Chapter Six: Facing Death
Battlestar Ark Royal, CIC:
"What just happened?" Commander Caden Charka asked the instant the shock wore off.
Commander Audra Ortiz blinked her eyes as the fog of confusion began to leave her mind. "I have no idea, but if we don't get an answer we're going to be screwed."
Charka wasted no time in taking the receiver out of its cradle and pressing the number combination that would allow him a direct line to Engineering. "Chief, what's going on down there?"
"I have no idea." the tense voice of Chief Engineer George Halliday said before adding, "I have my people scouring every section to see if there's some mechanical problem."
Charka nodded even though Micallef was not there to see it. "Let me know if you find something."
"I take it he has no idea what happened," Ortiz said.
Charka shook his head. "Not a clue but he has his people looking into it. Anything from Tactical?"
Ortiz held up a finger. "Let me go check on that."
For reporter Nasib Imad, this was a scene the likes of which he had only imagined catching. "Quick, Ahmad, focus the camera on the Commanders!"
Ahmad Tanjim panned his camera around the CIC and made sure he got shots of Commander Charka conversing with his XO, Colonel Patrick Killian, and footage of Commander Ortiz in what appeared to be a brainstorming session with the officer at Tactical.
"Here in this moment of crisis we see the crew of the Ark Royal hard at work on trying to return power to the ship and escape the clutches of the Cylons," Imad began his commentary before adding, "If for some reason they fail at this I can only imagine the consequences being dire…"
"Would you mind staying out of the way and adding your commentary after we're out of this?" Ortiz asked without concealing her irritation.
"You took the words out of my mouth," Charka agreed.
"Very well then, we'll just stay over here in this corner where you can't see us," Imad said as he and Tanjim moved from where they were stationed.
"That was a bit rude," Tanjim whispered.
Imad nodded and whispered, "Some people simply don't have the proper respect for journalists…"
Ark Royal, Sick Bay:
Master Sergeant John Harbrecht stirred in his hospital bed when the lights flickered out and the emergency lighting came on. "What's going on?"
"Don't worry about it, Sarge, we're probably just having some technical issues," Alexandra Zahn, the nurse who had been tending to him the past days, said as she put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"Of course it is," Harbrecht said not sounding quite so convinced, especially when he considered the slight shake in the nurse's hand.
"Just relax and stay in your bed, you're still not cleared to return to duty and Doc Laverso is going to have my head," Zahn said as she placed a slightly firmer hand on his chest to keep him from trying to sit up.
"Were my injuries really as bad as he said they were?" Harbrecht asked. He had heard Doctor Carmine Laverso when the doctor gave him the evaluation. The phrase 'Lucky to be alive' was used more often than he had been comfortable with. Even so he had to at least make the attempt to get out of bed; this was no place for a Marine Master Sergeant to be.
"Yes they were, and if you try to get out of this bed again I will have to take matters into my own hands," Zahn warned.
Harbrecht admired the black-haired nurse with a slightly mischievous look when he asked, "Are you going to distract me by giving me a kiss?"
"Nice try but we've only gotten to know each other a few days and I don't kiss during the first week."
"Well, then I guess that means there's no way you're going to keep me in this bed while Gods-knows-what is taking place," Harbrecht said it was then that he sat up in bed and swung his legs over the side so he could stand up.
"The drugs should be taking effect any second now," Zahn said casually as she removed the needle of the syringe from where she had administered the drugs into the IV.
"What drugs?" Harbrecht asked as he began to feel woozy.
Zahn maneuvered him back into a lying down position, "Only the best for my favorite Master Sergeant. Now you get some rest and I promise you'll feel better for it in the morning."
Harbrecht tried to say something but instead his eyes rolled back into his head and his eyelids closed as he made his way back to the dream world he had been in earlier.
"How's our Marine doing?" Head Nurse Nancy Regders asked as she walked over to bed.
"Sleeping like a baby," Zahn said with a proud smile on her face.
"Did he try to get out of bed again? Last time he was being stubborn about being ready for duty and whatnot," Redgers said as she tried to suppress a giggle. In her time as a nurse in the Colonial Fleet she had found that the Viper pilots and the Marines in particular tended to be the most persistent about knowing more about their medical status than the doctors and nurses.
"He thought he had a chance but I slipped him some Morpha and it sent him back to sleep," Zahn said and quickly added, "I have to thank you for the idea, he had no idea I had the syringe nearby until it was too late to stop me."
"You're welcome; now let's get back to checking on our other patients. The last thing we need is for them to get panicked by whatever emergency is going on right now."
Ark Royal, Hangar Deck:
"What do you mean you can't launch us?" Major Mark 'Archangel' Hunter asked incredulously as the mechanical specialist calmly told him that there was no way to launch Vipers.
"I thought you people knew all the little shortcuts to make things work in a time like this," Captain Alisa 'Dagger' Stark said in the time tone that Hunter was using.
"I'm telling you this is just like what we experienced on the Kios," Captain John Waldron III said before adding, "They shut down the power on the ship and then they boarded and took prisoners."
"I'll tell you the same thing Specialist Simms has been telling you, without main power there is no way we can get the launch tubes operational which means that you are trapped on this ship with the rest of us," Chief Reginald Lancaster said.
"Chief, there's got to be some way we can at least get the Vipers in position so that when power does come back on we can get launched more quickly," Hunter suggested.
"We're still in our flight suits and can fly at a moment's notice," Waldron added.
"I'm sure there's got to be more you can do than stay here and be all doom and gloom like everyone else seems to be right now," Stark said.
"I'll have the Vipers moved in position and when the power returns you can launch. I just need you to go get more pilots," Lancaster said after mulling over the proposition.
Eastern Alliance Flagship Balius:
Magnus Ah-Mun, known to those in the Eastern Alliance as the Grand Admiral and to those in Colonial Society as the Pirate King, sat in his chair and looked up at the DRADIS monitor showing the formation of Cylon baseships and the battlestar that had yet to either retreat from the Cylons or try to engage them in combat.
He knew he could at least give the Cylons a short fight before having to retreat, and even then there was the chance that his force could be destroyed. He had a Cylon War era battlecruiser that served as his flagship, three pre-Cylon war cruisers that he had taken possession of and refitted, and a small grouping of merchant vessels that had been captured and turned into auxiliary cruisers. He could get in a few hits but there was no telling how long the Eastern Alliance forces could hold their own.
Even though he had served in the Colonial Fleet during the Cylon War, Magnus had little love for a group that, before the Cylons attacked, would have been happy to have wiped him and his people out for good. Officially he claimed that he ran a private security company that contracted out to people who needed some military-grade muscle without having to bring in the actual military. Truth of the matter was that he was a pirate and in his humble opinion he was damn good at it. That was part of what led him to this moral quandary. He could save his forces to fight another day or he could come to the aid of this battlestar that clearly was in need of some assistance.
"Beyer, set me up a video conference with my lieutenants in my on-duty cabin," Magnus said as he got out of his seat to leave CIC for the adjoining room that served as his On Duty Cabin.
"I have the deck," Colonel Otto Stein, the Balius' XO, said as Magnus left the room.
Minutes later the faces of Mike Conyers, Fred Spavero, Susan Helms, Krista Thurman, and Alton Mathis filled the squares that made of the video display in the office. These were Magnus' top lieutenants and the ones who, over the years, had earned his trust through their actions with the Eastern Alliance.
"There's a Colonial Fleet battlestar in distress. I'm weighing whether or not to come to its aid," Magnus said.
"Forget about them, sir, the Colonial Fleet has been nothing but a thorn in our side," Mathis said.
"That was then; right now we need to get all the help we can if we hope to survive," Thurman countered.
"If the situation were reversed I doubt they would come to our aid; while I don't agree with Alton's methods I can't argue with his logic on this one," Helms said.
"It's not like all Colonial Fleet officers are mindless robots like the Cylons," Conyers interjected.
"Maybe, but the fact remains that they are still the enemy. It's not like the Cylons have attacked us yet. We just sit this out for now and we can deal with the Colonial Fleet on our terms," Helms added.
"That's true but how much longer will it be until they find us?" Conyers said before adding, "They're targeting both military and civilians according to the reports we intercepted. This isn't the time to say that the enemy of my enemy is our friend."
Magnus made his decision and knew there would be no going back from it. "Get your ships ready to attack the Cylons; we're going with the Pontotoc Plan for this attack. Dismissed!"
With the connection severed Magnus returned to the CIC and sat down in his command chair and looked up at the display screen showing the formation of the different task forces. There were three groups of ships that made up the three Eastern Alliance task forces. The Balius, Magnus' flagship, was the largest ship in the Alliance fleet. Behind it were the pre-Cylon War era cruisers Ulysses, Autzen, Ravanna, Tiberinus, and Soranus. A mix of converted civilian ships rounded out the pirate fleet. Taking on a Cylon baseship was probably going to be suicidal but Magnus realized that without his help, more than likely the battlestar was doomed.
Ark Royal, Main Engineering:
"Can someone tell me what is going on out there?" Chief Engineer George Halliday called out from his control station in Main Engineering.
"We're going through the systems, Chief, we haven't found anything yet," Engineer Second Class Eric Marchant said.
"Well work faster, we don't have a lot of time to play around!" Halliday said and under his breath he swore a string of curses his family back on Canceron would have shaken their heads at.
"Chief, I think we found the problem!" one of the electricians shouted as he ran to the control station.
Halliday looked at the man and it took a moment for him to recognize the young man. Electrician Antonio Sierro took a deep breath before replying with, "Someone has sabotaged the ship."
Halliday was dumbstruck at first before he said, "Are you sure?"
Sierro nodded. "We found several of the relay wires that powered the main generators severed. We found a knife nearby; whoever was doing this must have been startled and dropped it."
Halliday held out his hand. "Hand me the knife."
Sierro did as he was instructed and waited to see what the Chief would say next.
"I want you to gather as many of the electricians as you can and bypass the severed connections and get power restored to the main generators; get moving!"
"Aye, aye, Chief," Sierro said as he bolted from the control station to carry out his orders.
Halliday looked at the knife and saw that it bore the initials 'T. A. S.'. "I wonder if that's Electrician's Mate Snow."
He knew he did not have time to ponder the identity of the knife's owner, his department had to get the power restored to the Ark Royal or else the entire thing would become an academic discussion.
Ark Royal, CIC:
"We've been sabotaged," Ortiz said after she received the report from Halliday.
Charka was momentarily stunned. "How did that happen?"
"Looks like someone severed the power lines to the relay wires to the main generators; that is why we lost power so suddenly," Ortiz paused as she pondered how to phrase the next part of what she was going to say. "If they can't get the power restored then we're as good as dead."
"What's the Chief doing about it?" Charka asked.
"He's got his people attempting to bypass the severed lines and get power going again. I asked him how quickly he would have the work done and he simply said ASAP, so here's to hoping we'll be able to fight back against the Cylons before it's too late."
Charka pressed his thumb and forefinger against his temples and massaged. "That's really all we can ask for. I want word sent to the squadrons that they should be ready to launch as soon as power is restored and then I want the Marines to search this ship for whoever sabotaged us."
Ortiz thought for a moment then said, "When we find who it is we'll need to question him or her until we get a satisfactory answer."
Charka chuckled, "Personally I'd rather just shoot whoever it is out an airlock and have the whole thing over with."
"Well that would give some personal satisfaction, I'd rather we get the intel first and then decide what to do."
"Commander Ortiz, your concern has been noted. We'll discuss this after we're out of this mess," Charka quickly said.
"Very well, if you need me I'll be over at Tactical to see how the repairs are going," Ortiz said before turning to walk over to the Tactical Station. For now, she would keep her attention on the reports coming in from Engineering.
"I see you and Commander Ortiz are butting heads again," Colonel Patrick Killian, the Ark's XO, said in an amused tone.
Charka looked up and shook his head. "We have different philosophies and unfortunately situations like this bring them to a head. Do you Libranites have any good luck phrases that you would use for times like this?"
Killian shook his head. "None that I think would do this justice. Then again, I've gotten along fairly well with Colonel Hawkins; I think in a few more weeks I may be able to address her by either her last name or even her first."
"I can't say I've taken the time to get to know her; all I can tell you about her is that she was Ortiz's XO and is now in charge of selecting the candidates we train for either Vipers or Raptors."
Killian thought it over. "With the pilots from the Kios do we really need to keep doing that?"
Charka grimly nodded. "We're going to lose pilots as we fight the Cylons and that's a battle of attrition I have no intention of losing if I can help it."
Killian had to agree with the logic. "Here's to hoping we survive long enough to train new pilots."
Eastern Alliance Flagship Balius, CIC:
"Let's hurry up and get those guns ready," Magnus shouted to his Tactical Officer.
"Sending orders now, Admiral," Teluk Saleh said as he sent out the orders to the turret captains on the Balius. What Magnus did not hear were the various Tauron curses he muttered under his breath when he was not communicating with the captains.
"Excellent," Magnus said as he looked up at the Balius' DRADIS screen that showed the Cylon baseship was edging closer to where the stranded battlestar had come to a stop.
"Are you sure this is something you should be doing?" a familiar woman's voice said from behind.
Magnus turned his command chair around and smiled when he saw his elder daughter, Sarita Torrence, was standing behind him.
When he did not immediately respond she said, "There's some concern about going to the aid of this ship."
'Gods, how she's hated the Colonial military,' he thought before he said; "Right now I'm willing to put all of my history with the Colonial Fleet aside to come to their aid. As soon as the baseship is destroyed we'll jump out of the system and they won't even know we were here."
Torrance got close enough so that only her father could hear her. "You may not have put all of your history with the Colonial Fleet behind you."
Magnus wanted to say something to the contrary but knew it would be impossible to hide. "I'm a veteran of the Cylon War and even now it's hard to turn off those feelings of loyalty to the Colonial Fleet."
"My mother would have found that weak," she said. Her mother, Isabella Torrance, ran a smuggling ring out of the city of Iscalis on Virgon where she met Magnus Ah-Mun.
"Your mother was a strong woman, but even she would have understood what I'm doing," Magnus replied before adding, "Go back to your station and when this is over we'll have dinner and discuss the finer points of my strategy."
Torrance gave a quick nod before saluting her father and returning to her station in the CIC.
Moments later the guns of the Eastern Alliance ships came to life as the gun barrels hurled their shells toward the Cylon baseship with lethal accuracy.
The baseship launched its Raiders, which were promptly met with a withering barrage of flak from the Eastern Alliance ships. Even so, some of the Raiders were able to make it through the flak screen and their sights were set on the enemy ships that had come between them and their prey.
'Even when you sent your ships to the scrap yard you still helped me out,' Magnus thought with a smile. He smiled at how well his years of equipping his ships with military hardware had paid off. It had actually not been that difficult for him, bribe the right salvage yard official and a wealth of merchandise could be had. One of the 'legitimate' businesses the Eastern Alliance ran was to escort merchant vessels that were worried about being targeted by the Erebea or other pirate groups.
The Balius shuddered as the Cylon shells impacted against its hull but the heavy armor was enough to keep major damage from getting through. Magnus could only hope that the armor of his other ships would hold up as well against the enemy onslaught.
"Sir, our guns have scored direct hits along the baseship's axis," Saleh paused as he took in the new information, "The Raiders appear to be withdrawing to the baseship."
Magnus looked up at the DRADIS screen and he could not help but smile at the retreating ships. "If I were still flying a Viper I'd be pursuing them right now."
"Your orders for the gun crews?" Saleh asked.
"Have them continue firing. I don't want our guns to fall silent until that baseship is either destroyed or has left the system," Magnus said.
His mind went back to his days as a Viper pilot during the Cylon War, in particular his days as a pilot on the Battlestar Delphi.The Delphi, like the other battlestars in its class, had been converted from the hull of a cruiser, and while it was perhaps the smallest battlestar he had served on he felt certain camaraderie among the crew. Landing his Viper on her was in some ways more of a challenge than landing on the larger battlestars. He remembered feeling a pang of sadness the day he learned his beloved ship had been lost in action against the Cylons.
His mind was drawn out by Saleh's voice exclaiming, "The baseship has left the system; we scared them away!"
A loud cheer erupted from the CIC crew and Magnus allowed them to have their moment. He was not sure if he would have called it a victory but in times like this it was necessary to find whatever silver lining that could be found. He felt a hand pat him on the shoulder and he turned in his chair to find his daughter staring at him with a smile.
"Sarita, I think I know what you're going to say," he said.
"That you were being unnecessarily reckless with our lives by coming the aid of the ungrateful Colonial Fleet, yes that was something I was thinking. But now, I think you know how happy we are to fight for you."
Magnus nodded. "Between you and Stadra I think I have the best pair of daughters a man could ask for."
"Ah yes, my perfect half-sister…it's hard to believe that she and I have the same father."
Magnus took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "You know her mother led a different life than yours did. However, let's get back to the business at hand. I think it's time for us to retreat back to our home and lay low. I think we've rendered enough aid."
"I can't argue with your logic, Admiral, the Pallas Nebula sounds like the perfect place for us."
Magnus released his daughter's hand. "Pass the word to all ships that we are to prepare for an immediate jump."
As the word spread along the Eastern Alliance ships, the FTL drives were spooled up and were followed by a brilliant series of flashes as the ships jumped out of the system.
Ark Royal, CIC:
Charka and Killian were sorting through the recent batch of reports that Ortiz has brought over from Tactical. The reports coming in from Engineering were encouraging; it seemed that a temporary fix was in the works that would hopefully allow the power to be turned back on.
Charka put down the report he had been reading. "I have to give them credit; they were able to work out a solution."
Killian had something on his mind and decided now was as good of a time as any. "Is it a bit odd to you that the Cylons haven't fired on us yet?"
Charka thought it over. "You know what, that is strange. They have us right where they want us and they haven't fired a shot."
Ortiz walked up to Command and Control. "The Chief says that as soon as you give the word he'll try to turn the lights back on."
Charka nodded his head. "Tell him to give it a try."
"Let's see how it goes," Killian said once Ortiz had made her way to the Damage Control Station located next to Tactical.
"She seems to be less…confrontational than before," Charka commented.
"We're in sort of an emergency right now, maybe it's brought out a change in her," Killian said.
Ark Royal, Hangar Deck:
"What is going on out there?" Stark asked.
"I'm not sure, I just want to get my Viper out there and start shooting down some Cylons," Ensign Hermes Otaro said as he walked up to where the small group of pilots stood.
Waldron addressed Hunter and Stark, "Allow me to introduce Ensign Hermes 'Thumper' Otaro. The Kios was his first assignment, and would have been his last if your ship hadn't come along.
"Well, Thumper, it's great that you're so eager to help out but until these lights come back on and power is restored, we're not going to be able to do much of anything," Hunter said.
"Unless the Cylons board us then it's the Achilles all over again," Stark said.
"Bad example, right now," Waldron said.
"I have to agree," Hunter said. The Achilles that Stark was referring to was the Battlestar Achilles, a ship that been boarded during the Cylon War and had been lost with all hands when it commenced an FTL jump shortly before the ship had been lost to the Cylons.
"Maybe, but it was the first thing that came to mind. Everyone at the Academies is taught about what happened to the Achilles and this feels eerily similar," Stark said in an attempt to defend herself.
"That's the last thing we need people here to start thinking about," Waldron retorted.
"I take it you and your pilots thought about that more than you wanted to," Hunter said.
"You could say that," Waldron said before adding, "Trapped on a battlestar that had been deactivated and boarded by the Cylons. How could a person's mind not start thinking of it?"
The conversation became muted as the lights in the hangar flickered on then quickly went off for a few seconds before coming back on again.
"Does that mean what I think it means?" Otero asked.
"I don't want to wait to see if they go out again," Hunter said before turning his attention to Chief Lancaster. "Hey, Chief, can you get us launched while the power is back on?"
Lancaster barked out a series of orders to his deck gang to get the Vipers ready for launching. "We'll get you out there while we can."
Seven minutes later the Vipers were launched out of their tubes.
Hunter looked at the sight that awaited him and was stunned at first. "Are any of you seeing what I'm seeing?"
"If you're referring to the destroyed Raiders off in the distance, it's nice to know I'm not the only one with that problem; I was worried I was going crazy," Stark chimed in.
"Something destroyed those Raiders, but the question is…who?" Waldron asked.
"At least we know why the Cylons didn't attack us, something already had them occupied," Otero added.
"Yeah, but who was it…" Hunter said as he tried to think of the possibilities.
"It had to have been another battlestar or some other part of the Fleet that survived," Stark said.
"Whoever it was, if they are still alive when we find them I'm going to buy their CO a drink," Waldron said.
"If we can't find them, I'll be happy to accept in their place," Otero quickly added.
The wireless in Hunter's helmet came to life with Charka's voice. "Archangel, this is Actual; what do you see out there?"
"Actual, this is Archangel, we have Raiders that have been destroyed but we have no idea who it was that took them out."
There was a long pause before Charka said, "I want you and your pilots back onboard. Tactical will look over your camera footage."
"We're heading back, what's going to happen to the Kios?" Hunter asked.
"The scuttling charges are being remote detonated, there'll be enough time for you to land and us to jump out of here before they explode," Charka said.
"Commander, is that such a good idea?" Waldron asked.
"We'll weaken our forces with two battlestars, and I don't want the Kios to serve as a trap for another ship that finds it way here," Charka said before adding, "It's not a point for debate, I've already heard an earful from Commander Ortiz on the matter and I don't want to hear any more."
"You heard the Commander, let's get back onboard before the Kios blows," Hunter said as he turned his Viper back towards the Ark.
"Right behind you, CAG," Stark said.
As soon as the Vipers landed, the Ark Royal disappeared in a flash of light as it jumped back to the Mjolnir Anchorage. Minutes later the Kios exploded as the scuttling charges did the job that they had been designed for.
Mjolnir Anchorage:
Mjolnir Anchorage had been upgraded in the years since its construction, the top of the facility had been expanded upon to provide a small berthing area for a crew, should one be needed. This area was now being put to use, though in a way that perhaps its designers had not intended.
The conference room they were seated in was small by comparison to most facilities of its type; the bare metal walls were unadorned in a way that gave the room a decidedly utilitarian feel. The plain metal conference table with matching chairs only served to add to the sparse ambiance of the room. Commanders Charka and Ortiz were joined by Commander Elina Solheim of the Escort Battlestar Vasa and Commander Colton Lott of the heavy cruiser Hadrian. Representing the civilian ships in the Ark Royal's fleet was Captain Leif Dawson of the heavy cargo ship Hermitage.
"I believe that as the Commanding Officer of the Ark Royal it is only fair that I take the lead on this discussion," Charka said.
"I beg to differ," Ortiz began, "I'm the one without a command so perhaps it is best that I be the one in charge here. If we're going to utilize this anchorage as a base of some sort we need an officer to command it."
Charka shook his head. "I'm promoting Lieutenant Allison Knox to Major and assigning her to take command of Mjolnir. Seeing that the Illumini was lost in battle she needs a posting. After reading over her service record I believe she is best suited for the job."
"What about Colonel Hawkins and me? Better yet, the Illumini's XO also survived, why not put him in charge of the anchorage?" Ortiz asked as she tried to keep her emotions in check. It was one thing to lose the Kios because of what she believed was a rash decision to scuttle the ship; this was feeling like a slap to the face after being insulted.
"Colonel Boone is being transferred to the Ark Royal to serve as my chief-of-staff; I believe that if I'm going to be the officer leading our task force then I need to have a staff to help me keep fleet operations running."
"You're telling me that you're making yourself an Admiral in all but name?" Ortiz asked.
"I've already discussed the matter with Commander Solheim and Commander Lott and both were convinced that I was the right person for the job. As commanding officers with ships to command I felt they were the best ones to decide on this course of action," Charka said matter-of-factly.
"I see," Ortiz said though she wanted to add several colorful words behind that statement.
"As you for and Colonel Hawkins, the two of you will stay on the Ark Royal and continue to oversee the development of new pilots," Charka said.
"Understood," Ortiz said though she knew that there was a hint of iciness to her statement.
The door to the conference room opened and in stepped the newly-promoted Major Allison Knox. The twenty-eight year old officer from Libran appeared to be carrying herself in a way that showed she was trying to look the part of her new rank.
"I've made a list of personnel that I would like to have transferred to the base," she said as she handed a hand-written list to Charka.
"I believe most of these can be done…" Charka said as he scanned the list but his brow furrowed when he came to one name, "You want Master Sergeant Harbrecht transferred to the station, do you realize that he's still in serious condition on the Ark Royal?"
Knox nodded her head. "I read his report of what he did on the Kios and if the anchorage is ever boarded by the Cylons he's the person I want in charge of the Marines that are posted here.
"He may not like the idea but as soon as he's able to return to duty he'll be posted here," Charka said.
Ortiz mentally thought of all the times that she had butted heads with Charka over what seemed to be the most trivial of matters yet he seemed ready to give Major Knox whatever she asked for.
"Thank you, sir, I promise that once we have the people I requested on board this anchorage will be better able to serve as our base of operations should it ever be required. If you need me I'll be in my office, I need to meet with my XO," Knox said as she turned to leave the room.
"Who was made her XO?" Solheim asked.
"That would be the newly-promoted Captain Elizabeth Harrington. She was the Communications Officer on the Illumini, and Major Knox requested her as XO," Charka said.
'You're approving personnel moves and passing out promotions like candy,' Ortiz thought, and she had to force the bitterness away from her mind. If she let it get the better of her than she was certain she would be of no use in this war.
"How are we going to keep this anchorage as a base of operations?" Solheim asked.
"I've been thinking of that and I believe we can," Charka began, "We can take what supplies that can be spared from the civilian ships and also take the various munitions and other items we salvaged from the Kios."
Dawson spoke up. "Exactly who is going to decide what can be spared from the civilian ships and what if we have a different idea as to what meets that standard?"
Charka was quiet for a moment. "Right now, the important thing is that we take stock of what we have and what is the best way to utilize it. We can make this work to the advantage of both us and the civilians. Worst case scenario, those who help us will find themselves under our protection and those who resist may find themselves on their own."
"So you're saying that if any of those ships don't go along with your ideas then you'll simply leave them to die?" Ortiz asked incredulously.
"That's the simple fact of our situation. Right now they need us a lot more than we need them," Charka stated.
"Anything else you have in mind?" Lott asked.
"I'm going to have the Vasa and the Hadrian tasked with helping to keep the anchorage safe, and if we should come across any other Colonial Fleet ships then they can be added to the task force," Charka said.
"If we're going to be here defending the anchorage then what is the Ark Royal going to do?" Lott asked.
"We're going to continue to search for survivors, there is a lot of space out there and I'm sure the Cylons couldn't have destroyed the entire fleet in one day," Charka responded.
"Going by your plan, the Vasa is going to be the flagship of whatever group is going to end up defending the anchorage," Solheim said.
"That is correct, and you will answer only to me. There is a chance that some of the civilian ships could be turned into military vessels with the right modifications," Charka said.
Dawson spoke up. "There's no dock available to carry out those modifications, and what are you going to do with the crews?"
"I'm going to look carefully and see if it will be possible to convert selected ships without the need to use a dock of some kind. Those crew wishing to stay on will have the chance and those who wish to leave will either find themselves on the anchorage or on one of the other ships in civilian fleet," Charka said.
"I'll pass the word along to the civilian captains, but I can't promise they'll all be thrilled with the idea," Dawson said.
Charka shrugged. "That's their problem to sort out. Meanwhile, this meeting is adjourned and you may return to your ships. Commander Ortiz, could you stay behind?"
When the three people left the room Charka said, "You're not very happy with me are you?"
Ortiz shook her head, "I won't deny it."
"I know you wanted the Kios, but if we had stayed and tried to get it up and running we'd have put ourselves out there for the Cylons to come back and find us. You may not want to admit but our cover was blown and there was no way we could have safely stayed there."
"You didn't even try; you just remote detonated the scuttling charges and jumped away. There are not many battlestars left out there, so I think destroying one we could have used was a bit of a waste," Ortiz pleaded.
"For all we know there could be other battlestars out there, not every commanding officer out there would have gone out of their way to engage the Cylons. Now as for why I didn't give you command of this anchorage…that answer could be harder to explain but understand that I need you to oversee the development of our new pilots."
Ortiz immediately shot back. "We have the pilots and Vipers from the Kios now, and I'm pretty damn sure they don't need to be trained!"
"That may be, but we need pilots to take their places in case something happens to our trained pilots. Without an air group of our own we need every person who can fly a Viper. The Vasa could probably use pilots and then the Hadrian could use Raptor pilots also."
"I know you're right but it doesn't mean I have to like it," Ortiz admitted.
"I won't force you too, a statement like that has to come from the heart in order for it to sound sincere," Charka said.
"Well now that I've established that, I'll head back to the Ark and coordinate the next phase of training with Colonels Hawkins and Thomas," Ortiz said.
Charka nodded, "You do that, I'm going to stay here and tour the facility."
With Ortiz gone he was alone to ponder what was to come. He had a small force and an anchorage that was to double as a base of operations. He had his doubts though. How long could these ships stay hidden from the Cylons, and how much of a fight could they put up? The other problem was what to do with Audra Ortiz; at the rate things were going between them it was only a matter of time until a minor disagreement could escalate into a war that would easily involve the crew of the Ark Royal. If there was a way to keep that from happening he would, but was it something that was inevitable?