Chapter Five
Rescue Raptor Two
That Same Time
Lieutenant Kieran 'Shadowsmith' Hawkins blinked away the residual disorientation that accompanied a hyperlight jump with practiced ease. He couldn't help but smile slightly as he heard one of the marines in the back compartment throwing up; it had been along time since he had done that immediately after a jump. That marine must be a rookie, he thought, or he's never been through a jump in a Raptor before.
Looking at the dradis screen he was fully conscious of the fact that they didn't have a lot of time – the Solaria needed help and fast. Assuming of course that there was still somebody alive onboard the crippled battlestar, that they weren't all killed when the alien vessel opened fire on her. Lords of Kobol let there be someone still alive on the ship, he thought scanning the dradis display and feeling hopelessness pulling at him.
The screen was empty.
"Frak," he snapped angrily. "Nothing."
"What do we do now," his ECO Lieutenant Susan 'Herron' Parkwell asked. "We can't jump back to Maverick empty handed."
"Only thing we can do is prepare to…" his voice cut off as the dradis screen bleeped for attention. Looking at the offending device a smile spread across his space as he saw multiple contacts appearing, surrounded by the momentary fuzzy distortion that indicated the dispersing of hyperlight jump fields. In seconds the contacts firmed up and transponder ID's appeared identifying them to be Colonial Fleet ships led by the Pegasus. Thank the gods, he thought as multiple additional contacts appeared as the battlestars and cruisers in the battle group launched a CAP.
Abruptly his helmet comm. crackled to life. "Unknown Raptor this is the battlestar Pegasus, identify yourself and state your mission," a male voice ringing with authority said.
"Pegasus, this Solaria Raptor 219," Kieran replied using the Raptors normal flight designation. "We need your help."
CIC
Battlestar Pegasus
Rear Admiral Helena Cain listened intently as Lieutenant Hoshi sent an interrogative transmission to the Raptor. A frown appeared on her face and she exchanged a concerned look with her XO Colonel Jurgen Belzen as the Raptor pilot asked for help.
"Raptor 219, Pegasus," Hoshi said. "Are you in distress?"
"Negative Pegasus," the pilot answered. "The Solaria has been attacked, we have been sent by her CAG to gather assistance."
The words acted like an electric shock to Helena Cain's nervous system and before she even realised what she was doing she picked up the phone from the edge of the dradis console/map table.
"Put me on with them, Hoshi," she ordered. Hoshi nodded and the phone came to life in her hand. Bringing it to her ear Helena spoke. "Raptor 219 this is Pegasus Actual. What is the location and status of the Solaria?"
"Admiral Cain, I'm transmitting the location of the Solaria to you now. As for her actual status I have no idea, my CAG sent us here before we could get a lot of information. But I do know that the starboard flight pod sustained massive damage and that the Solaria was listing heavily and non responsive to hails."
Cain frowned slightly. "Pilot identify yourself," she ordered while Hoshi nodded at her indicating that a databurst was being received.
"Lieutenant Kieran Hawkins call sign Shadowsmith, ma'am," the pilot answered promptly.
"Thank you, lieutenant. Jump back to the location of the Solaria immediately and inform them that help is on the way," Helena ordered, before covering the microphone with her hand and looking over at her XO. "Tell all ships to plot an immediate hyperlight jump to the Solaria's location."
"Yes, ma'am," Jurgen Belzen answered before turning to carry out the task.
"Yes, ma'am, they'll be glad to hear you're coming," Lieutenant Hawkins said at the same time before closing the connection from his end. Helena sighed and put the phone down. So much for a quiet cruise, she thought before hardening her thoughts as she prepared to deal with whoever had attacked the Solaria with every weapon she had at her command, if she could find them.
"Action Stations," she ordered. "Prepare all Vipers for immediate launch and bring all weapons systems online. If whoever attacked the Solaria is still in the area we will make them sorry they we're ever born."
"So say we all," Belzen agreed as the alarm klaxons began to wail throughout the ship, summoning the crew to battle readiness.
An action that was mirrored seconds later by the crews of the other warships as the whole battle group made itself ready to unleash its firepower on whoever had dared to attack a Colonial battlestar.
Battlestar Solaria
A Few Minutes Later
Commander Julian Maynard resisted the impulse to pace around the shattered command and control facility of his ship. All around him crew members were working frantically to get their workstations back working properly, but despite their efforts many key systems remained off line including communications and dradis. We're still blind, deaf and completely adrift, he thought despairingly.
He was careful though to seem calm and collected for the sake of his crew, when inwardly he wanted to scream in frustration. It didn't take a genius to see that everyone was terrified and only just holding themselves together. I have to be strong for my crew's sake, he thought, if they see me loose it, then only the gods know what would happen.
Colonel Roberts approached him from the damage control station, the look on her face grim and Julian braced himself for yet more bad news. "We've completed preliminary damage assessments, sir," she said.
"How bad is it," Julian asked.
"Very bad sir. The starboard flight pod is completely wrecked, whatever the enemy hit us with it opened the whole thing up on every single deck. Teams wearing environmental suits are searching through the pod, looking for anyone who managed to get into suits or into the emergency stations but its not looking good.
"In addition we've got hull fractures all along our starboard side, and there is a dangerous amount of weakening of the ships internal space frame amidships. Propulsion systems both sublight and FTL are off line. Even if we get them back online I wouldn't recommend we move until engineering have had chance to reinforce the damaged sections of the hull."
"The hull weakening is that bad," Julian asked not liking what he was hearing. With damage this severe the ship could be laid up in dock for months if they were lucky, at worst fleet could decide to scuttle the ship.
"Yes, sir."
"Frak. Have we any news on the number of casualties so far?"
"Casualty reports are still being compiled but its going to be very high sir," Roberts answered, pain in her voice. "Its very unlikely that anyone in the starboard flight pod has survived."
Julian closed his eyes in pain for a moment. There could be nearly two hundred and fifty people in the flight pods at any given time, especially between pilots, deck crew and support personnel. Though he had suspected it was coming to be told the brutal truth was a very painful and personal blow. Especially as commander he was responsible for the lives of everyone under his command. A hand touched his arm and he opened his eyes again to find Roberts looking at him sympathetically and with a look in her eyes that said she felt the same as he did.
For a few moments they remained like that then Roberts put her hand down again. "The marines are gathering the alien bodies together," she said getting back to business. "They want to know what we should do with them."
"Put the most intact ones in cold storage for the analysis boys back home to look over," Julian ordered. "The rest, dump them out the airlock."
"Yes, sir."
"Return to monitoring the damage control efforts, Colonel."
"Yes, sir."
"And Colonel once the dc teams are finished combing the starboard flight pod for survivors use the emergency explosive bolts to separate it from the rest of the ship. That should reduce the stress on the rest of the hull."
"Yes, sir," Roberts replied not liking that idea but knowing it was the only real option they had, the wrecked flight pod was putting enormous strain on the ships weakened internal space frame, they had to jettison it or let the strain grow until the Solaria started tearing herself apart from within – which would be a death sentence for many of the surviving crew.
Julian watched his executive officer head back over to the damage control section of CIC, before returning his attention to the rest of the command centre. Just in time to see the blank dradis display screens over the map table flicker once, then come online again bringing in a badly degraded display of space around the ship.
A number of targets glowing with the green dots of friendly contacts buzzed around the outside of the ship. He counted five of them, obviously some of their Vipers and the Raptors had survived the aliens attack. As he watched another contact materialised on the display, surrounded by a momentary jump haze, like the others it glowed friendly. What in the name of the gods is going on out there, he thought, frustrated at the fact that he could now see something happening outside but still lacked the ability to establish contact with anyone outside the ship.
"Communications," he called out. "How long till we get some communication capability back?"
"Unknown at this time, sir," communications answered. "We're trying to get one of the secondary comm. arrays back online but its slow going. Most of the arrays are gone; whatever the aliens hit us with has completely fried them."
"Do the best you can."
"Yes, sir."
Rescue Raptor One
Four Minutes Later
Major Keith Matterson scowled slightly as the latest attempt to get in contact with the Solaria failed. No matter what they attempted to do the battlestar remained as silent as a graveyard at midnight. He just hoped that the ominous, terrifying silence was a sign that the warships communications systems were inoperable, and not due to the fact that there was no one left alive onboard to answer. And the longer the silence from the battlestar went on then his mind kept telling him that the latter was the most probable cause.
"They can't all be dead," Pilgrim said gazing out the window at the listing, still slowly spinning battlestar. "The communications system has to be out that's all."
"I hope you're right, Pilgrim," Keith answered.
"So do I, Maverick. So do I."
Keith was about to lay a comforting hand on the younger pilot's forearm, to reassure the kid that everything was going to be alright – though it was a reassurance he didn't feel himself, when the dradis screen bleeped as a ship emerged from a hyperlight jump. Now what, he thought looking at the screen as the computer identified the new contact as a Colonial Raptor, specifically Rescue Raptor Two. That was quick, he thought, they've only been gone ten minutes if that.
Quickly he flipped open a comm. channel to the newly arrived craft. "Rescue Raptor Two, Maverick," he said. "Status report."
"Maverick, Shadowsmith," Shadowsmith answered. "Mission successful, help is coming shortly, a lot of it."
"Excellent work," Keith replied sighing in relief. "How many ships are coming?"
"A full battle group headed by the Pegasus." Keith winced slightly at Shadowsmith's words. The battlestar Pegasus meant that Admiral Helena Cain was coming, and he had not heard glowing things about her from the few people he knew who'd served under her. She was known to be a very tough as nails commander, with a lot of political clout. Clout that had got her promoted to rear admiral when most of her academy classmates were still only commanders or colonels.
"Understood," he answered at last. "Do you have any idea how long till they get here?"
"Negative, Maverick," Shadowsmith responded. "But from the tone of Admiral Cain's voice they will be here very shortly."
"I see. Okay Shadowsmith here's what I want you to do in the meantime. I want you to find an intact airlock on the Solaria's port side and attempt a docking. The ship is still not responding to our hails so we'll have to try boarding her."
"Yes, sir."
Keith closed the connection with the other Raptor and smiled when he noticed that it was immediately moving to carry out his order to board the Solaria. It was the only real move they could make now.
"What are we going to do, Maverick," Pilgrim asked.
"We're going to try and dock as well, Pilgrim," Keith answered. "Since we cannot get in contact with the ship via radio then boarding through any intact airlocks is the only thing that we can do."
Pilgrim nodded and started to guide the Raptor towards the Solaria's less damaged port side. As he did so Keith noticed eight large contacts appear on the dradis display, a moment more four more appeared, and then finally in the centre of the arrowhead formation came three more ships. Instantly dradis picked up and interpreted their IFF signals and labelled them all as friendly capital ships headed up by the Mercury-class battlestar Pegasus and the Guardian-class battlestars Andromeda and Socrates.
Admiral Cain's battle group had arrived.
For a few moments the ships remained static in space as their systems and crews recovered from the effects of the jump. Then multiple new contacts appeared as all three battlestars and the four Vigilance-class heavy cruisers with them launched every available Viper in a full blown combat launch.
Watching as the Vipers formed up Keith couldn't help but be impressed by their efficiency, though they were not as good as his own pilots – like every other CAG in the Colonial Fleet he believed his own Viper and Raptor pilots to be the best. Admiral Cain's CAG and the others under him or her on the other ships obviously knew their stuff when it came to training their crews.
For the second time in just over five minutes, Keith manipulated the radio controls, opening a secure channel directly to the Pegasus. "Pegasus, Solaria Raptor 210," he said using the normal designation for this Raptor as opposed to the rescue flight designation.
"Raptor 210, Pegasus Actual," Admiral Cain's clipped professional voice responded immediately. "To whom am I speaking?"
"Major Keith Matterson, call sign Maverick. I'm the CAG for the Solaria, ma'am."
"What is your status, Maverick? Are you alright?"
"We're fine, ma'am. But I cannot say the same for the Solaria. We have still not been able to get in contact with her. I just ordered Shadowsmith to dock with one of the portside airlocks and board the ship."
"Excellent," Cain said approval in her voice. "I will launch additional Raptors to assist. Maverick, dradis is showing another ship near you but we are not getting any IFF transponder from her? Did they attack you?"
"Negative, ma'am. That's the Olympia, we picked up a partial Omega drone transmission from her and Commander Maynard ordered an immediate jump to assist her. We were just about to board her with search parties when we were attacked."
"Who attacked you?" Cain demanded and Maverick clearly heard a note of anger in her voice. He couldn't help by pity the aliens who would be on the receiving end of Cain's wrath if she caught up with them. "The Cylons?"
"I don't believe it was the Cylons, ma'am," Keith replied. "Whoever it was attacked us with some kind of directed energy weapons, unless the Cylons have radically advanced technologically over the last forty years it cannot have been them."
For a moment there was stunned silence from the Pegasus. "Are you telling me that you're attackers were aliens," Cain asked at last.
"It certainly looks that way, ma'am. I can barely believe it myself but it's the only explanation that fits what the unknown hostiles did."
"I see," Cain answered slowly before once more going silent, obviously deep in thought. Keith glanced at the dradis display while he waited for the iron lady of the Colonial Fleet to speak again. Cain's battle group was moving closer to them at high speed, the eight Berserker-class destroyers and Viper squadrons already spreading out into what would eventually be a defensive formation around the helpless Solaria. The battlestars and cruisers were hanging back in combat formation – though he could see larger contacts which could only be Raptors starting to leave them – obviously ready to deal with any trouble should the attackers return.
"Maverick I want you to come aboard my flagship immediately," Cain said at last. "I believe we have much to talk about."
"Yes, ma'am," Keith answered and nodded to Pilgrim to adjust course to rendezvous with the Pegasus. "I'll be there as soon as I can."
"Land in the upper portside hanger deck," Cain instructed. "Someone will meet you there." The transmission closed with a bleep before Keith could signal an acknowledgement, a sure sign that Cain was rattled by what he had told her. That or she didn't believe him, or a mixture of the two.
"I don't think she believed you, Maverick," Pilgrim said grimly as he began guiding the Raptor across the gulf between them and the massive Mercury-class battlestar.
"If she hasn't I can't blame her," Keith replied. "She didn't see what we've seen. I just hope the footage from our cameras is enough to convince her that we're speaking the truth about an unprovoked alien attack. Plus when they examine the damage to both the Solaria and the Olympia there bound to see the way the metal has been burned right through in away that can only normally be done with plasma cutters."
"I hope you're right," Pilgrim answered. "Because I don't fancy being chucked in a padded cell back on Scorpia."
"I'm sure she'll believe us when she sees the footage," Keith replied. She has to believe us, he thought. Lords of Kobol let her believe us because I have a feeling we have not seen the last of the aliens who attacked us.
Themis Ha'tak
In Hyperspace
Helios smiled slightly as he admired his reflection in the mirror, now that his host body had had a nice bath and been provided with more appropriate clothing he had to admit he looked very good. Lee Adama was well built for his size, and Helios had dressed in white and gold finery that subtly enhanced the appearance of his host's rippling muscles and added to his own aura of power.
"You know you really are quite vein," Lee said from his prison at the back of Helios' thoughts. "This get up you've dressed me in is garish in the extreme. Not to mention completely tasteless."
"Your body is mine now, Human," Helios snapped back. "I can dress in whatever I please, and this look pleases me greatly."
"You'll have to forgive me if I take exception to that, parasite."
"I am a God not a parasite."
"You're a parasite. I can hear your thoughts and your memories. I know you are no god, and you know it as well."
"You are an insolent one aren't you, Lee Adama. You should be honoured that I choose to give you the honour of being my host."
"There is no honour in being a slave to an egotistical little parasite with a god complex."
"Believe what you will, Human. After all there is nothing you can do about it and soon you will accept the honour I have given you."
"I very much doubt that."
"You will in time, Lee Adama. And I have all the time in the universe."
"No you don't. You've fraked with us and you're arrogant snake hide is going to pay the price."
"Insolence."
"Just truth," Lee replied then went quiet, leaving Helios to quietly seethe over his host's defiant streak. It was obviously going to take him some time to break in this strong willed young Human, Lee Adama apparently had a stubborn streak as big as the galactic core. But Helios knew he would succeed, he had broken other equally strong willed hosts before and would take great satisfaction in adding Lee Adama to his repertoire.
The sound of the door opening drew his attention and Helios sensed another of his kind approaching. A moment before Themis came through the door; she was alone, obviously having left her lotar elsewhere on the Ha'tak. Helios turned to look and her and smiled as Themis looked him over and seemed to be very pleased by what she saw.
"You're taste is as good as ever I see, Helios," Themis said.
"Thank you, Themis," Helios replied. "Though I am sure you didn't come to see me just to complement me on my taste in clothing and hosts."
"You're right I did not. Though I have to admit that your taste is excellent."
"As is yours," Helios replied. "You're host is most attractive."
Themis inclined her head slightly and smiled in thanks before getting down to the business that had brought her to see her long time friend and ally. Not that she trusted him entirely, she wasn't foolish enough to believe that Helios would not betray her if it suited him, just like she wouldn't hesitate to betray him. Treachery was after all the way of the Goa'uld.
"We have established a subspace comm. link," she informed him. "Lord Zeus commands we attend him in the main audience hall. He wishes to learn more about the Twelve Colonies."
"Then we had better not keep him waiting," Helios replied. Having been a close ally of Lord Zeus and Lady Hera for most of his thousands of years of life he knew better than to keep either of them waiting long. Neither forgave tardiness very easily, though unlike some other System Lords they did not kill for it. Still the consequences of keeping either of them waiting unnecessarily could be very nasty to say the least.
"This way," Themis answered and led the way out of the chamber. Helios followed her and together the two lower ranking Goa'uld made their way through the silent corridors of the Ha'tak. Helios noticed the complete lack of Jaffa around and guessed that the ship was operating with only slightly above a skeleton crew of Jaffa, even considering those lost during the encounters with the Colonial vessels. Lack of manpower would not be a problem for long though, not once Lord Zeus and Lady Hera had had a chance to work on their prisoners. Soon they would gladly serve their gods.
"If you think that you've got another thing coming, Helios," Lee said to him.
"Oh but they will, Human. As you will soon see,"Helios replied. "Soon you will see our power and the futility of resistance."
"Resistance is never futile."
"We will see about that."
After a few minutes of walking the two Goa'uld arrived in the main audience chamber in the pyramidal section of the Ha'tak. When landed on a Goa'uld world this place would be filled with priests and worshippers seeking an audience with their gods but right now it was empty. Aside from a large golden sphere floating above the dais that housed the throne.
Both Themis and Helios came to a stop before the sphere and waited. After a moment it rippled with colour and the gold washed away to be replaced by the face and torso of Lord Zeus. Both Goa'uld bowed respectfully to their master.
"Ah Themis, Helios excellent," Zeus said. "Helios I am most pleased to see that you have found a suitable host among the Humans Themis captured."
"As am I, my lord," Helios replied. "This host is most suitable and he has knowledge that should be most beneficial to you."
"Excellent. We will have to discuss that face to face when you reach Olympus."
"Yes my lord."
"Now down to business," Zeus said. "Themis!"
"Yes my lord?" Themis asked.
"Tell me everything about your encounters with the two Colonial warships and leave nothing out."
"As my lord commands."