CHAPTER 5 AFTER ACTION REVIEW.
Saratoga briefing Room 5 hours later
Captain Juan Avilla still dressed in his flight suite sat somewhat nervously before Admiral Ross and Commodore Masterman as they read his "After Action Review" a report that detailed everything from the Moment they left Saratoga to their encounter against the unknown hostiles. And he left nothing out; every action taken, every word spoken, and every emotion felt. All on paper for all to see; some pilots referred to it as "barring ones soul." Captain Avilla like any pilot hated these debriefings with a passion, but they were necessary in maintaining accountability and bringing to light alternative options a leader may not have considered.
"But even so." Captain Avilla thought nervously they were also the first step in crucifying an officer for utilizing bad judgment.
"This debriefing is classified at no time will discussion of this incident take place without prior approval unless authorized to do so. Do you understand Captain?" Commodore Masterman began after he finished reading the report.
"I do sir." Captain Avilla replied firmly.
"Good then lets begin." Commodore Materman stated then bringing his eyes to regard Captain Avilla. "Captain Avilla at any time did your squadron take any action that could be misunderstood to be aggressive by the unknown craft?"
"No aggressive action was iniated by our squadron sir. When we received word from Sky Eye of probable bandits Major Vansen immediately ordered us to investigate. Once we were in real-time communication distance we identified ourselves and requested the unknown contacts do the same. The Unidentified bandits then increased speed on an intercept vector toward us scanning us heavily as they did so.
At this time Major Vansen again requested the unknown fighters state their intentions." Captain Avilla answered.
"At what point did you suspect hostile intent from the unknown craft?" Commodore Masterman asked.
"As we continued to approach, Sky Eye noted increased energy emissions from the unknown fighters which Sky Eye identified as some form of Radar. We were operating with lidar secured on passive reception only; it wasn't until Sky Eye noted the increased speed and energy output of the unknown contacts that they recommended we secure from passive scanning and go active. It was then that we noted we were being painted by targeting scanners, shortly after, the unidentified hostiles launched missiles." Captain Avilla answered.
"What happened next?" Admiral Ross asked.
"Major Vansen ordered us to break formation and initiate evasive maneuvers. When that failed she ordered us to activate our Jamming pods which also failed to break missile lock, this was when we lost Knight 4 Lieutenant. Katrina Polaskie. Captain Avilla stated.
"What happened next Captain?" Commodore Masterman asked.
"After the loss of Knight 4 Major Vansen ordered us to release counter measures. This worked for Knights 3, 5, 6 and myself sir, Major Vansen was not so lucky. As a last desperate maneuver she activated her rear mounted gun to shot down the missile. Unfortunately from the distance that was all I could see before I noted an explosion followed by a secondary explosion. There was so much jamming and background noise it was impossible to see the cockpit module, had she ejected.
Before I could order a search of the area to determine if she had ejected the enemy bandits were closing on our position. At that point having already determined their intentions I took command of the squadron and ordered them to blast those bastards to hell!...sir." Captain Avilla answered.
The debriefing continued along this line of questioning for an additional 30 minutes after which the next hour centered on the discussion of tactics, weapons, and the capabilities of the unknown fighters; all were discussed in complete detail. Once this portion of the briefing was over Captain Avilla was dismissed from the briefing room. Though outwardly he looked calm and impassive internally he had that feeling of butterflies in his stomach as he headed to the squadron ready room. The "Old Man" and "Iron Horse" Masterman tended to have that effect on even the most seasoned of combat veterans. But he had to stay calm and in control, the squadron would look to him now that "The Lady" was gone.
"I'm Knight Lead now." The thought hit him like a brick and with it feelings of apprehension. He worried if he was good enough to lead the Knights with "The Lady" gone and he worried for the safety of the surviving Knights. "I've never lost someone under my command before." He reflected. "Could I ever order someone into a situation that could lead to their death? Do I have what it takes to see them through this?" He honestly asked himself.
Upon reaching the dimly lit ready room he sank in to the nearest chair. The darkness was strangely comforting as his mind played over and over Polaskie's terrified scream or Vansens Desperate Maneuvering. "And what do I do now?" he asked quietly. The Darkness had no answers.
"What do you think?" Admiral Ross asked Commodore Masterman after Captain Avilla left the Briefing room.
"I can find no fault for the engagement with the 51st sir. Major Vansen took every precaution she could to safeguard her people in the face of an unknown situation." Commodore Masterman answered firmly.
"I agree with that assessment. So does Sky Eye who can confirm she took no hostile action against the unknown fighters." Admiral Ross said as he turned to regard the Commodore.
"What is your opinion of Captain Avilla actions regarding this situation?" Admiral Ross asked
"He brought his people home sir and in one piece a tremendous achievement considering the odds they faced. He demonstrated sound judgment in that engagement when he thought better of perusing the unknown hostiles into the belt; instead he protected his wounded bird and guided it home. That tells me all I need to know about his character and his ability to lead. He has one of the most impressive combat records in the Marines Corp the only people more decorated than him are the original 58th." The Commodore stated.
"Assessment?" the Admiral asked guessing what the answer would be.
"He's going to be one hell of a squadron leader sir. Vansen sure knew how to surround herself with good people. I'd say give him a little time and he'd be on par with a certain Major West." Commodore Masterman Stated slyly.
"But?" Admiral Ross probed.
"But he doubts himself right now. I could see it in his eyes during the debriefing and I'm sure questioning his ever decision isn't exactly inspiring a lot of confidence in him either." Commodore Masterman added almost bitterly.
"The AAR's are necessary and you know it Bob." Admiral Ross said using the Commodore's first name hoping to calm some of the rising anger in his friend.
"I know and I'm sure he knows it too but… God Dam it Glen it doesn't feel right to do this to our people especially fresh out of a fight like that!" Commodore Masterman replied angrily.
So much for calming his anger Admiral Ross grimaced. "What do you think of these Unknown fighters?" Admiral Ross asked trying to change the subject.
"It's definitely too early to tell now, but from the initial fight our people had with them we can infer they're birds are incredibly maneuverable. In fact, although I'm reluctant to admit it they seem to be slightly more maneuverable than our birds, they're overall top speed seems to be a bit faster too.
Our birds are better armed and have better weapons coverage they also seem to have a slight edge in stamina as well. During the battle Sky Eye got a good look at their electronics in action and I'd say we're dead even in that category. I suspect that will be the assessment the Techs give me once they finish going over some of the wreckage we recovered, which brings us down to pilots. They seem to prefer attacking in groups and though our people can go Toe-to-Toe with them in that category when it comes down to one on one engagements our people beat the Tar out of them sir. In fact Captain Avilla stated in his report it was almost like fighting "Silicates". They could perform a maneuver flawlessly but they seemed to lack the ability to adapt to our peoples random maneuvering. But again I don't want to assume anything from this one little scuffle sir."
Commodore Masterman said.
"It's something to consider for the future anyway." Admiral Ross said as he stood and walked to the window overlooking the bow of the Saratoga. In the distance he could see several ISSAPC's as they made their way from Saratoga to some point beyond his sight. The room fell quiet for several moments as both men thought about what this new turn of events could mean.
"Once you get back to Bridge dispatch a message to Ruben James detailing the engagement the 51st had with the unknown. Tell Captain Reynolds he is to proceed with extreme caution." Admiral Ross ordered.
"Yes sir" Commodore Masterman Replied.
"Has there been any word from the Search and Rescue teams?" Admiral Ross asked still staring out the window.
"At last report they were expanding their search radius sir." The Commodore answered bleakly. Admiral Ross just shook, his head ShaneVansen was a survivor always had been if anyone could have survived that dogfight it be her… all they had to do was find her.
Cylon Basestar 127 same time
In the dimly lit room a Cylon replicant model of number 6 sat quietly studying the data that flowed before her on the monitor at speeds no human could grasp.
Number six studied the information gathered from raider 1431 with a sense of concern and foreboding. Raider 1431 had engaged a group of human fighters of unknown design and origin. Though 1431 and his squadron were superior in numbers they were thoroughly defeated by the human fighters.
Number 6 then compiled an analysis from the EM energy output from the fighters and compared it to that of the Warship encountered when the Cylons first arrived in this area of space. The Analysis indicated a 98 probable match.
"So the 13th tribe is real after all." She said quietly to herself. Like most Cylons she knew the history of their creators, over 2000 yrs ago the Colonials left Kobol in 12 colony ships before a great cataclysm struck. Guided by the surviving Lords of Kobol they settled on 12 Worlds that latter became the Colonies. But there was always the story of a 13th tribe, that went they're own way. In some of the Stories they were outcasts much like the Sagittarians had become. In others they were the greatest humanity had to offer, the "chosen of Kobol" who had some great destiny to fulfill, what that destiny was nobody knew.
Despite all the evidence to the contrary the Colonials continued to believe in them, hoping to find their lost kin among the stars, and reunite. The 13th tribe had been the subject of many heated debates, religious texts, historians, documentaries, Movies and books, all devoted to a myth, now a reality.
As six's attention was elsewhere she never noticed a number nine Sharon model approach.
"Find anything interesting?" the Sharon replicant asked to get her attention.
"One of our recon patrols was engaged by a group fighters piloted by humans. The design does not appear to be anything we have seen from the Colonials." 6 said recovering quickly.
"Subterfuge by Adama to throw us off track, He is using a strategy of misdirection to keep us off balance in the hope it will buy him time to get the remnant to safety. A Commendable strategy, I didn't think the he could be so creative. " The Sharon model answered dismissively.
"I do not believe this to be the case. I believe we may have encountered another element of the 13th tribe, and by all accounts they appear to be very skilled in the ways of war." Number 6 answered somewhat irritably as she stood to face the Sharon replicant. She hated it when a Sharon model dismissed out of hand everything she said.
"The 13th tribe HA! They're a long forgotten myth used by a desperate old man to give his pathetic remnant hope." The Sharon replicant answered assuredly.
"Some myths have a way of becoming reality or has your Memory of Kobol faded already?" Number six retorted, challenging her antagonist.
"A fluke, nothing more." The Sharon model stated defensively.
"Have you not read the reports I submitted about our encounter with the warship? Or for that matter about the mining colony on the Planet, or my analysis of the human we recovered? The colonials do not have the resources for such a ruse nor would they sacrifice their people in such a manner. Logically given what we know we cannot dismiss this as a hoax so easily." Stated the number 6 model, who was getting more agitated with her counterpart by the minute.
"Perhaps, perhaps not, have you considered that we could be dealing with more survivors from the Colonies? After all there are at least 3 other Battlestars who remain unaccounted for." The Sharon model countered.
"I have thought about that as well, but given the differences in technology we have witnessed it makes that assessment highly improbable." Number six said.
"So we are resigned to chase fairytales and myths?" the Sharon model asked mockingly, as she turned away in disgust.
"Apparently not a myth anymore." Number six quickly countered.
The Sharon model seemed to consider her words for a moment before turning to regard her.
"Irregardless of where they came from they will be found and destroyed." The Sharon model said. Then as if another thought occurred to her she asked "what of the progress in finding the Colonials?"
"We have been unable to contact our agents within the fleet due to the EM interference, and the recon fighters have turned up nothing. The traitor continues to aid the remnant in escaping our grasp. I assure you they will be found and dealt with, it's only a matter of time." Number Six answered.
"Make sure they are. God is growing impatient with your constant failure to finish them off." The Sharon model said turning to leave the room. Then just before she got to the door she turned to regard number 6 again. "Report once you have something more concrete than speculations and Myths. Other than that don't waste my time!" she said, her disdain for six evident in her voice.
"By your command" Six replied evenly, repressing her anger.
Once the Sharon model had left the room six slumped back down in her chair. She hadn't been entirely truthful with the Sharon model of course, or the rest of the Cylons for that matter, she had her own agenda and for the moment that meant keeping the Colonials alive. She did have the ability to communicate with the 2 agents left within the fleet but the EM interference made that problematic at best, so not entirely a lie either. The only frequency to work with any reliability was the one she used for her connection to Gaius. As Six's thoughts began to drift to her forbidden lover a tingle of excitement ran up her spine. It had been a while since she had dropped in on him, maybe she should do something special for him tonight. Six reclined in her chair as mind began to drift.