PART 12
The Cylons jumped into hyperspace nearly instantly. Only, Leoben's ship stayed behind. In his command center, the humand model Cylon began pacing. " The final annihilation of the lifeform known as man."
He paused briefly. " And I'm going to miss out."
Leoben continued to pace the room, thinking about the events as they had transpired. His attack on the humans on the system edge had indeed been effective in preventing their linkup with the colonials. The latest intel data showed they still hadn't moved.
Where Leoben couldn't move, Cassel had. Leaving the Ticonderoga to guard the system entrance he took the Lexington further in.
The whole ship was on edge. Hostile territory was one thing, but nearly everybody had caught a glimpse of the battle on the system edge. Gunnery crews were on the edge of their turret seats. All pilots were in their fighters, awaiting launch. War footing. That was would be the only way to describe the Lexington.
Cassel had his food brought to him on the bridge. Everybody was looking at the lidar scopes. Waiting, hoping and expecting exactly nothing from the enemy, and everything from his crew.
On regular drive things were slow going, but there was no choice.
Cassel sighed. Even during the now ended war with the Chigs, things hadn't appeared as dangerous as they were now. He also felt he would get the answers he needed from the Colonials.
" Lidar contact!" the words shook him from his thoughts.
" Identify, standby weapons grid."
" It's them." Leoben remarked casually as he noticed the Lexington on the command center screens of his ship. " Launch all fighters and standby on defense grid."
Leoben's fighters launching was the thing that gave it away.
" It's the same guys that came after us on the system edge, sir, they're launching fighters."
" Launch our own, power to weapons grid." Cassel moved over to the main lidar and battle information screens, giving the information they were displaying a once over.
" Helm control, twelve degrees bow down, a quarter bank." Nearly all of the Lexington's armaments were mounted topside. At a quarter bank, most of that armament would be pointed squarily on the Cylon attack vector.
In space it was already beginning. Most of the Hammerheads launched had been configured as space superiority fighters. After launching a longrange missile barrage, they broke into squads which soon broke into two giant pincer formations.
The Cylon launch had been a maximum one.
Over twohundred and fifty fighters now descended upon the humans.
And the humans were rising up in challenge.
Nearly fifty Scimitar shaped Cylon fighters fell to the first missile volley. A second one claimed about the same number.
The remaining Cylons were now beginning their engagement with the Hammerheads. Despite the efforts of all the pilots, some of the Cylons got through.
" Sir, CAG reports some got through."
" Power to defensive weapons. Standby on damage control."
The Scimitars closed in, scanning their large opponent. One of them tried to use his shutdown device, only to find that it didn't work.
He got blown out of the stars for his effort first.
More of his compatriots soon followed, all fell due to well aimed missile shots.
However, " Vampire, Vampire, Vampire. We got incoming, dedicating defense grid to incoming." The chief WSO called out.
Out in space, servo motors began turning small and large turrets towards their assigned sectors. Others elevated gun barrels to their designated azimuths.
Ten minutes into battle, the Lexington began firing.
Used to dealing with incoming projectiles, turretfire from the ship easily destroyed all the approaching missiles and as they came into range, some of the Cylon scimitars.
Slowly but unavoidably, the fight moved in the direction of the Lexington. Aboard the basestar, Leoben continued watching the screens. The Scimitar raiders were succeeding in drawing the human fighters towards their own baseship.
The time was almost at hand.
" Prepare for ship to ship combat, ready boarding ships if possible."
With their usual machine efficiency, the orders reached the designated units immediatly.
The Scimitars started making strafing runs on the Lexington.
" What the hell are those tinheads doing?" Cassel grabbed the edge of the center seat as the ship shook again below him.
" No idea, sir, they knocked out two of the portside CIDS."
" Picking up new contacts."
" Show me." The two officers ran over to the nearby lidar console.
The lidar displayed a first group of three contacts emerging from the Cylon basestar. It was soon followed by a second group, again of three craft.
" Prepare for boarders."
Cassel's last order stunned everyone on the bridge.
" and arm yourselves, I don't think these guys take prisoners."
A rating came in with M70s and pistol belts.
" Now vector the fighters onto them, tell them about our situation."
The fighter controller nodded
Captain James Morrison had just dispatched another Scimitar as the Lexington fighter controller cut through the airwaves " Wolfs lair to all wolves, enemy intends to capture, buster on all pig transports."
He checked his display to indeed see a formation of three ships closing in.
" Raptors on me, we're going after them." Two more Hammerheads belonging to Raptor squadron fell in beside him.
Aboard the lead Cylon boarding craft, an automated centurion reported the approaching fighters. Then he activated a couple of other systems.
All three Hammerheads barely avoided getting hit by defensive fire from the transports. Morrison cursed another blue streak as he and the other two were then driven away by a few of the escorting Scimitars.
" Wolf's lair, we can't get to them in time, good luck."
Cassel's reaction was to kick a nearby bulkhead.
A gunnery officer began issueing orders to try and target the defense grid on the incoming transport ships.
The gunnery crews managed to destroy one. The other two docked sucesfully.
Acting on orders, the Centurions spread out.
Near an intersection, they ran into the first Marines.
The first volley consisted again of armor piercing shot, followed up by grenade. The Centurions responding with autocannon.
The battle began.
Near Betas three the Galactica and the Saratoga were already in battle. Both ships were throwing up massive amounts of fire, trying to keep the massive swarm of Cylon scimitars at bay. The magnum launch from Saratoga also helped.
" Watch it Apollo, three coming from above."
" I see them."
Two explosions and an evasive maneuver later, Lee 'Apollo'Adama was in the clear again.
He took a brief look around.
There were swarms of them. Making their odd maneuvers and trying to stay out of the wya of the massive volleys deployed by the two carriers. It helped. Though the Galactica and Saratoga had both taken damage, it wasn't as much if the Galactica had faced the baseships on her own.
Lee took a brief moment to look at the Cylon capital ships in the distance. There were five of them.
Near the planet, things were looking somewhat better. Only one Cylon baseship had appeared just out of range of the ground based defences.
Scimitars were soon working their way down through the atmosphere.
As three of them appeared over the human settlement, they exploded without warning. The Marines had managed to ready a few SAM launchers in time. These were now worth their weight in gold as they killed Scimitar after Scimitar.
One thing they couldn't kill however, was the troop ships.
Four troopships made it down and unloaded their centurions near the edge of the town.
Forming up, they began their assault.
Only to lose a number to snipers with heavy caliber rifles.
A brief search netted nothing, so the assault on the only human town went in.
It got worse.
Expecting to see the humans hunkered down in their houses like cattle for the slaughter, a group of four centurions broke down the door of a house on the edge of the town and walked in.
In their typical arrogance, they didn't notice a small strobe light starting to pulse rapidly, before the entire house went up in an ear shattering explosion.
It was the same in a different part of town. The Cylons had marched into a crossfire zone. The marines who had loaded AP rounds, cut them down without much effort.
The command center was the hub of all defense activity. Inside, TC mcQueen was studying radar screens and listening to updates from his perimeter forces. So far, everything had gone well. Nearly all attacks from the Cylons had been repulsed or, in one case, even wiped out.
" Tell the fighters to standby, they'll be more organized this time."
The RT operator nodded and passed on the message.
Vansen, in command of a flight of four Hammerheads acknowledged as she noticed the second wave coming in.
" Allright Devildogs, let's get them."
The four Hammerheads acellerated wading into the attackers.
Near the system edge, commodore Cassel was finally starting to get things under control. The boarders had been repulsed, the Scimitars held at bay by the Hammerheads and the gun crews had managed to place a few hits on their opponent.
Things were almost looking too good.
Leoben studied the tactical displays as they told the same tale. These humans or whatever they were, were winning.
The floor underneath him trembled again as yet another shot hit home.
The human carrier was now approaching, intending to finish them off. There was nothing he could do about it.
In CIC, the screen showed two things. The first was the torpedolaunch countdown ticking down, the other, was the range LIDAR showing the decreasing range.
When the time was there, a brief but clear flash of light showed what had happened.
The Lexintong penetrated deeper into the system.
The dogfights between Hammerhead, viper and Scimitar continued unabated, but there were now far more Hammerheads and vipers then there Scimitars Lee Adama noticed. They would probably win against the fighters, but the baseships would be a different matter, entirely.
On the colonial world, Vansen and one other remaining Hammerhead were fighting for their lives. The Cylons had indeed reorganised their offensive, and were now attacking in strength.
A well camouflaged scout reported the arrival of more troop transports.
In space, Six was overlooking her handy work.
Though true that the humans were putting up stiff resistance, and losses mounting, she was sure she had enough force to overwhelm them. It was just a question of finding the right pressure point, then they would break.
She ordered her forces in.
On the edge of the planets gravity well the Galactica and the Saratoga had space to their own. Most of the Scimitars had been driven off and where now holding position near their own baseships.
Most of the Hammerheads and vipers had landed to refuel and rearm. The token CAPs that circled both ships would be more then enough to handle anything the Cylons would throw at them.
It was clear to all that this phase of the battle was over.
On the planet, on the ground, it was just beginning. Even though parts of the colonial settlement were on fire as was some of the surrounding country. Dark clouds of smoke filled the blue sky of the afternoon, as did the crackling of the flames and the crying of the very few wounded.
From his post, Nathan could see the virtual wall of Cylons approaching, or rather what was left of them. A first wave of ground defences had taken its toll of them, but never stopped them.
" All Snake forces, open fire." McQueen's voice was reaffirming. He was still alive!
West aimed his rifle. " Pick your targets, don't spray."
He settled the sight of his own rifle on the lead centurion, waiting for him to come closer.
There was a small rock laying in the middle of the field. With his left eye West watched until the Cylons passed it.
" Fire!"
A volley erupted from the Marine line, bringing down several Centurians.
William Adama contemplated the scenario. His ship and the Saratoga were facing five Cylon baseships. With at least two more in the system he knew of no way to defeat or get them to leave.
" Commander, Commodore Ross on line!" William picked up the headset " Any ideas?"
" Nothing for now. But I know there's at least one more in the system, even in orbit of the planet."
Ross nodded " We'll deal with that when it comes to it. The people planetside have enough to hold out."
Holding out, was however fast becoming a fight for survival. While West position held, someone else did not. The Cylons were breaking through into the town. Hoping ot find the last pocket of humanity trembling before them.
Again, they found boobytraps, well emplaced snipers and many more obstacles placed in their way.
Slowly but certainely, they pushed to the settlements square.
Nearly all of the Cylon units assembled in the square.
Between they clouds they danced to the tune of death, sitting on the sidelines and watching like the ever criticizing jury.
Vansen was now the only Hammerhead left in the sky and she had three Scimitars on her tail. No matter what she tried she couldn't get them off.
Diving through clouds, gorges, ravines and other assorted phenonema, the Cylons still stuck to her.
She came upon the land battle.
A lot of smoke and some high flames was all that could be seen. Vansen prepared her tail turret as she cleared the smoke, hoping to get at least one of the Cylons. It worked once.
The Cylon in the lead vanished as the two others began closing in.
Vansen bit her lip, concentrating on her flying.