Battlestar Galactica
Nightmare?
Chapter 11
Apollo had just finished going over the last of the defensive assignments when all Hades broke out. He was standing in a corridor outside rejuvenation center two talking over the details of the defensive assignments with council security officer Reese when suddenly the deck seemed to leap up from under them, throwing both men off their feet. The ship continued to shake and rock for several microns making it impossible for them to stand. Then the lights went out. After several microns, the emergency lights came on, revealing several buckled deck plates and bulkheads.
Finally the shaking subsided enough for Apollo to regain his feet. He looked around, trying to figure out what had caused the upheaval.
"What in Hades was that?" Reese yelled as he pulled himself up from the deck.
"I don't know, but I'm going to find out!" Apollo told him as he ran over to a com unit on the wall. After a few microns, he slammed the handset back into its cradle.
"The com system is down. Whatever that was, it caused a lot of damage. Stay here Reese and take over. I'm heading for the bridge to find out what's going on."
"Right!" Reese said as Apollo took off at a full run heading for the bridge.
On the other side of the Galactica, Boomer and Starbuck were setting up a defensive perimeter near the turbo lifts from Beta landing bay when the entire ship began to shake and bounce. Boomer was able to catch onto a railing but Starbuck was tossed to the deck. The lights went out, throwing the corridor into darkness. Several microns past before the emergency lights began to click on, allowing them to see where they were and what was around them.
"Hey Starbuck, you alright?" Boomer called to his friend who laid several metrons away under so fallen debris.
"Yeah, I'm okay. Help me get out from under this felgercarb will ya!" Starbuck said as he tried to free himself.
"Sure thing. What in Sagen's name do you suppose that was?" Boomer said as he lifted a piece of junk off of Starbuck.
"Beats me Boomer, but I think we should split up and alert the other posts to be ready just in case that was one of those Penetraters the Commander told us about."
The two Warriors took off in different directions to warn their fellow Warriors that the battle for the Galactica was about to begin.
Apollo arrived on the bridge just after his father had passed the word to abandon ship. He was shocked to hear those words come from his father.
"What's happened father? Why are you abandoning the Galactica?" he asked, his voice full of emotion.
"Apollo, I have no other choice! We just lost our thrusters and are without power except for our emergency batteries and they will only last about three centars." Adama told his son sadly. "The only thing we can do now is get our people off the Galactica and hope that they can rendezvous with the fleet."
Adama turned away from his son and stared out the front view screen. "We have to face the truth Apollo, the Galactica is finished!"
"Then we need to get you to one of the escape pods!" Apollo said. "Our people are going to need your strength and leadership now more then ever."
"Adama shook his head and turned to face Apollo.
"No Apollo, I won't be going with you and the others. Colonel Tigh and I will be staying aboard. We have a little surprise planned for the Cylons when they come to claim their "prize"."
"What are talking about father? What kind of surprise?" Apollo asked, but before his father could utter a word, he knew what he was talking about.
"NO! You can't be serious! What good can come from you and Colonel Tigh committing suicide by blowing up the Galactica?"
"It's the only way we can be sure that our people get away safely and that the Cylons don't get their hands on the Galactica." Adama told him.
"You can just as easily set the Galactica's self destruct system to run on a timer and leave with the rest of us." Apollo countered.
"I would if I could Apollo, but we don't have enough power to do that. The self destruct will have to be operated manually."
"Then I'll stay behind and do it!" Apollo said sternly.
"No Apollo, I can't allow that. This is my responsibility as Commander of this vessel. Besides, our people will need you to help protect them more then ever once the Galactica is gone."
"Our people need you!" Apollo said, thou he already knew that it was useless to argue. His father had made up his mind and would not be swayed.
"What about Athena and Boxey? Where are they?" Apollo asked.
"I don't know for sure." Adama said, shaking his head. "I told Athena to go find Boxey, but that was before the turbodyne blew up and took out our communications. I haven't heard a thing since then."
"Then I'll go find them." Apollo said and he left the bridge heading for his quarters.
In Apollo's quarters, Athena had just stepped inside when the deck suddenly came up and propelled her across the room. She landed on the top of a small table that sat in front of Apollo's sofa. She bounced off the table and onto the sofa before finally landing on the floor. She lay their somewhat dazed for a moment while the ship continued to shake violently. The lights in the room went dark for several microns, then the emergency lights came on. Athena pulled herself up off the floor and onto the sofa. She was still slightly dazed, but was able to sit upright. She looked around the room, trying to get her bearings, then she remembered, she was in Apollo's quarters looking for Boxey.
"Boxey! Are you in here?" she yelled.
No answer.
Athena got up off the sofa and walked somewhat unsteadily to the sleeping area. She looked around the room and didn't see Boxey or his ever present robotic daggit, Muffet anywhere. She turned to leave when she heard what sounded like a bark. She peered back into the room and noticed the door to the closet was slightly ajar. She then heard a "whirring" sound coming from the closet. She went to the door and looked inside. There on the floor of the closet was Boxey. He was lying under a pile of boxes and other gear that looked as if it had fallen on top of him. Muffet was sitting next to him making soft growling and barking noises.
"Good boy Muffet." Athena said softly to the mechanical daggit. "Let's get Boxey out of here and to someplace a whole lot safer."
She stepped around the daggit and pulled the unconscious boy out from under the pile of boxes. Then she carried him out of the closet and laid him on the table, looking to see if he had any serious injuries. Finding none, she picked him up again and headed for the bridge with Muffet close on her heels.
Apollo was half way to his quarters when he found Athena coming around a corner at a full sprint carrying Boxey. He could tell right away that the boy was unconscious.
"What happened?" Apollo asked as he approached.
"Some things fell on him in your closet. He seems to be alright thou." Athena told him. Just then the boy opened his eyes.
"Dad, my head hurts." He said in a voice barely above a whisper.
Apollo ran his hand thru his son's hair gently and smiled.
"I know Boxey, we'll have Cassiopeia take a look at it, okay?" he said.
"Okay." Boxey said and drifted off again.
Apollo took Boxey from Athena and turned to go to the Life Center when the Galactica was rocked again by an unknown force. Athena grabbed onto a railing with one hand and Apollo with the other, keeping him and Boxey from falling. The sound of metal being ripped and torn echoed thru the corridor.
"What was that?" Athena yelled, trying to be heard over the noise.
"I have no idea, but it wasn't a turbodyne blowing up, that's for sure." Apollo said. "I think we should head for the bridge."
The two Warriors and the small boy ran down the corridor, making their way to the bridge, but as they rounded a corner, they came face to face with their worse nightmare.
There were Cylon Centurions on the Galactica!
Apollo and Athena stopped dead in their tracks, unable to believe their eyes. Their shock was broken when one of the Centurions spotted them and began firing. Both Warriors flattened out against the sides of the corridor and drew their laser pistols and began firing at the Cylons. The first four fell in quick succession, but a dozen more stepped over the smoldering bodies of the fallen and continued the assault.
"Athena, take Boxey and head for the bridge. Go thru Delta section, I'll try and slow them down here and lead them off thru Gamma section." Apollo shouted.
Athena took the boy and ran down the corridor, turning left at the first intersecting corridor. Apollo held his ground long enough for Athena to get around the corner and out of sight of any Cylons that might get by him. Then he took off after her, only he kept going straight as he headed for the starboard side of the ship. He hoped that they would follow him, thus allowing Athena and Boxey time to get to the bridge. As he reach the next junction, Apollo turned and fired several volleys down the corridor he had just run thru, striking three Centurions dead on, then he turned and ran a bit farther until he heard laser fire coming from up ahead.
Apollo ran down to the next junction and peeked around the corner. There he saw a small knot of Warriors fighting valiantly against a large number of Centurions and right in the middle of the fray was Starbuck. He was knelt down, firing away with a laser pistol in each hand. Apollo was so engrossed by the scene in front of him that he momentarily forgot about the Cylons that were following him. A laser blast just above his head reminded him that he was in between two groups of Cylons now. He turned quickly and fired several blasts down the passageway, then stepped around the corner and yelled to Starbuck and his group.
"Starbuck, get out of there! Fall back to Beta section now!" he yelled.
Starbuck was caught off guard by Apollo's voice behind him and when he turned his head to look, he lost his balance and fell sideways.
This just happen to save his life!
As he fell sideways, a laser bolt flew by a nanomicron after, just missing his head. It passed close enough that it actually singed his hair. Starbuck immediately returned fire and destroyed the Cylon that had almost ended his life. Then he regained his feet and began ordering the Warriors and crewmen that were fighting there by his side to fall back to Beta section where they had set up their strongest……and last line of defense.
"What are you doing here? I thought you were on the bridge!" Starbuck yelled over the laser fire.
"I was, but I had to find Boxey and Athena." Apollo told him as the two senior Warriors fought a rear guard action, allowing the others time to escape.
"Did you find them?"
"We found each other. Then the Cylons found us!" Apollo said, drilling two more Centurions. "Looks like Kolbe didn't quite get all of those Penetraters."
"You're telling me, one of those things hit just twenty metrons away from where I was standing!" Starbuck said, "killing" two more Cylons as they went. "We've been fighting and giving ground ever since."
The two Warriors stopped at a junction and used the cover of the cross corridors for protection as they set up a crossfire. Starbuck tossed Apollo an extra laser pistol that he had in his holster and continued firing.
"Where'd you get all the laser pistols?" Apollo asked as he employed the two pistols with great effect.
"From the guys that didn't make it!" Starbuck said glumly.
The two Warriors wiped out two score Centurions in a matter of a few centons, causing a bottleneck in the corridor. The more Cylons that tried to attack, the higher the pile of bodies became. Finally, the Cylons backed off and were gone. Apollo and Starbuck took advantage of this and made tracks for Beta section.
Athena held Boxey close to her chest as she ran thru the corridors of the great Battlestar. Several times she heard laser fire coming from down side passageways and thou she desperately wanted to go and help her fellow Warriors, she knew she had to protect Boxey and make sure he was safe, so she kept going till she reached the bridge.
Adama and Tigh were working on the self destruct system when Athena came running onto the bridge carrying Boxey. She laid him in the chair at her scanner control station. Then she turned and hugged her father, who had followed her.
"Thank the Lords you two are alright. I've been worried sick about you." He said to her, then he stepped over to Boxey and placed a hand on the boys head. "What happened to Boxey? Is he alright?"
"I think he's fine father, just a bit shook up is all." She told him.
"You should have taken him to the Life Center." Adama said.
"We were going to, but there are Cylons all over the ship. We couldn't get to the Life Center."
"We? Who was with you?" Adama asked.
"Apollo, we ran into each other in the corridors. We started heading for the Life Center but were cut off by a large group of Cylons in Theta section. Apollo drew them off while I brought Boxey here." She told him. "Father, the Cylons are everywhere. I heard fighting all over. I think their heading this way."
Adama looked over at Colonel Tigh, who had walked over to hear what Athena had to report. He knew their time was almost gone.
"How much longer before we can detonate manually Tigh? Adama asked.
"At least another ten centons Commander. This was never meant to be done manually." Tigh told him.
"Ten centons!" Adama whispered as he turned to face his daughter. He wanted to tell her to grab Boxey and run to the last of the escape pods, but he knew it was already too late for that. If the Cylons had already boarded using their Penetraters, they would have several squadrons flying nearby to prevent anyone from escaping. He only prayed that those people that had gotten away earlier had made it without being detected.
"Athena, I need you to take and find any personnel you can and do whatever you can to secure the bridge. Anyone you can find that can hold a laser pistol is to take up positions on the barricades. You have to buy Colonel Tigh and I ten centons. Can you do that?"
"I'll do my best sir!" she said as she came to attention and saluted, something she had never done before. Then she hugged her father one last time and left the bridge for the final defense of the Galactica.
Apollo and Starbuck finally reached the barricade that had been set up earlier as a last line of defense. Here they had set up two of the powerful laser cannons that were used by the Warrior assault teams and outpost security battalions. They had the equivalent fire power of a score of laser rifles and a much higher rate of fire. A single blast could easily destroy a dozen Centurions.
As the two Warriors slipped thru the one opening in the defensive wall, they were greeted by Boomer.
"Well it's about time you two showed up! I thought we were going to have to do this without you!" he said jokingly.
"We wouldn't miss this for the world!" Starbuck said. "We just thought we'd trim them down a little before they got here."
"Boomer, where's Sheba?" Apollo asked.
Boomer shook his head and said, "I don't know. She said something about checking on Bojay and that's the last I saw of her."
Apollo nodded and wondered what could have happened to the women he loved. He was brought out of his thoughts of Sheba by Starbucks voice.
"Well don't look now, but I think the guests of honor have just arrived."
Down the passageway, thru the darkness and the smoke, one could see the bright red "eyes" of the approaching Cylons. Apollo couldn't tell how many there were, but it seemed that every Cylon ever built was now coming right at him.
"Hold your fire until they get past junction Beta four. If we can take down enough of them there, they won't be able to outflank us." Apollo ordered. "Who has the other corridor Boomer?"
"Nobody, we set off a couple of solinite charges on that side and collapsed the entire section. It'll take them a sectar to get thru there!" Boomer said. "This is the only way to the bridge."
Apollo nodded his head and readied himself for what was about to come.
Near the Life Center, things were going horribly bad for the Colonial defenders. The small force of Warriors and council security that had survived the infiltration by the Cylons were now retreating toward the Life Center. They fought bravely but there were just far too many Centurions.
Inside the Life Center, Doctor Salik was trying to operate on a Warrior that had taken a laser blast in the chest. The doctor worked at a feverish pace, trying to reconnect the man's pulmonary artery which had been shot away. It was at that moment that the fighting spilled over into the Life Center.
Men and machine came pouring into the Life Center, lasers firing, swords swinging, laser rifle butts being used as clubs, it was like a scene from one of the ancient tales of heroes. Only this on was real!
Among those defenders forced into the Life Center was Corporeal Lomas, who had been on the perimeter near where Apollo had been when the turbodyne blew up. He was firing wildly at the never ending flood of Cylon Centurions that had harassed them thru three sections of the Galactica. Now there was no where else to retreat to. Here in the Life Center, this battle would be decided.
Lomas moved to one side of the door while Corporeal Komma took the other side, creating a cross fire that ripped the Cylons to shreds and allowed a number of other defenders to escape to the relative safety of the Life Center.
Security officer Reese was among those that had made it to the Life Center and began ordering the doors barricaded. Doctor Paye, who was attending to some of the less severely wounded was shocked by the sudden appearance of Warriors with weapons blasting away and began to protest, but was cut off in mid sentence by a laser bolt from a Cylon rifle. Reese destroyed the Centurion and slammed the door closing mechanism until it slid shut. He looked around the room at all the wounded Warriors and crewmen and the terrified med techs and began ordering them to move into the central bays, out of the way and out of the line of fire. The med techs moved as many of the injured into the recovery bays as they could, thou many of the less severely injured grabbed their weapons and took up positions to help defend the Life Center. Reese looked around at those that would make the stand with him there, four uninjured Warriors, twelve injured Warriors, three council security officers and five crewmen. Not the most formidable force but it would have to do.
As he looked around, a thought came to him. No, not just a thought, but a premonition. Suddenly Reese knew that this is where he was going to die.
The Cylons began working on the door to the Life Center, attempting to bypass the locks and gain entry. Reese knew it would only be a few centons before the mechanical horrors forced their way in and wiped out his small group. He was determined to make them pay for every life they took with ten of their own. He took up a position behind a desk and waited for the end to come.
At the barricade in Beta section, the fight had begun in earnest. Rank after rank of Centurions marched forward into the concentrated firepower of the Colonial defenses, and one after another, they fell in crumpled heaps of scrape. The number of Cylons destroyed was nearing a hundred when they finally decided to fall back. This brought a hearty cheer from the human defenders as they had a chance to rest and regroup for a few moments.
Apollo looked around to see who was there and who might have been hurt…..or killed in the first push by the Cylons. He saw Boomer and a crewmen, Apollo knew him by the name Web, to his left along with a Sergeant Garay who manned the laser cannon. To his right was Starbuck and two bridge officers, Ensigns Hilts and Cobb as well as Sergeant Ballar on the other laser cannon. Eight people against hundreds, perhaps thousands of Cylons. Not the best of odds, but they would have to do because at that moment the next wave of Cylon Centurions were moving in on them.
The door to the Life Center slide open and laser fire thick enough to walk on made the threshold a death trap for any who ventured into it. The human defenders concentrated their fire in the small area of the door, just two metrons in width, keeping the Cylons from rushing in. But that was not their plan!
Three Centurions suddenly appeared in the doorway, two in the fore and one behind. The first two were hit by over a dozen laser blasts within a micron of their stepping into the "kill zone" of the doorway. They had just enough time to fire off one laser blast each before they fell to the deck, but they had done their job, because they were only there to protect the Centurion behind them so it could toss two flash grenades into the room. The grenades explode, causing the human defenders to be blinded by the extremely bright flash. This was all the advantage the Cylons needed to over power the helpless humans as they made quick work of Reese and his small but valiant group. Now with a foothold into the Life Center established, the Cylons began moving farther into one of the last cells of resistance.
In the operating theater, Doctor Salik had just finished with the delicate surgery when the door to the room slide open and a Cylon Centurion walk in. Salik immediately grabbed his laser scalpel from the tray of instruments next to him and activated it. He pointed it at the red scanning "eye" of the Centurion and pressed the small button on the side of the scalpel that unleashed the intense beam of light from within. The laser from the scalpel penetrated the optical scanner to the delicate "brain" of the Centurion, causing it to convulse and fall to the deck. Salik ducked a laser blast from another Centurion and fired his small laser again, this time at the weak area around the neck of the mechanical monstrosity. Again the laser cut thru the poorly shielded area of the Cylon, causing its head to fall off. The body of the second Cylon hadn't hit the deck before another stepped up behind it and fired into the room. One of the med techs that had assisted with the surgery picked that moment to make a run for it and was hit square in the back. Salik moved to his left a bit and fired his laser scalpel once more. Only this time his aim was a little off, because instead of hitting the weak area around the neck, he hit the chest plate of the Centurion causing the laser beam to be deflected to the side, directly at the other med tech in the room. The beam hit the unfortunate girl in the throat, slicing thru her carotid artery, causing her to bleed to death in a matter of microns.
The Centurion saw where the laser beam came from and began firing in that location. Salik managed to duck the first blast but the follow up shots tore him apart.
In the critical care ward, Cassiopeia was tending to Jolly and Greenbean when all hades broke loose. The laser fire and the screams brought Jolley back to conciseness as Cassie peeked out thru the door.
"What's going on Cassiopeia? What's happening out there?" Jolly asked weakly as he tried to sit up in bed.
"I can't tell, but there's something……oh my god! There are Cylons in the Life Center!" she told him. Then she saw him trying to sit up and moved back next to him. "What do think you're doing Jolly? You're in no condition to fight."
"I'll be damned if I'll die in this bed without a fight!" Jolly said as he tried to get up. "Give me my laser pistol Cassie and get over there behind Greenbean so you're out of the way." He told her. "And take his laser. You may need it!"
She did as he asked, handing him his laser then grabbing Greenbean's for herself before she found a small hiding place out of the way. With that done, all they could do was wait.
They didn't have to wait long!
A few moments after Cassie had settled in, the door to the critical care ward opened and three Centurions entered. They scanned the area, finding what looked like two dead humans lying on strange looking tables. One Centurion approached Greenbean and scanned the medical equipment, then it turned to the other two and in the typical monotone electronic voice of all Centurions said, "This human has ceased to function." It then moved toward the bed where Jolly laid and scanned the medical equipment. It straightened up and said, "This human is still functional."
"You bet I am rust bucket!" Jolly said as he pointed his laser at the Cylon's chest and fired, blowing the Centurion to pieces. He then fired at the other two, taking both out before they could react. Jolly fell back onto the bed, exhausted from the little bit of exertion he had just gone thru. He was barely coherent when three more Centurions entered the room. Finding the three "dead" Centurions on the deck and a single live human in the room, the lead Cylon leveled its laser rifle at Jolly. He was totally helpless, without the strength to even lift his laser again. The Centurion was about to fire when its head suddenly exploded in a shower of sparks and flames.
Cassiopeia had sprung out from her hiding spot just as the Centurion was about to fire and fired her own laser, striking the Cylon in the side of the head. It dropped before it could pull the trigger on its weapon. Cassie swung her weapon around and fired again, hitting the second Cylon square in the chest, causing it to spark and explode as it fell to the deck. She then aimed at the third Centurion and pulled the trigger.
Nothing!
She pulled the trigger again and again, but nothing happened. She looked at the power indicator on the pistol grip and saw that its charge had run out. She looked up at the Centurion as it stood "looking" down at her. She had nowhere to run, nowhere to hide and no way to defend herself. In a last act of frustration and defiance, Cassiopeia threw the worthless laser pistol at her executioner, bouncing it off its "face". The Centurion raised its weapon and fired. Cassie had time to utter just one word before her life ended.
"Starbuckkkkkk!"
At the barricade in Beta section, the battle raged on as the Cylons continued to press forward. The hardy band of defenders had fought back with a tenacity that surprised even them as they kept the Cylons at bay. Twice they had forced them back with the massed fire of the two laser cannons and half a dozen hand lasers, but they were getting tired and their laser power was getting low. Soon they would be defenseless.
"Starbuck, how are you fixed for power packs?" Apollo asked.
"I'm down to my last one and so are Cobb and Hilts. Ballar has one more for the big gun." He told Apollo.
"Boomer, what about you?
"I've got one more after this and Web has a couple. Garay has one for the cannon."
Apollo thought about this for a centon. He knew they could only hold the Cylons back for maybe one more push, and then their lasers would be out of power. Not a very pleasant thought.
"Do you have any more of those solinite charges with you?" Apollo asked hopefully.
"Sorry Apollo, we used them all to seal off the other passageway." Boomer said.
Apollo nodded and then made his decision.
"Cobb, I want you to take Hilts and Web and see if you can get thru to one of the weapons lockers in Alpha section. Get as many power packs as you can carry and get back here."
Cobb nodded and motioned for Hilts and Web to follow. Apollo knew it was a long shot, but they had to try and get more power packs for their weapons or they'd be finished. Web tossed his extra packs to Apollo, saying, "I won't need these." Apollo thanked him and then tossed one over to Starbuck. Now there were only five people to defend the barricade. Apollo wondered what else could go wrong!
He was about to find out.
Thru the smoke, Apollo saw the unmistakable red glow of Cylon optical scanners moving back and forth in their never ending sweeping motion. He pulled out both of his lasers and checked their charges. One was about two thirds charged while the other was about half. With only one spare power pack, he knew he only had about ten centons of fire power left. He hoped that would be enough for his father and Colonel Tigh to finish their work and end this war once and for all!
"Wait till they hit the junction people, then hit with everything you got." Apollo told them.
"That won't be much, my lasers are almost drained!" Starbuck said.
"So are mine." Boomer added.
It was at that moment that the Cylons opened up on the human defenders, but not just with laser rifles, but with grenade launchers as well. The first hit the middle of the barricade, blowing a hole in the hastily constructed fortifications. The second hit the laser cannon manned by Sergeant Garay, sending both the laser cannon and the man flying backwards. Boomer ran over to where Garay laid and instantly knew he was dead. He then grabbed the laser cannon and wrestled it back into position, firing it with great effect.
Starbuck saw the Centurions with the grenades launchers and took aim at one of them. He hit one just after it had fire its grenade, but the next one was still taking aim when Starbuck hit it with two laser bolts in the chest, knocking it back into the others. The damaged Cylon fired its grenade into the overhead where it exploded, bringing down hundreds of kilons of wreckage down on top of the advancing Cylons and momentarily stopping their advance. Apollo took advantage of this and began rebuilding the barricade where it had been knocked down. They had only a few centons before the Cylons had cleared the debris and were once again on the attack.
Athena searched Alpha section for as many people as she could to help fight off the Cylons. Most of the ships personnel had already been evacuated so there were very few people left. She did find a couple of electronics techs in a machinery room where the speaker system didn't work and three med techs in the forward battle dressing station that were still caring for several severely wounded Warriors, but that was all. She told one of the med techs to stay and care for the wounded while the other two went with her and the electronics techs to begin building a barricade just outside of the bridge.
It was at that time that Cobb and his group came running down the passageway. Athena drew her laser pistol at the sound of footsteps heading their way, but was relieved to see they were from humans and not Cylons.
"Am I glad to see you guys!" she said as she lowered her weapon. "I thought the Cylons were coming."
"They are! Their attacking the barricade at the far end of Beta section right now." Cobb said.
"So where are you people going? Who's manning the barricade?" Athena asked.
"Captain Apollo, Lieutenant Starbuck, Boomer, and a couple of Warriors I don't know." Cobb told her. "Apollo told us to go to Alpha section and bring back some power packs. All of ours were running low."
Athena grabbed a small bag that was sitting near by and tossed it to Cobb.
"You can't get to the weapons lockers in Alpha section, the way is blocked." She told him. "Here, those are all the power packs that were left from the bridge weapons locker. Get them back to Apollo and let him know we're setting up a barricade here in case they need to fall back. You two stay here and help us." She added, indicating Hilts and Web.
Cobb nodded and took off down the passageway with the power packs. Athena watched him go, wishing she was going with him. She wanted to go and help her brother…….and Starbuck, but her father had given her a job to do and she was not about to fail him. So she turned back to building the barricade.
The fighting at the barricade in Beta section had been fierce as the Cylons continued to throw caution to the wind and go straight at the hopelessly outnumbered humans. The Cylons marched head long into the Colonial defenses, not worrying about casualties, hoping to simply defeat the humans by shear weight of numbers. This strategy had one major flaw however, in the confined space of the corridor, they could not bring the full force of their numbers to bear on the enemy, and thus they were being wiped out by the hundreds without inflicting much damage on the humans at all. They need a new plan.
A gold command Centurion walked down the passageway to the front of the Cylon forces and asked why the Galactica's bridge had not been taken. When the Centurion in charge told him of the barricaded humans blocking they way, the gold Centurion pulled out its laser and blasted the subordinate in the chest. Then the gold Centurion called for a squad of Centurions with grenade launchers to move to the front.
"You will move forward and destroy the barricade." The gold Centurion droned. "You will continue to fire until you have succeeded or have been destroyed. Failure is not an option."
"By your command." Droned a dozen silver Centurions with grenade launchers, then they moved off toward the barricade. The gold Centurion then ordered the rest of the Centurions to follow behind and to break thru the barricade. They marched off to do as they were told. Mindless automatons ready to bring death and destruction to any who would stand before them. The final push was about to begin.
Apollo, Boomer, Starbuck and Ballar had rebuilt the barricade and reset the laser cannon that had been manned by Sergeant Garay before he had been killed in the last attack. The power packs for the laser cannons were almost depleted, perhaps having a dozen or so shots left each. There was one spare power pack, but it had been damaged and was useless now. Once those weapons went dead, they would have to rely on hand lasers to hold off the Cylons and those were nearly drained as well. Their only hope was for Cobb and his group to bring back enough power packs from the weapons lockers in Alpha section to keep them going.
But where was Cobb?
Just then Cobb came running down the passageway carrying a bag.
"Captain, I've got more power packs!" he yelled as he approached, then he disappeared as a Cylon grenade hit him in the chest and exploded, leaving only bits and pieces of the young officer all over the corridor.
The bag with the power packs flew thru the air, landing close to Apollo's feet. He grabbed the bag and pulled out several of the power packs, tossing them over to Boomer then doing the same to Starbuck. He cast a quick glance to where Cobb had been and hoped his sacrifice had not been in vain. Then he got back to the business at hand.
Unfortunately, the Cylons were going for an all or nothing charge this time. The squad of grenade launching Centurions launched round after round at the barricaded humans, causing their protective wall to disintegrate around them. Apollo knew they could not hold their position any longer and yelled for them to fall back. Boomer, who was manning the laser cannon, tore a small piece of cloth from his uniform and used it to tie the trigger down on the laser cannon so it would continue to fire on its own, then he jumped up, grabbed his power packs and ran down the passageway.
Starbuck did likewise, heading toward the bridge, stopping long enough to provide cover fire for Apollo and Ballar.
Apollo told the young gunner to secure his weapon and get moving but the young man ignored the order.
"Ballar, lets go! We can't stay here!" He yelled.
Ballar never stopped firing but turned to Apollo with a pained look on his face.
"I can't move sir!" He said. "My leg is gone!"
Apollo took a closer look at the young Warrior and saw that his left leg had been blown off at mid thigh. The heat from the blast had cauterized the wound or he would have already bled to death. As it was, there was no way he could make it to the bridge in his condition.
"Go on Captain, I'll hold the line here! I'll give you as much time as I can!" Ballar yelled, still firing away.
Apollo put his hand on Ballar's shoulder.
"Thanks Ballar."
Ballar nodded and said, "Get out of here Captain before one of those tin cans gets lucky and hits one of us!"
Apollo patted him on the shoulder, then took off down the corridor, catching up with Starbuck.
"Where's Ballar?" he asked.
Apollo cast a glance back at where Ballar was still blasting away and said, "He's staying behind and covering our backs."
Starbuck gave him a quizzical look, not understanding.
"He's injured and couldn't make it Starbuck! He wanted to stay and fight on his own terms." Apollo said. "Come on, let's go." Apollo said as he pulled Starbuck along. The two Warriors ran down the corridor, the sound of the battle still raging.
A few centons later, Apollo and Starbuck reach the barricade Athena and her crew had constructed just outside the entrance to the bridge. Apollo and Starbuck slipped thru the small gap that they had left for them to get thru and found Athena and Boomer lifting a large table into place. Athena ran to her brother and hugged him then told him what their father was planning. Apollo told Starbuck to take over there while he went to the bridge. Then he walked down the passageway to the bridge.
On the bridge, Adama, Tigh and Omega were still trying to rig the Galactica's self-destruct to operate manually when Apollo walked in. He saw Boxey lying in Athena's chair and went over to him. He ran his hand thru the boy's hair several times then looked around for his father.
"Why are Athena and Boxey still here?" he asked as he walked over to where his father was soldering wires together. Adama looked up from his work for a moment then returned his attention to the job at hand.
"There was no time to get them off the ship before the Cylons closed in on us." He said with barely a trace of emotion.
"What do mean "no time"? They should have been amongst the first people off the ship." Apollo said, his anger unmistakable.
"I wish they had been Apollo, but we couldn't find Boxey and Athena wouldn't leave. If I could have gotten them off I would have! I would have liked to have all of you off the ship before now, but there just wasn't enough time!" Adama said as he continued to work. "The only thing I can do now is try and save those of our people that did get away and pray that the Cylons don't find them. That's why we have to do this! To protect the fleet! To try and insure the continuation of our species!"
Adama was almost pleading for his sons understanding. He didn't want things to happen as they had, but that was something he could not control. All he could do now was try and protect those people that had got away, even if it meant that he had to sacrifice his entire family to do so!
Apollo step closer to his father and said in a gentle voice, "How long before you're ready Commander!"
Adama looked up from his work and saw the sadness in his son's eyes.
"Give me just five more centons Apollo! Five more centons and we'll be able to stop the Cylons for good!"
"You'll have you're five centons." Apollo said, then he turned to walk off the bridge, stopping to kiss his son on the head before going to face his destiny.
At the new barricade, Starbuck and Boomer had done all they could to build a wall that would slow down the Cylons. It was nearly five metrons thick and went from one side of the corridor to the other and all the way to the overhead, it would be the last barrier keeping the Cylons from the bridge. But would it be enough?
Apollo returned to find the last few defenders peering thru the barricade, looking for the Cylons. He stepped up next to Boomer and Starbuck and peeked over their shoulders.
"Any sign of them yet?"
"Not yet, but the laser cannon firing stopped about two centons ago so it's a good bet they've taken Ballar." Boomer said. He looked at Apollo and said, "Starbuck told me. That was one gutsy Warrior."
"Yeah, he sure was!" Apollo said sadly, remembering the badly wounded man, sitting there firing away with one of his legs blown off. He thought that he may never have known a Warrior with so much courage as Ballar showed.
His revere was broken by the sound foot falls moving down the corridor toward them. He pulled his laser out of its holster and readied himself for what was about to transpire. Glancing to his right, he saw Starbuck, Boomer, Athena, Rigel, Hilts, Web and several others whose names he didn't know, all readying themselves as well. This would be their last battle, and he was sure it would be one for the ages!
As soon as the first Cylons came within sight, one of the med techs/turned Warrior began firing. He had not meant to, but the terror of seeing a real "living" Cylon Centurion for the first time made the fear inside him rise up and he tightened his grip on the laser pistol Athena had given him. At least he had remembered to take the safety off!
The blast missed hitting the Cylons by a good metron and gave away the mans position behind the barricade. The Centurion raised the grenade launcher it carried and sent a grenade right where the tech was hiding. The barricade exploded in the spot where the man stood, killing him instantly and wounding the man next to him. Boomer and Starbuck both fired at the Centurion with the grenade launcher and destroyed it. But it was followed by two more Centurions with grenade launchers, and they employed them with devastating results.
The first two shots launched by the Cylons hit on either side of the first one, widening the gap and injuring two more people. The next volley hit just to the right of the gap, knocking part of the barricade down on top of one of the defenders, crushing him. Web and Hilts jumped into the gap and began throwing whatever they could into the hole the grenades had opened up while the others gave them cover fire. Boomer and Athena took out the two Centurions with the grenade launchers, but they were followed up by a full phalanx of Centurions firing laser rifles. It looked as if the Cylons were making their final push.
Adama had just finished making the last connection when he heard the explosions just outside the bridge. He knew his time was running out fast and prayed that they would finish before the Cylons made it to the bridge.
Tigh and Omega were underneath the command podium rerouting the connections to the self-destruct detonators when they heard the explosions. They exchanged a look, both knowing that their time was running out. They returned to their work.
Apollo and the rest of the defenders at the barricade were desperately trying to hold their position, but the Cylons were simply not going to be denied this time as they charged ahead, heedless of the concentrated fire of the Colonial Warriors. Even thou they were falling by the score, the Cylons continued forward until they had reached the barricade, where they began tearing it apart by hand.
Apollo was firing at the Cylons at point blank range now, at times his laser pistol was less then a metron away from the target. He took aim at yet another Cylon when out of nowhere, a hand came thru the barricade and grabbed him by the wrist.
A Cylon hand!
He yelled in pain as the mechanical hand began to tighten on his wrist, causing the bones to snap. Apollo tried to pull away, but the iron grip of the Cylon was unbreakable. Starbuck saw his friend's predicament and quickly fired off three shots at the Cylons arm, blowing it free of the Cylon. Apollo pried it loose, allowing it to fall to the deck.
"You almost hit me!" Apollo said incredulously.
"Would you rather I'd let that thing pull your arm off?" Starbuck shot back as he continued to fire at the Cylons.
"We should pull back!" Hilts yelled as he fired at a Cylon that was less then a metron away.
"There's no place to fall back to!" Apollo shouted. "We have to hold them here!"
Another grenade bounced off the overhead and landed near Apollo and Starbuck. Neither of them could get away from the grenade and would have certainly perished if not for the quick and selfless action of Ensign Hilts, who threw his body on top of the grenade a split micron before it detonated. The force of the blast blew Hilts off the deck half a metron, his body taking the brunt of the explosion. Apollo and Starbuck both moved down to see if there was anything they could do, but it was too late.
Apollo looked back at the barricade. Web was trying to hold back a group of Cylons that had forced their way thru the wall. He and Starbuck seen this at the same time and began lending their support, firing at the intruders. They were able to drive them back, but not before Web had taken a laser blast to the head, killing him instantly.
Athena, Boomer and Rigel were still holding their own on the barricade but it was only a matter of microns before they were overwhelmed. Apollo made a quick decision to fall back to the bridge. He only hoped that his father was ready!
"How's much longer Tigh?"Adama asked expectantly. "From the sound of things, I don't think we have more then a centon!"
Tigh crawled out from under the command podium, covered with grease and dust.
"We're finished Commander! Omega is making the last connection now." Tigh told him. "Once that's done, you can activate the self-destruct from your station."
"Good work Tigh, from what I can hear from the corridor, we are out of time!"
At that moment, the blast doors to the bridge slide open. Apollo, Athena, Boomer, Rigel and Starbuck ran onto the bridge, firing round after round back down the corridor while dodging laser bolts coming from the passageway. Rigel jumped to the side of the door and as soon as Apollo and Boomer were thru the door, she hit the control to close it. The door was half way shut when a pair of grenades landed in the doorway and exploded. The blast from the grenades couldn't damage the huge blast door, but the shrapnel from them did hit the control panel, destroying the controls and causing the door to stop, leaving about a two metron gap. The blast also caught Rigel, who was moving away from the door seeking some sort of cover. She took several pieces of metal in the back and legs, sending her to the deck unconscious.
The rest of the Galactica Warriors were able to find cover behind the consoles on the bridge and began laying down a murderous crossfire on the small gap in the entry. Adama made his way over to where Apollo had taken refuge.
"I'm sorry father, but we couldn't hold them back any longer!" Apollo told his father.
"I think you held them long enough! Omega is making the last connection. Once he's done, I'll set off the self-destruct from the main console on the podium." Adama told him.
"How does it work?" Apollo asked, adding "Just in case you can't get to the switch and one of us has to do it!"
"All you have to do is flip the Alpha one switch on the main grid panel and ten microns later…….boom! The Cylons are history."
At that moment several canisters came flying thru the door. As soon as they hit the deck, they began emitting a hissing sound along with a cloud of smoke. At first they appeared to be nothing more then smoke grenades, meant to cover the movements of the Cylons outside the blast door, but as the smoke spread, Adama realized the Cylons were using gas!
"Cover your faces, quickly! Those are gas canisters." Adama yelled as he made a run for the steps to the command podium. Apollo and Starbuck raised up and started to give him cover fire, but were overcome by the gas and fell to the deck. Athena was still trying to cover her face with a piece of cloth when the gas sent her unconscious to the deck. Boomer managed to tie a piece of cloth around his nose and mouth, but it did him no good. The gas the Cylons were using worked thru osmosis, needing only to contact the skin to work.
Adama struggled up the steps to the command podium, crawling on his hands and knees to the main console. The gas was making it difficult for him to think, his eyes were watery and his eyelids weighed a thousand kilons. Adama struggled to pull himself up to where he could see the console. His vision blurred and the room seemed to tilt as he fought to maintain focus for just a few more microns.
With great effort, Adama managed to pull himself up high enough to where he could see the console. He tried to focus on the panels, searching for the one he needed, but he was so tired! What switch was it he had to flip? He couldn't remember! Alpha one, that was it, Alpha one. He tried to clear his head, all he needed was a couple of microns of clear thought and he would end this war forever! He would destroy the hated Cylons and allow his people to make good their escape.
All he had to do was flip the switch!
Adama reach across the console toward the top row of switches. They seemed so far away! To him, his arm seemed to stretch of into the distance, much like a laser bolt sailing off into space, it looked as if it just went on forever.
Adama continued to reach for the switches, but they seemed to be moving farther and farther away, then all he could see was the lights in the overhead. He must have fallen over. He struggled to sit upright again but he couldn't will himself to move.
He heard a sound.
A repetitive, whirring sound.
He knew that sound, but where he had heard it he couldn't remember.
It was getting louder. Moving closer.
Adama's head turned to one side as he tried to see where the sound was coming from, but he still could see nothing. His brain was beginning to shut down on him. He caught the glint of light reflecting off of something nearby. It was moving closer to him, a large, bright, shinny object.
The whirring sound was much louder now.
What was it?
The object stopped right next to him.
A bright red light, moving back and forth.
The sound was coming from the object!
What was it?
A Cylon!
That's what it was.
A Cylon, standing right over him.
He had to move. He had to find a weapon and destroy it before it could destroy him.
But nothing worked!
Not his arms. Not his legs. Not even his mouth!
He was helpless.
As the blackness of unconsciousness closed in on him, Adama heard the electronic voice of the Cylon.
"By your command! The Galactica has been secured. We have taken Commander Adama alive!"
Adama heard nothing more after that, having finally succumbed to the effects of the gas.