Categories > TV > Battlestar Galactica > A Journeys End
Chapter One: From The Jaws Of Death
0 reviewsAU. Four years after the destruction of the colonies Lee Adama has an encounter that will change everything for both Colonials and Cylons.
2Exciting
Chapter One: From The Jaws Of Death
Chapter One: From The Jaws Of Death
Captain Anton Ramirez walked onto the bridge of his command the patrol cruiser Avalon as they made preparations for a hyperlight jump of seven light years to the location of the thermonuclear blast that their long-range sensors had detected. It was a nice break from the tedium of a patrol of that part of the Terran Hegemony boarder that faced the unknown regions towards the edge of the galaxy.
Still Anton was determined to be careful and cautious when they went to investigate the nuclear blast. While no race in this part of space used nuclear weapons anymore, favouring the more powerful antimatter weapons, nukes in potentially large numbers were still not a threat to take lightly. So he would use caution when they jumped.
"Status report," he ordered as he moved over to the command chair and sat down.
"Hyperlight engines are fully powered up," navigation reported from towards the front of the bridge. "Destination co-ordinates have been locked in and verified. We're ready to jump on your command sir."
"Tactical bring the ship to amber alert status. Bring weapons and defensive systems to stand by," Anton ordered.
"Aye, sir," tactical responded.
A klaxon sounded throughout the six hundred meter length of the Avalon/, on every one of her twenty-five decks and amber alert status lights began pulsing alerting the patrol cruisers crew of four hundred to prepare for possible combat operations. Engineering brought the full potential of the /Avalon's zero-point energy matrix on line ready to power the ship's weapons and defensive systems, while crew members moved to their alert stations.
"All hands report ready for possible combat operations sir," tactical reported mere moments after the alert sounded.
"Very good. Navigation initiate jump sequence."
"Aye sir," the navigator replied entering the appropriate command into the Avalon's helm controls.
"Jump sequence activated," the Avalon's computer voice said. "Hyperlight jump in thirty seconds... twenty nine... twenty eight."
Around the bridge the crew readied themselves for the space-fold effect that accompanied a hyperlight jump, nanites woven into the very fabric of their uniforms bonded with their chairs to keep them in place during the jump.
"Hyperlight jump in five..." the computer voice continued. "Four... three... two... one." For a moment nothing happened and then there was the gut wrenching sensation of reality twisting inside out, lights flickered momentarily, space seemed to stretch like a rubber band being pulled then snapped back to normal as the jump completed. Anton resisted the impulse to sigh in relief as everything returned to normal. One thing he hated about being in the Hegemony Guard was hyperlight jumps.
"Navigation what's our position," he ordered instead. The navigator checked the sensors.
"We're on target sir," the navigator reported.
"Excellent. Sensors is anything out there?"
"I'm reading a small localised debris field captain," the sensor lieutenant reported. "Metallic alloys of unknown composition. I'm also reading high amounts of gamma radiation. It looks like that thermonuclear blast was fission based from the amount of radiation that there is. Sir reading one small object adrift on a heading of two three seven mark three one nine from its size I'd say it's a fighter. Configuration unknown."
"Show me."
A holographic display screen appeared in the air in front of Anton showing a small tri-winged fighter adrift in space. The design was faintly like those of Trenik fighters but was clearly not manufactured by that race which to Terran eyes looked like the werewolves of old Terran myth. Looking closely at the fighter he could see the carbon scoring covering the hull, clearly it had caught the edge of the nuclear detonation's plasma and electromagnetic blast wave.
"Analysis," Anton instructed.
"The hull of the fighter is composed of some sort of titanium/carbon/duranium alloy," sensors reported. "Propulsion appears to be an ion-drive of somekind. Minimal power readings, weapons systems appear to be two small railguns. One life sign. Sir its Terran."
"What," Anton exclaimed in surprise even as the whole bridge crew turned to look at the sensor lieutenant in surprise. "Confirm that."
"Confirmed. Pilot is one Terran male unconscious, life sign is slowly fading and I am reading considerable levels of gamma radiation inside the cockpit. Whoever he is, he's dying."
"I've never seen a Terran ship that looks like that, and with such obsolete weaponry. Is that ship from some sort of lost colony?" Commander Erika Romanikov wondered from her workstation. "Still it doesn't matter at the moment. We cannot let the pilot die out there."
"Your right. Answers to the puzzle of the fighter's origin can wait," Anton agreed. "Tactical lock on a tractor beam and bring that ship aboard. Have medical personnel meet it in the hanger bay."
"Aye, sir."
A beam of diffuse light reached forth from a point on the Avalon's hull and locked onto the drifting fighter, halting all drift instantly, before beginning to bring it onboard. Anton stood up from his chair as the fighter enveloped in the luminous blue haze of the tractor beam was brought closer and closer to the Avalon's hanger bay.
"All stations stand down to normal running," he ordered. "Commander Romanikov you have the bridge. I'll be in the hanger bay and then probably in medical."
"Aye sir."
***
Battlestar Galactica
That Same Time
Commander William Adama looked up from his desk and the paperwork that he was doing as the door buzzer chimed for attention.
"Enter," he called wondering why someone was at his door and not using the internal communications system. Though he was grateful for the distraction from the paperwork that came with command of a ship. The door opened and his friend and first officer Colonel Saul Tigh came in his expression grave, which immediately set the alarm bells ringing in William's head. "What is it?"
"The last recognisance patrol sent ahead of the fleet has not returned. All attempts to communicate with them have not been responded to." Adama frowned in concern. Patrols just didn't go silent like that for no reason. He was also worried for another more personal reason, if he remembered the roster correctly that patrol was commanded by his son.
"Have Lieutenant Thrace take red squadron to that area. In the meantime signal the fleet to reduce speed. Advise the president of why we have reduced our speed and why were sending out a squadron. It would also be prudent to bring the ship to a heightened state of alert."
"Yes sir."
"And Saul was that Lee's patrol?" Saul nodded and William closed his eyes. "I see. Dismissed." Saul gave his old friend a concerned look before leaving the room. William looked at the photos on his desk especially he looked at the photo of Lee. Please be okay Lee, he thought, by the lords of Kobol you must be okay.
***
Medical Bay
THS Avalon
A Short Time Later
Doctor Virgil Pike - chief medical officer on the Avalon - carefully examined the pilot of unknown fighter who had just been rushed here from the hanger bay. As he scanned him to determine the extent of the radiation poisoning he noticed a number of subtle differences between him and your average Terran.
The stranger had no appendix and showed no sign of ever having had one. There were numerous subtle differences in his cellular structures those that weren't being torn apart by the huge amount of gamma radiation that he'd absorbed, bone and muscular density was slightly lower and there was a slightly higher percentage of iron in his blood than normal and there were a number of differences in his immune system.
Despite the differences in his physiology it was obvious that the stranger was Human but one that wasn't from Terra or one of the hundreds of colony worlds inside the boarders of the Terran Hegemony. The stranger had come from somewhere else, some unknown world, somewhere where he and others had been separated from the main Terran gene pool for a very long time. Long enough to have evolved into a subspecies, there weren't enough differences in the strangers physiology for him to be a different species of Human.
As the scan progressed Virgil noticed something about the stranger that puzzled him. The stranger had no nanites in his system, which would have made saving him much easier. For almost a thousand years Terrans had used nanotechnology in various forms including having biomechanical nanotech organisms called nanites inside their bodies. The nanites provided a number of health benefits including longer life spans, near perfect health, enhanced sensory perception, almost superhuman speed, strength and endurance, just to name a few. Nanites and nanotechnology were such a fundamental technology in the Terran Hegemony they were one of those technologies on which many others were based. Including modern medicine.
But the stranger had no nanite enhancement and there was evidence in his body of injuries in the past that a Terrans personal nanites would have easily repaired, including broken bones. Nanites with assistance from nano-delivered drugs would easily stop the cellular breakdown being caused by the gamma radiation in the stranger as well as repair the cells and any genetic damage. He had some drugs here that didn't rely on nanites but the radiation damage was to heavy.
Virgil knew of only one thing that could really save the strangers life. And that was to inject him with nanites - the problem was once nanites were inside you and became a part of you the sub cellular biomechanical organisms were impossible to remove. You could exchange one kind for another and back again just by basically changing the RNA coding sequence in the nanites memory since nanites of every kind were basically the same just programmed differently - but removing nanites was impossible. And the main problem with injecting them into the stranger was that they did not know anything about his culture or beliefs for all they knew this mans culture could have a strong bias against nanotechnology for some reason or another.
For one of the few times in his life Virgil Pike had no idea what to do. He couldn't in good conscience let the stranger die when he easily had the tools at hand to save him but did he have the right to possibly violate the rules of the stranger's culture by using the nanites?
"You look like someone with a problem doctor," Captain Ramirez said coming in.
"More like someone facing a moral dilemma sir," Virgil answered. He explained the dilemma he was facing to his commanding officer.
"Your right that is awkward," Anton commented once Virgil had finished. "Unfortunately I don't think you have much choice doctor. Our superiors will want answers from this man about who he is and where he has come from. The engineers have looked at his fighter and the technology appears to be at least three hundred years behind our own. It's powered by a tylium energiser of all things. Still despite being much less advanced the technology is different to ours, and everything is written in a language that is similar to ancient Greek, with some similarities to Roman Latin. Languages that haven't been spoken in many millennia, we're programming our translators with it so we can talk to him eventually. But the point is we won't be able to talk to him or get any answers if he dies."
"I see. While I'm still not comfortable with the idea of potentially breaking the rules of an alien - if Human based - society I will use the nanites on him. I just hope we don't regret it."
Before Anton could respond the comm unit built into the right forearm of his uniform bleeped for attention. Anton tapped it.
"Yes?"
"Sir report from sensors were picking up something at the very edge of scanner range," Commander Romanikov's voice said from the device.
"Very well I'll be right there," Anton replied. "Take care of our guest doctor."
"I will."
As his captain left Pike walked over to a cabinet and pulled out two a hypospray and two injection capsules one contained an emergency replacement shot of standard military-class nanites, the other contained a nanite mobilised anti-radiation drug. First he loaded the nanite-containing capsule in the hypospray before pressing it against the stranger's neck and firing. With a faint hiss of released pressure a dose of close on several hundred thousand nanites went straight into the strangers bloodstream. Then after waiting a few moments for the nanites to begin the dispersal, integration and replication process he loaded the second capsule and injected the contents into the stranger as well.
***
Anton hurried back onto the bridge of the /Avalon/.
"Report commander," he ordered.
"Sensors have picked up two large groups of contacts in bound. One group will be here in approximately three minutes and consists of a large number of fighter craft of unknown configuration. The other group which is coming in from a different vector will be here in seven minutes again there fighters and sir the configuration matches the unknown fighter we brought on board."
Anton frowned not liking this at all, as he didn't have any fighters of his own. The Avalon was equipped with anti-fighter ordinance and the pulse lasers and proton accelerator guns in the point defence network could track and target fighters. If push came to shove the proton cannons that formed part of their main armament could be set to shotgun mode for anti-fighter use. The only weapons they had that couldn't use for anti-fighter warfare were their torpedoes and the positron beam cannons. Still that didn't mean he liked two large groups of fighters closing in on him.
"Weapons take us to condition red full combat alert," he ordered after a moments thought. "Exec have a message drone prepared for launch in case we don't get out of here in one piece."
"Aye sir," came the replies from both Commander Romanikov and the weapons officer.
Anton sat down in his chair and leaned back as alarms began to wail throughout the ship and red battle lights began to pulse. Hopefully they would be able to get out of this situation without being forced to use their weapons but for some reason Anton did not think that it would be possible potentially with either group.
Chapter One: From The Jaws Of Death
Captain Anton Ramirez walked onto the bridge of his command the patrol cruiser Avalon as they made preparations for a hyperlight jump of seven light years to the location of the thermonuclear blast that their long-range sensors had detected. It was a nice break from the tedium of a patrol of that part of the Terran Hegemony boarder that faced the unknown regions towards the edge of the galaxy.
Still Anton was determined to be careful and cautious when they went to investigate the nuclear blast. While no race in this part of space used nuclear weapons anymore, favouring the more powerful antimatter weapons, nukes in potentially large numbers were still not a threat to take lightly. So he would use caution when they jumped.
"Status report," he ordered as he moved over to the command chair and sat down.
"Hyperlight engines are fully powered up," navigation reported from towards the front of the bridge. "Destination co-ordinates have been locked in and verified. We're ready to jump on your command sir."
"Tactical bring the ship to amber alert status. Bring weapons and defensive systems to stand by," Anton ordered.
"Aye, sir," tactical responded.
A klaxon sounded throughout the six hundred meter length of the Avalon/, on every one of her twenty-five decks and amber alert status lights began pulsing alerting the patrol cruisers crew of four hundred to prepare for possible combat operations. Engineering brought the full potential of the /Avalon's zero-point energy matrix on line ready to power the ship's weapons and defensive systems, while crew members moved to their alert stations.
"All hands report ready for possible combat operations sir," tactical reported mere moments after the alert sounded.
"Very good. Navigation initiate jump sequence."
"Aye sir," the navigator replied entering the appropriate command into the Avalon's helm controls.
"Jump sequence activated," the Avalon's computer voice said. "Hyperlight jump in thirty seconds... twenty nine... twenty eight."
Around the bridge the crew readied themselves for the space-fold effect that accompanied a hyperlight jump, nanites woven into the very fabric of their uniforms bonded with their chairs to keep them in place during the jump.
"Hyperlight jump in five..." the computer voice continued. "Four... three... two... one." For a moment nothing happened and then there was the gut wrenching sensation of reality twisting inside out, lights flickered momentarily, space seemed to stretch like a rubber band being pulled then snapped back to normal as the jump completed. Anton resisted the impulse to sigh in relief as everything returned to normal. One thing he hated about being in the Hegemony Guard was hyperlight jumps.
"Navigation what's our position," he ordered instead. The navigator checked the sensors.
"We're on target sir," the navigator reported.
"Excellent. Sensors is anything out there?"
"I'm reading a small localised debris field captain," the sensor lieutenant reported. "Metallic alloys of unknown composition. I'm also reading high amounts of gamma radiation. It looks like that thermonuclear blast was fission based from the amount of radiation that there is. Sir reading one small object adrift on a heading of two three seven mark three one nine from its size I'd say it's a fighter. Configuration unknown."
"Show me."
A holographic display screen appeared in the air in front of Anton showing a small tri-winged fighter adrift in space. The design was faintly like those of Trenik fighters but was clearly not manufactured by that race which to Terran eyes looked like the werewolves of old Terran myth. Looking closely at the fighter he could see the carbon scoring covering the hull, clearly it had caught the edge of the nuclear detonation's plasma and electromagnetic blast wave.
"Analysis," Anton instructed.
"The hull of the fighter is composed of some sort of titanium/carbon/duranium alloy," sensors reported. "Propulsion appears to be an ion-drive of somekind. Minimal power readings, weapons systems appear to be two small railguns. One life sign. Sir its Terran."
"What," Anton exclaimed in surprise even as the whole bridge crew turned to look at the sensor lieutenant in surprise. "Confirm that."
"Confirmed. Pilot is one Terran male unconscious, life sign is slowly fading and I am reading considerable levels of gamma radiation inside the cockpit. Whoever he is, he's dying."
"I've never seen a Terran ship that looks like that, and with such obsolete weaponry. Is that ship from some sort of lost colony?" Commander Erika Romanikov wondered from her workstation. "Still it doesn't matter at the moment. We cannot let the pilot die out there."
"Your right. Answers to the puzzle of the fighter's origin can wait," Anton agreed. "Tactical lock on a tractor beam and bring that ship aboard. Have medical personnel meet it in the hanger bay."
"Aye, sir."
A beam of diffuse light reached forth from a point on the Avalon's hull and locked onto the drifting fighter, halting all drift instantly, before beginning to bring it onboard. Anton stood up from his chair as the fighter enveloped in the luminous blue haze of the tractor beam was brought closer and closer to the Avalon's hanger bay.
"All stations stand down to normal running," he ordered. "Commander Romanikov you have the bridge. I'll be in the hanger bay and then probably in medical."
"Aye sir."
***
Battlestar Galactica
That Same Time
Commander William Adama looked up from his desk and the paperwork that he was doing as the door buzzer chimed for attention.
"Enter," he called wondering why someone was at his door and not using the internal communications system. Though he was grateful for the distraction from the paperwork that came with command of a ship. The door opened and his friend and first officer Colonel Saul Tigh came in his expression grave, which immediately set the alarm bells ringing in William's head. "What is it?"
"The last recognisance patrol sent ahead of the fleet has not returned. All attempts to communicate with them have not been responded to." Adama frowned in concern. Patrols just didn't go silent like that for no reason. He was also worried for another more personal reason, if he remembered the roster correctly that patrol was commanded by his son.
"Have Lieutenant Thrace take red squadron to that area. In the meantime signal the fleet to reduce speed. Advise the president of why we have reduced our speed and why were sending out a squadron. It would also be prudent to bring the ship to a heightened state of alert."
"Yes sir."
"And Saul was that Lee's patrol?" Saul nodded and William closed his eyes. "I see. Dismissed." Saul gave his old friend a concerned look before leaving the room. William looked at the photos on his desk especially he looked at the photo of Lee. Please be okay Lee, he thought, by the lords of Kobol you must be okay.
***
Medical Bay
THS Avalon
A Short Time Later
Doctor Virgil Pike - chief medical officer on the Avalon - carefully examined the pilot of unknown fighter who had just been rushed here from the hanger bay. As he scanned him to determine the extent of the radiation poisoning he noticed a number of subtle differences between him and your average Terran.
The stranger had no appendix and showed no sign of ever having had one. There were numerous subtle differences in his cellular structures those that weren't being torn apart by the huge amount of gamma radiation that he'd absorbed, bone and muscular density was slightly lower and there was a slightly higher percentage of iron in his blood than normal and there were a number of differences in his immune system.
Despite the differences in his physiology it was obvious that the stranger was Human but one that wasn't from Terra or one of the hundreds of colony worlds inside the boarders of the Terran Hegemony. The stranger had come from somewhere else, some unknown world, somewhere where he and others had been separated from the main Terran gene pool for a very long time. Long enough to have evolved into a subspecies, there weren't enough differences in the strangers physiology for him to be a different species of Human.
As the scan progressed Virgil noticed something about the stranger that puzzled him. The stranger had no nanites in his system, which would have made saving him much easier. For almost a thousand years Terrans had used nanotechnology in various forms including having biomechanical nanotech organisms called nanites inside their bodies. The nanites provided a number of health benefits including longer life spans, near perfect health, enhanced sensory perception, almost superhuman speed, strength and endurance, just to name a few. Nanites and nanotechnology were such a fundamental technology in the Terran Hegemony they were one of those technologies on which many others were based. Including modern medicine.
But the stranger had no nanite enhancement and there was evidence in his body of injuries in the past that a Terrans personal nanites would have easily repaired, including broken bones. Nanites with assistance from nano-delivered drugs would easily stop the cellular breakdown being caused by the gamma radiation in the stranger as well as repair the cells and any genetic damage. He had some drugs here that didn't rely on nanites but the radiation damage was to heavy.
Virgil knew of only one thing that could really save the strangers life. And that was to inject him with nanites - the problem was once nanites were inside you and became a part of you the sub cellular biomechanical organisms were impossible to remove. You could exchange one kind for another and back again just by basically changing the RNA coding sequence in the nanites memory since nanites of every kind were basically the same just programmed differently - but removing nanites was impossible. And the main problem with injecting them into the stranger was that they did not know anything about his culture or beliefs for all they knew this mans culture could have a strong bias against nanotechnology for some reason or another.
For one of the few times in his life Virgil Pike had no idea what to do. He couldn't in good conscience let the stranger die when he easily had the tools at hand to save him but did he have the right to possibly violate the rules of the stranger's culture by using the nanites?
"You look like someone with a problem doctor," Captain Ramirez said coming in.
"More like someone facing a moral dilemma sir," Virgil answered. He explained the dilemma he was facing to his commanding officer.
"Your right that is awkward," Anton commented once Virgil had finished. "Unfortunately I don't think you have much choice doctor. Our superiors will want answers from this man about who he is and where he has come from. The engineers have looked at his fighter and the technology appears to be at least three hundred years behind our own. It's powered by a tylium energiser of all things. Still despite being much less advanced the technology is different to ours, and everything is written in a language that is similar to ancient Greek, with some similarities to Roman Latin. Languages that haven't been spoken in many millennia, we're programming our translators with it so we can talk to him eventually. But the point is we won't be able to talk to him or get any answers if he dies."
"I see. While I'm still not comfortable with the idea of potentially breaking the rules of an alien - if Human based - society I will use the nanites on him. I just hope we don't regret it."
Before Anton could respond the comm unit built into the right forearm of his uniform bleeped for attention. Anton tapped it.
"Yes?"
"Sir report from sensors were picking up something at the very edge of scanner range," Commander Romanikov's voice said from the device.
"Very well I'll be right there," Anton replied. "Take care of our guest doctor."
"I will."
As his captain left Pike walked over to a cabinet and pulled out two a hypospray and two injection capsules one contained an emergency replacement shot of standard military-class nanites, the other contained a nanite mobilised anti-radiation drug. First he loaded the nanite-containing capsule in the hypospray before pressing it against the stranger's neck and firing. With a faint hiss of released pressure a dose of close on several hundred thousand nanites went straight into the strangers bloodstream. Then after waiting a few moments for the nanites to begin the dispersal, integration and replication process he loaded the second capsule and injected the contents into the stranger as well.
***
Anton hurried back onto the bridge of the /Avalon/.
"Report commander," he ordered.
"Sensors have picked up two large groups of contacts in bound. One group will be here in approximately three minutes and consists of a large number of fighter craft of unknown configuration. The other group which is coming in from a different vector will be here in seven minutes again there fighters and sir the configuration matches the unknown fighter we brought on board."
Anton frowned not liking this at all, as he didn't have any fighters of his own. The Avalon was equipped with anti-fighter ordinance and the pulse lasers and proton accelerator guns in the point defence network could track and target fighters. If push came to shove the proton cannons that formed part of their main armament could be set to shotgun mode for anti-fighter use. The only weapons they had that couldn't use for anti-fighter warfare were their torpedoes and the positron beam cannons. Still that didn't mean he liked two large groups of fighters closing in on him.
"Weapons take us to condition red full combat alert," he ordered after a moments thought. "Exec have a message drone prepared for launch in case we don't get out of here in one piece."
"Aye sir," came the replies from both Commander Romanikov and the weapons officer.
Anton sat down in his chair and leaned back as alarms began to wail throughout the ship and red battle lights began to pulse. Hopefully they would be able to get out of this situation without being forced to use their weapons but for some reason Anton did not think that it would be possible potentially with either group.
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