Battlestar Prometheus FLIGHT OF THE OLDUVAI
CHAPTER IV : Seeds of Discord
Part I
Written by Edward Vidal
Based Battlestar Prometheus by Ryan Keeton
Based Further on Battlestar Galactica by
Ronald Moore & David Eick
Rally Point Alpha, Somewhere between the Helios Delta and Helios Beta star systems:
The icy cold blackness of space between star system, that lifeless emptiness, the realm
of asteroids, rogue stars and comets, there the survivors of the Battle of Canceron, both
military and civilian caught their collective breath. Of the billions who had called Canceron
home, only a few thousand remained crowded aboard an assortment of various ships. Still
reeling from the shock of the surprise attack from a foe they had not seen or heard of in forty
years, the survivors were coming to grips with the fact that the world and life that they knew
was gone. It had been suddenly and violently been pulled out from underneath them.
However, against insurmountable odds, with an outcome that was all but certain, the
Colonial Defense Forces, managed to strike a blow against the Cylons; and they made them
bleed. Of the fifteen Basestars which attacked Canceron, seven were now destroyed, along
with hundreds of Raiders. Like a bully who has unexpectedly been punched in the nose by a
victim whose back was against the wall, the tenacity of the Colonial defense and the horrid
losses inflicted upon the Cylons, gave the them pause.
Now, having escaped the Cylons and their now burning home world, the survivors
waited for the last known ship to have also survived to join them. They did not have long to
wait, as the flash of light which precedes the arrival of any FTL capable ship, announced the
arrival of the Battlestar Olduvai.
“Sit-rep.”
“Sir, I’m reading multiple signatures on DRADIS, about thirty-five ships. Their IFF
signatures are all Colonial.” Replied DRADIS officer, Lt. Julia Skye.
“Thirty-five ships?” Thought Commander Paul Rosa. “Gods! I thought we saved more!”
“Give me a run-down of the ships.” Ordered Commander Rosa.
“I’m reading the CDF signatures of 3 Battlestars, 5 Gunstars, a Replenishmentstar, 2 flat
tops, and a Fleet tender.” Reported Lt. Skye. “The rest are civilian.”
“Sir, incoming signal from Atlantia Actual.” Announced Ops officer Captain Jennifer
Callista.
“He’s NOT going to be happy.” Said Colonel Slaughter, stating the obvious and shooting
an icy look to her Commander with her bright blue eyes.
Commander Rosa had taken the initiative in interpreting the late Admiral Hayden’s
orders, against the advice of his XO and against the express wishes of the de facto fleet leader
by default, Commander Marius Sulla of the Battlestar Atlantia. However, Commander Rosa’s
initiative saved hundreds of lives of experienced pilots and personnel. Something the surviving
CDF forces desperately needed, given the fact the Reserve Fleet shipped out with no pilots sans
the squadron from the Polaris Fleet Depot.
“No sense delaying this . . .” Thought Commander Rosa as he picked up the handset on
his side of Olduvai’s CIC Situation Table. “Rosa here.”
“Commander Rosa, what’s the Olduvai’s situation?” Asked Commander Sulla in a terse
voice.
“We are fully fueled and the FTL is green. We have no damage and all major systems
are functioning, but we need to rearm and we are short of experienced personnel.” Reported
Commander Rosa. “We were also able to recover approximately 100 Vipers, Raptors, Scimitars
and Shuttles. However, we haven’t yet been able to ascertain the exact compliment yet.”
“Fine.” Answered Commander Sulla, not bothering to hide his contempt. “Commander,
you are ordered to enter jump coordinates for Virgon and prepare to jump immediately. We
are meeting up with Admiral Nagala and rest of the Fleet.”
“Commander, with all due respect, we don’t know the situation at Virgon. We have no
reliable way to communicate with anyone else with the Hyperpulse network down and
compromised, and we need to rearm. Not to mention we have over thirty civilian ships that are
looking at us for leadership and protection.”
On his end of the line, Commander Sulla’s eyes flared, “Commander, Admiral Hayden’s
orders were to rendezvous with the rest of the Fleet at Virgon! They need every ship with the
losses we’ve taken so far! We need to get there as soon as possible; we can’t take the time to
rearm now!”
“Sir.” An experienced white-bearded Master Chief walked over from his station at the
Atlantia’s Ops. “We are not going to be much good if we jump in and Admiral Nagala is in a
firefight. We need to rearm and we could use the time to repair some of the damage we
sustained. This way we can be in better fighting shape when we jump in.”
Hitting the mute button on his headset, Commander Sulla turned and faced the Master
Chief. “Chief take your station, if I want your advice, I’ll ask for it!”
Unfazed by the rebuke, the Master Chief Wayne “Whitey” Mathews stepped closer and
pressed on, “Sir, it is my duty to report to you that Ops reports that we are currently at 5%
magazines. We don’t have the bullets to throw at the enemy, rearming isn’t an option, it’s a
necessity.”
“ And you can stuff that attitude where the sun don’t shine!” Thought Master Chief
Mathews, he had dealt with officers of this type many times over the course of his long career.
“Five percent?” Repeated Commander Sulla.
“Yessir.” Replied the Master Chief.
Pressing the mute button again on his headset, Commander Sulla stated, “Commander,
we are going to rearm. We’ll both link up with the Asia, replenish as much as we can, as quickly
as we can, then jump to Virgon. Sulla out.”
“At least I convinced him to rearm.” Thought Commander Rosa.
Looking across the Situation Table at his Executive Officer, “Colonel, we are going to link
up with the Asia and replenish our magazines. I want to use the time to organize our crew and
get the flight pods up and running. We’ve got ships to organize into squadrons and flight crews
to man the pods. When we jump, I want to be able to launch a credible CAP and Air Wing.”
Ordered Commander Rosa.
“Sir, looks like this Major Alfonso has taken charge of things down on the flight pods.
He’s already getting the pods and the crews ready.” Replied Colonel Slaughter.
“Outstanding! I want to meet with Major Alfonso and the pilots for a debriefing as soon
as possible.” Remarked Commander Rosa. It was a relief to know that he had picked up some
experienced crew who knew how to take the initiative without having to be ordered to do
everything.
Battlestar Olduvai
Portside Flight Pod
Combat Landings, a procedure used in only the most dire military circumstances, where normal safety protocols are thrown to the wind and the nerves and the skills of a pilot are pushed to the limits. The surviving pilots of the 6th Fleet had passed that test, now Major Ozwald “Ozzy” Alfonso and the technicians, pilots, and the flight crews were left with the results. Like a box of cereal that had been spilt and landed on the floor, Vipers, Raptors, Scimitars, and Shuttles were strewn across the landing bays of both pods. Under normal circumstances, with a fully manned flight crew and under the direction of an experienced LOS in
each pod, it would have been an effort to coordinate the recapture and turnaround of so many craft. But these were not normal circumstances.
Olduvai had a skeleton flight crew supported by a bunch of civilian contracted technicians who had the technical know-how to reprogram or repair a lift or a catapult, but no practical knowledge on how to clear the flight decks of both flight pods of the Olduvai.
Pilots in both flight-pods had to maneuver their ships, unassisted, to the lifts, which would take them down to the launch deck. Fortunately, amongst the many Raptors, Scimitars and Shuttles recovered, were surviving members of flight crews from the destroyed ships of the 6th Fleet. Once aboard the Olduvai, the crews disembarked and began to form into teams on the launch deck. Not ever one to be shy, Major Alfonso had immediately established upon landing that he was the most senior pilot on the deck. From there he began barking out orders ensuring that the landing deck was cleared in as orderly a fashion as possible.
“All right you flight-boys! We don’t have any knuckle-draggers worth their weight to hand-hold us on this. Make it snappy! Two Vipers to a lift! And for Gods sake be gentle with your maneuvering thrusters!” Ordered Major Alfonso.
“Ozzy, two to a lift? Asked his wing-man
“That’s right! Get in tight facing each other and next to one another. Nose to wing-tip. We’ll clear the deck faster that way!” Explained Ozzy.
“At least that’s what I hope will happen.” Ozzy thought as he switched channels on his COM system.
“This is Major Ozwald Alfonso, call sign ‘Ozzy’, whose manning the LOS station?”
There was momentary silence as Ozzy waited for a response.
“I’m manning the station.” Came in the reply.
Ozzy arched his eyebrow at the unusual response. “Who is this?” He asked.
“Sir, my name is Ned, I was running a diagnostic on the system software when the attack occurred.”
“Are you Fleet Ned?” Asked Ozzy, getting impatient.
“No Sir, I’m a civilian technician with Graystone Industries, we were contracted to do the software update on . . .”
“Ugh! A civilian contractor! What I wouldn’t do for a roll of molecular bonding tape!” thought Ozzy as his patience exhausted and he cut Ned off, “Ned, stop your chattering and listen to me very carefully. I need you to get word to our people in the starboard-side flight pod. We have experienced flight crews that landed there, convey this order. Tell them to
secure their ships and haul ass to the port flight pod. Getting the Vipers ready for combat operations is paramount, support craft are secondary!”
“Um, yes Sir.” Replied Ned.
“One more thing, gather up all the civilian contractors in the flight pods and tell them to report to the launch deck. We are going to need all the man-power we can get to move the Vipers to the catapults.” Ordered Ozzy as he hoped his instructions were going to be conveyed correctly by the civilian.
Battlestar Atlantia: Commander’s Office
Commander Sulla had retreated to his office and was seated at his desk reviewing
damage reports from across his ship. He felt more comfortable here than on the Atlantia’s CIC,
and it wasn’t because he actually had a nice plush leather seat to sit in.
His ship, the thought felt both good and funny at the same time. Commander Sulla
shook his head at the incredible set of circumstances that landed him in command of not just a
Battlestar, but also an entire Fleet. In all his twenty-nine years of service, Commander Sulla
never held a command. Recognized early in his career by the Admiralty for his organizational
skills, Commander Sulla had served primarily as an attaché to various Admirals, most recently
for the late Admiral Hayden. It was Hayden’s death, which thrust Sulla into his current position.
Sulla was the most senior commander in the reconstituted 6th Fleet.
Looking over the reports, Sulla thought, “Frak. So much damage!” Sulla cursed at
himself for giving the order to press the attack against the Cylons. His decision came at a
dreadful cost of much needed manpower and ships; the Battlestar Orion and the Gunstars
Illustrious and Defiant now were debris floating in space. He swore to himself that he would
do better and get a better handle of his command. It didn’t help that Commander Rosa had
abandoned his position, just when Sulla decided to press his attack, leaving his Battlegroup high
and dry, or so Sulla thought.
A knock on the door interrupted Commander Sulla’s thoughts.
“Come in.”
A young Ensign walked into the Commander’s office with more reports. “Sir, the civilian
captains are requesting instructions and assistance. The Silverqueen is asking for an
engineering team to help with their FTL, it’s currently down. And there’s a message from the
Deimos, she’s a civilian ship from Aerilon, she’s requesting landing clearance.”
“Ugh! As if the I didn’t have enough on my plate with the 6th Fleet, I got a needy civilian
fleet as well!”
“Tell the Deimos no, we’ve have too much to do here and we are about to dock with the
Asia.” Responded Commander Sulla. “And tell the captain of the Silverqueen he’ll have to deal
with his FTL problem himself. Rearming and the Fleet and carrying out Admiral Hayden’s last
command is my primary concern, civilian matters can wait.”
“Yes Sir.” The young Ensign saluted, turned and left.
Commander Sulla delved back into the reports scattered across his desk. The Atlantia
had sustained moderate to heavy damage to her dorsal sections and her #1 sublight engine was
off-line. Lifting the COM handset off the wall he began issuing orders to various sections and
checking the status of repairs.
Knock, knock, knock.
“Another interruption!”
“Come in.” Through the door marched in Master Chief Wayne “Whitey” Matthews who
came to attention in front of Commander Sulla’s desk and gave a stiff salute.
“What can I do for you Master Chief?” Asked Commander Sulla.
“Sir, the ship and crew need you.” Responded the Master Chief.
“Major Briggs has the CONN, if he needs me he’ll call.” Answered Commander Sulla.
“Sir, Major Briggs is still having his wounds tended to by a Medic and he’s still getting
acclimated after barely surviving the destruction of the Orion.” Pressed Whitey.
Commander Sulla didn’t even bother to look up from the BDA report he was reviewing
to give the Master Chief an answer.
Master Chief Matthews faced reddened, which was in stark contrast to his neatly
trimmed white beard and mustache that gave him his nickname, “Sir, permission to speak
freely.”
“This ought to be good.” Replied Commander Sulla as he leaned back in his plush
leather chair, “Ok Chief, shoot.”
“Sir, you need to get out from behind your desk and get out to CIC. It’s not enough for
you to rely on your subordinates and to issue orders from your office! This ship and its crew
are looking for leadership and you need to provide it from the front! We’ve gotten our asses
kicked by the Cylons all over the Colonies and YOUR ass is sitting in a frakin leather chair!”
“Chief that’s enough! I ought to throw you in the Brig for your insubordination, but I
need every man!” Shouted back Commander Sulla as he stood up from his chair. “I’ll be along
in CIC shortly to oversee the docking with the Asia. Get word to the Commanders of the
Olduvai, Athena and Asia that I want to meet with them as soon as all our ships are situated
and the replenishing is well established.”
“Aye Sir.” Replied Whitey as he saluted and made his way to the door. When he
opened it and was about to walk through Commander Sulla stated,
“One more thing Chief. The next time you have something to say, don’t do an end
around the chain of command! I don’t care how many years you have into the Service! The
next time you break the chain of command like that I’ll make sure you see the inside of a Brig!
Dismissed!”
Buzz. Buzz. The COM handset on the wall next to his desk rang.
“Sulla.” Answered Commander Sulla clearly irritated by the third interruption in less
than five minutes.
“Sir, there’s another message coming from that civilian ship, the Deimos. They keep
asking to land and speak with Admiral Hayden.” Reported the COM officer.
Commander Sulla frowned, “Hayden is dead, did you tell them that?”
“No Sir, but they mentioned a name, a name they said the Admiral would know.”
Replied the Ensign.
“What name?” Inquired Commander Sulla.
“Osiris.” Replied the COM Officer. In his office, Commander Sulla nearly dropped the
handset he held.
Battlestar Olduvai, CIC:
There was a buzz of activity at the operational heart of the Battlestar Olduvai, the CIC. A strange mixture of civilian contractors, active military and Reservist operated in concert and in unison. Forced to work together by fate, the mixed crew of the Olduvai did their ready best to prepare the ship for combat. And, at the center of the CIC issuing orders, confidently stood the Olduvai’s Commander, Paul Rosa.
The initial timidity and uncertainty that came with being out of action in a combat situation for so long had now worn off. Now Commander Rosa felt like a new man. The heat and excitement of battle had pumped blood and adrenaline through his veins. Being so close to death made him feel so alive!
“Mr. Barton. Good job on plotting that micro-jump. Your accurate calculations enabled us to save many souls today.” Congratulated Commander Rosa, as he patted Lt. Barton on the back.
“Thank you Sir.” Replied the young Lt. Baton with a smile a mile wide.
“Just remember your training and keep running your simulations. I’m going to need to you and our NAV computer to be sharp as a knife. Where we are going we may need to do jumps quickly and it may be in the middle of a scrap.” Advised Commander Rosa.
“Aye Sir” Replied Lt. Barton, now with a smile not nearly as wide as the reality of the situation and where they are heading, dawned upon him.
Commander Rosa gave a nod to the Lieutenant. He secretly shared the Lieutenant’s concern and then some. Commander Sulla’s decision making left, in Commander Rosa’s mind, much to be desired. But how to address the situation without openly questioning the authority of his superior officer?
Superior Officer . . . a mere three months had separated the Commanders in attaining the same rank. Commander Rosa had quickly checked the records when Commander Sulla had announced he was taking over the Fleet. Military protocol dictated that in a situation with two or more equivalently ranked officers, the officer with the most seniority takes command. Commander Rosa could only hope that his input would have some impact on Commander Sulla’s future decisions for the better.
Walking over to Ops, Commander Rosa met up with Colonel Slaughter and Capt. Callista, who were going over reports. The two officers could easily have been mistaken as sisters, thought Commander Rosa, even though he knew they were not related and they were a good ten years apart in age, both had the same flowing blonde hair and pale blue eyes.
“Ladies. What do you have for me?” Asked Commander Rosa.
Colonel Slaughter looked at Capt. Callista and gave her a nod.
“Sir, all sections are reporting ready and standing by to initiate Emergency Replenishment Protocols (ERP). With Colonel Slaughter’s permission, I’ve had our civilian contractors and technicians form up into teams led by Fleet personnel to aid in the replenishment effort.” Reported Capt. Callista. “One other thing, Engineering reported a small problem with the FTL, Capt. Richardson wanted to speak to you about it.”
“Very well Captain. Keep up the good work. Make sure once we’ve docked with the Asia that all sections coordinate with the replenishment effort.” Replied Commander Rosa.
“It’s time I address the crew.” Commander Rosa said as he walked over to CIC’s Situation Table with Colonel Slaughter. Picking up the handset Commander Rosa clicked on an open channel.
“This is Commander Rosa. I know we didn’t ask for this, but this is the hand we have
been dealt. The Cylons are back and they caught us with our pants down. But we survived;
and now we’ve had a chance for a breather. Men and women of the Olduvai, we are from
different planets, different professions, different ships. We are civilian, active military and
Reservists. Fate has thrust us together and we don’t have the luxury of time to gel as a crew.
So I’m going to ask all of you to step it up for the sake of the countless souls across our
homeworlds who didn’t have a chance to fight back. It’s time to start dishing out what has
been forced upon us and to give a little ‘love’ back to the Cylons. Our vengeance shall be
righteous, and we are going to make certain payback is going to be a bitch! But before we do,
we have to rearm and reorganize our crew. Standby to initiate ERP, docking with the Asia in 20
minutes. Rosa out.”
“Vengeance shall be righteous? Pouring it on a little thick don’t you think
Commander?” Questioned Colonel Slaughter.
“Sorry, my father studied to be a priest. He used to practice his sermons and my
brothers and me back home when we were kids. Guess it kinda stuck with me.” Explained
Commander Rosa as he turned to head out of CIC.
“Major Alfonso is reporting that all birds are on the launch deck. Refueling and
rearming is commencing, although they need more bullets. He’s assembling the pilots in the
Viper Ready Room and making assignments for our new squadrons.” Advised Colonel
Slaughter.
Captain Callista, you have the CONN. Colonel, you’re with me. Let’s go introduce ourselves to Major Alfonso and our newly formed Air Group. Tell Captain Richardson I’ll meet him outside the Viper Ready Room.”
Battlestar Olduvai, Viper Ready Room:
Major Ozwald “Ozzy” Alfonso stood at the podium and gazed across the ready room. Smoke billowed away from him as he exhaled from the half finished cigarette that was still burning in his mouth. It was against regulations, he knew, but he didn’t care. He was just happy to be alive and in good company.
Assembled before him were pilots from nearly every ship of the 6th Fleet; their shoulder patches identifying exactly which ship each pilot was from. At first glance, their sweat moistened faces and their dampened hair from wearing flight helmets, might have given an unkeen observer the impression of a worn out and tired bunch of men and women in flight
suits. But it was the steely look in look in each of their eyes that told the true story. It was a look most pilots had, a cockiness and a swagger, borne from the confidence of one’s own abilities. It was also the look of resolve, to get back into the fight.
Ozzy liked what he saw as he drew a long drag from his cigarette and let out a big exhale of smoke, sending into the first row of seats which just happened to be occupied by a bunch of Lt. Jrs. Several started to cough from the smoke.
“Gods help us! I ended up saving a bunch of kiddies! When the briefing is over you all can report to the Day Care station and get your diapers changed, it’s on Deck 6!” Said Major Alfonso with a grin.
The remark brought out the sought after response as a wave of laughter and back slapping filled the room. He needed an ice breaker and humor was the best way he knew how.
“Ozzy, the nurse will be by with your wheelchair and bedpan.” Yelled back Captain Roger “Killjoy” Main, a squadron leader who served under Major Alfonso on the Battlestar Proxima.
“Hey, I resemble that remark! Just make sure that she is cute and that she’s the head nurse!” Shot back Ozzy.
“More laughter, yeah the ice is definitely broken, now to bring them back down.” Thought Major Alfonso.
“All right now, let’s tone it down. We all know why we’re here. At last count, we can muster almost a full three squadrons of Vipers along with about half-strength Raptor and Scimitar squadrons.” Stated Ozzy.
“We are also top heavy with brass, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I’ll take and experienced dog over a nugget any day of the week!” Continued Major Alfonso. “But it does mean that some of you Captains are going to be relegated to flight leaders instead of squadron leaders.”
“I’m posting the assignments on the board. Squadron leaders at this point are purely based on seniority, but that could change. For now, I want you people to take the time now to familiarize yourselves with the pilots in your squadrons . . .”
Battlestar Olduvai, Outside the Viper Ready Room:
Commander Rosa listened in, unseen, on the briefing from the hallway outside the Viper ready room.
“This Major Alfonso is quite a character! But I like his style. Just remind him of the regulations when it comes to smoking Colonel.” Remarked Commander Rosa.
“Yessir, but you can’t blame him for smoking. Not after what they just went through.” Replied Colonel Amelia Slaughter. “Pilots have to unwind.”
“Understood. Were you a pilot Colonel?” Asked Rosa.
“Yes.” Replied Colonel Slaughter.
“What was your callsign?”
“With a name like Slaughter, it was easy, my callsign was ‘Butcher’. My flight instructor found out that my grandfather was a butcher and it was all over from there.” Shrugged Colonel Slaughter.
Commander Rosa suppressed his smile as he the thought of the irony of how such a striking beauty could have such an ugly callsign. Pulling out his pocket watch and flipping it open he glanced down and wondered where Captain Richardson was.
“Who is she?” Asked Colonel Slaughter as she saw the picture of the stunning redhead in the opposing face of Rosa’s pocket watch.
“My wife. She was down on Canceron at the time of the attack.” Replied Commander Rosa.
The Commander and XO’s small talk was broken up with the approach of two men. Captain Richardson and a civilian contractor in a grey jump suit.
“Sir. I’m Captain Richardson we haven’t formally met.” Saluted Captain Richardson. “This is Mitch Daniels of Graystone Industries.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you Sir.” Nodded Mitch Daniels.
“Mr. Daniels here is why I wanted to speak you personally Sir.” Stated Captain Richardson. “It was his technical expertise that discovered the problem with the FTL.”
“What problem with the FTL? I thought you reported the board was Green Captain Richardson.” Replied Commander Rosa with mild annoyance.
“The board IS Green Sir and the FTL is working, but Mr. Daniel’s here discovered a long term systemic problem.”
Stepping forward Mr. Daniels interjected, “Commander, part of my job here is to scrutinize and evaluate how the CRF is maintained and to monitor how the major systems of these ships withstand the test of time.”
Taking a pause in breath, Mr. Daniels continued, “I was examining the main drive shaft of the FTL using a magnetic resonance scan. When I did so I discovered micro-stress fractures in the drive shaft. It’s not localized either, it permeates the majority of the length of the drive
shaft. Over time, these micro-fractures will cause loss of structural cohesion of the drive shaft, which could lead to structural failure.”
“Bottom-line it for me. What exactly are you saying Mr. Daniels?” Ordered Commander Rosa, not wanting to get lost in the technical minutia of the engineers’s explanation.
“Sir, what I’m trying to say is that the Olduvai is OLD, she’s been in reserve stasis for decades and we are living on borrowed time. The FTL is working fine, but the harder you push, the more likelihood that there might be a catastrophic failure. The shaft could snap and that would be that for FTL capability for a good long while.” Replied Mr. Daniels.
“Well, can’t we just replace the drive shaft? Asked Colonel Slaughter.
“No, we can’t fabricate a drive shaft and neither can the Flatops in the Fleet with their on-board repair facilities.” Replied Captain Richardson.
“Sir, what we need is 3 months at Thermopylae Station in spacedock, and replace the drive shaft.” Stated Mr. Daniels.
“We don’t have that kind of time and we don’t event know the state of the rest of the Fleet and what assets we have left out there.” Countered Commander Rosa. “What can we do in the interim?”
“Mr. Daniels and I are working up some ideas to shore up the drive shaft, but ultimately, it WILL have to be replaced Sir.” Replied Captain Richardson. “Just try to not push the FTL too hard and we will try to get as much life out of it as we can.”
“No guarantees Captain, right now the Olduvai is the most battle-ready Battlestar in this Fleet. We are going to have to pull our weight and then some.” Said Commander Rosa. “Get what supplies you need once we dock with the Asia and keep my engines hot. Carry on.”
Pausing a moment as Captain Richardson saluted, Commander Rosa gathered himself together.
“Ready for this Colonel?” Asked Rosa.
“Ready as I’ll ever be.” Replied Colonel Slaughter.
“ATTEN-SHUN! Commander on the deck!” Announced Major Alfonso as Commander Rosa entered the Viper Ready Room followed by Colonel Slaughter. The assembled pilots all stood at attention as their collective eyes got their first look, and first read of their new Commander.
Major Alfonso yielded the podium to Commander Rosa as he walked up to the front of the room. Standing up behind the podium, Commander Rosa got HIS first read of the pilots that were now under his command. Comprising mainly of Captains and Lieutenants, the assembly of pilots were definitely the most senior group he’d ever commanded.
It was a sad testament to the value of experience behind the stick, when there were only a handful of Ensigns and Lieutenant Jrs who survived the initial Cylon onslaught.
“My name is Commander Paul Rosa and this is my XO, Colonel Amelia Slaughter. I wish we were meeting under other circumstances, but welcome aboard the Olduvai. I see from the board that Major Alfonso here has already made assignments and divided you into Squadrons.”
“Good job Major, but I have one question for you. Who died and made you CAG of my ship Major?” Said Commander Rosa with a grin. “Because I don’t remember signing an order making you CAG.”
Putting his cigarette out with the heel of his boot Ozzy replied. “The Cylons promoted me Sir. They knocked off every other person who wanted the job and since I’m the most senior pilot left alive guess the job fell to me. Besides, I was the CAG of the Proxima before the Cylons finished her off, so I do have some experience at this.”
“I guess you’re it then, till the Cylons make another promotion.” Smiled Commander Rosa. “It’ll be both of our jobs to make sure that doesn’t happen for a very long time.”
Turning, Commander Rosa addressed the assembled pilots. “Listen up! I don’t need to tell you we’ve got our backs against the wall. Our intel is spotty and we don’t know who else is out there whose left in this fight. We are going to join the rest of the Fleet at Virgon after we replenish. For all we know we might be jumping into a full-fledged firefight. So I need all you to stay frosty and don’t lose your edge. We are going to have our chances to hit back at the Cylons, but don’t let vengeance cloud your judgment. A Battlestar isn’t a Battlstar without it’s AirWing and we have very few experienced pilots left. So I’m counting on you not to make rash decisions and to stay alive. Protect the Olduvai and I promise you I’ll always have your backs. Now gird yourselves for the upcoming battle and happy hunting!”
“ATTEN-SHUN!” Announced Major Alfonso as stiff salutes were exchanged. As Commander Rosa lowered his salute and turned to leave, Major Alfonso stated, “And Sir, speaking for all of us here, we all heard what you did and we just wanted to say ‘thank you’ for coming back for us. We won’t soon forget that.”
“It was my pleasure Major.” Replied Commander Rosa as he gave them a stiff salute.
Battlestar Atlantia: Commander’s Office
Commander Sulla paced back and forth behind his desk waiting for the eventual knock on the door that would signal the arrival ‘visitors’. A man and woman dressed in dark clothes and hooded robes had disembarked from the Deimos XO Major Briggs had reported, they were unarmed, but eager to speak with the commander of the Atlantia.
Sulla didn’t know who these people were, but he knew they represented one thing, a source for answers. Answers to questions on what was Osiris that it had a level of secrecy in
the military limited only to the Admiralty. Admiral Hayden was insistent to his death that Osiris needed to be ‘reborn’. Sulla had no idea what that meant.
Yet for all its supposed secrecy, Commander Sulla knew that at the very least the Ministry of Defense knew of Osiris. There was a second part of an order that Admiral Hayden referred to and that he needed to get it from the Ministry of Defense. Apparently the mystery of Osiris was not limited to the military; the two individuals being escorted to his office also knew something of Osiris. Sulla was determined to find out what was the connection and why was it so important that Osiris be ‘reborn’.
Commander Sulla’s pondering was interrupted by the knock he was expecting on his office door. Straightening out his tunic as he faced the door Sulla spoke,
“Enter”
The door opened as four Marines and Major Briggs entered along with two cloaked figures.
“Have a seat.” Encouraged Commander Sulla as he motioned to the two leather chairs situated in front of his desk.
Slowly the two hooded figures seated themselves in the chairs. When they were seated, each drew back their hoods and Commander Sulla saw for the first time the faces of his visitors. Not knowing who or what to expect, he examined their faces. The male looked middle aged with hair as black as coal, and a neatly trimmed beard and mustache. The female was older, slightly overweight, with silver white hair pulled tightly in a bun fixed by a golden pin. She wore glasses and had a wizened, look about her.
Each wore a medallion. One Commander Sulla instantly recognized as the same fist clenching two lightning bolts that he had seen Admiral Hayden wear. However, the female wore a completely different medallion, it was circular with a golden apple in its center.
“Where is Admiral Hayden?” Asked the Dark Haired Man.
“Admiral Hayden is dead. His soul was lost in battle as we tried to evacuate Polaris Depot.” Replied Commander Sulla. “I am Commander Marius Sulla. I was Admiral Hayden’s attaché until his death.”
Judging from the reaction of the two cloaked individuals, Commander Sulla could see that Hayden’s death was a revelation to the them.
“We know who you are Commander.” Responded the Dark Hair Man.
“Then you have me at a disadvantage, because I have no idea who the two of you are. The only reason you are here is because of Osiris. However, we are extremely busy right now trying to organize what’s left of the 6th Fleet and replenish our stores, so I’m giving you 10 minutes to say what you have to say and we are going to start with introducing and identifying yourselves to me.” Replied Commander Sulla in a mildly threatening tone.
The Silver Haired Woman, who had not yet said a word up to this point, leaned over to the Dark Haired Man and whispered something inaudible to him. Even as she did so, her eyes never left sight of Commander Sulla. Her gaze was so penetrating that it unnerved Sulla as he felt that she was not just looking at him, but peering into his very soul.
“We need to speak together alone.” Requested the Dark Haired Man motioning to Major Briggs and the accompanying Marines.
“Sir, we have no idea who these two are. We checked them for weapons and they are clean, but I have to object to you being alone with them and placing you at potential risk. Not with the Fleet is disarray, when we are short on senior officers.” Stated Major Briggs as he stepped forward and interposed himself between the cloaked figures and his Commander.
“Commander, if we wished you ill will, we would not need to resort to a face to face meeting. It would simply be done and your fate would be sealed. You would never know from whence the threat came.” Replied the Dark Haired Man in a very matter of fact tone.
“Sir . . .”
Holding his hand up to his XO and looking directly at the Silver Haired Woman, Commander Sulla replied, “It’s ok Major, it’s not like these two are going to get off my ship if they do anything. They’ll never get past you and the Marines. Besides, for security reasons at the highest level which I cannot now divulge, the information that these two might share with me cannot leave this room.”
Clearly not pleased with his Commander’s decision, Major Briggs practically hissed, “We’ll be right outside if you need us Commander.” As he shot the two cloaked figures a warning glance. “Right outside.”
Major Briggs and the Marines slowly exited Commander Sulla’s office and closed the door. When it was closed, Commander Sulla demanded,
“Alright, now that we are alone and before we go ANY further, I want to know who I am dealing with here.”
“My name is Thanos I am a priest in the main temple of Ares on Aerilon. This is High Priestess Rene” Introduced the Dark Haired Man. “Tell me Commander, how deep does your loyalty to the security of the Colonies run?”
“What do you mean?” Asked Commander Sulla
“How DEEP do your loyalties run, to the Colonies run Commander.” Repeated Thanos.
“I swore an oath to protect the Colonies when I was commissioned an officer. It’s an oath I’ve never forgotten.” Replied Commander Sulla
“I see.” Replied Thanos. “How about your loyalty to Admiral Hayden?”
“Admiral Hayden was a great man and a great officer. A man who demanded the utmost preparedness of those under his command. Someone who had the foresight to see a day like this coming. He’d train us till our hands bled and we were too tired to think straight, just to act without having to think. He was called ‘Hayden the Horrible’ for his unrelenting training. But now we all see that he was right all along. He always said that the Cylons would be back.” Answered Sulla.
“That doesn’t answer my question.” Replied Thanos
“Gods damn it! I was his attaché for five frackin years! I knew that man better than most!” Shouted Commander Sulla.
“What about his politics?” Probed Thanos “Did you agree with the Admiral’s view on the Adar’s Administration policy of gutting the military in favor of social programs?”
“What do you know of the Admiral’s views?” Demanded Sulla
“We know more than you could possibly imagine.” Replied Thanos with a knowing smile that was just inches shy of being outright evil looking. “Do you agree with the Admiral’s views?”
Feeling like the tables had been turned upon him from the one trying to get answers to the one giving all the answers, Sulla replied, “Yes. Definitely, yes. It was sheer folly for the Administration to think that the Cylons were never coming back. Sheer folly.”
“Many feel as you do, as Admiral Hayden did.” Stated Thanos.
“All this has happened before. And all this will happen again.” Spoke High Priestess Rene without any prompting. “We are all playing our parts in this cycle. Such are the immortal spoken words of Pythia written in our Sacred Scrolls.”
Bowing in deference to his superior, Thanos continued, “We are part of the many who whole-heartedly disagreed with Administration and it’s policies. We voiced our opinions, our most dire warnings for years to no avail. The Administration and those before it ignored us, ridiculed us, and casts us as fringe elements and radicals.”
“Eventually those of us in society felt that we could no longer wait to change the policies of the Administration and their weak-minded supporters. Preparations needed to be made because we all knew, as Admiral Hayden knew, as you now know-the Cylons would be back.”
BUZZ! BUZZ!
Reaching over to pick up his COM handset, Commander Sulla answered, “Sulla, here.”
“Commander, Major Briggs here, you asked me to inform you when we were five minutes out from docking with the Asia.”
“Thank you.” Turning back to the priests Sulla said, “I’ve answered enough questions and now the two of you have got two minutes to give me some answers.”
“What is Osiris?” High Priestess Rene stated the obvious question. “Tell me Commander, what would you do if you knew an attack was imminent?”
“I would prepare as best as I could for such an attack.” Replied Sulla.
“Exactly!” Exclaimed the High Priestess. “When the Administration would not listen to us, we took it upon ourselves to prepare for the return of the Cylons.”
“Who is we?” Asked Commander Sulla
“We? We are disaffected members of the Military and Admiralty. We are the disgruntled elected officials, clergy, and members of the military-industrial complex.” Replied Thanos.
“What are you saying, is this some sort of conspiracy of overthrow the government?!?” Asked Commander Sulla incredulously.
“No.” Replied the High Priestess “But it is a plan to safeguard our survival against the Cylons and those who thought to sabotage our ability to fight back. We have operated for YEARS behind the scenes. Watching, preparing and infiltrating all levels of the government and the military.”
“I don’t believe you! This is crazy!” Snapped Commander Sulla.
“Think about it Commander.” Replied Thanos. “The Adar Administration was hell bent on severely curtailing military spending. Yet how do you explain the full funding of Polaris Depot? How do you explain the denial or delaying of funds necessary to properly decommission warships, essentially keeping them at near active status? This ship we are on, the Atlantia, is a prime example. You think the lack of funding for the Atlantia was an accident? She should have been mothballed months ago, but our agents made sure that that did not happen. And let’s not forget Admiral Hayden, why keep the Reserve Fleet at such a state of readiness? He trained you hard for a reason.”
“We are everywhere Commander.” Announced High Priestess Rene, then pausing, “Yet, with all our preparations, we could not have conceived of the swiftness of the Cylon attack or their ability to infiltrate and disable our defenses. They have decimated our ranks in their effort to exterminate humankind. That is why we now need you Commander, you were Hayden’s attaché, and Hayden was one of us. He had orders about Osiris, did he not?”
“Yes, but I didn’t see them and they were lost with him. All I know is that it was a two part order and he needed to speak with the Ministry of Defense.” Replied Commander Sulla. “Do you know what the orders were?”
“No. For operational security, only a select few had the full knowledge of Osiris. However, Osiris it its most basic form is resurrection, to rise up from the ashes, and fight anew. Upkeeping and maintaining a Reserve Fleet was part of this plan, but it wasn’t the only part.”
“That still doesn’t tell me what I need to do.” Complained Commander Sulla. “Admiral Hayden was attempting to contact the Ministry of Defense, but the hyperpulse network had been compromised and we couldn’t raise anyone on Caprica. Beyond that, he wanted us to rendezvous with Admiral Nagala at Virgon for a counter-attack.”
“Nagala knows. He is one of us.” Replied Thanos.
“Then we need to get to Virgon as soon as possible.” Answered Commander Sulla.
Flag Suite:
Battlestar Prometheus:
Present Day:
Fleet Admiral Turner Jonathan Turner just sat there in front of his computer screen scarcely believing the logs of Commander Paul Rosa, which he just read. A conspiracy involving the Admiralty and parts of the government to allocate and divert funds surreptitiously to maintain military readiness against Administration policy? Nagala? Hayden?
‘We are everywhere.’ So stated the logs of Commander Rosa and Sulla. The words haunted Admiral Turner and he wondered if there were any conspirators that survived The Fall and that might still be active on Copernicus and in his Fleet.
Glancing over to the now open singed briefcase and at the dossier containing details of Osiris, Admiral Turner knew one thing, if Phase II of Osiris was ever activated there was only one place to go to find out, The Ministry of Defense on Caprica and he was going to need help.
Pulling the COM handset off the wall, Admiral Turner punched a button. “Get me General Connors.”
To be continued in Chapter V: Seeds of Discord-Part II
