Disclaimer: I don't own Battlestar Galactica 2003 or Caprica. They belong to their respective creators and/or Copyright owners. This story is written with no commercial aim. I make no money from it. It is not for sale of rent.
Chapter 2: Welcome to the war! We have front row seats for everyone!
=TCW=
Part 2: The dawn of war
One hour before the war began
Battlestar "Atlantia"
BSG 1 Flagship
Near the Scorpia Fleet yards
"Frak me." Colonel Ilara Sturm cursed. She was reading from a sheet of paper hot from the printer. It was a priority one message sent to all fleet units, informing them of imminent Cylon attack. Naturally the damn toasters had found a way to compromise colonial cyber security to such an extent that it apparently made their first ware feats kids play in comparison.
She finished reading the message and started snapping orders while waiting for the next sheet of decrypted orders to finish printing.
"Set Condition One through the Baseship group. Engineering, I want the CNP scrubbed from the servers yesterday. Look alive people, this is not a fraking drill! And someone prepare a pot of strong coffee for the Admiral or she'll have our guts for breakfast!"
"Just yours will be sufficient, XO. Status of the Battlestar group and all friendly forces in the AO." Admiral Nagala spoke calmly from behind Ilara.
"I'm on it, Ma'am!" The Colonel straightened up, grabbed the orders which had finished printing and handled them to her superior before making herself busy. All the while wondering how the frak she always managed to put her oversized foot in her mouth when the admiral was in a hearing distance.
Meanwhile, admiral Nagala was scanning the plot screen with critical eye. Her Battlestar group was in formation near the fleet yards, with the lighter escorts spread out in a loose defensive screen. There were at least three active Battlestars on DRADIS, which was a good news. It would be even better if some of the docked ships could be scrambled on short notice.
"Comms patch me through Scorpia Defense command." Nagala ordered, while reading the sheet in her hands. While the situation was grim, with the warning they got, the Fleet had a fighting chance. If they could act fast enough before the toasters arrived to frak everyone up.
It felt too long before she could speak with general Voltan Pope, the commander of Scorpia's own Defense forces.
"Admiral, it's good to hear from you."
"Cut the pleasantries, Rogue. Shattered Aegis. Get your people in the air. About hour and a half before the civilians are to be notified and all hell breaks lose. I repeat Shattered Aegis protocols are in effect."
"Frak. Gods be with you, old friend. I'll start the ball running on my end. Pope out."
"I want the Battlestar group ready for a random jump in the void between Helios Alpha and Beta, calculate it and be ready to plug the numbers manually in the jump computer. I want ETA on restoring our cyber security. And be prepared to cut the links manually."
=TCW=
Fifteen minutes before the war began
Central ZOO and Park
Caprica City
Caprica
Karl glanced at his daughter, who looked if anything, even more exited. On the other hand, his wife was finding it hard to hide her worry.
They were near a fountain in a small park in the center of the zoo, where they were waiting for a Raptor from his Battlestar to come collect him. To say that it was unusual occurrence would be a charming understatement. Baring a major accident in orbit or war, no one was going to bother picking him up from the middle of the fraking zoo. That was something Alison was well aware of, being his wife of nearly twenty years. At least Lia didn't know enough to be worried. Yet.
The familiar whine of Raptor's engines could be heard a few moments before the craft itself could be seen. Karl, who was scanning the skies for it frowned when he saw it. The Raptor was coming in fast, just slowing from supersonic flight. The ice ball that had been forming at the pit of the Commander's stomach ever since he was informed of the pick up started growing.
All around the trio, other visitors started looking up and pointing at the approaching transport. Unless someone seriously fraked up and didn't take the commotion that would ensure from this pick up, the situation had to be serious. Karl glanced at his family, feeling a cold shiver run up his spine. Something was terribly wrong, he just knew it.
The Raptor barely touched down a few meters from the Wiliams family, when the side door slid open and a squad of marines in full combat gear fanned out, getting in a defensive formation. Their commander, Lieutenant Tomas Ronson sprinted to his superior officer.
"Sir, we must go now."
"Sit rep, soldier." Karl ordered briskly.
The Marine looked around, unsure what to do, then he leaned next to the Commander. "Shattered Aegis, sir. The fleet is mobilizing."
"Frak." Williams looked at his wife and daughter. The thought of leaving them behind crossed his mind, yet something stopped him. They would be alone in an unfamiliar city. One that would be even bigger target and much softer target than his Battlestar. More important for the toasters too.
"Come, we are leaving." He waved to Alison and Lia to towards the waiting Raptor.
For a moment, Ronson appeared ready to protest, but then he met Karl's eyes and nodded stiffly.
The commander grabbed his daughter and carried her in the Raptor, his wife hot on his heels. Behind them, the marines started shrinking the defensive perimeter and boarding the craft. Karl was barely able to secure his daughter in one of the seats, before the last marine was on board and the Raptor roared towards the heavens.
=TCW=
Two minutes before the war began
Battlestar "Ares"
Task Force "Hades" Flagship
Low orbit over Caprica
"Admiral on Deck!" Colonel Zeus Fell all but roared, when Demeter entered the CIC of the ship nominally under his command.
"Carry on. Status of the task force?" The Admiral asked.
"All units nominal. None of our ships has the CNP installed so we should be all right in that regard."
"Status of friendly forces in the AO?"
"They are cutting off networks or preparing to while scrubbing the software. Phased of course. It will be hours before most of them are clean. It's that or a lot of additional crew they don't have at hand."
"What about the Caprican Guard?"
"They are mobilizing, however only fraction of their units are on stand by. It will take minimum six to twelve hours before they got anything but their ready squadrons and ships in the air."
"That's if the toasters don't nuke the planet straight in Hades' hands." Demeter noted.
"Unfortunately."
"On a more positive note, Nemesis is already cleared for action and a third of her squadrons will be ready within the hour."
"Not good enough. We both know how the Mark VII's perform without the CNP to hold the pilot's hands."
"That's why we have Sixes and a few experimental eights." The Colonel shrugged. "They must be enough."
"Sir, you need to hear this! A Raptor from BSG twelve just jumped in and its transmitting in the clear."
"This is lieutenant Diana Coleman from Battlestar Persephone. Code Black! I repeat Code Black! Identification..."
"Well, that's that. Launch all Vipers and Raptors. The Task Force is to assume formation Delta One above the capital. Weapons free. Look alive, people! This is the real deal!" Admiral Demeter started snapping orders. "Patch me through Battlestar Nemesis. I need to speak with Admiral Corman."
=TCW=
Battlestar "Pegasus"
Picon Fleet Yards
High Orbit over Picon
"DRADIS contact! A Raptor just jumped in. It's transmitting in the open."
All Gina needed to hear was the first two words. Code Black. So simple, deceptively harmless words. They were like hammer blows guaranteeing the end of her world.
The war had started. Her brothers and sisters were already attacking and they will be here shortly. She looked at her terminal. The most critical components of the CNP were still running on the Pegasus mainframe, despite what the Battlestar's cyber security personnel believed. The backdoor was still active, ready to render the ship helpless.
Now all Gina had to do was wait for a Baseship to arrive and blow all of them up. It would be so easy. So simple. She didn't have to do anything more. No need to kill the woman she loved with her hands.
Gina sneaked a look at Helena who had never looked more splendid or irresistible than in this moment, when she was ready to lead her ship into a doomed battle. A small, sad smile appeared on the Cylon's face. It was all over now.
It should have felt right. To fulfill her purpose. To strike against the humans who were their enemies. She frowned. When did Helena became the enemy?! Gina closed her eyes, seeing nothing but her lover's face. No matter what her programing told her, Helena wasn't her enemy. Yet, she was going to die nevertheless.
Permanently. There was no resurrection for her.
Gina stared at the console in front of her. At the monument of her betrayal. Her heart clenched in her chest. If what she was doing was the right thing, why did it paint so much? Why did it feel wrong?!
She blinked and unshed tear and looked at Helena, who was busy giving orders. Then her fingers started moving as in their own volition, blurring over the keyboard.
=TCW=
Caprica Orbital Control
"Heliopolis" Station
High Orbit above Caprica
It was a normal day. A few minor accidents, a few freighter captains who were a major pain in everyone's ass. The works.
There was nothing that out of the ordinary, if you discount the irregular movement of Colonial Fleet units in the last few hours. Just a few minutes ago, a small fleet consisting of a single Battlestar and her escorts jumped in above Caprica city and dispatched a Raptor towards the surface.
That made Vanessa Noel, the chief controller for this hemisphere of Caprica nervous. She knew that there were rumors, whispers really, that the Fleet was pissed off because the latest round of defense budget cuts. A few hot heads were whispering that said displeasure might prompt some kind of action.
As a level headed citizen, Vanessa had disregarded that idea. It was madness. The Fleet would never ever consider moving against the democratic government of the Colonies, right? Yet here she was, watching what suspiciously looked like a demonstration of force above the capital.
"Battlestar Athena, please respond. You are not cleared for your current orbital track." Vanessa hailed the capital ship for the fifth time.
"Negative, Caprica Control. We have our orders." She got the same answer for the fifth time too.
"Any world from the Defense HQ?" Vanessa asked. She had made inquiries through the proper channels about what the frak was happening but there was no answer yet.
"Nothing, yet."
"Just great." Vanessa grumbled and concentrated on her work, trying very hard not to think what the frak were the military doing in her space.
About ten minutes later she was startled when by one of her subordinates.
"What the frak?" One of the comm operators exclaimed. He was the newest addition to her crew, a green behind the ears kid who was just out of university. "Ma'am, a raptor is transmitting in the open. Code Black, whatever that is." He looked at her with confusion.
Vanessa's blood froze in her veins. She was well aware what Code Black meant. It also explained the abnormal behavior from the fleet. Suddenly she wished that the military was really busy staging a coup or something. It as better than the alternative.
It was suddenly eery quiet in the control center. Most of her people were aware what the message mean. Vanessa took a deep breath, steadying herself for what was to come. "Start clearing all civilian traffic around Caprica. Ground all ships with insufficient fuel. Start evacuating the non-essential personnel from the station." She paused and looked at the few confused people who were obviously unaware of the situation. "Code Black mean that we are at war with the Cylons. That an enemy attack is imminent. Move it people!" She shouted the last sentence, prompting her shocked crew into action.
Vanessa glanced at the nearest DRADIS console. There were hundreds of civilian ships in her area of responsibility. Baring a direct divine intervention, most of them were going to be around if the Cylons attacked for real.
=TCW=
Baseship 51
Staging Ground Sigma
Well, there was no stopping it now, Cain mussed. The die was cast and the war began. With a major frak up too, because most of the Colonial units patrolling the border managed to get away reasonably intact.
No matter. The Cylons had the strategic surprise and their ace in the hole. It should suffice. They had to make it work anyway or they were all dead. At least he might be able to finally rest in peace if the worst happened.
"First fleet, jump minus two. Don't frak it up!" Cain ordered. "All First wave units concentrate on destroying enemy mobile forces. Second wave are to strike orbital defenses and ground targets. Baseships 54 through 57 are to neutralize Caprica city and critical colonial ground installations in their AO. Third Wave are our operational reserve. I want you to jump in the moment I call you in." Cain growled at his brothers and sisters, hoping for a miracle so they would actually execute the plan without fraking up by the numbers.
He sighed. That was probably too much to ask for. Not when the Colonials already knew that something was wrong with their cyber security.
Time was up. Cain, who was patched up into the Baseship's sensors could feel the universe shift as the fleet started jumping. One moment he could see the nearby friendly ships, in the next the stars changed and he had to wait until DRADIS refreshed with new data. Meanwhile, thousands of raiders were being launched as the first assault wave deployed above Caprica.
For a moment, Cain dared believe that it would work. Both raiders and Baseships were broadcasting the shut down signal for all they were worth. It should have been enough to make the defenders helpless sheep, ready for the slaughter.
Cain's first clue that Cavil's Plan TM was fraked up beyond belief was when his leading wave of raiders was swept from space by unbroken Viper squadrons. DRADIS refreshed, showing uncompromised enemy task force above Caprica city. Two whole Battlestar Groups were moving in to flank his forces, disregarding the signal. At least those two forces were very light on fighters and the Orbital defense network was silent. So far.
"Well, frak. So much for the Plan. Raiders concentrate on enemy small craft. Baseships 51 though 63 concentrate fire on Battlestar Ares. Baseships 64 through 69 and attached raiders, intercept..." Cain knew what he had to do. Right now he had overwhelming numerical superiority. He had to leverage it, sweeping all resistance above Caprica and destroying the political nerve center of the Colonies. He only hoped that the strike aimed at the Fleet Headquarters above Picon was going to be more successful. A victory there was even more vital than one at Caprica. The Fleet yards and the HQ were the most important targets in Helios Alpha.
=TCW=
Battlestar "Ares"
Task Force "Hades" Flagship
Low orbit over Caprica
"So it begins. Concentrate on targets Alpha and Beta. Have the cruisers strike Gamma. The CAP is free to engage. Keep Squadrons Crimson and Jester in reserve." Admiral Demeter ordered. "ETA on those Guard squadrons?"
"They are already launching. The first will be here in five minutes."
"Close enough. That's a lot of toasters. Let's thing their numbers. Have our Raptors flush their missile pods at them and bring them to rearm." The Admiral frowned. "Why aren't the orbital defenses shooting?"
"They fell off the grid after the Cylons sent that signal."
"Load nuclear missiles. XO ready your key, we'll be launching when the raiders are thinned. Someone tell the civilians to get the Frak out of my battle!" Demeter snapped when a liner got in front of the first Cylon barrage and vanished from DRADIS after intercepting more than a few ship-killers.