CHAPTER 21
BATTLESTAR AMETHYST – COMMAND INFORMATION CENTER
While Admiral Truly was listening in on Captain Puller's command circuit – the attack on the PEST survey ship Icarus was in full swing – a courier probe dispatched from the Galactica had FTL-jumped to Kobol and was transmitting a message from Admiral Cain.
"Admiral", his comms officer reported, "incoming flash communication from Force Alternate. Looks like a response to your last probe message".
"Decode and send it to my screen", Truly ordered. Truly looked at the screen as the following message appeared:
FLASH FORCE ALTERNATE TO SUNRAY STOP COLONIES FORCE NOT IMMEDIATELY JUMPING TO YOUR LOCATION OWING TO ONGOING SABOTAGE CONCERNS STOP WILL ASSIST AS SOON AS I AM SATISFIED THAT WE CAN SAFELY DO SO STOP ACADEMY DID NOT MAKE RENDEZVOUS AT THETA STOP STRONG POSSIBILITY OF TEMPLAR INVOLVEMENT STOP IF ACADEMY APPEARS IN YOUR VICINITY ACT AT DISCRETION STOP IN MEANTIME USE WHATEVER MEANS NECESSARY TO ENSURE NON-DESTRUCTION OF KOBOL STOP UNDERSTAND SITUATION REGARDING HOSTAGES STOP IF NECESSARY THEY ARE TO BE REGARDED AS EXPENDABLE STOP MESSAGE ENDS
"Commandant", Truly said to Lee, "better read this". Lee took a quick look at the message.
"Admiral Cain thinks that the Annapolis may be under Templar control?", Lee mused, "If so, then this could complicate matters".
"As if things are not complicated enough already!", Truly said rather disgustedly.
"Shall we break silence and inform Yankee Actual?", Lee suggested. Truly nodded.
"We can't take the chance that the Annapolis may be preparing to ambush us, given that we are attacking their ships on Kobol", Truly said, "Have Comms – after he sends Cain an acknowledgement of his message – to send out a message to Hunter on our special code cypher, but tell him not to acknowledge it. I've a feeling we're going to be needing the Pensacola frakking quickly".
This special code cypher was something that Truly and Hunter had come up with before departing on DIASPORA, just in case there was a concern that the principal Alliance military codes may have been broken. If indeed there was a renegade battlestar out there, best not to have them read this message, Truly thought. And with the Pensacola not acknowledging it, then their position could not be pinpointed either.
BATTLESTAR PENSACOLA – COMBAT INFORMATION CENTER
Hunter looked at Sims after both had read the message from Truly. So that unidentified contact may well be the Battlestar Annapolis, they both (correctly) surmised. That special code cypher turned out to be a good precaution after all.
"If it is the Annapolis, then she is well-positioned to move in and assist those Templars on-planet, and as the Amethyst is on the other side of Kobol, they wouldn't be able to see her until it's too late. So, shall we move in on her now? Sims asked.
"I don't know if it is just Ford, or perhaps the XO… Duren, isn't it?" Hunter replied. Sims nodded.
"But regardless, it would be someone on the command staff and they would be keeping the rest of the crew in the dark. We attack and Ford – or Duren – may say to the crew that we are the Templars and they will attack us", Hunter said next.
Sims nodded. That was a distinct possibility.
"We may have to attack though if she makes a move to Kobol", Sims pointed out. Hunter nodded his head in agreement.
"Any indications that she's aware of our position?" Hunter asked next. Sims shook his head.
"We wait until she makes a move. We keep the Pensacola on Condition One, but we don't go active until I give the order", Hunter decided.
BATTLESTAR ANNAPOLIS – COMBAT INFORMATION CENTER
The more he thought about it, the more uneasy Vice-Commandant Duren got. They were sitting here – positioned diametrically opposite from Truly's flagship on the other side of Kobol, but not making any move to assist, or to patrol the system. None of the other battlestars had yet arrived from the Colonies and where was the Pensacola? Without the active systems on-line, there was no way to ascertain anything. He walked over to Richter who was monitoring the dradis.
"Comms", Duren said to her, "You've not heard anything further from Sunray?"
"Nothing, X.O.", Richter replied, "until we get further instructions from Force Actual or Sunray, we have to stay here and act like an asteroid".
Richter had been aware of a coded transmission that had originated from the Amethyst – relayed from a probe that had come around to their side of Kobol, but it was a code that was not in the Annapolis' database, and there was no signal acknowledgement. Was Truly fishing for an answer from somebody, she thought?
"We need to get further information, Comms", Duren said, "so I want you to ready a probe to send out to Sunray".
"Belay that order", Ford said suddenly as he walked up, "What are you trying to do, X.O.? We've been told to sit tight and sit quietly. Sending out a probe compromises our position".
"Position to whom, Commandant?" Duren asked, "without our being in direct line of vision for laser communications with the Amethyst, and with no idea of where the Pensacola is, we're basically doing nothing whilst knowing nothing. These courier probes are designed to be stealthy and we do need to find out what is currently happening down-planet. Sunray would understand that".
"My orders, stand, Vice-Commandant Duren", Ford said with finality, "no probes get launched. Try and do so again without my express approval and you will be relieved. Understood?"
Duren nodded his understanding, but he noticed by the looks that both Ford and Richter were giving each other that there was something going on…
PEST SURVEY SHIP – ICARUS – PLANET KOBOL
Forrest saw that the marines were slowly but surely chewing up his crewmen outside the Icarus. The General Ike's APC was closing in to lend support. He wished that his SAM system wasn't down as he could not do to the General Ike what Manna on the Jerusalem did to the Tondolayo. While the defensive armament that had been installed on the Icarus before departure was slowing the marines' advance some, it was only going to be minutes before the Icarus itself would be overrun. He had hoped that Commandant Annan's appearance would have caused them to hesitate more before attacking, but instead it had the opposite effect.
"Brother", one of his crewmen outside communicated to him over the comm-link, "It's just me and two others left. We've nothing to penetrate that APC armor with and…." A hiss of static interrupted the message. Forrest knew that that person was now dead. Just then, the technician who stayed with him reported:
"Brother, the people at all TAD stations are reporting approaching raptors!" he said, "they are within two to three minutes at most of being overrun".
"What?!" Forrest roared, "How could they have found out about those locations?! Weren't they camouflaged?"
"I don't know how they found them, Brother", the technician replied, "but they have!"
"Has the synchronization calibration routine completed?" Forrest demanded next.
"Thirty seconds to go", the technician answered.
"Very well, looks like they will be too late to stop detonation from starting", Forrest said. Forrest then felt the Icarus shake. He looked at his screen and saw that the APC had rammed right into the front hatch airlock.
"Too late, Puller", Forrest muttered to himself…
APC from Peregrine GENERAL IKE
"Blow the airlock and open the front hatch", Captain Puller ordered his driver.
The driver hit a switch which activated a forward-firing charge. That detonation blew in both the outer and inner doors of the Icarus' front hatch/airlock. The six marines remaining inside the APC headed forward to the front hatch, which – as it opened – pumped in dense smoke as cover.
"I'm pretty sure that the TAD's control console is up on the bridge, Captain", Ginny Annan said from her seat (to which she was still handcuffed to). Puller nodded but did not reply. He watched the various helmet-cams of the six attacking marines as they entered the Icarus.
PEST SURVEY SHIP ICARUS – BRIDGE
Forrest knew that his life was about to end, but he knew that enough time had been bought for the TAD's detonation sequence to be activated.
"It's done, Brother", the technician said as he stepped away from the console and pulled out his sidearm. The technician headed for the sealed hatch to the bridge whilst Forrest went to the console and tapped in an activation code, while simultaneously sending out a code signal to Brother Manna.
Just then, there was a large 'bang' as the hatch blew inward. The technician was right in the way of the hatch and was killed instantly, but Forrest – though staggered by the explosion – got to his feet. His ears were ringing, but as the marines entered the bridge, he shouted out "God's work be done!" as he first hit the "INITIATE" switch, then put his gun to his head…
The marine leading the charge onto the bridge saw Forrest blowing his own brains out and slumping over the console. He went over to the console, pulled Forrest's body away from it, and saw that the countdown timer was clicking down.
"Six", the marine – Private First Class Leroy Brown - reported, "we've secured the bridge, but the TAD's are on countdown to delayed detonation. We've less than thirty minutes".
"Can you stop countdown from the console?" Puller asked.
"Without the authorization code, I can't", Brown replied. Brown was the marine specialist that knew how TAD's worked.
"And there are no prisoners either who call tell us either", Puller added. He just got the body count from Sergeant-Major Carter.
"What are your orders?" Brown asked.
"Stand by", Puller replied, "I'll contact Sunray, then Chesty Five. Can we stop the detonation cycle from the TAD's themselves?" he asked.
"Negative, Six", Brown replied, "They can't be deactivated once the countdown starts except by the abort code, and these devices are heavily shielded. We can't simply blast them inert. Not in time anyway".
"Can we air-lift them off the surface?" Puller asked next.
"Those devices are designed to be deep-anchored into the surface in order to assure that they can't be moved", Brown informed, "if they have down so, then we have a big problem".
APC from peregrine TONDOLAYO
As Lieutenant Holcomb acknowledged the signal from Puller, he knew that they were now definitely running out of time. Particularly that with the demise of the Icarus crew, the people on board the Jerusalem were probably the only ones left alive who could possibly know the countdown abort code.
"These fanatics are holding us up big time!" Holcomb fumed as Gunny Xue reported slow progress in dealing with the entrenched Templars defending the survey ship. The sensors in the APC were showing that the engines of the Jerusalem were powering up.
"Looks like they are going to be lifting off without their defenders, Five", the driver reported. Just then, a new voice came over the Unicom frequency.
"You'd better hold your fire, marines", the voice said, "this is Brother Manna of the Jerusalem, and I'm informing you that the TAD's we brought are counting down to detonation. You want the abort code, then you'd best not stop us from leaving".
Manna had received that final transmission code from the Icarus that it was being overrun, but that the countdown to detonation had commenced. With the Icarus overrun and Forrest now almost certainly dead, he was now in charge. He listened for the reply. It came quickly.
"This is Lieutenant Holcomb of the marines. How do I know you're telling the truth, Manna?" Holcomb demanded.
"You don't, Lieutenant", Manna replied, "but if you pull back about five hundred yards, I'll release my hostage who will have the code".
"Put him on", Holcomb said, "I want proof that he is alive".
Manna gestured to Wise to pick up a comm-link headset. Wise had been brought up to the bridge from the brig just before the APC had arrived. He had been handcuffed with his hands behind his back, but now they were quickly removed so that he could use the comm-link. Manna though was pointing a gun straight at his head in order to ensure that he didn't try anything untoward…
"This is Commandant Grant Wise of the Alliance Navy. Sorry for my not being able to personally verify my identity with you at this time, but Manna here has got a gun jammed against my head", he communicated.
"We heard that you are on board, Commandant", Holcomb replied, "but my orders are specific: not to let that ship leave".
"Is my wife safe?" Wise inquired.
"Affirmative, Commandant", Holcomb reported, "She's on the APC".
"Thank the Gods", Wise blurted out, which earned him a very dirty look from Manna,
"You think Manna's on the level?" Holcomb asked Wise next.
There was a pause, then Wise said quickly, "Stop him from leaving! That's an ord… ugh!" The voice cut off abruptly as Manna had struck him over the forehead with the butt of his pistol. Wise collapsed to the floor.
"Wise has been the victim of a blow to the head", Manna communicated, "You want him alive and the code, you move back now!"
"I have my orders, Manna", Holcomb said simply," we're coming in".
PEST SURVEY SHIP JERUSALEM -BRIDGE
"Lift off now!" Manna ordered the technician at the pilot's station. He looked down at Wise's inert form and sneered.
"Brave, but foolish", Manna said as he took aim at Wise's head, "a pity that you weren't a Templar. We could have used your courage".
Manna knew that the odds of getting off Kobol and up to the Annapolis were getting smaller by the minute, but if that was going to be the case, he would shoot himself before giving up the abort code. But he had Wise to shoot first and he was determined to enjoy this last pleasure of his life…
Jut then, Manna went down as Wise suddenly lashed out with his feet, hitting Manna in the shins. As Manna gasped and fell, Wise said, "Somehow I don't think I'd meet your entrance requirements".
Wise had over-reacted to the blow from Manna's pistol butt. By his pretending to be stunned, it had given him a chance to stop the Jerusalem from completing its mission.
Manna fell on top of Wise. Wise managed to get the pistol from Manna's hand. Manna tried to fight back, but Wise quickly disabled him with a solid punch to the jaw. Wise quickly rolled Manna off him, then jumped to his feet.
The pilot – who had been starting the liftoff sequence – got up from his seat and tried to jump at Wise, but Wise quickly took him down with a single shot from Manna's pistol.
Wise quickly picked up the comm-link and said into it as he sat in the pilot's seat, "This is Wise, I've got control of the bridge! Terminating lift-off sequence now!"
APC from Peregrine TONDOLAYO
Holcomb saw that the Jerusalem's thrusters – which were powering up for lift-off – were indeed shutting down.
"Commandant", Holcomb communicated, "Is Manna alive?"
"He is, Lieutenant", Wise replied.
"Make sure that he doesn't try to kill himself. He's the only chance we've got to stop the TAD's from going off", Holcomb ordered.
"He'll probably not end up telling. I don't think we'll have the time to sweat it out of him", Wise pointed out.
"Contacting Six now", Holcomb said, "Just keep Manna alive and keep the Jerusalem sealed up until we're dealt with the remaining Templars outside".
BATTLESTAR AMETHYST – COMBAT INFORMATION CENTER
"Damn it!", Truly blurted out after Puller informed him of the countdown commencement.
"The people who got to the TAD's reported taking out the Templar techs that were at each one, but they confirm that the TAD's are counting down to detonation. We can't destroy them, and they have been drill-anchored into the surface, so we can't airlift them off-planet", Puller added, "without the deactivation code, those devices will detonate in twenty-seven minutes".
"Better get your people ready to leave. I've got Serenity heading down to extract Holcomb's people", Truly said, "Have the General Ike get your people off Kobol now".
"Stand by, Sunray", Puller suddenly said, "I've got an incoming transmission from Chesty Five".
Truly waited for about thirty seconds, then Puller came back on.
"Five reports that the captain of the Jerusalem has been taken alive. All other Templars on the Jerusalem have been dealt with and that Commandant Wise is alive as well. Wise reports that the Jerusalem captain knows the deactivation code but that he's not exactly willing to tell us", Puller reported.
"That fanatic will die first", Commandant Lee commented, "so he may as well have died. How are we going to get the code?".
Truly thought about it, then looked at the dradis console. He saw that Serenity was nearing the Jerusalem.
"Captain, stay at that TAD console", Truly ordered, "There might be a way".
Turning to this comms officer, he said, "Raise Serenity. I need to chat with Mal Reynolds".
SERENITY – NEARING JERUSALEM'S POSITION
"Understood, Sunray", Mal said after Truly filled him in on the situation. Mal had taken the time to let him know about River sensing the presence of the Annapolis.
"River's proving invaluable to us, Mal", Truly said, "But her biggest test is yet to come. Can she come through for us again?"
Putting down the comm-link, he turned to face River Tam, who was piloting Serenity to the Jerusalem's position.
"What's our ETA?" he asked. River looked at her navi-comp.
"Fifteen minutes, Mal", River replied, "and we can't go any faster".
"That gives us less than ten minutes from landing to get you to Manna, girl", Mal said, "you're our only hope to get them TAD's deactivated".
"River", Simon asked, "Can you do it? Get the deactivation code from his mind?"
"I would need to be in physical contact with him, Simon", River said, "and he needs to be conscious. But it may take a few minutes to be sure of what's in his mind. A fanatical person may be mind-disciplined enough to 'cloud' things with me for a while".
"Given that time is running out, you're the only chance we've got, Girl", Mal said.
"Then I can only hope that he won't be messing me up for too long", River commented.
Nodding, Mal picked up the comm-link and said to Truly: "River's been informed. She needs to be in contact with the subject, and he has to be awake. Best to have that person be at the landing area to save time. River tells me that it may not be immediate, so every second is going to count".
"Notifying Chesty Five now", Truly said.
PEST SURVEY SHIP JERUSALEM
"Is he fully secured?" Holcomb said to Xue?
"Yes he is, Five", Xue acknowledged. Manna was not only securely tied up (hands behind his back and his legs tied at his heels), he was also gagged. He had regained consciousness from Wise's punch, and was struggling some, but he was just too well secured to make it more than a minor inconvenience for the marines who were carrying him.
"Good thing you searched him first, Commandant", Holcomb said to Wise. Wise had found a couple of cyanide capsules in Manna's clothes.
"Yeah, but nothing in his cabin that may have had the information we need", Wise replied.
"Let's get him outside now. We're running out of time", Holcomb said to the marines, "and don't knock him out!"
The APC was parked outside the Jerusalem. After the marines had gotten Manna out of the survey ship, they loaded him on board the APC. Several marines stayed with the Jerusalem as the APC sped off to the landing site where the Tondolayo had originally landed and deployed the APC. Serenity was heading there.
SERENITY – NEARING THE JERUSALEM'S POSITION.
"I see the APC", River said, "I'm bringing her in for landing".
"Good thing that the APC wasn't damaged", Zoe commented, "the area round the Jerusalem would have been tough to land on".
Mal nodded. The wreckage of the Tondolayo strewn around the Jerusalem, not to mention the remnants of the firefight made the likelihood of FOD – Foreign Object Damage – to Serenity and the marines outside a very real possibility. The place where the Tondolayo had originally set down (a clearing five hundred yards from the Jerusalem) was the best place.
"I'll take over piloting, Girl", Mal said. "As soon as we touch down, I'll open the cargo bay doors so that we can get that APC on board immediately. You get down there so that you can go straight on board and to the prisoner. We're relying on you, River".