0413 hours 24 November 2552
Scorpia
UNSC Colossus
Lieutenant Commander Elizabeth Wheeler jerked awake her dreams of the battles over Sagittaron at the sound of Klaxons. Groaning, she reached above her head and hit the intercom switch. "We just got back if there isn't a Cylon fleet attacking im going to punch you."she said groggily
"Well ma'am." said warrant officer James Robertson "but it does need your attention."
Rubbing the sleep from her eyes she looked at the time in the top corner of her vision as saw 0413 and cursed "fine give me five minutes." without waiting for a reply she let go of the switch quieting the intercom.
"I'm going to punch him." mutters Elizabeth as she starts getting dressed.
The Frigate's Colossus Hyena and Corvette Catapult had just returned from multiple hit and run assaults on the cylons over Sagittaron they had fired almost every weapon they carried, their rampart guns were down to less than 1% the plasma cannon on the Colossus the pirates had installed had fired so many times the Titanium armor around it has slagged from residual surges of heat. Likewise with the pair of laser cannons that had been installed on the Hyena.
But if she had to do it again she would have. After all it had been worth it, after destroying thirty five enemy ships and nearly four hundred raiders and vipers. The surviving six ships had fled. Giving the UNSC task force space superiority.
Elizabeth had ordered her ships into a stable orbit to look over the planet when they noticed smoke rising from the middle of the largest scrapyard on the planet taking a closer look. They saw a tent city on fire and a solid ring of Centurans moving forward through the skeletal remains of ships that had been in the process of being stripped gunning down people. "Ready the ODSTs and inform the marines they are being deployed."
She looked to Ensign Roberto Iglesias on the tactical "can you target the machines accurately from here with the ramparts?"
Roberto actually looked offended "Ma'am i could hit them with my eyes closed." he paused looking over his display "however i should say this ma'am we are down to less then a five hundred rounds for the twelve guns. Even with a small burst we will only get four, maybe five shots."
Elizabeth winced once the guns were dry all they would have is plasma. "That's fine, we just need enough time for the ODSTs to hit the ground."
The frigate had tilted to one side as four pelicans launched from the hangar showing the ramparts a clear line of sight as they opened fire in short bursts, after a few seconds guisers of dirt and shattered Cylons rained down around the camp. Then the guns fell silent. Empty.
The Hyena seeing the Colossus guns fell silent pitched down skimming the edge of the atmosphere as she launched her own ODSTs and pelicans. And opened up with her lasers the high speed blue lightning blast momentarily connected the frigate and the planet as a swath was turned to glass under the multiple high temperature hits.
Seeing the movement start of the Colossus, Hyena continued firing as she moved out of the line of fire.
"Rotating the ship to port" called Robertson and "launching ODSTs." called Roberto'
The frigate spun along its axis as the ODSTs dropped and plummeted towards the people on the ground. Before bringing the other half of the ramparts to bear. And opening fire.
As Wheeler watched her ODST pods slammed into the ground a few seconds after the pods from Hyena behind the remaining cylons even as the second bombardment from Colossus impacted.
Walking through the hall towards the bridge she shook her head of the memory they had found a camp of prisoners, nearly a thousand mostly women in the preparation phase of medical experimentation from the computer drives and actual paperwork that had been found in a grounded Celestra class research ship. The cylons had been using as an improvised lab, something about paving the way for a more perfect cylon human hybrid but nothing had happened yet. Nearly seven hundred women from multiple colonies had been rescued. They had been stuffed into every spare meter of space aboard her ships. If they hadn't emptied their silos and magazines there wouldn't have been enough room.
As the bridge door opened she looked over the bridge "report James what's so important?" she asked as she stood next to him giving him a semi serious punch to the shoulder while rubbing the sleep from her eyes with the other.
Rubbing his shoulder with a small wince and an even smaller smile, James activated the recording.
"This is Raptor 21-3 of Task force Vengeance i'm forwarding this to all UNSC forces we have encountered covertly boarded and captured one of those pirate corvettes over Virgon the system is secure but we have no idea how to pilot the vessel we are standing guard over it as we search for survivors on the planet."
At the mention of one of the jackal corvettes Elizabeth snapped to full awareness and restarted the recording. she paused it when it hit the same spot and looked over to James "is this accurate and conformed?"
James nodded "their codes checked out. Listen to the rest"
"...Survivors on the planet." the recording continued "also be advised we recovered eight of your UNSC personnel from among the pirates slaves two say they are civilians from a world called Verge the other six are military captured after the fall of your Sigma Octanus lV. Also captured were aliens, thirty-one Grunts and four Jackals."
"With some kig yar prisoners we can find the rest of their gang…How is rearmament going?" Elizabeth asked.
"Agreed and Complete and all dockyard personnel have left the ship." James said, anticipating her next request "shall I set course for Virgon?"
She went to immediately answer and paused looking over the radar of Scorpia space the Orbital defence Super Mac was sitting there almost half finished guarded by ten Manticores and a pair of Adament carriers.
Sitting in the Orbital yards A, B, and C were nearly three dozen damaged colonial and cylon ships still being repaired or having maintenance done..
Orbital yards D and E were undergoing the final touches of specialized UNSC ship building modifications where Station F could build a wide number of craft from Longswords and Pelicans all the way up to Halcyon class light cruisers it would do so at a slower pace. Once completed Station D was dedicated to building Halberd, Hillsborough and Diligence class destroyers. E would be dedicated to building cruisers like the Halcyon and Marathon classes. But word was it was still nearly a month away.
Word was once the remaining colonial and cylon ships were repaired those three yards would be modified as well moving all colonial and cylon ship repairs and maintenance to Picons remaining yards. Elizabeth wouldn't be surprised if once they won this war the colonials wouldn't completely switch to the UNSC designs. Going tonn for tonn the UNSC ships could easily solo three times their number.
"Inform the others and Set coordinates for Virgon." she said "and jump"
Colossus's task force arrived in Virgon space a little over three hours later to see task force vengeance ships scattered around the planet. The alien corvette was still sitting on the edge of the debris field with three battlestars right on top of it. Elizabeth could see all of their guns pointed at the ship ready to open up if the corvette should even twitch.
Elsewhere through the debris seven groups of four ships; three Manticores and a Berserk moved among the massive cloud of dead and disabled ships pulling disabled Virgonese ships and collecting as many bodies as they could to bury.
Over Virgon itself was the main body at its center, the battlecruiser Typhon; the radiation was too strong to risk sending viper and raptor teams to canvas the surface, so far at least. The freighters were flying slowly dissipating the anti radiation foam where their world had once stood.
"Incoming hail from the Typhon." called Ensign Robertson.
"Pull it up." Elizebth said.
A moment later the video showed the dark tanned smiling face of Admiral Hopkins. "Welcome to what's left of Virgon Commander." greeted the admiral "i'd offer you to come aboard the Typhon for some of my private stock of Virgonese spirits today is a glorious day." he said his smile never faltering "but i'm sure you didn't come to see what's left of our home what your interested in is the alien warship and her current and former prisoners."
"As tempting as tasting your private booze sounds Admiral" said Elizebeth "you're correct we did come to take custody of our people and the enemy ship." she looked pointedly toward the planet "how's it looking?"
The smile faltered for a second before he spoke "the people of virgon are a strong people Commander the fact that we have our world back in our hands is a victory."
"I know the feeling Admiral in the war we were in before arriving here my home a world called Parris lV about four years ago i was aboard one of the defense forces frigates in orbit and was forced to watch while escorting nearly twenty thousand of my worlds women and children away from the battle i watched them glass my world." her voice had hardened as she spoke
"I'm sorry Commander." Said the Admiral "I pray to the gods you will see your home again."
As her ships docked with the Pirate ship transferring crew to relieve the Virgon sailors and royal marines. She asked "is there anything you need when we return to Scorpia?"
The Admiral didn't hesitate "we could use a few ships of naval personnel to crew the ships we are recovering, I doubt the Cylons took even one of them."
Elizabeth looked at the collection of Virgonese warships already powered up eighteen including another Battlecruiser like the Typhon and four more of Carriers. "Understood Admiral, anything else?"
"Maybe more of your anti-radiation foam? The thirteen freighters worth i brought will be nearly empty soon."
She nodded "personnel and foam, I'll pass the word Adm…" she was interrupted with excited shouting from off screen "what's going on Admiral?"
Before he could respond or ask, a sheet of paper was handed to him reading for a moment his eyes widened clearing his throat "we just made confirmed wireless contact with one of the shelters in the mountain" he paused letting his eyes rest on the number "seventeen thousand four hundred."
"Congratulations Admiral" Elizabeth congratulated him "then i'll be on my way to make sure you get the people and foam to get them out."
The slow power up of the CPV corvette named Mayhem's delight took a few hours but when it was deemed ready thanks to help from the Grunts and human prisoners it jumped for Scorpia even as salvage and clean up work continued. It would be a few days for the level of radiation to drop to safe levels.
Colossus's force plus the alien warship jumped for Scorpia.
Safely in slipspace the four military ex pows were brought to her state room and they introduced themselves
Captain Sandra Wilks formerly of the UNSC Destroyer Achellies it was then found out it was the older sister of Lieutenant Amanda wilks of the Able.
Lieutenant Martin Lawrance a marine that had been deployed on the cruiser UNSC Antelope
Seaman second class Brandon stevens " UNSC Destroyer Achilles
And Vice Admiral John Jacobe who after identifying himself asked "who is the highest ranking UNSC officer in this theater?"
After jumping to her feet in a salute Wheeler replied that would be the senior Captain Brian Jackson commander of Task force Midway."
In perfect military bearing Wheeler didn't see the smile on his face as he said "very well then as the senior ranking Naval officer i'll be assuming command of task force Midway including the pirate Corvette."
The announcement made her skin crawl but he was an Admiral swallowing her misgivings. She said "Aye Aye Sir." in the back of her mind the one thought on Lieutenant Commander Elezibeth Wheelers mind as she started bringing the admiral up to date on current strength and disposition of UNSC and Colonial assists and projected deployments of the Cylons and remaining Jackal pirates she had a bad feeling about this Admiral.