==========BS-62 Pegasus (+236 Days Post Cylon Holocaust)==========
Pegasus had disappeared for roughly twenty-five minutes. Twenty-five minutes in which the crew faced a ruthless boarding action and an equally savage space-based attack.
In that time the last two Gaurdian baseships engaging Galactica had jumped away, the Raiders had left, and chaos had broken out amongst the fleet.
The CIC in Galactica had initially erupted into chaos then anger then confusion when Mr. Gaeta reported Pegasus had vanished from DRADIS. Everyone thought it had exploded; no one had waited for visual confirmation from the Vipers. It had taken ten minutes to calm everyone back down. But even then, the calm was tenuous at best. FTL spatial distortions were reported, but no one knew where Pegasus had jumped to.
Admiral Cain would never have left Galactica alone. Something had happened during the boarding, that, everyone was sure of. They thought the ship had been taken. Maybe the atmosphere vented into space like the Centurions had tried on Galactica so many months ago.
But almost as suddenly as she disappeared, Pegasus had jumped back.
The battle had been two days ago but the collateral damage to the landing bays and Viper launching tubes made it near impossible to land any of her birds. Galactica had to rotate dozens of Vipers every other hour to keep the bays from overcrowding and prevent pilot fatigue.
Galactica and Pegasus had jumped to the emergency jump coordinates and had rejoined the fleet. Immediately hundreds of civilian personnel from communications techs to deck hands had been called up by the fleet's emergency civilian contact system to report for damage control and repair on Pegasus.
The ship was still structurally sound, none of her main support frames or structural bulheads had buckled or collapsed and there had been few major hull breeches. The armored alloys of Pegasus were state-of-the-art and could withstand prolonged conventional and nuclear bombardment. Luckily the Guardians had decreased their missile barrages as they had attempted to gain control of the ship.
There were dozens of sections which had suffered small breeches from Raiders slamming themselves into Pegasus. The real internal damage had come from the Centurion boarding parties. They had killed hundreds and set off small explosives inside the ship during their rampage.
In the days after the attack it had become clear to everyone, especially Admiral Cain, that their intruders had not wanted to destroy Pegasus. Captain Shaw and Lieutenant Hoshi had detected mass infiltration of their computer networks and had established that the Guardian Cylons could have wrecked havoc. They had complete control of the engine room for nearly ten minutes before Soto had destroyed the Centurions. The Guardians could have easily destroyed the FTL drive engines and stranded Pegasus and destroyed her through missiles and kinetic projectile attrition.
Major Adama, having pulled a thirty-six hour shift, tired from the battle and suffering from near exhaustion had forced himself to keep working. He was still on an adrenaline high from the battle and three previous attempts at short naps had ended in failure.
Moving quickly through the gunmetal corridors, taking in all the carbon scorching, dents, and bullet casings still littering the decks of Pegasus he made his way to Admiral Cain's stateroom.
Upon entering Admiral Cain's quarters he was surprised to see Captain Shaw already there. He was early for the casualty and damage reports and wondered what Shaw and Cain had been discussing.
While he was the XO, he felt Captain Shaw often went over his head, straight to The Admiral. She was, effectively, third in command of the battlestar should he or Cain be incapacitated, and was a proven tactician and brilliant computer specialist, but Adama considered her too head strong. She had a casual disregard for the chain of command, much like Starbuck. Unlike Starbuck, who often did her own thing and could disregard the orders of everyone, including the Old Man, Shaw disregarded almost everyone below The Admiral.
Adama had the feeling that whatever it was they had been discussing prior to his arrival he would probably be left out of the loop. He was the XO, but Captain Shaw was Cain's right hand.
Adama didn't let those thoughts get in the way of his duty. He had a job to do, and right now it was presenting the finalized casualty report to Admiral Cain. "Casualty reports are all in, sir. It looks like we lost two hundred and three crewmembers, thirty are in critical condition and unlikely to recover, and another one hundred and eighty injured but likely to make recoveries. We've collected over seventy destroyed Centurion boarders-"
She shook her head, rubbing her temple with her left hand. Even in her quarters she still kept a sidearm belted to her hip, which she rested her right hand on.
"Dear Gods… two hundred dead… seventy Centurions, Major?" She asked, shocked. The first attack by the new model Cylons six months ago had involved only twenty and one bio-Cylon. They'd killed eight hundred of her crew. Admiral Cain was relieved the death count was so… low.
Even the outdated Model 005 Centurions the Guardians had used were more dangerous than a fire team of Marines.
The newer Centurions, the black armored ones Planck had fought had been even more deadly. They frightened her even more than the Model 007 Centurions which had boarded her ship after the disastrous attack on the Cylon 'communication relay'.
There were only a few functional cameras which had caught the destructive fight between John Planck and those new, black armored Centurions. Their strength and speed had given John a true fight, which concerned her.
Unsure how what official designation to use, due to the black armor the command staff had labeled these Model Bravo Centurions. Bravo for 'B' for 'black.'
Major Adama nodded his understanding and showed his sympathy for the lost crew. He was still getting to know the crew, and hand memorized the faces and names of nearly a third. He'd make sure to memorize the names of the fallen immediately. They'd be remembered.
"We're still searching the ship for any more destroyed Centurions, so seventy is only what we've recovered so far. We're trying to get into the starboard compartments 5-370 to 420-15-E and L. Compartments 6-650 to 655-0-C are still blocked off from Centurions detonating ordnance and our DC teams wont be able to patch the hull with armor for another few days. Those compartments are still open to space. Those are the major breeches, but I have a full listing here, Admiral," and he handed her two pages worth of compartments, frames, and decks still inaccessible. "Sir, we were fraking lucky. It could have been a lot worse."
Admiral Cain looked up and locked her gaze with her XO's. She didn't know respond to that. "Luck?" she murmured to herself quietly. Her ship had been ravaged. It would take a month before she would be combat capable again. She'd also lost a third of her crew in the last six months.
Major Adama took the silence to indicate he was dismissed. He was about to depart and head back towards CIC when Admiral Cain cleared her throat to speak. "Captain Shaw discovered something interested with our metal friends. She and I have been discussing actions to take and we need to brief you and Galactica staff," she informed him.
The XO shifted in his weight and stance, his back straightening. He brought his right hand across his chest and rested his left shoulder on his arm and cupped his cup. He was nervous about what this 'something interesting' was, and licked his lips, debating if he should ask or wait for the explanation.
He glanced towards Shaw, his eyes telling her he knew she had gone behind his back with whatever this 'something interesting' information was. Information followed up the chain of command. She had broken it.
Admiral Cain motioned for Captain Shaw to brief him as she turned to pour herself a glass of water.
"Major, let me start by extending my apologies for not coming to you with this first," she sounded sincere. "But I found it too important and had to inform the Admiral immediately." She realized her justification and apology would be dismissed by Major Adama, but continued, pretending she hadn't noticed his glares and narrowing eyes. "During the attack I was sent by the Admiral to access one of our computer node terminals. As I headed down airlock alarms sounded and I thought another group of Centurions were attempting to board us," she paused briefly. "I took my rifle and prepared to repel them. Then I saw it."
"And what was 'it', Captain?" Adama asked as his interest spiked at her ambiguous 'it.'
"Another machine," she saw he didn't fully understand her reference. "Another Terminator, sir," she stressed. "They've been playing us. They've been playing us like a bunch of fraking idiots."
Adama turned back towards Cain because in the few short months he'd known Shaw, he knew she was about as emotional and temperamental as one could get. And she jumped to conclusions. If he wanted answers, he needed them from Cain.
"Admiral, what's going on here?"
Cain huffed and took a sip of water before setting the glass down on the table. "Just like the Captain reported Major," she said as if it were common knowledge, "they've been playing us. I think they've been lying to us since Day One. We have video from the airlock, here," she walked over and handed him half a dozen photos.
They had another man activating the airlock. His face was torn and the endoskeleton underneath was prominent. The Major could see one glowing red eye from the photo angle.
"Planck reported that he engaged the black Centurions in the network access rooms, but completely failed to mention this," she turned and grabbed a remote from her desk and activated a wall monitor. "As you can see, he chased the thing and probably fought it. He knew what it was."
Adama shook his head and his eyes narrowed and his brow condensed as he couldn't believe the three had betrayed them. "Admiral, it doesn't make sense. Betray us? They've killed more Centurions than anyone and it looks like he fought this toaster." The defense of the three machines was short and to the point. To him, why put on this elaborate plan, working with the Colonial fleet, attacking the Guardian, repelling these new Centurions?
"And he failed to inform the Admiral or anyone?" Shaw shot back at him, disdain in her voice for his defense of the machines. She looked at him, disgusted he could even contemplate defending them.
The two were about to argue when Cain held up her hand to prevent any argument between her two subordinates.
"They're machines. Even with what they told us in the brig with destinies, time travel, leading the human fleet, they're still machines," she said. Cain grabbed her glass and took another drink. Temporarily refreshed she placed the glass back and rubbed the back of her neck. She closed her eyes. "We don't know what their motivations are. I never trusted them. I let them out, I know you two objected. By Hades, Major, I nearly thought to relieve your father after one of our arguments over their release. I mean… Earth?" She laughed, looking down and shaking her head. "This just proves it. Earth?" She repeated under her breath, as if longing for it. "It's a waste land. A fraking garbage dump with how they describe it. This John Connor they describe sounds like a narcissistic idealist with a messiah complex- man and machine living together?" She had to push herself forward and she began to pace the room. She spit out, "We saw what that did to us." She was referring to the First Cylon War.
"Admiral, I don't trust them more than I could throw them, sir, but I have to object to them being accused of duplicity," he stressed. Adama just didn't think it was logical for them toile to the fleet. It was irrational for them to help the fleet so much and betray it like this. "They may have their reasons for not telling us about that other machine in the airlock." He sounded as if he didn't believe his own argument, and he told himself that maybe he didn't. The Admiral made an excellent point; they were machines, they didn't think like him or his father or Cain. "I don't know. What about just approaching Planck?"
Shaw laughed. "Sir, if we do that they'll kill whoever we send, kill any Marines, then come kill everyone else. They're certainly capable of it."
"Captain Shaw is correct, Major. They're too much of a threat. And they're too intelligent to trap or ambush." She smashed her fist into her opposite palm. "What we can do is keep them close, as the ancient saying goes."
Major Adama nodded his head. "'Keep your friends close but your enemies closer'? I don't know, Admiral. That's dangerous," Adama cautioned. "It could backfire." He shifted his weight, uneasy with what he was about to say. "And if they are telling the truth but withholding some details, that isn't enough to become paranoid and think they're working with the Cylons." As soon as he finished that sentence he immediately regretted it.
"You think I am 'paranoid', Major?" She accused, taking two steps closer to him. "Major… I was there, on Tauron, during the entire first war. Machines took my sister on the last day. On the last fraking minute of the war." She threw up her hand and turned, back towards him. "So please, Major. I think I have a little bit of reason to be paranoid…" her voice dropped. "Especially after her," she whispered, so low no one could hear.
But Adama could see her eyes glaze over and her face change to a blank, emotionless expression. Whatever it was she had just thought of, Adama could see it was frightening, infuriating.
