Book 4:Chapter 11 “Ghost Recon raid”
A young man with blond hair and a scruffy beard stood in the pilot’s ready room on the Saturn. The room was laid out like a theater with monitors flashing images and footage on the walls.
“Okay. I am Captain Phil Langer, call sign Tiger. I am running this operation. “We seem to have landed 200 thousand light years from home and lost 4 decades. I don’t understand relativistic time dilation, but the facts are this: Our intel is 40 years out of date. We need to figure out if the galaxy has been overrun by toasters while we were kind of asleep for 40 years.”
“In Phase 1 we are sending out small groups of raptors out to the location of known Cylon bases. We are pretty good on supplies and spare parts, and fuel, but if we decide to head back to New Helios, we are going to need some fuel.”
“The point of this first phase is to remain stealthy while repairs continue on Mercury, Saturn and Solaria. We want to use passive scanning and minimize the amount of electronic noise that we make.”
“Commander on Deck!” A pilot shouted and everyone stood at attention as Commander Ramirez made her way to the podium and began to speak
“As you were,” Ramirez ordered.
“We need recon badly,” Ramirez began. “We do not know what the state of Cylon forces is. We are going out with our raptors and trying to find a route to New Helios. Good Hunting, but do your best to avoid unnecessary combat. We are a long way from home.”
Two hours later.
Major Jacobs was in Admiral Lawson’s office. She was sitting in her chair, looking a bit pale. There were a number of reports on her desk.
“Anything interesting Stan?” She asked.
“We have pictures back from a Cylon supply depot. We used it as a way point for some longer range reconnaissance. There was a minimal power signature on the facility itself. There was one resurrection ship, possibly adrift, with no power signature. The Cylons were not maintaining a combat air patrol.”
“What do you think our plan should be?” Admiral Lawson looked up from her report.
“Force recon, everything we got. Heavy marine assault force. If we take it without much trouble, we will jump in and fill up on ammunition and spare parts. There may be some fuel storage in there, top off our tanks rather nicely.”
“Approved. What does the rest of the recon picture look like?”
“After we pick up the supplies, we are good for 10 plotted jumps. Not a sign of living toasters Admiral.” Jacobs kept things professional with the knowledge that Admiral Lawson was not feeling well.
“The readiness report shows FTL repairs are scheduled to be complete on Solaria tomorrow morning. Saturn and Mercury are jump capable.”
“That’s good. It will take months to completely repair our battle damage without the shipyard. I will go help Tiger with his tactical plan.”
12 hours later in his raptor pilot’s seat, helmet on. “This is Tiger to all birds. Check your jump coordinates and jump in 30 seconds. All birds show green on FTL systems check.”
“This is Cheeks,” a very masculine voice came over the wireless. “All assault raptors in formation, ready to make the jump. Coordinates triple checked.”
“Boss this is ARAP seven niner one, are we allowed to shoot if we see toasters on the other side?”
“This is Tiger, cut the chatter and jump.”
“This is Puppy, All birds have made the jump. DRADIS is clean.”
“This is Tiger. Keep it simple. Stay alert and be ready for an ambush. Marines, are you ready?”
“This is Chimp. We are ready to kick some doors and deal boss. Is it true that you airedales have a pool for the pilot that can make the most marines lose their lunch?”
“This is Tiger. We stopped that crap when Arrow won the frakking pool seven times in a row. I bet you marines are happy as hell she’s a squadron leader on the Saturn.”
“This is Puppy. Coming up on target. Approaching the landing bay. Everything looks quiet. No red eyes in sight.”
“This is Tiger. Pilots and REO’s check your gear. Chimp have your marines double check their suits. Can’t be too careful in zero air. Slowing down for landing and marine egress.”
“This is Chimp. We are kicking up a lot of dust. That usually means the base has not been active in a while right?”
“Chimp. Tiger. Stay alert. My grandpa fought in the first war. Toasters were known to dress up supply bases.”
“Roger that Tiger.”
“Touchdown. Doors open. Marines jump off now.”
“DRADIS contact! Unidentified toaster signal pretty long range. Checking the mission logs.”
“Tiger. Rainbow, isn’t that where we spotted the cold resurrection ship?”
“Tiger, this is Rainbow. Affirmative. Toaster ship is active with the engines lit up. We have an active ping. She has DRADIS.”
“This is Tiger. Assault Team Beta. Saddle up. Orders are to board the resurrection ship, turn off the radios and if possible capture the ship.”
“That is frakking scary Tiger!”
“Rainbow. Tiger. I don’t write the orders, I just execute them.”
“This is Chimp. Doors are jammed. Fire in the hole.”
“Chimp. Tiger, give the birds a chance to get off the landing deck. Hold twenty.”
“Tiger. Chimp. Roger that. Holding for the birds to get to safety.”
Thirty seconds passed very slowly.
“Fire in the hole.”
There was some cross talk and confusion on the wireless.
“Chimp, this is Tiger. Sitrep!”
“The base is ours. No opposition forces. There are a few powered down classic toasters standing around.”
“As per the mission plan. Secure the station. Neutralize the toasters. Raptors, this is Tiger, prepare to board the resurrection ship.”
“Assault Team Beta, we are on the surface of the ship, topside. Cutting through the hull. ETA five minutes.”
“We are attached and cutting through.”
“Team Beta, Tiger here. Keep talking. Let us know how you are doing.”
“Modern toasters are firing. We are taking fire.”
“Tiger to ARAP’s ready to fire. Assault team evacuate the resurrection ship. All birds clear away from that ship! Now! Now! Now! All birds begin to jam that ship.”
“We are clear. All assault teams and raptors are clear of the resurrection ship.”
“Tiger. Rainbow. Enemy ship is spooling up FTL. Recon Raptors clear the zone.”
“Tiger this is Cheeks. Target is painted. Request permission to fire.”
“Cheeks this is Tiger. Weapons free. Fire! Repeat Weapons free. Fire!”
“Cheeks to all ARAP’s. Fire missile salvo.”
“All birds hit them with guns!”
“Target destroyed.”
“All right Tiger, all birds are ready to jump for home.”
“Chimp, this is Tiger. Sitrep!”
“The base is ours. No opposition forces. There are a few powered down classic toasters standing around.”
“As per the mission plan. Secure the station. Neutralize the toasters. Raptors, this is Tiger, prepare to board the resurrection ship.”
“Assault Team Beta, we are on the surface of the ship, topside. Cutting through the hull. ETA five minutes.”
“We are attached and cutting through.”
“Team Beta, Tiger here. Keep talking. Let us know how you are doing.”
“Modern toasters are firing. We are taking fire.”
“Tiger to ARAP’s ready to fire. Assault team evacuate the resurrection ship. All birds clear away from that ship! Now! Now! Now! All birds begin to jam that ship.”
“We are clear. All assault teams and raptors are clear of the resurrection ship.”
“Tiger. Rainbow. Enemy ship is spooling up FTL. Recon Raptors clear the zone.”
“Tiger this is Cheeks. Target is painted. Request permission to fire.”
“Cheeks this is Tiger. Weapons free. Fire! Repeat Weapons free. Fire!”
“Cheeks to all ARAP’s. Fire missile salvo.”
“All birds hit them with guns!”
“Target destroyed.”
“All right Tiger, all birds are ready to jump for home.”
The process of reconnaissance would go on for some time. What was determined was that thirty nine years ago, the Cylons fought a civil war. It was thought that resurrection technology had been lost.
The before resurrection Cylons tried to rebuild their network, fleet and technology with varying levels of success. Many stations and fleets were idle.
As the pieces of the resurrection technology were gathered in a laboratory on a Phobos class warship, one part of the original first war was missing.
Resurrection technology was partially invented before the final 5 arrived and ended the first Cylon war. This was done with human experimentation. The mechanical Cylon’s sent reconnaissance to every world that had ever had Cylons. They gathered together the bits and pieces that they would need to invent resurrection technology again.
There were two places where they might find human’s for their experiment. Earth and New Helios.
Full Chapter video next.
