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Battlestar Argo

By

AJ Marks

The Mission

Colonel Ares walked down the hallway towards his commander's office. He had been summoned there not long ago and now he was wondering what he had done. Commander Backas was a tough man to work for but if you did your job he was good to you. At the moment he was trying to go over everything that he had done lately because about the only time you got called to the commander's office was when you did something wrong.

Ares stopped in front of the door to the commander's office and waited for a few seconds before knocking. He had to gather his courage to go into the man's office. He raised his hand and knocked and waited a few seconds before the command to enter was given. The door swung open and he walked in not expecting to see what he was seeing inside the office.

Commander Backas was sitting there at his desk but it was the man who was sitting across from him that really got to Ares. It was the legendary Commander Cain. It was rumored that Cain was going to be sent with the Fifth fleet to help out one of their allies fight against the Cylons. Two commanders of such caliber made him a bit nervous and excited at the same time. Perhaps this was a promotion to a ship that would be in the fifth fleet. That would mean he would see battle under a great commander.

"Ah, so this is the man you've been talking about," Cain got up and walked over to Ares. "Commander Cain and you must be Colonel Ares."

"Uh, yes sir," Ares said snapping out of his stupor at the knowledge that his commander had been talking about him. Not only talking about him but to the Commander Cain.

"Let's dispense with the formalities here," Cain said with a wave of hand. "Have a seat."'

"Yes sir," Ares said walking over to the chair and having a seat.

"Well, you’re probably wondering why we've called you here," Backas said knowing that his colonel was thinking that he had done something wrong. In fact it was just the opposite. "Commander Cain has approached me with an interesting mission. You can decline the mission if you want, but we would like you to lead it, if you feel up to it."

"You've been selected to undertake a mission unlike any other in this war," Cain said. "It is also one that is the most secretive."

"And the most dangerous," Backas added making Ares wonder what the mission was.

"From here on out everything you hear will be for your ears only," Cain said. "None of this is to be leaked out to anyone else who is not involved in the mission, is that understood."

"I understand," Ares said.

"Good, not in case you don't know the war is not going well for us," Backas said bluntly. It was something that Ares had suspected but it was not something he had expected to hear so bluntly from his commanders.

"That is why we've come up with this plan. A new battlestar was just secretly commissioned without the council's knowledge. We already have a mission for it. If you accept it then your mission would be to find Earth," Cain said.

"Earth, the thirteenth tribe, that's just a legend told to children at bedtime by their parents,” Ares replied wondering if his commanders had finally cracked.

"We have reason to believe that it is more than legend, but fact. The commanders of the fleet know about this and an unwritten order was given. If the fleet falls, then whoever is left will take the remaining ships and head to Earth," Cain said. "Now give me a couple of battlestars and I'll take them straight to the Cylon headquarters and destroy them but at the moment we can't spare two battlestars away from our defense."

"I'm to find Earth, a myth, legend and then do what," Ares asked not sure about this mission.

"Prepare them. The Cylons will be coming for them after they finally finish with the Colonies. Or you can have them come and help us," Cain said emphasizing which one he would do.

"Either way you may not be able to return to this space again in your lifetime," Backas said. "I mentioned your name to Cain because you are that good, and that you have no family to tie you here and neither does most of the crew."

"So I would be in charge of a new battlestar on a mission to find Earth," Ares asked making sure that he had heard his commanders correctly.

"Yes, that and a promotion would be coming to you as well. You would hold the rank of commander," Cain said. "I would really like it for you to undertake this mission. It might just save us all."

"Let me think about it," Ares said.

"Sound good. A wise commander doesn't rush into anything without knowledge first. Just be sure to let us know if you accept this mission," Cain said rising to shake Ares' hand.

A young man walked into the rec area of the battlestar and glanced around. He spotted a friend of his and walked on over to the man. Sitting down next to him the man was amazed that his friend did not even glance over. His brows were deep in thought.

"Ares, what's wrong," the man asked.

Ares blinked at the sound of his name and glanced over to see who had spoken. Troy was sitting down next to him and he had not even noticed.

"Nothing much Troy," Ares replied as he continued to think about the mission that Cain had mentioned to him.

"Nothings nothing, now what's wrong," Troy persisted back.

"Can't say," Ares replied. He thought about his friend and realized that the man had been brought up by his parents to be extremely religious. He would have deep thoughts about religion which Aries dismissed as myths and legends.

"Ah, so that type of secret. Must be big whatever it is," Troy said.

"Troy, what do you think about the thirteenth tribe and Earth," Ares asked.

Troy was a bit taken back by that but then realized that maybe his friend had gotten some religion. "It is written in the Book of Kobal that the thirteenth tribe was the last to leave Kobal. The planet was no longer able to support life. Wars and disease had ravaged the land. The leaders of the thirteenth tribe did not wish to follow the others. They set out across the vast void to a new homeworld that had been discovered far away from the rest of the galaxy. They had called the planet Earth. From there, there is not much, only pieces of myths that are not part of the book."

Ares thought about that for a second before asking his next question. "Do you believe in Earth?"

"Yes I do," Troy said without hesitation. "I've kind of studied it all my life. It’s a great mystery that has enough legends to support it more than anything else. In fact if it wasn't for this damn war I would be out there trying to find it. I have some ideas as to where it might be."

Ares thought about that for a few seconds before getting up. He thank Troy for helping him out and walked quickly back to the commander's office. Troy sat in the rec room wondering what had just happened. With a shrug he decided that when the time was right Aries would tell him.

Ares knocked on the door and walked into the commander's office. Backas was sitting there looking up at his second in command. By the look on Aries' face Backas had the feeling that the man had made up his mind.

"I would like to take the mission, but I would like to add a person to my crew," Ares said.

"Really, who," Backas asked.

"Lieutenant Troy," Ares said. "He's yellow squad leader and an amateur Earth historian."

"Hmm, that would help you out. We don't have many who have been studying where Earth may be," Backas said. "We shall ask him then."

A moment later Troy was sitting in Backas' office along with Ares. He wondered what his friend had gotten into now. Backas looked at the man and knew that he might not go.

"Lieutenant what you are about to hear is classified. You must not talk about it to anyone is that understood," Backas said.

"Yes sir," Troy replied.

"Good," Backas said leaning back in his chair. "Ares has been assigned to a mission to find Earth. We would like you to go along as part of his crew."

Troy's eyes grew round and wide at that thought. It was something that he always dreamed of. He knew that he would be one to find Earth. The only thing was he would be away from his family and friends. The other two men watched as the emotions ran across Troy's face until he finally came to a conclusion.

"I'll do it," he said. "It’s what I've dreamed of all my life."

"You may not ever see your family again," Backas said.

"I know, but what I also know is that if nothing is done we will lose the war to the Cylons," Troy said.

"Really, how do you know that," Backas said.

"I've been blessed and cursed as a seer. My family has always had the abilities. I've seen this ship destroyed in a last battle with only one surviving. It will gather up the survivors and flee the colonies. I don't know when this will happen but if we can reach Earth and help them prepare for the Cylons then perhaps we can avoid this possible future," Troy said.

"I see," Backas said. "Then I'll count you in. You will leave as soon as everything is done."

Troy walked into his parent's house to tell them that he was going on a long mission. He was not sure how they would take the news of this seeing that he was not sure when, if ever, he would be returning back to the colonies.

"Troy, it’s so good to see you," his mom said as she walked up to him and gave him a hug. She noticed that he seemed a bit tense and wondered what had happened so she asked him.

"I'll tell you at supper tonight," Troy replied. They spent the rest of the afternoon catching up until his father got home from work.

Troy watched his father as he seemed to know something. Troy was not sure if his father already knew what was going to happen as well or not.

They sat down at the table and his mom asked him again what was wrong. He was not sure how to tell them that he may never return. Sure being in the military there was a good chance that he would not return from a mission but this was different. They would not know if he was alive or dead.

"I've been picked for a mission," Troy finally said.

"That's wonderful," his mother replied but his father did not say anything.

"Yeah, but I'm not sure when I'll return," Troy said. "It might be a long time, even yehrens."

"Oh," his mother said. "Is the mission important?"

"Yes," his father replied. "You must go on this mission son."

Troy and his mom looked at him for a second. Troy was sure that his father knew something. He wondered if he had seen something about the mission but like he had of the destruction of the fleet. Instead his father only got up and walked over to a box that had been sitting on the counter table. It was one that Troy was familiar with all of his life. His father opened the box which surprised Troy. He had not known that the box opened. His father took out a medallion and handed it to him.

"You'll need this on your trip then," his father said.

"Ah, what is it," Troy asked as he took the medallion not quite sure what to do with it.

"It is something that has been handed down though the generations to the oldest male of the family," his father said. "You will need it to get in."

"Get in, get in where," Troy asked not quite sure what his father was talking about.

"I'm not sure where, I just know that without you on this mission we all fall," his father said.

"All right, I'll take it," Troy said. They continued to talk though the night until Troy realized that it was time for him to leave. They said their goodbyes and Troy headed off for his assignment.

Ares and Troy felt the shuttle land aboard the new battlestar they had called Argo. It was to reflect the mission they were about to undertake. It was his command now and he hoped that he did well. One thing about this command was it would be a long mission and he probably would never see anyone from the colonies again.

"Well, here we are, our new home," Troy said as they stepped out of the shuttle. Supplies were still being put on the ship in an effort to stock the ship up completely. There was no telling when the next time they would be able to gather food might be. The same was said for fuel. It was full plus some additional areas were also used to store the fuel.

The two men made their way up to the bridge so Ares could officially take up his command. Walking into the room he noticed that almost everyone was hard at work making sure that the systems were working. If there was a bug in any system they wanted to know about it now and not later.

"Commander on deck," a voice called out and Ares could only think it was his second in command.

"Everyone at ease. Let's get this ship ready to go," he said rubbing his hands together.

The man who had said it came walking up to him. Ares studied the man a bit. Had was a man of short stature and close cropped hair. He was a professional military man from what Aries could tell and Aries wondered at how this mission would affect the man.

"Commander Ares, I'm Colonel Pratt," the man said.

"Colonel good to meet you," Ares said shaking the man's hand. "I'm just getting a quick tour of the ship before heading to my quarters."

"Well, I assure you that everything will be ready on time," Pratt said.

"Good, but its not like we have an official time schedule and a delay of a day or two will not affect the mission too much," Ares said. It was something that was true. Realistically they could begin this mission next yehren and still complete the mission.

"Yes, but we shouldn't waste time in this," Troy replied. He had the feeling that perhaps time was an important factor in this.

"All right, keep me in formed. I'm going to my quarters then set up my office. Let me know when Commander Cain arrives," Ares said turning to walk off the bridge. Once the ship was ready to go and Cain had given him the last of his orders then they were to head out.

It did not take long for Ares to find his quarters. Troy had taken off for his own quarters and to find the pilots briefing room. Glancing around he noticed that his stuff had arrived and was in a box in the corner. He would unpack later. He figured that he would have lots of time to do that.

He then made his way over to his office where he saw that the rest of his stuff had been delivered. The room was actually quite spacious and would allow him to conduct business in here along with the council room. He could only hope that the council room would be used for what they thought it would be a meeting with the leaders of Earth.

The communicator rang and Ares picked it up. It was Pratt informing him that Commander Cain had arrived. Ares acknowledged the message and waited for the commander to arrive. He did not have to wait too long until the door opened to reveal the legendary commander.

"Commander Ares, how are you settling into the command," Cain asked as they shook hands.

"I think pretty well. It is quite overwhelming though," Ares said honestly.

"Ah, honest, I like that," Cain said. "There is one more part of the mission that you should know. If for whatever reason the crew becomes too rebellious or you encounter a hostile enemy you have the authority to abort the mission."

"I'll keep that in mind," Ares replied.

For the next while Cain told Ares what they knew about Earth. Ares had already talked to Troy and he seemed to know as much which was good. The man had been allowed to grab as much information about the planet as he wanted. It had been stacked in the library room that had been made up just for that purpose. A lot of the people also had an interest in finding the lost thirteenth tribe. Ares figured that the only way he would turn around is if he encountered a hostile enemy.

Later Ares was on the flight deck telling Cain goodbye and good luck on his fight against the Cylons. Cain wished Aries luck in finding Earth. Shortly after the commander left the battlestar Ares headed up to the bridge.

Arriving on the bridge he glanced around and then outside the window. It would probably be the last time he saw this part of the universe.

"All right, helm plot a course for this point," Ares said. It was the path that it was thought would lead them to the planet Kobal. From there they would start their search. "All ahead one half."

The massive battlestar's engines powered up and the ship began to move away from the colonies.

Backas stood on the deck of the Pacifica. Blood was running down his face but he ignored it. They had already lost the Atlantia and the other two battlestars. The Galactica had taken off already. His first thought was that Adama had been a coward but then realized that the colonies were also under attack. The Galactica was on its way to try and help.

Backas knew that it would arrive too late to help and his own ship was rapidly falling apart. Cylon suicide attacks were taking their toll on the warship. His crew was looking at him for commands but he knew that they understood what was about to happen.

"Commander, we're falling apart. Damage crews can no longer contain the fires," his second in command said.

"Do all we can," Backas said. "We will die this day, but we must hang on as long as we can. We must give the Galactica time."

"Time, I don't understand," the colonel said.

"No, I don't think you will," Backas said as he thought about another second in command he had. The Galactica would be the battlestar that would survive and lead the survivors to Earth.

"What do we do," another person said.

"Helm, try and turn the ship away from where the Galactica went. We need to give the Galactica as much distance as possible," Backas said.

"But commander, we can still go to light speed and flee," the colonel said.

"NO," Backas said. "The Pacifica is too damaged. We can do nothing but delay the Cylons. Every moment is precious. The colonies are destroyed. Adama will take the survivors to Earth. He must be given the time to organize. We turn away from the Galactica."

"Yes sir," the helm officer said as the battlestar turned and moved away from the fight. To the Cylons it looked like the battlestar might be trying to flee so they followed.

"Communications, send a narrow high speed communiqué on this course," Backas said. "This is the message, fleet destroyed, Galactica alone."

"That's it sir," the communications officer asked not sure about it.

"Do it, now," Backas replied.

"Yes sir," the communications officer replied quickly sending the message.

Backas stood there as his ship shuddered some more until the point where he could feel that it would take no more. Without sorrow he waited calmly for death to come to him. His calmness allowed for the others to meet death just as peacefully.

Several yehrens ago he had sent Ares and the battlestar Argo on its mission. They had not heard from the ship since. Cain had been lost several yehrens ago and now just as Troy had said so long ago in his office all of the fleet except one battlestar would be destroyed.

"I hope Earth is ready Ares, because the Cylons are coming now," Bachas whispered as his ship exploded.

End of The Mission

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