When Two Tribes Go To War… (Part 2)
It was the Pillars of Hercules that fired the first shot of the battle, her 180 ELS missile tubes each firing 8 anti-ship missiles a seconded into the cloud of Cylon raiders. Most connected with the nimble fighters, but some found their way through to the Basestar's beyond, slamming into the capital ships with the kinetic equivalent of a tactical nuclear missile.
Fighters from the Centurion Magnus and Galactica stayed to the side of the warship's firing arch, the more heavily armed Tarazed-based RF-42 Centaur tactical fighters tacking the lead as they dived into the Cylon ranks, AP-cannon's firing, smart-missiles tracking targets. The more nimble RA-26 Shrike strike fighters and Colonial Viper's setting up a picket to tackle any Colon's that tried to make it past the Hercules or Galactica to the civilian fleet beyond.
"Hold her steady Starbuck: now's not the time for showing off." Commander Adama stood behind the young Lieutenant, "This is a transport, not a Viper."
"I know that sir." Starbuck dodged to the side, just avoiding a Cylon attack, "But they shoot at us just the same!"
"I'll see what I can do about that." Adama lifted the radio to his lips, "This is Colonial One to Galactica: requesting covering fire."
"Rodger that Colonial One." Lieutenant Gaeta's voice came back over the link, "Beginning enemy suppression barrage now!"
Banks of twin Rail Guns turrets opened up along the back and sides of the Galactica, filling the void with projectiles that ripped into the Cylon fleet from the other side.
Several squadrons of Raiders broke off their attack to deal with the two Warships, attempting to access the Pillars of Hercules' mainframe.
"Admiral, I have several independent systems trying to brake through my firewall." Rommie reported as she ran through the door into Command just behind Telemachus, "It's nothing I can't handle, but I may have to divert more of my runtime to deal with it if those Basestar's start to mess with me."
"What can I do to help?" Telemachus asked, activating the portable holo-projector that was linked to the chip taken from Dr. Baltar's head, "And you can start talking." He added as Number Six blinked into existence.
"I have already said that I will do anything I can to help." The Cylon agent looked hurt that they didn't trust her, "I want Gaius to live, and that means this ship has to survive."
"Why are you so interested in weaver or not he survives?" Rommie asked, taking her position at the weapons console.
"Because I love him."
"FRACK!" Starbuck pulled back hard on the controls of the Presidents transport, "We got a Cylon on our tail!"
"Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!" Apollo grabbed the radio, "This is Colonial One: we are under attack and require assistance!"
A series of cracks and whistles filled the airways, followed by a synthesised voice, "Hold on Colonial One: I have you."
A sleek Shrike strike fighter shot past the view port at a considerable percentage of light speed, its Anti-Proton cannon firing at the perusing raider, cutting the drone ship in two, the left wing spinning away helplessly. The ship then flipped over and raced back past the shocked Colonials, rejoining the fight.
"We have SO got to get some of those!" Starbuck looked at the still accelerating fighter with a slight glint in her eye.
"Basestars now within range of the main cannons." Lieutenant Gaeta looked at the main sensor screen, "Energy coils charged and ready."
"Target the nearest Basestar and get me a targeting solution, firing-point procedure." Colonel Tigh stood like an oasis of calm in the middle of the pandemonium that was CIC, "Helm, bring us round to firing position."
"Firing position Aye." Captain Kelly nodded, "90-degree positive on the bow, 90-negative on the stern." The Galactica started to respond, and the 4,500ft long Battlestar started to turn, pointing her snub nose at the Cylon fleet. "Firing position achieved, Sir!"
"Do we have a targeting solution?" Colonel Tigh asked the room in general, his hands clasped behind his back.
"Confirmed: we have a targeting solution locked into the firing computer." Lieutenant Gaeta nodded.
"Ready cannons one and two." Tigh barked his orders, "Fire in the hole!"
Two of the huge cannon barrels in the bow of the Galactica glowed for a moment, the with twin bight flashes, fired huge nickel/iron slugs at the Cylon ship at almost half the speed of light.
Weaver by skill, luck, or divine providence, both rounds struck their target, snapping one of the spines off the Basestar, sending the ship spinning, temporally out of control.
"I think we can do better than that, don't you?" Telemachus looked at Rommie and winked, "Let's show them what we've got."
"Target acquired." The A.I. grinned, "Firing AP cannon's 1-through-8."
Glowing spheres of anti-mater flickered across the gap between the Pillars of Hercules and a nearby Basestar, tearing through the armour and setting off explosions inside the ship. The High Guard ship kept firing as it moved to the side, tracing a line of fire across the Basestar's hull.
They didn't notice the two Cylon raiders appear behind them till it was to late.
"Raiders, 6-o'clock low!" Rommie yelled out a warning as the two drones fired their missiles at the rear of the Destroyer.
"Brace for impact!" Telemachus ordered a split second before the nuclear-tipped weapons struck the ship and detonated.
"Lords of Kobol protect them!" Adama saw the bight flash appear behind the High Guard starship just as the Presidential transport entered the Galactica's port landing bay.
The entire ship shook as the twin nukes went off against the Pillars of Hercules, ripping great rents in her armour, the energy discharge blowing surge protectors across half the ship.
Rommie gripped the weapons console, her face clenched as the damage reports flooded her system, represented by pain signals in her android body.
"Report!" Telemachus gripped the pilot's station with all his strength.
"That hurt, a lot: we've lost power relays across most the rear decks, taking life support and internal defences offline." Rommie winced as a panel exploded in a shower of sparks, "They've also taken out the starboard engines: we can't do better than 10-PSL. I can't control weapons, point defence and fight off the Cylons all at once: it's taking too much of my run-time."
"Let me help." Number Six looked worried, "I've as much to lose as you do if this ship is destroyed."
"It's your call Admiral." Rommie looked at Telemachus.
"Do it: give her partial control of the Point-defence Lasers." The Nietzschean nodded, "See if she can handle it."
"I'm on it." Rommie nodded, linking the portable holo-projector to the rest of the ship's A.I. network.
Number Six felt a huge rush as her personal universe expanded to fill the huge databanks of the Hercules' computer core, "Whoa!"
"Indeed." Rommie appeared before her, towering above the Cylon agent, "In here, I am god: you try and betray us, and I will crush you." Her hand appeared below Number Six, lifting her up, "Understood?"
"I understand: I just want to keep Gaius alive."
"Report!" Adama ran through the hatch into CIC, President Roslin following like the tail of an angry commit.
"The Pillars of Hercules took two 20-megaton hits to the stern, but appears to be recovering." Lieutenant Gaeta looked at a secondary monitor, "Her main drive appears to be off-line, but she's corrected her spin and is still firing."
"Tacks a licking and keeps on ticking." Colonel Tigh was impressed, "I'd like to get a look at her structural integrity systems."
"We have to survive this fight first my friend." Adama looked ragged, "Helm, bring us around the other side of the Basestar's: let's see if we can catch them in a crossfire."
"We're down to 1% AP-reserves." Rommie looked up from the main display.
"Cut the main drive: manoeuvring thrusters only." Telemachus nodded, "Feed everything we have left in the AP-cannons and target the nearest Basestar, full power."
"Target locked; firing."
The remaining Anti-Protons leapt across the gap between the Hercules and the Cylon ship, slamming into the Basestar with devastating results: the ship was engulfed in a ball of plasma as its main reactor went critical.
The other four Basestar's split into pairs and targeted the Hercules and Galactica.
"We're in position sir." Captain Kelly looked over to Commander Adama, "We have firing solution for cannons three and four."
"Lock targets, firing-point procedure." Adama nodded, "Fire in the hole."
Another pair of huge nickel/iron slugs shit across the void, one missing wide as the target Basestar twisted, but the other struck home, badly damaging the Cylon ship.
The return volley was instantaneous and devastating.
"Incoming ordinance!" Lieutenant Gaeta called out in alarm.
"Incoming missiles!" Rommie looked at the main screen, here eyes wide.
The Galactica was the first to me hit, taking a pair of 20-megaton nukes along her back.
The explosion's rocked the entire ship as the massive energy discharge flashed from stem to stern, knocking people from their feet and buckling hull plating.
The Hercules fared slightly better; her PDL's where able to stop one of the missiles, but she took the other on the forward hull, severing a pylon and sending it spinning of into space.
"That hurt!" Rommie looked like she was in physical pain, "We can't hold them Admiral: our fighters are holding their own, but we're almost out of missiles. When they're gone, we're as defenceless as the civilian ship's."
"Full power to manoeuvring thrusters." Telemachus grabbed the helm controls, "Give me ramming speed."
"Ramming speed Aye." Rommie nodded.
"What are you doing?" Number Six looked shocked.
"The only thing we can." Rommie turned to face her, "Taking one of them with us…"
"Damage report." Adama pulled himself to his feet.
"Damage to deck's one and two on the outer hull." Colonel Tigh looked at the display screen, "We've lost weapons bays twelve through eighteen."
"Sir, the Hercules is moving!" Lieutenant Gaeta was bent over the one working sensor screen, "She's powered up her dive and is heading towards the Cylons."
"By the Lords of Kobol!" Adama looked pale, "Don't tell me that their about to do what I think their about to do?"
"Confirmed sir: the Pillars of Hercules is on a collision cores with a Basestar."
"30 seconds to impact." Rommie looked at the main screen, the Basestar growing larger all the time.
"Full spread of offensive missiles, everything we have!" Telemachus yelled.
"Missiles away!"
At point blank range there was no way for the Cylons to react as the missiles flashed across the ever decreasing gap between the two ships, clawing at the already weakened armour. Huge rents appeared in the armour, explosions rocked the Basestar from one end to the other.
Then a critical system took too much damage and failed, setting of a chair reaction, and the Basestar disappeared in a cloud of flame and debris.
Everyone on the Galactica's bridge looked at the main screen in silence as the static started to clear.
"Negative contact…" Lieutenant Gaeta was still hunched over the scanner, "Interference fading…"
Starbuck found herself holding her breath, here eyes fixed on the expanding cloud of flame and debris just to the port side of her Viper's nose: Apollo had lead the way as they'd ran from Colonial One to the launch bay, covering the distance in record time.
"You see anything Apollo?" She asked tentatively.
"Nothing..." He replied, his own Viper slightly ahead of hers, "Nothing on the screen…"
"Hold on: I'm getting something!" Lieutenant Gaeta's eyes where almost touching the screen now, "Something's moving!"
"Lords of Kobol!" Apollo exclaimed as the Pillars of Hercules erupted from the fireball like a phoenix from the flames, huge rents in her armour showing where parts of the destroyed Basestar had struck her hull.
"She's clear!" Gaeta shouted, half the Galactica's commanded staff cheering the news, the other half still shocked by what had happened, "Sir, we're receiving a hail from Admiral Rhade."
"Put him through." Adama felt his mouth go dry.
"Commander, I don't know about you, but we're almost out of the fight." The Nietzschean sounded tired, "We have no fuel and almost to no missiles."
"What do you sugest?"
"I think we should order those Civilian ship's that can to jump out to another system, and have the Centurion Magnus and her fighters meet them there and escort them to safety."
"What about the Hercules and Galactica?"
"Our slipstream drive is still offline, and we have no way to fix it: we're not going anywhere. If you can make the jump, do so: we'll keep the Cylons off your back long enough for you to recall your fighters."
"You don't have to do this Admiral: it's not your fight."
"Never said it was. Good luck Commander." With that, the link went dead.
"You should try and get to an escape pod." Rommie looked at Telemachus, "There are still a few slip-capable ones nearby."
"What about you?" The Nietzschean raised an eyebrow, "This isn't your fight anymore than it is mine."
"Someone has to say behind." Rommie gripped the controls for support as the ship shook violently, "And I can't pilot slipstream."
"What about Gaius?" Number Six was still trapped inside the confines of the portable projectors field.
"Order all crewmembers to abandon ship." Telemachus looked at the main screen, "Have the Magnus pick them up, and order the Slipfighter's to follow her into slipstream."
"The Commonwealth starship appears to have been badly damaged."
"Can you scan them?"
"We are able to scan parts of the ship: there are several life-forms aboard: both human and unknown."
"Fascinating: record everything you can about the unknowns for future analysis."
"By your command."
"Commander, the first of the Civilian ship's reports ready to jump." Captain Kelly stood at the communications station, "Approximately 1/3rd of the fleet is unable to make jump."
"There's nothing more we can do for them." Adama bowed his head, "Recall all fighters, spin-up FTL drives one and two."
"Admiral, I must insist that you get to an escape pod before it's too late."
"I'll go when you go; not a moment before."
"The automated systems are failing: my presence here is the only thing keeping the Cylons from taking over."
"Then I guess we're both stuck here…"
"That's the last of our fighters." Colonel Tigh stood at the C.A.G.'s duty station, "We lost a few, but those Commonwealth ships sure did even up the odds."
"We got lucky." Adama looked grim, "Prepare ship for jump!"
"Sir; massive energy displacement 12,000-km of the port bow!" Lieutenant Gaeta looked like he'd seen a ghost, "Receiving transmission."
"Put it through." Adama span round.
"Attention Cylon vessels: the is the Systems Commonwealth starship Wrath of Achilles." A new voice came over the wireless, "Stand down or be destroyed!"
To Be Continued…
Shorter update than I planed (it does take me a while to write 8,267-words), but a lot of you seem to think that this was a one-chapter story, when it's really a work in progress.
Future updates will happen as and when I write enough to warrant it.
Regards,
JA Baker