FicWad

A Journey's End

Chapter Six: By Inferno's Light

THS Charybdis

Thirty Minutes Earlier

Captain Teresa McDowell sat in her quarters aboard the great battlecruiser that had been her command for the last fifteen years ever since the Charybdis was launched from the Antares Fleet Yards.

Currently the Charybdis was cruising through the outlying sectors of the Terran Hegemony on a general circumvention patrol of the Hegemony's boarders keeping a watch for any new species encroaching on there territory and making sure the military forces of the races known to them kept in there own space. Interspecies trade routes and other mundane traffic was not there concern - keeping an eye on that and protecting it from pirates was the job of the patrol cruiser fleet. Still the presence of a Terran battlecruiser in this part of space was having a noticeable impact on pirate activity - in areas within the /Charybdis' /jump range instances of piracy were noticeably absent, no freebooter wanted to run the risk of bumping into the /Charybdis /and her massed firepower.

Teresa was sitting at her desk in her spacious quarters reading some systems status reports on a holographic display hovering in front of her when the comm unit built into her uniform sleeve bleeped.

"Yes," she said tapping it.

"Sorry to disturb you ma'am but we are receiving a priority communication from Admiral Jansen at local sector command." the voice of her first officer Commander Brian Hawkins replied. "He wants to speak to you on a most urgent matter." Instantly Teresa was alert, sector command admirals did not make a habit of calling up patrolling warships without a very good reason.

"Put him through," she ordered.

"Aye, ma'am," Brian replied before signing off. A window opened on the holographic screen in front of Teresa and expanded instantly to fill the screen. The newly opened communications screen showed the face and upper torso of Admiral Gregory Jansen the man who was in general command of all Hegemony Guard assets in this sector. Like almost everyone he appeared as a young man in his mid-twenties but Teresa knew full well that Admiral Jansen was just shy of a hundred years old.

"Admiral Jansen this is an unexpected surprise," Teresa said. "How may I help you?"

"Hello Captain McDowell," Admiral Jansen said warmly. "I have an assignment for you, an assignment of the utmost importance."

"The Charybdis is at your service admiral. What do you require of us?"

"A few hours ago the patrol cruiser Avalon under the command of Captain Anton Ramirez detected a small thermonuclear detonation just outside our boarders in unexplored territory," Admiral Jansen replied. "They immediately jumped to the area to investigate and discovered a primitive fighter adrift in space crippled by the plasma blast wave of the nuclear detonation. What they discovered was a young human of unknown origin, the initial report confirms that medical scans he did not come from anywhere inside our territory and we can confirm from the technology that he did not come from the Interstellar Coalition either."

"Interesting but what do you want my ship to do admiral," Teresa asked, while trying to figure out why the name Anton Ramirez was familiar to her.

"A short time later the Avalon was attacked by unknown alien fighters armed with nuclear missiles and rail guns. At the same time the Avalon also encountered a group of fighters identical to the one they found the young human on and also crewed by human pilots however weapons are just rail guns. The full details will be included in a briefing I am sending on a sub-channel. After a brief engagement with the unknowns the /Avalon /contacted the human fighters." Teresa nodded to indicate that she was paying attention to what was being said. All the while her head was reeling, wondering where these new humans could have come from.

"What they learned is that the alien fighters belong to a machine race called the Cylons that are apparently intent on wiping out all human life in the galaxy," Admiral Jansen continued. "Apparently these Cylons attacked and wiped out twelve planets that these strangers who call themselves Colonials lived on. They apparently have a refugee fleet heading straight towards our territory or so they claim. The Avalon was going out to meet them."

"I take it admiral that you do not believe these Colonials," Teresa said.

"I am not sure captain. That is why I want you to take the Charybdis /out to the coordinates provided to the /Avalon by the Colonial fighters. If these Colonials are indeed refugees then you are authorised to bring them here to the Arlan system."

"And if they are not what they claim to be?"

"Then you will access there objectives and take any action that is appropriate. Is that understood?"

"Perfectly sir."

"Good. As I said in-depth information has been included on a sub-channel it will be in your ships computer as an attachment to this transmission. I would suggest that you read through it before jumping to the area."

"Understood sir."

"Report back to me as soon as you have some information on these Colonials and about these Cylons as well sir. While observed technology so far indicates that the Cylons are no threat to us we cannot be complacent, not with tensions the way they are with the Ovions at this moment in time."

"Aye, sir."

"Good luck out there captain and good luck."

"Thank you sir." Admiral Jansen nodded and disappeared as the communications link with sector command in the Arlan system was terminated. The communications window closed down and the original screen returned, but now there was a flashing icon indicating that a data burst had been received on a sub-channel. A quick command to Teresa's console brought up the attached file on her screen and she carefully began to read through it.

After a few minutes of careful reading Teresa nodded and sent the coordinates indicated in the data burst to navigation before tapping her communications unit.

"Captain McDowell to bridge," she said. "I have just sent some coordinates to navigation, set course immediately with the minimum number of jumps."

"Aye, ma'am," Commander Hawkins responded. "Captain might I ask what is going on?"

"I will be on the bridge shortly commander I will fill you in then," Teresa replied. "In the meantime just plot the course."

"Yes, ma'am." Teresa closed the communications link with the bridge and for a moment looked at the holographic screen again. Then she sighed and saved the work she had been doing before Admiral Jansen's call, before closing down her terminal. The holographic screen vanished; Teresa stood up and headed out of her quarters towards the bridge of the mighty Legend-class battlecruiser.

As she walked she mulled over the information that she had been given about recent events on the boarder, she felt for these Colonials, she really did. If they had indeed been the victim of a nuclear holocaust at the hands of these Cylons, then the Terran Hegemony would not turn them away. Instead they would offer them shelter and the protection of the might of the Hegemony Guard. However if they were lying and they had hostile intentions then Teresa would make sure that they learned how big a mistake antagonising the Hegemony would be. Either way what happened next was going to be interesting.

Teresa was absolutely certain about that.

***

Battlestar Galactica

Twenty Minutes Later

Commander William Adama stood in silent and horrified, Tigh's words echoing in his mind. Five basestars, his mind screamed at him, Lords of Kobol /help us./ After a moment he came out of his stunned state and began issuing orders, all the while knowing that this would probably be the end for the Galactica but he would be damned if he would let the civilian ships be destroyed.

"Contact all civilian ships tell them to begin emergency FTL jumps to secondary coordinates," he ordered. "Launch all Vipers, then place us between the civilian ships and the Cylons. All weapons commence area suppression barrage as soon as the Cylons are within range."

"Yes, sir," Tigh responded, before signing off. William put the phone back on its mounting and turned to look at the assembled people in the life station, his expression grave.

"It's bad isn't it," Laura Roslin asked.

"Five basestars, they'll be launching Raiders any time now," William replied. "Madam President I would suggest that you return to Colonial One /immediately. It's highly unlikely that the /Galactica will survive this battle."

For a moment Laura looked torn, her personal feelings told her to remain here on the Galactica. But then her duty as leader of what was left of their people took over and she reluctantly nodded and left the room to go back to where /Colonial One's /shuttle was docked. At the same time Lee got up off the diagnostic bed, drawing William's attention. Lee looked at his father silently asking him for permission to go the flight bay and get out there to help protect the fleet. For a moment William was torn not sure if he should let Lee go, they didn't know what the nanites had done to him altogether, but looking into Lee's eyes he saw the person he had always seen.

"Go," he said at last.

Lee smiled. "Thank you," he said softly, before turning and running out of the room heading for the port flight pod as quickly as he could.

The journey to the flight pod took less than a minute and as he stopped outside the entrance to the hanger deck he blinked in surprise. When he'd been running then he'd be running much faster than he ever had in his life before, faster than he'd ever seen anyone run. After a moment he shrugged guessing that the nanites were responsible for it, before he hurried into the hanger deck to grab a Viper and go kill some toasters.

***

THS Avalon

That Same Time

Captain Anton Ramirez had been in his quarters reading up on the protocols for first contact meetings when the battle stations klaxons had started sounding throughout the ship. Now he came running onto the bridge as alert lights pulsed throughout the ship.

"Report," he ordered as he moved to the command chair.

"Five large unidentified warships just jumped in and are closing on our location," tactical reported. "The readings are almost identical to those of the Cylon fighters we encountered earlier. All five ships are heavily armed with a mixture of missile batteries and rail guns."

"Alien vessels launching fighters," sensors added. "Scanners read fourteen hundred fighters in total. Configuration is identical to the ones we encountered earlier. Their Cylon." As if they were going to be anything else, Anton thought.

"Time to weapons range," he asked.

"One minute thirty seconds," tactical reported.

"Status of the Colonial fleet?"

"The Galactica's weapons systems are powering up and she's moving to place herself between the Cylon warships and the civilian ships," sensors reported. "The civilian ships are starting to power up their hyperlight drives but we're detected that a number of the ships are having difficulty and are only powering up slowly."

"Helm more us up so were alongside the Galactica/, prepare to deploy a spread of countermeasures between ourselves and the Colonial fleet. Deploy a spread to cover the /Galactica as well," Anton ordered.

"Aye, sir," came the response from the respective stations.

"Captain the Cylon ships are launching raiders," tactical added a moment later. "I count..." The tactical lieutenant's voice trailed off in a mixture of stunned disbelief and horror.

"How many are there," Commander Romanikov asked from the first officer's station.

"I count fourteen hundred raiders," tactical reported. Fourteen hundred, Anton's mind screamed at him in disbelief. That was an incredible number of fighter craft to be launched from just five ships. Simple mathematics said that for that number of fighters to be launched each warship had to carry anywhere from two hundred to three hundred fighters. No known ship carried that many, not even Ovion hiveships or Trenik star fortresses. How in the universe are we going to stop that many, Anton thought, we don't have enough AFM's on board for that.

"Stand by on all AFM launchers," Anton ordered after a moment. He was about to speak again when the tactical station bleeped for attention.

"Cylon forces entering missile range," tactical reported. "Approaching raiders launching missiles, reading nuclear warheads, looks like a saturation strike directed at both us and the /Galactica/."

"Launch countermeasures heaviest deployment in front of the /Galactica/," Anton ordered. "Fire AFM's at approaching fighters. Lock torpedoes on the closest enemy capital ship and fire."

"Sir the Galactica is launching fighters."

"Understood, program the AFM's to recognise the Galactica's fighters as friendly."

"Aye sir."

***

A storm of projectile weapons launched from the Avalon/. The countermeasure missiles detonated almost immediately, deploying their clouds of nanites and specifically shaped shrapnel clouds between the /Avalon/, /Galactica and the other Colonial ships and the incoming Cylon missiles. Anti-fighter missiles raced to attack the Cylon raiders and eight antimatter torpedoes streaked forth from the launchers on the Avalon's port and starboard underside and streaked towards the closest Cylon basestar.

The first Cylon missiles reached the countermeasure screens almost immediately. Instantly missiles began dying as nanites either compromised their detonation systems or they impacted the shrapnel designed to detonate missiles. Blue-white blasts of star fire erupted as nuclear warheads detonated, the blasts vaporising or detonating many neighbouring missiles in an inferno of destruction.

As the miniature nebula of energy, plasma and hard radiation blazed between the various human ships and the Cylons the AFM salvo from the Avalon deployed. Slamming multiple small but highly advanced sub munitions into the advancing hoard of Scimitars, instantly twenty five Cylons raiders ceased to exist. Completely wiped from existence by the high tech weaponry fired at them from the Terrans, yet despite the destruction it was little more than a tiny blow to the massive numbers of Scimitars, which immediately set about avenging the destruction of their fellows. Nearly three hundred fired two nuclear missiles apiece at the /Avalon/.

More countermeasures launched from the Avalon to intercept the six hundred nuclear missiles inbound towards her, at the same time her torpedoes closed to terminal acquisition range on the closest Cylon basestar. Detecting the approaching torpedoes the basestar began firing its rail guns, filling space between it and the weapons with a virtual storm of solid, kinetic rounds. The rail guns shots ripped into the torpedoes tearing through the thin metal covering around the warheads to rip through the delicate innards of all but one of the weapons. Containment fields collapsed and matter met antimatter with predictable results, seven of the eight torpedoes detonated in titanic blasts of raw energy.

The blasts from their deaths wiped out the rail gun rounds and sent a massive electromagnetic shock wave slamming into the basestar, overloading and crashing systems. Internal explosions erupted as power lines overloaded and blew out, power to defensive systems failed momentarily leaving the basestar wide open to the remaining torpedo. Unopposed the last antimatter warhead slammed into the lower section of the basestar and detonated with the force of two gigatons. The blast enveloped the basestar; the alloys of which it was constructed had never been designed to cope with the searing firestorm of matter/antimatter mutual annihilation. Cylon armour vaporised allowing massive destructive fists of plasma to tear deep into the hull. Fuel lines detonated as tylium was instantly superheated and caught fire, spreading destructive explosions throughout the doomed basestar. One of the FTL drive units detonated accelerating the demise of the once mighty vessel.

Barely three seconds later - before the torpedo detonation flash had had time to fully diminish - the basestar blew apart. Disintegrating in a series of ever increasing internal explosions that culminated in a final massive detonation as its reactor core was breached.

***

Command Basestar

Doral stared in a mixture of shock and disbelief as an entire basestar was wiped out of space by a single projectile weapon. The sensors revealed that the weapon blast had not been a nuclear explosion, it was far to powerful for any nuke, no the sensors had revealed that incredibly it had been a weapon with an antimatter based warhead. Doral knew that both his own kind and the Colonials had theorised about such weaponry but neither Colonial or Cylon had yet been able to develop the technology to manufacture anymore than token amounts of antimatter. Certainly neither had the ability to make enough to be used in weapons.

He kept his eyes on the sensor display as the salvo of six hundred nukes fired from the Scimitars ran straight into one of those strange screens deployed by projectiles fired from the suspected thirteenth colony warship. Sensors showed that the cloud like screens was composed of shaped shrapnel and something else, something they couldn't quite identify. Doral frowned as missiles began detonating, taking more missiles with them as they died. His frown deepened when nearly three hundred missiles broke through the screen to run into a tightly woven web of red and gold energy bolts being thrown out by the warship. Small explosions peppered space as missiles were hit with incredibly focused and precise energy bolts.

Of the three hundred missiles that impacted the web of energy a hundred broke through to slam into the energy shield surrounding the ship and detonating in mighty blaze of blue-white light that completely enveloped the ship. After a moment the warship reappeared out of the firestorm its shields glowing brightly surrounding it with a cocoon of energy as they reflected the energy of the nukes back out into space. More small projectiles launched from the ship towards the Scimitars. At the same time the Galactica began firing her flak batteries and dorsal rail gun turrets filling space with a dense wall of projectiles, cutting a swath of destruction through the advancing Scimitars knocking down them and their missiles.

Doral considered for a moment. The thirteenth colony ship was clearly the bigger tactical threat at this moment in time than the Galactica but he couldn't let the Colonials go. After a moment he made his decision, he ordered two hundred Scimitars to concentrate on destroying the Galactica and the other Colonial ships while the rest and all four remaining basestars would engage the other ship.

At the back of his mind Doral sensed the mind of the ship and the minds of the other ships reaching out across space to access and disrupt the ships computer network. Mentally Doral crossed his fingers and hoped it would work. It didn't the ships firewalls held and a millisecond later Doral screamed as a lance of pain rippled through his head as the new ship returned there attack with one of its own. The ships firewalls faltered and started to give way as an incursive alien computer virus began to thread its way into the ships systems.

Clutching at his head Doral screamed again as the pain got worse as the virus started to spread through the ships network and into the communications systems. Pushing aside Cylon firewalls and forcing the ships computer matrix to begin running antiviral programs to adapt to and defeat the alien virus.

***

Port Flight Pod

Battlestar Galactica, A Few Minutes Earlier

"Launch Vipers," the command came over the commlink in Lee's ear. Barely a second later he was jerked back in his seat as an electromagnetic catapult threw his Viper and others down the launch tubes into open space. He immediately engaged the engines and pulled the Viper clear of the /Galactica/.

"Okay people you know how to fight this," he said into his commlink. "We've done it enough times that I shouldn't have to tell you again. But if you don't know. Drive at the Cylon raiders formation force them to break up and take them out one on one don't get cocky. But everyone watch yourselves we've got a new friend with us this time and I don't want any friendly fire incidents."

"Not that we'd do the Avalon any harm," Kara's voice said back. "Her shielding would block our fire without even noticing."

"Be that as it may watch yourself Starbuck," Lee replied sternly.

"All right Apollo keep your shirt on," Starbuck shot back. Despite himself Lee couldn't help but smile at Starbuck's tone.

Out the corner of his eyes Lee saw the nuclear fuelled plasma nebula burst into existence as the Cylon missile barrage ran into a countermeasure screen launched from the Avalon/. Defensive energy weapons on the /Avalon burst into life as some of the missiles came through scorched by the inferno creating miniature explosions as they hit there targets.

He turned his attention to the swarm of Cylon raiders just as another AFM salvo from the Avalon tore through there ranks wiping nearly twenty of them from the heavens in a single blow. He would be in weapons range of the Cylons in seconds. A brilliant explosion abruptly caught his attention and he looked to see one of the Cylon basestars die in a massive explosion.

"Scratch one basestar," one of the squadron said. "Something from the Avalon must have hit them." Lee nodded in agreement but didn't reply as at the moment the Cylons came into there engagement range. As soon as the Vipers entered cannon range he and the other pilots in the lead Vipers opened up with every weapon that they had. Several Cylons were blown to pieces instantly as the Vipers blew straight through their lines. Turning rapidly the Vipers all broke formation charging at the Cylons from separate directions.

A raider came into Lee's gun sights, a split second later faster than he ever thought he could act three streams of projectiles from his Mark-VII Vipers guns. The Scimitar shattered under the fire and exploded as ordinance and fuel detonated.

"Apollo you've got one on your tail," another pilot warned. Lee took his Viper straight up as a volley of rail gun projectiles passed through his previous position. Banking in a normally high gee manoeuvre he spun the Viper so the raider was passing beneath him and fired his guns destroying the Cylon. Despite himself Lee was startled that he felt absolutely no effect from gee forces as he performed the move. Guess that's another thing the nanites have done to me, he thought, /increased my gee tolerance/.

"Little help," Starbuck called. Lee saw that Kara was being pursued by three Cylon raiders and she was ducking and weaving like mad to avoid there fire. Galactica's guns added their weight to the fray at that moment knocking down the Scimitars chasing her along with dozens more that Lee could see.

Lee was about to comment when he saw out of the corner of his eyes two Scimitars coming at him from the right. Oh frak, Lee thought as he tried to bring his Viper around before the Cylons could get him, until abruptly the Cylon fighters jerked in space, their engines shut down and both began drifting unpowered.

"What the frak," Starbuck said over the squadron communications link as all around Cylon Scimitars began loosing power or behaving in odd ways. Two colliding with each other destroying both, others firing randomly hitting each other or hitting nothing at all as they tumbled unpowered through space. "What's up with the toasters?"

"I don't know," Lee replied, observing four more Cylon raiders crash into each other while dozens more were blasted from sky by the onslaught of projectiles from the Galactica's suppression batteries. "But I don't really care, let's just get them."

"Right with you Apollo," Starbuck agreed.

"Then what are we doing just sitting here," Lee asked. "Let's get um."


Without speaking further Lee fired his engines and shot towards the tumbling, helpless Cylons firing his guns. Starbuck followed him firing her own guns, their combined fire tearing through the Cylon raiders both the Scimitars and the larger heavy variant. All around other Viper pilots took their lead and began slaughtering the currently defenceless Cylons.

***

Battlestar Galactica

Commander William Adama kept his eyes on the dradis screen as the Galactica moved closer to one of the four remaining Cylon basestars, her flak batteries continuing to fire blasting powerless raiders from existence. Seeing the Cylons dying so easily inwardly made him smile, after four years of flight they were finally delivering some payback to their Cylon pursuers.

"Sir the main batteries have a firing solution on the closest basestar, loaders are ready for salvo fire," Lieutenant Gaeta reported from his station.

"Fire," Adama ordered.

***

With a thunderous rumble that echoed through the ship the twin heavy forward rail guns in the Galactica's bow fired for the first time in many years, each massive cannon throwing out a solid lump of metal the size of a Viper, accelerating them to three quarters light speed. They crossed the distance to the Cylon basestar to fast for the basestar to evade, even if its propulsion systems had been online, impacting it dead in the middle just as its running lights stopped flickering as the Cylons on board got their systems back online.

Explosions erupted on the basestar as the projectiles ripped into the armoured hull, their colossal kinetic force being turned straight into energy. The armour held against the blows but was deeply dented inwards glowing white hot from the force of impact.

The Galactica's guns fired again, sending out two more projectiles, followed by two more. They slammed into the basestar right on the heels of the first two. The first two punched through the weakened hull of the Cylon vessel. Explosions rippled across the whole section as the hull buckled and explosive decompression ripped apart whole sections of the mighty warship. The second two passed through the breaches in the hull to slam into the delicate innards of the Cylon warship, one puncturing one of the primary tylium fuel stores for the lower raider bays, the other striking one of the ammunition stores. Massive secondary explosions rippled through the basestar, spreading destruction deeper into the massive vessel.

**

Within the damaged basestar the hybrid Cylon systems finally found and deleted the cyber attack that had crippled their ships, the painful worm virus was filtered out and the cure sent out across the fleet.

Seconds later the raiders and troops ships began moving again, their guns and engines coming to life. The usually agile and fast fighters could barely move their biological and mechanical systems painful and sluggish, the fighters began the slow and difficult fight back against the colonial fighters.

**

Wracked with fire and explosions from burning tylium and detonating ordinance the Cylon vessel returned fire, its dorsal missile batteries firing several missiles amongst them a nuclear missile at the /Galactica/. A moment later the explosions tearing through it reached the basestars main tylium fuel cells with predictable results, the basestar blew apart from within disintegrating in a series of massive internal blasts, each one more devastating and powerful than the last. When the blasts faded all that was left of the basestar were barely recognisable lumps of metal, burning from residual oxygen and leaking fuel.

Even as the ship that had fired them died, the Cylon missiles closed in upon the Galactica/. Dense defensive flak fire from the battlestar detonated four of the missiles well short of the ship, but the last three - including the nuke - slammed into the ship. The two conventional warheads exploded against the armour just aft of the bow, the nuclear warhead exploded against the dorsal surface of the battlestar in a blaze of blue-white light. Secondary explosions rippled across the immediate area as some of /Galactica's weapons batteries around the impact point detonated, a large silvery jet of atmosphere shot out into space through a gash the blast ripped in the old battlestars armoured skin.

***

Battlestar Galactica

William Adama picked himself up from the floor where he had been thrown along with the president, and everyone else who'd been on their feet, when the nuke had exploded against the hull.

"Damage report Mr Kelly," he called across command and control to where Captain Kelly manned the damage control panel.

"Hull ruptured on decks one through three in sections twenty-seven through twenty-nine. Gun batteries six, seven and eight destroyed, dorsal flak batteries off line," Kelly reported.

"We're loosing atmosphere damage control teams on route."

"Keep me appraised."

"Yes, sir."

"Cylon raiders have reactivated sir, reading multiple signatures approaching from bearing two one seven," Lieutenant Gaeta reported. "Looks like there making a run for our dorsal surface."

"There hoping to fire missiles into the breach," Tigh said knowingly. "Adjust the ships position to deny them a clear run, direct all available flak fire towards them."

"Yes, sir," Gaeta replied, even as Adama nodded approvingly.

"Contact Vipers," he ordered to the communications technician who had replaced Dee while she was on maternity leave. "Have them cover our dorsal surface."

"Yes, sir."

"Sir a basestar is moving towards us," Gaeta called. "Looks like the plan on finishing us off." Oh frak, Adama thought looking at the dradis screen.

He knew he was in a very bad tactical situation. He could turn the ship to bring their main batteries to bear on the approaching basestar, but in so doing he would expose Galactica's vulnerable, damaged dorsal surface to the still quite large number of Cylon raiders that were flying about. If he didn't turn the basestar would blow them away, but if he did turn the ship the raiders would have clear shots to volley their own missiles at them.

He was caught in a classic catch-22 situation. And try as he might with all his tactical skill and imagination, he couldn't see anyway to get out of it. We need a miracle, he thought in despair.

"Sir we're receiving a transmission from the /Avalon/," communications reported. "They say the cavalry is coming."

"What in name of the gods do the mean by that," Tigh asked.

"I don't know," Adama replied, suddenly feeling a weight being lifted off his shoulders. "But something tells me that we are about to find out."

***

THS Avalon

A Few Moments Earlier

Captain Anton Ramirez frowned when he observed the situation that the Galactica was in on his tactical hologram. He had been surprised and impressed by how powerful her main projectile weapons were. The ease with which they had shredded that basestar had surprised him no end as he was used to thinking of projectile weapons as weapons that were useless for ship to ship combat. Now it was obvious to him that they weren't, that in there own way heavy projectile weapons could be as dangerous as any energy weapon.

Now though Galactica seemed to be in serious trouble, a number of her weapons had stopped firing after a nuclear blast to her hull. The Cylons had almost entirely recovered from the counter virus they'd sent to them after they endeavoured to yet again breach his ships mainframe. A number of raiders were moving towards her along with one of the capital ships in an obvious pincer movement designed to take advantage of the battlestar weakened state by attacking her one vulnerable side. Oh no you don't, Anton thought.

"Helm put us between the Galactica and the Cylon warship approaching her," Anton ordered. "Weapons lock positron beams and forward proton cannons onto that basestar."

"Aye, sir," came the replies from the respective stations.

"Sir we're receiving a long range transmission," communications reported. "The battlecruiser /Charybdis /under the command of a Captain Teresa McDowell reports that they are ready to jump to our location and wish to know our status."

"Inform the Charybdis of the tactical situation," Anton replied grinning. He knew the name of the Charybdis' /commanding officer; he'd met Teresa McDowell back at the academy when she'd been teaching starship combat tactics. "Provide jump coordinates next to the Cylon warship that's approaching the /Galactica and tell them to get their butts over here as quickly as they can."

"Aye, sir."

"Then inform the Galactica that the cavalry is coming," Anton added his grin turning to a predatory smile. The Cylons were about to get the shock of their mechanical lives, a Legend-class battlecruiser was truly a sight to behold, especially when it was armed for battle.

"Aye, sir."

At that moment the Avalon rocked violently as the other Cylon warship along with three raiders unloaded a barrage of nearly twenty nukes into the same section of the starboard shields.

"Starboard shield three at seventy percent," tactical reported.

"Is that warship within range of our starboard proton cannons?"

"Yes sir."

"Then teach them the error of their ways lieutenant."

"Aye, sir."

***

The Avalon's four starboard proton cannon turrets rotated and locked onto the Cylon basestar, just as it fired another barrage of missiles at the ship. A moment later all four turrets opened up, sending golden energy projectiles streaking through space towards the Cylon vessel even as four more nukes vented there destructive fury uselessly against the starboard shields.

The proton blasts slammed into the Cylon basestar striking one of the projecting arms that gave the warship its distinctive star shape. Cylon armour vaporised under the impacts and the bolts when right through the ship, smashing and destroying as they went. The outer two thirds of the entire projecting arm snapped off as a massive explosion erupted on the basestar.

***

Command Basestar

Aaron Doral staggered as his basestar rocked violently as the energy bolts fired by the Avalon came in and struck with incredible force. Despite the headache pounding away in his skull - a legacy of the obviously ill-advised cyber attack - he was able to access the damage reports as they came in and recoiled in shock and surprise. An entire hanger arm nearly half a kilometre of ship had been ripped clean off and annihilated by the blasts.

For the first time since this disastrous affair of a battle had begun Aaron Doral felt fear. He knew his basestar wouldn't withstand many salvos of the thirteenth colony ships powerful particle weapons. They were far more powerful and destructive than the main guns on a Colonial battlestar - and those were bad enough - they would make short work of this ship. How can we fight them? How can we carry out Gods will against someone with such incredible power, he thought.

A sudden change in the dradis readings caught his attention even as his ship rocked as another energy bolt slammed into them. A new target had just jumped in right up close to the basestar that had been heading for the /Galactica/, determined to finish her off and avenge the basestar she'd destroyed.

The newly arrived warship was massive, easily equalling a Colonial Mercury-class battlestar in size. For a moment Doral wondered if it could be another battlestar particularly the Pegasus which had somehow escaped the destruction of the colonies and was now causing them a few problems with its raids on their convoys. The theory that the ship could be the Pegasus was discounted in moments as additional details of the new warship registered on the sensors.

The new ship was of a completely different design to a battlestar, it seemed to share a number of design elements with the thirteenth colony warship. Though there were a number of differences as well, like there were differences between battlestar classes. The new ships energy emissions profile matched the thirteenth colony ships to a margin of 80%, though these emissions were considerably more powerful. Is this the thirteenth colony's equivalent of a battlestar, Doral thought noticing that the new arrival was beginning to deploy some kind of fighters.

The action drew the basestar next to it out of its stunned surprise at the newcomer's arrival. The number seven in command of the basestar launched a volley of nukes at the newcomer. Even if it were from the thirteenth colony the warship would have no chance of intercepting the warheads at such a close range.

Doral observed the nukes detonate as they impacted a shield that surrounded the new ship. He watched the blast waves fan out against the energy barrier of the shields which glowed brightly, white hot at the points where the missiles had hit the barrier. Feeling a chill inside Doral watched the newcomer return the basestars fire.

A strange blue-white energy beam flashed out from the newcomer - a beam there sensors reported to be composed of antimatter particles of some sort. The beam made contact with the basestar and instantly tore deep into the very core of the basestar. A massive explosion began to blossom around the beam as matter and antimatter met and began annihilating each other, and still the beam kept going. A moment after the initial impact the beam came out the other side of the basestar, bisecting it with lethal precision. Then it began to move, slowly sweeping down the basestar, steadily sawing it in half, all the while the antimatter reaction built in force, explosions tearing across the basestar.

Still the beam kept going until it found the basestars main power core and sliced it in half. It was too much for the basestar. Already wracked with explosions from the antimatter particles in the beam reacting with the hull the basestar came apart from within. The deadly explosion from the power core bursting outwards from the very core of the ship, completely enveloping the basestar from view, when it cleared the basestar was gone. Reduced to nothing more than a plume of superheated plasma and a few pieces of spinning, slowly disintegrating debris.

"My God," Doral muttered in shock for a moment. Then he squared his shoulders, he knew what he had to do now as distasteful as it was. With a quick mental command to the ships computer matrix he opened a communications link with the control room. "All ships retreat, fall back to emergency jump coordinates," he ordered.

"By your command," a Centurion responded immediately.

***

Lee's Viper

Lee cursed as a particular Cylon raider dodged his latest attempt to nail it with his guns. The raider was obviously a bit more skilled at flying and combat than your average Scimitar and seemed to be anticipating his moves. As he fought with it Lee experienced a profound sense of déjà vu like he had fought this particular raider before. Even with his speed and reflexes seemingly boosted by the nanites this particular Scimitar was managing to just stay one step ahead of him.

"Come here you frakking toaster," he said to himself as he lined it up at last. "I have you now." He was about to pull the trigger to send the Scimitar to its doom when it was abruptly enveloped by white light before vanishing in the orange flash of a hyperlight jump. "Damn it," Lee shouted angrily looking around for another raider to vent his frustration on.

To see that they were all vanishing, jumping away at least most of them were. The one basestar that had been left had also vanished into nothingness; the Cylons were bugging out leaving behind their dead or dying fellows.

"Apollo do you see what I see," Starbuck asked over his commlink.

"Yeah I do looks like there running," Lee replied unable to keep a little frustration out of his voice.

"What's up Lee," Starbuck asked.

"It's nothing Starbuck," Lee replied. "I just finally managed to get a certain raider right in my sights when it jumped away."

"I know the feeling. Annoying isn't it?"

"Very," Lee agreed with feeling.

"What the frak. Apollo look at what the remaining raiders are doing," Starbuck said. Lee glanced at his dradis screen and swore under his breath. The handful of Scimitar raiders left behind by the Cylons - only about a dozen or so - had organised themselves into a squadron and were heading straight for the /Avalon/.

"There planning to ram the Avalon," he said. He knew the Avalon's shields were strong but the inertial force of a dozen raiders slamming into the shields at full speed on deliberate suicide runs would be enormous. He didn't know if her shields would be able to withstand the impacts.

"We've got to stop them," Starbuck said.

"That will not be necessary," a nice voice with a very strange accent said. A moment before a dozen fighters of unknown design streaked past the Vipers at extreme speed, speed that Vipers weren't capable of. One lingered back and turned to face Lee's Viper as the others chased after the Cylons and began shooting at them with fierce red energy pulses.

"Who are you?" Lee asked examining the fighter hovering in front of him. A fighter that he was sure was Terran and had come from that Mercury battlestar sized warship that had so recently appeared on the scene to swat a Cylon basestar as if it were a fly. It was a very sleek, powerful looking ship. A needle thin nose blended seamlessly into wide sweeping delta wings which mounted pulse lasers and missiles. A cockpit with opaque windows was set into the main hull.

"Flight Lieutenant Edward Marcel call sign Hopscotch, THS Charybdis alpha squadron," the Terran pilot replied. "Proper introductions can wait until later. If you'll excuse I'm going to rejoin my squadron."

Without waiting for a reply Hopscotch turned his fighter away from Lee and shot off at extremely high speed towards the Cylon raiders heading for the /Avalon/. The speed of the Terran fighter stunned both Lee and Starbuck for a few moments.

"Wow those things are fast," Starbuck said. "I'm glad there on our side."

"So am I Kara," Lee replied. "So am I."

"So now what Apollo," Starbuck asked. "We just sit here and wait for the recall order from /Galactica/?"

"That's exactly what we do Starbuck," Lee answered.

"Copy that Apollo."

***

THS Charybdis

A Few Minutes Later

Captain Teresa McDowell smiled as the tactical hologram hovering in front of her command chair showed the last Cylon raider being destroyed just short of Avalon's shield perimeter. Not that a single fighter slamming into even a patrol cruisers shields would do any real harm beyond throwing a few people off there feet from the force of impact.

"Captain fighter leader reports all enemy targets destroyed," Lieutenant Senders reported from where he was coordinating all fighter activity with tactical. "Fighters are requesting instructions."

"Order our fighters to return to their bays," Teresa ordered.

"Aye, ma'am," Senders replied.

"Communications get me Captain Ramirez on the /Avalon/," Teresa ordered. "And be prepared to contact that big warship leading these supposed refugees. I will want to speak with them shortly."

"Aye, ma'am."