The reason why the PEGASUS had been brought up to Condition One alert was because of what a raptor patrol had encountered.
Ensign Jason 'Newguy' Gorde and Petty Officer Jason 'Snoopy' Dundee (the raptor team known informally as 'The Two Jasons') were on a forward probe ahead of the PEGASUS. They had just jumped their raptor to several light-minutes ahead of the battlestar. But their arrival had been seen the moment they exited the FTL-jump..
"Frakk", Dundee exclaimed, "we're being scanned by two objects, incoming fast!".
"IFF?", Gorde asked as he throttled up his sub-light engines.
"Negative IFF", Dundee replied, "Scanning emission type is Cylon, and now I'm intercepting transmissions emanating from one of the incoming contacts".
"Going evasive", Gorde said, "Start jamming their transmissions and see about getting a missile lock on them".
The raptor was now turning in a series of pre-programmed snap-rolls. Gorde could have jumped straight back to the PEGASUS, but the fact that two Cylon ships were in the area - in apparently empty space - raised the question of why they were out here...and they were out here to reconnoiter, after all.
"Incoming ships are confirmed as Cylon Raiders - scimitar type. They're launching missiles!", Dundee reported.
"Dropping decoys", Gorde replied, hitting a switch, "Stand by to fire longbows".
The decoys dropped off from beneath the raptor and emitted a similar heat signature and EM emission that a raptor would normally emit. The decoys worked. Both incoming missiles sped in on the decoys and detonated. A split second later, Dundee reported, "I've got missile lock on both hostiles, Newguy".
"Fire longbows, Snoopy!", Gorde ordered. With that, two of the wire-guided ship-to-ship missiles roared out of the raptor's missile racks and streaked in towards the raiders.
The raiders noticed the incoming missiles and commenced their jamming, but as the longbow was directly controlled by the raptor, the jamming beams did not affect the guidance at all. Both raiders wanted to continue the engagement, but - thanks to Number One - this raider patrol had new directives. One of the raiders thus immediately flashed out of normal space in an FTL-jump.
"Frakk!", Dundee said, "AOne of them has jumped. It's probably calling for help".
"They're getting smart. Take out the other one fast, Snoopy", Gorde ordered, "We can't stay pinned down here".
Dundee deftly guided both longbows onto it's target. The single raider fired several bursts at the missiles. One of the missiles' control wires were hit, rendering it useless, but the other one - skillfully guided by Dundee - avoided the ammo bursts and impacted onto the right 'wing' of the raider. The Cylon ship reeled from the detonation of the warhead and started tumbling out of control.
"Great work, Snoopy!", Gorde shouted, "now start doing a quick high-intensity active scan of this sector. Those tin-heads were here for a reason and we don't have much time to find it". Gorde hit full thrust and headed away from his current position. He knew that when Cylon reinforcements arrived, they would jump to the position of the dogfight. The farther that they were away from it when they did arrive, the better.
Dundee quickly activated the active sensor platform. While the sensors were probing the nearby space, Dundee fed in the revised jump co-ordinates. Just as he said, "The FTL-jump co-ordinates are set and ready to go", a large FTL-flash was noticed by the sensors. It was close to where they had destroyed the raider.
"Uh-oh", Dundee said as he saw what the sensors had indicated, "We have FTL emergence: two base stars at bearing three-three-six...and they've seen us! They're launching raiders!".
"Jumping back in 3...2...1...now!", Gorde said. The raptor made it's FTL-jump in a flash of light.
On the lead base star, the Centurion in command received a report from the lead raider: HUMAN VESSEL POSITIVELY IDENTIFIED AS RAPTOR CLASS RECONNAISSANCE PLATFORM FTL-ED OUT OF LOCAL SPACE BEFORE WE COULD INTERCEPT. REMAINS OF PATROL RAIDER FOUND, ALONG WITH STRAY WIRE-GUIDED SSM. AWAITING ORDERS.
The Command Centurion knew that the Raptor was only a short-range reconnaissance vehicle, which meant that it's base ship must not be too far from here. Perhaps it was the GALACTICA, it thought. It made a decision.
Turning to a centurion responsible for communications, it said "Have squadrons from both base stars start making limited FTL-jumps in a spherical radial search pattern from this position, and dispatch probes to the nearest task force requesting their assistance, as well as to Number One back in the Cyrannus System".
As the communications centurion complied, the Command centurion knew that their quarry was close. These more frequent patrols were finally starting to pay off. Now if only the other squadrons had the same amount of what the humans call 'luck', it thought...
"Condition One set throughout the ship, Commander", Captain Glen Sanders reported, "All decks report battle stations manned and ready". Gorde had made an immediate wireless report of the base ships immediately after emerging from the FTL-jump. Sanders had instinctively brought the PEGASUS to Condition One.
"Very well, Comms", Cain acknowledged, "Have the raptor probe land immediately. If we have to launch vipers, best it not get caught in the crossfire".
"What's the situation?", Tolen asked as he walked onto the CIC. Sanders quickly informed them about Gorde's encounter with a Cylon patrol and two Cylon Base Stars.
"We're going to FTL out of here, Commander?" Tolen asked Cain. Tolen was less annoyed with the news than having to put down his coffee.
Cain didn't reply directly. He turned to Sanders, saying, "Get the FTL-drive warmed up for a jump to", quickly looking at the chart, "point Quasar-, but don't activate until I give the word".
"What gives?", Tolen wanted to know.
"Part of our mission is to distract Cylon forces in this sector from the GALACTICA, so I don't want us to jump just yet", Cain replied, "besides, I'll be damned if I'm going to run from just a few tin-head raiders. This is a warship after all, and we might as well start making use of those various op-plans Captain Masters devised for us to use on such occasions".
The crewmen listening to the exchange between the Commander and the XO silently agreed with what Cain had said. They were a warship and they were in a war. The hell with running!
"Commander", the duty officer at the Core Command Console reported, "Both Strike Wings report ready to launch. Peregrine Five has been quickly refueled and brought back up to the port side flight deck and is reporting that they're ready to launch. Raptor Probe One has just landed".
Just as Cain was about to acknowledge the report, one of the comscan technicians announced, "FTL-emergence fifty kicks out at bearing zero-two-eight mark four-three-one. Twelve bogies...no IFF. Correction, ID confirmed as Cylon - closing fast!".
Cain turned to Core Command, ordering, "Launch fighters. Take them out now!".
As Core Command issued the launch order to the launch officers of both landing bays, Sanders asked Cain, "As far as our op-plans go, I recommend that we execute CORONA, as the AVENGER is set up for it". Cain thought about the suggestion, then nodded. Sanders went over to Core Command and picked up a headset, tuning into the direct channel to Peregrine Five.
In Peregrine Five - better known by it's nickname 'FLEET AVENGER' - Lt. Hunter was listening to Sanders' order: "You're cleared for op-plan CORONA. Launch immediately!".
"Understood", Hunter acknowledged. Muttering "looks like we're expecting base stars", Hunter quickly brought the Peregrine's engines online. Behind him, the PSO, Lt. Calvin 'Coffin' Sims, punched in a set of targeting commands on his computer. He knew what CORONA was about.
"The warheads are hot and ready for launch, Hondo", Sims reported as the Peregrine lifted off the flight deck and exited the landing bay. Hunter grunted an acknowledgment as he saw the combined squadrons of both strike wings being catapulted out into space. For them, it was one heck of a quick turn-around. They had only just returned from their patrol and were emerging from their ship while the fueling was being started when the alert was sounded. The maintenance crews quickly finished the fueling while both of them had quickly gotten back into their seats and brought the AVENGER's systems back on line. Then it was back up to the flight deck and off into space: fully fueled and packing a lot of firepower.
Black Knight Wing was heading in to intercept the incoming hostiles while Silver Spar Wing was flying close cover over the PEGASUS. For it's part, the Peregrine was heading out to a pre-set position well away from where the majority of the vipers were heading, with two Silver Spar vipers close in for escort. The Peregrine was keeping the PEGASUS between it and the incoming raiders so as not to be seen.
The escort leader was LT jg Benson (callsign 'Growler'). "Growler to Hondo", Benson communicated, "We've got you covered. Everything okay on your end?".
"Yeah, Growler", Hunter replied, "Let's hope that we attract the big fish".
As the Peregrine and it's two escorting vipers maneuvered, lead elements of Black Knight Wing were closing in on the incoming Cylon squadron. Voight, who was leading his wing, crisply gave the order, "Go weapons-free, fire at will!".
With that, the dogfight began in earnest.
The automaton Cylon raider which was commanding the attacking squadron had issued orders for one of the raiders to jump back to base and report the presence of a battlestar. As one of the raiders made the jump, the remainder of the raiders engaged the incoming wing. Missiles and bursts of ammunition flashed between them as the battle was joined.
SQUADRON FOUR REPORTS CONTACT WITH HUMAN BATTLESTAR AT CO-ORDINATES ONE-THREE-NINE MARK EIGHT-NINE-ZERO. SQUADRON ENGAGING DEFENDING WING OF VIPER MARK SEVEN FIGHTERS.
The command centurion turned to the communications centurion and ordered, "Have FTL-drones relay this information to all Cylon units in this sector, and to Number One at Command Headquarters. Inform the other base star to jump with us in order to engage the battlestar, and issue similar orders to our other squadrons".
While that was being done, the Command Centurion turned to the centurion manning the control station.
"Activate FTL-jump to a position approximately ten clicks ahead of the reported co-ordinates immediately. It seems that we have found the GALACTICA", it said.
"Captain Voight is reporting some of his fighters damaged, but they are knocking the tin-heads out of the sky", Sanders reported to Cain. Cain nodded, but he knew that Cylon reinforcements were coming. He hoped that Captain Masters' CORONA op-plan was going to work.
CORONA was the code name for a close-in nuclear missile attack on any encountered Cylon capital ships. It depended upon the base stars being distracted by both the PEGASUS and the defending fighters so that the Peregrine would be free to make it's attack run. As a base star's defensive weaponry was designed around a direct large-scale assault, it meant that the Peregrine would have to make a close-in FTL-jump at point-blank range, then FTL-jump immediately after firing it's missiles to any other base star present in order to do the same, then FTL-jump again straight back out after releasing the missiles. That meant getting a highly accurate bearing and position check on the base stars without getting caught up in the battle. Timing was the key to CORONA's success and the Peregrine was the only ship that had a reasonable chance of pulling it off. As Masters knew precisely what the Peregrine was capable of, he had devised this op-plan to take full advantage of it's capabilities.
"We've got emergence!", Sims reported, "Two base stars. They've emerged between Black Knight Wing and the PEGASUS. Both of them are moving in to engage".
"Plot the FTL-co-ordinates", Hunter ordered. He would not commence his jumps though until the PEGASUS' batteries opened up on the lead base star, thus halting it.
"Heads up, Bojay", Tricia reported from her viper, "We've got company".
Syke saw from his viper the appearance of the two base stars. He keyed his communicator and spoke to all of the pilots in his wing.
"Get away from Home Plate's firing solution", he said, deliberately not mentioning the name of the PEGASUS, "Engage fighters only. Execute!". As Syke well knew that any communications would be intercepted, it was imperative to be careful on the wireless so that the Cylons would not know which battlestar they were engaging. The PEGASUS had already darkened the lights that illuminated the battlestar's nameplates.
As Silver Spar's squadrons headed out away from the PEGASUS, Cain ordered his gunnery officer, "Primary and suppression batteries, Open fire.
With that, the four topside heavy batteries started firing at the lead base star while the bay-mounted defensive artillery laid down suppressing fire. Incoming Cylon ordinance launched from the lead base star was getting blasted - though the same was happening to their artillery rounds that were homing in on the Base Star.
"Let's keep him still", Cain ordered as the PEGASUS and the lead base star continued trading shots. For CORONA to work, this was essential. He also noticed that Black Knight Wing was now starting to fall back to help cover the PEGASUS.
"The second base star is moving to a flanking position, Commander", Tolen reported. The second base star was ten klicks behind the lead base star, but it was starting to maneuver around in order to have an unhindered field of fire onto the PEGASUS.
"As Masters figured. Let's hope that CORONA works, XO", Cain replied, "Signal the AVENGER and tell Hondo that we're all set".
"Home Plate to AVENGER, You are cleared to commence", Hunter heard over his headset. Just then, Growler's voice came over the communicator.
"We've got an incoming raider. Just emerged and it's close-in. You'd better go. We'll take care of him", Benson reported. With that, he and his wingman - Ensign 'Tally' Tomlinson - headed in to draw off the incoming raider.
The incoming automaton Cylon raider that Benson had detected was a scout which had responded to the alert. It saw the battlestar ahead, but then noticed the Peregrine and it's escort close by. The GALACTICA didn't have a Peregrine, the automaton knew. It must be the other battlestar! But before it could sent out the information, the incoming vipers opened fire. The automaton immediately went into defensive mode.
"They're now engaging the hostile, Hondo", Sims reported, "and they've also started jamming it's transmissions".
"Okay, Coffin. You got the co-ordinates of the second base star locked in?", Hunter asked Sims.
"Got it", Sims replied, "But it's going to be real close".
"AVENGER to home plate, CORONA commencing. Better get your fighters back now!" Hunter said.
Cain ordered Sanders, "Issue the fighter recall and activate radiation shields. Helm, stand by to jump to 'Quasar' on my mark".
On the lead Base Star, the command centurion noticed that all of the vipers were abruptly breaking off the attack and were heading back to the battlestar at high speed. It still could not get a positive ID on the name of the battlestar as the nameplate's lights had been darkened out, but that was unimportant at the moment. It looked like the battlestar was preparing to make an FTL-jump and that had to be stopped. It ordered all guns to increase their rate of fire.
The PEGASUS shuddered as two missiles penetrated the suppressing fire of the counter-batteries and impacted upon the hull. Tolen looked at Cain.
"Looks like they don't want us to leave their party", he remarked dryly. Cain rolled his eyes at his XO's dry wit.
"Commander, Both wings are coming straight in for combat landing. AVENGER reports they're heading in now for execution of CORONA", the comscan technician reported.
"As soon as the last fighter is down, retract our bays", Cain ordered. He knew that he didn't want the PEGASUS to be anywhere close by when CORONA was sprung...
The viper wings were heading back at full throttle to land back on board the PEGASUS. Several raiders had tried to give chase, but several of the PEGASUS' secondary batteries blasted them out of the sky as they moved to intercept. The leading fighters quickly landed and moved aside in order to make room for the others coming in behind them.
"They're coming in on both decks now, Commander", Sanders reported, "some losses to both wings are being reported".
"Save it for the debrief", Cain replied, "Start retracting the bays".
"Retracting the bays", Sanders replied, "the last ones are landing now".
The vipers were crowding both decks, but that didn't stop Syke and Voight - who were the last pilots from their respective wings - in getting their vipers down. Sanders nodded when he verified that both CAG's were aboard.
As Hunter noticed the PEGASUS' landing bays start to retract, Hunter quickly activated the countdown for the activation of the FTL-drive. When the countdown reached zero, Sims then activated the CORONA program which was tied into the peregrine's navi-comp and firing control computers. As Benson and Tomlinson finally managed to destroy the raider they had encountered, the FLEET AVENGER jumped.
At the moment that the landing bays had closed, the FLEET AVENGER FTL-jumped to a position only one hundred and fifty meters from the second base star - not the one directly engaging the PEGASUS. It reappeared directly in front of the control deck.
The peregrine's missiles were programmed to fire at the instant the FTL-jump was made. Due to the necessity of getting in so close to avoid any possibility of counter battery fire hitting either the missiles or the peregrine itself, it all had to be done automatically, otherwise there would not be enough human reaction time to get clear before the missiles detonated. As the missiles shot off the racks - two scarabs for initial impact penetration, followed by the two nukes which would make use of the hole that the scarabs made in the hull - the FTL-drive automatically activated again. Hunter could hardly take it all in. The AVENGER flashed out just as the first missile hit.
The centurion commanding the second base star was surprised (or more precisely, as surprised as a Cylon could feel) when it saw the Peregrine appear so close to his ship, but before it could order the anti-fighter batteries to take it out, It then saw four missiles launched from the Peregrine, then flash out in another FTL-jump. It was the last thing that It would ever see.
With a flash, the scarabs hit, causing a small hull breach right by the control deck. With a far more intense flash a second later, both nuclear missiles detonated. Each missile was a 10K tactical nuke, which was small by most standards, but the close-in detonation of them both right where the tough hull plating had been weakened by the scarabs' impact proved more than enough to inflict devastating damage onto the base star's control center.
When the Core Command technician reported, "Multiple nuclear detonations on the second base star", Cain ordered, "Execute jump to point 'Quasar'!"
The command centurion on the first base star had hardly enough time to realize what had happened to the other base star when the Peregrine suddenly emerged from it's FTL-jump directly in front of him not more than sixty meters away from the control deck portal! The peregrine's CORONA program quickly fired two more scarabs and two more nukes and activated the FTL-drive once more.
There was no time for the command centurion to order his counter-batteries to train in on the new threat - they were targeted onto the battlestar - which had just now FTL-jumped away from the battle. The two nuclear missiles detonated close on the heels of the scarab impacts, wreaking similar havoc onto this base star. As both base stars tumbled, out of control and heavily damaged, the FLEET AVENGER re-emerged from it's jump at the co-ordinates where it had started. Hunter's hands were shaking some - partly as a result of the FTL disorientation - but at the closeness to both base stars that CORONA had put them.
"Glad to see you back, Hondo", Benson reported as his and Tomlinson's vipers converged on his position. The vipers quickly maneuvered onto the top of the Peregrine, where portable mag-locks secured both of them in place.
"Tell me what happened later", Sims said groggily from his station. Hunter sympathized. The effects of those so-close-in FTL-jumps was a little hard on the system. Hunter barely noticed the missiles leaving the racks before the jumps took place, but from what his view-screens were showing, CORONA seemed to have worked.
As was expected, the remaining Cylon raiders were too busy covering their damaged base stars to notice the Peregrine. The only time that any of them noticed anything was there was when the sensors on several raiders reported an FTL-jump. By then of course, there was nothing more to see.