Chapter Six
Audience Chamber
Themis Ha'tak, A Few Minutes Later
Silence reigned in the audience chamber, the only sound being the faint humming of the Ha'tak's hyperdrive as it propelled the mighty warship through hyperspace on course for Zeus's throne world of Olympus. Themis had just finished describing the encounters with the two Colonial warships to Lord Zeus, now she and Helios waited in respectful silence as their master considered.
Finally after a seeming eternity of silence Zeus spoke. "So we have found Athena's followers at last," he said sounding gratified. "And they appear to have advanced considerably in the last four thousand years."
Both Helios and Themis flinched slightly and felt a surge of blazing hatred at the mention of Athena. Thousands of years ago the young Goa'uld Queen had turned her back on the ways of the System Lords and sided with the Tok'ra, which in the eyes of the Goa'uld was the worst kind of treachery possible by a member of their kind. Athena and the Jaffa siding with her had forced them away from Kobol. When Zeus returned with an armada to retake the planet he had found its Human population gone and only a massive army of Jaffa remaining. An army that to defeat had required a major orbital bombardment, that left too much radiation in Kobol's atmosphere for the planet to be habitable by even their hardy species for many millennia.
Athena had been severely punished for her treachery, subjected to the worst death possible for one of their race. But she'd never revealed where she'd transported her former slaves to, only continued to denounce the System Lords until her life was extinguished.
"Interesting," Lee said from his prison at the back of Helios thoughts. "Athena has always been the most beloved of the Lords of Kobol, now I know why. She set us free from you."
"Freedom that will soon end," Helios replied. "Soon you will all once again worship your true gods."
"Don't bet on it. We will never bow to anyone, the Cylons found that out and so will you. We will fight you to the end."
"We will see about that, Lee Adama. We shall see about that," Helios answered.
"Yes milord we have," Themis said oblivious to the conversation between Helios and his strong minded host. "And they are not advanced enough to defeat us. Their warships are pathetic and there weapons too primitive to be any threat to us."
"The weapons on their warships are not their orbital weapons, Themis," Helios said as he looked through Lee's memories and inwardly smirking as he felt Lee's horror and helplessness to stop him looking at Colonial defence information.
"Explain, Helios," Zeus commanded.
Helios bowed to his master. "All twelve Colonial worlds are protected by large scale orbital defences, especially the two biggest worlds, Caprica and Picon. Their orbital defences include platforms with massive weapons that hurl solid metal rounds at near light speed. A direct hit would inflict considerable damage upon our shields. It would take a major assault to take any of their worlds. And to be honest Lord Zeus, I do not know if the Colonies are worth the effort of taking."
"Elaborate."
"My host's memories indicate that the Colonials have no knowledge of naquada or its properties," Helios explained. "Which means it is probably not present on their worlds. Most of their colonies have extensive mining operations on them; it is likely they would have discovered the mineral's presence by now if it were there."
"Still the Colonies could have value, there are other useful materials besides naquada and they would be a plentiful source of slaves, hosts and new Jaffa," Zeus said thoughtfully. "We will have to look into it; we shall discuss this more when you reach Olympus."
"As my lord commands," Helios replied with a bow of his head.
"Themis how long until your ship reaches, here?" Zeus demanded.
"Another hour my lord," Themis answered.
"As soon as you arrive, both of you come straight to the palace. We have much to discuss."
"As my lord, commands," Themis and Helios replied almost in unison, both bowing to their master. Zeus nodded once in acknowledgement of the respect they were showing him, before terminating the connection from his end, making the communications sphere return to a solid gold colour.
"Indeed there is much to discuss," Helios said. "And not just about the Colonies, there is another group in this area that could be of use to our master."
Themis looked at Helios in interest and seeing a thoughtful look on his new hosts face. "And who is that, Helios," she asked.
Helios smiled mysteriously. "You will see soon enough, Themis," he said before turning and leaving the audience chamber, leaving a bemused Themis behind him.
Themis watched Helios leave the audience chamber, she had forgotten how annoying Helios could be when he had information that you didn't have. But mocking or insulting him to get him to reveal the information never worked, Helios would only release information when it was necessary or most advantageous to him. She would just have to wait until they reached Olympus and spoke directly to Lord Zeus and Lady Hera. But that did not mean she had to like it. No she didn't have to like it at all.
Combat Information Centre
Battlestar Pegasus, That Same Time
Major Keith Matterson accompanied by a marine escort marched smartly into the command centre of the Pegasus; despite himself he couldn't help but be surprised by how compact it was. Though the ship was considerably bigger than the Solaria, the CIC of the Pegasus was barely half the size of the one he was used to. It was a sign of the extensive automation and computer networking that went on aboard a Mercury-class battlestar. Automation and networking that was essential for such a massive warship to be run effectively on a comparatively small crew.
Approaching the dradis console/map table Keith waited for Admiral Cain to notice him. After a few moments the iron lady of the Colonial Fleet stopped looking at the overhead screens, screens showing live images from Raptor camera's of the massive external damage done to the Solaria and the Olympia by the aliens. Though Helena Cain's face was calm and controlled a look of shock, anger and the faintest hint of fear visible in her eyes told him that she was rattled by what she had seen.
"Major Matterson, ma'am," he said in greeting bringing himself to attention and offering her a salute.
"Stand easy, major," Cain said returning the salute. Keith shifted his posture to at ease as the admiral spoke again. "From the looks of things you have been through one hell of a time."
"Yes ma'am we have," Keith replied. "What we thought was going to be a rescue and possibly combat mission against an especially brazen lot of pirates has turned into a nightmare."
"You mentioned aliens earlier please explain what you meant and exactly what happened?" Colonel Jurgen Belzen said appearing beside the admiral with a silence that seemed impossible for a guy his size. Cain acknowledged her XO's presence with a slight inclination of her head and nodded at Keith to indicate he should answer the question.
"Yes, sir, after we performed a Viper fly-by survey of the Olympia, Commander Maynard ordered that we board her with Raptors to search for any survivors and ordered me to command the rescue party.
"We were almost to the Olympia when we got a message from the Solaria indicating that they were being boarded somehow," he continued. "A few minutes later there was an emergency atmospheric dump from both flight pods, seconds later an alien ship literally appeared from nowhere and opened up with some sort of energy bolts. In moments they wiped out most of the cap and left the Solaria crippled. Then they just left, vanishing into some kind of spatial rift."
For a moment there was silence then Cain spoke up. "Do you have proof of what you say, Major," she asked her mind reeling from the tail she'd just been told. It couldn't be true, could it? Energy based weapons were impossible, everything the colonies knew about physics confirmed that, and alien life wasn't supposed to exist. Major Matterson had to lying, though her instincts told her that he wasn't. That the Solaria and possibly the Olympia had really been attacked by aliens wielding weapons that shouldn't exist.
"Yes, ma'am," Keith replied before reaching into one of the pockets of his flight suit and taking out a disc he'd taken from the Raptor. "This disc contains footage from the cameras of my Raptor up to the moment the alien warship appeared and started firing," he continued offering the disc to Admiral Cain.
Cain accepted the disc off him and put it in a reader on the side of the map table, before pressing a control to start playback. Turning to look at the overhead screens better she observed what appeared to be a perfectly normal scene, with another Raptor visible in the scene as the two ships headed towards the Olympia.
After a few moments she heard the transmission from the Solaria that indicated that she was being boarded through the flight pods and that both Raptors should hold position and not attempt to return to assist. The image rotated as the Raptors turned in space to look at the Solaria hanging silent and serene in space, fighters buzzing around her. From the outside nothing at all seemed to be wrong.
According to the time index on the bottom right hand corner of the screen, several minutes went past. Before abruptly jets of atmosphere carrying debris and bodies burst from the Solaria's flight pods. After a few seconds the venting stopped as all the atmosphere in the pods had been expelled into space. Another two or three minutes ticked by before abruptly with a shimmer of optical distortion a ship appeared behind the Solaria. It was a very strange ship, shaped like a pyramid with a vaguely round section around its bottom third.
Immediately the recording showed the Solaria starting to come around to challenge the newcomer, a second before golden bolts of energy began blasting from the alien vessel. Vipers immediately began dying; the Raptors whirled away and ducked into the safety of the Olympia's sensor shadow as they had no weapons on board. When the camera pivoted again as the ships manoeuvred it was to see the Solaria spinning like a top and most of the Vipers had been destroyed. The alien ship was moving away, and a second later disappeared into an energy vortex.
The recording ended and Cain stood stock still for a moment, staring at the blank screen, immobilised by the shock of what she had just seen. It was horrifying the ease with which the impossible alien weapons had crippled the Solaria, a battlestar being defeated so easily – before her guns could even fire once in defence – was unheard of and that was terrifying. After a moment she buried her shock and horror beneath a hard determination, if the aliens came back and dared to challenge her then she would not hesitate to unleash her full firepower on them, she doubted that one alien ship no matter how powerful it was could stand up to the full might of her battle group.
"It appears I owe you an apology, major," she said at last turning to look back at Keith. "When you mentioned that you had been attacked by aliens I thought that you had gone mad, now I see you spoke the truth."
"No apology is necessary, ma'am," Keith replied. "I'm still having a bit of trouble believing it myself. The question is what do we do now?"
"Now," Cain answered with a grim smile. "For now we will assist the Solaria and any survivors left aboard her, then we take her back to a shipyard for repairs. Once that is done we find the alien butchers who attack you, and make them pay for what they have done here today. We need to send them a message that they cannot attack us without incurring the most severe of consequences."
"So say we all," Keith replied matching the admiral's predatory smile with one of his own. Next time he encountered them – if he ever did – he would make them pay in blood for all those they had murdered here today.
"Admiral," Hoshi called out. "We've been able to establish contact with the Solaria. Commander Maynard is on the line for you."
"Excellent," Cain answered before picking up the phone and bringing it to her ear. "Solaria Actual this is Pegasus Actual."
Combat Information Centre
Battlestar Solaria, A Few Moments Earlier
Commander Julian Maynard frowned in concern as a deep, tortured groaning sound abruptly echoed through the whole hull of the Solaria. The groan was accompanied by a faint but worrying tremor in the deck as the whole ship vibrated. After a few terrifying seconds the sound and the vibration stopped but it was a very worrying sign. A sign that the stresses being exerted on the ships structure by the damaged hanger pods were reaching critical levels and that weakened elements of the internal space frame were starting to fail.
Out of the corner of his eyes Julian saw Colonel Roberts approaching from the damage control console, with a look of real concern on her face. As calmly as he could, inwardly fearing that he was about to be told his ship was dying, that her wounds were too great for the twenty year old battlestar to survive any longer, he turned to look at her.
"We've got a new problem, sir," Roberts said. "We can't get the explosive bolts on the flight pods to fire, we can't cut them loose and the stress on the hull amidships is redlining and continuing to rise."
"Give me the bottom line, Colonel," Julian replied even as he inwardly flinched at his XO's report. A report that was basically a death knell for the Solaria, there was nothing they could really do to save her now.
Roberts took a deep breath and let it out slowly, clearly upset by the news that she had to now relay. "Basically sir the ship is dying," she said. "Damage control estimates we have half an hour at the most before the hull undergoes catastrophic failure."
"Frak," Julian replied softly feeling his shoulders drop. He had only one duty left now. "Okay muster all hands to lifeboat stations," he ordered. "We're going to evacuate the ship, make sure though that one of the alien bodies is brought with us along with some of their weapons. If those aliens come back then our people need to know who and what our enemy is."
"Yes, sir."
"Communications, any progress with comms," Julian asked.
"Yes sir we've got one of the secondary comm. arrays back online, the signal is very pour though sir," Communications replied.
"It will have to do. Put me through to the Pegasus, I need to speak with Admiral Cain."
"Yes, sir."
The light beside the phone on the side of the map table/dradis console came on and reluctantly Julian picked it up. The line was extremely noisy, crackling and hissing with distortion but even with the horrendous interference from the barely functioning array he clearly heard Admiral Cain's voice.
"Solaria Actual this is Pegasus Actual," the iron willed younger woman said.
"Admiral Cain, it's good to here you're voice," Julian said.
"Likewise commander. What is your status?"
"We're preparing to abandon the ship, admiral," Julian informed her. "There is just too much damage to the ships internal space frame, my damage control crews estimate we have at the most half an hour before the hull collapses."
For a moment their was a shocked silence from the Pegasus, it was understandable as it wasn't everyday that a battlestar died and it had been forty years since a battlestar had died as a result of combat. A record that Julian knew had lulled a number of younger generation commanders and admirals into believing that modern battlestars were invincible, though veterans of the Cylon War like himself knew they were far from it.
Finally Cain spoke. "Understood," she said. "We'll be standing ready to retrieve your lifeboats as their launched."
"Thank you, ma'am."
"Good luck, commander," Cain said before the transmission cut off as she put the phone down. Julian took the phone away from his ear, looked at it for a few moments as it occurred to him that it had seen its very last use, before putting it back in its place. As he did so another ominous groan from the stressed hull and a sharper vibration in the deck beneath his feet. For a moment the emergency lighting flickered, darkened, and then came back up to full brightness.
"Sir we have to go," Colonel Roberts said softly.
"I know, colonel. I know," Julian replied taking his command key from around his neck and inserting it into its slot on the map table and turned it clockwise to three-o'clock. A panel popped open in the tables surface revealing a small keypad, Julian carefully tapped in the command to sound the alarm that he had hoped he would never hear except in drills.
As the alarm to abandon ship began to wail throughout the ship, he turned to look at his executive officer. "Supervise the evacuation, colonel," he instructed. "I have to go and get my log books together."
"Yes, sir," Roberts replied before turning to the crew in the CIC, even as Julian took a last look around before leaving to get his commanders logs together. "Okay people you heard the commander, get to your lifeboat stations immediately."
Ten Minutes Later
Julian Maynard sighed as he took the last of his log books from its place on the shelves behind his desk; it was his very first log book, the one he'd started when command of the Solaria had been given to him five years ago, after her previous master retired from the service. First one I started all those years ago, he thought, and it's the last one I take off the shelf. Guess its somewhat fitting.
Carefully he placed the log book in the satchel he would be using to carry them off the ship. He was just sealing it up when another deep groan and a violent shudder ran through the ship, gripping the edges of his desk he waited for the shudder to pass, inwardly wincing as he began hearing the sounds of metal tearing and snapping. A millisecond later came a deeper rumbling noise and the ship rocked as something deep within its bowls exploded.
After a few heart-stopping seconds the shaking stopped as the ship stabilised, but the groaning of overstressed hull members and the odd shriek of tearing metal continued. There was no doubt in Julian's mind that the Solaria was entering her final death throes. Gathering up the satchel containing the logs and the hurriedly thrown in photos of his family, he left his quarters for the last time.
He had only gotten a few metres from his quarters when another violent lurch slammed him into the bulkhead and ahead of him an electrical conduit blew outwards in a shower of smoke and sparks. Staggering back upright he started running as well as he could despite the vibration that was now becoming constant throughout the ship as she slowly began coming apart. Lords of Kobol let me get off this ship before she dies, he thought, I have to survive to make the aliens pay for what they have done here today.
The run to the closest lifeboat station seemed to take forever but in reality it was only a few minutes. Julian's heart was beating against his rips and his muscles were screaming for mercy as he climbed into the lifeboat with nearly thirty-seven other people. The noise of tearing metal was constant now, and the shaking of the deck more violent than ever. It was almost as if the Solaria was screaming in agony as she tore herself apart from within.
Glancing around Julian noted with relief that the lifeboat was full to capacity with command level personnel and marines, and he didn't doubt that the other boats in this bank – most of them having already dropped clear of the dying battlestar – were also full to capacity. Lords of Kobol I hope every boat gets away packed, he thought as he sealed the hatch before strapping himself in.
"Everyone ready for launch," Lieutenant Forman asked from where sat at the lifeboats crude pilots' station even as another explosion somewhere in the dying battlestar shook the lifeboat violently.
"Yes go," Julian replied before looking out the viewing portal on the side of the lifeboat. For a moment nothing happened then with a sharp jerk the clamps holding the lifeboat in place released and they dropped free of the Solaria, emerging with dozens of other lifeboats out of specialised tubes in the underside of the warship.
For a few seconds they fell away from the battlestar, then the lifeboats single engine roared to life and Lieutenant Forman began to manoeuvre them away from the final explosion that was sure to come. Looking out the view port Julian gazed back at his command, her once pristine hull was scorched and pitted and every so often he would see sections of hull plating either collapse inwards of be blown away by the internal explosions being triggered by collapsing structural members starting fires, fires that were igniting stored ordinance and would no doubt soon reach the main tylium storage tanks in the heart of the ship.
"Goodbye," Julian said softly to himself as he stared, unable to look away at his dying ship. Later he assumed the full emotional impact of loosing her would fall upon him, but for now he was more numb than anything else. As he watched a series of larger internally generated explosions rippled along the whole length of the ship as weapons systems and fuel stores let go.
Slowly, ever so slowly, he saw the Solaria roll over onto her starboard side as a major explosion ripped the port flight pod clear off the ship. For a moment more nothing happened, then there came a brilliant flash from every view port, every missile tube and weapons array that was still intact. A ripple ran along the hull which began to rip apart, allowing great tongues of gas fed flame to lick out at the cold vacuum of space.
Finally the end came; a second massive explosion came from deep within the ships core, spreading out to envelop the entire ship in a maelstrom of light and fire. Julian was forced to shield his eyes with one hand from the glare of the blast, slowly it faded away and he lowered his hand.
To see that the Solaria was gone, where there had once been a battlestar there was now nothing more than a spreading cloud of dust and debris. It was over.
"Orders sir," Lieutenant Forman asked.
"Locate the Pegasus," Julian said softly. "Then take us to her."
"Yes, sir."
Combat Information Centre
Battlestar Pegasus, That Same Time
A deep sombre silence reigned in the command centre of the Pegasus; the whole crew had watched the explosive break-up of the Solaria on the external monitors with a sense of helpless horror. To a soul they knew that it was likely that not everyone had been able to get off the battlestar before her end came, that a number of their brothers and sisters in arms had died here today, further victims of a powerful, unknown foe.
Admiral Helena Cain stood stock still staring at the screens and the spreading debris field that was all that remained of the Solaria, with icy fury. It was anger stronger than anything she had ever known, it burned in her veins and along with a desire for vengeance on the aliens responsible for the Solaria's death, congealed inside her into anger harder than diamond and colder than space itself.
She would make the unknown aliens responsible for the destruction of the Solaria and the attack on the Olympia pay for what they had done here today. She knew it may take her years but she would hunt them down and destroy them. But right now she had another priority, one that was far more important than hunting down and killing the aggressors responsible for the dereliction of the Olympia and the destruction of the Solaria. Right now her duty was to the battlestars survivors.
"Scramble every single Raptor we've got," she ordered. "Order all other ships to do the same, order them to assist the lifeboats launched from the Solaria in anyway they can. Alert all medical facilities to prepare for incoming patients. There are going to be scores of injured people on those lifeboats they're going to need all the help we can give them.
"Navigation move us closer to the debris field, instruct the Andromeda and the Socrates to do the same," she continued. "It will make it easier to pick up the Solaria's lifeboats. Once all lifeboats are recovered plot an immediately hyperlight jump for all ships to return to Picon."
"Yes, ma'am," came the replies from the respective officers. Helena turned to look at Major Matterson to find him standing stock still, face pale still looking at the external camera feeds. Pity stirred within her, watching the Solaria die had been hard enough for her own crew, but she knew for Keith Matterson it would have been even worse. Because it had been his ship, and who knew how many of his friends and colleagues, that had died out there a few minutes ago. She could only imagine the pain he would be feeling right now.
"Major Matterson," she said.
Keith blinked and tore his eyes away from the screens, to look over at Admiral Cain. "Yes admiral?" he asked.
"Are you okay," Cain asked though she already suspected what the answer would be.
"No," Keith answered honestly, he doubted he would ever be alright again. "But I can't just stand here I need to do something, something to help those of my friends and colleagues who've survived Solaria's death. I have field medic training I would like to help with the medical crews."
"Alright," Cain said after a moment before gesturing for one of the marines stationed outside CIC to come in. Immediately the marine came into the room and snapped to attention in front of his commanding officer. "Escort Major Matterson to the infirmary," she ordered. "Advise Doctor Salik that he will be joining the emergency medical crews."
"Yes ma'am," the marine replied before turning to Keith. "This way please, sir."
Cain watched as both men left the command centre of her battlestar, she was impressed by the way Major Matterson seemed to be holding up given what he had just been through and what he had seen. Inwardly she knew he would be broken up, who wouldn't be, but he was using duty to keep himself together. Something she approved of as it showed that he had the potential to really be a Human weapon, that he had the potential to put aside his humanity and become a Razor, a tool with which to destroy the aliens who had struck here today.
Silently she resolved to keep an eye on Major Matterson's career from here onwards, if war came with the aliens – which she was sure it would – she would request he be assigned to her. After all she knew better than anyone else how to bring out a soldiers full potential, how to turn a man or woman into the perfect weapon of war. A weapon that would be needed if they were to triumph over the aliens whenever they came back to sow more destruction, but there was no doubt in her mind that they would win.
No there was no doubt at all.