, but he knew that this location was now the exception rather than the rule. Barely one hundred persons were left on board, mostly in CIC and engineering. The rest of the crew were either en-route to - or already on board – the AULUS. However, he didn't think they would be thinking about taking time off…
Walking over to the Dradis console, Marcus looked at one of its monitors. This particular monitor was trained on a portion of the ships' hull. The Cylon missile was plain to see, sticking out from the hull like a branch from a tree trunk. The missile body that was exposed looked to be about ten feet in length and three feet in diameter. He wondered how much of the rest of the missile was embedded.
"Colonel", the Core Command officer stated, "The PEGASUS shuttle is on its way. ETA is in ten minutes".
Nodding, Marcus turned to face the Helm Officer, stating, "Captain, as soon as that shuttle lands, maneuver the TRINITY further away from the fleet. The nuclear blast effect notwithstanding, if there is a tin-head beacon on that thing, better that they come immediately upon the TRINITY only".
The helm officer nodded. Marcus' logic made sense. Positioning the TRINITY further away from the rest of the fleet meant that the others would have time to react to a sudden visit from a Cylon attack on the TRINITY.
Just then, a Petty Officer reported, "Colonel, The PEGASUS is closing with us".
"Raise the PEGASUS", Marcus ordered, "I want to speak with PEGASUS Actual".
BATTLESTAR PEGASUS"Incoming communication from TRINITY Alternate", Major Sanders reported.
"Thanks, Comms", Cain acknowledged. Putting his headset back on, he activated the commlink. Roberts put on his own headset to listen in.
"This is PEGASUS Actual, go ahead", Cain said.
"Commander", Marcus communicated, "Why are you closing with us? In case you haven't forgotten, we have this slight problem with a UXB".
"The PEGASUS is the point ship for the Bomb Disposal effort, Colonel", Cain replied, "and it will stay close to you in case assistance is needed".
"The BD Team is assistance enough", Marcus stated, "but risking your ship by placing it close to one that may dissolve in a nuclear fireball is not the type of assistance that I – or the Admiral for that matter – would have in mind".
"I've already talked with Admiral Tillman", Cain responded, "The PEGASUS will stay on station with the TRINITY. If the tin-heads do decide to make an appearance, then Silver Spar Wing will be in a position to protect the TRINTY and cover any final evacuation. Admiral Tillman liked the idea, and so – by the way – does Commander Roberts".
"But you've got one of your four topside batteries out…" Marcus started to point out.
"No further arguments, Colonel", Cain interrupted, "you will receive the BD team, and then you will continue to maneuver the TRINITY further away from the fleet. The PEGASUS will maintain its station. The other three batteries are active, as well as our strike wing".
"In short, Colonel", Roberts added, "You have your orders. Acknowledge".
After a ten second pause, Marcus replied, "Acknowledged".
Terminating the commlink, Cain turned to Roberts.
"You know, John", Cain said conversationally, "He can almost be as stubborn as you at times".
BATTLECRUISER TRINITY"Colonel, the shuttle is arriving. Once down, they will be elevated down to Hanger Bay Five", Core Command reported.
"I'm heading down there", Marcus replied, "Continue with the present maneuver. The more space between us and the fleet, the better".
Not waiting for an acknowledgement, Marcus left CIC. He had a Bomb Disposal Team to meet.
Five minutes later, Marcus was outside the airlock hatch for Bay Five. The shuttle had been elevated down to the hanger bay from the flight deck above, and he was now waiting for the bay to pressurize.
"Bay pressurization complete", an electronic voice announced from a nearby speaker. At that same moment, the hatch started coming open. Marcus walked through and over to the shuttle. The hatch of the shuttle was just coming open.
Marcus saw two people emerge. Both were carrying large satchels. One of them saw Marcus. He stood to attention and saluted.
"Colonel, I'm Lieutenant Ash, PEGASUS Bomb Disposal", he formally announced. Marcus returned the salute, and then shook his hand.
"Glad to have you on board", Marcus replied, "I take it that this is your assistant?" he asked, gesturing to the other individual.
"Yes, Colonel", Ash replied, "This is Lieutenant JG Rogers. Both of us are ready to go".
"Then lets not waste any time on it", Marcus said.
BATTLESTAR HYPERION"Admiral", McCall announced, "TRINITY reports that the PEGASUS BD team have arrived. TRINITY Alternate is with them now".
"Position of the TRINITY?" Tillman asked.
"Since the BD shuttle arrived, the TRINITY is accelerating away from the fleet. The PEGASUS is maintaining station with the TRINITY", McCall reported.
"Bring the fleet to Condition One", Tillman ordered, "If the tin-heads do decide to make an appearance, "I don't want us to be caught napping".
BATTLECRUISER TRINITYMarcus walked with both Ash and Rogers as one of the Damage Control Officers who had stayed on board the TRINITY guided them over to the nearest airlock to the weapon.
The Damage Control Officer had also briefed them on the initial survey of the missile. Ash and Rogers nodded their understanding.
"There are suits ready for us there?" Ash inquired.
"As you requested earlier", the officer acknowledged.
"I would have thought that you would have had your own special EVA suits", Marcus said.
"Actually, the suits themselves is not the problem", Rogers replied, "What we have in our satchels is the important thing", he said as he pulled out an item from his satchel and handed it to Marcus.
Marcus looked at it. It looked at first glance like a standard EVA suit glove, but then he noticed that its 'fingers' and 'palm' were made of a much finer material, which allowed for greater dexterity. He handed the glove back to Rogers.
"The gloves are interchangeable with standard EVA suits, which eliminates the need to carry complete suits", Ash explained, "In fact, the only other item that we carry for the suits is a long length of shielded cable".
"What's that for?" Marcus inquired.
"Sometimes – in the last war – UXB's would explode by the nearby signals of wireless chatter. By having direct wired communications between me and Rogers, this possibility is eliminated", Ash answered.
"I'll have a relay station at my end – I'll be at the airlock – so that the communications between ourselves can be heard by yourself, and Commander Roberts on the PEGASUS", Rogers added.
"So you'll be the one actually doing the defusing?" Marcus asked Ash – more in the tone of a statement. Ash nodded.
"It's the rule, Colonel: only one person on the UXB. That way, if there is a localized explosion from devices specifically meant for those defusing the warhead, only one gets the chop", Ash explained.
Marcus looked at the young officer with a new appreciation for what the BD personnel have to have in order to do their job. Not just equipment, but also nerves of steel.
"Well, all I can say is: better you than me, Lieutenant", Marcus said, "I'd rather face down Cylons in a viper than try to defuse a device that can explode at any time".
"I hear that all the time, Colonel", Ash replied, "Even Commander Cain said something similar to me before I departed from the PEGASUS".
When the party reached the airlock, both Ash and Rogers put down their satchels and started getting into their suits. Marcus watched them as they quickly donned their suits, putting on the special gloves in the process.
As Ash quickly verified the suit's life support system as fully functional, he put on his helmet. Rogers then took out a spool of cable and plugged one end of it into a socket directly beneath the suits' wireless aerial. After tapping Ash on the shoulder and giving him a thumbs-up, Rogers put on his helmet. Ash then plugged in the other end of the cable into Rogers' suit.
Rogers bent down and took out a small box from his satchel. He flipped a switch on the box, and then gestured to Marcus to put on his headset. Marcus did so.
"Can you hear me, Colonel?" Rogers communicated.
"Loud and clear, Rogers", Marcus replied.
"How about me, Colonel?" Ash communicated.
"You're coming in clear as well", Marcus confirmed.
"You can contact CIC and have them use the Epsilon frequency so that they can hear us, and also be able to see Lieutenant Ash's progress via his suit camera", Rogers suggested to Marcus.
Nodding, Marcus went to a wall phone and contacted CIC.
"Have one of the screens on the Dradis activated on the Epsilon frequency, and then relay the telemetry to the PEGASUS", Marcus ordered. As he hung up, he noticed that Ash had also donned a suit maneuvering unit.
"No magnetic boots?" Marcus inquired through his headset.
"Magnetic fields can also set off UXB's", Ash explained, "Anyway, we're going in the Airlock now. Once we're both in, please seal it off. You will still be able to hear us via the telemetry relay".
BATTLESTAR PEGASUS"Commander", Annan reported, "We've getting the Bomb Disposal unit relay coming in from the TRINITY. It's being punched in on the Dradis".
Cain and Roberts looked at the Dradis. One of the screens lit up, showing what looked to be the interior of the airlock. Cain – noticing that the relay also had its commlink operational – picked up his headset.
"This is PEGASUS Actual", Cain said, "Are you receiving me?"
"Receiving you loud and clear, Actual", Ash's voice came back, "Are you receiving my telemetry?"
"Both myself and TRINITY Actual can see that you're in the airlock", Cain confirmed.
"Right", Ash acknowledged, "The plan is that once the outer airlock opens, Rogers will stay in the airlock with the telemetry relay. Once the air is vented and the outer hatch opened, I'll be maneuvering over to the warhead. I want to ask all those listening in not to talk unless absolutely necessary. Rogers and myself will need to be able to have uninterrupted communications".
"Understood, Lieutenant", Cain replied. Roberts and Marcus echoed Cain.
Cain and Roberts watched the Dradis screen, which showed the airlock opening. The camera now showed the emptiness of deep space.
"Okay, here I go", Ash said unnecessarily.
Cain turned to Sanders. He said, "Pass the word to CAG to deploy screening patrols around both ships".
BATTLECRUISER TRINITYAs Rogers slowly unspoiled the shielded communications line, Ash used the maneuvering jets to move out from the outer airlock door and along the hull to where the UXB lay. Marcus was listening in on the other side of the inner airlock door while over on the PEGASUS, Cain and Roberts watched the scene unfold on the Dradis.
Ash turned back to wave at Rogers. Rogers waved back. So far, so good, he thought as he turned his attention back to the UXB, which was some eighty yards away from him. He kept up a running commentary as he approached the missile.
"From what I can see thus far, it looks like a standard Cylon short-range ship-to-ship missile. As the nose is embedded, I don't have any idea at this stage what the warhead yield is, though my suit sensors are picking up radioactive emissions from the device", Ash stated, "definitely a nuke".
Marcus turned to the Damage Control Officer, asking, "Those suits are radiation-proofed aren't they?"
"Yes, Colonel", the officer replied, "and with the cabled commlink, there shouldn't be any interference in their communications".
Nodding, Marcus went over to the wall-phone and communicated with CIC.
"Are you getting the telemetry?" Marcus asked.
"Yes, Colonel", the voice on the other send replied, "and the PEGASUS is reporting clear reception as well".
"Has the navi-comp been inputted the emergency FTL co-ordinates?" Marcus asked next.
"Yes, Colonel", was the reply, "We can jump in thirty seconds from your mark".
"Very well", Marcus said, terminating the commlink. The FTL's on both the PEGASUS and TRINITY were set to jump to a nearby set of co-ordinates should the missile look like it was about to detonate. Part of Ash's equipment was a cutter that he would use to hack away at the bulkhead around the missile, freeing it from the battlecruiser's hull. If a jump had to be made, then Ash would try and get the missile off the hull…
Ash in the meantime had come up to the missile. He quickly saw what he was looking for: an access panel in the side of the missile. However…
"I can see the access panel", Ash reported, "but as you can see from the suit camera, it's half-embedded in the hull. I'm going to have to cut part of the hull plating away so that I can get to the panel".
"Do you need any assistance, Brian?" Rogers asked from his vantage point.
"At this stage, no, Ivor", Ash replied, "I'm starting to cut now".
Ash had taken out his cutter – a small laser-torch, and started to slowly cut away at the portion of hull abutting the access panel. Ash was also glancing at his monitors to ensure that nothing was activating on the missile.
"So far, so good", Ash reported, "Sensors are not registering any activity on the UXB, and the hull plating is coming apart. Looks like the missile is not embedded too deeply either. Removing this portion of the plating may loosen it up enough to remove".
"Just so long as what you're doing isn't activating any trembler devices within that thing", Rogers reminded his colleague. Ash nodded. Anything could set off a UXB. He hoped that the training that he had done back on Picon before the war would be ample…
"Okay, the panel is now clear", Ash reported. The people in CIC monitoring the video feed on the Dradis could see the square panel exposed. Ash then put his cutter back in his satchel and took out what looked like a screwdriver, and what looked like a pane of darkened plastic. Ash carefully positioned the plastic pane near the panel, shading it from the stellar light.
"I'm going to remove the panel now. The light filter is in place. Don't like the idea of a light-triggered booby-trap ruining ones day", Ash said conversationally as he started to slowly unscrew the panel's four retaining screws…
BATTLESTAR PEGASUS"Ash is one cool customer", Roberts commented as he watched the telemetry on the Dradis.
"In his job, he has to be", Cain replied, "Bomb Disposal personnel are very carefully selected. Not exactly the best job for highly strung people".
Roberts nodded. It grated on him still that he could not be on board the TRINITY, Logic had little to do with it. It just seemed that he needed to be there, with his ship in its time of peril…
"I know, John", Cain said quietly, "but let him do his job and soon you'll be back on board her".
Roberts blinked. It seemed like Garris Cain was reading his mind!
"In your shoes, I'd feel the same thing", Cain said, "For now, the TRINITY is in good hands".
Nodding, Roberts turned his attention back to the Dradis. Colonel Tolen looked on with sympathy to Roberts' plight. It was all up to Ash now…
BATTLECRUISER TRINITY"The access panel is off now", Ash reported, "and looks like it was a good thing that the filter was in place. A light sensor is there in plain view. Deactivating it now".
Quickly placing a blob of opaque goop on the light sensor lens, Ash removed the filter, and then had a closer look at the innards of the warhead.
"Very well", Ash continued, "the warhead looks like a small tactical nuke of the fifteen to twenty kiloton range. The fuse however is unlike anything I've seen in the training manuals and the captured examples from the first war. This is going to be on-the-job training, people. I hope that this is all being recorded".
Rogers nodded ruefully at that last comment. Anything new had to be treated very carefully. Especially when it comes to a nuke embedded in a warship's hull.
"There seems to be another panel in the center of the assembly. It seems that the guts of the fuse itself are in there. No screws though. I'm going to use the X-ray scanner before I try and pry it off", Ash stated. He pulled out a low powered instrument which could image – using X-rays – what was behind the panel. Of course, there could be a trigger that could activate under such scanning, but there was no other option.
Back inside the TRINITY, Marcus silently mouthed a prayer to the Gods that Ash knew what he was doing. A new fuse meant that there would be a lot of guesswork and gut instinct that Ash would be forced to rely on.
"Okay", Ash said next, "The X-ray scanner shows nothing obvious behind it. I think that I can remove the panel. I've got a purchase on the lower left corner. Pulling it off now".
The panel prized open, but what Ash saw when he saw its innards stopped his heart. "Frakk", he cursed as his sensors started beeping.
"What's up, Brian?" Rogers asked.
"That panel was holding a small spring-loaded pin in place. When I took the panel off, the pin flew out. The missile warhead has gone active!"
"Not only that", Marcus said, "CIC have just reported that there is a beacon activation on the missile. It's announcing our presence to the tin-heads".