A Loss and A Win
"Jump complete" Gates called.
"Contact! DRADIS contact bearing 312 carom 876" said one of the Fleet officers. "I have some IDs as Colonial vessels and unknowns – presume hostile"
"Helm, take us there at three quarters speed. All guns prepare to open fire" Turndike ordered. "Adjust heading to put us between the Cylons and the Battlestar"
"Aye"
"Attention Restormal, this is the salvage vessel Exeter. We are coming to your assistance as soon as our speed allows. We are launching Vipers as of this point" Gates handled comms with the Fleet assets.
"Exeter, Restormal" a raspy voice came over the link. "This is Major Hobbs – acting CO. I'll take all the help I can get right now… we've just about had all we can take from the Cylons. Request permission to start evacuating my crew to you"
"Negative, Restormal. We're not able to do so at this time" Gates replied. "You are ordered to turn to port and make best speed towards us. You are authorised to burn out your engines if needed. Acknowledge?"
"Under whose authority?"
"Under the authority of me telling you. Move towards us – that is an order" and Gates cut the link. "Defensive guns – be ready to give cover fire to the Restormal the moment she is in range"
"Cylons now in firing range"
"Fire" and the Exeter opened up with her armament and tore into the incoming Raiders. "Bridge to Viper Squadrons. Mass around the Restormal and protect her. Helm, come right heading 221 – all ahead flank"
"That takes us directly towards the Cylons"
"I'm aware of that, Helm, but please put us on a collision course with the leading Baseship"
"Aye, Aye"
"Gunnery control, prepare to fire port armament in sequence. We're only going to get one shot at this, so lock weapons directly port and fire only when the central section is in place"
"What is the tactic?" asked Gates.
"We're going to get in as close as possible and fire everything on the portside. I'm hoping" Turndike continued, "To breach their fuel supplies. If they have that thing set up inside like they did last time, they'll store the fuel and ammo for the ships in the middle section"
"Closing to weapons range" the ship shuddered as they came under heavy attack from the Cylons.
"These bastards don't have any kind of ship to ship capability except for conventional and nuclear missiles. Excuse me" said Turndike. "Helm, standby. Gunnery control, fire bow cannons on my command. Three, two, one… Fire - Helm, HARD TO STARBOARD. ALL GUNS TO FIRE AT WILL" and the Exeter lurched to starboard and her entire portside lit up as the colonials fired every cannon they could – completing the work of the bow cannons as they ripped through the hull of the Cylon vessel and detonated her fuel and ammo stocks.
"Helm, continue starboard turn. Get us back towards the Restormal. Navigation? Plot us an FTL jump from here to there" Gates ordered. "As senior Colonial Fleet Officer, I hereby authorise the use of tactical nuclear weapons. Missile control? Load tubes one and two with nuclear tipped missiles with arming sequencers remotely controlled from the ship"
"You don't want the Cylons to realise they are nukes until the last minute" Turndike thought that the Colonel was getting devious.
"I'm getting faint contacts on the edge of scanner range" said an officer. "Its beyond range for DRADIS"
"Asteroids?" asked Turndike.
"None around here" replied Gates. "Keep an eye on them"
"Aye, Colonel"
"FTL plot computed and entered into computers. Missile tubes one and two are loaded with nuclear missiles" Turndike said, reading displays as Gates worked out tactical plans.
"Have both tubes launch put just enough to get them out. I want them floating dead in space. Time to intercept of Cylons?"
"Twelve seconds. Missiles are away"
"All aircraft clear Exeter airspace. Navigation, start the clock. Missile control, prepare to arm and activate the missiles"
"Jumping in five… four… three… two… one… JUMP!" and the ship twisted and jumped away – only to reappear next to Restormal.
"Detonate the missiles" Turndike said quickly. The Missile Officer nodded and pressed two switches – sending the command to the nuclear missiles that obeyed their orders and initiated.
"Both Cylon vessels are heavily damaged" said the scanning officer. "Remaining Cylons are either jumping away or making a run for it"
"Good" said Turndike. "Find out which of the Vipers have the most fuel, form a squadron and have them escort a Raptor to look at those contacts" and then he looked at Gates. "Are you thinking what I am thinking?" he asked.
"I think so" Gates picked up the intercom phone. "All Marines report to the flight decks on the double – heavy loading. All Raptors to be ready for immediate launch" Gates looked at Turndike. "I'll go over and lead them myself. If those contacts prove to be Cylons, then don't hesitate to get the hell out of here"
"I'm not losing Restormal" said Gates. "Even as damaged as she is, she is still a useful asset. I'm guessing that the Cylons would have left anything intact that would be useful to them – like Heavy Lifters and mobile repair docks. If we get one of those, we can fix all of our damage, get Restormal fixed up and then figure out what we're going to do"
"I hope you are not going to fight the entire Cylon fleet"
"Not at one go… Not at one go" Gates chuckled. "I'm hoping that we can get the Furlong into the battle sites, get some of the shut down vessels working again and then jump them out. If we're lucky, we might be able to get stuff that will be useful to us" and then he noticed Gates trying to decide something.
"I shouldn't tell you this" he said at last, "But there is the chance I am the sole remaining senior officer in the Colonial Fleet. There is a secret base in the Meringue asteroid field containing a number of ships in storage. It was built in the event of a Cylon attack and contains all the heavy lifting gear we need. I have not been there myself, but Commander Donaldson once told me about it"
"Do you have a list of ships?"
"Not a list, but I know that there was some Heavy Lifters, mobile docks, shuttles and such like…" Gates shook his head. "It is worth sending a Raptor there to check it out"
"No… We'll get a message to the Frigates and the Furlong to hurry up with their jobs and then get to there and check it out. If they have been in storage for a while, the Furlong has the ability to check them for computer damage"
"Assuming that the Cylons have not already got there. We don't know if they took prisoners and questioned them"
"True, but I have to weigh the risk of that against getting supplies. It gives the civilians a much needed dose of hope as well. No, we'll have a Raptor jump to them and relay the orders"
"Sir!" the communications officer called out. "Squadron reports contact with unknown vessels. They say… They report two Battlestars, three Destroyers, five Cruisers and a number of other smaller craft. Battlestars are squawking valid codes"
"Names, Lieutenant" Gates ordered.
"Battlestars Nelson and Vanguard with Destroyers Defiant, Triumphant and Hermes. Can't get a reading on the Cruisers, Sirs"
"Which ship is senior?" asked Turndike.
"Vanguard, Admiral Fitzpatrick commanding" came the reply. "Sirs… Message from the Raptor. You are to repair on board"
"Sounds like him" said Gates.
"You served under him?" asked Turndike.
"As part of the famed Happiness Patrol" Gates replied. "Three Battlestars, four Destroyers and six Cruisers. Sounds like he lost a couple of his ships in the attack, though I doubt they went down hard when the Cylons hit them"
"So who gets to meet the Admiral?" asked Turndike. "The message was for the Commander to go aboard the Vanguard"
"Well I suppose that would be you as the Exeter's CO, but I better go with you in case there is any misunderstanding" Gates said.
"Right…" Turndike picked up the phone. "This is the Captain. Have a Raptor ready to launch in five mins… Board a few Marines on it to – standard weapons"
"That's an Admiral" Gates warned.
"You want to take that chance?"
"Fair enough"
#
"Raptor E-11, you are cleared for departure"
"Roger, Exeter control" Turndike said. "Commencing forward thrust" and he gently tapped the thrusters to lift them off and out of the pod. "We have cleared the pod"
"Copy that, Raptor E-11. You are cleared for BS Vanguard. Please note two Vipers formatting to port and starboard"
"Copy that. Have them in sight" replied Turndike.
"Those are your escorts, E-11. Safe journey, Control out"
"Raptor E-11 from Katooni. Forming on your wing as escort, Captain"
"Katooni, this is Hawkeye" Turndike used his old callsign from his days as a Viper pilot. "Pleased to have you along for the ride. Fancy joining us all the way to Vanguard?"
"That's affirm"
"Then stick with us, pilot, and I'll give you a great ride"
"Promises… Promises… I'll take you up on that. Katooni out"
"Vanguard from Raptor E-11. We are a flight of one Raptor and two Viper craft inbound from Exeter and approaching from your starboard beam. Estimate sixteen minutes until we enter your airspace" Gates handled the comms with the Battlestar.
"Acknowledged, E-11. Contact control on 121.9 when approaching outer marker"
"Roger that" Gates replied. There was nothing to do but listen in as Vipers and Raptors were recovered and both fleets took stock of the situation.
Beep Beep Beep
"Gates, check the gear" Turndike said automatically.
"Right" Gates brought up the system check list and found the forward landing strut circled and blinking in red. "Reading a fault in the forward landing gear"
"Copy. Katooni, Hawkeye. Can you make an inspection of the forward nose gear? We're showing a caution alert"
"Roger, Hawkeye" One Viper went below the Raptor and then soon came back up again. "Hawkeye, Katooni. I see damage to the forward gear – cause unknown. I bet it was some debris too small to be seen visually or by DRADIS. What are your intentions?"
"We've passed the half way point between Exeter and Vanguard" Gates put in.
"We'll press on" Turndike said. "Vanguard from Raptor E-11"
"Vanguard"
"Vanguard, we're showing damage to the forward landing gear on our sensors. Visual inspection confirms some damage, but it is unclear if it is damage to the gear doors or the strut itself. I'm not going to take that chance and I am declaring an emergency at this point. Request priority approach and landing for Exeter Actual and Flight"
"Copy that, E-11. Would you prefer Hands on or Hands Off approach?"
"I'll take a Hands Off"
"Copy that, E-11. You are cleared to proceed to Port Flight Pod. Do you require fire and rescue crews in attendance?"
"Negative. Exeter Flight does not require any assistance except to land. Out"
"Actual?" asked Gates.
"Well you said the CO was called Actual… Seemed only right" Turndike replied.
#
"You've done well for yourself" said the Admiral. "However… The fact you have a Battlestar is a concern to me. I think it best that a full crew be placed aboard"
"I disagree" Turndike said. "She's a decommissioned Battlestar under lawful Civilian control. We have weapons installed, of course, but that's only to beat off a couple of pirates now and again. The fact that we've got main cannon operational again does not detract from the fact that I'm not letting my ship get turned over to some fool with plans of knocking the seven kinds of hell out of the Cylons"
"Sirs…" Gates spoke. He had been listening for the last twenty minutes at the ongoing war between Turndike and Fitzpatrick. "Captain Turndike's men are the most familiar with the Exeter's systems at the moment. My men and the survivors of the other ships have gotten to know them well enough and have conducted a few combat operations. With respect to your rank, Sir, you might as well gift the Exeter to the Cylons as she'll be no use to you"
"Let me make it clear to you, Admiral" Turndike said, "If you attempt to take over the Exeter without my permission, I will order her and my fleet to leave here and leave you with one less fleet asset"
"HOW DARE YOU!" Fitzpatrick said. "I will have you shot for this. WE ARE AT WAR"
"Admiral, the war is over" Gates said calmly. It's a better idea for us to group together and then work out what to do. But if you want to go on some holy war then just give me some medical supplies and we'll go on our way"
"You may take your pathetic collection of ships, but the Battlestar belongs to me" the Admiral thundered. "Turn over your access codes to the computers and order your crew to surrender the ship to my people" and Turndike stared at the officer before looking at Gates and then withdrawing a radio.
"Exeter from Turndike. Lock on to the Vanguard with all weapons that come to bear and launch all combat effective aircraft. You are allowed to fire upon her if we're not heard from in the next one hour. Turndike out" he looked up "Your turn, Admiral"
"You are letting the Cylons win"
"Admiral" Gates said carefully, "Captain Turndike and his crew have saved my life and the lives of thousands of officers, men and civilians from the hands of the Cylons. I can not allow you to remove him from the Captaincy of the Exeter. My Marines are higher and better trained then yours. Think of it, Sir… You've been away for a long time and now have been thrown into extraordinary events. Just give us the food and supplies we need and we'll be on out way – leaves you free to do what the hell you want"
"I could have you arrested"
"You could, but I have two heavy cannons pointing directly at this room. Admiral, do yourself a favour and just give us what you want. I have been here only half an hour, but I can already see a fleet that has been defeated. Let me ask you one question, Sir…" Gates sighed. "Admiral, how many of your crew want to do something other then go on an all out assault? We saw the state of your ships as we came in for landing. Some of your ships are old, outdated and damaged. If you want to go out in one last blaze of glory, then I will not aid you in that cause. I spent time with you on the Happiness Patrol, Sir, and I know how much this attack has affected you. I beg of you to at least as –"
"ACTION STATIONS! ACTION STATIONS! SET CONDITION ONE THROUGHOUT THE SHIP"
"This is the Admiral – Sit Rep" Fitzpatrick called to the CIC.
"Seven large contacts just jumped in on us. Size matches Cylon capital vessels. They are launching fighters. Orders, Sir" asked the Vanguard's commander.
"Launch all Vipers, order the flight to come about and prepare to engage the enemy" he put the phone back into the socket. "We've got Cylons coming at us in large numbers. We'll talk about this later…" and he left Turndike and Gates in his quarters as he rushed to the CIC.
"This would have to happen now" Turndike said. "Katooni, Turndike. Get you and Petro's birds into the air. Until our planes get here, take your orders from the Vanguard CAG"
"Aye, Aye"
"Lets get going" Gates said. "We could be of help at CIC"
"Right" and he followed Gates out the quarters and down the corridors – pushing and jabbing past crew rushing to Action Stations. "Exeter, come in please"
"Exeter here"
"We've got enemy incoming… Launch our birds and take orders from the Vanguard's tactical officer. Dispatch a Raptor to bring those frigates back – we're going to need them"
"P.W.O.R"
"Permission to enter CIC?" Gates loosely saluted his superior officer.
"Granted" the man wearing Commander's insignia returned the salute. "Do you have any skills to help us?"
"I took the advanced course War College in tactical plotting" Gates said.
"Right… Get up to Aux Tac and help there" the Commander looked at Turndike. "I do not allow Civilians on my deck"
"I'm Exeter's Captain" Turndike replied. "Do you want my help or not?"
"Fine… Find something to do. Guns, get me a targeting solution on the leading vessel and prepare to open fire the moment she is in range. CAG, get your birds to intercept the Raiders and light missiles. Missile control, spin up a pair of ship to ship killers"
"I can't, Sir" replied the Missile Officer. "I'm having trouble with the automatic systems"
"Oh my Gods…" Turndike pushed the officer out of the way and slapped everything to manual control. "This is how the Cylons took the fleet out in the first place. You have to get your systems onto manual control. Commander, what are your Vipers?"
"Mk7"
"Get them back aboard. They are advanced enough to be affected by a Cylon logic bomb"
"Shit…" the Commander turned to the Communications officer. "Order our birds to get back onboard at the double. Burn out their engines if they have to – just get aboard. Tell them they can land the wrong way this time. DRADIS? How long until Exeter's birds get here?"
"Six minutes"
"I… I don't understand" Fitzpatrick looked at the DRADIS that showed hundreds of red dots coming towards them and only two green dots intercepting.
"The Cylons have ways of tracking us we don't yet understand" Gates called.
"Tell our birds to land on the other ships. Engineering – emergency FTL in ten seconds" the Commander called. "All guns open fire the moment we pop back into normal space – damage to barrels is acceptable"
"DRADIS contact. Lone Raider… Ramming course"
"Shoot it down"
"Too late" came the reply before the lone Raider slammed at high speed into the hull of the Vanguard. Equipment came off walls, ceilings and the floor as the crew was thrown around the various decks. Fire sprouted in the CIC and it rapidly filled with smoke. Alarms, klaxons, equipment noises and loud voices all served to cause a terrible confusion.
"What the hell happened?" Turndike asked.
"It hit us in the Engineering section" somebody called out. Aft section of the ship is destroyed. We've got a hull breach and the reactors are redlining"
"Commander?" Gates vaulted over the console and leaned down – only to find the Commander with the DRADIS console buried in her head. "Commander is dead" he said. "You… Can we shut down the reactors?"
"No, Sir… Damage is too great. We've got about nine and a half minutes until we have a reactor breech"
"Gods…" Turndike said. "Order an evacuation of all surviving crew members to abandon ship"
"We don't have power to the launch systems. All we have is emergency battery power"
"Are you Fleet people stupid…?" Turndike asked Gates.
"Seems so" he replied. "Order the crew to get to the pods and launch the moment th–" the officer stopped talking. "Do we have a clear path to the flight pods?" he asked.
"Yes"
"Then order the crew to get to either pod"
"What are you thinking?" asked Turndike.
"Each pod was designed to be blown clear in the event of a major fire that could not be controlled. We can activate the charges from the pods themselves, drift clear and let Vanguard go up whilst taking out the enemy"
"Good plan"
"I thought so too"
"Sirs?" the injured communications officer spoke. "I just lost the other ships in the fleet"
"Damaged relays"
"No, Colonel" the reply was fast. "They just we… Gods! They've been nuked" and all eyes darted to the sole working DRADIS display that showed the green dots of the major ships blinking several times before vanishing – leaving angry looking red dots.
"Attention crew of the Battlestar Vanguard, this is Colonel Gates assuming command of the ship on behalf of fleet command. All hands to abandon ship. Get as far away from the ship as possible. Set guns to automatic firing and loading. All hands abandon ship"
"Helm, do you see that giant ship over there?"
"Yes, Sir" the Helm officer replied to Turndike.
"Well steer straight for it – maximum thrust" and he picked up the intercom. "This is Captain Gates to Engineering crew. Remove the safeties on the engines and then abandon ship"
"Flight Deck reports evacuation proceeding" said an officer. "Cylons closing to lethal range"
"Doesn't matter" Gates said. "Right, you lot, me and the Captain will handle the rest. Get to the escape pods" and they nodded once and hurried away. "Arm the explosives on the supports and prepare to detonate"
"Right" Turndike used the Operations console to get into the system and armed the detonation packages. "Armed. Everyone seems to have cleared the ship apart from us"
"Detonate in five"
"Understood" Turndike said. He waited for the ship to be angled downwards before flicking the switch. There was a bone jarring shudder as the two flight pods burst away from the crippled Battlestar and drifted away on a course that would avoid hitting the Cylon vessel. "Hull is starting to break up"
"Lets go" Gates said, then paused as he ripped off the commissioning plaque from the wall. He took one last look at the ruined room with the lone DRADIS display indicating the Cylons were closing in on them. "Love from the Colonial Fleet, boys" saluted and then hurried after Turndike who was heading towards the last escape pod still in the racks.
#
Vanguard ploughed right into the heart of the Cylon Baseship before exploding. The detonation of the reactor, fuel and ammunition stores caused a shock wave that tore through the Raiders and destroyed another Baseship and crippled several more. Faced with that loss, they regrouped and jumped away. Over the next few hours, Exeter deployed her Raptors on search and rescue operations along with the surviving Raptors from the Vanguard and her fleet. The two Police frigates arrived to help as well and they managed to rescue the survivors and salvage the crippled Vipers and Raptors that littered the battlefield. As soon as he got onboard, Turndike hurried to CIC and got a damage and status report. Knowing that every ship they had was valuable, he and Gates arranged for the ones not capable of seeing combat to be stacked on the Restormal until they could hook back up with the Furlong and then jump away to a base that Gates had told him about several hours previously. An advance Raptor flight had proven the base was intact with nobody aboard, so it looked as if they had a place to go to. Of note was the fact it was hidden inside a nebula which emitted radiation that masked their small fleet from scanning by the Cylons.
"Jump complete" one of the Fleet officers said. "Picking up the rest of the fleet… They are all accounted for"
"Very good" Gates said. "Captain, I think it best if we launched a boarding party and secured the station"
"Agreed. Once we have that, we can sort out our mess and see if we can–"
"Sir, I'm picking up a medium sized vessel close to the station" one of Turndike's crew said.
"Action Stations. Launch Alert Vipers" Gates shouted automatically.
"Belay that" Turndike said. "Comms, open a channel to the ship. Challenge their ID and put it on speakers" and Gates glared at Turndike at the thought of him overruling a military order.
"Aye, Sir. Attention unknown vessel, this is a Colonial Fleet task force led by the Battlestar Exeter. Identify yourselves or we will fire upon you"
"This is the medical vessel Hope to the ship claiming to be the Exeter. Send us ID codes"
"Not again…" Turndike shook his head. "Tell them we are a civilian ship with no ID codes but our registry code is 1544 4202" and there was a pause as the Hope verified their Caprican Registry codes.
"Thank the Lords of Kobol you are here" the voice said at last" "If it hadn't have been for the location of this place, we'd be lost or attacked by the Cylons"
"Ask them how they got the coordinates" Turndike asked.
"Hope, I have been directed to ask you how you got the location for this base"
"We rescued a couple of pirates who turned themselves over to our custody in exchange for giving us the details" came the reply. "We picked up a couple of fighters and a Raptor on the way here, but that's all we've picked up"
"Order them to be ready to receive incoming wounded" Turndike said. "And then have Captain Conners report to CIC on the double"
"Conners?"
"Katooni" Turndike said. "She was one of our escorts to the Vanguard"
"Why her?"
"I'm making her CAG"
"Why?"
"Because I like the name" Turndike had a smile that to Gates had the knowledge of some inside joke that amused the Salvage Captain.
"Sir, the Hope replies they already have wounded aboard but can take our most critically wounded first" the communications officer said.
"Very well… Helm! Bring us to a position close to the station. Have the hanger decks prepared to launch shuttles and Raptors with boarding parties" Turndike ordered. "Gates, you better organise all that crap. Ah, Captain Conners" he greeted the incoming officer. "Although my friend in blue over here would argue this is a military matter, I'm appointing you my CAG"
"Sir?"
"I need somebody who knows what they are doing" Turndike replied, "And I saw what you did out their when the Cylons attacked. None of my crew know how to lead a full fighter wing, and I like your callsign"
"My callsign? I'm the CAG because of my callsign?"
"Can you think of any other reason?"
"Experience of leading a group…"
"Say 'No, Sir', Katooni"
No, sir" Conners smiled. "Thank you, Sir"
"No trouble… Now, CAG, your first order of business is to find out how many of our birds are capable of fighting and how many need repairs. With regards to squadrons, try and put together those pilots from the same ships. Squadron names are those of their respective vessels"
"We will remember them" Katooni replied, then saluted Turndike and left at the double.
"So now what, Admiral?" Gates asked sarcastically.
"Now we regroup and count what we have" said Turndike. "The Cylons will take a while to secure everything, so I say we have a week to make repairs and do what we can"
"We'll need more ships then we actually have" Gates said. "And where do we get the men from?"
"My people are salvage engineers, Colonel" Turndike said softly, "This is what we are planning on doing. We take a flight of Raptors to the place you told me about that had all the ships, we get aboard them and jump them back here. They should have all the supplies that we need"
"What if the Cylons show up?" Gates asked. "We have one semi working Battlestar, a half demolished one and a pair of Police Frigates"
"I've been thinking about that" Turndike said as he leaned on the plotting table. "Thanks to communications we have received, we know the location of a number of major battles which should give us wrecks to recover. We get a couple of heavy lifters or something to latch on to the wrecks, jump them back here and we'll weld them back together again. With the ammo we might be able to scavenge from the other wrecks, we could maybe have three Battlestars in a few months. For now, though, lets get to work moving our damaged birds to the station. Should have a machine shop aboard so its easier to fix them there then bringing parts back and forth, b–"
"Sirs?" the communications officer called out.
"What is it?"
"I'm picking up some weakened Comms from a group of transports under attack from several Squadrons of Cylon Raiders"
"We can't go and get them" Gates said. "We need all of our firepower here to defend what we have"
"Yes, but I can not ignore the pleas of a group of people that could very well be the last members of the human race" Turndike said. "I'm going"
"And I am saying that we're not"
"This is my ship, Colonel. Look… We're all a little stressed out here, so I'll give you this. I'll launch most of my birds for you and give you something to get off and take command of the rest of the fleet. Either way, Colonel, I am going" Turndike issued the orders for most of the Vipers to be launched – saving a Squadron to be launched from each flight pod. "Standby to jump in five minutes" he added.
#
As soon as the counter hit zero, the ship jumped away and reappeared at the battle. Instantly, all of Exeter's guns opened up on the enemy targets that came to bear and soon cut a huge path in the waves of Cylon Raiders that were attacking several large passenger and freight transports. A pair of battered light cruisers were trying their hardest to put up a defence, and it was only the fact that the Exeter arrived that saved them all.
"Launch all Vipers" Turndike ordered. "Gunnery control, set batteries Alpha through Constellation to staggered salvo fire. Turret by turret firing, please". Turndike was attempting to whither down the incoming enemy ships by rippling his fire along the front of the Battlestar – basically making a wall of steel.
"Vipers away"
"Helm, all stop! Rotate the ship to provide maximum coverage. Comms – tell those ships to get under and behind us. Missile Control, prepare to launch a full spread on my mark…"
"Missile tubes opening, Captain"
"Exeter to all Vipers – break break break" and the Vipers suddenly veered off from their attacks and got out of the way of the missiles that slammed into the Raiders. Some were shot down, but most were followed by a vengeful Viper pilot that wanted payback for a murdered loved one. "Vipers are cleared to engage any remaining enemy targets. Katooni, are you out there?"
"Roger that"
"Have you, Pedro and the rest of your old squadron provide protection to the convoy" Turndike said. "Exeter to convoy. This is Captain Turndike of the salvage Battlestar Exeter at your service. I suggest that you disengage your engines and come to a halt. We'll give you protection until we can check that you are all fit to jump to where the rest of us are hidden. I'd appreciate it if the COs of the Cruisers would come board my ship as soon as is possible – I'll send a shuttle if you don't have a ship to get to us. Exeter out" and Turndike looked at the Comms and Operations officers. "Away the Damage and Medical parties in shuttles. Have a Raptor jump back to the station and bring the Hope back"
"Aye"
"Yes, Captain"
"CIC to Engineering"
"Spanswick"
"Chief, I need you to come to four minutes notice for jumping"
"Understood" came Spanswick's voice. "We took a few minor hits, but its not even worth fixing really"
"Understood… Keep me informed of your progress, Turndike out" and he looked around the CIC. "I've saved two flight pods, a large number of people, equipment, Vipers and Raptors and NOBODY brought me a cup of tea? Get moving, people…" and the mixed crews laughed before somebody brought the salvage Captain a cup of hot tea. "You!" a started Fleet officer came to a partial attention out of instinct.
"Sir?"
"What's your name, Lieutenant?"
"Salt, Sir"
"Good. Have the COs of the Cruisers report to my quarters as soon as they arrive. Have the galley send some tea and coffee" he added. "You have the deck, Mr Salt" and Turndike wondered off to his office to think about what had happened and to read on the losses he had suffered from the two successive actions.
A/N:
Well, I hope you all like this chapter as much as the first one.
Although I am not too fond of large lists at the end of chapters, I have decided to put one here now so you all know what ship is which in the grand scheme of things. The Armed Civilian vessel Norland is named after the very famous ferry M/V Norland which went down to the Falklands with the fleet in 1982. Also, the support vessel Furlong is named after a very good friend of mine.
List of Vessels
Military Assets
Exeter – Hawk Class Battlestar
Restormal – Restormal Class Battlestar
Cambrian and Achilles – Caprican Class Police Frigates
Furlong – Spark Class Electronic Support Vessel
Ajax and Cumberland – Tiger Class Light Cruisers
Various Vipers, Raptors and Shuttles
Civilian
Pan Galactic – Galaxy Class Passenger Transport
Colonial Heavy 77 and Colonial Heavy 243 – Pride of Dover Class Mixed Transports
Norland – North Sea Class Heavy Ferry Transport (Armed)
Hope - Nightingale Class Medical Vessel