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Brothers in Arms: Holocaust
The Cylons were made by man…
They rebelled…
They evolved…
Then came the day the Cylons decided to kill their masters…
One Year Earlier…
“Action Stations, set Condition One, repeat Action Stations set Condition One through out the ship.” The TAO called over the intercom system. Flashing lights and the rush of crewmen was a sign of the Battlestar Pegasus coming to life. Nearly 4500 feet long, with sixty-four weapon batteries, and forty strike spacecraft, this was one of the most powerful warships humanity ever built.
2000 people were racing for their appropriate stations. One, a woman with medium length brown hair in a military bun entered the Combat Information Center.
“What do we have?” Colonel Patricia Tolen asked.
“Sir message from Fleet, it was broadcast in the clear.” Lt. Rylo the Tactical Action Officer reported. Tolen took the message quickly scanning it. Peter Rylo saw her mouth open slightly in shock.
“Did…did you confirm this Lieutenant?” she asked taking in the information.
He nodded, “Yes sir, then Petty Officer Lee sent a confirmation request, and it was confirmed.”
“Very well Lieutenant, I’ll inform the CO.” Tolen said reaching for the phone on the map table in the center of the CIC. Picking it up she selected the CO button, this connected her directly to the Commander’s room.
After a few seconds a gruff voice on the other end came over the phone, “Yes, I heard the Condition One call what’s happening?”
“Commander, we have a priority transmission from Fleet, it reads ‘Cylon attack, this is no drill’ sir.” Patricia replied.
Commander Garris Cain took in the information, “I’ll be right there.”
A few minutes later a uniformed Commander Cain entered the CIC. Colonel Tolen handed him the message. Reading it quickly he handed it back to Tolen. Looking up at the DRADIS console above the map table he spoke, “All right where do we stand?”
“Sir both Viper Squadrons are ready, we have alert fighters in the tubes, and the others are being readied for strike missions. Raptor 120 is now doing recon ahead of us. Finally we’re waiting for an update from Admiral Nagala.”
“Why are we waiting for Nagala? What’s the latest from Picon?” Cain asked.
“Sir, Picon Fleet Headquarters was destroyed, along with thirty Battlestars in orbit. Admiral Nagala has taken command of the fleet from the Battlestar Atlantia.” Tolen answered soberly.
Cain stopped for a moment; with the lost of Picon the majority of the Colonial Fleet’s leadership was dead.
“Thank you Colonel, could you get an update on the fight.” Cain ordered. Nodding her head Tolen walked over to the tactical map plot to consult with Lt. Rylo.
One hour from Virgon
Captain Leslie ‘Sheba’ Cain checked the message she had just received from the Battlestar Atlantia. Her Viper was part of a twenty Viper MK VIIs that were just coming back from a training exercise.
“Rocket Man, tell Atlantia we copy their transmission. Inform Commander Tyrus that we are only thirty minutes from their position.” She sent to the leader of the Diamondbacks Squadron. Leslie was the Commander Air Group aboard the Battlestar Atlantia.
They had just received word of the Cylon attack. One thing Leslie couldn’t figure out was how the Cylons achieved such surprise. It was as if they had appeared out of nowhere, no alerts, no raids against the outer picket stations on the edge of the Cyrannus System, and they had already taken a heavy toll. Thirty Battlestars and other ships were lost above Picon. Luckily though, the Atlantia and the rest of the 5th Fleet was already close to the main battle.
Fourteen Base Stars had been detected around Virgon’s orbit. More were showing up and this was turning into the prime engagement between human and Cylon.
“Sheba, Atlantia confirms your message; we’re going to meet up with a tanker and the Copperheads.” Lt jg. Peter ‘Rocket Man’ Larson sent over the wireless.
“Roger that.” She responded, good we’ve got the whole wing, time to make those Cylons pay. She thought with satisfaction. Leslie looked out into the vastness of space, and for the first time since she heard of the attack, she thought of her father, Pegasus is probably joining up heading for Picon, good luck Dad.
Battlestar Pegasus
“Sir we have a message from Admiral Nagala.” Petty Officer Lee reported. Cain walked over to the young man’s communication system. The Aries citizen handed his commander a message slip. Cain read the orders.
FRM: BSG-155 ATLANTIA (FLT HQ ADM NAGALA)
TO: BSG-95 PEGASUS
OP ORDERS: PROCEED AT BEST POSSIBLE SPEED TO PICON, FORCE OF 15+ BASE STARS SIGTHED 5TH FLT ELEMENTS INROUTE TO ATTACK.
REPORTS OF NUCLEAR DETIONATIONS OVER THE COLONIES OF CAPRICA, PICON, GEMON, AND VIRGON CONFRIMED, RPT CONFRIMED. USE OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS IS AUTH.
GODS SPEED CAIN.
MESSAGE ENDS
-RPD WITH SAME CODES AND CHANNEL-
He had been in the Colonial Fleet his entire life. His service on the Battlestar Galactica along with then Lt. Adama had given him a reputation as an excellent fighter pilot. Soon he was on the promotion ladder, arriving as the commander of the Battlestar Pegasus. These years of service had hardened him, one of the reasons his marriage ended. His daughter was the only real family he had left, except for friends like Will Adama. Garris wondered also about his partner in crime on board the Galactica.
That old Battlestar had just been retired, as of today if he was correct. Cain wondered how Adama was doing with this news; he’s probably raiding every supply ship or armory he can get his hands on. That brought a smile to Cain’s face, Adama wouldn’t let a little thing like retirement of his ship and commission stop him.
“Petty Officer, send this reply to Atlantia, we have received orders, will be there in a half hour.” Cain said to Lee. With that done, Cain headed over to tactical plot to join Tolen and Rylo.
Atlantia Wing, nearing Virgon
“Sheba I’ve got multiple Cylon Raiders at 045 mark 215.” The wing’s Raptor called. Sheba checked her DRADIS display. She had the coming enemy fighters on her screen as well. Looks like the toasters want to party, fine by me, They had just gotten word of the nuked Colonies.
“Spider, send to Atlantia we have a welcome party in front of the fleet.” Leslie sent.
“Roger that CAG.” The Raptor pilot responded.
Behind the formation of Vipers and Raptors, the Battlestars Columbia, Triton, Pacifica, and twenty others began launching their own wings of Vipers and Raptors, a huge force of over two hundred Colonial spacecraft were joining together. The Cylons took notice; six Base Stars jumped in adding to the fifteen on station above Virgon, and began launcher their fighters.
Battlestar Pegasus
“The main fight is forming up over Virgon. Atlantia sent us intel on at least two Task Forces of Base Stars and ten squadrons of Raiders.” Lt. Rylo reported.
Cain looked at the information, “So it seems we are going to be about even for this fight, all right let’s pick up the speed….”
Cain was cut off, “DRADIS contact!” Petty Officer Lee called out, “Probable enemy contacts!”
Tolen walked over and put herself near the nearest DRADIS screen, “Sir we have multiple inbounds, I make four enemy fighters at 270 mark 280.”
“Launch the alert Vipers.” Cain said. Lee got on the coms and got a hold of the flight pods. Six Viper MK VIIs launched from the starboard flight pod, heading to intercept the inbound contacts.
Cain watched the coming battle from the DRADIS console above the map table. Six green contacts labeled with their tail numbers, headed for four red contacts labeled ENY. Lee patched the communications from the six Vipers into the ships com system.
“All right let’s get them guys. Pair up, Skye you’re with me.” The CAG of the Pegasus called.
“Roger that.” Was the response, Cain watched the symbols close.
“Pegasus these fighters are different then what they use to look like. They’re scimitar shaped, and frak! They don’t have cockpits; I don’t think anyone is flying these things!”
Cain took that intelligence in, the fighters fly themselves?
“Starboard guns ready to fire.” Tolen ordered.
On the left side of the Pegasus, a few dozen railguns of various sizes turned and pointed in the direction of the Cylon fighters. Each of the gunners manning them waited for the order to fire, but the Vipers got first shots.
The CAG and his fighters were almost in range to engage the Cylons, when it happened. All his fighter’s systems shut down. He tried calling Pegasus, the other fighters, nothing he wasn’t able to raise anyone.
“What are they doing?” Tolen asked watching the screen. Each of the Vipers was heading straight into the Cylons.
“Raise the CAG.” Cain ordered. Lee sent wireless requests for communication to the Vipers, but got no response. The CIC crew watched helplessly as the Cylons fired off six missiles. The DRADIS screen took the horror of the engagement away turning it into a digital game, as dots closed with each other. Six fast moving red missiles symbols closed on the Viper symbols, they connected and then the Vipers and missile symbols disappeared.
“Sir, Vipers are wiped out…” Lee reported as he took in the death of six men and women.
“Guns, fire on target, Helm, forward 2/3s as well.” Cain ordered hoping to put distance between them and the approaching Cylons.
As the Pegasus pushed its four engines to the max, the Raiders closed and fired off another set of missiles, two were conventional warheads, the other two were nukes.
“Radiological Alarm!” Lt. Rylo called out.
Tolen grabbed the phone and trigged a shipwide announcement, “All hands, brace for close quarter nuclear detonation.”
On the hull of the Pegasus the railguns fired. In a backwash of yellow energy, shells streaked forward with tracers, heading to hit the Cylon Raiders. The Raiders had plenty of time to dodge; only their mission wasn’t finished. They were supposed to use their computer virus to disable the Pegasus’s defenses, they didn’t get a chance. Pegasus’s massive volley of shells slammed into the Raiders, destroying them, yet there were still the inbound missiles.
These missiles were tricky bastards, dodging the inbound shells. Cain could only order for the fire to intensify. More shells streaked out towards the missiles. Two massive white and blue flashes erupted in the space between the Pegasus and the missiles, some shells had found their marks.
“Nuclear detonation! We got the nukes.” Tolen said unnecessarily since the ship shook from the close explosions.
Two nuclear detonations were blinding to say the least. The majority of the gunners were forced to look away from their targeting systems. This allowed the two other missiles to slip through. Both hit on the port top engine. Massive fireballs erupted from the armor of the Pegasus, starting a fire in the engine room. The huge blue flame at the end of the engine cut out.
Cain and Tolen were thrown off their feet by the impact. Cain managed to catch Tolen before she hit the deck. Other crewmembers weren’t as lucky; Lt. Rylo hit his head against the tactical plot. Fifteen people suffered injuries in the CIC.
“You all right?” Cain asked Tolen.
“Yes sir.” She answered, getting up she headed over to the damage control board. Heading over though she saw the fallen lieutenant, “Medic!”, she cried out.
Atlantia Wing near Virgon
Over two hundred Vipers and supporting Raptors were going to square off against three hundred Cylon Raiders. Twenty Base Stars and fifty Battlestars closed on each other as well. Leslie was only minutes away from beginning the first salvo of the battle when it happened.
Alarms ripped through her fighter, what, no, not now! Sheba’s fighter had a fly by wire failure. The computers that controlled her RCS thrusters, which allowed the Viper to maneuver in space, all died at the same time. It was a stupid computer failure. All she had pushing her were the three CF-500 engines, and these were pushing her away from battle.
“Damn it!”, she punched the forward control panel, “Skye, I need you take over. My computer just crapped out. Have Atlantia send a Raptor or Hauler to pick me up.” Leslie Cain sent to her XO.
“Roger that boss, hang tight.” He sent back.
“Roger, be careful.” Leslie could only stare into the space, watching the pricks of light that were the men and women of her wing going into combat. Sheba shut down her engines so she wouldn’t drift to far from the fleet so she could be recovered quickly. Frak! The Cylons are right in front of me, and my plane craps out! What would Dad think of this?
The Vipers closed with their Cylon counterparts. Atlantia’s wing was one of the leading formations. Sheba switched her wireless to VOX mode, which allowed her to hear all transmissions of the Atlantia Wing.
“All right Diamondbacks, Copperheads let’s take these guys down. Copperheads engage with missiles first. Diamonds, we’ll then close with guns.”
Now a new voice came over the wireless, “Atlantia Wing, this is Admiral Nagala, good hunting and watch your six. You’ll be handling fighters, leave Base Stars to the fleet.”
“Roger Admiral.” Skye sent back.
Leslie could see the Battlestars and Base Stars close. Each of the Colonial ships was charging their main railcannon batteries. Every Battlestar had four massive cannons that could rip a Base Star in half. Sheba took time to take in the Cylon forces. The Base Stars were of a new type. Instead of the diner plate on diner plate design of the last war, these were a pair of Y’s one put on top of the other, with the Y’s each going in opposite directions. In between the two Y’s was a connecting section covered in lights.
These ships seemed to not even care about the coming Battlestars. They’re in for a rude awakening, Leslie thought with a smirk, a railcannon could rip those ships in two.
Fate wasn’t on the Twelve Colonies of Kobol’s side today, “What the hell…” the transmissions cut off. Sheba checked her wireless to make sure it was still functional, it was but all the chatter between the fighters dropped to zero. Although she couldn’t see it, the Cylon Raiders had used their glowing forward eyes to send a special computer virus out to the Colonial Vipers; the Base Stars simply transmitted the virus to the Battlestars.
“Skye, Peter, come in Pete?” she tried to raise her anyone in her wing, nothing.
Looking over at the Battlestars, she saw one by one, the massive ships’ engines cut out.
“By the gods? Atlantia? Atlantia can you hear me, this is Sheba?” Leslie tried switching to her home Battlestar.
“Sheba? You’re still functional?” was the reply; Commander Tyrus was on the other line.
“Sir, I have no maneuvering but my systems are operable, why?” Leslie answered.
“All the Vipers and most of the Raptors just shut down! The Cylons are using some sort of computer virus…our wireless still works but otherwise we are dead in the water, same for the other Battlestars.”
“Sir, I’ll fire my mains again, try and force this thing over…” she was cut off.
“Frak! Sheba hold your position…we have inbound nukes! Oh Gods!” the commander called.
Leslie turned her head and watched as the Base Stars fired missiles from their tips of the arms in each upper Y. The Raiders were doing the same, only they were attacking fighters and Raptors.
“Sir!” Leslie sent.
“Sheba, power down! Hide, the Pegasus hasn’t arrived yet they have a chance of picking you up. Play dead Leslie, that’s an order!”
Leslie was near the brink of tears, “Commander…”
“Goodbye Sheba.”
And she watched. For thirty minutes the Cylons fired off missiles, guns and destroyed the proud fleet. The Battlestar Atlantia disappeared in nuclear fire; she saw hundreds of explosions of the conventional type, the death of Vipers and Raptors, her pilots, and friends. Half an hour, that’s all it took for the Cylons to finish off every Viper, Raptor, support ship, pleasure liner caught in the line of fire, and humans who had managed to eject. Then the Base Stars resumed their orbital bombardment of the planet Virgon. Massive flashes of nuclear explosions glowed over the planet. With her Viper powered down, the only noise in the cockpit was a grieving Leslie Cain, who was watching her race die.
Battlestar Pegasus
“Chief Lowell, please tell me something different.” Commander Cain pleaded. The head maintenance and engineering officer on board the Pegasus was dirty with grease and fuel. He had just come from the damaged port upper engine.
“Sir, I’m sorry. Those Cylon missiles cut the main fuel lines to the engine. That spilled and the fire that resulted damaged the secondary pumps and controls. I need three hours hard work to fix it.”
Cain grumbled, not at the Chief but at the situation. He needed to move, the battle over Virgon was already starting, the fleet had lost 30 Battlestars over Picon, and it was going to take every ship remaining to defend against the Cylons. Now mine is stuck with a broken engine and needs to sit still for three hours to fix it! He thought.
“Thank you Chief, I want that engine fixed.” He dismissed the Chief.
Tolen walked back over. Her hair was out of place since the attack. She and other officers had worked to repair the damage from the missile strike to the CIC. Her burnet hair was normally kept up in military regulation, now it just hung on her shoulders.
“We’re back up and running. Lt. Rylo has been sent to sickbay with a concussion but the doc said he should be fine. In all thirty minor injures from the attack with ten KIA.” Patricia reported.
Cain nodded; the first six were the pilots, the other four had been inside the engine, “Thank you Colonel.”
Tolen didn’t leave at first, “Our first dead sir…”
Cain looked her in the eyes. Although she was not an inexperienced officer at all, she had nearly twenty years in the service, Patricia hadn’t seen combat.
“Yes, and we’re going to loose more. This is war Pat, nothing good, everything bad.” He said quietly so only she could hear.
Tolen nodded and collected herself, “I’ll check on the battle at Virgon, and inform Admiral Nagala to out delay.”
“Thank you Colonel.”
Cain looked at his chart. If he had to sit and make repairs, he wasn’t going to give the Cylons a sitting duck. Looking over their position in the Cyrannus System he wanted a hiding spot. Gallia Asteroid Belt…this was the huge rocky asteroid belt that separated the colonies of Virgon and Picon. Plenty of the rocks there were the size of the Pegasus, the magnetic fields from the same rocks would make them harder to detect.
“Helm, I need a new course, 180 for the Gallia Asteroid Belt.” Cain commanded. Two helm techs came and plotted a course with the Commander. Cain settled on a rock about 6 kilometers across to hide the Pegasus.
There was one last matter to attend to, “Lee, have Lt. Williams report to the CIC.”
“Yes sir.” Lee answered then making the call for the pilot. A few minutes later a man in his twenties with a military haircut and flight suit entered the CIC. Lieutenant Junior Grade John ‘Bojay’ Williams came over to Commander Cain and snapped off a salute.
“Sir, Lt. Williams reporting.”
Cain gave him an ‘at ease’ and presented his problem, “We are having trouble contacting 5th Fleet. They are either heavily engaged or being jammed. I want you to take your Raptor and scout the Virgon battle. Try and raise Admiral Nagala and the Atlantia.”
“Yes sir, I’ll find out what’s happening.” John replied taking the mission.
Ten minutes later Bojay and his Raptor Systems Officer Lt. Kelly ‘Oracle’ Sims were inside their Raptor recon craft. Unlike the Vipers, the Raptor took off under its own power from inside one of the flight pods. Williams’s Raptor was resting inside the port launch bay on its lift that had carried it into the vacuum of space.
“LSO this is Raptor 120 ready for take off.” Bojay called.
The Landing Systems Officer was the officer in charge of all landings in a certain flight pod, but in the case of the Raptor also acted as the ‘Shooter’ or take off officer.
“Roger Raptor 120, board is green, release magnetics.”
In her seat to the back of the Raptor, Oracle flipped the appropriate controls. Their Raptor was now free of the landing deck. Pushing the throttles forward, Bojay brought them out of the flight pod.
“Pegasus, this is Raptor 120, we are free and clear, preparing to jump.” John sent to the CIC.
Lee’s voice answered quickly, “Roger that Raptor 120, good luck Bojay and Oracle.”
“Thanks a bunch Pegasus.” Bojay replied then turning his head slightly to the rear, “I think he likes you.”
Oracle gave her partner a common Colonial symbol that drivers would use when angry, Lee did like Kelly. This just caused John to smile, “Okay let’s get ready to jump.”
“I’ve set up the coordinates; we’ll pop out on the edge of Virgon.” Kelly informed him.
“All right, stand by for jump.” He readied the FTL drive and the feeling of growing smaller came to both of them, then the Raptor disappeared in a massive flash of light.
Seconds later, the Raptor appeared near the moon of Virgon. Using this for cover they began some passive sensor scans.
“Shit Bojay, I’ve got tons of Cylon signatures. Hey there is also a lot of coms traffic, all toaster talk.” Oracle reported.
“Record it; give the intel guys in the CIC some work.” John joked. Carefully he maneuvered the Raptor to a point where the moon would block DRADIS scans of it, but their own powerful DRADIS system, and the passive systems could pick up signals. Using pin point thrusters her managed to keep the Raptor steady.
“Oh my gods…” Oracle said softly.
“What?” Bojay asked.
“Read this.” She transferred the message she received. Bojay looked down at his screen, and his eyes opened in shock.
Battlestar Pegasus
FRM: AUTO EMMERGENCY SYM BSG-155
TO: ALL COLONIAL UNITS
ADRMIAL NAGALA AND 5TH FLEET DESTORYED. CYLONS HAVE NEW RPT NEW COMPUTER ATTACKS THAT CAN CRIPPLE BSGS, VIPERS, AND OTHER CRAFT. DO NOT RPT DO NOT USE NETWORKED SYSTEMS.
SENIOR MOST OFFICER ORD TO TAKE COMMAND OF FLEET
-END OF MSG-
“Thank you, Petty Officer, return to your post.” Cain said not looking up from the message. Lee went back to his station, thinking about the lost of his brother and sister, both who served in the 5th Fleet.
Tolen was the next person to see the message. She looked at the commander, “Sir, Leslie…”
“You’ve seen the report Colonel, 5th Fleet destroyed.” Cain’s face was ridged as stone. Tolen left it at that, “Sir we are now in position above PX545.” She changed the subject to their hiding spot.
“Very well.” Cain said. Tolen left the Commander at the map table; Cain would grieve in his own way. As she headed towards Lt. Rylo’s TAC station, Petty Officer Lee came up to her.
“Sir, another message.” He said excitedly handing it to her. Tolen took the message form and began reading it.
-MSG BEGINS-
FRM: BSG-75
TO: ALL COLONIAL UNITS
THIS IS ADAMA, IM TAKING COMMAND OF FLEET.
ALL COLONIAL UNITS SHOULD MAKE THEIR WAY TO RAGNAR STATION FOR REGROUPING AND COUNTER-ATTACK.
-END OF MSG-
“Sir read this!” she handed the message over to Cain.
Cain took it, scanned it and smiled, “Colonel, will you put me on the 1MC.”
Tolen handed the Commander the phone, “All hands, as you have no doubt heard, we have suffered huge losses. I’m sorry to say that Admiral Nagala is dead, along with the 5th Fleet. Our homes have been attacked with nuclear weapons but there is still hope. I have in my hand a message, from our sister ship the Galactica. Commander Adama has taken control of the Fleet. As soon as we are ready we will jump to Ragnar and link up with Galactica. If the Galactica can survive this, then so can we. I want to say that you have all preformed magnificently these past few hours, and I haven’t severed or commanded a better crew, that is all.”
Cain hung up the phone. Looking around he saw that there was a slight improvement in people’s moods across the CIC. He could see it in their faces; we aren’t alone in this, there are others, something to still fight for. Tolen went over to her Commander with a smile on her face, “Brilliant sir.”
“Nothing brilliant about it Pat, it’s all true. I need an update on our own fuel and mutations status plus de-network our systems immediately.”
Tolen gave her CO a quick salute, “Yes sir.”