Apollo looked over the myriad of controls as he tried desperately to find the switch that would begin transferring fuel from the external pod and up into the more protected internal tanks.

"Newbies, huh," he grunted.

"Gentlemen," Backis's voice came over the helmet speakers. "I understand you need gas. Captain Apollo, activate the auxiliary monitor just above your left knee..."

After a short while, Apollo watched the levels on the Raptors fuel gauge begin to rise. He sighed.

"Thanks Backis," he said.

"My pleasure, Captain," Backis replied jovially. "I didn't want to see you two crash after all the trouble you wen to for us."

Apollo smiled and looked over at the other ship as Backis gave him a friendly wave.

"Okay big brother," Athena said. "Since you're the ranking officer - "

"Now wait a centon," Starbuck cut in. "How can he give the orders if he's sitting in the back?"

"Alright," Athena said. "Then as the second in command of the Black Raptors, with more seniority on this type of aircraft, I guess that makes me the boss."

"Huh?" Starbuck said. "Now just a ce-"

"Read your regs, Starbuck," Athena quipped.

"Excuse me!" Apollo cut in. "Do I have a say in this?"

"Sure," said Backis, smiling. "Provided you can get a word in edgewise."

He was silent for a couple of microns. "Let her have it Cap. She won't let you down. On my honor."

Apollo looked over at the other ship, and then at the back of Starbuck's helmet. As the senior officer, he could designate which one of them would be in command. He sighed.

"Alright Athena," he said. "We're all yours." Then he quickly disconnected the channel and leaned forward towards Starbuck. "Sorry," he finished.

"Eh.." Starbuck grumbled.

"Okay," Athena said. She looked over towards the distant shape of the Cylon ship. "I guess we sit tight, for now, but keep an eye on that ship."

"You got it, boss." Backis replied, his fingers going to work on the equipment.

Milesar looked around at the other Raptors, all hovering a few thousand metrons off the Galactica's bow. For the fourth time in fifteen centons he keyed for Core Command.

"Status?" he asked impatiently.

"Black Raptors, continue to hold," Rigel said again. Milesar could swear that the flight controller had left her station and simply programmed a recording of her voice to answer with that statement.

"Come on, Core Command," he replied. "We're burning fuel here, and accomplishing nothing!"

"Understood, Raptors," Rigel repeated. "Continue to hold."

Milesar disconnected the channel with an exaggerated flip of the switch.

"Continue to hold," he repeated irritably.

"Lead, this is six," Justi's voice called. Brie's RO had a nervous tenor in her voice.

"Go, six," Milesar replied.

"I have two signatures on the scanner, from the far side of the ship. Configuration matches ours!" Justi continued.

"You think Starbuck and Apollo did it?" Brie asked.

Ensign Rega reached up and hit a com switch right behind Milesar's seat.

"Only one way to find out," he replied. Then he opened another channel. "Raptor two, and Raptor thirteen, do you copy?"

"Loud and clear," came Backis's reply. "What in the Nubian suns is going on out here?"

In most of the ships, the Black Raptor pilots let out gasps of relief. Brie actually let out a short whoop of relief. Then she keyed the com.

"The Galactica and the Cylons seem to have some sort of agreement for the micron. We're on hold until further ordered."

Nagon in Raptor Three continued. "It looks like the Cylons began a mining and refining project on the surface and ended up discovering the wreck of an ancient Battlestar down there."

"I know," Athena's voice came back. "I've been inside. For a wreck, it's remarkably intact, but buried."

"You were inside?" Nagon said, his voice filled with a mixture of envy and incredulity.

"Yup," Athena said. "And Backis has a gift for you. Hopefully they'll help identify the wreck."

"We already did," Nagon said. "Or rather, the Cylons did. It's the Prometheus."

Quickly, Nagon, Milesar, and the rest of the Raptors filled Athena in on the situation. Once the impromptu briefing was done, Athena said.

"Alright. We'll hold position here."

"Copy, Two," Milesar replied, smiling. He knew what Athena meant by "holding".

Once the conversation was over, Athena switched the com back to the private frequency between her ship and Starbucks.

"I want us to edge closer to the Base ship, but don't make it LOOK like we're purposely getting closer." Then she spoke to Backis. "Scan the Base ship and keep it under observation. Let me know what happens with it."

"You got it," Backis replied. Then after a few microns of working, he let out a small laugh. "Gods, it feels good to be back at work again."

Athena smiled as she checked their course and heading and made an adjustment of a few degrees, slowly closing on the massive Base Ship.

Shadow stood above the monitor, he knew that the absence of his robes might be detected by the Colonial Commander but it was a risk he was forced to take. With his new protective outer shell, the flimsy robes would not fit over his larger outer shell. In fact, he was counting on it. The Silver haired human appeared on the tiny monitor.

"Ah, Commander," he began with false lightness. "I am contacting you to inform you that the core is ready to be jettisoned to you, and we are preparing to withdraw from the system. I trust our actions have met with your approval thus far?"

"They have, indeed," Adama replied warily.

"Excellent," Shadow replied. "Stand by to retrieve. Shadow out."

He disconnected the com.

"Control," he said, opening another channel. Jettison the Colonial

Computer core in five centons. Thirty microns after, bring the motive units to full power and begin our run against the Galactica. Launch the fighter at the same time, keeping this ship between it and the Galactica. They will not see the fighter launch, and once our run is complete, they will not see anything at all.

Shadows audio circuits did not even hear the reply of "by your command."

He was already out the door and heading elsewhere.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" Backis shouted suddenly. "That big baby just started waking up!"

"What have you got?" Athena asked.

"Motive units, shields, weapons, all just came on line," Backis reported.

"They may try and attack the Galactica," Starbuck said urgently.

"It doesn't look that way," Backis replied. "They powered up, but they haven't activated any targeting systems. And their shields are one sided. Forward only."

"Defensive withdrawal?" Apollo asked.

"Maybe," said Starbuck. His voice was filled with skepticism.

"I have an object away from the Base ship!" Backis called a few microns later. "Spherical, about two metrons in height."

"Looks like the Base ship is backing off," Starbuck said.

"Yeah," Apollo agreed. "It is. It's backing away." Then he caught a tiny flash somewhere aft of the base ship. He squinted his eyes but couldn't see it. Cursing, he began furiously hitting controls, trying to find a regular attack scanner. He found it and saw the single blip speeding

away from the Base ship. He switched to form scan and grimaced. A single Cylon fighter.

"I have a Cylon Fighter pulling away fast from the Base ship!" He called out.

"What?" Athena asked.

"Galactica has begun to move forward, a shuttle just cleared the bay," Backis reported.

"Athena," Starbuck said. "I'll wager a sectons pay that Shadow is on that fighter, and he's taking the coordinates of earth straight back to the Cylon home world."

"We can't let him do that, boss!" Backis said in dismay.

Athena's eyes flicked between the spot where she assumed the fighter would be and the massive bulk of the base ship, and then she took a deep breath.

"Let's do it," she said, and the two Raptors rolled over, their turbos flaring brilliantly as they moved to pursue.

Milesar and the rest of the squadron moved into a protective sphere around the recovery shuttle as they drifted towards the floating cylindrical computer core. They had just begun to fan away from the shuttle when Athena's voice rang out.

"Raptor Two to Black Raptors. We are in pursuit of a lone Cylon fighter!"

"What?" Milesar said in surprise, then he looked up and cried out in fear. "Break! Break! Break!"

"Oh Frack!" Backis shouted. "The Base ship just reversed direction! He hit the com for the Galactica. "Core Control! Base ship is on a collision course and gaining speed!"

They were almost on the lone fighter when an explosion erupted along side them.

"I got three more fighters!" Apollo called out. "They're coming up from the surface!"

"Starbuck!" Athena called out.

"I'm on them!" Starbuck replied, and the big ship rolled over and peeled away, arcing back to confront the new threat. Athena focused on the ship ahead. A few more microns and she could shoot. She switched to missiles and held her breath.

"Here they come!" Backis shouted. "Shoot, Boss! Shoot!"

The tone came on and Athena hit the button almost simultaneously. She rolled the ship and watched two more blue torpedoes explode in the space where her ship had just been. A message scrolled across her monitor.

"TARGET DESTROYED"

"Got him!" Athena shouted as she turned to face the next attacker.

Starbuck lined up his sights on the ship in front of him and hit the button. Red streaks of light punctured the Cylon fighter and it detonated in a tremendous explosion.

"Starbuck!" Apollo shouted. "That other one is coming up fast!"

"No problem," Starbuck said lightly as he rolled the ship over in a dive.

With a Viper, the maneuver would have been sufficient to break away and escape the Cylon ship, however, the Raptor moved slower and the Cylon matched the maneuver easily, firing at the black ship.

"Frack!" Starbuck bellowed and he quickly rolled the ship in the other direction. He juked the Raptor as best he could, but the enemy ship matched his moves and continued lining up for the kill.

"Athena!" Starbuck shouted. "I need help over here!"

As if in answer, a white wisp of smoke shot above and past his ships cockpit, the missile bouncing the Raptor as it passed.

"Whoa!" Starbuck cried in alarm, then he saw the flare of an explosion illuminate his status board.

"Wow!" Apollo cried in alarm. The Cylon vaporized in a cloud of expanding gas. "Nice shot!"

"Starbuck!" Athena said. "Switch to missiles and follow me!"

"Sure," Starbuck replied, rolling over and falling into position at Athena's side. "How?"

In a frustrated voice, Athena said. "Toggle switch on the right side of the control stick!"

"Hmm?" Starbuck replied, looking down at his control. He spied the red switch, just above and in front of his thumb. "Oh, okay." He hit the switch and watched as his attack scanner changed modes, showing a real time image of the Base ship and a counter, rapidly counting down the distance to firing range.

"Hey, this is pretty neat," he said lightly.

Collision alarms wailed on the bridge as Adama stared out the viewport towards the oncoming craft.

"All back full!" he bellowed. "Fire control. Bring the missiles up from standby to fire mode! Fire at point blank range!"

"Aye sir!" Someone replied.

"At this range, we'll be caught in the shockwave!" Tigh shouted. Then into his mic. "Get me more power to the engines!"

They could feel the shift in the Galactica as she slowed and then slowly began to move back away from the collision. Adama knew that the impact was unavoidable.

"Positive shield, now!" He shouted. "Fire missiles!"

He saw the tiny flares of light, which indicated the Raptor fighters, scattering away from the Cylon ship, and then the flare as the recovery shuttle was smashed to bits on impact with the big ship's shields.

He watched as the massive metal plate closed like a mouth over the transparent viewport. At the same micron, the guns station shouted "Missiles firing!"

"Get those fighters clear!" Adama continued. "They're out of this one!"

"Raptors!" Milesar shouted. "Break off! Break off! The Galactica is firing her missiles!"

The fighters scattered in all directions, turbos blazing, trying to get clear of the inevitable impact. Milesar looked back in horror as he realized that the Galactica, and all the souls aboard her, were about to die.

"Now!" Athena shouted, and she began firing missile after missile at the Cylon ship. Starbuck also release all of his missiles at the same micron that huge orange lances burst from the forward section of the Galactica.

The first two of the Galactica's missiles impacted the Cylon Base ship, buckling its shields. A third struck, but the reinforced forward protection held.

Then the first of Athena and Starbuck's missiles began raking across the unprotected aft side. Explosions dotted the lower saucer and central column. The coronal blue wall of energy at the front of the ship fluctuated in and out once, and collapsed completely.

"We did it!" Athena shouted triumphantly.

Adama watched as the shields on the enemy ship died, just as two more of his missiles streaked out towards the enemy ship. The first one struck the upper saucer, shredding a third of it with devastating fury while the second on struck the central column. The great vessel suddenly broke apart as the resulting internal explosions ripped it apart.

"Two more!" Adama called out. "Fire!"

Two more missiles struck the remaining lower section and a large chunk of the upper saucer, breaking it up further.

"Impact in fifteen microns!" Someone called from the stations below.

Adama took a deep breath and grasped the rail of the command platform.

"All hands brace for impact!" He shouted.

"The fireball of secondary explosions enveloped his ship and he was pitched forward over the rail. Sparks and flames erupted as bulkheads and consoles twisted and broke.

He landed hard on the lower deck, amidst a pile of other falling debris.

He was dimly aware of pain in his side, and one of his legs, though he was so disoriented that he couldn't tell which one. Then blackness took him.

Athena, Starbuck, Apollo, Backis, and the rest of the Black Raptors watched in horror as the fireball surrounded and washed over the Galactica as the debris from the disintegrating Base Ship peppered it like molten rain.

Some averted their eyes while others cried out in dismay.

Athena and Starbuck peeled away from the expanding cloud of debris as they each blinked furiously to get the spots out of their eyes.

As they reached a safe distance, they turned around and looked again.

Against all hope, the shape of the Galactica drifted out of the fading fireball, it's engines glowing with the fading heat of deactivation, and half of the alpha landing bay shredded and blown open. No lights, save the glow of raging fires within the ship, illuminated her hull, but she was intact!

"Great Stars of Kobol," Apollo whispered in fear and amazement. He tore his eyes from the sight and began opening as many com channels as he could find.

"Galactica, do you read?" He paused, listening for a micron to the static. "Galactica! This is Blue - Raptor Thirteen! Do you read!"

Silence...

END

Now, don't get mad at me! I realize these cliffhanger endings can be

infuriating at times, but look at the bright side. You know that there will be another "episode."

Thanks for reading, and see you in a couple of sectons (sorry, months) with the next installment!

Mike

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