Chapter 17: Tracking the Battlestar Saturn.

“A Battlestar is a very large ship. Do you agree commander Modi?”

Admiral Lawson pointed to the small box,. It was about two thirds full. Full it would hold a cubic meter of debris. This included some pieces of electronics, some bits of hull.

“We at least agree that a cubic meter of debris, picked up in a dozen different jump points is not enough to account for the Battlestar Saturn?”

There were definite signs that Saturn was somewhere nearby, sometime, recently. It was obvious that it was involved in a battle, perhaps up to twelve. This was because due to a shortage of parts, or the time to use the Mercury’s foundry to manufacture parts, the SAR birds of the Solaria were when time permitted sucking debris into large bags.

These desperate efforts to save themselves had on at least twelve occasions picked up debris that could be traced with certainty to the Battlestar Saturn.

Curious, there was very little evidence as to when that battle occurred and what the outcome was. This could have been a psychological action from the Cylons to give the humans hope and then crush it,

This was more the type of thing a skin job like Cavil would pull. The mechanical Cylons, which were the only types they’d seen in 3 weeks since the nap, were more into brute force. The debris had to have come from the Saturn. That gave hope.

Commander Modi smiled, knowing the Admiral was thinking aloud. It was how she brain stormed.

“Standard protocol is to leave a data packet. A small device with a signal made for us to pick up.  The Saturn has dozens of the devices on the board and can manufacture them anytime it needs to. Yet we have not found one of these devices. It’s called the breadcrumb 1 dot oh.”

The two women of less than average height stood in a room off the repair bay for the air wing in the starboard flight pod of the Battlestar Mercury.

The computer experts had explained the issues. The Cylons more than likely intercepted the buoy even if the Saturn had even bothered to leave one behind.

“Commander Modi, your idea is to risk our most valuable, asset, Captain Miller. Put him on a raptor, fly to the Cylon comms array, board it and hope the raptors don’t get their lights shot out on the way, or shot by the toasters on the comms array. What did you call it, operation can opener?”

“First I want you to know I did talk to Captain Miller about this. He is confident that the toasters have mostly neglected the network in the time that has passed since the last battle in operation Magic Trick.”

“One of the things we learned about the Cylons is that the programming talent mostly came from the humanoids. Certainly, during the first war of the Cylons did a lot of hacking, and they use brute force of the collective compute power to overwhelm us in many battles. That was 90 years ago, however and things have changed. Captain Miller has demonstrated to my satisfaction that Humans have more talent for innovation than a machine.”

“So what are we supposed to do? Are we to delay during battle conditions with toasters surrounding us and hitting us with gunships in missiles and fighters while Captain Miller and his hackers and the marine escorts attempt to invade a Cylon communications array?”

Commander Modi spoke confidently, “I think the best way to go is to go small and light, perhaps 3 assault raptors and two recon birds. We have built up a good local  navigational database as we jumped around looking for the Battlestar Saturn and watching our combat capabilities fall by 40%. We do not have an infinite amount of time here.”

Admiral Lawson looked pale and ill as she had every one of the three weeks they had spent trying to get to New Helios, after the nap. She gestured at the metal box. Near the top was a flashlight with the logo of the Battlestar Saturn on the handle. It amazed her that people found time to craft such items as they ran from their enemy, who very nearly had made the human race extinct.

“We can  keep our jump database secure”, Captain Thomas, “Head Geek” Miller spoke as he walked from the deck gang,

Many of whom had stepped away from their repair backlogs to give him a high five. Miller had always thought of himself as a blue collar kind of a guy.

Admiral Lawson looked at him sternly, her expression signaling that she expected a salute. “I certainly hope you did not hack my calendar to get this meeting appointment.”

“Guessing your password Admiral Lawson hardly reaches the level of a hack or a crack,” Miller smiled. He was 182 centimeters in height, and towered over the two petite senior officers.

“I forwarded him the appointment, admiral. He explains this stuff better.”

“So much for the concept of private meetings of the senior command!” Lawson’s voice seemed weak. She did not seem very annoyed about the protocol breach.

“Okay Admiral, this is pretty simple. Most of the skin job toasters died in the civil war. Three models joined up with the old man, Admiral Adama and are now in the fortieth year of a very long camping trip.”

The dark haired, officer gestured with a tablet computer in his hand. “CNP was not Baltars work. He had a PR image that exceeded his programming skills. I think it was the model six he hung around with at the defense ministry in Caprica City.”

“The bottom line here is that if I don’t  want to get my ass shot off on the way to the communications network.Once I get there, it’s an easy hack. Plug in to a USB port, pretend to be a comms message. Whack, hack, crack, we own the Cylon network. This will work. I did it before, when there were thousands on their programming staff. There might not be any skin job programmers left alive right now. We certainly have not seen any.”

“What are you going to do to get hold of the Saturn. Send her an email?”

“More like a text message. There will be an encrypted data packet that should take decades for a squadron of toasters to hack.”

“It’s that easy to put a program into the Cylon network that knows how to hack its way into Saturn?” Admiral Lawson did not know computers, but she was not an idiot either.

“That’s not it at all Admiral Lawson. It’s built-in design arrogance. The Cylon network has operated now for almost 90 years on the assumption that all traffic is authorized. 

They never considered the possibility that anybody can get onto their network without authorization. They said the security was too complex for any human to decrypt. Design Arrogance.

They seem to have forgotten that humans invented the Cylon.

Most of my hacks over the course of the war simply pretended to be routine message traffic. Reported shipment of this to that place, etc. etc. etc.“

“I worked for Commander Ramirez for 8 years before the fall. I was her all star, and that didn’t stop when she took over command of the Saturn. She and her staff know how to communicate with us in the event we are separated. We may even find a message waiting for us when we hack in.”

“If this works, we will save a lot of time fighting our way around this gigantic sea of rocks,” Commander Modi suggested.

“All right. The mission is approved. Try not to get yourself shot, captured or killed.”

“I have my best crews ready to fly with him and the toughest marines in the Colonial fleet.”

Commander Modi and Captain Miller smiled at each other.

Admiral Lawson felt like she was going to throw up. She thought better of discussing the obvious energy between the pair. The fact was that HG was attached to her command. That was enough separation to overlook any relationship. This and the optics were bad, even though her own relationship with Stanley Jacobs was actually registered with Colonial Fleet HR.

7:21 

“Admiral. All ships signal ready for combat jump. Birds are in the tubes, ready to launch on the other side.”

“This is Mercury Actual. Jump the fleet!.”

Video segment 1

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“Jump complete. The air wing is launching. No contacts yet.”

9:11

“Contacts. Two heavies 3 light, 5 unidentified. We are scanning for the Saturn.”

10:05

“Squadron sized raider group approaching Mercury’s port flight pod.”

“Engaging!”

“Hey nugget, watch your flight leader!”

“Viper 7 8 3 reports a recon raptor wreck, cold electronically, says it may be from Saturn air wing. We have not lost any recon birds this hop sir.”

“Signal to Head Geek. Prepare to launch.” Ordered Admiral Lawson.

“Replied ready.”

CIC Solaria

13:18

“Mercury has come across a wrecked raptor, cold. Viper 7 83 indicates it may be part of the Saturn’s air wing.”

“Is the force recon ready for launch?”

“Yes Commander, units are ready to launch both battlestars.”

“Recall the air wing. Spool for combat jump. We will launch force recon after the jump.”

16:23

Segment 2 video ends 471-983

“Admiral. Force recon has launched. Preparing to jump away.”

“Hopefully our jump will be enough to keep the toasters focused on us.”

“I hope so Admiral.”

19:02

“Admiral, the force recon has jumped away.”

“All right, let’s deal with some toasters. We must remember to check our email or text messages for signs of HG’s hack.”

19:45

“Contacts 4 unidentified. Lot of jamming. May be launching raiders!”

“Launch enhanced Combat Air Patrol,” ordered Admiral Lawson.

Segment 3     983-1458

Video segment 3 is next

“All right, this is the Admiral. Recall all birds. Launch the SAR birds with the doctors embedded. Air wing, are we going to get the wreck that “Lancer” found?”

“HG took most of the good parts. We were left with very little.”

“Well he probably can make better use of the data than we can. If he finds something important, he promises me a text message. I hope I remember my password.”

27:31

“Contacts, as expected. Looks like a dozen ships, mostly gun ships.

“Implement our plan. Show them the left side armor.”

32:43

Segment 4 1458-1963

“We are in full defense posture. Armor failure expected!”

“Damage control teams stand by.”

“Missiles inbound!”

33:37

“Helm, turn to port. Fire missile salvo! Bow batteries fire as soon as you have a firing solution!”

37:02

“35 seconds until the planned turn to port. Port pod is already taking some hits!”

“Continue on plan to segment two of the S turn. Sync the turn with Solaria. Breathing gear. All port pod personnel breathing gear right frakking now!”

Segment 5 45:08  1963-2708

Mercury repair bay port side

‘How the frak did Poet land this thing. Can’t see anything through this glass!”

“Frakking Poet, always making jokes while we  have to figure out how to fix  his latest way to break a bird.”

“Shrapnel hits on all 3 engines.”

“Two of his guns were jammed this time.”

“Kowalski, why are you scraping off his nameplate? Two rules on my repair deck. First, we never worry about nameplates during combat. Second, its bad luck to clean the name plates!”

“Med bay just let me know chief cause he’s my cousin. Poet just passed in the operating  room.”

“I’m sorry Kowalski.”

53:54

Admiral Eva Lawson Stood in the combat information Center. She was not relaxed in any way. Her stance was to say the least rigid, if not stiff. Her complexion was gray. When she was not thinking, her hand seemed to instinctually move to her stomach.

During the past few hours, the fleet had fought three battles. They had encountered a few pieces and parts that were probably from the Battlestar Saturn. There have been no communications from HG, Captain Miller.

The officer of the deck handed Lawson a tablet computer. With her fingerprints she approved a few orders and supply moves. A list of the recent dead was also on the screen.

The number of wounded was astounding. Several sections to the ship had vented into space. It was so surprising because the number was so low. Even after a 39 year nap, which didn’t feel like 39 years, the crew had gelled together and reacted. As the size of the fleet had grown in the past, she was always taking experienced crew members off the Mercury and assigning them to positions of greater responsibility on other ships.

For four weeks, there was no place to transfer anybody. The crew has started to come together. They started to act as a team. They started to care about the quality of the work. They always cared, but they were showing pride of ownership now. They weren’t looking for a new position or promotion.

They were looking to check back into the lives that they lost when the FTL jump shot them straight towards a star.

“These video files are from the jump coordinates you insist we jump to, Admiral, the CAG has reported all birds in the tubes ready for a combat jump. He has objected to these tactical orders.”

The Admiral reached to her headset and put herself on fleetwide.

“This is the Admiral. We know where Saturn plans to be in 30 minutes. If we don’t try to clear the area first, they die.  I know it seems impossible. I just can’t live with myself if we don’t try.  This is not an order. Anyone not wanting to fight and likely die for their brothers and sisters on the Saturn, may stay behind on shuttles or the Celestra class freighter. Nobody will think less of you for the decision.”

There was a long pause, 

“The mission is classified as voluntary. Participation rate 100 percent. Complete jump prep and commence with the countdown. Good hunting!”

So say we all.

Full chapter video. End of Chapter 17. Mid season hiatus for season & book 4

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