As the second watch joined the first watch in getting to their alert stations, Cain looked at Sanders.
"Where are we now, Comms?", he asked. Sanders looked at the Helm Officer, who gave him a printout from the navi-comp. Sanders looked at the co-ordinates on the slip of paper, then checked the star chart on one of the screens adorning the DRADIS console.
"According to the navi-comp", Sanders announced, "the battlestar PEGASUS has emerged in the near quadrant of the Promar Sector". The crewmen who heard Sanders applauded.
"Very well, Comms", Cain replied, "Have Comscan run an initial deep space sensor sweep. I want to know what's out there'.
Tolen was over at Core Command. He said to the operator, "Have both wings resume their screening patrols around the PEGASUS. Keep the ready alert squadrons in their fighters for the time being".
"Yes, Colonel", the operator replied. Tolen nodded as he saw the screening patrols launch and take up flanking positions around the battlestar. With the likelihood of Cylons in this sector, they would need to keep especially watchful.
"Comscan is not detecting any ships in this quadrant", Sanders reported after a few minutes, "but there are a number of systems within raptor FTL range".
"Anything being picked up by wireless receivers?", Cain asked. Sanders shook his head.
So. Their first good look of the Promar Sector had revealed nothing to indicate either human or Cylon, but the systems ahead could provide some clues. After looking once more at the DRADIS console displays, he made his decision.
Turning to Tolen, he said "Stand the ship down from Condition Two, but from here on out, no alert status will go below Condition Three", he ordered, "And have the comscan data on those star systems relayed to both wings. We will need to start surveying these systems immediately".
Condition Three was a heightened state of alert - though with still just one watch on duty. The difference was that from now on one squadron from each wing would be on rotating immediate launch readiness (the crews in and by their fighters, instead of the ready room on standby). Also, two in four weapons stations stayed on a rotating alert. This was deemed hostile territory, so Cain knew that going back to normal routine was out of the question, therefore maintaining a higher state of alert was mandated. Cain knew however that doing this for an indefinite period would start drawing down on the crew's reserves and affect morale, though not as badly as constantly having the crew going from normal routine to Condition Two and back down again every time an anomaly occurred. The lesser of two evils, he thought to himself.
As the new General Order outlining Condition Three as the now-lowest alert status made it's way around the wings, more than a few pilots rolled their eyes. Being in the cockpit of a fighter for four hours at a time on immediate launch readiness would not be overly pleasant. Half of the vipers would have the cockpits manned, and the other half would have their pilots outside, though staying close to their ships. After the first four hours had elapsed, then each half would trade off. The ready room would be manned by the next squadron in the rotation. Being down either in the cockpit or sitting in collapsible chairs right beside their fighters would be boring. At least in the ready room, pilots could lay on their day beds or play cards.
"You get the feeling that we're not going to be the most favorite officers amongst our pilots, Commander?", Tolen asked Cain rhetorically after the General Order had been acknowledged by the two CAG's.
"The hell with that, Colonel", Cain replied, "I don't want anyone on this battlestar to love me, I want them to fight. And now we're here in the Promar Sector, we are more than likely going to be seeing a lot more action".
Sanders walked up to both of them as Cain finished his sentence. He held a sheaf of papers in his hand.
"PsyOps has given me their readiness for our subterfuge plans, Commander", Sanders announced, "and once the CAG's have been briefed, then we can implement them"
Tolen took the sheaf of forms and quickly scanned through them. At last, he looked up at Cain.
"The pilots will need to be careful about what they say from here on out if this is going to work", Tolen pointed out, "but if they don't slip up during their transmissions, this could really throw the Cylons for a loop".
Cain looked at the list of recommendations. Now that they were in the same reported sector as the GALACTICA, they can more convincingly impersonate that ship whenever they go into action. From a distance, the GALACTICA and PEGASUS looked the same. If the pilots or communicators on board could refrain from using the word 'PEGASUS' or anything that could be traced to the PEGASUS, then the Cylons would think that the GALACTICA was using frequent FTL-jumps in this sector. All references to Silver Spar and Black Knight wings would have to be stopped though as Cylon Intelligence would more than likely know that those wings were not based on the GALACTICA, so just using their call-signs on air, and having duty pilots remove their velcro-backed PEGASUS shoulder patches before going on patrol should also keep their real identity a secret.
Nodding, he handed the recommendations back to Sanders with a curt, "Approved. Let the CAG's know.
Sanders nodded his acknowledgment and headed over to Core Command in order to relay the new instructions.
Syke was in the administration annex when he got the recommendations. After he had gotten them from Core Command, he asked Tricia to call all three squadrons of Silver Spar wing into the briefing room. He then took out a pad and started making notes. He was still making notes when Tricia informed him that all three squadron commanders had just let her know that their pilots - apart from the ones on patrol were either in the ready room, or tied into the ready room frequency on their vipers in the launch bay. Syke nodded. With Macklin's Spar Two Squadron on rotating alert, they had to remain in their ships.
Gesturing for Tricia to follow him, Syke left the annex and headed down to the ready room. Vansen, who was still in the annex, would listen in on his communicator.
As Syke entered, the assembled pilots stood. With a curt "Seats" command coming from Tricia, the pilots sat down and both Syke and Tricia walked to the front of the ready room.
"For the benefit of those who do not know", Syke announced, "We are now in the Promar Sector. We have strong reason to believe that the GALACTICA is somewhere in this system. Unfortunately, that also means that there will be Cylon search forces in this sector as well, hence the perpetual Condition Three Alert".
Syke paused as he let this piece of information sink in amongst the pilots of his wing.
"PsyOps have come up with a plan that should take the heat off the GALACTICA some", Syke said next, "and since we are in the same sector, this plan should have a good chance of confusing the hell out of the Cylons, but a lot of it will hinge on us?"
"What's our part in this plan, CAG?", Lt. Halley asked.
"Well, Ratchet, we're going to make the Cylons think that whenever we make an attack, that we're the GALACTICA", Syke replied, "From now on, there will be no references to the PEGASUS, or to Silver Spar Wing when communicating over ship-to-ship wireless. PEGASUS will henceforth be known by the call-sign 'Home Plate'. Use ONLY call-signs when communicating. In addition, the PEGASUS shoulder patch will be removed from your uniforms before you get into a viper and you put it back on only after you get out. The tail numbers of the wing's fighters and the PEGASUS name on the upper fin are being obliterated by our support crews as we speak".
While Syke was filling his wing in on the new policy, Lance Voight was doing likewise to his pilots over in the other landing bay's briefing room. Voight did not like the idea of having to remove the PACIFICA patch from his uniform - unlike other survivors from the fleet now on board the PEGASUS, Voight's wing stubbornly retained the insignia of the PACIFICA on their uniforms - but realized that the plan was sound and that they had to play their part.
"Won't the Cylons seeing a PACIFICA patch confuse them all the more?", a pilot from Knight Two asked?
"It could, but the idea is to give the Cylons the impression that no other battlestars besides the GALACTICA are here in this sector", Voight explained, "Besides, the PACIFICA was known to be a part of Task Force Five and an intercepted Cylon message shows the PEGASUS as the one unconfirmed destroyed ship from that task force. If the tin-heads see anything regarding the PACIFICA, then they could draw the conclusion that the PEGASUS did survive, given the close proximity both battlestars were to each other over Caprica".
The pilots were silent, thinking about what their CAG had said. It made sense, but they still didn't like having to do it.
Back over in the port landing bay, Syke had just dismissed his pilots, but asked the squadron commanders to remain for a quick supplementary private briefing. Lt. Andrew 'Shooter' Macklin - the commander of Spar Two - was still with his squadron sitting in his viper on ready launch alert, but had his communicator tied in on a private frequency, so he could listen and speak via the intercom on the front desk. Lt. Chester 'Pacer' Warden - the commander of Spar Three, and of course, Spar One's Lt. Carla Halley were now sitting alone in the ready room facing Syke and Tricia. While Halley's squadron headed back to their quarters, Warden's hung around outside the ready room. They were the next squadron in Silver Spar Wing on the new rotation schedule, but until Syke had finished talking with the C.O.'s, they had to wait until he was finished with the Ready Room.
"Ratchet", Syke said to Halley, AYou have any questions you didn't want your pilots to hear?" Halley shook her head.
"How about you, Shooter?", Syke said to the intercom.
"Negative, CAG", Macklin responded.
"Everything okay down there in the tubes with your squadron?", Syke asked him next.
"The newer pilots are getting the message about doing their ablutions before sitting and waiting in a viper for a few hours", Macklin replied with a chuckle. That got smiles in the ready room. While a squadron was on immediate launch readiness, pilots had to remain in their fighters, which meant that the newer hands had to make frequent use of their vipers' waste disposal systems, which was not the easiest thing to get used to.
"And how about you, Pacer?", Syke asked Warden.
"There is one thing that needs to be raised", Warden said slowly, "and that is planning for the possibility of capture. This misinformation plan of PsyOps is all very well, but if any of our pilots are captured, they will end up telling the Cylons everything. Bravery has nothing to do with it - no one can hold out indefinitely against Cylon interrogation techniques".
"Each pilot will be issued suicide pills", Syke replied quietly, "And if any of them objects to this policy, make sure that they are shown the dossier on that captured Cylon penal colony from the first war. I think they'll then realize that we are doing them a favor by providing these pills".
"Is Captain Voight doing a similar issue to his wing's pilots?", Warden asked. Syke nodded.
"We both had a talk about this before this briefing, then we spoke to Doctor Ashley. He had a lot of these pills in secure storage. They are quick and painless. Death will occur within three seconds after swallowing. Make sure that the pilots know about that also", Syke advised.
For a few seconds, everyone was quiet, thinking about the suicide pills. They knew that given the choice, they would choose quick and painless to slow and drawn out death, but the pilots they commanded were human after all, and may have other thoughts. It wasn't the easiest thing, telling pilots to kill themselves, but there were not any other options they could see. If a pilot faced capture and rescue was a non-option, what else could be done?
"What I need from you three", Syke then said, "is for you to meet with your counterparts in Black Knight Wing and come up with new squadron call-signs. 'Squadron Three' may sound okay, but if Black Knight Wing has Knight Three Squadron deployed at the same time as Spar Three Squadron, it could get a little confusing. I guess that's all", Syke concluded.
As Syke, Tricia, and Carla Halley left the ready room, Lt. Warden gestured to his pilots waiting outside that they could now go into the ready room. When the next watch came up, they would head down to the launch bay to man the ready alert fighters, until then - unless a higher alert status was called, this room would be their 'home-away-from-home'.
"Anything you want to tell us, Pacer?",his squadron X.O. asked as the other pilots sat down in easy chairs or lay down on day-beds - pulled out from wall storage units - and tried to relax the best they could.
"All in due time", was Warden's answer, "let's just make the best of this shift for now", he advised. They would know soon enough from the CAG, he thought. In the meantime, he grabbed some coffee from the servitor and walked over to a sofa, where he sat down and put up his feet. Might as well enjoy the comfort for as long as possible, he thought...
Back in the Cyrannus Sector, Number One was doing the exact opposite of Lt. Benson. Pacing the command deck, she was digesting a report from one of the searching task forces in the Anotian Sector. Aside from the ususal items regarding location and disposition of the task force - and their minelaying 'collateral' mission, it all boiled down to three words: SEARCH RESULTS NEGATIVE.
Number One knew that their quarry had now long-since left the Anotian Sector. Ordering the task forces deployed there to finish their minelaying and to stand by for new orders, she went to her alcove just off from the deck and willed herself to sit down and stop giving in to the human emotion of irritation. Number One really envied the pure cybernetic Cylon models for their sterile, uncluttered minds. Of course she knew that to cultivate the human qualities and to present them in humanoid form was what made the attack a complete success, but these emotions really were bothersome.
The negative contact reports did not provide any answers she wanted. Plus the recent battle fought by other unknown human forces over Sagittaria had completely baffled their battle computers. The few human survivors from the colonies were really proving themselves to be a thorn in her side.
"Number Eleven", Number One said to another humanoid Cylon who had been silently watching her, "We have to start thinking more 'outside the box' in regards to countering these guerilla forces. Our Battle Computers cannot come up with a precise strategy, various assets of ours are being attacked and destroyed with classic hit-and-run tactics, and getting definitive intelligence is being thwarted as a result. We were engineered to mimic human thought and emotion, so we would be able to anticipate any move the humans may make. Now the only thing that my silica brain is mimicking is anger at our incompetence".
"Number One", Number Eleven replied, "Our operation has been over 98 successful. We control the colonies, so these handful of survivors can't do much more than hit-and-run".
"Today does not matter. Tomorrow does not matter. What matters is what will happen if any survivors prevail", Number One replied acidly (another annoying human mannerism), "So if we are to survive in the long term, all of the colonials have to be destroyed. The question is: how?"
"Our traps have so far not been successful, I agree", Number Eleven replied, "but by the laws of averages, they cannot continue to do so indefinitely".
"I don't want probabilities, I want certainties!" Number One shouted. She then stopped, suddenly aware of the raw emotion she had let out. Number Eleven was surprised too at the display of emotion, but being a humanoid Cylon as well, knew that these human emotions were not the easiest things to control.
"What is certain is that the Battlestar GALACTICA and the civilian ships it is protecting is still on the defensive", Number Eleven replied, "The recent events in the Optus and Anotian Sectors have been at the hands of at least one Colonial Warship, and that Valhalla Station had assistance of someone in order to escape. It could be all the work of the GALACTICA, but my 'gut feeling'", Number Eleven said with a smile, "thinks otherwise".
Number One nodded at this. She had an instinctive feeling that other elements of the Colonial Fleet had survived. The six unaccounted-for warships - not including GALACTICA - and the recent events both here and out there made this scenario the most likely.
"Very well, for the sake of argument, we assume that there is at least one - possibly two other surviving warships. But without knowing what they are, and who is in charge of them, it still leaves the question unanswered of what to do", Number One pointed out.
"I've run a check using the captured Fleet Headquarters records regarding the commanders of the unaccounted-for warships", Number Eleven replied, "The three battlecruisers, if any of them survived, would have been crewed by survivors of the initial attack, so I cannot provide answers there, but the information we have on the battlestar commanders are more concise".
"Go ahead, Number Eleven, you have my undivided attention", Number One prompted.
"The PROMETHEUS - on the eve of the attack - was commanded by Commander Justin Buchanan. His psych-profile shows him to be a very capable Commander, though more of a by-the-book person than one with real independent initiative. This battlestar was the flagship of a task force under the command of Rear-Admiral Dean Morrow. Morrow was the commandant in charge of the Colonial Academy and was ordered to take command of the task force immediately after our attack commenced. Both of these officers working together could plan and execute a successful attack strategy".
After pausing to ensure that Number One had fully absorbed his brief so far, he continued.
"The ITHACA was commanded by a Colonel Grant Lennox. As the ITHACA had been relegated to target duties, it was not fully operational, had but a skeleton crew, no operational squadrons, and it was not attached to any task force. In fact, it was the next ship to be scheduled to be decommissioned. Given how unprepared this ship would be, it's one I'm inclined to believe it would not be involved in anything. Given the total destruction of the Vestral Fleet Yards, it's more than likely that this battlestar - which was based there just before the war started - no longer exists, despite the lack of solid evidence confirming this", Number Eleven stated.
"And the third?", Number One asked, concurring with Number Eleven's assessment of the Battlestar ITHACA.
"It's the PEGASUS. Commanded by a very able human named Garris Cain", Number Eleven answered, "Cain runs a very tight ship, but his crew are completely loyal to him. However, he is a person who is more governed by impulse than caution, so if the PEGASUS did indeed survive, I would have expected Commander Cain to make his presence well-known before now, given this aggressive streak of his. But if Cain had become more prudent in his actions, then this battlestar would be the one to worry about - if it survived that is", Number Eleven concluded.
"The PEGASUS was presumed destroyed along with the rest of the Fifth Task Force, correct?", Number One asked. Number Eleven nodded.
"When Picon Fleet Headquarters was destroyed - along with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the commander of the Fifth Task Force became the Fleet Commander. Admiral Nagala had established his command on board the Battlestar ATLANTIA. Both he, and the ATLANTIA have been confirmed as destroyed", Number Eleven said, "And our communications intercepts showed that both he - as well as the commander of the PACIFICA - had sent out signals to the remainder of the fleet still in operation at the time that the destruction of the entire task force was imminent".
"That would indicate that the PEGASUS was indeed destroyed", Number One said, "but you obviously are not convinced", she added, noticing Number Eleven's demeanor.
"This is pure speculation, of course", Number Eleven said hesitantly, "but what if those messages were meant for our ears instead - sent out in order to cover the escape of the PEGASUS?".
Number One's eyes widened as she absorbed that hypothesis. A lot of the intelligence relied on wireless intercepts. Given the confusion of battle, such a stratagem would have a good chance of working.
"So, you think either the PROMETHEUS or PEGASUS escaped in the confusion of battle, took on supplies at Molecay before destroying it - and a base star in the process, and a few weeks later in the Vardon Sector, intercepted and booby-trapped one of our tankers, which had the direct result of causing another base star to be so heavily damaged that it eventually had to be scuttled - and then helping themselves to all the fuel that they could carry from one of our largest refineries before destroying it as well?", Number One inquired, "And then after destroying a minefield patrol later on in the Optus Sector and evading the minefield altogether, then turns up in another sector in which disguised as the GALACTICA, took out the Epsilon Alpha sentinel post, and leaving us false clues", she finished.
"The humans have a saying: 'Eliminate the impossible and what is left, however improbable, must be the answer'", Number Eleven replied, "The Valhalla Station incident's timing leads me to conclude that this incident is unrelated to the others, and given the remoteness of the Anotian Sector in relation to the Promar sector, I can't believe that Commander Adama would leave the ships that the GALACTICA is escorting totally unprotected in order to attack just a sentinel post. The benefits would not outweigh the risks".
"The humans have another saying", Number one responded, "It goes: your theory is crazy, but it's not crazy enough to be true". Still, it's better than what we've come up with so far. Have you run this hypothesis of yours through the battle computer?" she asked next.
"I have", Number Eleven answered, "It rates the scenario possible, but not likely".
"Which is another way of saying that one hypothesis is as good as the other", Number One concluded, "so it still does not help us in deciding what to do".
"If you want to hear another human saying, there's a good one for this circumstance: 'It doesn't matter what you decide as that you decide'. This indecision of ours is only benefitting the human refugees. It forces us to divert attention from the GALACTICA", Number Eleven answered.
"Then give me your recommendation", Number One demanded.
"We go on the assumption that one of the two most likely battlestar candidates for survival was responsible for all that had occurred in the Vardon, Optus, and Anotian sectors over the last few weeks", Number Eleven said, "We continue to concentrate our primary effort on finding and destroying the GALACTICA and it's convoy. But, we keep our current forces in this system here to cover any further attack efforts by the humans from Valhalla Station, and we keep our static forces in the remote sectors only on alert until the other battlestar is located and identified. As it's only one warship, it's damage potential is not all that high".
"The damage wreaked so far is actually quite high", Number One admonished, but she liked the plan. Tackle the certainties one at a time and that will mean a systematic - rather than piecemeal - approach. The GALACTICA first, then the PROMETHEUS or PEGASUS or whatever ship it was, then the Valhalla survivors. After a few more seconds of thought, she decided.
"Have the fleet deploy according to your recommendation", she ordered.
"By your command", Number Eleven replied. He nodded to her, then left the alcove in order to proceed to the communications area. The new protocol would be dispatched by wireless and FTL- courier drones on a priority basis. Once enacted, Number Eleven knew, this would stop the dividing up of forces both within and without the Promar Sector and get them fully committed to finding and destroying the GALACTICA. No more wild goose chases. If the other battlestar did more hit-and-run raids, let them. Distraction time was over, and once the GALACTICA had been dealt with, the others could then be similarly taken care of...