Author's Notes: Just a few pieces of information for any of you into Galactica Lore. I'm basing the Cyrannus system off the map used in the game, BSG Deadlock, as well as the beautifully rendered map done several years ago which I found online.
Battlestar Galactica, and Battlestar Galactica Deadlock, along with any places, characters, and such do not belong to me, but to Universal Studios and Black Lab Games, respectively.
Chapter Two
"That was the first time I had ever felt the shudder of explosions in the deck under my feet. We had been attacked before, of course, but it had never been so close. The Commander and Admiral Cain were like rocks. I hadn't been to sure about him when he first reported aboard, all those months before. He had been quiet, almost reserved. It wasn't until the heat of combat filled his body that his strength emerged. If I had known everything that would happen while I served under his command, I would have run screaming. Somehow though, standing next to him, and Admiral Cain, made all of it bearable."
It was always cold on the hangar deck. That wasn't to say that the wide space wasn't heated, but every time the large airlock doors opened onto the elevators that took Vipers, Raptors, and shuttles up to the flight deck, a blast of frigid air gusted in. The hangar bay utilized by Daidalos' Viper compliment took up a third of the ringed protrusion located below the Jupiter construction berths. Being as old as she was, and not originally intended to carry fighter craft, the shipyard didn't have launch tubes like those found on other Colonial ships. Instead, once a fighter was repaired, rearmed, and refueled by the deck crew, it was moved back up to the flight deck and put into the designated Viper standby area. During an emergency the pilots would crowd into the two airlocks closest to the fighters, wait for them to depressurize, and then sprint for their birds in the reduced gravity. It was by no means a fast process, and if the time ever came when Daidalos was forced into an extended battle, her fighters would not be easily turned around once they ran low on gas and bullets.
When her trapezoidal canopy's seals released and it slid forward, Angela Vale unconsciously tilted her head to the side allowing the deckhand who was already kneeling on a ladder next to her fighter to reach in and disconnect her helmet from the collar of her flight suit. As her helmet was removed, several of her red hairs which had escaped the tight braid she kept it in for flying got caught and were yanked from her head. Her ears popped as the air equalized, and the smells of the hangar flooded her nostrils. She always enjoyed the odors of grease, tylium, and metal that seemed so strong after a successful run. Somehow it confirmed that she had once again cheated the several million ways a Viper pilot could die in space and returned safely to the deck again. Most of her pilots had already landed and were handing off their birds to the deck crews, though interspersed with the cooling Vipers were gaps that wouldn't be filled. Three of the pilots in her squadron that had taken off today wouldn't be returning. She would have to write their families, she thought. After doing one more check of her systems to ensure the fighter was properly shut down, Hades pulled her tired body from the cockpit.
Already waiting for her, as always when she landed, was Justin Slaughter, Chief of the deck and senior NCO aboard Daidalos. Like senior chief's everywhere, he was known simply as "The Chief" and he ruled his deck with an iron fist. As she was the CAG and lead pilot, her Viper was maintained by Slaughter's personal deck crew division. The man towered over her, not that that was particularly hard when she was no taller than five foot seven, and his height combined with his shaved head and wild demeanor had set her off on first meeting him.
"Welcome back, Captain." Slaughter said, throwing her a salute before handing over the shutdown checklist. She took it and signed her name.
"Thanks, Chief."
"Any issues I need to know about?" he asked.
"Nothing. She's is perfect shape, as always."
"And, how many do we need to add today?"
"At least twelve. I'll get back to you once I've reviewed my gun films." Vale answered, handing him the clipboard and setting off towards the doors into the interior of the station.
Groups of pilots were celebrating all across the deck, high on having survived and congratulating each other on their kills. She was sure that by the end of the day she would be settling disputes between them on who had claim to which kills. If there was one thing that was certain on any ship in the fleet, pilots were prima donnas who loved to show off their kill cards. She was no different, it was true. In her opinion the meager thirty silhouettes painted on the side of her Viper needed to be improved upon, and soon.
Passing through the hatch into the corridor, Hades unzipped the front of her flight suit and stripped it down to her waist. For obvious reasons the mesh fabric didn't breathe and retained warmth extremely well. This was fine sitting in her freezing cockpit or on the hanger deck, but here where there was actual heating blasting from vents keeping the largely civilian crew down here on the construction decks comfortable, staying zipped up got uncomfortable quickly. Making her way down a companionway to the central core of the station where the lifts were located, she returned smiles and congratulations from faceless men and women in their multi colored jumpsuits. Hades had no real issue with civilians, and absolutely understood why there were so many aboard the station, but in many ways right now their excitement was too much for her nerves.
She managed to secure an empty lift and took it up to deck nineteen, junior level officer quarters, which was located in the second ring. Despite being CAG, she still shared a duty locker with nine other pilots from her squadron. She was just stripping down and reaching for her towel, intending to recuperate with a painfully hot shower when the PA overhead sounded. "Pass the word for Captain Vale, Captain Vale please report to the XO's quarters immediately." The message repeated three more times before the speaker went quiet. Vale took a small moment to lean against her locker and curse senior officers and everything they stood for, before grabbing a uniform and pulling it on.
The Executive officer, Commander York, was waiting for her when she knocked on the frame of his open door. "Come in, Captain." He said without looking up. Piled on his desk was a mess of print outs that she was pretty sure were damage reports and he looked like he hadn't slept in days. As Hades stepped up to the desk, he collapsed into his chair and gestured for her to do the same.
"Good work out there today."
"Thank you, sir." That couldn't be everything he wanted.
"I wanted you to hear this from me before the scuttlebutt gets out there. Fleet headquarters is gone, Admiral Mckennelly is dead, Cain is now in command of Colonial Fleet." He rattled out quickly, as though the news would be less catastrophic if said quickly.
Hades nodded, feeling the lump form in her throat.
York continued, "That means that I have relieved her as CO of this station, or will before the end of today. Her first order for me is to jump to Picon with Athena attached."
Again, Angela nodded, her brain thankfully processing all of this information with little delay.
"What I need to know is are my squadrons ready for more combat?" York asked wearily.
"Sir, after today there isn't a pilot aboard who isn't ready to give the toasters a dose of what they unleashed here." She answered firmly.
"That's what I wanted to hear. My best estimate shows that we will be jumping in six hours. Make sure your pilots get some rest between now and then. Something tells me that once we get to Helios Alpha sleep will be nothing more than a fond memory. Once we have more information, I'll brief you and your pilots directly. Dismissed, Captain.
BSGBSGBSGBSG
Watching her leave his cramped quarters, Erik York considered his final words to her. Sleep was already a memory for him, and it was about to get even worse. He checked the clock on the bulkhead and wondered if he had time for a quick nap before diving back into the preparations for moving Daidalos. Repairs had already been assigned to the engineering division, along with clearance to pull civilian workers off construction assignments in order to expedite things. That was the one benefit to having so many skilled technicians aboard, in an emergency he had a large labor force to pull from.
Instead of laying down in his rack, Erik sorted through the sheets for the latest intelligence reports on Helios Alpha. The home to a third of the colonies, including the newly appointed capital Caprica, the system had been the main focus of the Cylon offensive. Caprica had in fact been the site of the first outbreak of the rebellion. The way the stories made it sound the streets of Caprica City had run red with blood that day. So far, the local colony forces in system and the one Colonial Fleet group stationed there had been able to stop the Cylons from getting away with too many victories, but nothing was certain anymore. Up until now the toasters hadn't attacked on masse, preferring hit and run raids to keep the colonies off balance. That and the IDRIS array were the only advantages the humans possessed, at least until all twelve Jupiters were launched.
If the Cylons were able to field at least ten basestars, they finally possessed a fleet capable of waging all out war with the Colonies. With swarms of raiders and extensive munition reserves, the current estimation was that each basestar was the equal of two or three Artemis-class battlestars. York wasn't sure if he believed that or not, but he would withhold judgement until he could see for himself.
He ran a hand through his brown hair, trying not to think about the few gray wisps that were beginning to appear. He wasn't even forty yet, but this war was draining him. Deciding that he would be no use to anyone if he was too tired to stand in the CIC, he undressed, hung his uniform jacket from a peg, and climbed into his rack, programming an alarm for two hours from now.
BSGBSGBSGBSGBSG
"Fleet group is assembled and ready to jump" reported Lieutenant Helena Agathon six hours later. She, York, and Admiral Cain were standing around the plotting table.
"Take us to Picon, Lieutenant" ordered Cain.
From all sides of the circular room stations reported their readiness to jump. Behind his back so Cain wouldn't be able to see, Commander York crossed his fingers. It had been years since Daidalos had jumped and a small part of him feared the station would break apart with the stress. Grabbing the phone in front of her, Lieutenant Agathon flipped the switch for fleet wide PA and said "All ships, this is Daidalos. Jump clock has started."
In the corner the large repeater display a clock started running down from twenty seconds. When it reached ten, York took a deep breath and held it. At five, he started to feel the shrinking sensation that was the prelude to an FTL jump. All around him everything seemed to pull inwards, as though in order to jump the station had to get smaller. Outside the glass, seven orange flashes of light told him that the rest of the fleet group had jumped. Standard procedure dictated that the fleet should proceed Daidalos by several seconds so they could already be moving to intercept any hostiles before the station arrived.
In a rush, Daidalos made her jump into Picon's orbit. Emerging over the planet, York could see mangled pieces of wreckage float past, marking the recent battle. Suddenly alarms started to blare and red lights flashed.
"Report!" shouted Cain.
"Sir, Picon's defenses are targeting us!" replied a crewman.
"Put me through, Specialist" ordered Cain, grabbing the phone from its holder in the plotting table. "Picon forces, stand down. I repeat this is Colonial Fleet. Stand. Down."
Out of the overhead speakers came the frazzled voice of someone groundside. "Roger, Admiral." Then in an aside he probably didn't intend for Cain to hear he added, "Shit, cease fire gods dammit!"
"Is there a problem?" asked Cain tersely.
"No, no problem, Admiral. Just a lot of frayed nerves down here" the man replied quickly.
"Understood." Cain replied before slamming the phone back into it's cradle. "Commander, lets prepare for visitors."
"Aye, Admiral." York replied, watching the woman turn and make her way out of the CIC.
"Why does it sound like she isn't expecting these visitors to be friendly?" Lieutenant Agathon asked quietly from beside him.
"She isn't" York answered.
Over a dozen shuttles lifted off from the surface an hour later and made their way to Daidalos. It seemed that every dignitary and official in Picon's government wanted to be present to witness the commissioning of Athena. Rows of seats had been placed on the battlestar's port hangar deck in front of a podium covered by Picon's flag. On Cain's orders, Commander York, wearing his dress grays, gritted his teeth and made small talk with the civilians before the ceremony began. It wasn't hard as most of them only wanted to talk about one thing, the attack. He lost count of the reassurances he gave that Colonial Fleet was already doing its best to make sure that nothing like this could happen again. He didn't sense any hostility from the delegates, but that would come soon. The leftover fear of the attack was still too near for anything else to have pervaded them.
Down the metal ladder from the catwalk above came the new commanding officer of Athena. He had arrived on board the station a week ago but York hadn't met him yet. He was a stocky man with beady eyes that seemed to jump from person to person as he spoke to them. York hoped he would be able to manage commanding a battlestar, before realizing that he held the same hope about himself. The man had acted quickly enough to bring Athena's batteries online during the last fight. If he carried that through the rest of her career, Athena was going to be a formidable threat to the Cylons. Following the commander came Picon's President, Quorum Delegate, and lastly Sinon Quade. At their appearance the crowd started to migrate to seats and quiet fell.
This being his ninth commissioning ceremony in the last eight months, two of which had been for two of Athena's sisters, Erik found his mind wandering. The President droned on about honor and duty, praising Colonial Fleet for their continued fight and pledging Picon's unceasing support of the cause. It was amazing to him how many words a politician could fit into a sentence and still say nothing. It was true that Picon was more dedicated to the war than some of the other colonies, which was why Colonial Fleet Headquarters had been established here in the first place.
A tap on his shoulder brought his mind back to the present and he looked around. Helena Agathon was attempting to discretely get his attention. She bent lower and whispered in his ear. "Commander, we're having some difficulty with Daidalos' navigation computers." Trying not to draw more notice than he had too, York rose from his chair and followed her down the hanger deck. Cain, who was sitting next to the podium caught his eye and he nodded, so as to say 'I've got this.' Agathon led him a good ways away and ducked behind one of the brand new vipers sitting in its maintenance bay.
"The IDRIS relay we use to outsource our jump calculations is malfunctioning, sir." She said quietly.
"Malfunctioning? How?" York replied, a firm note entering his voice. IDRIS was a complex system of satellites and computers across the Cyrannus System that almost every ship, both military and civilian, used to calculate safe FTL jumps.
"I'm not entirely sure, sir. When we sent it a request for jump data back to Scorpia it sent us a bunch of garbage."
"Is there any way we can fix it from here?"
"None, sir. We would need to find a nexus hub and go from there." Agathon answered.
"How far can we jump using our onboard computer?"
"It's difficult to estimate. The Red line extends beyond Helios Alpha, but we'd probably need an intermediary jump to get anywhere significantly outside the system." Agathon replied, clearly expecting the question.
"Gods. Return to CIC and find us a way back to Helios Gamma. I'll let the Admiral know once this ends. And, keep this quiet for now."
"Aye, sir." She snapped him a quick salute before sprinting up an access ladder.
By the time he returned to the crowd the ceremony was wrapping up. Athena's commander had just formally assumed command and taken delivery of the ship from Sinon, and he was giving the traditional orders for commissioning the ship. As the various delegates stood and began milling about, York carefully made his way towards Cain, doing his best to make it seem like he had left to deal with a simple, routine matter.
"What was that?" Cain asked quietly as he reached her side.
"IDRIS is down. We can't jump back to Scorpia. Agathon is already working on another solution." York muttered, smiling at Picon's President as he waved.
If Cain was worried, the only way York could tell was the slight tensioning of her spine. "This is what a trap looks like, Commander, and it would seem we've walked right into it."
"My thoughts exactly, sir."
"Well, I think we've done our duty here. Lets get back to the war." Cain said, leading him to the nearest ladder. The contrast between the brand new battlestar and Daidalos was markedly clear as they two made their way through the tall corridors. Fresh paint gleamed in the vertical lights, and the smell of it was prevalent. Crew in clean uniforms made their way around their new ship, many of them still fresh faced recruits just out of basic.
Once back aboard the station, Cain led him to the CIC. Over at the FTL plotting computer, Helena Agathon was busy with star chart print outs, looking for a way home. When she caught sight of them she straightened, looking grim.
"Admiral, Commander, I think we have a lead on the source of the IDRIS interference."
"Explain, Lieutenant." Cain said.
"Based on transmission data we pulled from the nearest IDRIS hub, I believe a satellite at Caprica Terminal may be the cause. SIGINT reports show two recent attacks near the station that involved extensive Cylon hacking of the traffic satellites. Intel didn't know why they were going after them until now."
"So, if we take out the satellite, you think we can clear the IDRIS network and safely jump out of Helios Alpha?" asked York.
"Yes, sir."
"Get me Caprica Defense Command on the horn. Pipe it down to my quarters, lieutenant. Commander, begin preparations to jump as soon as Athena has cleared her moorings." Admiral Cain ordered, turning for the blast doors.
BSGBSGBSGBSGBSG
"You want us to what?" asked Captain Vale. She was standing in the War Room, seven decks below the CIC with Commander York and Lieutenant Agathon around another large plotting table.
"You heard me correctly, Captain. When we jump to Caprica, you will lead your squadron and eliminate the infected satellite." York replied.
"You're the boss, sir." Vale said shrugging. It wasn't every day she was given orders to destroy Colonial property.
"We expect the Cylons to not be too happy about our arrival, sir. Intel's best guess is that they were waiting for us to show up in system before taking down IDRIS. Now that they've got us here, they won't be quick to let us go." Agathon added.
"Exactly. We've gotten the green light from Caprica to investigate and we'll have a few of their ships on hand to assist us if the toasters decide to join the party." York said, pointing down at board. Models representing the seven ships of FG Daidalos were arrayed in a defensive formation near a peg holding a large white sheet of paper that read 'Caprica Terminal.' Farther out were a pair of Adamant frigates, all that Caprica was willing to loan Colonial Fleet at the moment.
"Still no word on Galactica?" asked Vale to the room at large.
"None." Said Helena quietly.
"Well, I guess it will be up to us Viper jocks to say the day then." Vale said brightly. She had, thankfully, been able to get more than a few hours of rack time and her cheerful disposition had returned in full force. York's expression was guarded, but she thought she saw the briefest glimmer of a smile behind his eyes. He obviously hadn't slept enough, or maybe it was his new job. She'd liked him as her XO. He knew what he was talking about, and when he didn't, he deferred to an expert. This would be his first real combat operation though, and that would play hell with anyone's nerves.
"Very well. Brief your pilots. Combat jump in 30 minutes. Dismissed." York said, and Vale left the War Room.
News of an operation in the wind had spread with all the usual speed of military scuttlebutt, and when she reached the squadron ready room, she wasn't surprised to find everyone waiting for her, already in their flight suits. Grins and cheers erupted at the news of what they were going to blow up. Leave it to pilots to get a kick out of taking out a satellite.
Ten minutes before the jump, she filed into airlock twelve with the other sixteen pilots of Purple Squadron. It was cramped, but they had become used to it. Climbing into her viper she started the cold engines and watched as the temps rose. By the time the jump clock on her display read thirty seconds, her Mark I Viper was ready for action. Around her, her pilots gave thumbs up and checked in, confirming their readiness for flight.
Right on time the station jumped around her, and the voice of the Landing Signals Officer came across the comm system. "CAG, Daidalos. Clear for launch. Good hunting, Captain."
"Roger, Daidalos." She answered and kicked power to her underside thrusters. In the reduced gravity of the flight deck, the RCS thrusters located all around the craft had enough force to raise her off the deck, giving her the height she needed to engage her trio of main engines without smacking into any of her squadron mates. One by one other planes rose then launched towards the wide open entrance to the flight deck. As each planed emerged and cleared the station, it registered on her DRADIS display. Once the last member of Purple Squadron was free, the seventeen blips resolved themselves into a larger blip labeled 'P Squadron.'
In total there were nine Viper squadrons within TG Daidalos, the other seven being spread out between the Acropolis and three frigates. If the toasters dared to show their faces, they would be in for a surprise. At least she hoped they would.
BSGBSGBSGBSGBSG
"Jump complete. DRADIS is clear." Reported Lieutenant Agathon. Commander York had taken what had been Cain's position at the plotting table, watching the large DRADIS screen opposite him. Cain had chosen to observe the battle from the War Room.
"Caprica Terminal has been locked down and local forces are en route to our position. Readings indicate there's definitely a bogus transmitter in the area."
"Order Hades to take it out. Have the fleet move into defensive formation Charlie and stand by."
Commands were relayed quickly and on the screen York saw Hades' squadron move off towards the targeted satellite. Through the translucent screen he could see the large station that was Caprica Terminal, the largest passenger and freight transit hub in Helios Alpha. Dozens of civilian ships orbited nearby, several killing their engines so as to not miss the show.
"Commander, Hades reports target destroyed." Called Reynolds.
"Did that do it?" York asked Agathon. She checked the FTL computer and shook her head.
"Not yet. IDRIS data is still compromised. Wait one, I've got another candidate for the source of the interference."
York sighed. It was never that easy. "Relay the target to Hades."
Just as he turned to resume watching the DRADIS, more blips arrived on the opposite side of Caprica Terminal, near to where the two Caprican Adamants were holding position. It only took seconds for the computer system to identify the bogeys as Cylon. Four ships, and nothing larger than a frigate.
"Cylon marks on the board. Is it just me or did the Cylons forget to send a few more friends." Agathon reported.
"Lets be thankful for small miracles. Vector the Acropolis and two of our frigates to assist the Capricans." York ordered, wanting to keep a reserve nearby incase this wasn't all the Cylons were going to throw at them.
"Sir," Agathon said sounding confused, "Admiral Cain has already ordered the entire fleet to engage the Cylons."
"What?" Cain wasn't supposed to be giving orders. During an operation like this command of FG Daidalos was supposed to be his. "Very well then. Signal Acropolis good hunting" he sighed, resignedly. Out in the darkness guns blazed as the battlestar and her consorts closed on the Cylons. Vipers swarmed the two pitiful squadrons of raiders. It all felt very far away here aboard Daidalos. Hades destroyed the infected satellite, and after the interference didn't go away, went on to blow up almost a dozen more.
With an violent explosion, the last Cylon Talon disintegrated in flames and the guns fell silent. The phone in front of York buzzed and he picked it up.
"York here."
"Commander, is the IDRIS system clear yet?" Admiral Cain demanded. York gestured at the phone in front of Agathon and she picked it up.
"No joy, sir. Navigation data is still compromised. They must have control of the entire system by now."
Another voice came on the line, low and measured. "Not to mention we've destroyed more Caprican infrastructure in the last few minutes than the entire Cylon fleet could do on a good day." It was Sinon. He must have joined Cain in the war room.
"Admiral, I've got Caprican and Quorum representatives on the line. They want to know about Colonial Fleet's involvement here."
Cain made a disgusted noise. "Route the calls to my office, Lieutenant. And get us out of Helios Alpha, Commander, before I'm forced to ground Daidalos for good.