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Post by LucianG on Apr 23, 2005 8:30:59 GMT -6
Brie Brie was sitting there, quietly thinking over her dream. “You’ll know for sure soon enough.” What was that supposed to mean? She had never really believed in psychic powers, but once before Turner had warned her in a dream to watch her back, and then a plot to kill her was revealed. Had that been just her own feelings that something was wrong, or had it actually been Turner warning her? This time was it because Turner knew the future, or because her death on the mission was almost certain?
Something interrupted her thoughts. Something had happened, although she didn’t quite know what. “Did you feel that?” she asked Deke.
“Feel what?” Deke replied.
“I guess not. It was like, I don’t know, like something hit us. It wasn’t hard.”
“I didn’t feel anything, Major,” Deke replied.
“If you’ll excuse me.” Brie unfastened her harness and made her way over to where Doctor Major Curemode was sitting. She hated zero gravity. “Did you feel that?” she asked him. “About a centon ago.”
“Yeah,” Curemode told her. “No one else did, though. I thought it was my imagination.”
“Let’s check it out, just in case.” They had been given a portable scanner with very limited capabilities, but at least it was something.
Curemode ran every test possible from the inside of the tanker. “Everything turns out clean,” he said. “No apparent damage.”
“That’s good, but I still don’t like it,” Brie said. She sighed. “This tanker is never going to get us off that moon,” she stated. Curemode shook his head. If they were to survive, they’d have to find another way. * * * Skyler "I trust you to do the job, and trust you to do it well, the personal stuff, well, that will require work on both our parts….” I must admit I was very surprised when Skyler asked me to be Second In Command of Gold Squadron. I knew we were like oil and water, but I decided to be professional about it. "Alright, I accept the position. Now what?"
I awaited his reply.
Just as Skyler opened his mouth to speak, the Klaxon sounded and the bright lights in his office turn red. Skyler looked at his chrono... "Frack, something went wrong."
"What gave it away sir?" Hawke asked as the klaxons blared...
"Brie's mission, according to the time tables, we shouldn't be getting the alert for several more centars. Something must have went wrong." Skyler said as he and Hawke headed out the door towards the flight deck... "Hawke, I wish we had a little more time to go over something’s, you take Bravo Flight and I will take Alpha. Any questions, just flip over to the Squadron Command channel and ask."
They entered the flight deck and split up and headed towards their Vipers. Warriors were piling in from all over. Skyler watch as two of his transfers, Logan and Wraith, were climbing into their Vipers. From the lift he saw Brik and Ike jump the final few feet to the deck, beating the lift down by only a few microns. He called Brik over to him. "Brik, I didn't get a chance to talk to you earlier, but you are our new Third in Command."
The look on Brik's face was one of shock and pride "Sir, I am not sure I am the right one for this, just coming off the administration assignment, I don't really know the Squadron at all, at least not well enough to be in the chain of command..."
Skyler cut him off. "Brik, with half our forces on the Major's mission, and all the transfers, I don't really know the Squadron, so you can't use that excuse. I need my experienced pilots in the lead, with all the new faces and all. Hawke is SIC, we can reach either of us on the Squadron Command Channel, that’s Channel 3 on you Comm panel."
Brik snapped off a salute to Skyler. "Skyler, if you have the faith in me, I won't let you down, I will be right with you watching your six."
Skyler smiled. "That’s why I picked you Brik, now get to your ship." The two parted and headed to their Vipers.... * * * Brik T I C ? ? ! ? ! ? Well, I'll be...! Brik was stunned momentarily, the kind of momentarily that for most people seems like a long time internally. Externally, Brik, although somewhat softened by the time spent as a desk pilot, was still a Warrior and Viper pilot...under Red Alert/imminent launch conditions, "momentarily" was edited to nothing more than "half-past-instant". His brain came back online. As the canopy began to close on his ship he clicked over to the Command channel to speak to Skyler. "Captain, I think that we should wait to inform the squadron about this until after the battle, it's not good to change the chain of command on your way into battle. It's been my experience that it shakes up the troops too much. What d'ya think?" Yeah, that made sense, he hoped. He didn't know about the troops but Brik new for SURE that it frazzles the guy who just got the job! But...Skyler needs him and he pledged to do his best a long time ago. He prayed to the Lords themselves that his best would be good enough. In the meantime he waited for those fateful words from the Bridge that he has heard before every launch... * * * Logan Logan knew she was completely melting into Wraith's arms right in the middle of the Launch Bay, but she didn't care. All she knew was that it felt right and she'd worked too hard for too long at denying what she knew to be the truth- she had to be with him. Logan always covered herself with a carefully placed facade of calm. But Wraith saw right through it. He always had, that was what had drawn her to him in the first place. She didn't have to pretend anything with him. He accepted her for herself. Wraith held her now, gently rubbing her back. She knew that there were unresolved issues to face, mainly her guilt over his injury. That wasn't going to just disappear, but she now felt that coming to terms with it was the best thing. No more hiding. She'd never been good at it, with him at least. And she saw everything she needed to know revealed in the look he was giving her now. The Red Alert klxon sounded throughout the bay and Logan smiled slightly. Wraith winked at her as the bay became a hive of activity. Logan's adrenaline kicked in, just like it always did before climbing into her Viper on a mission. "Well, Ensign," Logan said playfully, "think you'll have any problem following my orders? I've heard you can be headstrong at times." Wraith feigned surprise as they went to their ships,"I have the utmost respect for my superior officers, Sir. My duty as a Warrior is clear." "As is mine." Logan looked like she wanted to say something else, but Wraith interrupted with a whispered, "Be careful, Logan." They both prepared to launch. * * * IkeRapier As Skyler pulled off Brik for a .00005 micron, Ike ran past the two, easily clearing the fuselage into the cockpit of his capable and ready Viper. As he made all checks and the canopy sofly sealed, he found himself awaiting the order.
He looked at his pictoral memories in place, a charm nestled on the chain around his neck under his uniform given a touch to make sure it was in place, and then a turn of his head given both directions across the tubes. Ike had barely got to see the handy work done on his fighter just forward of both the port and starboard intakes. It was done at his request by one of the techs that came over with them from the Galactica for their Scarlets. "Vera" written in Caprician script, just as he had asked for.
This was no escort mission. This was not a drill. * * * Wraith Their last embrace still vivid in his thoughts, Wraith settled into the cockpit and began to lock the harness in around him. He looked in the direction of Logan's Viper; saw it's protective canopy lower around her and lock in place. Yes...she was returning his gaze, a reassuring smile highlighting her features. Wraith thought about delivering a word or two of inspiration to her over the com-link, then thought better of it; instead, returning her smile with a two-fingered tip to his helmet. He proceeded through the mental checklist of powering up the primary systems; initiated diagnostics of the NAV and laser guidance computers; all checked out. He could hear the familiar whine of the turbines as the illuminated guages and digital panel-displays flashed to life. "feels good," he thought to himself. He felt, at that very moment, that he could take on an entire Cylon armada. Just then, he could hear a familiar voice interupt his thoughts. It was the voice of an old freind. "Greetings, fellow 'cake-eater'," Ike's voice coming in crisp and clean over his com-link. "Last one to flame a Cylon buys the FIRST round when we get back...and the next, and...well, you get the idea." Wraith couldn't keep a staight face. Ike continued: "You just take care of my girl out there, hear?" Still turned in Ike's direction, he began to knod to him in good-natured sarcasm; a droll smile of aknowlegment spreading on his face..."Oh, and one more thing," Ike was on a roll... "Do me a favor, would ya? Just keep 'em in FRONT of you...not the other way around, ok, Hot-Shot?" "You got my word, Pal." Wraith replied with a subdued chuckle, "I'll bring her back safely...who else is gonna smoke you in Pyramids and relieve you of all your excess credits besides US?" He could see Ike laughing amiably, and waving aknowlegment of his friendly retort. "Watch your 'six' out there, Ike...lets go kick some."
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Post by LucianG on Apr 23, 2005 8:32:39 GMT -6
Amy "Yeah" I replied. "I also know about a certain creature who follows his own soulless agenda, who is out only for his own gain and likes nothing more than ruining the lives of innocent men and women." It was my turn to squeeze back.
“Innocent?” Lazant repeated, his anger growing. “I didn’t think you knew the meaning of the word. But let me tell you something that I know about. I know about a certain high-up bridge member on the Callisto who was too busy fooling around with a girl almost half his age to be doing his job, thereby costing the life of one of the best warriors in the Colonial Service!” He didn’t squeeze any harder, it probably wasn’t possible.
* * *
I looked over at Lazant, my face calm, watching him wind up to the point of snapping. I had him at last. "What are you talking about, Lazant? I was refering to a Cylon. Pretty defensive, aren't we, thinking that I was making those comments about you. What in the world would have made you think that?" * * * Brie From across the compartment Brie could tell that something was wrong with the way that Amy and Lazant were acting. They were talking, still holding hands, but their faces seemed to be going back and forth between anger and fake smiles. “Keep an eye on the situation,” Brie told Curemode. “Let me know if there are any changes.” She made her way to where Amy and Lazant were sitting. “It’s nice to see that you two decided on a show of solidarity,” she said, not very convincingly. “I’m sure that’s what must be going on, because our lives and the lives of everyone in the fleet depend on us being able to work together. I’d hate to think that I made a mistake and that you two can’t get over your differences.”
“We’re just having a friendly conversation, Major,” Lazant said.
“Felgercarb,” Brie replied. “But I’m going to let whatever was happening here pass. Lazant, I need to speak with Amy for a few centons. Mind giving up your seat?”
“Whatever you need, for the good of the mission.” Lazant squeezed Amy’s hand one last time, let go, undid his harness, made his way across the compartment and took one of the few seats that were still empty. Brie buckled herself in where he had just been.
“Honestly, Brie,” Amy started, “that man is...”
“An important part of this mission,” Brie interrupted. “And he’s also a friend of mine. But that’s not what I need to talk to you about. First, I want you to know that back in the Ready Room, that wasn’t anything against you. It just looked like things were finally working out in your life. I was offering you a way out, a chance for you to live. This whole mission really stinks, in case you haven’t noticed.
“If I had wanted a way out I would have just asked you,” Amy said.
“Fair enough,” Brie said. She was silent of a micron. “So what do you think our chances of actually leaving the moon in this old tanker are?”
“Probably not too good,” Amy replied.
“I agree. That’s why, once inside and we figure out just where the reactor room is, I’m breaking our group in two. I’ll be trying to blow the reactor, along with Curemode and don’t worry, Lazant, and I want you to take Thunderhawk and Deke and try to find us some sort of transport off of the base. A shuttle or something. You’ll have infantry support, but most of them will still be with me, since blowing the reactor is our primary objective. You'll be in charge. Think you can handle this?” * * * Kiwi Stuck on the outside of the tanker like a parasite, Kiwi's drone was nestled snugly behind the antenna array. As that part of the tanker was in perpetual shadow, it was to all intents invisible to outside view. Kiwi wished though that this drone was pressurized. Sitting in a pressure suit for centares was not very appealing at all. That, plus the interior of the drone did not allow much stretch space made this waiting all the more trying. Taking an EVA was out of the question because the sensor array would detect his movements - the device that he had used to fool the array when he had landed was shut down and stowed away. Looking down by his stachel, he saw the sealed container that held the proper filters. He could just envision both Sheba and Charybdis chewing Quartermaster Esias out over this admission, but maybe it was all for the best. Not having many friends and rubbing folk the wrong way had left it's mark on him. He was a classic loner. He had always known that when it would be time for him to die, it would be alone. Here on this mission seemed as good a place as any. He only hoped that he would take a lot of tin-heads with him when it happened. Until then, he would wait until landing and try to join the team. Let fate determine the rest.. * * * Brie As much as Captain Lazant had enjoyed his battle of wills with Amy, he was slightly upset at how it had ended. Amy got the last shot off, but he supposed that it was okay, he had managed to get a couple of good jabs in himself, and she had to live with the fact that she had taken his hand to begin with. The whole thing was a bit juvenile, but that’s what can happen when you’re dealing with a child. It didn’t even bother him that Brie knew that something had been going on, since she chose to ignore it.
Lazant was now sitting next to an infantryman whose name he didn’t know. He was trying hard to hear what was so important that Brie had interrupt his time with Amy, but the man next to him seemed to want to talk. “Did you feel that before?”
“Huh?” Lazant had no idea what he was talking about. “Feel what? When?”
“It was about fifteen or twenty centons ago,” the man explained. “It was like a bump or something, like something hit us. I know I’m not the only one who felt it, because right after it Major Brie went over to Doc Curemode. He pulled out his scanner. From the look on his face I don’t think he found out what it was.”
“I didn’t feel anything,” Lazant said. “I’m sure if something did happen Major Brie will take care of it.” Lazant turned away just a little bit from the infantryman, trying harder to hear what was going on. Maybe the ‘bump,’ was the reason that Brie needed so badly to speak to Amy. * * * Captain Lazant hated not being able to hear the conversation between Brie and Amy. He glanced around the compartment. There was still an empty seat next to Lieutenant Deke, the seat where Brie had been sitting earlier. It was right in front of the two women. Knowing that it may be a little bit obvious, Lazant moved to that seat. It would certainly be better than sitting next to the infantryman.
Holding out his hand, Lazant introduced himself. "I'm Captain Lazant." Although both had been on the Callisto for yarhens, the two of them had never officially met. Shaking Lazant's hand, Deke still made a face showing slight discomfort. "Don't believe most of what you've heard about me."
Deke grinned. Obviously he had heard something! "Lieutenant Deke."
"Nice to meet you, Lieutenant," Lazant said. "Tell me a little bit about yourself."
"Well," Deke started slowly, "When I was young I lived on Taura..."
"Taura?" Lazant interrupted. "Me too." Lazant returned Deke's grin. This had definite possibilities.
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Post by LucianG on Apr 23, 2005 8:33:56 GMT -6
Lucian Lucian had been so busy assisting with Squadron coordination issues that he had no time to check why his communication to Commander Sheba had not been delivered. The activity at the Comm Center was incredible. He didn't recognize several of the new people, so he assumed they'd just arrived aboard the Callisto. He'd check with them later to find why his message had not been delivered. When this was located and Commander Sheba had a little time, he'd let her know what had happened and he was certain he'd get back his rank. Suddenly, there were new alarms. The plan worked out between Commander Apollo, Colonel Starbuck, and Commander Sheba was within about 40 centons of implementation. All was ready aboard both battlestars. Unfortunately, the Cylons had other thoughts.
“Commander, the two nearest baseships are heading directly toward us. We’ve got over two hundred Raiders incoming, and it appears that more are launching.”
“Galactica is launching squadrons! Galactica is turning toward end base ship.”
“Incoming call from Commander Apollo!”
The buzz around the bridge was incredible. “Commander, permission to launch? Gold and Black both reporting ready.”
Commander Sheba said, “Hold one moment. I’m coordinating this with Galactica.”
Apollo appeared on the viewscreen. “They jumped the gun on us. I’ve pulled several armed freighters forward to assist. Go with original plan immediately. It’s early, but if we don’t, our housebreakers won’t stand a chance.”
Sheba turned to Flight Specialist Geenie, “Issue the order to Gold and to Black: LAUNCH FOR INTERCEPT.” * * * JustinB "All squadrons launch to intercept." came the call.
"FRACK," I muttered out load as I holstered my laser and ran to my viper. I jumped into the cockpit, put on my helmet and did a quick pre-flight. In no time at all, I was flying down the launch tube.
As soon as all Of Black Squadron was launched I hit my comm. panel to the Squadron. "Black Squadron, those who were in my flight on the last mission, form up on me in an arrowhead formation. The rest you are to co-ordinate with Captain Kristi and form up with her. Let’s now go and get us a few tin heads." * * * Stargazor Stargazor Kept his cool when Major JustinB pointed his laser gun at him. Stargazor then heard the call to launch and looked how the Major ran to his viper!
Stargazor switched the controls to launch and grabbed the stick. Then he launched into the tube.
Coming out he made a roll movement and headed straight towards the Cylon raiders who wore coming closer and closer.
The rest of the Callisto’s vipers wore still coming out of the launch tubes when Stargazor was locking on to his first Cylon Raider witch came straight for him followed by to behind him.
Stargazor “Oh, the tin can wants to play chicken”! “Lets see if he has the balls”!
Stargazor increases his thrust to maximum velocity and makes a 180° roll so he is inverted to the Cylon.
Stargazor “Time to say bye bye”!
He lock’s the first raider in his targeting computer and opens fire….
The laser trail heads straight to the cylon raider and it explodes into chunks. Stargazor quickly makes a scissor maneuver followed by a sideways slide, positioning him perfectly to the side of the two cylon raiders that followed the first one.
Stargazor “This is to easy”! He fires hitting the closest cylon raider in his right steering wing, causing it to spiral roll and crashing into the raider next to it .
Stargazor “That’s tree in a row”!
Then he breaks of by rolling left and away flying back towards the Battlestar. Behind him Tree raiders peel of and pursue Stargazor viper.
Stargazor looks at his raider and sees the raiders tailing him on his six.
Stargazor “Tin Can’s taking the bait”!
He punches his slide command and while sliding he rolls his vipers nose to the rear, pointing straight at the raiders.
*Inside the leading raider, the centurion say’s: “Oh ooo”!
Stargazor fires while hitting his booster.
He shoots the middle raider witch explodes, a few seconds later he zooms straight between the middle of the two raiders.
The centurion’s didn’t expect this and look at each other. They then break of and turn to attack him again. But Stargazor already has one in his targeting rectangle and fires.
The raider avoids the first laser shots but is hit with the second salvo and explodes.
*Inside Stargazor’s cockpit : Lt. Stargazor hears on his intercom channel the Major JustinB “Lt. Stargazor quit playing games, return to squadron flight formation immediately that’s an order”!
Stargazor looked on his tactical display where the squadron was, then he remarks something! He sees a group of cylon bomber vectoring in on the Callisto Battlestar.
By the position he is and he can see the bombers, but the Majors Sqaudron doesn’t see them becaus the bombers are on the other side of the Callisto and effectively hidden from their radar scanners!
Lt. Stargazor opens his com channel to major JustinB who’s closer then him to the Battlestar: Lt. Stargazor “Sir, Cylon Bombers vectoring in on the Callisto”! “They are in you’re blind spot”! “I cant get there in time, you are closer”!
On the Bridge Col. Charybdis and Commander Sheba follow the events closely… * * * IkeRapier Ike heard the words along with the Squadron and with the instinct reaction now fulfilled in response to "Launch!" His periphery sight was filled with the blur of the tubes and the narrow view of space was most quickly realized as his body was thrust forward in rapid accelaration, now clearing the superstructure of the Battlestar into almost immediate free flight with effortless ease.
Sensors indicated his fellow Warriors were in order, as if minutemen rushing out into the field of battle with swords drawn to impact the enemy before them. An overwhelming number of enemy. But for Colonial Warriors, about usual odds.
Pilots were quick to confirm launch over the comm. and form up with their wingmen, as Ike responded, "I'm clear. On your port, Brik." The Scarlet Class Vipers stood out, as Ike glanced out briefly in catching a view of Wraith and Logan paired up. He knew it was all business now for them. "Vera?" Brik, called to Ike, as he saw the name fresh on the Scarlet's fuselage. "I'll tell you over the milk and cookie you owe me," Ike quickly spoke as he was confirming the waves of cylon raiders on his scope.
All the targets... and closing fast!
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Post by LucianG on Apr 23, 2005 8:36:05 GMT -6
JustinB Lieutenant Stargazor put out a warning “Sir, Cylon Bombers vectoring in on the Callisto. They are in you’re blind spot. I can’t get there in time, you are closer."
Just to err on the side of caution, I brought my flight of vipers up and around the Callisto. Sure enough on an intercept bombing run were the Cylon Bombers. Captain Kris's flight were engaged with a phalanx of cylon raiders. Still in our arrowhead formation, we kicked in our turbos and headed for the bombers. I felt a little sorry for the cylon pilots. I wouldn't be caught dead in such a slow and unmanoeuvrable ship. As we came into weapons range I aimed at the lead bomber and vaporised him. The rest of my flight followed suit. Within a few centons all the bombers were destroyed. The battle was just starting to hot up when my thoughts turned to the insertion team. They would be close to their objective soon without cover. I hope that they were alright. * * * Stargazor Lt. Stargazor was heading back towards his squadron when all the sudden new type of cylon craft came up behind him. The craft was much larger then a cylon raider but had the same designs. Its wings wore glowing with this purple-red light.
Stargazor tried to shake the craft but it just matched every move he made. There was just no outrunning it.
Stargazor opened a com. Channel to his squadron leader: Stargazor “I’m in trouble, there’s some kind of…”!
The Com. Channel was disrupted when the cylon craft fires some kind of disabling laser on Stargazor’s Viper.
As His Viper lost all power the craft manoeuvred Just above Stargazor’s Viper. Stargazor looked up at the craft and was breathing hard. He Said “By the Lords”!
The Belly of the craft opened up and with a tractor beam the viper was guided inside. When the viper was inside the cargo section it closed.
Al this happened so fast no one could do anything about it.
The Ship powered up and increased speed and headed out of the battle zone and headed back from where ever it came from.
Was this the end of Lt. Stargazor or did someone hear his cry for help… * * * Brie With the tanker growing closer to the hidden Cylon base, Brie asked for everyone’s attention. “I know that we’re basing this mission largely on what we THINK we might find,” she started. “We’re hoping that the reactor core will be in a similar place to other Cylon designs. Remember, though, that this base had been forgotten by the Cylon Empire. We’re probably going to see things that look like they should be in a museum.
“Once the reactor core is located, we’re going to break off into two groups. Major Curemode and Captain Lazant will be staying with me, while Captain Amy will lead Lieutenants ThunderHawk and Deke to find us a way off of the base. I’m sure you’ve all realized by now that this tanker isn’t our way off. We all knew when we volunteered that this was a suicide mission, but I’d like to avoid that if at all possible. Remember, though, our primary objective is to blow the reactor. Getting off the base is secondary at best. Sergeant Brinfort will decide which Infantry members will accompany Amy’s team, but they’ll only have half a dozen members for support. I need everyone else with me, making sure that this mission isn’t in vain.
“Once we land, Major Curemode will run a scan for atmosphere, etc. If something happens to me he’s in charge. I realize that not all of our ranks are all that important at this micron, I thank you for going along with that. Once we’re home things will return to normal, I promise.” She checked the time. “It won’t be too much longer before the Callisto launches her squadrons, trying to draw attention away from us. Let’s hope that they throw everything that they have at them, and let’s pray that the Cylons are really bad shots. Any questions?” * * * It was obvious that they were growing closer to their destination as the gravity in the tanker slowly increased. It would still be several centars until they landed. They would probably be the longest centars of Brie's life. * * * Brik Well! Brik had been waiting for the words and was nervous yet eager once he heard them! At this point, not only was he being given the go to launch but had the added content of INTERCEPTION...there's NOTHING like being a true Colonial Warrior actively engaged in executing the mandate of his people to defend against the destructors of his race! It seemed almost surreal to actually sit once again in his beloved viper speeding down the launch tube into harms way. As he cleared the Callisto he fell into the old habits of falling into formation with the squad and with his wingman. On the one hand he hoped that this "Ike" fellow would live up to the rumors that he'd heard about his skill...on the other he hoped that he lived up to the Captain's expectations and surpassed his own fears. The moment of truth was upon them all Brik supposed as he gained target lock on his first enemy craft outside of a sim in a long time. He calmed down a bit as he saw the name "Vera" on Ike's viper. "Vera?" he asked over the comm link and was given a reply that the answer would come when he paid in milk and cookies after the battle. He gained a pleasant, old and familiar calm settle over him and his misgivings vanished as he vaporized his first Cylon of the battle! * * * IkeRapier As Brik's leading laser fire tore into the center of the lead Raider on their intercept, the formation of Cylons rolled hard left while the entire second flight rolled hard right. Brik immediately took out two attachers on the left with almost common ease. Ike then laid down a screen of fire blasting one and winging another, only for Brik to taken them out.
The flight that rolled hard right met with utter and complete devastation at the aim of Logan and Wraith, both striking multiple hits.
"Is all this too easy for us?" Ike thought out loud. Across the comm. can Brik reply, "Don't worry little brother. There's more!" * * * Brie The tanker landed on the Cylon base without incident. Back on the platform a small sensor had been placed on the tanker’s outside, Major Curemode now read the results from inside the compartment. “Gravity is just slightly less than what we’re used to on the Callisto,” he informed the team, “and the air is a little bit thinner, but it’s perfectly breathable. No radiation, no harmful gasses. It’s almost as if the Cylons were used to having humans here.”
“So why did we bring all this extra stuff with us?” one of the infantrymen asked.
“Better to be overly cautious,” Brie said. “We’ll leave the envirosuits here, inside the tanker. Although I’m hoping to secure some other way off this moon, if we have to we’ll be taking the tanker, and Lucian isn’t here to seal it up for us again.” She looked at Curemode. “Ready?” He nodded. Opening the area where they had boarded just a little bit, Curemode dropped a small camera through the opening. Two Cylons showed on the monitor, but they were walking away. Brie held her breath as she watched them leave. When all else seemed clear, they opened the compartment, set up the portable ladder, and climbed down, one by one. As signal was given to the second compartment and they started to descend as well.
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Post by LucianG on Apr 23, 2005 8:37:13 GMT -6
Kiwi Nestled in behind the sensor array, noone noticed the small rescue drone tucked in securely. It was now sitting on the 'top' of the tanker, now that the planet's gravity had defined a clear 'up and 'down'. Kiwi waited until the tanker had shut down it's power supply - thus powering off the sensor array - then carefully opened the hatch, holding a samll device in front of him . As the device - his portable atmospheric tester -showed the environment to be within human tolerances, he quickly stripped off his enviromental suit and stowed it in the drone. Kiwi was now dressed in combat uniform, carrying a backpack and a small case containing the filters - though Kiwi knew by the tester that they probably would not be needed. Kiwi also carried a hand blaster and was ready to use it if necessary. Quietly, he quickly checked to see if any Cylon or monitoring device was watching his part of the tanker. Satisfied that he was not going to be observed, he used a set of hand-suction cups and started to very carefully descend down the side of the tanker. * * * Brie As Curemode supervised the unboarding of the tanker Brie noticed something. It was movement of some type, something or someone appeared to be climbing down the side of the tanker. She could see a flash of brown that was close to the color of a warrior’s flight jacket, but that just wasn’t possible. This had to be some Cylon trick.
Grabbing Captain Lazant’s arm Brie pulled him with her to get a closer look. She was still at a distance but could tell that the figure was definitely a human male. She had never imagined finding humans on the base, maybe they used human slaves. Or worse, maybe this person was another traitor. Someone like Baltar, who now lived to serve the Cylons. One thing was sure, this person couldn’t have come from the fleet.
With the man’s face still hidden Brie and Lazant took up their positions. Glancing around quickly, there were still no Cylons anywhere to be seen. Holding her laser steady with both hands she said in a voice loud enough for the man to hear, “Don’t make any sudden moves, and don’t even think of going for your weapon. We’ve got you covered. State your name, and tell me what the frack you’re doing on the outside of that tanker.” * * * Kiwi Holding his blaster in his raised left hand with the barrel facing up and his other hand held up, Kiwi slowly waked into view. Brie looked at him for a couple of microns, then exclaimed, "Kiwi!, What the frack are you doing here?". "Quartermaster gave you the wrong equipment", Kiwi said, "so can I put down my hands and fill you in?". Brie nodded. Kiwi holstered his blaster and walked over to where she stood. "You were given the wrong filters for your low-vision goggles, and I was sent by Core Command to give you the right ones.....and to make myself useful to the team", Kiwi explained. * * * Brie Brie shook her head in frustration. “So they sent someone who hasn’t been active in over a yarhen to bring us filters that we don’t even need and to join an already overcrowded team. What a brilliant idea.” She sighed. “Sorry, Lieutenant, you risked your life for nothing.”
“If I can be useful it’s not for nothing,” Kiwi replied.
“That’s a very good answer. Have you been briefed?” Kiwi nodded. “Good. I’m going to put you with Captain Amy. She and her team are going to try to secure us a different transport off this rock.”
“What about the reactor core?” Kiwi asked.
“That’s for me to worry about,” Brie informed him. “Report to Amy, tell her she has an extra team member.” She looked around. “Looks like everyone is out of the tanker.” Kiwi took a few steps towards where Amy was talking with her team. “Lieutenant,” Brie called after him, “welcome back to Gold Squadron!” * * * JustinB The battle was heating up. Wave after wave of raiders came at us. Realising that the Callisto would take a beating if we didn't end this quickly, I gave the order for the Squadron to break off into pairs. "Ensign Droidarr, you’re with me." I ordered. "Roger," he replied.
Another phalanx of raiders made a beeline for the Callisto. I turned my viper around and got in behind a trio of raiders. After blowing the middle raiders to atoms, I turned and looked at Droidarr.
"Droidarr, I've got the one on the right," "He's dead on the left," he replied.
I didn't take long before I had the raider dead centre in my sights. "Take this you creep." I said as I fired upon the cylon raiders. In a flash it was gone. Not long after I heard Droidarr's confirmation of his kill.
I looked down at my chronometer and noticed that according to the information I was given, Gold Squadron should have well and truly landed at their objective. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a remote detonator. With a small smile I pushed the red button. ********************** Across the system, a maintenance cylon was repairing damage done to a remote orbital refinery platform. Another cylon was trying to defuse a remote explosive device planted by colonial infiltrators. This cylon tried to decipher the electronics used. Just when he thought he had it figured out a yellow light started to flash.
"Oh No," the cylon said just before it exploded. The rest of the devices blew in unison. The platform was blown to pieces and any discernable pieces of the platform left fell into the gas giant. * * * Stargazor Into the gates of hell!
Stargazor was lead by two centurions to the commander of the basestar. The commanders seat turned towards them. The Cylon centurion speaks “This is a captured colonial warrior”!
The commander speaks “Take him to the interrogating room”! “Find out every information we need to know”! “Fleet strength, tactics and weak points”!
Stargazor was lead into a circle on the ground and some kind of laser bars surround him.
A cylon centurion speaks as he approaches “Tell me, what are the tactical codes for an approach to the Callisto Battlestar”!
Stargazor keeps silent, and the centurion grabs a handle and moves it downwards. Electrical bolts hit Stargazor’s body and he cries out in pain.
The interrogation goes on for centons and eventually Stargazor is at the border between life and death! But he wont speak, every time the centurion asks a question he keeps his silent and each time the torture becomes more heavier.
At the last torture something happens, as the bolts hit his body and he cries out in terrible pain, it happens. His eyes that wore changed on axcess gamma wore blue, but now they change color. The blue color changes into glowing red and his body raises from the ground. The Centurion increases the torture treatment but Stargazor doesn’t react anymore, he doesn’t cry out in pain, nor does he move. As the centurion deactivates the laser barriers his body floats to a flat position . The Centurion is puzzled, he wants to come closer to Stargazor but as he does the centurion explodes and falls death to the ground. Another centurion witch was standing at the side observed this and said “Ohohh”! He quickly walks out of the room to inform the cylon commander of the Basestar.
Meanwhile Stargazor doesn’t move and his eyes are still glowing red, inside his mind he floats between life and death, yet somehow he feels a presence with him. A feeling he also had on axcess gamma …
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Post by LucianG on Apr 23, 2005 8:38:34 GMT -6
JustinB The tactical information displayed on my helm display showed there were still a large number of cylons around. As I turned my head I saw that Droidarr and I had picked up five raiders on our tail. With no time to delay, I gave Droidarr the hand signal to break. As we did so the cylons followed suit. Three followed me and two followed Droidarr. Using my turbos I created a gap between the raiders and me. When I had a sufficient distance away I slowed down. With a quick Movement of the navi-hilt, I did a 180 degree turn and was facing nose to nose with my party of three. A laser bolt from the middle raider scorched my right wing, but just left a black mark. I let loose a salvo which blew the hades out of it. As I flew between the remaining to ships, I saw the Callisto accelerating away according to the original plan. "What the Frack is going on with the Callisto?" someone yelled over the comlink. "Black Flight," I said, "don't concentrate on the Callisto. Concentrate on engaging the cylons. As I reassured my warriors, an explosion rocked my viper. The result of which was that my apex pulsar was thrown out of alignment. With two raiders bearing down on me and having one pulsar down, it was going to take some fancy flying to get out of this one. The raiders boxed me in as they were joined by reinforcements. I still had thirty microns left before the apex pulsar was recalibrated. "JustinB" it was Rose, "on three break left. ONE TWO THREE." I broke hard left. Rose and her wingman came in destroyed three of my pursuers. With great relief my apex pulsar was online and functioning. "Thanks Rose," I said. * * * Lucian On the bridge, Commander Sheba said, “Our first objective is achieved. We’ve drawn out a substantial number of the Cylon ships far enough from their base ships that they can be effectively neutralized. Karia, set course for the Asteroid Mu 19, flank speed.” As the Callisto accelerated away from the area of the initial battle, there were a few questions heard on the comm system, but a quick response from Major JustinB had cut this off. The Vipers appeared to be working their way through the Cylons quite efficiently. A short distance away, now-Captain Lucian was trying to concentrate on his job, but his mind was wandering. When he’d reported to the Med Lab, he’d left a message with a female bridge technician reporting his position and med status, but that message had obviously never been delivered, which represented a major problem on the Callisto. In fact, in this case, it had been such a problem that he’d been demoted from Major to Captain as a result. Stepping to a terminal, he quickly recorded the names of all of the on-duty communication staff on the bridge. He’d have to deal with this and figure out where his message might have been lost after the upcoming battle. * * * Brie In groups of five or six, the infiltration team started into the base. It was hard to quietly move 32 people, but Brie could see why the infantry members had volunteered. They were the best. The base was almost spooky, there weren’t a lot of Cylons to be seen, but lined up against the walls were non-activated Centurions. They were everywhere, there had to be thousands of them. Brie guessed that they weren’t finished yet. This was, after all, a base that hadn’t seen much activity against humans for at least a hundred yarhens. They probably didn’t have a huge need for workers. As they crept along they had to come to a sudden stop. Up ahead they could see a silver Cylon reporting to a gold-colored Cylon. “The human prisoner is in the holding cell,” the silver Cylon droned. “He is to stay there for now,” the Gold Cylon replied in a lower voice. “He will be transferred to the base ship once it arrives.” “By your command,” the silver Cylon said. They both turned, and walked off in different directions. Human prisoner. The words sent a chill down Brie’s spine. She knew that her objective was to blow the reactor core, but Turner’s words from her dream echoed in her head. “You’ll know for sure soon enough.” She knew it wasn’t possible, Turner was dead, but what if he had been held prisoner all these yarhens? Quietly making her way towards Amy, Brie had come up with a new plan. “Did you hear that?” Amy nodded. “I’ve got to blow the core. I want you and your team to see if you can rescue the human and then secure transport. Think you can handle that?” “I’ll do my best,” Amy said. “That’s all I ask,” Brie said. “We’ll go right, you go left.” Brie continued with most of the team, while Amy, along with Thunderhawk, Deke, six infantry members and now Kiwi headed down a hall to the left. * * * It seemed almost too easy. Brie had assumed that the hardest part of the mission was going to be getting the 21 people with her quietly to the reactor room, but they were headed there without any problems. They saw Cylons from time to time but were always able to avoid them. Brie strained her ears to try to hear more information on the human prisoner but didn’t hear anything else. The non-activated Cylons everywhere were disconcerting. Brie knew that as they were they couldn’t harm anybody, but thinking of the harm that they could eventually cause to the human race sent a chill down her spine. They were growing closer to where they thought the reactor room would be. She hoped that the educated guess they were making was right, otherwise they wouldn’t know where to begin to look. * * * Charybdis Sorry if I had not posted these, but since the website went down last year, they slipped by. It is Core Command's pleasure to announce the following Warriors have been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant in the Colonial Military: Droidarr; Masonic; Iberia; Buck Stanza; Jaz and Spacecityman Congratulations! * * * Brik Congratulations, fellas! --Lt Brik— * * * Brie Better late...than never. Congratulations! * * * JustinB To the new Lieutenants Droidarr, Masonic, Iberia, Buck Stanza, Jaz and Spacecityman. Congratulations on your promotion. JustinB * * * Lucian Congratulations to all of the new Lieutenants! Captain Lucian, currently in limbo between real assignments * * * Amy We'd both overheard the Cylon conversation. There was a human prisoner here! I knew this was going to change our plans.... Quietly making her way towards me, Brie spoke. “Did you hear that?” I nodded. Brie went on, “I’ve got to blow the core. I want you and your team to see if you can rescue the human and then secure transport. Think you can handle that?” “I’ll do my best,” I said. “That’s all I ask,” Brie said. “We’ll go right, you go left.” Brie continued with most of the team, while Thunderhawk, Deke, six infantry members, myself, and now Kiwi headed down a hall to the left. Once we were out of sight of Brie and her team, I held up a hand to stop our group. We crouched low behind some pipes and machinery. I looked each member of the team, one at a time, before speaking. "I'm in command, but under the circumstances I'm ready to listen to any input. All our necks are on the line, and I want everyone here on the same page. We might lose our lives, put I'm not about to throw any away. Any ideas?" "Stay alive" the massive Deke offered. He already looked a little out of breath. "A little late for that now" I replied. "Anything more constructive?"
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Post by LucianG on Apr 23, 2005 8:40:43 GMT -6
Brie Continuing on, Brie’s group finally ran into what they had been trying their best to avoid, a Cylon patrol. A group of twenty was crossing a different corridor that intersected with the one that they were in. It was almost impossible to hide 22 people when there was little to hide behind, some of them squeezed into doorways and the rest hid behind the eerie, non-activated Cylons. Sergeant Brinfort, who was at the head of the group, looked to Brie, wondering if they should open fire. It would be an easy group to take. Brie shook her head, then mouthed the words, “Hold your fire.” As much as she would have liked to have seen every Cylon on the moon destroyed, a shootout would draw attention to the fact that they were on the base, which was the last thing that they needed.
Nineteen of the Cylons passed without incident. As the last one was almost out of sight someone sneezed. It wasn’t a loud sneeze, but it was enough for the Cylon to stop and look down the hall. There was no way that all 22 of them could remain unnoticed. It seemed like the Cylon stared directly at several of them, including Brie, but after ten of the longest microns ever he returned to the ranks and continued with the rest of the Centurions. It was one of the strangest experiences of Brie’s life. * * * The room that they had guessed would hold the reactor core was just ahead. Sergeant Brinfort and the rest of the infantry took cover outside, while Brie, Curemode and Lazant opened the door, weapons drawn. The large room was empty, no Cylons. There was also no reactor, they had guessed wrong.
Against one wall there was a series of computers. “I’ll see what I can find out,” Curemode said, headed towards the wall. “I’m sure the layout of the base will be on here somewhere.”
“Wait,” Brie said quickly. “That’s just going to draw attention.”
“It’s worth the risk,” Curemode argued.
Brie disagreed. “No it’s not. Besides, wouldn’t the Cylons here on the base be programmed knowing the layout? It would do more than just draw attention, it would let them know that someone unauthorized was on the base.”
“I still think it’s worth the risk,” Curemode said, “but you’re in command. Any suggestions on how we can find the real reactor room?”
Brie shook her head. They had come too far to run into a dead end. “What about this?” Lazant called. He was staring at something on the wall.
“What is it?” Brie asked.
Lazant smiled bigger than Brie had ever seen him smile before. “Nothing important, just a map of the base.” * * * “Why would the Cylons have a map of the base hanging on the wall?” Brie asked.
“Decoration?” Lazant offered, still pleased with his find.
“Yeah, right,” Brie said, glancing around the room. “Cylons are just so big on decor.”
Curemode was studying the map with great interest. “It doesn’t look like it’s been here all that long. They probably put these up all over the place, with base ships arriving for the first time in a century or more.”
“Do you think it’s legit?” Brie asked.
“It’s accurate on how we got here,” Curemode pointed out. “And according to this, we’re near the right spot, we just picked the wrong corridor. There’s only four places big enough to hold the reactor on the entire base.”
“How long will it take you to memorize this thing?” Brie wanted to know.
“Give me a centon,” Curemode said. “Here’s where Amy’s team should be headed, where the holding cells are. And we’ll need to stay away from here, and here...” he pointed, “because if those base ships ARE coming that’s where they’ll be.” He continued to stare, obviously taking it all in.
Brie started to laugh. “What’s so funny?” Lazant asked.
“The idea of a Cylon looking at a map,” Brie said. “You think if they get lost they stop and ask for directions?” * * * Lucian In Beta Bay Briefing Room #2, which had been assigned to Silver Spar Squadron since its arrival on the Callisto, Major Jorlan was giving a short review to his Warriors. He was making a conscious effort to keep from slipping into his clipped Frodar Epsilon dialect.
“Now, with the reinforcements we’ve received from the Galactica and the rest of the fleet, we are at full squadron strength for the first time ever. As you know, since the other half of Silver Spar squadron is still serving aboard the Galactica, we’re going to be launching under a different squadron name for this mission. With Commander Sheba’s approval and a doff of the hat to those who have teased us Frodarians about the antique ships we were flying when we were reunited, for this mission, we will be known as...Captain Darnoe?”
“Bronze Squadron!” said Darnoe, Jorlan’s second in command, with a grin. Darnoe hadn’t liked Jorlan at first, but he’d grown to respect him as the formerly chauvinistic Jorlan had slowly grown to respect and trust the female members of the squadron. Now, the two men had developed a rapport that had spread throughout the squadron, and for the first time, they were really operating as the team they had to be in order to really succeed. The new ensigns and the few lieutenants formerly of the Galactica or other modified armed ships had fleshed out the squadron nicely. Most had heard a little of Jorlan’s past, but long-time squadron members had been careful to avoid mentioning his lingering dislike for another particular squadron leader. His growing admiration for her talents had only served to temper his near hatred for her stemming from one particular incident long ago….
When the shouts of “BRONZE! BRONZE! BRONZE!” finally quieted to a point where he could be heard again, Jorlan focused the group’s attention on the briefing board and said, “To pull off this deception, we’ll all need to fly with great intensity in our planned formation over a relatively long distance. Commander Sheba worried that this has rarely been accomplished but I told her that with nerves of dura-steel and…ahem…ships of bronze, we’d do it.” There were several laughs from those who’d heard Jorlan’s actual comment and had seen the ease with which Commander Sheba had turned it back with her far from feminine reply.
“Captain Darnoe, please proceed with the briefing.”
* * *
Since all the flight assignments were in order, Captain Lucian had focused on technical issues since his return to the Bridge. All ship systems were operating normally, with only minor exceptions that were under repair, so he began making a sweep of the weapons systems. This required close cooperation from Captain Swensson, the weapons master, and the two of them had been at it for quite some time. All the simulations had shown that the main pulsar batteries were in excellent working order and that there was no danger of a meltdown like had happened the only other time they’d ever been fired in anger. In addition, the Callisto’s anti-ship batteries and many turbo-laser emplacements were also fully operational. When the Callisto ran into Cylons this time, Lucian was sure that the Cylons would be sorry.
He also wondered how Brie’s infiltration team was doing. They should be either at or very near their objective. He said a brief prayer for their success and their safe return. Considering the condition of the tanker and its top speed, they’d need all the prayers they could get if they were ever to return safely to the Callisto. * * * "Sometime later, with Sheba in her ready room for a few moments, Helmswoman Karia reported to Colonel Charybdis, “Colonel, we are nearing Mu-19. We are beginning the turn to come about on the course the Commander instructed.”
At exactly that moment, klaxons began to sound as the Callisto’s short-range sensors suddenly picked up signal that was uncomfortably close! Captain Swensson was already activating weapons before Commander Sheba stepped out and belayed the order.
“Precise heading and speed of the unknown vessel?” she demanded.
“It’s strange Commander, but it’s matching the exact course and speed you’ve instructed us to take,” said Karia, on seeing the results flash on the monitor.
“Perfect!” said Sheba with a smile. “Everyone, behold the ‘Battlestar’ Nefarious.”
There were as many blank questioning stares at the Commander as there were blank questioning stares at the viewscreen. Those staring at Sheba were met with a grim smile, whereas the others were met with blackness; no ship was visible, much less a Battlestar. One of the Techs monitoring the sensors spoke up, saying, “Commander, I’m not getting much of a reading on that…thing…at all, but whatever it is, it sure as frell isn’t a Battlestar. The sensors are having a hard time just confirming that it’s even really there!” * * *
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Post by LucianG on Apr 23, 2005 8:42:41 GMT -6
Lucian Only a very few senior officers on the Callisto knew the story of the Nefarious. Lucian felt fortunate to have learned of it recently, but based on his demotion some centars earlier, he wondered if he’d be learning of such things in the future.
Commander Adama had developed the idea for the ship many yahrens earlier, but it was Commander Tigh who finally started its retrofit when the fleet had been able to obtain some highly specialized materials in a trade along the way. A small, older freighter had been chosen for modification, since it had carried only a very small number of passengers that required displacement. The freighter had officially been scrapped for parts, and it had indeed entered the traveling spacedock, and been largely disassembled. At this point, it was reported as recycled, but in actuality, it became Tigh’s secret project. When nonessential parts had been removed, the ship had instead undergone a complete retrofit. Over time, it had been equipped with a number of larger pulsar weapons, turbo laser batteries, and missile emplacements. Special fuel tanks were added to allow refueling of fighter craft as well. All of this was done in secrecy, by a limited number of specially assigned workers who had become masters at requisitioning equipment throughout the fleet and making it disappear from view.
However, the ship’s secret weaponry was right on the outside for everyone to see, or rather, hopefully, NOT see. First, its outer shell was encased in a thick layer of special composites that absorbed many types of sensor probes. In addition, it was coated in a black finish that randomly reflected many others and made it extremely difficult to see under many circumstances. Any Cylons, or others, seeking to locate the ship without direct visual observation would be hard pressed to do so.
Finally, six field generators were mounted on the ship, giving it the capability of producing an electronic image of a vastly different ship; unfortunately, specifications called for ten for maximum effectiveness, but with the condition of the fleet and the continual lack of resources, six was all that would likely ever be available at one time. Adama had originally code-named the project Nefarious based on the evil it might someday repay the Cylons for their wickedness against the human race, but the name had stuck when the ship finally left the confines of the traveling spacedock. Two yahrens later, only a small portion of the Colonial Military was even aware of the Nefarious’s existence, and a much smaller portion knew its true purpose or capabilities.
Lucian glanced back at Sheba as she said, “You’re exactly right, Vishia, it’s not really a Battlestar; however, the Cylons hopefully won’t figure that out until it’s far too late.”
* * * “Karia, tuck us in immediately behind that ship. There are to be no attempts at communication with it without my direct orders,” said Sheba.
A few centons later, Helmswoman Karia reported, “Commander, we are directly on their six, just far enough behind to keep from getting our nose singed.”
Moments later, startled cries came from Vishia and a couple of the other Techs monitoring sensors. “Commander, sensors are going wild! The ship appears to be growing on the sensor screen, but we can see on the visual that it hasn’t changed at all! Wait, on sensors, it now…looks…like…a BATTLESTAR!”
Sheba replied, “Very good!” and turned to Colonel Charybdis and said, “Please tell Major Jorlan that it is showtime. And,” she added, “may the Lords be with them all.” * * * Major Jorlan had entered his Viper a few centons earlier, having been given early word that launch would occur soon. When he’d climbed in, he’d noticed a piece of paper on his seat. He picked it up, angry that one of the Techs would have been so sloppy as to leave such trash in his Viper. If they were that sloppy in the cockpit, there was no telling what they might have left in the internal mechanisms of his Viper. He shouted at a Tech and raised the paper up to show it to her, when he realized the paper, which was folded, actually had his name on the bottom side, a result of it having been knocked off the seat earlier during the maintenance sweep.
“Yes! Major! Something wrong?” the young Tech asked.
Jorlan glanced inside the cockpit, and on seeing everything in order and appearing near spotless, he said, “Yes—your name it?”
“Polledia, Sir, daughter of the late Warrior Pollonius and my mother Datinia,” she said with a look of apprehension. “Is everything okay, Sir?” she asked haltingly.
“Yes, Polledia. An excellent job preparing my Viper—I wanted to thank you and the team for that,” he said, almost slipping into his Frodarian dialect. “Thank you.”
She almost had tears on her face as she backed away. Jorlan felt a touch of compassion for the young woman, knowing what it was like to have lost a father. Though Commander Tolar was rarely the perfect model of a father in the classical sense, in the Frodarian worldview, he would have been considered at least a good one. Jorlan’s thoughts briefly touched on his father and the Frodarian warriors who had remained with him to execute the Omega Plan. The frustration at the thought of the probable waste of life caused the anger to flare in his heart as he checked his harness. Still, their sacrifice had allowed many of his people to escape. With moments to spare before launch, he unfolded the paper and started, with great surprise, to read.
Major,
As you well know, …
* * * Jorlan glanced at the name at the bottom and stifled a growl of disbelief and anger. Still, in the microns remaining, he read on:
Major,
As you well know, I’m not expected to come back from my current mission. I’ve beaten the odds before, so don’t count me out yet.
You and I got off to a very bad start. I realize that we will never be friends, probably wouldn’t have been even if we had met a different way, our personalities are just too different. And to be honest with you, when you joined the Colonial Military I never thought that you’d make it. To my surprise you’ve worked hard, and you not only fit in but you’ve become a respected leader. I didn’t want to leave on my last mission without letting you know that in some strange way, I’m proud of you.
I’m sorry about the death of your friend, I always have been. I wish that there could have been some other way. His death is the biggest regret of my life.
I really don’t know why I’m telling you all this. It just didn’t feel right to leave without saying something.
See you soon,
Major Brie
With a flood of emotions, he crumpled the paper in anger, then uncrumpled it, folded it, and placed it in his pocket. "Why?" he asked himself, but before he had time to think about it any more, the order came….
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Post by LucianG on Apr 23, 2005 8:43:44 GMT -6
Brie Following the information on the map that Captain Lazant had found, Brie’s team made its to the reactor room quickly. Brie glanced at her chrono, they didn’t have much time. The fleet was depending on them to blow this thing soon. She couldn’t help but notice that in the hallway outside of the reactor room there were even more non-activated Cylons than any other place. They still gave her the creeps.
Sergeant Brinfort and the infantry members took their positions outside of the reactor room. Major Brie, Major Curemode and Captain Lazant were the only three to step inside. * * * Once inside the reactor room, Major Curemode advised of the best places to set the charges. Brie and Lazant helped him set them, while the infantry members kept watch outside the door. It still seemed too simple, she never would have thought that they would have made it this far without having fired one shot, but Brie kept rationalizing it by thinking that this was an older base and it had been forgotten. Curemode held the remote to set off the blast, the plan was to wait until they were down the hall before starting the chain reaction which would destroy the reactor.
There was an earsplitting noise, feedback of some kind. Brie resisted the urge to put her hands over her ears as she set her last charge. A giant monitor over against one wall started to glow, and a fuzzy picture emerged. As the picture grew clearer Brie knew exactly who it was, the greatest traitor of all time. * * * The grin on Baltar’s face made Brie wonder how anyone could have ever trusted him. “I can see that you know who I am.” He was addressing Brie. Whether or not he knew that she was in charge of the mission she didn’t know. “And you are?”
“Major Brie, Commanding Officer of Gold Squadron.”
“Well, you’re not doing a very good job of it at the micron, are you my dear?” Brie remained silent, she wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of a reply. “Brie...Brie...that name sounds so familiar. Let me see...” Although Brie couldn’t see exactly what Baltar was doing, she assumed he was looking her name up on some sort of computer database. “There it is, ‘Brie.’ There are two entries. ‘Brie, viper pilot, female, short, blond,’ no that’s not you. Let’s see what the second one says.” He was silent for only a micron. “Does the name ‘Captain Turner’ mean anything to you?”
“Why?” Brie said slowly. How could Baltar know Turner’s name? Maybe he was still alive, maybe Turner was the human prisoner after all.
“Because your name was the last word that he said before he died.”
“Turner’s ship was destroyed by Cylons,” Brie said, trying with every ounce of strength to stay calm as her hopes crashed down on her once again. “He died instantly.”
“Not according to this report,” Baltar informed her. “Since Cylons are machines, there would be no reason for them to lie. You can be assured that what I’m reading here is what happened. ‘There was a malfunction in the Colonial viper before any Raiders were close enough to fire. He jettisoned, and we towed him in while he was still in his escape pod. He was badly wounded and died two centars later. The only thing he said before he died was ‘Brie.’ We managed to capture his wingman, Ensign Cal, who later died under torture.’ That’s all it says here.” So that was it, Turner was dead. Even after closing his file she hadn’t believed it, not totally. But hearing it so nonchalantly from the Cylons’ own report...Baltar’s voice interrupted Brie’s thoughts. “We wouldn’t normally keep records on this type of thing, but this was when we were trying to find out information on the new battlestar you were building. The Callisto, if I’m not mistaken.” Brie didn’t answer. “I’m afraid I have more bad news, my dear. This whole mission that you’re on, well, it’s a failure. You see, my baseship arrived here right before your little team did. I allowed you to find this reactor, this OLD reactor that no longer operates anything on the base. So go ahead and blow it up, you’ll actually be doing me a favor. And I know about your friends, they’ll be captured soon enough. So I’ll give you a choice, Major Brie, Commanding Officer of Gold Squadron, surrender, or die.”
It suddenly all made sense. Their quiet landing, the lack of Cylons wherever they went, the map...everything had been planned. They had been manipulated to arrive at this spot. Brie tried to remain levelheaded, which was next to impossible since she had just learned without a doubt that her husband was dead and that her mission to save the human race had failed. “Those are big words, coming from a face on a wall.”
Baltar’s laugh sent a chill down her spine. “Did I forget to mention about the Cylons? I’m sure you’ve seen them everywhere since you arrived. They’re not inactive, as I’m sure you had believed. In fact, all I have to do is push this button...” He held a remote up so that it could be seen in the monitor. Brie hoped that Baltar didn’t know that Curemode had a similar one for the charges that they had set, it might be their only way to escape. In a very deliberate move, Baltar pushed the button and the several dozen “sleeping” Cylons in the room with them suddenly sprung to life. “I ask you again, my dear, surrender, or die?” * * * “I ask you again, my dear, surrender, or die?”
“I never thought I’d survive this mission anyway,” Brie said matter-of-factly, “so go ahead and shoot me now. Let’s get it over with.”
“Centurions, take their weapons, and bring them to me, in the Beta Launch Bay,” Baltar ordered. “We’ll finish this conversation in person.” The Cylons took both of the lasers that Brie had brought with her, Curemode and Lazant’s sidearms as well. Although she didn’t want to draw any attention to it, Brie was pretty sure that Curemode had managed to hold on to the remote. She hoped that he would wait until they were in the hall, the infantry members could benefit from the distraction as well. Already she could hear laser fire outside the door. Baltar must have heard it too because he said, “Major, I would advise you to have the rest of your team lay down their weapons as well, if any of you have even the slightest chance of coming out of this alive.”
“There’s a chance of that?” Brie asked with a smile. “What are we supposed to do, trust YOU?”
“My generosity will only go so far, my dear.”
Brie really wished that he would stop calling her that. “Fine, I’ll order them to stand down.” With an armed centurion pushing her from behind, Brie moved closer to the hall. Curemode and Lazant weren’t far from her. As soon as she could see that the infantry members were actually well covered and holding their own, she winked at Curemode. The blast was strong enough to push them out the door. Brie fell, a now-dead Cylon on top of her. She could feel blood running down her face and her right elbow and shoulder hurt badly, but she was left-handed so she felt lucky. She just hoped that the feeling would last. She grabbed her own laser back from the Cylon. She hid behind him and used him as a shield. Glancing around her, she saw that both Curemode and Lazant seemed okay, and were firing Cylon weapons. The fake reactor room was destroyed, and Brie was grateful that she could no longer hear Baltar’s voice. There were hundreds of the newly activated Cylons in the hall. It was strange, they were terrible shots, even for Cylons. Since they were so badly outnumbered Brie knew that it was a battle that they couldn’t possibly win, but one that she wasn’t willing to give up. “Go for anything that looks flammable,” she instructed. “Let’s try to cause as much damage as possible.” * * * Lucian Moments later, 45 Vipers and 15 Scorpion Bombers were launching from Beta Bay. As they did, each ship arced forward and assumed its preassigned position tucked tight against the Nefarious. Lieutenant Vishia’s mouth dropped open and she looked as if she was about to have some type of fit, when one of the other monitoring Techs said, “We see them, but they’re not on sensors. They’re within the electronic field generated by that ship.”
It took a couple of centons, but soon, all ships were away. As the last took its position next to the ship, Commander Sheba said, “The hammer is swinging. Now, Colonel, let’s activate our cloaking device. Karia, go to our preplanned course two. We must get the anvil in place so when the hammer falls, the Cylon will crack and the course to the jump point will be open for the fleet.”
Microns later, with cloaking field in place as effective as it could be, the Callisto was again making flank speed, this time on a long arcing course that hopefully would keep the ship well out of the view of the Cylons.
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Post by LucianG on Apr 23, 2005 8:44:38 GMT -6
Lucian Major Jorlan checked his monitor. All his ships were within the electronic field generated by the imitation battlestar. A couple were straying very close to the edge of the field, but he held off on activating his comm system. Any stray transmissions picked up by the Cylons could reveal the planned deception and ruin the chance of success. He gritted his teeth and growled at the two ships. A few microns later, first one, and then the other drifted back into position. He shook his head and breathed a sigh of relief. There should be no contact with the Cylons for about a centar, but a Cylon patrol could expose the Nefarious and give the ship and the escorting ships a early welcome that would ruin Commander Apollo’s plan.
He rechecked the time. In about 40 centons, the Scorpion bombers would begin refueling at the four fuel docking ports. The Vipers would refuel immediately after the Scorpions moved away. Fueling would be complete in about 90 centons, a full 10 centons before expected contact. Jorlan wished they could finish about 10 centons prior to that in case they met the Cylons early, but for optimal fuel load for the most ships, it would have to do. * * * Within the envelope that on scanners made the electronics ship Nefarious appear to be a battlestar, a small green light suddenly activated on each side of the ship. It remained on for ten microns, and then blinked off. The centar was up, and the last of the Vipers had finished refueling only a couple of centons earlier.
Time! And too close at that! Major Jorlan breathed a sigh of relief. Thoughts of Commander Tolar and Major Brie were long gone, and he was focusing solely on the job at hand. He nodded to his wingman, and hit his turbo as he tilted the stick. His Viper shot out at an angle from the envelope, as if exiting the launch tube of a Battlestar. Clear of the envelope he angled toward the target based on the information being fed to his ship computer from “Callisto” control. Other Vipers were doing the same, and moments later, the Scorpion bombers were on their way as well.
“Bronze Leader to Callisto. We are on our way!”
“Call signs, Bronze Leader! You never know who might be listening!”
“Sorry, Home One,” said Jorlan, who laughed to himself after his comm unit was deactivated. He’d been concerned that he’d accidentally say the ship’s call sign out of habit rather than ‘Callisto’ as planned.
“We have you, Bronze, and are right behind you,” came the reply.
“Okay, Bronze, let’s go get them.” As he said this, he hoped the real Callisto was getting in position as planned. If not….
The Vipers led the way, followed by the Scorpion bombers. A couple of centons later, the long range scanners began to detect the leading elements of a large wave of Cylon Raiders on an intercepting course.
* * *
Some distance away, the real Callisto was streaking toward the same objective, but from a much different direction.... * * * Aboard the Callisto, the long-range scanners revealed that the Vipers had engaged the intercepting Raiders. The small group of Scorpions had slipped through the hole punched by Major Jorlan’s Warriors and was on the way toward the Base Ship. More Raiders were emerging from the Base Ship.
An alarm sounded in telemetry. “It’s a small uncharted asteroid, Commander. It’s about 30,000 kilometers off our course, and wouldn’t have usually sounded the alarm, but we picked up a very brief, well, sort of shimmer on the spectral scanner. It’s not there now,” said the ensign.
“Keep an eye out for it,” Sheba said. “Keep a sharp eye out all around. We don’t want to be surprised on this mission.” Silently, she hoped that their mission was not compromised.
“Yes, Commander!”
A couple of centons later, the Callisto was nearing position for attack. The ship slowed steadily as battle station klaxons sounded. On the screen, the image of the Base Ship was starting to grow. Due to distance, it was digitally enhanced, so small details such as any Raiders present were not evident. Lucian took a quick glance at the screen and then returned his focus to systems reports.
Captain Swensson reported, “Four centons to optimal firing range. Activating main pulsar batteries.”
“Captain, prepare to fire on my word,” replied Commander Sheba, who watched closely even as she received other reports. At one centon, Swensson started a ten micron step countdown, “Ninety…eighty…seventy…six—”
“MULTIPLE FLARES!” came a shout as they became visible on the monitor. “Hold course!” commanded Sheba as Helmswoman Karia looked to her for order. “We need a few more microns. Swensson, fire when ready.”
Moments later, it was obvious that if that was the case, the Cylons had gotten extremely lucky. The Callisto shook violently as three of the four pulsar blasts slammed into the ship. “More blasts incoming!”
Reports of damage began to be received from multiple sections near the front of the ship.
"Captain, fire now!" ordered Commander Sheba. * * * Just as the Callisto’s Vipers engaged the intercepting Raiders, the fleet, according to the plan, began its move toward the jump point. As the closest to the main body of the fleet, Gold Squadron was ordered to reroute to escort the ships of the fleet as Black Squadron and the Galactica’s squadrons moved on toward the Cylon moon. * * * Brie The smoke was growing thick, and everyone was coughing. It wasn’t the way that Brie had pictured her death, even on this mission. A strange thought occurred to her. “Hey Doc,” she called to Curemode, “if this base has been forgotten for a couple of hundred yarhens, why would the Cylons respond to Baltar? They wouldn’t have known here that a human was commanding a baseship.”
“Look at the way they’re acting, Brie,” Curemode responded. “They weren’t ready for activation. My guess is that they’re not fully operational. Their programming probably wasn’t completed. They know they’re supposed to obey orders, they just don’t know who they’re supposed to accept orders from. They didn’t realize that Baltar is ‘human,’ if you can call him that, because they don’t yet know what a human is.”
Brie started to laugh in between coughs. She had a plan that was so ridiculous it just might work. “I have an idea,” she told Lazant and Curemode. “It’s either brilliant, or the stupidest thing I’ve ever done. If it doesn’t work, Major, you’re in charge of what’s left of the mission.” Brie pushed the destroyed Cylon away from her and stood up. “Centurions,” she yelled at the top of her lungs. “Cease-fire! Lower your weapons! That’s an order!”
Almost in unison the Cylons responded. “By your command.” They lowered their weapons and the shooting stopped.
“Holy frack,” Lazant mumbled under his breath. * * * “Everyone stand down,” Brie said with authority. She was talking to the infantry members, but wanted the Cylons to think she was referring to them instead. “Centurions, leave your weapons on the floor.” Hundreds of Cylons placed their weapons on the floor. At least for the micron they were now unarmed. Brie took a deep breath. Her idea had worked so far, but the next order she was about to give was insane. “Centurions, show us where the main reactor room for the base is located.”
“By your command.”
Hundreds of Cylons surrounded Brie, Curemode, Lazant, and the infantry members and started to guide them out of the hall. It was an eerie feeling, encompassed by Cylons who were taking her orders. There were now more groups of centurions patrolling the walkways, but with the humans unintentionally hidden in the center they passed by unnoticed. After a walk of maybe two centons the Cylons led them into a room very similar to the one they had already destroyed. Fortunately there were plenty of charges left, and setting them was easy. Brie hoped that this time it wasn’t TOO easy, she had fallen for that once already. The Cylons paid no attention to what they were doing, it didn’t seem to bother them in the least that the reactor core would soon be destroyed. Brie checked her chrono. “We’re supposed to meet Amy’s team soon. I hope they were able to secure a transport off this rock for us. We’ve made it this far.”
“Any idea how we’re going to make it back to the launch bay?” Lazant asked.
“One,” Brie replied. She raised her voice. “Centurions, take us to the Alpha Bay.”
“By your command.”
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