The next six days are a flurry of activity as small groups of UNSC ships preform lightning raids destroying nearly a hundred Cylon operated ships in a guerilla warfare dropping out of slipspace if the enemy was too numerous to be wiped out quickly they would perform a drive by firing their MACs and missiles before leaving in search of a smaller group to wipe out. But as the CYlons had begun pulling back to better defend their gains of the last month of war the smaller groups were becoming fewer and fewer.
The shipyard continued the daunting task of stripping the graveyard to quickly repair other damnaged Colonial ships even some of the Cylons own ships had been seized relatively intact of the hundreds of smaller cylon ships that had been destroyed or simply knocked out by the antimatter explosion, forty three including three first war baseships a single new type had been recovered the centurion crews substandard CPUs fused along with nine Arachne class assault carriers and numerous other escort class ships. With a more immediate need of repairing human ships they were checked and then parked off to one side of the graveyard and watched closely by the battlestars Intolerant, now fully repaired.
Total evacuations like what had happened at Capria were duplicated at Aerilon. The abundant agriculture of the world and its disdain of large super cities in preference of small farming towns and villages saved it from widespread nuclear contamination. In the dense forest and vast underground caverns and cave systems nearly seven million people survived and were successfully evacuated with nearly two million volunteering for military service or other wartime production related work.
Other small groups of survivors emboldened by the disappearing cylon forces emerged from hiding including military forces like the planetary guard flotilla of sixteen ships led by the pair of Atlas class carrier's Excalibur and Durandal. The joint military exercise of Caprica, Aquaria, Virgon, and Canceron they had received word the president was dead and that Captain Adama of the Battlestar Galactica was rallying the fleet for a counter attack at the deep space depo Ragnar Anchorage but by time they had gotten there the Galactica was nowhere to be seen and the depo had been destroyed.
Sending out Raptors they had rescued two dozen civilian ships and three more warships and had just stayed hidden in Ragnar's atmosphere ambushing Cylon shipping anytime they were able. But when they hadn't seen a single Cylon ship in over a week they sent out scouts and discovered the passing UNSC Able who after filling them in were brought back to Scorpia.
The number of reunited families was astounding. President Howler had broken down in tears, her position forgotten when her husband General Chris Howler had stepped off the Raptor when the Caprican survivors had arrived. And they weren't the only ones General Parks hugged his daughter fiercely when he found out she was alive and well aboard the Aquarian guard corvette Caribou.
The next day was filled with parties as men and women took breaks for the first time to rejoice in reunions and mourning for those that were now confirmed dead. Those that still had family missing or unknown felt a surge of hope that maybe somewhere out their their loved ones could still be alive.
The eight day arrived and full force of the UNSC navy gathered around the shipyard station F pelicans, Raptors and other shuttles moved in a constant stream moving munitions to ensure they didn't run out of munitions like they did in the massive battle of Scorpia and they weren't the only ones preparing.
The assault on Picon would consist of three parts; The first would be a sledge hammer of UNSC ships and the colonial Marinestars to steal the repaired or undamaged ships in the initial confusion they would have a four hour head start to grab every ship they could and smash hopefully more before running low on ammunition.
The second part would be four task forces of approximately forty ships led by four Battlestars to keep the cylons on the backstep as UNSC ships resupply and causing general mayhem until the UNSC returns.
The third was a non combat group centered around the fleet tender Dream of Virgon along with nearly fifty civilian freighters loaded with munitions for both fleets; they would be escorted by the twenty eight police cutters they had located so far. Along with a dozen improvised carriers.
Thanks to recon performed over the last day and a half it was deemed acceptable to bring colonial forces in to relieve the UNSC ships once munitions began to run low. However a group of ten Marinestars loaded with nearly fifty thousand Colonial naval personnel would accompany the UNSC first wave; their target would be to board and activate the mass of nearly a hundred repaired Colonial and first war cylon ships parked awaiting crews. However Captain Brian Jackson had been adamant once the ships were active the Colonial ships would immediately jump to join the Colonial element of the second wave where the captured Cylon ships would jump to a secondary location be swept for any malware or dangerous programing before making their way to Scorpia to be used in the future or scrapped for materials.
The ten Marinestars would be the only colonial ships to accompany the UNSC task force of eleven ships. The second wave would consist of four battlestar groups named by their flagships Minos, Yashuman, Orian, and Valkyrie. They would lead a fleet of undamaged and fully operational colonial ships numbering nearly two hundred. The remaining colonial assists were too damaged to risk fighting.
The two fleets ready stood by allowing the UNSC fleet to jump first with a small head start towards Picon the collective might of the Colonies of Kobol watched the timer click down as the last UNSC ships disappeared.
:30….29….28
Admiral Walton stood on the CIC of the Battlestar Persesus looking over the strategy board indicating the thirty eight ships of his task force surrounded by other COlonial transponders. And took a deep breath..
15….14….13
Admiral Javin Hopkins watched the smooth professional actions of his Virgonese sailors aboard the Imperator Typhon the nine surviving VIrgonese warships had been reinforced with thirty Colonial ships but he had overseen their training to bring them up to his Virgon crews level of training.
03…02….01
Uniformly the entire operational colonial fleet blinked and began the trip to Picon.
UNSC forces (11 ships)
Colonial-Virgon forces (50 warships 110 support and non combat ships)
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Ok everyone hope your enjoying so far now to the most recent reviews
—Romeperson, I feel the number in "cannon" is much too small. They say on halo alpha 76 planets were glassed. Are you telling me during thirty years of war we lost only 4x approx the number of people living on earth right now. As of 2024 8.2 billion people call earth home i think they underestimated the number because the thought of a trillion or more people being killed was too big a number imo 23 billion might have been military casualties not counting civilian losses but that's just my thought on it.
—guest if you reread the first part you'll see the slaughter of the 19th marine battalion happened a week earlier when the first cylon operated colonial ships arrived over Caprica. 2nd and 3rd paragraph.
—Eric if it keeps happening let me know and i may just continue the story in a part two to see it it helps thanks for reading and i hope you continue to enjoy
—Axai right?! I thought that would be a hilarious way to end it and set the stage for the next big fight.
Rvbrwby i will only say this that i have a idea (hint hint remember the jackals) hope you keep reading along
Guest to be honest when you compare the UNSC level of tech to the pinnacle of Colonial/cylon it is extremely behind if the cylons cyber attack had failed it would of been a week long war in all honesty 120 at a minimum Battlestars in groups of say 4 with no support or escorts would of steamrolled the cylon advance and been enough to protect the homefront