Ch 2
"When did this happen?" Starbuck asked.
"Lt. Thrace. Perhaps if you were doing your job like any training officer worth a damn would have done, you'd have known that two of our raptors are gone." Commander Garner curtly said.
Thrace left the CIC in a huff to confront the Pegasus pilots.
"Mr. Hoshi. Can you decipher the distress signal?" Commander Garner asked.
"I'm lucky to get anything at all, sir." Hoshi said.
"I'll take anything at this point. It might lead us to our people. Can you trace the location of the distress signal?"
"The signal is very weak. Doubt I'll be able to get anything out of it." Hoshi said.
"Just get it. Lets start on this lead." Garner said.
Meanwhile, the Graff Spee had intercepted the message and the crew fully decoded it.
"Boatshow to Pegasus. We've received distress call. The wreck has a bearing of 1 jump away."
The ships computer played the recording again.
"The location of it?" Nechayev asked.
"We have it. But without warp drive, it'll take 5 hours to arrive at full impulse." LuFan said.
"Set in a course. Full impulse." Nechayev said.
Admiral's log
We're tracking down the location of a mysterious distress signal. Considering we're in an unknown part of space, the ship is at red alert, and the crew are armed at all times. Myself, I'm carrying one of the type-4 phaser sniper rifles and a phase pistol with me.
"Admiral, we got the break we've been looking for. I can jump in and get them back inside a few minutes." Garner said.
"Believe me, Commander. I understand your situation, but Cylons have been known to use fake distress calls to lure our ships into ambushes." Adama said.
"A scenario I highly disagree with." Garner said.
"We'll send in a recon force. 2 recon, 3 escort." Adama said.
Garner put the phone away and made up his mind. 30 minutes later, Lee Adama heard the call to action stations.
"What's going on?" he asked.
"Condition 1, major. We're jumping the ship." A pilot said.
"Get a viper." Lee said to Starbuck.
"What?" Starbuck asked, confused.
"You're the best pilot we got. So get to the hanger deck and get a viper." Lee said.
"About time you admitted that." Kara said.
"Commander, what's going on?" Lee asked.
"I'm bringing my pilots home, Major." Garner said.
"The admiral said we should wait for recon…" Lee started.
"My pilots are dying down there, major. I can't wait for recon." Garner said.
Both Lee and Garner had a quick argument about what to do, and it ended when Lee said "I'm taking command of this ship, and placing you under arrest!"
The CIC crew looked at the two, wondering what would happen.
"Sgt of the guard, the commander's been properly relieved." Lee said.
"Sgt, this man is not a member of this crew, and you will escort Major Adama to his quarters." Garner said.
The marine brought out his pistol and said "Major, if you will come with me."
Lee sighed in exasperation and walked with the marine.
"Get ready for combat jump." Garner said.
On the Galactica, Geata watched as the Pegasus jumped away.
"They're gone, sir."
Adama only look at the dradis display and wondered when the Pegasus would return.
"They're ours, sir." Hoshi said, as the recognition codes came through.
"Good. Send out the SAR bird and bring our people home." Garner said.
The two raptors left the Pegasus to look at the two missing and shot up birds.
"Pegasus, this is devil dog. Both raptor crews are dead. Repeat, they're dead."
"Dradis contact!" Hoshi shouted, as 3 Cylon baseships appeared into view.
"Oh my gods." Garner said, realizing he walked right into a trap.
"Nuclear missiles inbound!"
3 nukes slammed into the top of the Pegasus, taking out her jump drive.
"Report!" Garner shouted, as the Pegasus fired every weapon they had at the Cylon fleet.
"FTL is offline, sir!"
"We're stuck here, sir!"
Garner picked up the CIC phone and started to argue with the mechanics in the engineering section.
"Than the spinner's fine. Just pull it. Pull it." Garner said.
The bulkheads shook as the Pegasus took another missile.
"How long will it take to get the FTL online?" Lee asked.
"I don't know. They don't understand. I'm going down there. You have the con." Garner said, and quickly left the CIC to the engines.
"I have the con." Lee said, and thought about what his father would do.
"Helm, head left and target the nearest baseship. Lets see if we can't cut down the odds."
…
"Admiral, we're picking up intense weapons fire and frantic chatter." Price said.
"Where is it?" Nechayev asked.
"Where the distress signal came from." Price said.
"ETA?"
"10 minutes. We have them within visual range."
"Onscreen."
The screen turned on, and they saw an intense battle raging. 3 large star-shaped vessels were firing missiles at another warship. Said warship had a rectangular layout, with an alligator head, a long middle section, and protruding engines. On each side of the ship, were two large flight pods, armed with AA guns and launching small one manned fighters.
"Target the star-shaped warships and fire." Nechayev said.
"We don't know if they're friendly or not." Price said.
"If not, we destroy all of them. For now, target the star-shaped vessels." Nechayev said.
Graff Spee fired her phasers and destroyed one of the base-ships out right.
"Frak me!" Starbuck said, as she saw the Starfleet vessel go right thru a swarm of Cylon raiders. The ship's shields glowed bright yellow as the Cylons began to fire at the new intruder.
"What the hell?" Lee asked, as he saw it on the Dradis display.
"Pegasus, this is Starbuck. Looks like our new guest is keeping the toasters busy." Kara said.
"Mop up the stragglers, but keep your distance. Helm, get us away from the fight." Lee said, as the ship shook from missile impacts, now decreasing from before.
"Radiation!" Price shouted.
"What?" Nechayev asked.
"Must be a nuke." Price said.
The nuclear warhead detonated and the resulting explosion plus brightly lit shields temporarily blinded the viper pilots.
"My gods." Starbuck said, as she blinked away the blinding effects.
"Look at that, Starbuck." Narcho said.
"Thank the gods." She said, as the Graff Spee easily shrugged off the thermonuclear warhead.
"That was annoying." Nechayev said, as they turned to face a Cylon baseship. The Cylon ship continued to fire her missiles at the Federation ship, with no effect.
"Torpedoes. Lets see what happens." She said.
A single quantum torpedo was shot from the forward torpedo tube and speed towards the Cylon baseship, easily punching thru the thin armor. The torpedo detonated inside the ship, and the resulting explosion ripped the baseship from inside out.
"Sir, the unknown contact is tearing the Cylon's to pieces." Hoshi said.
"About time something good happens." Lee says, looking at Garner's torn watch.
"One enemy ship is left." Price said.
"Destroy it, and hail that warship." Nechayev said.
A pair of strong phaser blasts destroyed the baseship, and the raiders scattered to hell, jumping away from the combat zone.
"Sir, we're being hailed." Hoshi said.
"On speakers." Lee said.
"This is Admiral Alynna Nechayev, of the Starfleet ship, Graff Spee. Respond."
"Graff Spee? Starfleet?" a colonial officer asks.
"No idea." Lee said.
"This is Major Lee Adama of the Battlestar Pegasus, over." Lee said.
"Major Adama, I need to meet with you at once." Nechayev said.
"We can meet with the admiral once we get back to the fleet." Lee said, unsure to trust their saviors.
"Good enough. Send us the coordinates of your fleet." Nechayev said.
"They're coming now." Lee said.
"We got the coordinates. You guys go first, roll out the red carpet." Nechayev said.
"Sir?" the helmsmen asked.
"We jump back to Galactica. Besides, we're in no condition for a fight should the Cylons show up." Lee said.
"Spinning up FTL drive in 3, 2, 1."
The Pegasus disappeared in a bright light.
"What was that?" Nechayev asked, never seeing that kind of FTL before.
"Some sort of space folding tech. From what the instruments are telling me, it's short ranged." Vic said.
"We'll have to analyses it later. This fleet can tell us where we are." Nechayev said.