First of all, thanks for your support and good comments. Secod, i have made some changes to the first chapter, any advice will be apreciated.
Now, back to the story
One hour earlier
Caprica
Colonial fleet High Command Headquarters
Admiral Nagala's office
Someone was hitting the door, and by the way he was doing it, he was pretty nervous.
-Come in- said Admiral Nagala, barely loking at the door.
A tall man, a Colonel, followed by two Captains, entered, and stand at attention, annd salute
-As you were. What is it, colonel Psakos?
-Sir, we have lost contact with th Battlestar Thessalia, it jumped from Picon 15 minutes ago, and never arrived.
-What?! You lost a frakking Battlestar?! And you wait 15 frakking minutes to inform me?!
-Sir, i beg you pardon, protocol states…
-To hell with the frakking protocol! At least you didn't wait that long to start a search, did you'
-No, sir, the search and rescue operation it's already on it's way
-Good, follow me now, we must talk with the President.
President Adar's Office
-Gentleman, what can i do for the fleet today?
-Sir, we have lost a Battlestar. Th Thessalia, jumped from Picon 20 minutes ago and never arrived to it's destination…
-What?! and where it was going?
-Here, sir.
-For the Lords's sake...This can't be a frakking accident, no way! I want every ship sending Raptors all across this system and every inch of space this side of the red line. I want to know, this Thessalia, has beed in the dock recently?
-Just came out of Picon shipyards, sir
-Ok, i want Intelligence searching the whole dry dock upside down, and i want they, not you, interrogate every single technician, Chief, marine and civil contractor a mile away near the Thessalia, starting with the fanatic scum of Saggitaron and Geminion guys. And, i want to send raptors the other side of the border. Low numbers, and lower profile possible. Now, go, keep me informed. And if someone asks, tell unofficialy we have lost a raptor. I don't want panic. And set the whole armed forces to Condition 2.
-Sure sir, considered done
-Dismissed
Battlestar Galactica
CIC
-Commander Adama, sir
-Mr. Gaeta. Go ahead.
-This came down the Fleet HQ
After a quick reading, Adama stop, turn his eyes to Gaeta, ad started to read again.
-Condition One. action stations!
-Action stations. everyone, man your stations!
-what the frak is going on?-said the helm, the Galactica was about to become a frakking museum, and now they were setting Condition one!?
-Get me the crew, Mr. Gaeta.
-Ready on, sir
-Crew of the Battlestar Galactica, this is commander Adama speaking. I know you must be wondering why a retired almost museum ship is calling for action Stations. Well, the Fleet has just informed us th Battlestar Thessalia, a brand new Mercury class, just came out of picon shipyards with even bewer components, and after jump to caprica, never arrived. It's missing. And until now. never apperd again inside the colonies. so, i want everyone ready. this culd be just a tragic accident. or not. Our raptors will join the search. we will wait and be ready, hoping for the best, prepared for the worst. so say we all.
-So say we all!- answered the whole crew, filled with emotion.
Battlestar Pegasus
Near Aerilon high orbit.
CIC
Admiral Cain was really upset. The frakking Thessalia dissapeared and her crew was slow as hell putting everything ready to join the rescue operation.
-Report! Are the frakking Raptors ready to go, yes or no?
-raptors 4, 8 and 12 ready to launch
-Send them, coordinates set Alpha Omicron 67. if they see something or not, jump back as soon as they end the survey. no time to loose, centleman!
-Aye aye, sir!
Battlestar Pegasus
Laucnh bay
Captain Gaius "Foxhound" Gedes, with the Lt. Jy "Ghost" Tollas and the Lt. Wallis "Epsilon" Holler take the Raptor 4 and jumped to the Omicron system, only 3.6 light years away from Aerilon. Right nexts the Armistice line.
Ghost did you see anything?
Zero readings on DRADIS
Frak! Allright, set course to Omicron 2.
Yes sir-answered Epsilon. But he couldn't help share his toughts with the rest of the crew.
-If you ask me, those nut jobs of Picon frakked the wires and they jumped into a star or a planet core.
-Nobody ask you, Epsilon-answered Foxhound, already tired of his subordinate typical pesimism
-I think we can't ignore the possibility, but hope is always better-said Ghost, and everyone nodded.
-Yeah whatever-finished Epsilon. He would never agree with that stupid hope idea.
Aft ther half an hour without seeing nothing, the Raptor jumped to the next coordinates, to the outskirts of the Omicron system. Beyond Omicron 8's orbit, there was a small asteroid belt, a good place to hide a ship or to ambush one. They spend several minutes trying to distinguish between the asteroids looking for something han or cylon made. DRADIS wa, like ts difficult to read with so many targets to track.
-I think i have something-finally said Epsilon
-Show me-answered Foxhound
-The espectro of this mass there, and that strange shape, like two big Ys one over the other, I don't think it's natural
-A crystal maybe?
-Lets move closer
Aftee sorrounding a few asteroids the great shape, white and sorrounded by small crescent like little ships, showed them the real nature of what they were seeing.
-Frakking cylons! Take pictures and prepare to jump! Now!
,
President Adar's office, twenty minutes later
Admiral Nagala started to speak, showing several photos over the president's desk
- Space is huge, it's not possible to find so many times a frakking cylon basestar in soes many places, they are besieging us.
-So, it's quite likely the Thessalia were intercepted...
- Impossible to assure it but is quite probably sir.
-And if they were intercepted after to jump to any of this locations or any other, perhaps they jumped again, emergency jump or conventional but with malfunctioning engines and ended in another system, perhaps beyond this siege?
-Yes, it's possible, sir.
-Ok, i'm gonna make this public in two hours. Until then, Condition One in the whole fleet. Call everyone to service, veterans, reserve, recruits; all the frakking mothball fleet, and suspend any civilian ship construction, i want everyone focused in the Fleet only. And we need to send someone to go beyond this siege some expensable ship, with an out-of-the- box mind commander
- The Galactica, under Adama?
-Yes, iwas about to tell you his name
-Considered done sir
Alright, dismissed.
Minbari border
Valen'tha
An strange sound filled the beautiful chamber were the Earthforce officers weee being recwived by the Minbari. Jankowski saw in the way his hosts were looking each other and watching upwards that sound was, most likely, the minbari version of a General Quarters call.
A black suited minbari, with very rough bones (warrior cast?), whispered something to Dukhat and Delenn, and after a nod from him Delenn informed the humans in perfect Centauri
-Ten ships have just appeared right next to us, same shape than the cylons your colony ship reported.
Captain Jankowski rise his left hand and ca, lled his ship.
Battlestar Thessaloa
CIC
-Sir, DRADIS contatcs! 10 ships, it's the Cylons!
-Condition One! Aim all we have on them!
Main bay
The XOof the EAS Custer, Lt. Commander Johnson, was very impressed with the colonials reception. The artificial gravity in a han ship, was something make everyone in the away team to jab drop, how they could have that? and why they don't share it with the rest of the Earth Alliance? Who were this guys? After they came down the Shuttle, two sections of Colonial Marines wwre there, ready to salute. As soon as he presented himself and his men and asked permission to come aboard, they hear some officer say "Atten-hut!" and the hundreds inside the huge bay saluted.
After Galatha salute them, the whole place cheered.
But while everyone was trying to reach the Earhers, and alarm and a speaker sounded.
Action Stations,action stations! Captain Galatha, report to CIC!
Frak!
EAS Custer (Nova class Dreadnought)
Bridge
-They just appeared out of nowhere sir!
-How many?
-10 ships, no escorts
-They look like those cylons the colonials were speaking about.
-Battle stations! Get the plasma guns hot!
Aim one battery by ship!
-Batteries freed! We can take eight of them in our position!
-We have firing solution on eight targets! Designated Alpha and Japan are not on target
-Get me captain Zumwalt of the Ophiuchus
EAS Ophiuchus
Bridge
-Captain Thomas
-We are aiming eight of them, i suggest to take our right flank and the locals the left.
-I agree...
-Sir, the Minbari are sending a warning to, cylons. In English
-They learn quick.
-May i send ours?-asked Thomas
-Se nd our regars-answred Zumwalt.
-Front batteries, aim target Bravo, and tell the Prometheus to get Alpha. After they falwl, we get Delta and they Charlie.
Done sir
-The Custer just hailed them
-Let's wait. They slightly outnumber us, and if the records are good they have a lot of fighters...
-The minbari ship, the Valen'tha, acknowledge our battle plan,they will strike the other Flank if things go south, sir
-Peerfect, now we must...
-Meissile launch! Incoming, Incoming, Incoming!
-Nuclear alert! twuelve nuclear warheads!
-All fighters moving to intercept!
Battlestar Thessalia
CIC
-Commander on deck!
-Status!-asked Galatha, while the Earth officers were surprised of the design and profesionalism in the CIC. This guys weren't a colonial national guard whatsoever at all.
-Ten enemy basestars just jumped, Earth and Minbari have just warned them to withdraw...
-DRADIS contacts! twuelve missiles launched, Five against us! Radiological alarm!
-Batteries firing!
-Brace for impact!
Valen'tha
Council chamber
-Satais, look!
Three organic like red and yellow ships appear right next to one of the ship's escorts.
-Soulhunters!
-They only appear when there going to be too much deaths...
-The cylons are firing us!
-What?!
-Twuelve missiles, all with nuclear fission warheads, ten seconds to impact!
-In the name of Valen!
-Humans intercepted 8!
But the last two detonated between the minbari ships and the Thessalia. Several minbari fighters and vipers were eliminated, and the Loren'tha was crippled.
EAS Custer
Bridge
-Open fire!
The huge plasma batteries of the Nova dropped two terrifying plasma proyectiles on the pristine white surface of every one of the eight basestars locked. The cruisers started to shoot their targets, and the Valen'tha and it's two other escorts fired their green beams. But the Thessalia remained silent.
-Sir, seven enemies destroyed!
-Excellent!
-Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Eco, Hotel, India and Japan eliminated! Golf, Foxtrot heavily damaged!
- Wait! Missile launch! 20 missiles, Delta and Eco are shooting too!
-What?!
-Incoming, Incoming...!