Cimtar Station
Commander James Vinn, followed by a squad of Marines, entered the Operations Center. What he saw was Sagremor seated in a chair with Hunter hovering over him with a SMG. Runa was watching the unarmed gunmen that had been forced to huddle together, hands on their heads.
He sighed and walked over to Sagremor. The gangster, however spoke first.
"You promised me clemency. I expect you to honor it." His tone did not portray a beaten man but one who still believed was controlling the game. "And tell this copper to get that gun out of my face." His eyes looked up at Hunter for all of a moment before returning to gaze upon the commander.
"You tried to destroy my ship and in a time of war, that's treason punishable by death. Only the president can give you a pardon for treason and as you can see, Adar isn't here."
"Why you-."
"Settle down." Hunter shoved the muzzle of his weapon into Sagremor's developed pecs.
Behind them, entered the red-bearded Chief Engineer Objo who immediately went over to one of the consoles. He brought up the inventory and as he waited, glanced around under the red glow of emergency lighting. "I suppose the main power conduit will be the first thing needing fixing." He glanced over at Hunter then sighed. "Frak." He cursed under his breath. "As I expected, Commander. They don't have a power converter."
Vinn turned to Sagremor who only shrugged at first but seeing an opportunity to ingratiate himself, soon spoke up. "I might be able to find a power converter if the terms were beneficial."
"Don't bother." Objo scoffed, shaking his head at the gangster's audacity. "These power converters can only be found on one type of ship."
"Battlestars." Vinn responded as he rubbed his own snow-white beard. "Any chance another model would work?"
Objo shook his head. "It has to be a battlestar power converter and I'm telling you now; we won't be making any more jumps unless I can get my hands on one."
"I see." The commander said as he took a vacant chair near Sagremor. "Anything else?"
"I would have to study their inventory but much of what I'll need, if not here, can come from non-military sources." Objo then addressed Sagremor directly. "How many workers do you have on this station?"
Sagremor didn't answer so Hunter gave him incentive by pressing the muzzle of his SMG into his side again. "For a project of this size, I'd need a whole lot more. That'll cost you money but then you could try recruiting yourself but that'll only draw attention and bring out the Toasters." He smirked. "Not to mention parts…It looks like you need me after all, Commander."
Vinn didn't respond and instead joined Objo. "Well Major, tell me how we can replicate this converter or at least fix ours to some degree."
"I hate to be harping on this, Sir but we can't clone this baby even if I wanted to. It has to be a battlestar converter, period. I suppose we could get one from the Scorpian Shipyards if it is still in one piece."
Both men looked at each other, knowing full well what that would mean.
"Giles and Ortega never returned from their recon mission but I can assume the Cylon forces at the Colonies are particularly massive."
"Even so, that's probably the only location for a very critical part. Without it, at sublight speeds, it'll take us 20 yahrens just to reach the Colonies." Objo paused. "I'm a patient man but even I am not that patient."
Vinn clenched his hands together. "I'll keep it under advisement." He finally said. "Right now, I need you to get main power back on line."
Objo nodded, willing to let the previous topic sit for now and with a few engineers he brought over with him, proceeded to begin repairs.
"Ensign, I want you to secure this station. I won't berth the Columbia until I have your assurances."
Runa also nodded but under the commander's gaze, felt the burden of what was asked. She motioned to Sergeant Webb, who as senior NCO, had become, ultimately, the most significant person to her job. His experience outweighed hers by yahrens. If he disliked taking orders from this rookie, he didn't display it, at least in her presence.
"Even if you get your ship repaired Commander, what then?" Asked Sagremor. "By what you're telling me, one lone battlestar is not going to do a damn thing to change the outcome of this war, as short lived as it was."
"We're not dead yet, Mr. Sagremor." Vinn answered as he walked over to the windows where he had a rather depressing view of his wounded ship, her battle scars so clearly seen, it was a wonder that she was still around at all. The only life seem to be the Raptors and Vipers moving about her, like skreeters to a bova. "Just a flesh wound…" He whispered.
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Virgon
Giles was lying in the back of the car as Deitra checked his dressing and gave him her only morph shot from her personal med kit.
"He needs to see a doc in a bad way." She said.
They had stopped in a secluded area where debris offered some cover. The hospital that had been their original destination had been gutted by fire and a small clinic, Ortega had remembered, was ransacked and looted. They were low on anti-rad meds, little alone much needed medical supplies.
"You might have noticed that the city has changed a little since I was here last." He said rather harshly. "Been avoiding Toasters but it's only a matter of time."
The sound of a raider soaring past overhead made them both look out the dirty and cracked windshield. It was soon lost among the billowing black smoke and deserted skyscrapers.
"What I wouldn't do for some Ambrosia right now…" Ortega commented, as he looked skyward to see if there were more raiders lurking.
"You have your emergency beacon?" She asked, having played medic since they got in the car.
"The only response would be from the Toasters. The Fleet, well it doesn't look all that good up there." The memory of seeing derelict Colonial warships or their debris littering the home system made him shudder. Would even the Columbia risk looking for them in what was - within mere centares - behind enemy lines.
He heard something and looked outside again, assuming it was another raider but it was closer to the ground. He was prepared to press the accelerator in a last desperate act to avoid capture or death. What appeared in his rear view mirror was a spinner.
A spinner was a vehicle that could drive on the ground like conventional cars or hover at 312 maxim.
Ortega turned to look at Deitra but did not say anything as he got out of the car. Toasters, he reasoned, didn't drive spinners. He began waving his arms in an attempt to be noticed by the pilot and figured he looked like a raving lunatic.
He assumed they hadn't been spotted until the spinner banked toward them, hovering not to far away; the dark windshield prevented the pilot being seen. It landed and an older man carrying a shotgun, followed by two others emerged.
"A warrior." The man with the shotgun said. There was an obvious sign of respect in how he said it, usually from someone whose worn the uniform. His companions were not as trusting, guns still at the ready. They had been fooled by humano-Cylons before and friends had paid the ultimate price for it.
Ortega had been fooled as well and a great uneasiness began to swell between the groups. "I'm with the Colonial Fleet." He finally said.
The old man turned to one of his companions. "Put down your gun, Charka."
Charka was hesitant. "They could be Toasters…"
Deitra exited the car to see the drama unfolding. When her eyes fell on the old man, she gasped. "Lords of Kobol…David Kronus."
Ortega didn't look at her as he asked, "What are you talking about?"
"Commander David Kronus." She looked surprised that the other warrior had no recollection. "He commanded the Fourth Fleet at the Battle of Cosmora Archipelago during the last war. Took out three Cylon basestars." When Ortega did not say anything, she continued. "609 Virginis."
"I know when it was." He snapped. "Shouldn't he be dead by now?"
Kronus replied with a wry smile. "I'm still breathing. Sorry to disappoint you."
"What are we doing? They could be Cylons!" Charka aimed his gun, ready to fire. "We've seen what they are capable of."
Kronus placed his hand on the barrel of Charka's gun and pushed it toward the ground. "Yes we have." The old man's expression was grim.
"We have seen these androids." Ortega commented.
"They are more sophisticated than androids." Kronus' words were barely above a whisper.
"Listen, I'm Lieutenant Gedrin, not some fraking Cylon!" Deitra exclaimed out of frustration. "We have a wounded man in the car and I'm sure you'd agree that being out in the open like this is fraking crazy."
Kronus motioned for the other man with him to check it out. He looked through the window, nodding confirmation.
"Help Damon take the wounded man aboard." Ordered the elderly commander. On seeing Charka being rather insolent, added. "We can continue this at the compound."
Charka cursed under his breath as he made his way to the car and assisted Damon in carrying Giles over to the spinner.
Kronus motioned the other warrior to get aboard as well. Deitra noticed that the usually high tech spinner controls were reduced to dozens of wires hooked to an outdated flight computer.
The commander noticed her surprise. "I've been fighting Cylons before you were born, Lieutenant. Everyone please buckle in. Damon, see to the wounded. Charka, get us home."
The spinner lifted off the ground and sped off toward the snow peaked mountains in the distance.
'How did you find us?" Ortega asked, glancing out the darkened window at the pulverized city slipping pass.
"Infrared. We've attempted to find as many survivors as we could…" Kronus drifted off.
"We should head for the Colonial forces base near Artemis. See what the situation is."
Kronus did not answer Ortega but Charka did. "The base was destroyed. The Toasters have been using it as a deployment point."
"The marines' barracks?" The flight sergeant continued but with no reply this time, gathered what happened.
The veteran commander took notice of their different ship badges. "I take it the situation up there is not all that different than down here?"
Neither Ortega nor Deitra answered him and it got uncomfortably quiet in the cramped confines of the spinner. The view outside the tinted windows did not lift spirits as distant plumes of smoke lifting above nearby cities covered the horizon.
"How could this happen!" Charka exclaimed, his eyes ahead as he piloted the craft. "Where was our great fleet when the Toasters came? Asleep, to lazy to fight…our tax cubits at work."
"That is enough Charka!" Kronus' commanding tone appeared to silence his outspoken companion but even Damon had accusing eyes for the warriors.
Little else was said as the spinner moved away from the zone of destruction and toward the towering mountains. It appeared to be snowing but that was simply nuclear fallout, making much of the plateau near the city radiated. They were going beyond this. A few towns, within the fallout zone, were macabre…Untouched, yet not one person to be seen.
Their destination was a compound composed of one modestly sized building and at least four others amongst the white snow and slightly beyond, the majestic peaks.
"We're here." Kronus finally said and left his seat to pass Ortega and Deitra parkas. "You'll be needing these."
"What is this place?" Asked Ortega as he slipped on the parka.
"My home." The commander didn't elaborate as he returned to his seat for the landing.
As they exited, Kronus ordered that Giles be taken to the doctor at once. Again, his tone was such that he expected no dissension. However, those he commanded did not carry themselves like warriors.
A young dark-haired woman had met them. She looked suspiciously at Ortega and Deitra as she addressed Kronus. "We found another ten survivors in Artemis."
"Good, good." Kronus turned to the warriors. "Aurora Sykes. My much needed right hand." He then introduced Ortega and Deitra to her.
"What is President Adar planning to do?" Aurora asked, her arms crossed, seeming oblivious to the chill that Ortega felt, even with wearing the parka.
Deitra hadn't heard anything, having crashed on Virgon but Ortega did. He sighed at first. "Caprica and Picon were also attacked. I don't know about the other colonies but the extent of Cylon forces in the system…I expect much the same."
Aurora looked down at her feet and then abruptly turned and walked back toward the compound.
"We best get inside." Kronus ushered his guests toward the compound as well. What was surprising was that upon entering, they took stairs leading downward at a 45-degree angle; into the rock itself. This cave, for lack of a better word, was illuminated at intervals with several 'rooms' carved out.
In these rooms were men, women and children. Grief and fear were also occupants. The sudden Cylon attack had destroyed their lives forever.
As they passed, some of these people did gaze upon them but with any lack of hope materializing in their expressions. The invasion had been so overwhelming that little had faith in the Defense Force to be able to mount a credible counter-offensive. Seeing warriors didn't necessarily heighten their spirits.
"What is this place?" Asked Deitra.
"It had been used by a smuggler." Kronus explained. "There are ore in these walls that make scanning nearly impossible. Best place to hide, really." It was obvious that the old First War veteran disliked hiding.
"Eventually the Toasters will move out…" The Atlantia lieutenant added.
"I assume as much but for now, these people need sanctuary."
"We need to get back to the Columbia." Ortega commented. "Do you know of any bases, outposts that survived?"
Kronus scoffed. "The Cylons nuked us, Sergeant. There isn't an operational base on the entire planet. I heard Adar had given an unconditional surrender. I can only assume our enemy didn't accept it."
"Anybody from the Defense Force here?" Continued a frustrated Ortega.
The commander shook his head. "Only scared civilians."
The flight sergeant scowled. He wanted desperately to return to the Columbia and these people were not going to be of any help unless they had a spacecraft hidden in these tunnels.
As they were walking, Ortega stopped upon seeing something in one of the rooms. He took it upon himself to investigate, forcing the others to back track to him.
Inside was a white-haired man analyzing a dismantled Toaster, the bullet hold in the head being the obvious sign of termination.
"What the Hades…" Was all the noncom warrior could say.
"Let me introduce you to Dr. Bastian Wilker." Kronus smiled. "Our resident scientist."
Wilker sighed at the intrusion but was respectful enough not to show his displeasure in front of his benefactor.
'The first thing you will notice is that they don't look anything like Model 0005." Wilker explained, holding out a book with the image of the old Cylon centurion. "Except for the visual sensor…The red eye." He lifted an amputated arm. "They don't have to carry their weapon, as previously programmed…Assault rifles with bayonets or the swords, though I don't quite understand why they needed swords…Anyway they were ingeniously reconfigured, after all they are machines, so that they have built in rapid fire guns. Of course, they have no muscle but theses hydraulics allows them to react faster and move faster. Impressive…" He noticed that the three with him did not share his enthusiasm and quickly lost his smile. "With all their upgrades, they still have a basic processor for a brain, not much different than the munitions factories were making a half a century ago. They are lethal killing machines but are not sentient as we would define it."
"Anyway to kill it?" Ortega leaned over the Cylon. "Other than a bullet to the head?"
"Their frame is not bulletproof but they can withstand quite a few rounds before being incapacitated. Unlike ourselves." Wilker put the arm back on the table.
"Why are they so intent on destroying us?" Whispered Deitra.
"Felgercarb!" Ortega pulled out his sidearm. "We cap every one of those motherfrakers and end this!"
Kronus sighed. "My first concern is these people."
"You fought them in the last war, Commander. I thought that you of all people would want to get back at them." Ortega holstered his pistol but he was still angry, not liking the idea of doing nothing.
"Yes, I fought them, got the Gold Cluster for my efforts but it doesn't change the reality of the here and now. The situation is different. The Defense Force forgot what the enemy was capable of and we suffered for it. You want to go back to Spica City and shoot some Cylons, go ahead. There will be a hundred, a thousand to replace them and we'll end up finding your corpse. You'd have died the hero, maybe get your own Gold Cluster if there is anyone left to present it." The old commander was more than frustrated. He had heard this argument before, from inexperienced civilians who thought putting a gun in their hands made them instant warriors. Many died.
"We can't sit idly by if the Toasters are intent on killing us off as a species." Deitra was still looking at the centurion.
"We retreat and regroup. It is the logical course of action. Fighting, even for revenge, will lead to untold casualties and for nothing. No, we must catch our breath." Kronus looked at a map of Virgon that had been taped to a cabinet. On it, was the number of survivors found at various locations.
"You can't stay here." Deitra finally looked away from the Cylon. "They will come here and all these people you care so much about will be massacred."
"And where would you have me take them? Back to the cities? If I could get them off Virgon, I would but I am no magician, Lieutenant. I must deal with facts of what is, not what I'd like it to be. You best get use to that."
"What if you could get them off Virgon?" Ortega sat in a chair, regardless of the presence of officers.
Kronus chuckled. "The spaceport is crawling with Cylons and my spinner doesn't ascend into the heavens. This is the best place to be."
"What are your warrior friends trying to do? Have us commit suicide?" Another, younger man, who, judging by his clothes, came from wealth had strolled in.
"Olin Karibdis." Kronus then introduced the man to the others.
"Karibdis? As in Karibdis Starlines?" Deitra ignored the obvious arrogance of the newcomer, who even in this Holocaust, behaved as if he was in his private club or boardroom.
"The one and the same, my dear." It went with his ego to be recognized. "I was Colonial Finances' Man of the Year."
"Sorry, never saw it. You don't use the facilities at the spaceport to service your ships…The Karibdis Comosdrome." She continued with a smile.
"At Panna, or thereabouts." Added Ortega, now intrigued.
"You think you could reach Panna? Hasn't our good commander filled you in? There are many Cylons between here and there that would gladly kill us." Karibdis snorted. "If this is the military's thinking, no wonder we lost."
Ortega jumped at him and would have brought down his fists many times if not for the intervention of Deitra who restrained him. "Let it go!" She exclaimed. "Sergeant." Adding his rank to make it clear that it was an order not a suggestion.
"The Cylons may have already infiltrated the cosmodrome." Kronus finally spoke. "You couldn't bring it here to pick up the people, they would have to go to it. I don't have enough spinners for that and if we failed, you would jeopardize these people's lives. We are still safer here."
"If we don't try, the Cylons will consolidate their hold and we'll never get off this planet. At least, I'd like to try." The red-haired lieutenant crossed her arms in defiance.
"I agree with the Lieutenant." Now Aurora graced their presence. "I received word of massacres among the survivors in Fecioara." She paused. "The Cylons killed everyone, even those who surrendered."
Fecioara was a remote city of less than 30,000. Hardly a hub of major activity yet it was not spared.
"They have been spotted in the Bakin Valley as well." She added. The valley was even more sparsely populated.
"Let us take a look and we can go from there." Deitra knew how risky it was but the Cylons were not giving them much of a choice. It was not 'if' but 'when' they would be discovered. The Cylons wouldn't have to send centurions, a lone raider could take out the compound and they would be defenseless to stop it.
Kronus looked back at the map, then Aurora and finally Deitra. He simply nodded.
Deitra motioned for Ortega but before leaving the room, spoke to Wilker. "Put the Toaster back together."
"Why? I mean, it certainly isn't going to work, I'm sorry to say it's a bit more complicated than that."
"I don't need it up and running. As long as that eye goes back and forth is fine by me." She then left with the flight sergeant. In the hall, Ortega asked her what that was about.
"Not sure but I'd like to keep my options open." She replied as they headed outside to one of the few spinners.