Have a beer first
Who: Collin Ives Where: Local Diner, Glenrock When: Hours after the start of the attack, near dawn.
“Caprica’s gone, oh my gods,” said one of the women looking up at the television in the diner. A man consoled her; he might have been her husband, boyfriend or brother. Collin never had seen her before or the man, or the number of tourists who have come into the restaurant to get out of the cold. Night was coming soon, and so was more snow.
The only broadcast channels left on the air since the attack started were the stations from New Ostia, a city about two hundred miles south of Glenrock, and two other local stations. The diner was located in a untouched area with working electronics and a generator which worked after an electromagnetic pulse knocked out power to the town. As someone explained to him, the EMP only affected parts of the town while others parts were spared. It had something to do with the terrain, and waves bouncing off the mountains and hills. The main powers lines from the hydro-dam were fried, nonetheless.
No more news was coming out of Caprica anymore, or from Picon, Gemenon, Tauron, Virgon, Leonis, Saggitaron, Libran, and Scorpia. No more news beyond the Helios Delta System. Other than the colonies of Aerilon, Canceron, and Aquaria, there were all that was left as far as information about the Cylon attack in progress. Aerilon forces have succeeded in repelling some small assaults, except for what was left of Casperon and Gaoth in the southern hemisphere. Cylon forces have landed and were taking those two cities.
New Ostia and other cities of the colony have been attacked from the air. It just did not seem possible. What was on the minds of many was what had happened to our fleet? No one was in charge. Not an official message from the government, except automated recordings for citizens to seek shelter and to stay tune to local broadcasts for further information. The news reports themselves were becoming thin and repetitive.
Collin did not mourn for his home colony of Caprica. He was shocked at first like many others, but he was not surprised. Humanity had made a deal with a genocidal artificial intelligence to cease fire over forty years ago, and forgotten a state of war still existed with the Cylons. As they say, out of sight, out of mind. The Cylons only had to wait for the Colonies to lower their guard.
Instead Collin finished his beer, grabbed his rifle and bag and headed for the door. The cold bit at his face when he walked out. He knew of a underground bunker he could hold out until - he wasn’t sure what - but it was a place he could survive a while longer than most.