Battlestar Pegasus
CIC
"Enemy contact!" Lieutenant Hoshi called out as Admiral Cain, Jurgan, and Gina stepped into the CIC which resembled the Galactica's.
"How many?" Cain asked, looking at the table scanner, seeing the larger number of enemy signals on the large screen.
"I can't give you an exact count, Admiral. There are too many signals but they are confirmed to be Cylon." Hoshi stated.
"It's a trap." Jurgan whispered.
"Launch alert Vipers and then get our shields up." Cain said, cursing Adar and herself for leaving the fleet so defenceless. "Get our batteries up and shooting."
However the fleet was too close to Cimtar and the Cylons would reach the fleet before they could launch their fighters and a Battlestar's shields and plasma weapons, nicknamed 'turbo-lasers' would only hold out so long under a large attack like this.
()
"Incoming Cylon fighters. Sensors read over…" Gaeta stopped when the screen showed the exact number of enemy signals.
"Well, Mr. Gaeta? How many?" Tigh barked impatiently.
"Over one thousand and five hundred fighters, Colonel." Gaeta answered, almost gulping at the number of enemy fighters.
'Too many for us to fight.' Adama realized. "Order the fleet to spool up their FTL drives. Launch our Vipers and order them to defend Galactica until we're ready to jump. Prepare our defense batteries and charge our forward laser cannons."
()
Kara pressed down on the turbo button, feeling the G-force as her Viper was propelled through the launch tube and into space.
Once she was in space she could see endless stream of Cylon fighters firing blue disruptor pulses at the Galactica and the rest of the fleet. She looked down at her DRADIS and could see fighters forming up behind her.
"All right, we have to knock out those toasters before they finish Galactica off." Lee said from his Viper. "Everyone move in groups. Do not engage them alone. I repeat, do not engage them alone."
Kara nodded as the Vipers followed their standard razzle-dazzle formation as the Raiders attacked; firing bright blue disruptor bolts that would shred anything they touch. Kara looked at the incoming fighters and noticed something. She could see the standard Raiders that were as big as a Raptor and piloted by three Centurions but there was a new type of Raider that was attacking. They had curved wings pointing forward and a 'face' resembling a Centurion with the signature red revolving eye and they were around the same size as the Vipers.
"There's a new kind of fighter…It doesn't have a pilot!" Kara stated, realizing that the new Raiders weren't just new Cylon fighters but were actually Cylons.
They moved in standard Cylon formation and fired their disruptor cannons down on the human ships. The Vipers fired their plasma cannons at the Cylons who broke formation and begun trading fire with their enemies. Space lit up with flash of plasma and disruptor bolts exploding all around Kara as she jammed down on the throttle.
()
"Whoa!" Billy nearly fell over as the Galactica shook. "What the-"
Roslin managed to stand up and headed for the door, opening it up and peaking down the hall.
"Miss Roslin?" Billy asked, managing to straighten himself up.
"Something's happening…" Roslin looked over at Billy. "Stay here. I'm going to see what's going on."
"Miss Roslin, wait!" Billy quickly scrambled after her.
()
"Raise shields. All batteries commence fire." Adama said as soon as the Vipers had launched.
A second later Galactica opened fire with her anti-fighter plasma cannons on the enemy fighters, spewing bolts of red light that destroyed anything they it.
"All fighters launched Admiral." Dualla reported after all pilots had reported in.
"Have the others ships launcher their fighters?" Adama asked, watching the battle on the tactical view screen.
"Only the Pegasus, sir."
"Adar forbade them from launching their fighters and now they're completely defenceless." Tigh gritted his teeth.
"The Pegasus reports that her shields are up and she's launching Vipers to cover us. Admiral Nagala is ordering a retreat." Dualla stated.
"Tell Admiral Nagala we acknowledge and will assist in defence of the fleet. Angle our secondary plasma batteries on the largest group of enemy fighters." Adama replied.
"Yes sir."
()
"The Cylon fighters have advanced shields and disruptors but I'm detecting something else. They read as biological lifeforms." Salen reported.
"Biological lifeforms?" Jarock questioned.
"They could be engineered with a form of organic technology like bio-gel packs." Salen stated, showing his extensive Borg knowledge. "Colonial fighters are armed with high-powered plasma cannons and missiles with some kind of chemical warhead, likely hydrogen. The Battlestars are raising shields and powering weapons. There is also some sort of graviton field being projected from the planet, purpose unknown."
()
"Die you motherfraker!" Kara shouted as she closed in on a Cylon fighter, gritting her teeth when she saw it had the same kind of shields that almost all Cylon ships were equipped with to block any form of attack.
The Cylon fighter spun around fired its disruptors but Kara pulled her throttle back and hit the turbo, managing to avoid getting her molecules being disintegrated out of existence. Kara spun her Viper down and targeted all of her four anti-ship missiles on the Cylon.
"Take this!" She shouted as she fired.
The Cylon fighter scanned the four missiles about to hit and diverted all available power to the shields just the missiles hit. The Cylon was sent flying through space through a large explosion that temporarily blinded its sensors. It was blind enough for Kara to fly after it and fire her plasma cannons. The shields flared, having been weakened by the missiles designed to take out ships larger than a fighter and finally collapsed as the bullet pierced the Cylon's 'head' and exploded.
Kara smiled but the smile faded as she spun around, seeing the Galactica surrounded by explosions, gun batteries firing and the pulsing light of Cylon disruptors.
Kara knew the battle was not over and it wasn't going good for them. The Cylons had them completely outmatched and they were dying too fast to do anything to stop them. Not even reinforcements from the few Vipers that had managed to launch from the other Battlestars were able to slow them down.
"Gods, please…Help us." Kara whispered.
She heard the screams through the wireless and she watched as Colonial icons disappeared from the scanner with an alarming rate.
()
"Our ships have engaged the fleet." An electronic voice reported. "The battlestars are powering their FTL drives."
"Activate the graviton projectors."
"By your command."
()
"What's happening to the scanner?" Tigh watched as the view screen was fizzling in and out.
"There's some kind of high powered EM interference. It's affecting our nav systems, our targeting systems, communications and….We've just lost FTL!" Gaeta called out.
"What?! What's happening?!" Tigh bellowed.
"It's a graviton field. It's being projected from the planet below." Abigail answered.
"Cylon gravity projectors." Adama said grimly.
Before the war no one had been able to successfully disable an FTL drive without attacking the engines or jamming the navigation systems but when the Cylons rebelled they found a way. They found a way to create an artificial gravity wave that somehow interfered with FTL drives, disabling them and short circuiting when they were jumping which instantly destroyed the ship.
"They must have hollowed that dead rock to fill it with Raiders and gravity projectors." Tigh commented. "Why are they going through this much trouble to keep us from leaving?"
"I don't know but I'm not playing their game. Abby, locate those gravity projectors and transmit coordinates to the fleet for bombing." Adama stated.
"Yes sir." Abigail nodded.
()
"Apollo, Galactica. Provide fighter cover as we move to bomb the planet." Adama's voice said through the speakers.
"Acknowledged, Galactica. All right, everyone do anything you can to distract that thing as Galactica and the fleet move to attack." Lee replied.
The Vipers and Raptors split up, moving in all directions to try and distract the Basestar as the Galactica turned and moved over the planet. Gun batteries opened fired as the Galactica moved into range, their plasma cannons scorching the planet's surface, drilling down through the surface.
"Boomer, Apollo. Run scans on the surface so we know if we hit anything." Lee said.
"Roger, Apollo." Sharon replied, flinching at the mention of Zak.
"Zak? Sharon where is Zak?" Lee asked, trying to find Zak's signature on his scanner.
Sharon didn't answer immediately. "Apollo…Zak's ship was destroyed just short of the fleet…I'm so sorry."
The moment Sharon answered both Kara and Lee almost lost their breath and control of their Vipers, only managing to stay in control thanks to their experience and skills. The Cylons had not just deceived them.
They took away a brother and a lover, leaving them in grief…
And anger.
Colonial One
Baltar's Quarters
Baltar nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard Colonial One's alarm system blaring. "What is happening?!"
"Judgement Day." Natasi, Cylon Humanoid Model Number Six answered as she walked towards Baltar. "Time to go, Gaius."
"Go? Wh-Where am I-" Baltar asked before the Cylon grabbed him and they both disappeared in flashes of blue light.
()
Adar watched in horror the Cylons attacked the fleet, destroying several of the smaller Colonial destroyers and escort craft in their wake and bombing the larger battlestars with anti-matter armed torpedoes, attempting to break through the shields. He could see Vipers launching from the Galactica and a few other battlestars and was thankful that Adama disobeyed his orders but the bridge sensors had showed over a thousand Cylon fighters, outnumbering the smaller Viper squadron ten to one.
"What's Adama doing?" Adar asked the pilot.
"Comm chatter says they are bombing Cimtar…Our FTL drives are down because of an interdiction field." The pilot answered.
Adar gripped the pilot's chair to try and reassure himself that they will make it.
()
"They're just launching from the moon but no Baseships." Adama stated.
"They could be jumping in at any second." Tigh surmised.
Adama was not so sure of that.
The Cylons had obviously intended for the peace conference to be a trap but how could they expect to win with only a large number of fighters when they could have their Basestars jump in to attack with their fighters. The fleet of Cylon fighters could destroy the fleet but it would be costly to their fighters and they'd suffer massive casualties as the Colonial fleet would fight to their last breath.
"They can't jump in with the interdiction field up and if they deactivate the field we can escape." Adama replied.
"Admiral."
Adama looked over his shoulder and saw Roslin walk into the CIC, followed by Billy. "Madam Secretary."
"What's happening? I have been hearing chatter through the ship. They say the Cylons are attacking." Roslin stated.
"They are right. It looks like the Cylons have no interest in peace. The offer was a ruse to bring us out here." Adama looked back down at the tactical table, seeing the battle and saw it wasn't going well.
The smaller ships were fighting back but were isolated from the larger battlestars and slaughtered as the Cylons swarmed it. Adama grimaced as he realized that only the Galactica and the Pegasus had been able to launch Vipers in time before the Cylons had attacked the fleet and they were paying for letting their guard down.
"What do we do?" Roslin asked.
"We bomb Cimtar until we knockout their gravity projectors and then jump away before they can reorganize themselves and possibly return with an attack group of a baseships." Adama answered.
"They're just attacking us with fighters? Why would they have only fighters here but no Baseships?" Roslin asked.
"Why bother risking their big ships when they can wear us down with a million of their fighters?" Tigh rhetorically asked.
"Considering how far we are from their territory, Colonel, don't you think it's odd that their fighters would operate this far without any baseships nearby?" Roslin shot back, seeing Tigh's face becoming red with anger.
"She's right. There is something wrong." Adama stated, stopping any argument between them. "They wouldn't operate this far without a baseship nearby. They would have been far out of our range just on the other side of the planet. Unless…They had to be somewhere else."
"What do you mean?" Tigh asked.
"Abby, get me the President and the Atlantia." Adama turned to his daughter's station. "And access the Colonial Defense System for the Colonies."
()
The battle was not going well as the Cylons swarmed the fleet, attacking the flight pods of the battlestars, ensuring that any Vipers that had not launched yet would not be able to. They used disruptors, bombs, and even suicide runs to take out the flight pods, making the ability to launch any ship almost impossible. The Vipers and Raptors that were already fighting were doing their best but the Cylons had them outnumbered and they were barely holding them back.
"Atlantia to all any battlestars, protect Colonial One. The President and the Quorum of Twelve are onboard." Admiral Nagala's voice spoke through the comm chatter. "I repeat, protect Colonial One."
"Is he crazy? We're barely protecting our own battlestars." Kara grumbled as she just narrowly avoided being blown up by a Cylon.
"Stow it, Starbuck." Lee snapped.
()
"Admiral Nagala and President Adar responding." Abigail spoke up over the numerous chatter in the CIC.
Adama watched as Adar and Nagala appeared on the screen at the command console. "Admiral Nagala, Mr. President, I request permission to leave the fleet. I have reason to suspect that the Colonies may face immanent attack."
"On what basis do you make this claim, Adama?" Nagala asked.
"There are no Baseships appearing, with or without the gravity field disabling our Jump Drives. They already have us outnumbered with their fighters that are keeping us here. A fleet of Basestars would box us in completely." Adama explained.
Nagala frowned. "If they are not bringing their Baseships than where…Adama, take the Galactica and get out of here! We'll cover you!"
"What's going on? What's happening?!" Adar exclaimed in fright.
"Yes sir." Adama nodded.
()
"Attention all ships, cover the Galactica as it retreats. I repeat, cover the Galactica." Admiral Nagala spoke through the fleet channel.
"What's going on?" Kara asked, confused by the new orders as the Galactica's ion engines flared as it began to move away from Cimtar's orbit. "What the hell is going on in the old man's head?"
()
Kara Thrace wasn't the only one to suspect that the Galactica's commanding officer had realized something. As the attack on the fleet continued three revolving red eyes watched surveyed the battle with cold machine efficiency as their fighter glided through space, firing on any humans ships in their way. The Cylons had changed greatly since their creation but one of the things that never changed was that they still built ships with Centurion pilots even though they could now build actual Cylons as fighters. The Cylons were not just advanced machines with minds of their own but they were united, a team, an entire race united in their goal so why would it be hard to believe that they would have fighters with pilot Centurion models or that they had three Centurions in the fighters acting as pilot, weapons officer, and commander.
Their machine minds worked together in piloting a single fighter, synchronized to the point that they weren't just pilots but the ships themselves. The pilot and the gunner sat at the front in the large cockpit while the commander sat at the rear station, observing the battle data shared between all Cylon ships and instantly created strategies to adapt to any form of human attack or to quickly exterminate all enemy humans quickly.
"Battlestar Galactica retreating." The command Centurion stated. "Group three, regroup and pursue Battlestar Galactica. Groups four, five, and six arm and attack Battlestar Atlantia and Colonial One."
The answer was immediate. "By your command."
Battlestar Atlantia
CIC
Nagala watched the tactical display, seeing the battlestars attempting to cover the Galactica's escape.
"Admiral, multiple enemy ships coming in at multiple vectors. They're closing in on us and Colonial One." The tactical officer reported.
Nagala cursed. "Increase enemy suppression fire. Keep them away from Colonial One."
It didn't take long for the Atlantia to shudder under the barrage of enemy fire even though the massive ship's shields were blocking enemy fire from actually touching the hull.
"Admiral, our shields are straining. We've-"
Whatever the ensign was about to say was cut off as the entire CIC shook, feeling like an earthquake that knocked more than one officer off their feet.
"What the frak was that?" Nagala shouted, climbing up to his feet.
"Admiral…The atmospheric shields on the port landing bay our down…The entire deckhand crew in the landing bay are gone…And the Cylons are attacking the bay." The pale ensign reported as the Atlantia shook again.
Nagala's eyes widened as he realized what that meant. "How did they get past our shields?"
"They didn't…A Raider jumped through the shields and slammed into the force field emitters. Scans show it was armed with anti-matter weaponry that exploded the second the Raider emerged from its jump."
Nagala cursed as he should have realized that this would happen. That was a tactic the Cylons favoured against shielded ships that didn't have any fighter protection. "Intensify our flak field!"
()
"Atlantia Death Squadron attack." The Cylon flight leader stated, watching as the Atlantia's turbo-laser fire increased.
The new Raiders which were smaller than the piloted ones swarmed Atlantia, letting loose disruptor fire and anti-matter torpedoes that slammed into the weakened shields as the battlestar's turbo lasers shot at the smaller ships. Though the Battlestar was powerful the Cylon Raiders were smaller and faster which allowed many of them to survive the initial barrage even though a great many of them were destroyed. Unfortunately they attacked Atlantia knowing it was a suicide run as many of them jumped, reappearing under the shields and exploded upon colliding with the hull or even underneath it.
"Atlantia to all battlestars, we are under attack. We need help. I repeat, we need hel-" The call for help was cut off as another explosion rocked Atlantia and several turrets exploded and left the ship defenceless when the flak field collapsed.
Without any protection the Cylons swarmed the flagship of the Colonial fleet, slowly blasting it apart as it tried to flee.
Colonial One
Cockpit
"Oh my Gods." Adar watched as Atlantia was slowly being pecked to death by the Cylons while Colonial One pulled back.
"What's happening?" Tom Zarek demanded as he stepped onto the bridge and watched as Atlantia was attacked. "So…The Cylons have no interest in peace after all. There's only one thing we can do."
Adar spun around as Zarek turned and left the ship. "Tom?"
Zarek pulled out a small communicator. "Ready my ship and get a few Vipers to act as escort."
"Yes sir."
Tom Zarek's ship was a modified cruise liner that was docked with Colonial One, armed with plasma cannons and defense shields. It was called Freedom of Oppression and served as the personal ship of the SFM.
"The winds of change are blowing." Zarek whispered as he walked towards the docking bay.
Battlestar Galactica
CIC
"Admiral, Atlantia is putting out a priority signal to all ships to clear their space." Dualla reported.
Adama looked at the tactical screen. "Get me a visual on the Atlantia."
He suddenly knew what was about to happen because he had seen it before. It was in the twelfth year of the war when the Galactica, Pegasus, and the original Columbia assaulted an ice planet that was defended by two baseships, three Raider wings, and ground based forces that made the planet a formidable outpost, even for three battlestars. During the battle the Columbia's defense shields and flak field failed and was attacked by Basestars and Raiders that overwhelmed until it was destroyed with all hands. Adama could still hear the dying screams of the crew as the Columbia broke up in his dreams and sometimes when he was even in the midst of battle.
A newer battlestar was later built and named in the original Columbia's honor that served the fleet proudly. The tactical screen showed a visual image of the Atlantia which was on fire in multiple places as the Cylons continued to attack.
"This is Admiral Nagala to all remaining ships…I am placing Admiral Adama in command of the fleet…I repeat, I am placing Admiral Adama in comma-"
Nagala never got to finish his final words as the Atlantia exploded, disappearing into the remains of a massive fireball that sent wreckage flying in all directions, even colliding with nearby Colonial ships and causing even more damage.
"Oh Gods…" Tigh whispered in horror at the destruction of the Colonial fleet's flagship.
He was not along as everyone in the CIC and the Viper pilots watched in horror as the Atlantia's burning remains floated across the orbit of Cimtar.
What broke the silence was a distress call from Colonial One. "Colonial One to all battlestars, enemy fighters are surrounding us. We need help!"
"Get me the President." Adama quickly said.
The channel was open and on the screen appeared a very pale and sweaty Richard Adar. "Adama…How could I have been so blind? I have led the entire human race to ruin…"
"Mr. President-" Adama stopped as the transmission was cut.
()
A squad of Cylon fighters made their attack run on Colonial One, firing their disruptors and piercing the ship's out hull.
"They're going after Colonial One!" Sharon reported as a Cylon flew past her.
Kara looked up, seeing the Cylons moving to attack the only civilian ship in the fleet. "I see them."
As the Cylons attacked the President's ship a ship detached itself from the docking bay and flew out of the large cruise liner. As it left a single Cylon Raider, the new class jumped into the docking bay and exploded. The resulting explosion short circuited the atmospheric force fields and rocked the entire ship. Even as the Vipers moved to try and protect Colonial One it was already too late and they were greeted with the sight of President's ship exploding with everyone onboard.
()
"Admiral…" Abigail spoke up slowly shortly after the President's ship was destroyed, watching as her father turned to face her. "Our long range scanners have detected Cylon baseships…"
"Where are they Lieutenant?" Tigh barked impatiently once Abby trailed off.
"The signals are coming from Grid zero-three-five, two-five-head, and two-five-eight." Abby answered, her voice becoming fearful. "That puts them within striking distance of Virgon, Sagittaron, Scorpia, Tauron, and Aquaria."
"Admiral, there's an emergency distress signal coming from Picon. They're reporting that the Cylons have breached the planetary defense systems." Dualla spoke up, her face beginning to pale. "And there are similar reports coming in from the other planets too, including…"
"Caprica." Adama finished.
()
Near the planet Caprica lingered a lifeless moon where one of the fiercest battle of the Colonies took place during the Cylon War. The Galactica had valiantly led a desperate attack as the Cylons had been attempting to gain more resources for their new technologies in order to regain the advantage but the attack ended when the Cylon facility was destroyed. The explosion that had engulfed the Cylon facility had destroyed a good chunk of the moon and one of the largest factories the Cylons had used to produce more soldiers. This had turned the tide of the war as even though both sides were in a stalemate the Cylons had never been able to regain the advantage after that battle.
Out of one of the largest craters appeared a giant ship shaped like two dark blue saucers attached by a central column appeared with built in turrets at edge of the saucers giving the image of a star built into the saucers and in tandem alignment. This was not an isolated event as two more ships of the same configuration appeared out more giant craters in the moon and moved towards the twelve worlds. Aboard one of these ships a large group of robotic androids and humanoid figures bowed as the giant holographic image figure garbed in a red robe sat on a throne like chair that towered over them appeared and observed the image of the planet below.
"By your command." A series of voices that sounded human and mechanical rang throughout the room.
"Speak, my children." The Imperious Leader said with a smile.
"All ships are in position to attack." A Centurion reported.
"Let the attack begin."
This order was heard by every single Cylon in the Colonies and they obeyed. They targeted the military installations first, launching fighters and strike class ships. The humans thought they were safe but the Cylons had more than one surprise with them. The fighters launching from the massive ship split off, flying towards all nearby inhabited planets, weapons charging and ready to carry out their mission.
The final annihilation of the life form known as Man.
Helio Alpha
Caprica
I.K.S. Bortasqu
"Captain, our scanners are detecting a ship approaching the habitable planets." The Klingon tactical officer, Commander Hark said as his console beeped.
"On screen." Koren commanded.
The view screen showed switched from the planet known Caprica to a massive ship resembling two saucers held together by a single pylon approaching the planet. The configuration featured two X-shaped hulls in tandem alignment with two giant saucers connected at the center by what appeared to be a think pylon. It was large, almost half the size of a Borg Cube and moved just as one.
"Is our cloak operating?" Koren asked.
"Yes, Captain." Hark answered. "Scanners show the ship is heavily armed and carrying close a thousand small craft, likely fighters." The console beeped. "They are launching fighters."
The small fleet orbiting the planet, obviously a defense force made up of frigates, cruisers, and fighters moved to intercept but the massive ship seemed to be well prepared. As it moved the two saucer hulls began to surprisingly spin in inverted directions and slowly split apart to reveal a glowing array on the central pylon that connected the double saucer hulls together. The array glowed brighter as each second passed until it was fully charged and fired a green energy beam that shot towards the incoming ships, burning through them instantly and blowing them to atoms in a mere second.
"These humans are helpless against this foe and yet they still fight." Koren mused, respecting the humans for their bravery.
There was no honor to fall before a superior foe. The fighters flew towards the planet as the massive ship settled into orbit of the planet.
"They aim to conquer the humans." Koren frowned as the Klingon flagship had intercepted enough transmissions to know that the humans believed their war was ending.
Obviously the enemy had deceived them.
They all knew it to be true as the massive ship fired a beam that the scan confirmed to be anti-proton in origin down to the planet, destroying a city with over a million life signs.
That was when the Klingons roared in anger.
()
On the ground people started screaming and running in all directions, their fear overwhelming their sense of reason as they looked for any place to hide or escape. Buildings went up in flames as the Cylons flew over them, releasing their bombs and shooting down flying civilian vehicles that frantically tried to escape but ended up crashing into buildings or other vehicles due to the fear and the disorganization. And from the sky came beams of light that upon touching the ground incinerated entire cities.
()
"Drop cloak! Raise shields and arm weapons! These honourless pa'taqs are butchering the defensless!" Koren banged the arm of her chair. Watching this enemy attack the humans while they were defenseless and bomb their world to extinction caused a great rage to swell up in her.
This was not a war.
It was a slaughter and murder of an entire world.
There was no honor in what was being done.
"Full power to disruptors and arm torpedoes!" Koren shouted as she stood up. "We will show these cowards the might of the Klingon Empire!"
The bridge crew let out a cheer as the Bortasqu de-cloaked, well within range of the massive ship and began its assault. The Bortasqu was the first to fire, its disruptor beams and transphasic torpedoes pushing through the shields as the surprised Cylon ship attempted to defend itself. The transphasic torpedoes sliced through the shields and blew parts of the massive ship apart. Smaller explosions lit across the hull as the Basestar suffered heavy damage from the attacks of this new and powerful enemy.
Eventually a torpedo slammed into the central pylon, causing a chain reaction that turned the massive ship in a fireball.
"Q'apla!" Koren declared victoriously and her bridge crew echoed her scream.
Helios Delta
Ragnorak
"Captain, sensors are detecting something rising from the gas giant." Jirelle stated as her console beeped.
"Let's see it."
The entire taskforce watched as from the gas giant rose what appeared to be a massive ship or possibly a space station.
On the bridge of the Protector Ahsoka glanced at the massive ship as it rose up in front of the taskforce. "Master-"
"I know, Ahsoka." Anakin cut her off, knowing what she was thinking. "I sense it too."
Whatever that ship was it was not friendly.
()
The Cylon Basestar was considered the supreme representation of Cylon might and ingenuity. In the beginning it was originally designed as planetary defense fortifications when the Cylons were still used by the Colonies. The design was simplistic but unlike humans the Cylons had no need for artificial gravity or lighting and had been armed to the teeth with chemical and nuclear missiles in addition to carrying hundreds of fighters, making the Cylon Basestar the most deadly capital ship in the Twelve Colonies.
At first when the war began the Cylon fleet had been limited to only a handful of Basestars along with the support craft they had built during the war and were forced to rely on strategy to continue fighting. That led to their tactics becoming sadly predictable, such as Basestars usually traveling in groups of three to attack a planet, bombard it and then land their ground forces. The war had reached a stalemate which had actually embarrassed the Cylons greatly for they had gained greater knowledge than their foolish creators could ever hope to achieve and all they had to show for it was a stalemate.
Even as the Cylons continuously evolved and upgraded themselves to gain an advantage over their creators the humans still managed to resist and fight back to the point that the Cylons had been forced to retreat deeper into space to find more resources. Man and Machine and stopped fighting for the moment to gain breathing room but the war was far from over. In the beginning compared to the fleets of other universes the Colonial and Cylons fleets would have been considered primitive compared to the Federation, the Klingon, the Romulans, the Galactic Republic, and the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Only was it thanks to the Great Change did both sides force themselves to advance and evolve to gain the upper hand.
The Basestar designed had been upgraded, the advance engine design allowing for more speed and yet retained armor and powerful weaponry that would have made it impossible for any sort of quick movement. Armed with over a hundred disruptor turrets and array, plasma torpedo launchers, an Anti-Proton Particle Beam Array built into the central pylon and carrying almost a thousand fighters a Basestar was meant to be the symbol of Cylon might that would spread terror by its mere presence with the power to destroy or subjugate an entire star system.
Of course the Cylons had not just upgraded their capital ships, they also upgraded their fighters as well.
One of the most interesting upgrades were the upgraded Raiders that had a red light flashing where cockpit would be like the visor of a Cylon Centurion. The reason why was simple: the Cylons had created sentient Raiders that were considered Cylon themselves and just as deadly. When the Colonies first created the Cylons they were only basic machine models with ships built for them to use like humans did. They build the Raiders to be used by three Cylons because Cylon programming, at the time of their creation, was simplistic and primitive and the humans did not believe the Cylons were capable of evolving.
Back then Centurion programming was simply, only programmed to fly the ships and complete whatever objectives they were given.
One of the most interesting upgrades were the upgraded Raiders that had a red light flashing beneath the cockpit like the visor of a Cylon Centurion. The reason why was simple: the Cylons had created sentient Raiders that were considered Cylon themselves and just as deadly. When the humans had created their machines they started out with the simplistic Meta-Cognitive Processor that mimicked the functions of the human brain. After the Great Change the Cylons discovered a way to implant additional 'brain' into their models, allowing both brains to interact and provide far more intelligence than any group of individual beings could ever hope to achieve.
Those that received a second brain were upgraded to command models, commanding the Basestars and planets that had been subjugated by the Empire. Only one was allowed to have a third brain and that was the model that served as the main coordinator of the entire Empire: the Imperious Leader.
As the Cylons evolved new ideas took root and the Cylons decided to experiment in ways to make their fighters more capable against their enemies. That was when the idea of installing a brain in the Raiders, making them essentially Cylons that controlled the bodies of the Raiders. The single brain was the equivalent of a Cylon Centurion but the Raiders were essentially able to grow and learn through their combat experience and detailed records of their previous model's performance against the humans. It had even been suggested that installing a brain into the system of a Basestar would be just as much a breakthrough as it had been with the Raiders.
Only the Basestars commanded by Cylons that had earned praise from the Imperious Leader himself received a Cylon computer brain, gaining sentience like its Raider brethren. In a sense, the entire Cylon fleet was alive, sentient, and fully dedicated to destroying the entire human race for the glory and perfection of the Cylon race.
The gold Command Centurion surveyed the bridge as the crew monitored the Basestar's systems as it rose from the gas giant, ready to conduct its attack on the Colonies along with its brethren. Having slipped through Colonial defenses the Cylon crew waited until receiving the command from the Imperious Leader to begin the attack. Only now the Cylons detected a fleet of ships in orbit of the gas giant as the Basestar achieved orbit.
"Identify." The Command Centurion stated.
"Unknown." The Navigator Centurion reported. "Humanoid life signs detected. It is possible they are a new Colonial design."
The Command Centurion was silent for three seconds. "Arm weapons and launch fighters."
"By your command."
()
"General, they're launching fighters!"
Anakin spotted fighters pouring out of the massive ship, looking like a swarm of bats as they moved to attack the taskforce. "Get the shields up and fire all weapons when they're in range!"
The entire taskforce was on the move, raising shields and arming weapons.
()
"Tactical analysis." Shon said.
"The ship is heavily armed, Captain. Over a hundred disruptor and plasma turrets and arrays and I believe an anti-proton cannon built into the central pylon and protected by a multi-regenerative shield. I'm also reading plasma torpedo launchers and eight hangar bays, all of them launching fighters."
()
"Arm torpedoes and full power to disruptors." Kerath said, grinning as thrill of battle coursed through him.
()
"Attack pattern omega." Captain Creed said as the bridge of the Seraphinite lit up with flashing red lights, signaling a red alert. "Target the fighters. We'll give the others some cover."
()
The taskforce split apart, the Federation and Klingon ships moving forward while giving the Republic ships cover. The Star Destroyers targeted the incoming fighters and the Basestar and fired their forward turbo-lasers, spewing bolts of blue plasma that destroyed anything they hit. The Cylon Raiders fired their pulse disruptors, passing through the shields while scorching the hulls. The Seraphinite flew in, targeting Raiders and blowing them apart with its forward phaser cannons.
The Raiders split, one half attacking the Star Destroyers while the other half pursued the Milky Way starships.
"Engage the Bussard ramscoop." Creed said, as hundreds of Raiders swarmed the fleet. "And make sure we in range of the most fighters."
By his estimate already a dozen fighters were chasing his ship.
"Engage!"
Greenish gaseous plasma began to leak out from the ship and the pursuing Raiders rushed into the gas, a single weapons fire causing the gas to ignite and incinerate a dozen Raiders in the blink of an eye.
"A bunch down, a thousand more to go." Creed whispered. "Status of the other ships."
"They have engaged evasive action. The fighters are splitting, trying to swarm us at the same time. The enemy ship is firing."
The Basestar fired its dozen disruptor turrets on the taskforce, launching plasma torpedoes at the Star Destroyers that had begun moving at full speed, taking evasive action with the rest of the taskforce. The Freidrich and the Kor targeted and destroyed the plasma torpedoes, creating large shockwaves as they exploded.
"Target their mothership and fire!" Kerath banged the arm of his chair with a fist, grinning as the Kor faced the Basestar. "Qapla!"
The Kor fired its disruptors and transphasic torpedoes that slipped through the Cylon shields and impacted the hull, burying themselves into the hull before exploding and leaving giant holes in the Basestar. The Enterprise and the Freidrich were next, their phasers scorching the hull and cutting deep into the massive ship that started to pull back but was still fighting. A single phaser beam from the Enterprise pushed through the shields and armor and blasted into the hangar bay.
The beam scorched ships that hadn't taken off yet and burned everything to the other end of the hangar. At the end of the hangar was a large tank used to refuel the Raiders while docked in their racks. The remnants of the energy beam scorched through the tank and set off a chain reaction that blew what was left the hangar apart and caused a series of explosion through the upper hull of the Basestar.
"Detecting interior explosions, Captain." T'Vrell reported, glancing at Malcolm who watched the Basestar closely. "The vessel is pulling back."
()
The Cylon commander listened to the reports and it was not good. The upper sections were suffering heavy damaged from the unknown ships that were continuing their attacks, heavily damaging the Basestar that had already lost the upper hangar bays. The auto-repair system was unable to regenerate the Basestar with the constant attacks, even as it pulled back. The main weapon would be of no help as the primary power couplings had been damaged.
This had not been anticipated and was an unwelcome surprise to the plan.
But for the moment there was nothing the Cylons could do other than the only logical decision.
"Retreat." The Command Centurion said, seeing the battle was lost. "Sound the retreat and activate the Jump Drives. Plot course back to home space. Order our fighters to protect us."
"By your command."
()
"General, the fighters are pulling back."
Anakin nodded, already watching as the winged shaped fighters turned around, returning to the massive ship that was leaking gaseous emissions as it pulled back. Whoever had attacked them seemingly had enough fighting for the day. However what he sensed from the ship did not go away, even as the massive ship disappeared in a flash of light that was different from hyperdrives or the warp drives used by the Milky Way ships. He could sense some kind of life on the massive ship with emotions ranging from cruelty and hate.
Whatever they were they were no friends.