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Battlestar Argo

By

AJ Marks

Attack Anew

Sam sat back listening to what Commander Ares was saying. It made a lot of sense now. A race who did not develop technology very quickly was making sure that other races would not overtake them. In one way it almost seemed absurd at the thought the war had come because they had developed to the point where they could travel in space. They also apparently had a large empire as well.

"Are you saying that the Arbus has done this before," one council member asked.

"From the record logs of the Atlantian ship Orion, yes," Weaver said.

"That would mean that we had developed a civilization as great as we have right now and they destroyed us. I wonder how many times they had done this then," the man said. It was a startling revolution, one that would impact every part of the society at all levels. "Then does this mean everything we know has been their plan?"

"There are still something’s that are unknown. The Orion mentions that humankind came from a place called Kobal. Where that is unknown what is known is the fact that they moved to Earth looking for peace," Ares said not saying that he had been to Kobal.

"Then we are not even from this planet," the man said. "This is almost too much to comprehend."

"You must overcome generations of conditioning by the Arbus. But make no mistake, you are part of this planet, Earth is our home," Ares said with conviction. It was a bit strange to him. He was arguing that they were Earthlings as if he was one as well. In a strange way he felt like he did belong here as well.

"Then there are others out there as well," the man asked.

"Could be, but they could be just like you, or too far away to know about you," Ares replied as honestly as he could knowing the truth.

"Then we need to fight, and find them," one woman said. "It’s time we took our place among the stars."

Several people agreed with her. There were a few who did not. Some wanted to destroy the technology that had made the Arbus attack them. They argued that if they destroyed the technology then the Arbus would not have any reason to attack them.

"That sounds reasonable," Ares said. "But there is still a problem. How do you destroy knowledge that a person already knows. The only way I know of is to kill the person. Is that what you are proposing? Kill anyone who knows how to make the technology?"

"Well, or course not. But if we don't use it then they won't feel threatened," one council member replied.

"Can you make certain that no one will use them. Many in your society are used to the technology. Personal computers small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. You will create an entire underground movement about technology that will use it and develop it even if it against the law," Ares said.

"Ares is right, we have no way to control everyone. Our history tells us that. Even the most rigid of governments had a corrupt underground that operated against the laws," Sam said speaking up for the first time.

"Then what do you suggest," the man said.

"We continue on our path," Sam said. "We do as Senator Yvette said, we fight and take our place in the stars."

Ares looked on as the council made its decision to continue to fight. The new information did not hamper that spirit.

"Troy, did you hear the latest news," Nall said as Bri and Troy walked into the rec room on board the Argo.

"What news," Troy replied as he and Bri turned to head to where Nall and Rebecca were sitting.

"It’s actually quite exciting," Nall said glancing around to see who was in the room with them. "They managed to translate most of the data from the crashed ship on Centari One."

"Really, what did they find out," Troy asked sitting down.

"Well it seems that they were from Kobal. And that shortly after getting to Earth they were attacked by an alien race," Nall said to them. "The race was smaller than we are, grey skin, and large black eyes."

"The Arbus," Bri asked wondering if it could be.

"That's what everyone thinks," Nall said. "They said the reason they attacked them was the thirteenth tribe was almost as advanced as they were. Something they could not handle."

"They also think that because the enemy had a plan to use clones to maintain their technological superiority over other races. They put the clones into important positions just before attacking the planet to ensure an easy victory," Rebecca said.

"That would explain the clones, but it still doesn't give up much about them," Troy said thinking about what he had just learned. "It seems that they fear something, but what?"

"The new question," Nall replied. "I wonder how large their empire really is?"

"Perhaps that is why they haven't attacked up that much yet," Bri said musing out loud.

"What do you mean Bri," Troy asked.

"Well, if they advance slowly then their entire society probably doesn't change very quickly. If you use that logic then they probably don't build things that quickly as well," Bri said following a logical path. She was stuck with the thought about a race that did not develop quickly and how that would affect everything else.

"Well, it does put us with something in common with the Skartians," Troy said.

"Rapid technological growth," Rebecca said. "I can see that, we went from being able to have powered flight to landing on the moon in just sixty years."

"Wonder how long it took the Arbus," Nall questioned.

"I know that if the Cylons attacked them they would not have much of a chance," Bri said.

"War against the Cylons has to involve changing technologies and tactics," Troy said thinking about the war that had been going on for such a long time.

"Well, I need to get up to the bridge," Rebecca said, as she looked at her watch to see what time it was.

"See you later Becca," Nall said as Rebecca got up to head to the bridge.

"Late shift," Bri asked.

"Yep," Nall said. "They were training personal all day. The Panther is about ready to be commissioned."

"Are they really going to proceed with the new battlestar class," Bri asked.

"Yes, once the dockyard at Centari One is finished its refit after the Daedalus then it will start on the new one," Troy said.

"I wonder what will happen next," Bri said.

No one knew what was going to happen next. All three knew that somewhere out there the Arbus were planning something, that much was probably the truth.

"Captain, we have a contact at the edge of our scanning range," a voice said causing Renee to turn around and see what was going on.

"Any identification yet," Renee asked.

"Coming though the computer now captain," the scanner operator replied. "Identification says one Arbus patrol ship."

"Great," Renee said running her hands thought her now black hair. She had died it that color when the ship was docked at Earth last time as a dare by her crew. "Inform Earth command of what we have found."

"Yes ma'am," the communications officer said.

Renee was glad that something had been smoothed out. There was now a command center where all information went so that they could see everything that was going on. General Pakrov was in charge of the command center. The former Russian general was proving to be quite resourceful. Within moments the general's face appeared on the screen wanting to know what was going on.

"General, so far there is not much that I know. Our scanners have identified an Arbus warship, patrol class in this sector," Renee said.

"I'll inform Commander Ares as to what you've found. In the meantime track the ship and see where its going," the general said.

"Yes sir," Renee said. She relayed the order to her crew and prepared for what would be a tense couple of hours ahead.

Rebecca had just gotten to her station when the call came in about an Arbus patrol ship approaching. The same thought went thought everyone's mind, another skirmish between the two forces.

Ares walked onto the bridge to see what the situation was. It had been a long day down on Earth telling them about everything that he had learned from Doctor Weaver. He was going to retire for the evening when this happened.

"General, what's the news," Ares said.

"The Fire Ant has encountered an Arbus patrol ship sector eight," Pakrov said.

Ares thought about that for a few seconds as he looked over at the map to see what the situation might be.

"They haven't come from that direction yet," Ares said. "I wonder if this is another attempt at ambush."

"Could be, what do you think," Pakrov asked.

"Beta One is not that far away. They might be looking for it," Ares said thinking about something for a few moments. "I think I'm going to do something strange," he said with a smile.

"Oh boy, why is it when we are talking about war and you smile like that it makes me nervous," Pakrov asked.

"They want to find a base, I think I'll let them," Ares said.

"You mean Beta One," Pakrov asked.

"Yes, I've been wondering what exactly to do with it for a while, now I know. A staging area for a military buildup," he said with a smile. "Get me Commander Pratt."

Pratt's face was the next person to appear on the screen. "What's up commander?"

"We have an incoming Arbus ship headed towards Beta One," Ares said as the plan outlined in his head as to what they were going to do.

"The defenses there should be enough to handle one ship," Pratt replied not sure what Ares was doing.

"I know, but I want the Argo and Daedalus there as well," Ares said.

"That will leave Earth and Centari One's defenses severely weakened. Are you sure you want to do that," Pratt asked.

"Yes, I want them to think that Beta One is our fleet headquarters," Ares said.

"Divert the attention away from where it really is," Pratt said catching on.

"Right, a show of force there even against a small attack force might give us an advantage for right now," Ares said. "Kinda shake things up a bit as well."

"What about the rest of the fleet," Pratt asked.

"Each battlestar is going to take one destroyer, and two patrol ships with them," Ares said. The rest of the fleet is going to be divided between Earth and Centari One."

"All right, I'll pick out who is going to be with me and head on over to Beta One," Pratt replied.

"I'll meet you there," Ares said, as the communication was disconnected. Ares then turned to Rebecca and had her inform the squadron leaders to meet him in the ready room.

Bri and Troy walked into the ready room not sure what to expect at the moment. Looking around they noticed that a few of the other squadron leaders were also in the room.

"Troy, any idea as to what is going on," Jax said from where she was sitting.

"Nope, we were going to bed when we got the call," Troy replied.

Commander Ares stepped into the room and waited a few more minutes until the last of the squad leaders walked into the room.

"Thank you all for coming on so short a notice," Ares said first off. "I am sure that many of you are wondering what is going on so I'll be brief. The Argo is on its way to Beta One. There is an Arbus patrol craft on the way there right now."

The group looked at each other in a bit of a surprise. They all knew that Beta One was more than capable of handling a patrol class warship. There had to be more going on than just this right now.

"I have talked it over with the rest of the command staff and we are going to make the Arbus believe that Beta One is a staging area for our military. Using holograms and other such devices it will appear that there is a massive fleet there," Ares told the group. "The Argo and Daedalus will both attack the patrol ship, that is if nothing else is discovered."

"Sir, that sounds a bit dangerous in allowing the enemy to know where one of our bases is," Troy said.

"It may seem so but Beta One was never going to be anything more than a patrol outpost for the patrol ships," Ares told them. "It will also, hopefully, take some of the heat off of what we've seen is a search for Centari One."

"You are aware that the Arbus might attack Beta One in force once they think it’s the main base of our fleet," Troy said.

"I am well aware of that, and in fact I hope that is what happens. If they are attacking Beta One it means that they are not attacking Earth or Centari One," Ares said to the group. "It is a bit of a risk but the reward is more than worth the risk."

Troy looked at Bri who just looked back at him. They were both hoping that the commander was right in this gamble.

"We will be meeting up with the Daedalus in five hours, in seven hours we will be attacking the Arbus ship. I want everyone to return to the battlestars alive so rest up. There will be a meeting in five hours to go over the battle plan and any new readings that the Fire Ant might have found," Ares told the group before dismissing them.

"Well, that is a bit different," Troy said to Bri as they walked along the corridor to their room.

"It is a bit exciting, it’s like we're going on the offensive," Bri said.

"I guess you could be right about that," Troy said. "It is a bit of a combination more, a bit defensive and offensive at the same time. It’s a passive defense of Earth and Centari One yet it offensive in that we're dictating where the action will happen."

"Well, I hope it works," Bri said as they walked to their quarters for a quick nap.

"Commander Ares, Commander Pratt is on the line for you sir," Rebecca said.

Ares turned in his chair on the bridge of the Argo to see the screen. "Any news commander," Ares asked.

"Captain Renee reported that there is another Arbus patrol ship in the area. But only one is heading towards Beta One," Pratt said. Ares knew that the Daedalus had already arrived at the meeting place ahead of the Argo. The report of another patrol ship made him wonder.

"This could work out in our favor," Ares said. "If they are watching then they could see the buildup of the military at this base. It might give them the opinion that the base is more important than it is."

"True," Pratt said. "Or they are setting up a trap for our ships."

"Either way we need to be careful in this battle," Ares replied.

"I will," Pratt replied. He then signed off and Ares turned to see what else was going on.

The Argo was still about thirty minutes away from the battle. The Arbus ship was still on course to Beta One which was good news for the commander.

Ares watched as Troy entered the bridge and headed over to where he was.

"Captain, what brings you up here," Ares asked.

"Just making sure that nothing has changed before I head into the briefing with the other pilots," Troy replied.

"Well, we do know that there is at least one other Arbus patrol ship in the area. The Fire Ant picked it up not that long ago," Ares replied. "So we must be careful of an ambush."

"Is that the only news that's occurred," Troy asked.

"At the moment, yes," Ares rpelied.

"Good," Troy replied. "I'll let the others know."

Ares watched Troy walk off the bridge hoping that everything went well.

Troy and Bri headed to their vipers knowing that battle was now only a few minutes away. They had briefed everyone about the possibility of additional Arbus warships that could spring a trap. All pilots said that they would be on the lookout for anything strange on their scanners. The Argo had met up with the Daedalus and both battlestars were now on their way to intercept the Arbus ship.

They looked into each other's eyes before breaking to head to their ships. The silent communication between the two of them was enough to convey the message of love and to return safely. The flight crews handed the pilots their helmets as the canopies closed sealing the vipers precious air inside.

Rebecca on the bridge quickly gave commands that they would be launching in a few moments. The Daedalus was in range of the patrol ship's scanner range now. Everyone was wondering what the patrol ship would do next.

The Arbus ship turned to leave the area which is what Ares thought the ship would do. He ordered all vipers to launch and destroy the ship. Pursue was the order of the day.

Rebecca relayed the message to the viper pilots and gave permission to launch.

Troy launched first followed by Bri as the new Viper Vs launched into space. The vipers would get their second test even though it was not against a large enemy yet. They were in space in less than a few seconds.

"All right green squadron form up and head out. Our target is the Arbus patrol ship. Our main mission is to destroy the weapons of the ship," Troy said as he armed his missiles on board the viper. This was the one thing that he had to learn all over again. It was a bit like flying the bombers but with the characteristics of the vipers.

Green squadron met up with Red squadron and the two squadrons of the Daedalus. All four headed to attack the one patrol ship. Troy had the feeling that this was definitely overkill but that's what the commander wanted. They were also under orders not to attack any other ship but this one unless they came in to attack.

Troy lined up the Arbus ship in his computer's targeting system. It automatically indicated one of the weapon systems. It was a point defense turret. The missile had a lock and he pressed the fire button and watched as a missile streaked away towards the Arbus ship. He could see several other missiles also heading to the Arbus ship. Within moments explosions rocked the patrol ship.

He then made a pass and fired his lasers on the Arbus ship. He breifly wondered of this fight was even fair. But he also realized that this was war and that the commander had a reason for the way he was fighting.

Troy could only hope that the mission was a success. He knew that there was at least one other Arbus patrol ship out there. He just hoped that it did not decide to attack as well. They would be able to detect where the attack would come to. It would level the playing field as if they had to they could retreat.

Troy was able to see the beginnings of the end for the Arbus ship. Its armor began to fail at critical points at the hulled had been compromised. Suddenly a flash indicated that the end was upon the ship. Another smaller flash then a large explosion occurred destroying the ship.

"Green leader to Battlestar Argo, patrol ship destroyed," Troy said.

"Confirmed green leader, return to base," Troy heard Rebecca's voice say.

"Green squad return to the Argo," Troy said as he turned the viper towards the battlestar.

Ares sat on the bridge waiting to see if anything else was going to happen. Personally he was really waiting for the report to come inform Renee about the other Arbus ship. He hoped that his instincts were right about this and the other patrol ship left to report back to the Arbus homeworld. They still did not have an idea as to where that world was.

"Commander, incoming message from the Fire Ant," Rebecca said.

"Put it up here," Ares said hoping that this was the news that he was expecting. "What's going on out there Captain?"

"We were watching the Arbus patrol ship and it did just like you were hoping commander," Renee replied. "It left on a heading back into Arbus space."

"Good," Ares said. "Any idea if the patrol ship spotted you or not," Ares asked.

"No, it did not appear that the ship spotted us," Renee said. "That and there was no communications coming from the ship."

"All right, keep me informed," Ares said then stating that he wanted to talk with the commander of Beta One.

"Commander," Captain Gary Smith said of Beta One.

"Captain, how are the holo-projectors coming," Ares asked.

"We've finished one and are working on another one," Gary replied.

"Good, with that one I want a projection of a battlestar over one of the patrol ships," Ares said.

"All right, anything else commander," Gary asked.

"When the other projector comes on have it project a Tiger class cruiser," Ares said. "I want them to think that there is a significant force here. I will also be sending in a large number of vipers for protection against sneak attacks."

"We'll be ready commander," Gary replied.

"Good," Ares said as the communications was ended. Ares thought about everything that had gone on lately. There was definitely some truth to what Doctor Weaver had said to him. Now he just needed a bit more information to gain a secure upper hand over the Arbus.

Bri walked into the pilot's rest area quickly looking for her husband. He was relaxing with Nall in one corner of the room. He noticed her approaching and made room for her to sit down next to him.

""I see you both survived," Nall said. "I'm glad, I don't think that Troy would appreciate me hitting on him."

"Well, you're not quite my type Nall," Troy said. "I'm fond of green eyes."

"I could wear contacts," Nall said. He was about to say more when Rebecca came walking into the room.

"Well I see they finally let you off duty," Bri said.

"Well, ten hours straight will wear on a person. I don't see how the commander does it," she said sitting down next to Nall. He put his arm around her before saying anything else.

"Tired," Nall asked Rebecca.

"Actually I'm hungry," she replied.

"You didn't eat yet," Bri asked.

"No, we were busy on the bridge to the point that we skipped the meal," Rebecca said. "I was wondering if anyone wanted to join me."

"I don't see why not," Bri said looking at Troy. "I know that he hasn't eaten in a while and I skipped a breakfast earlier."

"Well this will seem weird," Rebecca said. "Here I am hungry for a steak and you're wanting breakfast."

"Well, let's go then," Nall said. "Did you guys hear the latest news from the colonies?"

"Nope," Troy replied as they got up as well.

"The Galactica and Pacifica defeated a Cylon attack squadron trying to approach the Ccolonies. The Pacifica suffered damage but should be back in action in a couple of weeks," Nall said relaying the news that he had heard.

"I just wish that we could get the war with the Arbus over with," Troy said. "Once that is over we can begin to work towards fighting the Cylons."

"It would be a lot simpler that is for sure," Bri said. As they walked down the corridor towards the cafeteria.

Renee watched from the captain's position the scanner as the remaining Arbus patrol ship was leaving the area. She had orders from Commander Ares to let the ship go if it headed off in a different direction. Now they were following at a distance to try and gain a position on where the Arbus Empire was. If they could gain some information about that then it would give them a better idea as to how to defend Earth and the two bases.

"Captain, the Arbus ship is changing directions," the scanner operator said.

"Heading towards us," Renee asked beginning to feel her heart rate pick up. The last thing she needed was to get involved in a battle.

"No, it’s heading towards the nearby star system," the operator said.

"Scan the system and see if there is anything there," Renee said. There was a chance that there was a base in the system. If so it was closer than anyone had expected. "Let's see if we can gain any information by getting closer."

The Fire Ant continued towards the unknown system in an effort to find out what was in the system.

End of Attack Anew

Go on to Offensive

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