51 days 2nd cylon war

Battlestar Galactica

The fleets last known position

Commander Saul Tigh stood over the tactical board as the Galactica reappeared from jump. Lieutenant Gaita called out "Jump Complete"

Tigh looked over the CIC "report"

As Geata looked over his DRADIS screen multiple alerts sounded "multiple DRADIS contacts. Cylon basestar with escorts reads to be two Talons and three Revenants, the same as before." new alerts sounded "multiple Raiders bearing 487 karrom 221"

Tigh nodded as he looked at the overhead DRADIS monitor as the contacts multiplied as raiders launched from their cradles. And started heading to intercept the Galactica forming up as they came. He listened as the gunnery captains sounded off as their cannons were rotated into position and the feed systems were readied for the coming fight.

"Raiders entering optimum flakk range. Opening fire." called a weapons officer.

Saul listened to the old man's crew go about the motions of combat they were all used to by this point as the computer crunched the numbers to find the missing civilian fleet. The slight vibrations of the Galactica's dozens of point defense cannons throwing their hate towards the cylons could be felt through the soles of his feet.

"Lieutenant?" called Saul, wondering how long the young man would need.

"Calculations under way." he called back eyes glued to his monitors "we should be able to plot the fleet's course in seven minutes."

Saul swallowed looking at his watch… Seven minutes against this cylon fleet would feel like hours. He thought even as he heard from an officer "Vipers are launching now."

Saul looked at the monitor hoping that the thirty four vipers the Galactica had would be enough to keep the cylons from overwhelming their defenses. If they had just one Minotuar gunship or any escorting warships at all..he shook the pointless thoughts away as the wireless chatter from the old mans…..his pilots began to come to life.

He watched the first wave of cylon raiders come into the Galactica's firing path and explode under the barrage of armor piercing and flakk shells.

As he watched the small formation of vipers engage the vast swath of raiders. Gaeta called out "Cylon virus detected!"

"Now it's a race," said Tigh as he walked over to look over Gaeta's screen.

Almost as if the cylons had heard him, Gaeta called out "the first firewall is down!"

The chatter from the pilots drew his attention "Sierra Alpha what the frakk is that?"

"A new bogey."

"Its barring down on the Galactica"

"Whatever it is we have to take it out"

Saul looked back up above the tactical board to see an unidentified marker with a pair of vipers on its tail too close to risk having the Galacticas guns target it even as he was thrown off balance as a pair of cylon missiles impacted the hullover the starboard flight pod.

Another pair of hits caused him to curse "Frakk intensify the Flakk barrier, we can't keep taking these hits."

"Calculations are at 56%" an alert sounded "second firewall is down."

Saul squeezed his eyes praying in earnest for the first time in years when reports of the collision came in.

Another alert sounds causing Gaeta to look and blink in confusion as DRADIS picks up…"OHH FRAKK he hells "CYLON CONTACTS forty plus coming in Barring 496 Karrom 299." a new alert sounds "their launching Raiders."

Saul closed his eyes and the fleet was lost in his head. He wondered what the old man would do? Run in the hopes of finding the fleet with raptors or do his best to hold the four minutes left to let the computer finish.

"Uhhh sir?..." Gaeta said, his voice full of confusion.

Saul opened his eyes and followed Gaeta's eyes to the DRADIS board

"What the Frakk?"

He watched as the new cylons opened fire, four Talons opened fire on the baseships escorting Talons he watched as the dozens of shells ripped the ships apart.

The baseship now seeing the bigger threat recalled its raiders and redirected the missile launchers to fire on the new enemy before they could reload their launchers however a massive Cerberus supercarrier opened fire its dozen heavy turrets latching out in a solid stream of AP shells leaving defensive fire to the two dozen older Nemesis corvettes surrounding it.

Saul watched as the Galactica's guns fell silent as the cylons redirected their physical attacks and heard the pilots celebrating as they relentlessly gunned down raider after raider from behind.

"Sir." called Gaeta "i'm not sure what it is but that Cerberus. Im picking up a massive power surge."

Saul looked at the display and his eyes widened as the power reading was climbing to overload. And then he blinked and when his eyes opened he saw the basestar was cut in half. He felt his jaw drop looking elsewhere he could see Nemesis open fire with a swarm of missiles he did a quick count of raiders and saw forty eight as the missile swarm intercepted the fighters when the DRADIS pulse updated the display there were three left. Even as a squadron of new arrival first war raiders came in at an angle and their guns removed them from space.

As he watched a flight of eight Raptors and forty mkV vipers launched from a Gorgan that was huddled near the back of the formation.

"Sir." came Geata's shocked voice "im picking up Colonial IFF codes from the Vipers and Rapto…" He broke off listening and his eyes went wide

"What is it son?" asked Saul.

Unable to speak, he unplugged his headset and turned on the speaker.

"Galactica, this is Starbuck. Come in?"

Saul looked at the speaker like it was an alien as it spoke again " Galactica-Actual this is Starbuck, can you read me?" The speaker went silent for a moment. " If you can hear me, things at home have changed. I'm requesting permission to come aboard. Where are the civilians? And the president, I've got great news for her." she laughed in that unmistakable Starbuck way " gods i have great news for everyone"

Saul finally shook himself free from his shock "Sta ... .Starbuck this is XO." he spoke into the wireless swallowing before he spoke again "is that really you?"

You could hear Starbuck's voice sour a bit "Yes sir it's me where is the old man?"

The souring of her voice cleared any doubt in his mind this was the same pain in his godsdamn ass " if you have medical personnel we could use a doctor the old man has been shot." he said "use the port hanger the starboard hanger had a collision with a new cylon ship."

A new voice, a man this time "Sorry to interrupt sir." cut in "My name in Staff Sergeant Conrad Glutin Colonial Marines. This new ship was about three times the size of a raider? Made little if any attempt to fight and prioritized ramming the Galactica?"

Saul looked to Geata who nodded "that's what our pilots described."

The Sergeant spoke up his voice seriously "if you have marines send them there immediately that was a cylon Heavy raider their version of a Raptor during the fall i was stationed on the Berserk carrier Havana over Caprica our ship wasn't affected by Baltars backdoor. The cylons rammed our ship and boarded us."

"Get marines down there now!" he ordered then something struck him…"Baltar's back door? What do you mean?"

"Long story can wait but short story is the cylons used a clearly marked back door in Baltars CNP to shut almost the entire fleet down t…." he started to say more but broke off for a second before coming back "inform any of your marines we will be boarding the Starboard hanger so they will have friendlies in the area." and with that the line went dead.

Saul watched as three of the raptors diverted to the starboard while the other five continued to port. Saul turned back to the DRADIS in time to see the two halves of the Basestar explode from dozens of direct hits ending the cyber attack on the galacticas firewalls.

As the Raptors landed Geata called out "one hundred percent we have the fleet's location."

"Go ahead and disconnect the mainframe" Saul said half looking "better safe than sorry."

A few minutes passed in silence as damage reports came in from affected areas as reports came in from the port hanger the five raptors were loaded with engineers and medical teams the fleet doctor and their assistant was being run to sickbay. And the engineers were joining the galacticas overworked damage control parties.

Saul looked up as the door opened and Starbuck entered the bridge in her usual flare "Starbuck has returned." she grinned until she saw Saul. "Lieutenant." said Saul care to explain who the frakk these people are?"

"Their us." she said with a slight roll of her eyes "Colonial fleet and marines maybe some army." She looked around noticing the bridge crew listening and spoke up for all to hear "I don't know everything but after we left something happened to help the colonies a fleet of aliens ... .well not really their humans from earth." her smile grew "can you believe it, Frakking EARTH!"

The entire bridge erupted into cheers and questions. Starbuck tried to say more but no one could hear her.

"SHUT YOUR FRAKKIN MOUTHS!" screamed Saul "let the lieutenant speak and you might hear some more useful information."

The crew immediately quieted down allowing starbuck to continue.

"As I was saying." she looked around "i dont have alot of information all i know is Scorpia never fell and in the last two months they have been running massive evacuations of the other colonies with other surviving military groups and with the help of these new people they have recaptured Picon and elements of the Virgon royal navy have likewise liberated their world." She looked around where is President Roslin was? She should hear the great news as well."

Before Saul could answer, the marines line came alive "Centurians we have been boarded!" The sound of gunfire could be heard in the background followed by the unnaturally fast roar of the centurans' internal guns in response.

"Gen on the horn and remind those marines" Starbuck told Geata "there are other marines behind the cylons and to watch their fire."

Gaeta looked to Tigh for confirmation and he nodded. They listened in on the fight from what they could make out there was about nine ceturians but the mix of rifles and machine guns were having little or no effect on the machines as they saul and the bridge crew listend a marine made a kill with the high explosive launcher on his pistol followed by another,

As the gunfire continued a problem made itself known as the marined did an ammo check the side arm hiex rounds were few and far between as the first marine fell riddled with bullets they could hear calls for more of the rounds to be brought up. As the marines did their best to hold them at bay.

As the fourth centuran fell from the Galactica's marines a voice came over the wireless "Galactica Marines down!"

The Marines dove for cover as an ear splitting roar erupted from the other side of the machines after what seemed like an hour but in reality was only a minute or so the explosions erupted and men wearing strange armor and carrying strange weapons stepped out from around the far corner "Galactica Marines Sound off!"

Staff sergeant Glutin stepped forward dropping the mostly empty magazine from his BR55 replacing it with a full one, his eyes looking away from the reset digital ammo counter to look over the marines.

"Here" Here sir" "sir" "Roger" "Here"

The other four marines lay still. Shaking his head as the surviving marines stood. He looked back to his men "spread out see if there are any stragglers and start looking for skinjobs."

The moment the boarding was over Saul passed along the word of the civilian ships and a fleet of raptors were sent out to retrieve them.

Saul collapsed onto a chair on the CIC when the civilian fleet returned unharmed. Over the last hour a massive salvage operation on the destroyed cylon fleet as intact armor plating was used to patch multiple hull breaches as well as shore up missing and damaged sections of armor from the last two months of combat. Some holes in the armor had been filled in with cylon missile or gun turrets adding more firepower to the old girl. As well as four full squadrons of vipers brought Galactica to full strength for the first time since before the war.

This had been the longest day of his life and he was glad the fleet wouldn't have only the Galactica and her tired crew to protect it.

"Attention on Deck!" called a marine and Saul pulled himself to his feet and stood at attention. As a tall well built woman in a colonial uniform with a shiny new rank tab of Rear Admiral entered the CIC.

She looked around for a moment before her eyes settled on Sauls rank of Commander. She walked over and stood in front of him "Commander Saul Tigh?"

Saul saluted his arm shaking "Yes Admiral im Saul Tigh."

She saluted him as well before holding her hand out Saul reached out and could feel the sweat on her hand "I'm Comma ... .Rear Admiral Robin Huey of Battlegroup Revenge. Welcome back to the fleet."

SURPRISE i had today off so here is another chapter!

Authors note you will most likely recognize Commander Huey is now a Rear Admiral. I meant to add it before but I realized while writing this chapter that a commander would be much too low of a rank to command 40 warships so just think of it as a promotion.

Reviews (i know theres only 4 as i'm writing this part)

Guest– the vice admiral oooh i'm on the wall about him honestly but keep reading to find out lol.

And as to forerunner tech depends are we talking pre halo 4 forerunners or after 4? Just have to wait and see.

27Mad97– the frigated Minotaur and Centaur are UNSC property as are the shipyards and other weapons and gear being issued out to the colonials but much like during the covenant war when UNSC forces arrive to protect the planet or system they can "Federalize" native law enforcement and military forces so the unsc have drafted the colonial forces much like here in the US when the president can activate the national guard to federal service. (loophole to that law if it should exist) but i don't think it does i think your thinking of the federation and star trek.

So i will see you guys in a few days for the next update until then So Say We All and Par Mare, Par Terras, Par Constellatum.