Categories > TV > Battlestar Galactica > A Journeys End
Chapter Two: Engagement
0 reviewsAU. Four years after the destruction of the colonies Lee Adama has an encounter that will change everything for both the Colonials and the Cylons.
2Exciting
Chapter Two: Engagement
Chapter Two: Engagement
The assault squadron of a hundred Cylon Scimitars cruised through space with deadly purpose and silence intent on laying a trap for the Colonial Remnant, which was in the area. The loss of contact with the two Scimitars sent to scout this area after a report that they had detected the presence of two Colonial Vipers confirmed that the prey the Cylon Empire had long sought was in this area.
Reinforcements had been summoned but it would be sometime before the task force of three basestars spread out throughout this sector would be able to rendezvous and make the jump to ensure the final destruction of the Humans. Until then the closest basestar had dispatched virtually its whole complement of Scimitars to find, engage and delay the colonial ships before they could calculate a hyperlight jump away from this area.
The Scimitar squadron had made a short hyperlight jump to this area and now been underway for over an hour but the time in space meant nothing to the Scimitars. This was their natural element where their model of Cylon belonged. Scimitars were never happier than when in space, the advanced 12 Humanoid models might prefer planets and ships but the Scimitars preferred space only returning to baseships for refuelling and rearming.
Approaching there destination co-ordinates based on the projected path of the Colonial Remnant the Scimitars switched on there active scanners and sensor beams swept through space searching for the drive and power signatures and the unmistakable silhouettes of the Colonial ships.
They didn't find them. Instead the Scimitars detected a single ship around the same size as a Colonial Fleet destroyer holding position near the target co-ordinates. The Scimitars turned their sensor beams on the unknown vessel and determined instantly that it was not a Colonial vessel. The design did not match anything encountered by the Cylon race before and this made the Scimitars cautious as they approached the vessel. There sensors indicated that the unknown vessel was definitely a warship of some sort, they were picking up evidence of multiple gun ports and turrets but they were not able to get more information at this range.
As the range closed the Scimitars increased their scans of the alien warship and began to get some more information on it. The ships power readings were off the scale and did not match any known power source, an armoured hull of unknown composition protected the vessel and the vessels weapons systems did not match any known system. The Scimitars picked up what were obviously launchers for some sort of missiles but the bulk of the ships armament was unfamiliar, sensors also picked up some kind of energy field surrounding the alien vessel though its purpose was unknown. Logic dictated that despite their superior numbers the Scimitars were to approach cautiously and they did just that.
Until that was there sensors picked up the life signs aboard the alien ship. The Cylon sensors identified the lifeforms readings onboard the alien ship were Human and caution immediately gave way too deadly purpose. The Scimitars increased speed forming up into attack formation as they closed to missile range with the new ship. As they entered attack range the leading Scimitars reached out across space attempted to access the Human vessels computer systems.
***
Bridge
THS Avalon
Anton Ramirez watched nervously as the fleet of unknown fighters closed on his ship. They had not picked up any signals from the unknowns and that was worrying Anton deeply. Who did these fighters belong to and why had they not attempted to contact them?
"Sensors what can you tell me about those fighters," he asked.
"The unknown fighters are scanning us heavily sir," the sensor lieutenant reported, "I think there trying to figure out who we are. The fighters are more advanced than the one we picked up earlier but not by a huge degree. Each fighter is armed with twin pulse lasers, a number of missiles both with conventional and thermonuclear warheads. Power is tylium based just like the fighter we picked up but is more advanced. I'm picking up organic readings on the fighters but no life signs as such. I think these fighters are drones driven by somekind of biomechanical computer system." The sensors bleeped.
"Sir alien fighters have stopped scanning us. There picking up speed, we're being targeted," sensors reported.
"Communications hail them I don't want a fight if I can avoid it," Anton ordered. "Weapons stand by countermeasures and AFM's if those fighters fire at us I want to be ready to stop their ordinance and blast them out of space."
"Aye sir," came the replies from the respective stations but before anyone could speak the operations console gave a bleep.
"What is it," Anton asked the operations officer.
"Alien fighters are attempting to access our computers sir," the operations officer reported her hands dancing across the panel in front of her. "Its somekind of computer worm. Sophisticated and extremely adaptive. Firewalls are holding and countermeasures are erasing it. Shall I return the favour sir?"
"Do it," Anton ordered annoyed that these unknowns were trying information warfare on his ship. Two can play that game, he thought.
The operations officer smiled and pressed a button sending a standard defensive computer virus back along the alien's own signal right into their systems. Take that, she thought.
***
The leading wave of Scimitars abruptly lurched in space as the counter virus screamed into their systems disrupting all control functions. Engines shut down and the Scimitars began to drop out of formation as system after system started to crash. The sheer unexpectedness of the assault stunned the Scimitars for several nanoseconds - the Colonials had never tried fighting the Cylons in this way before countering with computer virus's of there own. Antiviral programs cut in trying to adapt to the sudden invasion of the Scimitars consciousness even as more and more Scimitars began to fall out of formation there wireless network connection that enabled them to function so well in combat acting against them allowing the Humans virus to spread amongst them sowing waves of system failures and disruptions.
It took the Cylon antiviral programs almost a minute - an eternity for the A.I's - to counter and eliminate the virus. Those Scimitars that had had there engines knocked off line by the viral assault brought them back on line and the Cylons began to rebuild there shattered formation. The Scimitars scanned space around fully expecting to see a massive barrage of missiles coming at them from the Humans new ship. But there weren't any which struck the artificial minds of the Scimitars as strange as any Colonials would have taken advantage of the confusion as the Cylons rebuilt there formations to fire at them and blast raider after raider out of the sky.
Then sensors picked up the squadron of Colonial Vipers only a few more minutes from combat range. Tactical programs indicated an ambush. The Scimitars paused for a moment then thirty Scimitars broke away from the main formation and advanced towards the Colonial Vipers the others formed up into attack waves and streaked towards the new vessel and the leading wave sent a torrent of nuclear tipped missiles towards the new vessel.
***
Lieutenant Thrace's Viper
A Few Moments Earlier
"Oh frak," Lieutenant Kara 'Starbuck' Thrace said as her dradis screen abruptly picked up a large number of Cylon Scimitars on a heading that they would cut across in moments. The Scimitars were in attack formation heading for a ship about the size of the Atheon-class destroyers which Colonial Fleet had brought into operation about a year before the Cylon attack - though the configuration of the ship was completely different to anything that the colonies would have built.
"All Vipers," she ordered into her comlink. "Prepare for a decoy evasion run." The decoy evasion run was a sequence of evasive and combat manoeuvres that they had developed during their long flight away from the Cylons; or rather Lee had developed it. It was designed to lure the Cylons away from the rest of the Remnant and the A.I's fell for it every time as the sequence was never the same each time it was used.
Lee!
Starbuck couldn't think about him now. Couldn't think about her secret love. She knew he was dead now the Cylons must have ambushed and destroyed his patrol but she couldn't let it affect her now. She would cry later. After she told Commander Adama that Lee was dead. A conversation she was dreading because she knew that despite there differences - though they had both made moves to heal the rift between them that Zack's death had caused - William and Lee Adama loved each other deeply just like any father and son and she knew that William would be emotionally destroyed by his sons death.
"Starbuck look at your screen," one of her fellow pilots said. Starbuck looked at her screen and her jaw dropped when she saw the formation of Scimitars shattering, the individual raiders dropping out of formation and tumbling unpowered through space. Obviously the ship the Cylons were approaching had done something to them but the Vipers sensors were not detecting any weapons fire. If she didn't know any better she would think that the unidentified ship had done to the Cylons what the Cylons had done to the Colonial Fleet four years ago.
"By the Lords of Kobol, who could disable the Cylons like that," another pilot asked.
"I don't know," Starbuck replied. "I would sure like to meet them whoever they are they could be the salvation of our people."
"Ah Starbuck it looks like the Cylons are recovering and a number of them are heading our way," he wingman said sounding worried. Starbuck looked at her dradis screen and swore under her breath when she saw that her wingman was right and the Cylons were recovering from whatever the unknowns had done to them and a large number of Scimitars were heading right towards her squadron.
"All Vipers prepare for emergency dog-fighting," she ordered. "If these Cylons want to take us then lets make them work for it." A chorus of approving 'yes sirs' came over her comlink. Starbuck gritted her teeth and prepared to give the Cylons hell as soon as they came into weapons range.
On her screen she noticed the other group of Scimitars open fire upon the unknown ship they'd been heading for launching a massive salvo of nuclear missiles.
***
Bridge
THS Avalon
"Unknown fighters have recovered from our counter virus sir," sensors reported. "Thirty have broken away from the main group and are heading for the second group of fighters the remainder are closing on us. We're being targeted again. Missiles incoming."
On the tactical hologram hovering in front of him Anton could see it himself. Each fighter launched two missiles meaning that a wall of a hundred and forty missiles was coming blasting towards his ship and according to sensors all of them had nuclear warheads with an estimated blast yield of fifty kilotons per warhead.
"Launch countermeasures," Anton ordered. "Weapons target AFM's on the attackers and fire at will. Set proton cannons to shotgun mode and commence fire as soon as the enemy is in range. Point defence stand by to nail any missile that gets too close."
"Aye sir." Countermeasures - basically missiles carrying warheads which when detonated produced a cloud of nanites and shrapnel which could detonate just about any missile that came in contact with it - raced to intercept the incoming storm of projectiles. Simultaneously anti-fighter missiles or AFM's shot towards the fighter swarm.
The countermeasures deployed their nanite and shrapnel clouds and the missile swarm slammed into it. Most of the enemy missiles detonated immediately as they either hit shrapnel specifically designed to set off things like kinetic detonators or had there systems compromised by nanites intent on detonating their warheads and succeeding spectacularly. The Cylons had never encountered nanotechnology before and had never developed a defence against it. Despite the effectiveness of the countermeasures the sheer number of incoming missiles meant some would get through. Twenty of the Cylon missiles penetrated the countermeasure screen and closed on the Avalon/. The ships defensive pulse lasers and proton accelerators came on firing multi-gigawatt energy bolts at the incoming missiles. Guided by the ships targeting systems the laser pulses and miniature proton energy projectiles struck with deadly accuracy. All but one of the missiles died vanishing in plumes of vaporised metal the surviving missile slammed into the /Avalon's forward shields and detonated with a brilliant blue-white flash.
Anton held on as his ship shuddered around him from the impact.
"Direct hit shields are holding," the tactical lieutenant reported. Anton nodded having expected it. The Avalon's shields were after all designed to withstand weapons that were a lot more powerful than the weapons these unknown fighters were armed with, weapons like antimatter torpedoes that could pack a couple of gigatons of firepower when they struck.
It was at that moment that the AFM salvo fired from the Avalon reached the Scimitars. Moments before impact the main AFM missile warhead covers dissolved into nothing and a barrage of smaller seeker missiles that hammered the lead wave of Scimitars. Not only did the smaller missiles have nanocompressed microfusion warheads but they also packed a ferocious kinetic force on impact. Twenty Scimitars died instantly vanishing in blasts of fusion flame.
Though startled by the quick destruction of so many of their fellows the remaining Scimitars retaliated immediately with another barrage of missiles, as soon as the first wave of missiles was clear the Scimitars fired again sending another volley screaming along the propellant trails of the first salvo.
Anton didn't even have to give the order as more countermeasures were launched from the Avalon to counter the missile barrage; following them came a retaliatory salvo of AFM's. On his tactical hologram he noticed the unknown alien fighters do something different this time. As the countermeasure and AFM carrier missiles came into range volleys of blue pulsed laser fire reached out from the unknowns aimed at the missiles. Clearly the unknowns were trying to intercept the missiles before they deployed. Three countermeasure missiles died as laser fire impacted and turned them into hazy balls of disassociated ions, several AFM's met the same fate. Quick learners, Anton thought even as weapons compensated for the lost missiles by firing another full salvo, even as the remaining countermeasures deployed.
The Cylon missiles reached the countermeasure screen and immediately missiles began to die, vanishing in blasts of nuclear starfire that claimed many more missiles. One hundred and ten missiles escaped the initial countermeasure screen only to instantly slam into the next screen of countermeasures and begin dying. Sixty missiles made it through the second countermeasures screen and closed in on the Avalon to run straight into a wall of pulse laser and proton accelerator fire as the Avalon's defensive batteries went into continuous rapid fire to eliminate the approaching threat and threw out a web of coherent energy. Cylon missiles died left and right in balls of hazy ions as they were hit full on or grazed by the bolts of red and gold light that made up the net.
The sheer number of missiles though meant that some would get through the defensive fire. Twelve missiles barely twenty percent of the Cylon's dual salvo survived the defensive firepower to slam into the /Avalon's /shields detonating in multiple blasts of blue-white starfire that set the shields aglow.
Anton held on as the Avalon shuddered violently under the impact, it was an automatic reflex as the nanites in his uniform would keep him safely seated in his chair through all but the worst of hits.
"Multiple direct hits," the tactical lieutenant reported as the ships gravitational stability returned. "Minor damage to forward shields, firming back up now sir."
Anton nodded even as on his screen he saw there AFM salvos reach the unknowns and deploy most evading the persistent attempts by the unknowns to shoot them down. Thirty-five enemy fighters died as the AFM's tore the very core of their formations apart.
Stunned by the firepower of the new vessel and the fact that there weapons were having no observable effect on the unknown ship just detonating harmless against the energy field that surrounded the ship, a field that was obviously some sort of shield, the remaining Scimitars halted for a moment. The Scimitars noticed that their fellows were having some problems with the fast and nimble Colonial Vipers but they could not help them, conferring among themselves the Scimitars decided to resume their attack. Forming up into three five ship squadrons they moved in different directions and then came in towards the Avalon each raider firing its remaining two nukes towards the alien ship.
Anton raised an eyebrow as he observed the enemy fighters change in tactics. It was obvious that they had finally twigged that a full on frontal assault didn't work, between the countermeasures, AFM's, shields and point defence's the Avalon was impervious to any frontal assault the fighters could mount. So they were now trying to break through his ships defences with a multi-vectored attack. This is pointless, Anton thought sadly, why won't they back off they can't win this fight. He observed the alien fighters fire another barrage of nukes at his ship, thirty missiles were inbound with the fighters closing behind them.
The weapons officer didn't even bother with launching countermeasures this time leaving the missiles to the point defence network. Missile after missile died before they could get close. The raiders closed in firing conventional high-explosive warheads and pulsed lasers attempting futilely to break down the Avalon's shielding. Fire from the point defence batteries reached out towards both the fighters and the incoming missiles. Twelve raiders and all the missiles died in the devastating barrage of fire. The remaining three raiders increased speed towards the Avalon and continued firing with everything they had.
Missiles and laser fire impacted the shields, which glowed softly beneath the pummelling not even being bothered by the assault. Then the three raiders ran out of time as the Avalon summarily blasted them out of existence.
"Sensors what's the status of the rest of the enemy fighters," Anton asked.
"There heavily engaged with the second group of fighters sir," sensors reported. "Twelve hostiles and five of the second group have been destroyed. Ten enemy fighters are breaking off and heading in our direction the rest are continuing to fight the second group."
"Captain enough is enough," Commander Romanikov said. "Whoever these hostiles are they obviously do not believe in peaceful co-existence we must end this pointless slaughter no matter how distasteful it is."
"You're right commander though I don't like destroying those who can't hurt us," Anton replied with a sigh. "But we must end this. Navigation take us towards that second group of fighters. Weapons fire enough AFM's to wipe the hostile fighters from space. The second group leave them alone, hopefully they and our guest in medical will be able to give us some answers about what this is all about once all this is over."
"Aye sir," came the replies from the respective stations.
The Avalon turned gracefully in space the field produced by her gravimagnetic sublight engines giving her a manoeuvrability and easy grace in her movements that ships equipped with fusion, ion or antimatter drives lacked. Not to mention the benefits she had in speed and acceleration and naturally her crew felt nothing of the ships manoeuvres thanks to inertial dampening. The Avalon moved towards the final group of Scimitars AFM's launching from her towards the Cylons as she closed on the Cylons at a speed that was unheard of by Cylons or Colonials.
The ten closest Scimitars answered the rapidly approaching ship with a fierce barrage of nuclear missiles. Each raider launched its full complement of eight nuclear tipped missiles so that eighty missiles were streaking across space towards the /Avalon/. Countermeasures raced to intercept the incoming nukes. Again the Cylons began firing at the AFM and countermeasure units. But the Cylons were not the only quick learners. The computer guided AFM and countermeasure missiles began taking evasive action of their own jinking madly as they closed the range. The Scimitars co-ordinated there fire on the countermeasure and AFM's trying to anticipate the evasion patterns of the incoming ordinance from the /Avalon/. Several countermeasure and four AFM carrier missiles died under the co-ordinated firepower the rest deployed.
The Cylon missiles impacted the weakened countermeasure screen and sixty succumbed to the cloud of nanites and shrapnel vanishing in short lived bursts of nuclear fire. The remaining twenty missiles closed in on the Avalon only to be easily picked off by fire from the Avalon's point defence network. Then the ten Scimitars died as the AFM's slammed into them swatting them from space as though they had never been.
The eight remaining Scimitars took stock of the situation. Tactical processor indicated that between the approaching warship and the Colonial Vipers there was now no chance of victory only the certainty of destruction. Conferring at the speed of electronic impulses between themselves the eight Scimitars came to the only logical conclusion.
They broke off their engagements and one by one jumped away fleeing the scene of a battle, which for the Cylons had been a complete and utter disaster.
"Stand down from battle stations," Anton ordered. "Communications set our translators for the language gained from the fighter we rescued earlier and hail the remaining fighters."
"Aye sir."
***
Lieutenant Thrace's Viper
Starbuck sighed in relief as the Cylons broke off their attack and disappeared into hyperlight fleeing the incredible power of the alien ship that was bearing down on them. That had been a pretty intense dog fight and though they had been managing to out fly the Cylons five of her squad had been killed the Cylon pulse lasers tearing through there Vipers like they were made of tissue paper. And with there superior numbers it was obvious to Kara that it wouldn't have taken the Cylons long to do the same to the rest of Red Squadron herself included.
Looking at the alien warship as it came to a halt in space in front of them Kara wasn't quite sure what to do now. The ship was amazing, its weapons were obviously very advanced and powerful and what was even more amazing was the fact that it had energy shields. Colonial science had long considered practical force fields like the one protecting the unknown ship to be impossible and just the stuff of bad science fiction stories. Yet now here they were seeing a practical energy shield and an energy shield of incredible strength given that it had taken multiple nuclear blasts and not flinched. Whoever had built that ship they knew a lot more about how to manipulate energy than the colonies did, which could also explain how the ship could move around without any visible engines.
"By the Lords of Kobol who does that ship belong to," one of her fellow pilots asked.
"I don't know," Starbuck replied. "I just hope were not next." Then her Vipers computer bleeped alerting her to a channel opening from the alien ship. To say that she was shocked when a Human voice came through was an understatement.
"Unknown fighters this is Captain Anton Ramirez of the Terran Hegemony Starship /Avalon/. Do you require assistance?"
Chapter Two: Engagement
The assault squadron of a hundred Cylon Scimitars cruised through space with deadly purpose and silence intent on laying a trap for the Colonial Remnant, which was in the area. The loss of contact with the two Scimitars sent to scout this area after a report that they had detected the presence of two Colonial Vipers confirmed that the prey the Cylon Empire had long sought was in this area.
Reinforcements had been summoned but it would be sometime before the task force of three basestars spread out throughout this sector would be able to rendezvous and make the jump to ensure the final destruction of the Humans. Until then the closest basestar had dispatched virtually its whole complement of Scimitars to find, engage and delay the colonial ships before they could calculate a hyperlight jump away from this area.
The Scimitar squadron had made a short hyperlight jump to this area and now been underway for over an hour but the time in space meant nothing to the Scimitars. This was their natural element where their model of Cylon belonged. Scimitars were never happier than when in space, the advanced 12 Humanoid models might prefer planets and ships but the Scimitars preferred space only returning to baseships for refuelling and rearming.
Approaching there destination co-ordinates based on the projected path of the Colonial Remnant the Scimitars switched on there active scanners and sensor beams swept through space searching for the drive and power signatures and the unmistakable silhouettes of the Colonial ships.
They didn't find them. Instead the Scimitars detected a single ship around the same size as a Colonial Fleet destroyer holding position near the target co-ordinates. The Scimitars turned their sensor beams on the unknown vessel and determined instantly that it was not a Colonial vessel. The design did not match anything encountered by the Cylon race before and this made the Scimitars cautious as they approached the vessel. There sensors indicated that the unknown vessel was definitely a warship of some sort, they were picking up evidence of multiple gun ports and turrets but they were not able to get more information at this range.
As the range closed the Scimitars increased their scans of the alien warship and began to get some more information on it. The ships power readings were off the scale and did not match any known power source, an armoured hull of unknown composition protected the vessel and the vessels weapons systems did not match any known system. The Scimitars picked up what were obviously launchers for some sort of missiles but the bulk of the ships armament was unfamiliar, sensors also picked up some kind of energy field surrounding the alien vessel though its purpose was unknown. Logic dictated that despite their superior numbers the Scimitars were to approach cautiously and they did just that.
Until that was there sensors picked up the life signs aboard the alien ship. The Cylon sensors identified the lifeforms readings onboard the alien ship were Human and caution immediately gave way too deadly purpose. The Scimitars increased speed forming up into attack formation as they closed to missile range with the new ship. As they entered attack range the leading Scimitars reached out across space attempted to access the Human vessels computer systems.
***
Bridge
THS Avalon
Anton Ramirez watched nervously as the fleet of unknown fighters closed on his ship. They had not picked up any signals from the unknowns and that was worrying Anton deeply. Who did these fighters belong to and why had they not attempted to contact them?
"Sensors what can you tell me about those fighters," he asked.
"The unknown fighters are scanning us heavily sir," the sensor lieutenant reported, "I think there trying to figure out who we are. The fighters are more advanced than the one we picked up earlier but not by a huge degree. Each fighter is armed with twin pulse lasers, a number of missiles both with conventional and thermonuclear warheads. Power is tylium based just like the fighter we picked up but is more advanced. I'm picking up organic readings on the fighters but no life signs as such. I think these fighters are drones driven by somekind of biomechanical computer system." The sensors bleeped.
"Sir alien fighters have stopped scanning us. There picking up speed, we're being targeted," sensors reported.
"Communications hail them I don't want a fight if I can avoid it," Anton ordered. "Weapons stand by countermeasures and AFM's if those fighters fire at us I want to be ready to stop their ordinance and blast them out of space."
"Aye sir," came the replies from the respective stations but before anyone could speak the operations console gave a bleep.
"What is it," Anton asked the operations officer.
"Alien fighters are attempting to access our computers sir," the operations officer reported her hands dancing across the panel in front of her. "Its somekind of computer worm. Sophisticated and extremely adaptive. Firewalls are holding and countermeasures are erasing it. Shall I return the favour sir?"
"Do it," Anton ordered annoyed that these unknowns were trying information warfare on his ship. Two can play that game, he thought.
The operations officer smiled and pressed a button sending a standard defensive computer virus back along the alien's own signal right into their systems. Take that, she thought.
***
The leading wave of Scimitars abruptly lurched in space as the counter virus screamed into their systems disrupting all control functions. Engines shut down and the Scimitars began to drop out of formation as system after system started to crash. The sheer unexpectedness of the assault stunned the Scimitars for several nanoseconds - the Colonials had never tried fighting the Cylons in this way before countering with computer virus's of there own. Antiviral programs cut in trying to adapt to the sudden invasion of the Scimitars consciousness even as more and more Scimitars began to fall out of formation there wireless network connection that enabled them to function so well in combat acting against them allowing the Humans virus to spread amongst them sowing waves of system failures and disruptions.
It took the Cylon antiviral programs almost a minute - an eternity for the A.I's - to counter and eliminate the virus. Those Scimitars that had had there engines knocked off line by the viral assault brought them back on line and the Cylons began to rebuild there shattered formation. The Scimitars scanned space around fully expecting to see a massive barrage of missiles coming at them from the Humans new ship. But there weren't any which struck the artificial minds of the Scimitars as strange as any Colonials would have taken advantage of the confusion as the Cylons rebuilt there formations to fire at them and blast raider after raider out of the sky.
Then sensors picked up the squadron of Colonial Vipers only a few more minutes from combat range. Tactical programs indicated an ambush. The Scimitars paused for a moment then thirty Scimitars broke away from the main formation and advanced towards the Colonial Vipers the others formed up into attack waves and streaked towards the new vessel and the leading wave sent a torrent of nuclear tipped missiles towards the new vessel.
***
Lieutenant Thrace's Viper
A Few Moments Earlier
"Oh frak," Lieutenant Kara 'Starbuck' Thrace said as her dradis screen abruptly picked up a large number of Cylon Scimitars on a heading that they would cut across in moments. The Scimitars were in attack formation heading for a ship about the size of the Atheon-class destroyers which Colonial Fleet had brought into operation about a year before the Cylon attack - though the configuration of the ship was completely different to anything that the colonies would have built.
"All Vipers," she ordered into her comlink. "Prepare for a decoy evasion run." The decoy evasion run was a sequence of evasive and combat manoeuvres that they had developed during their long flight away from the Cylons; or rather Lee had developed it. It was designed to lure the Cylons away from the rest of the Remnant and the A.I's fell for it every time as the sequence was never the same each time it was used.
Lee!
Starbuck couldn't think about him now. Couldn't think about her secret love. She knew he was dead now the Cylons must have ambushed and destroyed his patrol but she couldn't let it affect her now. She would cry later. After she told Commander Adama that Lee was dead. A conversation she was dreading because she knew that despite there differences - though they had both made moves to heal the rift between them that Zack's death had caused - William and Lee Adama loved each other deeply just like any father and son and she knew that William would be emotionally destroyed by his sons death.
"Starbuck look at your screen," one of her fellow pilots said. Starbuck looked at her screen and her jaw dropped when she saw the formation of Scimitars shattering, the individual raiders dropping out of formation and tumbling unpowered through space. Obviously the ship the Cylons were approaching had done something to them but the Vipers sensors were not detecting any weapons fire. If she didn't know any better she would think that the unidentified ship had done to the Cylons what the Cylons had done to the Colonial Fleet four years ago.
"By the Lords of Kobol, who could disable the Cylons like that," another pilot asked.
"I don't know," Starbuck replied. "I would sure like to meet them whoever they are they could be the salvation of our people."
"Ah Starbuck it looks like the Cylons are recovering and a number of them are heading our way," he wingman said sounding worried. Starbuck looked at her dradis screen and swore under her breath when she saw that her wingman was right and the Cylons were recovering from whatever the unknowns had done to them and a large number of Scimitars were heading right towards her squadron.
"All Vipers prepare for emergency dog-fighting," she ordered. "If these Cylons want to take us then lets make them work for it." A chorus of approving 'yes sirs' came over her comlink. Starbuck gritted her teeth and prepared to give the Cylons hell as soon as they came into weapons range.
On her screen she noticed the other group of Scimitars open fire upon the unknown ship they'd been heading for launching a massive salvo of nuclear missiles.
***
Bridge
THS Avalon
"Unknown fighters have recovered from our counter virus sir," sensors reported. "Thirty have broken away from the main group and are heading for the second group of fighters the remainder are closing on us. We're being targeted again. Missiles incoming."
On the tactical hologram hovering in front of him Anton could see it himself. Each fighter launched two missiles meaning that a wall of a hundred and forty missiles was coming blasting towards his ship and according to sensors all of them had nuclear warheads with an estimated blast yield of fifty kilotons per warhead.
"Launch countermeasures," Anton ordered. "Weapons target AFM's on the attackers and fire at will. Set proton cannons to shotgun mode and commence fire as soon as the enemy is in range. Point defence stand by to nail any missile that gets too close."
"Aye sir." Countermeasures - basically missiles carrying warheads which when detonated produced a cloud of nanites and shrapnel which could detonate just about any missile that came in contact with it - raced to intercept the incoming storm of projectiles. Simultaneously anti-fighter missiles or AFM's shot towards the fighter swarm.
The countermeasures deployed their nanite and shrapnel clouds and the missile swarm slammed into it. Most of the enemy missiles detonated immediately as they either hit shrapnel specifically designed to set off things like kinetic detonators or had there systems compromised by nanites intent on detonating their warheads and succeeding spectacularly. The Cylons had never encountered nanotechnology before and had never developed a defence against it. Despite the effectiveness of the countermeasures the sheer number of incoming missiles meant some would get through. Twenty of the Cylon missiles penetrated the countermeasure screen and closed on the Avalon/. The ships defensive pulse lasers and proton accelerators came on firing multi-gigawatt energy bolts at the incoming missiles. Guided by the ships targeting systems the laser pulses and miniature proton energy projectiles struck with deadly accuracy. All but one of the missiles died vanishing in plumes of vaporised metal the surviving missile slammed into the /Avalon's forward shields and detonated with a brilliant blue-white flash.
Anton held on as his ship shuddered around him from the impact.
"Direct hit shields are holding," the tactical lieutenant reported. Anton nodded having expected it. The Avalon's shields were after all designed to withstand weapons that were a lot more powerful than the weapons these unknown fighters were armed with, weapons like antimatter torpedoes that could pack a couple of gigatons of firepower when they struck.
It was at that moment that the AFM salvo fired from the Avalon reached the Scimitars. Moments before impact the main AFM missile warhead covers dissolved into nothing and a barrage of smaller seeker missiles that hammered the lead wave of Scimitars. Not only did the smaller missiles have nanocompressed microfusion warheads but they also packed a ferocious kinetic force on impact. Twenty Scimitars died instantly vanishing in blasts of fusion flame.
Though startled by the quick destruction of so many of their fellows the remaining Scimitars retaliated immediately with another barrage of missiles, as soon as the first wave of missiles was clear the Scimitars fired again sending another volley screaming along the propellant trails of the first salvo.
Anton didn't even have to give the order as more countermeasures were launched from the Avalon to counter the missile barrage; following them came a retaliatory salvo of AFM's. On his tactical hologram he noticed the unknown alien fighters do something different this time. As the countermeasure and AFM carrier missiles came into range volleys of blue pulsed laser fire reached out from the unknowns aimed at the missiles. Clearly the unknowns were trying to intercept the missiles before they deployed. Three countermeasure missiles died as laser fire impacted and turned them into hazy balls of disassociated ions, several AFM's met the same fate. Quick learners, Anton thought even as weapons compensated for the lost missiles by firing another full salvo, even as the remaining countermeasures deployed.
The Cylon missiles reached the countermeasure screen and immediately missiles began to die, vanishing in blasts of nuclear starfire that claimed many more missiles. One hundred and ten missiles escaped the initial countermeasure screen only to instantly slam into the next screen of countermeasures and begin dying. Sixty missiles made it through the second countermeasures screen and closed in on the Avalon to run straight into a wall of pulse laser and proton accelerator fire as the Avalon's defensive batteries went into continuous rapid fire to eliminate the approaching threat and threw out a web of coherent energy. Cylon missiles died left and right in balls of hazy ions as they were hit full on or grazed by the bolts of red and gold light that made up the net.
The sheer number of missiles though meant that some would get through the defensive fire. Twelve missiles barely twenty percent of the Cylon's dual salvo survived the defensive firepower to slam into the /Avalon's /shields detonating in multiple blasts of blue-white starfire that set the shields aglow.
Anton held on as the Avalon shuddered violently under the impact, it was an automatic reflex as the nanites in his uniform would keep him safely seated in his chair through all but the worst of hits.
"Multiple direct hits," the tactical lieutenant reported as the ships gravitational stability returned. "Minor damage to forward shields, firming back up now sir."
Anton nodded even as on his screen he saw there AFM salvos reach the unknowns and deploy most evading the persistent attempts by the unknowns to shoot them down. Thirty-five enemy fighters died as the AFM's tore the very core of their formations apart.
Stunned by the firepower of the new vessel and the fact that there weapons were having no observable effect on the unknown ship just detonating harmless against the energy field that surrounded the ship, a field that was obviously some sort of shield, the remaining Scimitars halted for a moment. The Scimitars noticed that their fellows were having some problems with the fast and nimble Colonial Vipers but they could not help them, conferring among themselves the Scimitars decided to resume their attack. Forming up into three five ship squadrons they moved in different directions and then came in towards the Avalon each raider firing its remaining two nukes towards the alien ship.
Anton raised an eyebrow as he observed the enemy fighters change in tactics. It was obvious that they had finally twigged that a full on frontal assault didn't work, between the countermeasures, AFM's, shields and point defence's the Avalon was impervious to any frontal assault the fighters could mount. So they were now trying to break through his ships defences with a multi-vectored attack. This is pointless, Anton thought sadly, why won't they back off they can't win this fight. He observed the alien fighters fire another barrage of nukes at his ship, thirty missiles were inbound with the fighters closing behind them.
The weapons officer didn't even bother with launching countermeasures this time leaving the missiles to the point defence network. Missile after missile died before they could get close. The raiders closed in firing conventional high-explosive warheads and pulsed lasers attempting futilely to break down the Avalon's shielding. Fire from the point defence batteries reached out towards both the fighters and the incoming missiles. Twelve raiders and all the missiles died in the devastating barrage of fire. The remaining three raiders increased speed towards the Avalon and continued firing with everything they had.
Missiles and laser fire impacted the shields, which glowed softly beneath the pummelling not even being bothered by the assault. Then the three raiders ran out of time as the Avalon summarily blasted them out of existence.
"Sensors what's the status of the rest of the enemy fighters," Anton asked.
"There heavily engaged with the second group of fighters sir," sensors reported. "Twelve hostiles and five of the second group have been destroyed. Ten enemy fighters are breaking off and heading in our direction the rest are continuing to fight the second group."
"Captain enough is enough," Commander Romanikov said. "Whoever these hostiles are they obviously do not believe in peaceful co-existence we must end this pointless slaughter no matter how distasteful it is."
"You're right commander though I don't like destroying those who can't hurt us," Anton replied with a sigh. "But we must end this. Navigation take us towards that second group of fighters. Weapons fire enough AFM's to wipe the hostile fighters from space. The second group leave them alone, hopefully they and our guest in medical will be able to give us some answers about what this is all about once all this is over."
"Aye sir," came the replies from the respective stations.
The Avalon turned gracefully in space the field produced by her gravimagnetic sublight engines giving her a manoeuvrability and easy grace in her movements that ships equipped with fusion, ion or antimatter drives lacked. Not to mention the benefits she had in speed and acceleration and naturally her crew felt nothing of the ships manoeuvres thanks to inertial dampening. The Avalon moved towards the final group of Scimitars AFM's launching from her towards the Cylons as she closed on the Cylons at a speed that was unheard of by Cylons or Colonials.
The ten closest Scimitars answered the rapidly approaching ship with a fierce barrage of nuclear missiles. Each raider launched its full complement of eight nuclear tipped missiles so that eighty missiles were streaking across space towards the /Avalon/. Countermeasures raced to intercept the incoming nukes. Again the Cylons began firing at the AFM and countermeasure units. But the Cylons were not the only quick learners. The computer guided AFM and countermeasure missiles began taking evasive action of their own jinking madly as they closed the range. The Scimitars co-ordinated there fire on the countermeasure and AFM's trying to anticipate the evasion patterns of the incoming ordinance from the /Avalon/. Several countermeasure and four AFM carrier missiles died under the co-ordinated firepower the rest deployed.
The Cylon missiles impacted the weakened countermeasure screen and sixty succumbed to the cloud of nanites and shrapnel vanishing in short lived bursts of nuclear fire. The remaining twenty missiles closed in on the Avalon only to be easily picked off by fire from the Avalon's point defence network. Then the ten Scimitars died as the AFM's slammed into them swatting them from space as though they had never been.
The eight remaining Scimitars took stock of the situation. Tactical processor indicated that between the approaching warship and the Colonial Vipers there was now no chance of victory only the certainty of destruction. Conferring at the speed of electronic impulses between themselves the eight Scimitars came to the only logical conclusion.
They broke off their engagements and one by one jumped away fleeing the scene of a battle, which for the Cylons had been a complete and utter disaster.
"Stand down from battle stations," Anton ordered. "Communications set our translators for the language gained from the fighter we rescued earlier and hail the remaining fighters."
"Aye sir."
***
Lieutenant Thrace's Viper
Starbuck sighed in relief as the Cylons broke off their attack and disappeared into hyperlight fleeing the incredible power of the alien ship that was bearing down on them. That had been a pretty intense dog fight and though they had been managing to out fly the Cylons five of her squad had been killed the Cylon pulse lasers tearing through there Vipers like they were made of tissue paper. And with there superior numbers it was obvious to Kara that it wouldn't have taken the Cylons long to do the same to the rest of Red Squadron herself included.
Looking at the alien warship as it came to a halt in space in front of them Kara wasn't quite sure what to do now. The ship was amazing, its weapons were obviously very advanced and powerful and what was even more amazing was the fact that it had energy shields. Colonial science had long considered practical force fields like the one protecting the unknown ship to be impossible and just the stuff of bad science fiction stories. Yet now here they were seeing a practical energy shield and an energy shield of incredible strength given that it had taken multiple nuclear blasts and not flinched. Whoever had built that ship they knew a lot more about how to manipulate energy than the colonies did, which could also explain how the ship could move around without any visible engines.
"By the Lords of Kobol who does that ship belong to," one of her fellow pilots asked.
"I don't know," Starbuck replied. "I just hope were not next." Then her Vipers computer bleeped alerting her to a channel opening from the alien ship. To say that she was shocked when a Human voice came through was an understatement.
"Unknown fighters this is Captain Anton Ramirez of the Terran Hegemony Starship /Avalon/. Do you require assistance?"
Sign up to rate and review this story