Author's Notes: I know in the game that only the point defense guns are used for flak, but in the TV series Galactica's main battery is also a part of that. and so it is in this story as well. Also, I gave the wardrivers a bit of a stealth feature.
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 Eight
"What happened over Sagittaron still haunts me even now, even here in this lonely place. We went there to help them, to save them from the Cylons. Somehow, they didn't see it that way. If I had been standing in the Commander's place, I don't know if I would have been able to give the order to fire. Thank the gods I didn't have to find out.
"Well Commander, are you taking me to Sagittaron or not?" It was crowded in Acropolis' War Room and the air was full of smoke, solely emanating from the doctor who had spent the last twenty minutes pacing up and down the only stretch of empty deck in the room. York hung up the phone carefully, letting several long seconds lapse before he turned to face the room. Around the plotting table stood his senior staff and the commanders and execs of the ships in Battlestar Group 30, all of whom were doing a better job of hiding their nerves than Lieutenant Cottle was.
"That was the Admiral," began Commander York, " The Quorum just ruled twenty minutes ago. We are officially cleared to breach Sagittaran space for the sole purpose of boarding a Cylon ship and recovering one of the weapons they are currently deploying against us. It has been requested however, to somehow carry off this mission without actually crossing the line." Everyone nodded and waited. "Unofficially, we are giving Doctor Cottle and his team cover to reach dirt. If we get caught, its on us. No one is going to go out on a limb to save our asses politically. Accordingly, I've been ordered to designate this mission 2-Alpha. Anyone who wants to wait here at Libran until we come back can do so without any repercussions."
He stopped talking and met each gaze in turn, lingering a moment longer on that of his XO before moving on. After their conversation at Gortyn he wouldn't have been all that surprised if she chose to opt out of going back to her former home. She met his look without flinching. Twenty seconds passed before Cottle broke the silence, "Is that it? Can we get a frakking move on now?"
York eyed him. Ever since reporting aboard Acropolis when they reached orbit over Libran he had been hounding anyone who would listen about a quick turn around. He had even gone over York's head and reached out to Cain personally, asking her to expedite matters. It hadn't taken long before he had been assigned quarters and confined to them, complete with a marine sentry outside. Another doctor had come along with him, a civilian named Michael Robert, but he hadn't said much. If he was there to act as a calming influence on Cottle, he was missing the mark.
"Colonel Melville, please walk me through your plan." York said, walking up to the plotting table and ignoring the outburst from Cottle."
"Aye, sir. Reports from a recon raptor we launched three hours ago show the Cylon fleet here," she gestured towards a mass of plastic models, "about thirty kilometers inside the embargo zone. Our listening bird remained on station for an hour and reports no sign of Sagittaran military units."
"Figures those root sucking frackers won't even defend themselves…" grumbled a voice from the back of the room, followed by some chuckling and grunts of agreement.
"Listen up," York said, sweeping his gaze over the group of assembled officers, "I get it, the Saggitarans aren't the at the top of anyone's list of favorite people. But anyone, and I mean anyone, who wants to make comments like that can stay behind. We've got enough going on without adding playground crap to this. Understood?" No one answered him. "Continue, Colonel."
"Yes, sir. The operational plan created by myself, Colonel Chapman, Major Vale, and Major Kona, are for the fleet to jump in ten clicks outside of the embargo line. Acropolis and the three frigates, Lydia, Arbiter, and Coeus will open fire on the Cylons with everything they've got. Meanwhile Xerxes and Themis will flank out ten kilometers to either side in order to provide clear lanes of fire for guided and unguided munitions. The goal is to give the Cylons something to chew on that's more exciting than bombarding a planet."
"That's pretty long range for guns isn't it?" York countered.
"Yes sir, but it gives us the deniability we need for this part of the operation. If they play ball they'll for us."
"Won't we be pretty exposed out there that far away from the rest of the group?" cut in Alfie Kavanagh, the Colonel in command of the Themis, the other Ranger class cruiser operating with BSG-30.
"No, both of our ships will have a Manticore for cover as well as two raptors. That should give us both plenty of notice if anything gets too close." Replied Chapman.
York looked over the board. "Alright, what did recon have to say about forces we should expect?" Major Vale answered that question, "It looks like they're hitting Sagittaron with less than they sent to Aerilon. Best guess is because they don't expect us to break the embargo. That being said, in addition to two frigates of their own and two of these new ships, they did send a baseship."
Tense muttering broke out and York understood why. Ever since they had first appeared, baseships had made an impression on Colonial Forces. Capable of pouring out an withering hail of missiles and raiders, they had spelled the doom of dozens of colonial ships so far in this war. The only answer to this bombardment was a combination of flak, viper interception, and prayer. When they had expected to face three of these behemoths over Aerilon, York had internally written both his ship and group off as a lost cause. Part of him wondered if even with these better odds if there was a chance. He cleared his throat loudly and the room quieted.
"Under cover of our viper squadrons, marines from Acropolis, Lydia, Arbiter, and Coeus will board the target vessel and retrieve at least one warhead before withdrawing. Secondary objective for the boarding party is to lay demolition charges and activate them once the raptors have reached a safe distance." stated Kona, pushing a raptor towards the enemy formation. "Since we're on the clock I've ordered the mardets aboard all four ships stripped to bare bones so that we can hit the ship hard and overwhelm their defenses, even if we lose some raptors getting there."
"What if we get boarded?" asked Major Grimsley of the Arbiter.
"Then the marines you have left will have to do their best. I know it's not perfect but nothing about this assignment is, sir." Replied Kona.
"And our unofficial objective?" York asked pointedly before muttering could sweep the room again. Cottle looked like he was about to interrupt again.
"Transport one will remain docked in our port flight pod for the duration of the engagement." Melville answered. "This will force Acropolis to engage with the starboard battery, and will effect recall and redeployment of our fighter force. Major Vale has already issued the necessary orders. Once the enemy fleet has been contained to a degree that it is safe to proceed, the Tempest will fake a power surge in its starboard engine, sending it spiraling off course and across the line." She reached out with a hand and grabbed one of the models representing a Manticore corvette and gave it a good shove towards the edge of the table. "It will put out a directed distress broadcast aimed at the fleet. Acropolis will chase after it and in the shuffle of trying to assist, Transport one will launch and proceed towards the planet unpowered with two raptors stuck to its hull. If we're lucky it'll just look like a piece of battle debris on the sensors of anyone who might be watching until its too close to be stopped. Once it reaches that point the two raptors will detach and jump away to the exfil zone."
"I assume you have a plan be in case someone unexpected shows up?"
"Yes sir, we do, but you aren't going to like it." Colonel Chapman said, sending Lieutenant Cottle a dubious look.
BSGBSGBSGBSGBSG
"Commander" said a measured voice from the open hatchway. The briefing was over and everyone had gone but still York stared at the array of models on the table. Something was nagging him, and that never boded well. He recognized the voice without looking up. "Come in Mr. Quade." The door was closed and latched followed by footsteps across the deck plating.
"The admiral has asked me to come along on this mission of yours." Sinon said as he came to stand next to York, also looking at the table.
"She thinks I need a chaperone?" York asked.
"As there is a new type of ship in play, Lucinda thought my expertise would be useful for a faster analysis of whatever images your pilots capture during the fight."
"And is that the only reason you're coming along?" York asked, turning to face him. Sinon had always unsettled him and he still wasn't sure if he disliked the man or not.
"Commander," sighed Sinon, "believe me when I say that going along with you on this misadventure was not my idea."
"I'm guessing you have some thing for me that Admiral Cain couldn't tell me over the wireless?"
Sinon sighed again. "Fleet Intelligence has reported that paramilitary groups operating on Sagittaron have openly stated that any incursion into their space by warships belonging to any colony or Colonial Fleet will be attacked on sight."
"And let me guess, the Sagittaran Government has no way of controlling these groups?"
"Gods above, Erik, you know what a fracked up mess that planet is. Ever since the coup no one, not even their own Quorum representative, has been able to figure out just what the hell is going on down there. According to Lucinda, one of these groups has more firepower than the Sagittaran navy, if you can even call it a navy, has combined."
"So what are my orders, then?" York asked.
"This is a direct quote that you never heard, understood?" When York nodded, Sinon continued, "If any Sagittaran ships fire on Colonial Fleet forces, you are to give them a traitor's death. Gods help you if you get caught, Erik. Cain didn't say that, that's from me."
"Don't you mean Gods help us if we get caught, Sinon?"
"I suppose it does." Both of them looked back at the table, York silently wishing he hadn't pushed quite so hard for this assignment.
BSGBSGBSGBSGBSG
Slingshot watched as the marines made their way fireman style down the access ladders and began dividing up into their boarding parties on the starboard hangar deck. She tried hard to settle her stomach and was grateful that she had skipped breakfast. Bojay, her ECO, stood next to her signing off on the ordinance delivery. Once that was done he climbed aboard and began warming up the ships systems. Tension filled the hangar as pilots and marines loaded up, covered in part by the shouting of crew chiefs. Vipers were being pushed into the launch tubes by deck hands.
Almost any available space outside of the traffic pattern was cluttered with ammo crates, parts racks, and tool carts. With the civilian ship parked just inside the front end of the other pod, it meant that most of the birds coming home for fuel, ammo, or repairs would have to use this side of the ship, especially the raptors. Vipers could use their launch tubes to get out of the port hangar, but trying to fly a school bus out the back end of a flight pod into incoming traffic was a recipe for disaster.
"Good hunting out there, ensign" called Echo as he bounded up the ladder and into his waiting plane.
"You too, lieutenant!" she called back, reassured at the fact that her voice didn't betray her internal feelings. She tightened her grip on the helmet she held in her right hand.
"Yeah, be careful out there. Don't need you breaking down in tears again" said another voice only just barely heard over the racket around them. Over by the door to a tool room leaned Lieutenant "Shaker" Benton, still in his fatigues. He was still banned from flight ops after his stunt over Leonis. Slingshot ignored him and climbed onto the wing of her raptor.
Pushing himself off the bulkhead and coming closer, Shaker called "Got some tissues stashed under your seat just in case?"
Slingshot stopped just short of ducking into the hatch and stood unsure of what to do. She had never been the confrontational type. "Ignore him, Slingshot," said Bojay, then in a louder carrying voice he added, "He's just still got that red hot poker up his ass that the CAG left there."
Shaker turned a bright red as several of the pilots who had stopped to watch laughed. "That's right, defend the little girl why don't you-" Slingshot ignored the rest of what he said as she stepped down into the cabin, pushed past the waiting marines, and closed the hatch. She was going to have to deal with him at some point, but that moment was not right now. Right now, she had a mission to prep for. Lords give me the patience to change what I can…" she thought as she started working on the preflight checklist.
BSGBSGBSGBSGBSG
Across the DRADIS display in CIC was a large red line marked "Sagittaron Border" by the navigational computer. One the far side of that line was the enemy fleet, exactly where intel had reported them. It had been ten minutes since Acropolis and her fleet had arrived and still there was no sign that they had been seen. They had arrived right on the mark just over ten clicks from the line. Vipers and raptors had launched and formed up for the opening stage of the operation, but the order had yet to be given to proceed. According to the law and the Articles, they were still in open space and could change their minds before carrying out what they were here to do. On the flip side of that same coin, Colonial Fleet's mandate was to engage the Cylons wherever they were encountered, and technically they had Quorum authorization to be here. This entire situation was going to be weighed on the edge of a knife. Even if they managed to walk the fine line in the middle they were still going to get cut.
When Themis and Xerxes had reached their deployment points, watched over by the Lancer and Tempest, there wasn't any point in debating longer. Acropolis was angled so that her starboard flak field would be able to in part defend her nearby consorts, the Adamants Lydia, Arbiter, and Coeus from missile attack. All seven of the fleet group's viper squadrons were going to have their hands full just dealing with raiders, so that was the only option for defense they had.
"Commence fire." York said.
"All ships weapons free, I repeat, weapons free." repeated Specialist Rigel into her headset. The deck under their feet began to vibrate, first with the quick paced tattoo of the point defense turrets on the flight pods, then with the deep thumps of the main battery joining in. Groups of blips representing raider squadrons appeared as they swarmed from their carriers, but the enemy didn't turn to engage.
"Sir…" began Agathon.
"I see it." York said before she could finish. The Cylons weren't going to dance to the colonel's tune. Instead of coming about, they had started to move deeper into Sagittaron space.
"Commander, I've got calls coming in from the entire group asking for instructions" interjected Rigel, pivoting in her chair to look up at him from the crew pit.
York watched the screen for a fraction of second. He had hoped it wouldn't come to this. "All ships, come about to 0-3-2 carom 4-3 relative, formation six. Vipers to provide air defense cover until we reach twenty kilometers from the baseship. All ahead flank!"
BSGBSGBSGBSGBSG
"So I guess the boss is going for it." muttered Bojay, speaking for the first time since takeoff.
"Looks like it" replied Slingshot. There were sounds of assent from the half dozen marines trying their best to stay on their feet on the moving deck. One thing that the designers of these ships hadn't thought to add was enough seating for everyone that was expected to be crammed aboard.
The voice of Hades cut across any further discussion. "All right, you heard the commander. Red Squadron takes point, boarding team fall in five clicks behind them. We'll blow you a hole."
Slingshot threw full power to her twin engines and followed Dumbbell into position. Her hands gripped the controls and she breathed deeply, calming her nerves. Out in the distance ahead of them, barely discernable through the glare of dozens of viper engines, was their target. There still wasn't a name for it, not that she had heard anyway.
In her viper, Hades took the forward position in Blue Squadron, watching for the sign of approaching raiders. She could see them on her screen hovering around the large baseship, the only clear target they could really make out at this range. She could never understand how the Cylons could build such ugly ships. She ran one last eye over her displays, ensuring that all of her pilots were ready to go. Blue Squadron was flying three ships light, two were losses in combat and one was a pilot who would have to pull his head out of his ass before he saw the inside of a cockpit again. Her wireless crackled as Acropolis' comm signal broke through. "All ships, Acropolis, we have crossed the border."
Hades had an immediate vision of a roadway sign she had passed every time she had left her parents farm to visit the big city as a teenager. "Hypathia Welcomes You!" Something told her that the locals around here didn't share that same feeling.
When the fleet had come almost twenty kilometers inside the embargo zone, the Cylons reversed course and unleashed hell. Raiders left their holding positions and darted towards the Colonial Vipers, blue and orange tracers filling the air between them. There were two raiders for each Viper, but against the still new Mark II, the cylons were outmatched. Raiders were usually compared to flying wings by most pilots, and almost looked as though they had been designed for atmospheric ops instead of deep space. Hades obliterated one in her first pass, then pulled into the slot behind another. It wasn't long before squadron cohesion was lost in the scuffle, with small groups and pairs of vipers flying this way and that. The intricate ballet of a dogfight was a beautiful thing to watch from the outside. Flying though it, on the other hand, was both terrifying and exhilarating, so long as you managed to stay alive.
The dancing fighters filled the no mans land between both fleets, forcing them to maneuver in order to engage the enemy without blowing their own pilots out of the sky. Acropolis closed to knife fighting range under a hail of missiles, her flak batteries opening up to protect the hull as best as they could while salvoes from the large caliber bow guns groped in the darkness for the only known vulnerable point on a basestar, it's central core.
BSGBSGBSGBSGBSG
"Direct hit, starboard side, frame six. We're venting atmosphere!" shouted Colonel Melville from the damage control board. The ship was still rocking from the latest salvo and a trio of extinguishers were spraying across a fire that had broken out behind York. Their flak field was keeping back most of what was thrown at them, but it couldn't stop everything. The Arbiter was gone, blown to pieces with all hands still abaord, and the Coeus was being abandoned. The battle was hardly an hour old and yet everything was falling apart. The only positive news so far was that the vipers were winning their air duel with the raiders, and the boarding party was safely aboard the enemy vessel and largely intact.
"Seal off that section!. Order all batteries to focus their fire on the baseship. Rigel, tell Hades if she has any fighters we can spare send them to cover us. And get me an update from Major Kona!"
"Aye, sir!"
"We can't take much more of this" shouted Sinon. He was gripping tightly to the railing near the DC station as another impact rocked the ship.
Commander York ignored him as he focused on the DRADIS display. The Cylon frigates were also in pieces, and only one of the new enemy vessels was still shooting. The first thing that Major Kona had done upon boarding his target was to disable the fire control computer. This meant that in terms of firepower, the Colonials might currently hold the upper hand if they could just spare Acropolis' main battery from throwing up the flak field. He looked at the dots marking his two missile ships and realized that they hadn't launched anything several minutes.
"Where are my Rangers? We need them to take this heat off of us."
"Frakked, sir!" shouted Rigel.
"Explain!"
"Working on it, sir." Rigel dialed to a new frequency and tried again to raise the Xerxes. Comm had been spotty for several minutes now ever since one of the raptors had mentioned a group of unusual ships approaching before it was blasted out of the sky. There hadn't even been that much of a warning from anyone in the other group before they all went silent. Whatever those ships were they didn't appear on DRADIS, but messages from both ships, the ones that had got through anyway, were reporting massive system failures. She heard a garbled voice as she scanned the frequencies and quickly tried to isolate it. "-peat, fire control off-….-not sure-" then the line went dead.
"Sir, I don't know what's happening" called up Rigel, "but I think they're reporting fire control is offline."
"Frak" whispered York as he looked back up at the display. "Tell Major Kona he has ten minutes to get out of there. We're about to have to pull back in a hurry."
BSGBSGBSGBSGBSG
"Alpha lead, approaching weapons bay. Stay frosty." Slingshot heard Major Kona's voice over her wireless, followed by acknowledgements from the other fireteam leaders. She was sitting in her chair watching closely for any sign of movement outside her airlock. Looking like ticks on dog, the many raptors of the assault force were clustered on the port hull of the enemy ship, and were now waiting for the return of the marines. Slingshot couldn't see much from her vantage point, and the helmet she wore cut off a lot of the sounds she might have otherwise heard. Still, with just a puny raptor airlock collar between them and oblivion, she didn't dare take it off. From her crouched position she was looking down at the side bulkhead of the corridor, but her brain automatically made the adjustment.
According to the reports that were coming in from the fireteams, the vessel was almost completely clear of toasters. A hundred and fifty marines had stormed the ship. Most of the cylons aboard hadn't been the combat model and were quickly taken down. If the toasters on the baseship knew what was happening here, they hadn't decided to cut their losses and blow it up themselves, at least not yet anyway.
The sound of bullets ricocheting off a bulkhead sent her reeling back from the hatch, scrabbling at the holster on her belt for her pistol. Following the advice Bojay had given her before the prison station, she had remembered to pack almost half a dozen spare clips for her weapon, hoping desperately not to need them. Over her heavy breathing she heard the heavy footfall on metal than could mean only on thing, cylons. More bullets, followed by screams from somewhere down the corridor. Over her helmet wireless she heard "Krypter, Krypter, toasters at the rap-" then a spray of bullets followed by silence. She and Bojay took what cover they could and leveled their pistols at the open airlock. The metal footsteps were getting closer.
BSGBSGBSGBSGBSG
"What the frak are those things?" asked Echo as he followed Hades and four other vipers towards the Xerxes and Tempest. Neither colonial ship was firing or showing any signs of life. In fact, they appeared to be drifting and unpowered. Four small craft that looked a lot like raiders but with forward swept wings were split into two groups, each flitting around the larger vessels.
"No clue, but whatever they are we need to take them out." Hades answered. "Weapons free, take the bastards out." As she dived towards one of them, her controls began to flicker as though the flight computer was failing. A moment later it had passed and everything appeared normal. Putting the hostile ship in her sights, she depressed the trigger. Whatever it had been, it was now broken slag. She pulled in next to the Ranger, looking intently for any sign of damage that could explain what was happening.
"Xerxes this is Viper 5633, call sign Hades. Please respond." There was no answer so she repeated her hail.
"-iper 563-…-is is Xerxes Actu-"
"Go ahead Actual, you're breaking up pretty badly. Signal strength one"
The signal returned, stronger this time. "I repeat, this is Xerxes Actual. We're just getting our systems back on line now. Whatever those things were, they completely shut us down."
"Roger, Actual. Any ETA on repairs or reports I can pass on to command?"
"Just that we're out of this fight for the time being."
"Understood. I'm leaving four of my fighters here to cover you. I'm getting back to the fight. Hades out."
BSGBSGBSGBSGBSG
"Commander, new DRADIS contacts, all showing colonial transponders!" shouted Helena Agathon. Four ships had just appeared on the opposite side of the enemy formation. "They're….they're engaging the Cylons!"
"Get me in touch with them!" ordered York, grabbing for the phone. Hades had just relayed in the status of his rangers and this might be the break that answered his prayers. "Unidentified ships, this is Acropolis Actual. We have friendly units aboard one of the Cylon ships. Do not fire on it until our people are clear. We're sending you the transponder code." The line remained empty, and it was only after seeing Rigel nod that he was sure he was actually being heard. "Sagittaran Vessels, please respond." York continued, but again no one answered.
"Rigel, let me know if they want to talk." He said and replaced the phone. It wasn't important. All that mattered now was that they finally had that baseship outgunned. It clearly sensed its predicament too and was spreading out its fire. It wasn't enough though. Under the assault of the combined guns, it began to break up.
"We did it!" shouted Lieutenant Agathon as the marker for the ship disappeared from the DRADIS. There were cheers and whoops of joy, that didn't last long. "Commander, those ships are firing on our people!"
York yanked the phone up again and Rigel put him on an open channel. "Sagittaran Vessels, this is Commander Erik York of Colonial Fleet, cease fire! That ship is currently boarded by Colonial Marines and is not an active combatant. I repeat, cease fire!"
The speaker crackled and someone finally responded. "Colonial Fleet," said a man's voice laced with contempt, "This is Markus Thoon of the Sagittaron Democratic Union. You are trespassing in sovereign Sagittaran space. You will not give us orders. Leave immediately."
"We will, as soon as our people have returned from that vessel. We are here on behalf of the Quorum to confiscate one of the weapons that the Cylons-" York answered, but was cut off midsentence.
"The Sagittaran Democratic Union does not recognize the Articles, nor the puppet government of the Caprican Hegemony!"
"Be that as it may, human lives will be lost if you continue your attack. Cease fire, gods dammit!"
BSGBSGBSGBSGBSG
Another magazine went dry and the slide on her pistol locked back. Two cylons lay in heaps of scrap outside the airlock but a third was still shooting. Bojay was huddled under his computer trying to keep pressure on a bullet hole in his arm, and kicked his gun towards Slingshot. Everything in her wanted to slam the hatch shut and take off, venting the toaster into space with them, but she didn't. The marines were aware of the situation and were on their way. All she had to do was hold out.
The deck under her began to shudder, almost as though someone was shooting at the ship they were docked too. Bojay's console still showed the DRADIS readout but she didn't want to look away from the airlock even for a second to see what was going on, in case the toaster that was out there got the drop on her. The shuddering grew more violent. Somewhere in the distance she heard a large explosion.
There was a whir of silver in the center of her pistol sights and she pulled the trigger. Again and again, she pulled it back, spraying the chrome helmet shaped head with bullets. There were ricochets all around her and one bullet skated off her helmet, the shatter resistant glass gaining a large circular crack. When the slide clicked back she looked and saw the last centurion laying on the deck outside, it's head blown off. She blinked and looked down at her pistol, wondering just how it had done that much damage. There were more footsteps approaching and her brain fell back into survival mode.. Quickly inserting her last clip, she aimed at the hatch and readied herself to fire again.
"Hold your fire, we're friendlies!" shouted a marine. Just before he had stuck his head around Slingshot pulled back on the trigger, sending a bullet wide. Her senses managed to work faster than her instinct and when the black clad figure emerged she lifted the pistol and took her finger off the trigger. While the marines clambered through the gravity shift and back into the raptor, she crawled across the deck and looked at Bojay. He was barely lucid with blood loss, but her fingers managed to find an entry and exit hold in his arm. One of the marines grabbed the first aid kit from the bulkhead and took over.
Slingshot dropped into her pilot's seat, her gloves now covered in wet and sticky blood. A quick look out of her bubble canopy brought her up to speed. Adamant frigates were raining down fire on the ship she was attached to. There was a strange marking on the sides of those ships, and she didn't think she recognized it. Regardless of who they were, this didn't seem to be a spot to hang around in much longer. Throwing full power to her sub light engines, she rocketed her bird away from the doomed ship, only just in time.
BSGBSGBSGBSGBSG
"Commander," interjected Colonel Melville who had rejoined York on the command platform, "that ship can't take much more. Reports from the marines say its starting to fall apart."
York covered the receiver and looked at her. "Have the assault team pull back and withdraw. Put us between them and the Saggitarans. If any of our ships can still fight, have them move to cover us." As Melville to give the necessary orders, York returned to the call. He was surprised and irritated to hear Doctor Cottle on the line. "-This is bigger than some political squabble, you ass! There are people down there that need urgent medical assistance!"
"Thank you, Doctor but I can manage this" cut in York.
"I won't give you another chance, Commander. Withdraw. Now."
The deck was rumbling under his feet as the large drive engines pushed the ship to it's fastest sublight speed. York remained silent as Acropolis raced forward, automatically adjusting his stance to respond to the acceleration momentum. As fast as she was moving it still wasn't going to be quick enough to save the ship and his people. Raptors were breaking off, loaded with their marines or empty, just trying to save their own skins. He looked at Melville and Agathon. "Do the forward batteries have a firing solution?"
The lieutenant checked her status board and then looked up at him and swallowed hard. "Aye, sir."
The entire CIC had gone quiet, no one speaking and even the comm reports seeming muted. York's hand quivered as he held the phone, not wanting to give the order.
"Sir…" began Melville,
"Fire."
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"All vipers, weapons free on all SDU targets. I repeat, weapons free." The words entered her ears but her brain instantly rejected them. They couldn't be real. "Acropolis, Hades. Please confirm orders."
"Orders confirmed, Hades. Engage the Sagittaran ships." This was punctuated by the telltale emission wakes of the battlestar's forward battery cutting across her field of vision and slamming into the lead frigate.
"They're launching planes!" shouted Greenbean.
"Those are vipers!" cried another pilot as the distinctive shape of a Mark I Viper emerged from the launch tube of the colony frigate. Enemy frigate, Hades corrected herself instantly, reflexes beginning to override her active though process as hostile fighters sped towards her. Her adrenaline of combat had started to fade but now returned in full force. Her brain seemed to catch up and she dove into action. "All vipers, engage the enemy."
BSGBSGBSGBSGBSG
Once more the deck under him shuddered as his ship took hits. This time was different though, now it was colonial, human, bullets trying to rip him to shreds. The cylon ship had exploded underneath them, and he knew that not everyone of his people had gotten out alive before it did. There was a chirp from the speakers overhead and York was barely able to make out that one of the SDU frigates had disappeared from DRADIS.
He was having trouble seeing clearly through one of his eyes. Fatigue mixed with bad luck had resulted in his forehead connecting with the support railing during the enemy's opening salvo. Now blood was pouring down his face from a nasty cut, obscuring his vision. A medic was frantically trying to get him to sit long enough to patch him up but he waved her away.
"Order forward batteries to attack target SDU-3, it's hammering the Lydia!" There were voices that responded to him, but it was becoming harder to understand them. Someone was shouting into his ear but the words weren't making sense. It was as though the lights of the CIC were dimming, and a blanket was muffling the sounds around him. All of a sudden the gravity of the room seemed to shift, and the deck came up to meet him.
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Colonel Melville heard the shouts and cries from behind her but couldn't take her eyes off the damage control board. Red lights were flashing all across the starboard side, and three sections of the ship had already been vented to space. Inside her mind, her Sagittaran birth and her oath to Colonial Fleet were warring for control even as she tried to focus on her job. It was a full minute before she registered exactly why everyone was shouting. "The skipper's down!"
Whirling around she saw a crumpled blue figure on the command platform surrounded by Lieutenant Agathon and a corpsman. The noises around her stopped registering and the bottom dropped out of her stomach. She wasn't entirely sure how she crossed the CIC as quickly as she did, but the next fact she clearly remembered in the following hours and days was kneeling at Commander York's side as he lay there. He was still alive, the corpsman reported to her, checking his neck for a pulse, but call as they did he didn't wake up.
Lucky him, Melville thought without thinking, at the thought that he had temporarily left behind this hell. She lost another ten seconds of reaction time berating herself for that callousness before she realized that Lieutenant Agathon was tugging at her sleeve.
"Colonel, what are you orders?" She didn't answer as she kept looking down at her commander. Focus, Melissa. Do your duty. Colonel Melville rose and looked at the DRADIS. There were still three hostile frigates hovering around ten clicks away. "All batteries target the lead frigate, designate SDU-3. Have they sent any missiles our way?"
"No, sir." Answered Agathon.
Adamant frigates carried missile tubes, but perhaps the SDU didn't have the funds to acquire the munitions. Either way, that freed up more of their battery for enemy suppression. Wounded as she was, Acropolis was still a battlestar and could deal out death and destruction until her dying breath.
"Colonel" called up Rigel, "Lieutenant Cottle is requesting permission to launch. Direct message reads 'we've tried it your way, now its time for Plan B."
Melville swallowed. Indecision racked her. Focus she chided herself again as panic began to take over. "Tell him that he's clear. And may the gods watch over him. Start the clock."
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The Eversun passenger liner that had been appropriated at the start of the war by the Picon Medical Corps activated its engines in the port flight pod and kicked them into full power. Scorching paint and flinging landrams and other parked vehicles out the back of the pod into space, it picked up speed quickly, trying to get as far as it could from Acropolis before the two minute timer dropped to zero. Behind the transport, Acropolis and Lydia, the only two Colonial Fleet vessels still shooting, picked up fire in an attempt to cover the launch.
In the cockpit, the nervous pilot and co-pilot watched the digits dial down and looked back at the doctor who was strapped into the navigators chair. As though affirming the question they weren't daring to ask, Cottle nodded pointedly at the FTL key that was inserted into the control console. When the timer reached zero, the co-pilot turned it.
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"Transport One has jumped, Colonel. Transponder comes back clear, they breached low orbit." Reported Lieutenant Agathon.
"Altitude?" asked Melville.
"140,000 kilometers. They're dropping fast but well within expected parameters."
"Gods be with them." Jumping too close to a planetary body was daring enough in something the size of a raptor. Doing it in a ship, and a civilian ship at that, was close to suicide. There had been a reason that this was the backup plan.
"Sir, I think the SDU sees them too. They're pulling back!" interjected Agathon.
The DRADIS confirmed the report. The Sagittaran vessels were indeed coming about and withdrawing. What exactly caused this didn't really matter. If they were chasing Cottle he would be able to get his ship landed long before they caught him. He knew the risks, and Colonial Fleet's responsibility for him ended the moment he left the flight pod.
"Did the marines get what we came for before the ship was destroyed?" Melville asked Agathon.
"I think so, sir. Reports are spotty from the raptors."
Melissa Melville stood on the command platform wondering just how many people had died today. Could she have known some of the people on those ships? Grown up with them? Sat next to them at the dinner table in her parents house after services? No! she told herself forcefully and pulled herself back into the present as what felt like a dark chasm opened up in front of her. Thoughts like that would only derail her. "Cease fire, call the vipers back. If they're really running then let them. There's been enough death today. I want every raptor we have left in the sky looking for survivors," she paused then added, "from both fleets."
"Well that was a colossal waste of human life." said the voice of Sinon Quade. He was brushing soot from his green jacket and gazing at Melville. There was a gash across his right shoulder, but no blood.
"There…there wasn't any other choice." Stated Melville in what she hoped was a convincing tone. Even as she said it she wondered just who she was trying to convince. Sinon gave her a derisive look before walking away.
She blinked, trying to clear the headache that she only just realized was splitting her skull in two. The Commander was gone, taken away at some unknown point in the battle by a group of medics. She could only hope that he was ok. Once more the CIC was a wreck. Charred bits of overloaded computer consoles, shattered glass from light fixtures, and other detritus filled the deck, and here and there emergency data cables and power splices lay haphazardly. It seemed that just about the time they get something fixed around here, everything fell apart again. Wishing longingly for the comfort of her rack, Colonel Melville began the work of returning Acropolis to the war.