{"id":1076,"date":"2020-02-28T03:35:08","date_gmt":"2020-02-28T03:35:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/battlestarmercury.com\/wordpress\/?p=1076"},"modified":"2023-02-16T10:08:22","modified_gmt":"2023-02-16T10:08:22","slug":"chapter-31","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/battlestarmercury.com\/wordpress\/?p=1076","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 31: Jump!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">The Mercury CIC was on edge, having attempted to jump directly into a firing position that provided a targeting solution for the main guns. The current thinking on tactics was the Mercury\u2019s forward-facing guns were so devastating the preferred tactic was to charge targets at high speed and aim at the enemy ships enter axis and cut her in two on the first pass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cDRADIS\u201d Major Ramirez ordered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">The display rippled showed a possible contact and then went\ndark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cThey are jamming the DRADIS!\u201d an NCO who knew her stuff\nshouted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cI\u2019m expecting a target dead ahead,\u201d Commander Lawson\nbarked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cRadiological warning,\u201d an officer shouted urgently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">The DRADIS formed an image before breaking up onto static.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cThe base star is not in the position reported by recon,\u201d\nRamirez warned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cEngines ahead flank speed,\u201d Lawson ordered. \u2018Evasive\ncourse.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cInbound nukes,\u201d another officer shouted. \u201cEighteen of\nthem!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cIt\u2019s an ambush,\u201d someone else shouted as they felt the\nengines kick in with emergency power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cTriple-A full automatic,\u201d Ramirez and Lawson both ordered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">The sound of the guns firing an intense barrage filled the CIC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Desparate battle before Solaria\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/fZLI-glMKOY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cFlak has taken out twelve, scratch that sixteen inbounds.\nStand by 17 confirmed kill\u2019s one damaged.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">The roar filled the ship as the entire ship rocked and\nrolled while still accelerating. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cSet course for a lazy S\u201d Lawson ordered. \u201cThink of her as a\nbig viper. We\u2019ll swing around and take them out before we jump home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cFTL offline, repeat offline.\u201d Ramirez was on the phone taking a damage report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cRepair estimate?\u201d Lawson asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cThree hours. Shock damage to two of the three FTL drives\nactuator arms. One can take us through one jump. FTL number three needs a\nreplacement before we can jump. We need all three units working to jump this\nbarge.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cDRADIS contact, three new Cylon base stars, launching raiders.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Chapter 31 launching raiders\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/BCbVBBkryK8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cDefinitely an ambush,\u201d Lawson concluded while planning her\nnext move. The base stars were in a classic bracket forming a box around the\nMercury where they could fire a barrage and wear her down with the shear volume\nof fire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cLaunch vipers, arrow formation they need to clear a path\nbetween us and base star number two. Alter course to two two zero use thrusters\nfor negative z. I think we\u2019ll have a firing solution in ten seconds. Main guns\nsalvo mode. Use course correction to fly us toward center axis. Weapons free,\nanything that can fire forward.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">The distinctive report of the forward weapons echoed\nthroughout the ship. The DRADIS showed one of the targets growing larger and\nten seconds later break into several large pieces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cShe\u2019s gone Sir. Nice shooting.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cOkay prepare to recover the vipers. Launch two attack\nraptors on their original mission. How long can we keep up this burn and keep\naway from the remaining three base stars?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cTwo hours and forty minutes but the problem is the raiders\ncan jump ahead of us and block us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cRecall vipers, reload, refuel and re-arm. We\u2019ll keep a\nsquadron in the air to deal with raiders.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cWe\u2019re not going to do well with this giant ship showing\nthem our ass Sir,\u201d Ramirez said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cMajor have you been reading up on battle tactics?\u201d Lawson looked bemused. \u201cWhat am I thinking, of course, you have. What am I missing?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cThis shark\u2019s teeth are the main guns up front Sir,\u201d the\nformer systems analyst said. \u201cIt\u2019s their advantage us showing them our tail.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cWe can\u2019t take sustained fire from all three,\u201d Commander\nLawson scrunched her lips a bit as she thought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cYou said it yourself, think of it as a big viper that turns\nreally slow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cJust like flying a Mark VII, they scatter when we charge and if we get lucky we isolate one of them and get a kill salvo in on her center axis. Tell engineering the ride is going to get rough. Hard about, aim for their center. Forward guns are weapons-free if they get a firing solution.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cI\u2019m letting the vipers know. We are going to take a\npounding Sir.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">* * *<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Karla Knox, call sign one day had just launched to take her\nthird rotation defending the crippled Battlestar. She was leading the squadron\nthis round because during the last rotation her squadron commander happened had\nbeen hit by enemy fire. His viper had been damaged and he had suffered minor\ninjuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cWe\u2019re doing what!?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">She had heard the instructions but did not believe her ears. Outnumbered 3 to 1 the commander was trying to face their three pursuers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">The reason that\u2019s why they paid me and there\u2019s a big cubits.\nShe got on the wireless and addressed her squadron. \u201cMake a 180 we\u2019re going up\nthe gut. We\u2019re helping the beast try and turn the tables on three Cylon stars.\nMay the Lords of Kobol be with us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">She yanked on her stick and poured on the power and turned her mark seven viper around. The DRADIS was filled with raiders. They were plenty of targets. She got back on the wireless. \u201cLet\u2019s make a hole for the big barge that we used to know as the Battlestar Mercury. All vipers weapons-free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">From her cockpit, she could see the Battlestar making a sharp turn and heading back towards there for sewers. The three base stars did not seem to know what to do about this tactic. This was a situation in which one was expected to run as quickly as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">It took less than three minutes for them to use all their\nammunition and cut a hole in the sky it was full of raiders. Karla Knox was not\ncertain that the smart thing to do right now is to do a combat landing on the\nBattlestar. However, with no ammunition and not a lot of fuel to back it up\nthat was not there was very little choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cWell children it\u2019s time to do combat landing while we\u2019re doing a battle charge of the Battlestar Mercury. Blue squadron I hope you\u2019re ready to launch because we are out of ammunition in doing us a combat landing\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cBlondie you are fracking crazy,\u201d said a familiar voice in her wireless headset earpiece.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cAt least I\u2019m not ugly like you rocket pants! I\u2019m going to lead them in I\u2019m taking port side lower pod. We are not going to wait to see if she survives this battle run we just got to land and pray.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cAll vipers get in position to support a battle charge.\nMercury is going to turn and fight.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cThat is fracking crazy,\u201d another pilot chimed in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cAll right,\u201d Knox shouted into her wireless microphone,\n\u201cpipe down. Commander has a plan. We are going to help make it happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">* *\n*<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">The lights flickered in the CIC as another blast hit the\nship shaking the entire ship. Commander Eva Lawson paced a few steps in each\ndirection. Suddenly she turned and barked out an order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cSend extra men to engineering to help get those extra\nactuator arms. Give me ship-wide I want to say something.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">An NCO handed Commander Lawson. She took a deep breath\ngathering her strength.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cThis is the commander,\u201d she began. After a pause during which the ship was rocked twice by long-range fire. \u201cI\u2019ve made a bad tactical decision and we are outnumbered five to one. We are on the run, showing the wrong end of this Battlestar to the Cylon base ships. Our tactical situation is bad. If we are going to die today we are going to do it like Colonial warriors, fighting hard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cWe are going to turn and fight. You have in the past month\ngrown into the finest crew in the Colonial fleet. I am honored and proud to\nserve with you and fight the second Cylon war. You are ready. Let\u2019s show these\ncowards, who could only defeat the twelve colonies of Kobol with trickery, not\na fair battle, how we fight. That is all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">With a flick of her thumb, Lawson flicked off the\nmicrophone, bringing the broadcast to a conclusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cSo say we all!\u201d A young, female NCO blurted out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Two more people piped in. \u201cSo say we all!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">The entire CIC chimed in for the next round. \u201cSO SAY WE ALL\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">There was an echo coming from other parts of the massive\nfighting ship, the words penetrating the very frame of the ship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cPrepare main guns for a firing solution,\u201d Major Ramirez\nordered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cAll hands prepare for a battle charge.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cHard to port,\u201d Lawson ordered after seeing there was damage\nshe would rather not expose to enemy fire.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cMaximum turn efficiency. Turning!\u201d The frame of the\nBattlestar began to strain under G-forces. Turning now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cForming up,\u201d Karla Knox spoke over the wireless. \u201cWeapons\nfree!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">* * *<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">The vipers formed an arrowhead formation in front of the\nBattlestar as it completed its turn. A dozen assault raptors formed up tightly\nto the left of the Mercury. Nine more formed up on the right side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cWhat\u2019s with the raptors?\u201d Major Ramirez asked. \u201cWe didn\u2019t\ngive the raptors any orders.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cThey are forming up to charge two of the other base stars,\u201d\nCommander Lawson said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cThat is suicide,\u201d Ramirez noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cAye,\u201d Lawson said, sounding like a farmer speaking with an\naccent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cMain guns have a firing solution,\u201d the tactical officer\nsaid with a little too much volume.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cWeapons free,\u201d Lawson ordered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">The ship resonated with the sound of the main guns as they began to fire, To the left and right of the Mercury raptors charged, firing rockets at two base stars. The two ships not under assault quickly reacted moving away, beginning to belch a massive missile barrage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"First base star kill\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/IBM2tdnh6ww?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">It took about thirty seconds for the base star center axis\nto collapse under the withering fire. The raptors peeled off after emptying\ntheir rocket launchers. Their two base stars, clearly burning began to fire\nmissiles into the Mercury, which disappeared into a cloud of smoke and mist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">The four remaining base stars formed a firing box around the Mercury, which suddenly lurched to the right in an evasive turn. Fires were burning on the exterior of the ship, fed by oxygen flowing out of hull breaches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">* * *<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Karla Knox held the trigger until every last round of\nammunition hurtled into the base star\u2019s hull before peeling off to the right,\nwondering what she should do next, save fly her plane into the base star.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">* * *<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">In CIC Lawson looked up at the damage control display,\nseeing that they were about to lose navigational control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cLooks like we are going to get hammered in a few more seconds.\u201d Ramirez grimaced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Solaria joins the fight\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/BoFZeI-5bPU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">There was a flash from a large FTL drive. Emerging from the\nenergy field was the Battlestar Solaria museum. It\u2019s flight pods were\nextending, as it completed a perfect tactical jump allowing it to aim its\nunderside main batteries at one base start and its topside batteries at\nanother. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">It\u2019s engines flashed as it accelerated into the battle, pounding two base stars, one of which erupted in pillars of fire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Escape and survival\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/QXR2J0kTCY4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><br> <br> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cThis is Solaria,\u201d Captain Atkins announced on the wireless.\n\u201cWe heard you had a little more work than you could handle. We are going to\ntake some of it off your hands.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cWe are going to get clear, recover our planes and complete\nthe FTL repair,\u201d Lawson announced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cRoger that,\u201d\nCaptain Atkins said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cFTL shows\nonline,\u201d Major Ramirez announced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cThat was a\nlittle ahead of schedule,\u201d Lawson said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cIt was those extra men you sent. They got the actuator arms\nof the FTL drives replaced, helping speedup the repair,\u201d Ramirez reported<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cThis is engineering,\u201d a crackling transmission came on the\nCIC speakers, \u201cwe are going to have to vent a couple of sections to stop the\nfires from spreading.\u201d He then announced the sections.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Mercury CIC was on edge, having attempted to jump directly into  a firing position that provided a targeting solution for the main guns. The current thinking on tactics was the Mercury\u2019s forward facing guns were so devastating the preferred tactic was to charge targets at high speed and aim at the enemy ships enter axis and cut her in two on the first pass.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1001880,"featured_media":1994,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[98],"tags":[116],"class_list":["post-1076","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-book1","tag-book1"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/battlestarmercury.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1076","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/battlestarmercury.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/battlestarmercury.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/battlestarmercury.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1001880"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/battlestarmercury.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1076"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/battlestarmercury.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1076\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5092,"href":"https:\/\/battlestarmercury.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1076\/revisions\/5092"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/battlestarmercury.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1994"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/battlestarmercury.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1076"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/battlestarmercury.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1076"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/battlestarmercury.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1076"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}