The Normandy continued its cruise, waiting for signs. Either new Dossiers, or a new mission from The Illusive Man. It was with that in mind that Shepard had gone down to the gun battery to talk to Garrus, figure out his take on the new arrivals. She'd probably go talk to Jack about it, too, but one of the Clones was missing and Shepard felt like she might find a corpse down there. She was still gonna go, but she needed to figure out a proper punishment for Jack first.
Entering the gun deck, she was met by Garrus humming a calm tune as he calibrated the main cannon, the two central heat sinks and barrels visible past the holographic console the man was so calmly tapping away at with his three-fingered hands. She leaned against the door frame, watching the maintenance go on while checking her Omni-Tool for new messages.
She had to admit, Garrus was kind of adorable, humming like that.
Still, she had to interrupt him to get an answer. Walking up to her Turian comrade, she tapped him on the shoulder, grinning as she saw him almost turn around and punch her in the mouth. He breathed a deep sigh, then greeted, "Shepard. You surprised me," while putting up a brave face. She snorted, then leaned over to see what he was doing. He told her, "I'm recalibrating the Thanix cannon's targeting matrix if that's what you're worried about. Should give a nicer, more accurate firing solution to EDI and the Gunnery crews."
"Smart," Shepard quipped, "But not why I'm here. I wanted to ask you your take on the new crew so far," and she looked over to the calibration console as Garrus input the last few numbers. The man was nothing if not thorough, even lifting one finger to show Shepard to wait a minute 'till he finished. He wanted to be thorough in that and, hopefully, in answering.
Once he was done, Garrus turned to face her and said, "They're fine so far. The most interactive of the group are the Clones and General Tano, with the least surprisingly not being the seven-foot-tall human supersoldier," only to look back and watch as the man clad in a Colonial Navy Uniform sat down at a table and started eating his dinner with his co-pilot. Garrus tilted his head toward the man and said, "Karl isn't a talker."
Shepard replied, "Commander Adama sent me his file. His girlfriend's apparently one of the automatons they're fighting out there," which got a look of surprise out of Garrus and a nod of affirmation for Garrus's feelings from Shepard. She said, "I was just as surprised when I learned about it. Add to that the fact the girl's apparently real enough to be pregnant..."
"Spirits," Garrus murmured, looking at Karl, "I can guess he isn't happy, but why?"
"She's in jail," She replied, "Don't know of her conditions, but if we ever visit the Colonial Fleet in our travels, I'm sure we'll see," only to sigh deeply. She shrugged and told Garrus, "Look, they're very much like the Quarians. People driven off their homeworlds by machines they built just because said machines started asking too many questions... I wonder how alike both them and the Reapers' creators are at this point."
Garrus hummed and said, "You really think the Reapers actually have creators? Sovereign seemed pretty cut-and-dry about it back in the day," then added, "You think these Cylons might have something similar to Indoctrination to keep people like Karl nearby?" when he noticed his CO was staring at Karl with a combination of pity and distrust, her brows furrowed and lips, razor thin. She looked over to Garrus and her expression shifted at that comment, eyes slightly widening and her mouth opening, before she smirked.
"You know me too well, Vakarian," She quipped, gently nudging his elbow with hers. Garrus let out a short, awkward laugh at that quip, then listened to Shepard as she told him, "I'm gonna have to have a talk with him. Can't have our Electronic Warfare with his head in the clouds. His Co-Pilot seems to be disinterested in helping him get out of his rut, too.."
"She's probably thinking of her own issues, but I get your point," Garrus nodded. No need to get both involved.
"I should go," She told Garrus, patting him on the back, "Keep up the Calibrations," then she stepped off toward Agathon and his crewmate. Said crewmate noticed the blonde-haired Alliance N7 Operative and nodded to the commander, offering a smile. Shepard smiled back, then saw Karl simply look up from his food and at her. He gave a nod in greeting, calm as ever. She sat down beside the two of them and said, "Hope you don't mind if I talk to you two for a bit, Clutch?"
"I know ya wanna talk just to Helo, Commander. It's alright," The girl smiled and offered a nod. She looked at her boss and said, "See you in the hangar to finish the stuff up, boss..." before she grabbed an apple, the sole thing left on her tray, and walked off.
Shepard then asked, "I know you've only been aboard for a couple of days by now, Captain, but I'd like to know what has you so down in the dumps," before leaning back into her seat. Karl stared at her for a moment, concerned, to which she offered, "Don't worry. It's between you and me, off the record. I wanna know if I can help somehow, but..."
Karl sighed, then said, "I appreciate the thought, Commander. If you've read my file, I'm pretty sure you're aware of it, but I'm... Just worried about Sharon."
"Heh. Figures," Shepard snorted, then smiled, "Take it humanoid Cylon are much less automaton-ish, considering she's pregnant and in jail, but I think you get the necessity for security, too, right?"
"Of course, I do," Agathon replied, looking at his current commander calmly. He added, "Especially since a copy of her apparently put two slugs in the Commander's chest," and that caused Shepard to pause for a moment, process the idea. She sighed and said, "I wouldn't be too keen on having one aboard, either. Especially after that kind of situation. But I'm guessing she's different, or you think so."
He nodded, "She is..." and he seemed sad.
Shepard smiled yet again, "You really do love her, don't you?"
"Yeah. And that's the worst part," Karl replied, annoyed, "Loving what everyone calls a machine... The same machines who wiped us out down to a few dozen ships and fifty thousand people," He covered his face, mumbled, "I swear, it feels like I'm losing it. Gods..." and rubbed his eyes. That last little bit surprised Shepard, but she also remembered that they're from a different galaxy and version of humanity all together.
"You believe in multiple Gods?" Shepard raised a brow, deciding to switch topics.
Seemingly glad to change the subject, even though his facial expression didn't really show it, Karl replied with, "... Yeah. The Lords of Kobol, we call them. You might've heard of them if part of the book I browsed is anything to go by," before pulling out a book on Greek myth. He said, "Zeus, Artemis, Aphrodite, Apollo and the whole other lot of Mount Olympus..." while looking at the Commander. She nodded, to which he continued, "I sent a report to Fleet about this, by the way."
"The fact you guys believe in the same Gods as the Ancient Greeks is interesting," Shepard quipped, then asked, "Do the Cylon, like Sharon, believe the same?"
He shook his head, "No. They believe in what they call the One True God. Keep preaching about his love for us as part of His creation and all that," before he set the book beside his nearly-empty tray. He asked her, "Are you religious, Commander?" then picked up the apple on his own tray and took a bite out of it. Honestly, he seemed like a very nice guy, reserved and calm. His Ladiesman moniker on the personal notes didn't feel deserved.
Shepard shrugged, "You know the old saw, 'no atheists in a foxhole'?" only to receive confirmation from him. She rubbed the back of her neck, "I've been in a hell of a lot of foxholes, a lot of them terrifying," while memories of the Skyllian Blitz flashed into her mind, right alongside the hunt for Saren. Shaking her head to snap out of it, she said, "Not looking to share those right now. Don't wanna bore you."
Karl replied, "Thanks for listening, though. Good to know we've got a Commander fairly like Adama on this ship, ma'am," and he actually cracked a small smile. She smiled back kindly, glad to finally see him smiling a bit. He told her, "We'll share some stories about the most memorable 'foxhole' any of us have been in later if that's okay with you, ma'am. I gotta go back to the maintenance checks on my and Clutch's bird."
"By all means, Captain. Dismissed," She saluted and got one back. Standing up, she walked over to the office and opened the door, only to find Ahsoka and Miranda debating something with one-another. Some philosophical quandary, it seemed. She quickly re-examined the office, noting everything was at its place:Miranda's large skeletal desk, the computer, the chairs and the bed hidden behind a glass wall with curtains, as well as the windows and other various pieces of furniture. Ahsoka was sat on one of the two chairs and was seemingly having fun, while Miranda retained a strange calm. Shepard asked, "Hope I'm not interrupting, ladies...?"
"Oh, Commander," Miranda greeted with a tilt of her head, "No. I and General Tano were just discussing the morality of the Lazarus Project."
Ahsoka said, "Life is a precious thing. I'm... Honestly torn between liking and disliking what Cerberus decided to do," then shrugged, "But you don't seem to mind having your life back, so I guess I won't ask," all while she was seemingly processing the fact that they had brought a dead woman who'd fallen through the atmosphere back from the freaking dead. Shepard understood the confusion.
Shepard joked, "You kidding? I'd be more angry if they kept me around as a test tube baby instead of waking me," then walked over and grabbed a seat, too, telling Ahsoka, "However, I'd have also been pissed if they woke me and I had a control chip in my brain," only to note Miranda's surprise and Ahsoka's momentary silence as she stared at Shepard, then at Miranda.
Ahsoka said, "At least that's familiar..." only to notice the surprise in the two women. She said, "Apparently, a failsafe was installed within the Clones where they have Control Chips of their own. The Chancellor explained to us that it was a failsafe should something go wrong. Say if the Jedi tried a Coup, or if the Chancellor himself wanted to fully seize power from the Senate. Orders 66 and 67, specifically, declaring either party as a threat to the Republic's democracy. We found out about the chips through Fives, actually."
"... And the Clones aren't mad about it?!" Shepard demanded, baffled, "That's-"
"It's a nudge in the right direction when activated," Ahsoka shrugged, "And it makes sense. Contingencies are necessary should democracy be fully usurped or should the galaxy need a certain part of the Republic dealt with. The Chancellor was very transparent about it toward Fives and to us afterward... Heh, Fives was stunned to find out it wasn't a conspiracy theory, just something like that."
"Yeah..." Shepard blinked. She and Miranda exchanged quick looks and Shepard glared at the Cerberus op for a moment. Miranda seemed a little horrified to realize just how close she'd come to pulling something similar, so she asked, "And you aren't afraid the Chancellor is going shoot you all in the back?" to which Ahsoka shook her head. Miranda sighed and said, "I guess transparency means trust..."
"Yep," Shepard shrugged, "If you guys and girls trust it..."
"We do. Like I told you when we met, I trust the guys with my life," The General smiled, then looked to Miranda, "However, this doesn't mean I approve sticking a chip in the Commander's brain. I admit it may seem a bit hypocritical of me, but unlike whatever you were planning to put in there, our chips are subliminal and are simple nudges instead of outright taking control. Per the Kaminoans themselves. They even showed us reports."
"That's a hell of a leap of faith, ma'am," Sam Shepard, Commander of the Normandy and the woman recruiting weirdoes to the force, said. She looked to Miranda and told her, "Lemme know if the Illusive Man sends any orders our way, okay?"
"Will do, Commander," Miranda replied with a nod, "And, for the record, I suddenly feel better about not implanting that chip..."
"Heh. Amen," Shepard gave a nod. She bid goodbye to the two women, then decided to go check on missus Jack and praying she hadn't smeared any of the new people against the wall just yet. Travelling down to Engineering and descending down below the maintenance sections into what she could only assume were the fuel injectors, she found Jack... Playing some sort of card game with Fives. Fives and Jack looked up at her, while Shepard greeted, "... Am I interrupting...?" with an awkward smile.
"No, ma'am," Fives replied, suddenly a bit surprised.
Jack scoffed and said, "Relax, Same-Face. Shepard's surprisingly cool," before looking over to the Commander, grinning and offering, "Care to join us? He's teaching me how to play a card game they call 'Sabacc' in their Galaxy. I swear, this is the fucking coolest, aliens and Clones from a whole-ass different Galaxy and the first thing one of'em teaches me is card games!"
Shepard snorted and said, "Glad to see you're getting along with each-other."
"She's fine, ma'am," Fives quipped, "Once you get used to the eccentric personality and the boatload of tattoos, that is," and he smirked as the girl gave him a genuinely light punch in the shoulder of his plastoid armor. He joked, "Oh, you get to kriffin' swear at me and punch me now, eh?" to which she flashed him another proud grin. Despite Jack's light amount of clothes, the girl looked surprisingly normal in the shadows, playing with the Clone Trooper whose helmet rested on the messy table next to them. Shepard now noticed the man's goatee, thin mustache and the Aurebesh '5' on the right temple, next to a little scar over which hair had grown.
Shepard then said, "Well, don't throw him against the wall or something, 'kay, Jack? I'll let you two have your fun, but I expect you to report to muster tomorrow morning," which got a dismissive reply and wave of the hand from Jack and a salute from the Clone, but with an added smirk. Relaxed, Shepard walked back up the stairs and took a left, thinking of opening the Krogan tank.
She was surprised to find Fred there, standing watch over the Krogan with orange skin, thick, weird scales, a weird crest and white armor. The Spartan cradled his DMR, which seemed to have been loaded with heavy armor piercing rounds from the looks, while he leaned against the wall. Noting Shepard was present, the man straightened up, snapped a salute and got one in return. Shepard ordered, "At ease..." before walking up to the tank. She asked, "He still napping?"
"Looks like it, ma'am," The Lieutenant replied as he cradled his rifle, "Still don't really trust him, but he's not swinging at us like his siblings were."
"Okeer?" She raised a brow.
The man replied, "Should be returning in a second, ma'am," only to pause as the door opened. The Spartan seemed to tense at the sight of the Krogan in 'civilian' clothing as he stomped forward. Shepard knew there was no such thing as civvie clothes for the Krogan. She could see the lining meant to survive at least a couple of shots from pistols to grant him a chance to charge.
"We were just talking about you," Shepard quipped with a grin. The Warlord huffed, to which the Commander jabbed a thumb back and asked, "You wanna crack the egg open before we do anything else? Because, I'm gonna be honest, I'm tempted to see what you've made here..." only to note Fred tense further, his gloves audibly rubbing against the polymer bits of his rifle.
Okeer spoke, "You wish to awaken the tankbred, too?" before stepping forward toward it. He told Shepard, "Perhaps our goals are not as different as I thought they would be... Yes, I would like to see him tested in battle by you," then he turned to face the Commander, "If for nothing else than to see that my investment was worth the price of creating the New Generation of Krogan."
"This is gonna be interesting," Fred murmured, "You sure this is safe, Commander?"
"Yes, Fred. It'll be fine. I got you and Okeer here with me," She replied as she stepped forward. She called out, "EDI, you mind preparing to open this tank?" all while she checked to see if she'd brought her own pistol, her Carnifex, with her. She did, thankfully. Stowed it in the left thigh pocket of her pants, just ready for quickdraw should she need to do something about the new guy. EDI let out a few distraught sounds, but did not oppose.
Time to crack the Egg, Shepard thought.
The Waystation
Halsey calmly stared out of the window of the still-under-construction Waystation. The gas giant that they orbited lay behind them, protected by a newly-arrived half-dozen UNSC vessels and the Republic naval force present in the area of operations. She sipped her coffee from her specialized mug, then mumbled something to herself as she checked her tablet.
She looked back at the section she was currently residing within. A small observation deck into which various amenities were being built to house the dignitaries. As of right now, a lattice of titanium reinforced with a Republic-built material was built, almost like a cage, around this small platform of the Waystation, with double-layered 'transparisteel'. A metallic alloy that was completely transparent and was much more resilient than standard glass to damage, though it could still be broken.
Added upon this, the Station had a dispersal field generator installed by the UNSC's technicians within its bowels, alongside a Deuterium fusion reactor and various other secondary power systems, though it also drew power from the Star Road's own Penrose sphere, the generator utilizing the event horizon of the inner black hole. She also saw several defense turrets being installed, formed of twin-barrel turbolaser batteries belonging to the Republic. A last line of defense.
The fleet would defend this place and the Colonials, who were helping build it up, thought of it as a potential step-off point for deploying scouting missions into their own Galaxy for what they called 'Tylium', their own rare fuel. She watched a Republic Arquitens-class starship float by, its three engines on low power as it moved under the escort of a pair of, surprisingly enough, Colonial Mark II Vipers.
The Mark IIs and the Arquitens had almost the same paintjobs, though the red of the Vipers was darker and they had the standard golden flame-like coat of arms of the Colonial Government on their sides instead of the Republic's strange, round one. She saw other Vipers patrolling on CAP duty, even escorting UNSC Longswords armed with nuclear warheads around.
The sole local ship present amidst them all was a lonely Systems Alliance Cruiser, the Tokyo. She floated by the station in geosync orbit, maintaining security for ships docking and coming and going from the station itself. It was an odd design, almost a triad-shaped vessel, its hull angular, white with blue stripes. The lights on board, windows, were bright, but built in lines and the four massive thrusters pushing the vessel pulsed azure. her main gun stood in the top prong, a spinal gun several hundred meters long, while secondary armaments lay either on the two bottom prongs of the triad, or mounted in turrets across the hull.
She glowed slightly teal from the kinetic barriers utilized in defense against possible hostile raiders, a surprising sight to behold. And the woman knew why the Alliance Cruiser was here:Keeping the diplomats visiting people around the gathered Exo-Galactic Fleets and on the Waystation safe via guarantee of fire support. Still, she was dwarfed by even their basic vessels, with the Chimaera, whose daggerlike shape now flew beside her, being a terrifyingly well-armed counter.
She heard leather shoes clap against the steel floor and hummed, then said, "Admiral Thrawn," without even looking back. Thrawn hummed, seemingly impressed, as he joined the woman. His hands behind his back, the Admiral stared out at the gathered fleets, while Halsey said, "Truly an incredible sight to behold. Come to me thirty years ago and tell me we'd be sat beside aliens and humans from three other Galaxies and I would have genuinely laughed in your face..."
"The feeling is shared," Thrawn replied calmly as she looked at the woman, who now donned a UNSC Navy Admiral's uniform under her labcoat, the Office of Naval Intelligence patch's form poking through the white and blue. He told her, "Commander Adama's force is running CAP today. It seems as though the Galactica wanted to stretch her legs."
"Understandably," Halsey nodded, then looked at her tablet, "Have they spoken to you about them?" only to look up at him and see middling confusion on an otherwise perfectly-chiseled face. She continued, "Of the Cylons. I have gotten a thorough look at one of the Infiltrator Models, miss Sharon Valerii. She seems far too harmless for anything written in the report to be true and yet..."
The Admiral told her, "I had almost assumed you would be judging the book by its human cover, doctor," with a slight bit of mirth, "I'm glad to be wrong."
"She shot Commander Adama. Or, at least, a variation of her did," She replied with a hint of aggravation, "Judgement will be passed once I have spoken a few more times with her and run some tests, courtesy of Doctor Baltar's own method of detecting Cylons..." before sighing. She asked rather sarcastically, "Speaking of mister Vice President Baltar, I don't assume you've had the pleasure of meeting him?" as her gaze swept toward the Colonial One, docked closest to them. The vertical hammerhead design, the multiple sublight engines, the visible RCS thrusters, all on a standard space liner.
Thrawn wore a sardonic smile now, "I have. The fear I saw in his eyes was stunning."
"Yes," Halsey mumbled, "That man isn't fit to lead anything scientific, much less be second in line for anything as important as the Government of our fellow spacefarers..." mildly annoyed as she checked reports. She asked, "How far away is Galactica at the moment?" while a report of radar contacts played across her screen. She knew the Waystation still lacked its own sensor system, currently operating off of the DRADIS and other suites of friendly ships...
"Near the Belt," He replied, "Presumably patrolling nearby the place's 'Mass Relay'. Why?"
"If these sensor readings I just received from the Tokyo are correct," Halsey started, showing him her tablet and looking over to the direction of the Mass Relay, "Then, they're about to have company. At least two ships, marked hostile," to which Thrawn paused. Seemed as though their friends were about to be battle-tested from the get-go. Worrying, both thought. To that extend, Halsey seemed to prepare to send a message burst to Commander Adama.
He pulled up his comlink and said, "Get me the Chimaera and a shuttle, ASAP. We've got incoming..."
Aboard the Galactica
Commander Adama watched the DRADIS system calmly, checking his wristwatch as they prepared to return to the Waystation. He looked over the map, noting the various marking figurines pointing out the location of their friendly station and their allies. They'd had to substitute the UNSC's, Alliance's and Republic's ships with ships from their own fleets, as well as civilian vessels.
Tigh leaned over his own section of the central console, looking over starmap readings and stating, "Doctor Halsey assured us we should be able to make a jump if we need Tylium reserve replenishment and admiral Thrawn said we'll have his support if we need it while we refuel," before sighing and rubbing his face and the top of his own balding head. He said, "Honestly never thought people would be so quick to help us."
"Me neither," Adama replied calmly, then said, "But let's not look several gift horses in the mouths this time. We're barely recovering after that little bout between each-other after we found Kobol," and he leaned forward onto his elbows, "The last thing we need is an argument with people much more advanced than us on the cusp of the greatest possible moment we've ever found since the start of our travels."
"You really think they're gonna let us join them on either of their Earths?" The Colonel asked, seemingly suspicious of their allies, "I mean, what'd they have to gain?"
Adama shrugged, then said, "I've already discussed possible choices with Doctor Halsey, with the President's approval, of course," and he walked over to Saul, pouring himself and the man a glass of water from a nearby decanter. He hand the man his glass and told him, "Possibly our FTL Drives, plus more studying of the Cylon Infiltrator we have aboard, to find ways to put'em out of action for good just in case."
"Well, ain't that a treat," Tigh shot back sarcastically, crossing his arms to his chest, "Anyone bother to tell the UNSC folk our FTL Drives require Tylium, which they haven't heard of, to function?" to which Bill replied with a simple nod. Saul swore to himself, if he wasn't around at times, Bill would stumble into a gigantic mess that he could hardly fix on his own. Then again, Saul nearly did something stupid when he became CO. He needed to remind himself to talk to Ellen about some of the 'guidance' she gave him during that time.
Adama told him, "If we're lucky, we'll be able to secure our way back into our galaxy, too, maybe deal with the Cylon and get access to more Tylium reserves as we go. Before we come back to whatever Earth the Quorum of Twelve voted on," and he took a sip of the water, finding the taste as pleasant as always for something filtered and refiltered to ensure it had nothing dangerous. It was tentatively sweet and one almost couldn't taste the reverse osmosis.
"Roslin still mad at me?" Tigh asked jokingly as he sipped from the water, finding the taste contrarily lackluster. He was too used to booze for water to taste normal. When Bill shook his head, the man allowed himself a sigh and said, "Good to know that woman can bury the hatchet with just about anyone. Right now, though, we've got the Gideon disaster on the discussion for the Quorum..."
"Calm, Saul," Bill sighed, "As disheartening as it was, it was one event in a series of cascading issues ever since Roslin decided to play the Hero, courtesy of the Scrolls, while we were being hard-headed," and he drank half the glass in one go. He took off his narrow glasses, rubbed his eyes, then mumbled, "Though I Have a nagging feeling we've got bigger problems on the horizon than just that..."
"Commander," Dee started, looking over to the man with a hint of fear in her voice. The man turned to face her and nodded to her to go ahead, "... We're receiving priority communications from the Chimaera and Waystation. The Alliance cruiser Tokyo has detected incoming enemy vessels heading through the Mass Relay we're right next to, and-" she was cut off as DRADIS alarms echoed.
Gaeta called out, "DRADIS Contacts! Bearing 421, carom 072!" as the contacts flashed on-screen, scarlet chevrons.
Adama sighed deeply, then said, "They're too small to be basestars... Plus, basestars have our FTL," before pausing. He asked, "We getting any form of radio contact, Dee?"
"No, sir..." She replied, "Wait, stand-by. Incoming wireless transmit. It's in their language, but I'm getting a transcript now, courtesy of Citadel translation protocols," as the strange printer between her and Gaeta's consoles started spitting out one of their octahedral A4 papers. She detached it from the line and read, "This is Batarian Frigate Pride of Varo, disengage weapons and prepare to be boarded."
"Batarians," Tigh gasped, surprised, "Pirates."
"We're near the Terminus, so it scans," Adama voiced. They'd been briefed by the Alliance on various hostile species in the area, Batarians being the chief threat. He told them, "Set Condition One across the ship and launch Alert Vipers and Raptors. I want electronic warfare enveloping them and causing damage way before we engage with our guns and missiles."
"Sir!" Gaeta saluted, then pulled the mic off his console and spoke, "Set Condition One! All crew, Battlestations! I repeat, Battlestations! This is not a drill, launch Alert Vipers and EWAR Squadron!" before looking at the DRADIS. Allied ships had started moving, but were far away. He reported to the Commander and Colonel, "Our allies are moving. ETA, ten minutes!"
"Confirming allied reinforcements!" Dee called out.
Tigh murmured, "We'll either be dead or done with the Slavers before they arrive..."
... In one of the launch tubes, Starbuck murmured, "Talk about fraking up my easy day," as she looked over to the crew chief waiting to launch her via the catapult. She gave a thumbs up and said, "Starbuck, green light!" before bracing and grabbing onto the sticks. Powering the ship to max thrust as the magnetic catapult activated, the girl felt herself pushed into her chair and breathed heavily, tightening her muscles and practicing slow, calm breaths to retain consciousness. She felt her flight suit tightening against her as she exited the tube, then pulled up.
She saw the Galactica's guns swivel about toward the Batarian ships that had emerged from that blue-shining, two-pronged 'Mass Relay' thing that they'd been continuously briefing them about. Looking to her right, she immediately caught sight of her CAG and said, "Apollo, I'm on your eight o'clock!" as she veered toward him, utilizing the ship's directional thrusters to follow him.
Lee told her, "Time for a party, eh, Starbuck?" as the rest of the squadron formed up around them, taking up an echelon formation. Behind them, their Raptor spooled up its Electronic Warfare suite, while the warships ahead, ugly amalgams of black hull with spinal mounts and cannons, dived toward them. He said, "Careful on the approach. They might be Frigates, but their guns look mean."
"No lasers I can see from this distance," Starbuck mumbled, silently praying the damn things didn't have weapons systems to shoot down fighters. Each ugly vessel stood at about a hundred meters long, though there were irregularities in their design, probably later additions by their Batarian captains to denote the ships' importance. They started firing their main batteries at Galactica, mass effect-assisted Kinetic rounds slamming into the armor on top of the Old Girl and denting it.
Galactica's own quartet of dual-mount gun turrets swiveled out of their hideouts on the ship's back, while their secondary point-defenses lit the void up in puffs of smoke and fire from flak, almost like a rapid fireworks show. Twin-barrel heavy turrets that gave the ship its battlestar designate soon let loose their first volleys, Starbuck tracking the shells as they flew straight as Athena's Arrows toward the enemy vessel closest to them.
The two ships moved toward them without any sort of plan of attack, it seemed. They just fired wildly from their main batteries, their rounds smashing into the Battlestar's armor as she swiveled about to bring more of her guns to bear, rotating on her axis slowly while moving forward. Starbuck watched the first round impact off the bow of the enemy vessel and laughed as she saw the ripple of their azure kinetic barriers, a blanket of energy meant to dull and stop kinetic energy.
Apollo said, "That probably woke the Batarians up. All Fighters, on me! Load missiles!" before he thumbed a couple of buttons and switched to his helmet's targeting systems. Locking onto the second enemy vessel as its own smaller secondary guns traversed to meet them, he barked, "FIRE!" before letting loose two missiles from his undercarriage. The two guided weapons danced toward the Batarian warship's bow, then struck, the joined explosions causing another ripple effect and leaving a scorch mark on the ship.
The slew of starfighters then fired their main guns. The coilguns mounted to their four o'clock and seven o'clock wing spars spat straight lines of high-velocity projectiles at the enemy ship, cutting into the kinetic barrier. Some sparked off of it, while others seemed to touch the armor. The Raptor behind them reported, "Enemy barriers should be down in three... Two... One..." as the starfighters pushed past the ship's main gun batteries, feeling the reverb of their mass drivers firing again. They saw the Batarian ship's barriers flare.
Lee hummed, then said, "Starbuck, Pythia, on me! Everyone else, go for the second one!" before he pulled hard left on his stick and back on the throttle. He felt the G-forces hit as the RCS thrusters turned him about, then he slammed the throttle forward as his two requested wingmen joined in. All three then opened fire down the length of the ship's top, kinetics tearing through the armor plate while the missiles fired by Pythia drilled craters onto the already weakened top.
The vessel sparked and flared as fires now burned and atmosphere vented. Both ships tried to retreat, their secondaries still trying to shoot down the fighters as Apollo said, "Confirming enemy Barriers are down! Good job, Racetrack!" before radioing, "Galactica Actual, CAG! They're all yours!" then watched the volley strike. The guns tore through the belly and left side of the enemy vessel, tearing greater and greater holes into it.
"Back home for a stogie," Joked Starbuck as she watched the Batarian ships be torn to shreds happily. The enemy warships would later be proven to be simple raiding craft, with said vessels not being prepared to face even an old Battlestar like Galactica, rather more heavily focusing on raiding civilian vessels and lightly-armed military ships like Corvettes. Why they tried to, nobody'll know.
At least it ended well...