Today is the holiday 'Day of German Unity' in my home country Germany. Thanks for your nice comments 'Just a Crazy-Man' and everyone have a good day.
"Colonel take command of the Persephone." He ordered across the table
"Yes, sir." Replied Lieutenant Colonel Levon. "Helm? Bow minus 18°, starboard 27°, level minus 50000. Launch Vipers." He ordered in a calm voice. The ship began to move. The bow lowered, at the same time the ship swung to starboard to unleash the awesome power of its broadside on the Cylons. The Persephone floats downward on the plane of the solar system. At the same time, the other half of the second wing launches.
Simultaneously with his orders, the sensor officer reports. "Report six contacts the size of Baisestars."
Meanwhile, he looks at the DRADIS. In rapid succession, he gave his orders "BSG 44 Starboard side present enemy and establish protective zone at your discretion. BSG 23 Your position near the moon gives you the opportunity to flank the Cylons. System defense protects civilian ships." He switches to civilian communications. "Have all ships take cover behind the nearest stellar object."
His plan was simple. The Cylons will launch Raiders and fire missiles simultaneously. But the Vipers are already in space and the order to BSG 44 to defend themselves should stop the first wave. This would give 23 times to get into position, and both BSGs could crossfire the Cylons.
Action and reaction, that's how battles were fought, that's how battles were decided and wars were won. Like it was a computer game. Decisions and probabilities, that's all that matters to him anymore.
"Baisestars launch raiders. Six hundred new contacts. Update twelve hundred. Axis hundred. Settle at twenty-four hundred."
He had to swallow, within seconds they flooded space with raiders.
"Retreat BSG 44 Vipers behind protective zone and defend flanks." Came the order from their admiral. The same decision he would have made. The Vipers needed a little more time to get into space. However, the two BSGs he had available and the Persephone, would end up with even slightly more fighters than the Baisstars. The Persephone's fighters rallied and flew toward the four hundred raiders. This he would not have done. Vipers and Battlestar belong together, separating them even though you don't have to is idiotic. But he had more important things to do.
"Lisa, I need information about the other colonies."
"Yes, sir." She went and picked up a stack of papers. She will look at it and then inform him.
Everything was going as he expected. The Cylons were still relying on the same strategy.
The Green Lights, representing the Vipers of BSG 44, suddenly turned pale.
"Sensors, what happened!?" He yelled across the room.
"Unknown." came the reply. He yanked the phone from its cradle.
"Admiral Jericho. What happened?"
"I don't know." The slightly panicked voice answered him. "Just now my CAG was giving the attack parameters, but now it's muted."
The Red Dots of the Raiders were getting closer to BSG 44 and the Vipers to BSG 23. The Vipers' dots turned pale.
"Admiral, we have power fluctuations. Drives and weapons are shutting down. We... problems... help." Then nothing.
He widened his eyes in fear as Colonel Lopez finally stood beside him. The latter looks at him without understanding.
He switches to all channels. The Raiders launch a group of Red Dots, setting course for BSG 44's Vipers.
"All ships keep your distance and jump immediately. Flee as fast as you can."
Two more groups of missiles set course for BSG 44 and the other Vipers.
"Enemy is using technological warfare."
"We can't jump, our drives are charging first." Came the panicked voice of BSG 23's Rear nothing. BSG 23's ships turn pale. The first missiles hit and the symbols of the first Vipers die. The symbols of his Vipers turn pale. The symbols of the civilians turn pale. More impacts. With each symbol that disappears dozens die and the more dots disappear the more of his hope dies.
He broke free from his rigidity and chose the course to the engine room. As the symbols of BSG 23 disappear and the Raiders approach his Vipers.
"Major Howard. Activate jump drive." He spoke. Distantly he notices his voice carries none of the terror he just saw. Two Battlestar groups were wiped out. Like icons in a computer game.
Did the Cylons just use their greatest weapon? How many ships die here? How many soldiers? How many on the other colonies? What will the Cylons do to the civilians? The CIC became as silent as a graveyard as any attempt to understand what was happening. More and more red dots connect with green dots and then disappear.
He looked at Lieutenant Colonel Levon and Colonel Lopez. They looked back with emotionless eyes. He knew they were thinking the same thing.
It's getting dark.
"Attention Cylon attack in progress. This is not a drill." Sarah paled and looked through the visor of her helmet at Sev and Stone. Both stared back.
"If we launch now, we can reach Persephone before the Cylons do." Said Stone.
"Is everyone on board?" Sev asks, and Sarah looks through the door at the passengers. The kids didn't know what was happening and were talking and laughing. She couldn't see it clearly, but she thinks she sees her sister. No one was outside.
"We're ready to go!" She calls out to them. They separate from the station and fly toward Persephone with the maximum acceleration possible. As they got closer, they thought they could make out the Vipers forming up. She saw at least points of light moving toward other points of light. She connected to the shuttle's communications and heard commands and the pilots' conversations. Everything was going as expected when the Cylons came. But she didn't hear the cursing or cheering of pilots or the stern instructions of officers giving orders. She hears fear. Something is wrong. She loosens her harness and peers forward, seeing several pale green dots.
"What happened?" She asks the two men.
"We don't know." replies Stone. "Just a minute ago everything was fine but now panic has set in and we don't know why."
"The pilots are reporting critical malfunctions. No one can explain why." Sev continues the explanation. More green dots turned pale and drifted in space without a destination.
"Fly faster." She says, and couldn't help the fear in her voice.
"They can't fly any faster." Grumbles Stone.
She tried to calm down, but as more and more dots went dark, she almost panicked.
Finally, Persephone came into view and they landed. They were safe. Soon she realizes that this is not the case.
"Okay guys, you know how this goes. We've been training for this for a long time and we're ready. Now don't panic. Everyone gathers at my place, we'll wait for the others, and then we'll feed on the Cylons." Lieutenant Colonel Abentt was calm. He knew in times of fear, it takes someone to lead. He was the leader for all these pilots.
The second wave of Vipers launched from the Persephone and flew toward his position to link up with him.
"Get ready, we have been training for this for a long time. Today we will show the Cylons that it was a bad idea to show up and threaten our families. Activate weapons." He flips the switch for the final activation. He's going to get revenge on the Toasters for everything they've done. How dare they come back today? Today is the day of peace. The day his girlfriend died.
"Form up and attack." They accelerate and fly towards the raiders. Soon the DRAIDIS display began to flicker and long-range communications became static.
"They deployed jammers. Anderson, have all pilots link their DRAIDIS displays through the CNP. That will allow us to penetrate their jammers."
It actually worked. "Reporting 400 contacts."
"Confirming 400 contacts." Responded Anderson.
"Yellow and green squadrons. Take over the flanks. Stand by." The raiders moved closer and finally they could see their enemy.
"What the hell are those?" He heard one of the pilots say over the comms. He was right. The raiders coming at them were completely wrong.
"I can't see a cockpit." Said another.
"Calm down, they're just toasters. Trust yourselves and stay with your wingman."
"Sir, my engines are shutting down."
"My weapons are jamming."
"My... transmitter..." The rest is lost in the static.
His switches start glaring like crazy and go dark one by one.
"Can anyone hear me? My power is shutting down... Hello?" No one answers, and as he looks out the window, he sees one viper after another shut down. Some twitch like fish on land, then nothing.
"The Cylons did something to my systems." He saw the Cylons getting closer and then glowing dots quickly moving away from the raiders and coming toward him.
He knew what was about to happen. But he couldn't take his eyes off the light coming toward him. He thought about his wife, from whom he divorced, and his daughter. The rocket came at him with a tremendous acceleration and connected with his Viper.
"Jump immediately." Howard heard the command just before the lights went out.
Red emergency light comes on. His sailors went quiet as everyone wondered why all the lights were out. No lights, no hum of the fans, nothing. He snapped his eyes open. Somehow the Cylons were stealing all their power.
"Find a way to get the power back on!" He yelled over the panicked conversations. He finally got everyone's attention and some ran to the reactor.
"NO, STOP! COME BACK!" Everyone paused. "What about the batteries? Are they still charged?" Every ship has batteries in case the reactor shuts down. They're for emergencies, but this is the biggest emergency of all.
Some sailors run to check. "Connect the coils directly to the batteries. The CIC can't give any more orders. Our only chance is to overload the coils. That way we force them to discharge their power in one jump."
"Sir, is that wise?"
"NO BUT WE DON'T HAVE TIME! DO IT!" Some ran and tore panels from the floor and walls. Cables are cut and new ones are connected to the wires coming out of the walls. He himself runs to one of the coils. Usually they are specially secured so that no one can tamper with them. This includes a special lock, plus it is dangerous to stand right next to the coils.
They worked the coil with everything they had at hand. Welding equipment and soldering irons try to cut the armor. While crowbars try to lift out the armor.
"The batteries are fully charged."
"Perfect, here I come." He leaves the sailors to continue working and walks through the ship's corridors, accompanied by the five sailors who have been looking. The corridors, like the engine room, are lit by lamps the color of blood. The hallway was filled with sailors and technicians running around in panic and without a plan. He bumped into more than one as he led his five technicians.
A huge jolt knocked him off his feet and he hit his head.
"Sir, SIR!? Come on." Dazed, he opens his eyes.
"What happened?" He asks dazedly.
"Ship Killer missiles. I think there were five impacts, sir." His ears are ringing and although the technician is yelling, he could barely understand him. Only now did he realize how young he was.
People lay wounded on the floor or leaning against walls. Some were twitching weakly or trying to get up, others were unconscious or in shock and staggering through the hallway. Some are making attempts to help others. Add to this the pale red light.
An astonished ensign screamed for his mother as he was impaled by a piece of metal. A pilot with a Raptor insignia tried to revive another pilot, even though his neck was broken.
He got to his feet, supported by two of his sailors. The ship groaned, creaked and shook. Electrical fires rage in the corridor.
He notices something. He is drawn to the floor and repelled at the same time. It made no sense and his stunned brain took a moment to understand.
"Keep going, keep going!" He yells at the others. "GET OUT!" He shouted to everyone, but most were too wounded or still in shock. Now he could understand what was wrong. The plates on the floor were broken in one part of the corridor. They were responsible for gravity inside the ship, if they were too damaged they were supposed to shut down or adjust, but apparently the automatic system was broken too. Probably because of the EMP that follows nuclear weapons.
Instead of shutting down, the robust plates continue to generate gravity. If the difference becomes too great, it becomes life-threatening in this part.
They stumble, run and crawl as fast as they can. They got out of the corridor in time. Behind them they heard screams again, but they dare not turn around.
As he takes a quick look around, he notices that the floor has become the ceiling. Without realizing it, he spiraled down the corridor. Silently, he cursed gravity on spaceships.
They keep running, the lights on the 'floor' still not working and they have to move in the red light. Finally, they arrived at the right bulkhead. One of his companions had to climb on the shoulders of another to get to the latch, but he managed to open the door. He climbed through the door frame and fell to the floor. He fled but was not injured. They were forewarned for this now.
A woman did a handstand on the door frame, elegantly defeating gravity. He himself was not so stylish, but was unhurt in the end.
Ahead of them were the massive energy storage tanks. He activated his com, "Are you guys ready?"
"We managed to connect a coil directly to the batteries."
"Good, I'll bypass the batteries for an emergency discharge. Evacuate the engine room."
"Remove all the fuses! Hurry up!" He ordered the technicians who came with him. He himself began to discharge the batteries. It was difficult, since he had to do it manually, but he managed. He entered his personal code
and confirmed it.
Nothing happened.
"No, no, no! NO! FRAK! COME ON!" He curses, pressing the button again and again to confirm.
The batteries hummed loudly as they discharged their energy in one fell swoop. Everything that wasn't very lucky, from the cable to the voltage exchanger, burned out as there were no more fuses. There was a crash as if a nova explodes next to him,
then nothing.