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Admiral Claudia Sinclair (admiralsinclair) wrote in kobols_legacies,
@ 2008-03-22 13:46:00

Entry tags:

Grave News
Reconnaissance could come in many forms. Intercepted signals, DRADIS reports, photographs... One of the best forms, in the super-cooled vacuum of space, was that of Infra-Red. Glancing over the data and associated analysis passed across her desk in a folder, Admiral Sinclair exhaled slowly, clenching jaw in reaction to what this now meant.

Some observed that interesting times could be a curse. The dillemma confronting her most surely qualified as that. It could mean salvation and damnation in equal measure. It was going to be one for the history books, regardless of the outcome or decision.

She could only hope that such texts would end up being written by human hands.

A few hours later and she had convened a meeting of all available military heads. If Comanders could not make it, then they were to designate a trusted representative. Marines were posted at the door, such was the sensitivity of what was to be revealed. The planning room was one of those areas of the ship which were sealed against electronic signals leaking out, even going so far as to be coated in a special type of paint, upon its construction.

Waiting for the last to file through, Sinclair nodded and the entrance was closed.

"Ladies and gentlemen, you'll have to excuse me for convening at such short notice... I trust you'll understand the need for such precautions, as soon as I reveal the latest and my intentions as for how to deal with it. Please believe me when I say this could be the most lethal engagement of the entire war... Please, also, believe me when I say this has the potential to cripple us, as much as the enemy. Whatever we decide in this room is going to affect our very survival as a species. If any of you feel unable to prosecute what will be asked of you, then I'll want you to make your voice heard, are we agreed?"

[Open to any relevant characters:]

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kobe_sykes
2008-03-22 07:23 pm UTC (link)

In his flight uniform after coming directly off the flight line from a combat air patrol, he sat at the large table with the other officers. He was not sure what the purpose of the meeting was, but if the Admiral called for it, it was obviously important that he attend.

With a pen and a note pad, Major Kobe Sykes was ready to take notes on key points when the Admiral spoke, but what he heard was not some administrative statement, but a prelude to a battle order. Admiral Sinclair had the CAG’s full attention.

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tom_burk
2008-03-22 08:27 pm UTC (link)

He sensed a change. The others in the room were quiet after the Admiral‘s statement. Commander Burk looked around the table at the other officers those from his ship, the Avalon and those senior officers from the Pacifica and the Destroyer Squadron , and then back at the Admiral. He spoke up. “I think we all agree to share our thoughts. What do you have in mind, sir?”

He had an idea of what that might be.

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admiralsinclair
2008-03-22 09:33 pm UTC (link)

"What you are about to see is classified," the Admiral announced. "It's best if we can avoid enemy knowledge of these events. And if any of you happens to number amongst them... Then it won't matter."

Turning to the screen, Sinclair picked up a remote control. The lights dimmed and a selection of sensory images flashed up. Each a static image.

"This was recorded by a reconnaisance flight," she observed in commentry. "As you can see, some unusual energy spikes... It's in what was thought to be an asteroid belt, several jumps out. Now - watch this."

The next thing shown was film. Thermal imaging, specifically. Nothing too unusual, until...

"There."

Freezing the present frame, Sinclair used a laser pointer to gesture at something which appeared not to be rocks, but an altogether different outline. Several outlines, in fact. Once attention was drawn over to them, it was difficult to imagine how one might have missed it.

"We'll need another flight to confirm this, but I believe we've come across the answer to a very old mystery," Sinclair began. "When all else is lost, suicide can be a realistic alternative. Using warships as battering rams is hardly a new invention. Choosing that option at the precise moment of FTL, however, can have some very bizarre consequences... What you see here appears to be the preserved remains of the Colonial battlestar Collossus; her hull still half the way inside a wrecked Basestar. The Cylons almost avoided it by jumping out, but any catastrophe can impair such sensitive calculations - especially back then."

Allowing the image to stay on screen for a moment, it was turned off, once all present had got a decent view of the same.

"We're strapped for resources. Not just the civilians, but the military, too. It might be technology from the first war, but there's enough in the way of metal and electronics, out there - free of rust - to give us the breathing room we need."

A beat.

"I intend to desecrate what amounts to a war grave, in order to preserve the living. We strip down any useful components, refine the raw materials and buy ourselves as much time as possible. There's only one catch. That Basestar might be critically damaged, but all it takes is one hibernating Cylon asset to wake up and send a distress call. Depending on how far away their contemporaries are, I'd give us minutes, at best. Significantly less if any Centurions are still around and decide to use a dormant nuke on us."

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jake_mackenzie
2008-03-23 03:05 am UTC (link)

Jake's eyebrows practically went up to his hairline as he listened to the report and then the Admiral's plan.

"Has anyone ever heard of that sort of FTL accident? Do we know if the ships are fused together or if the jump simply took away Colossus's momentum at the point of impact?" It might not be an important issue or it could be a critical issue depending on how badly the ships were damaged.

"If we're sending a second recon mission we ought to send a team or two into the wrecks to investigate. I think once we move into the region of space in force we could jam any signals that the toasters might send, either by automated beacon or reactivated centurion."

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admiralsinclair
2008-03-23 02:44 pm UTC (link)

"These kind of variables are precisely why we need to at least take another sniff at this thing," Sinclair agreed to the suggestion. "Unfortunately, if either ship's reactors can still be brought back on-line, it'll be only a matter of time before they burn through any ECM we put up. Depending on what condition they're in, we'll have to pinpoint individual locations of transmitters and neutralise them. We could do it remotely, but even those old tugs have too much shielding between us and them to make that a promising option. I'd suggest simple bombardment, but we need as much in the way of weapons, ammunition and electronics intact, as we can get. A good proportion of the civilian vessels are probably older than even these couple of birds. They'll make use of it, even if we can't."

Remote deactivation of electronics could be done, it was true. Similar methods were sometimes used to send missiles off-course, once the Colonial military had the equivelant of what, on Earth, would be termed 'AESA'. Unfortunately, it was also true that burning through any haze of jamming was only a matter of power. Factor in a nuclear reactor or more to fuel such a process and things could get dicey.

Assuming, of course, that the damage was not so critical as to make anything within a close radius go nova. All it would take was a misplaced fuel rod or coolant fluid to have seeped out over the years.

"Either way, if we can verify this for what it is, I want the actual stripping and refining to be as quick as possible. I imagine the... Bodies will be quite preserved, but practicalities are going to have to take priority over paying respects to the dead."

Casting a knowing gaze over those gathered, Sinclair was guessing such thoughts might be raised in their minds. It was, as she had identified, tantamount to a war grave. There would be an awful lot of cadavars floating around inside those armoured shells. Most of which would be expelled into space, the moment their home was cut open.

"If this thing is confirmed, we'll be operating on a defensive posture. We'll be standing guard while the mechanical butchers do their work... Needless to say, this will demand maximum protection, which means diverting at least 75% of our resources away from the main fleet, if not more. There'll be a heavy Marine presence searching through, level by level and if it becomes necessary... I want it understood their lives might have to be sacrificed."

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tom_burk
2008-03-24 12:03 am UTC (link)

Burk studied the freeze frame, focused on the unique and recognizable hull structures. He recalled the history of the battle in which the Colossus had been lost. The tactic of ramming the ship in that desperate battle had been one of tactics most studied and debated at the Colonial War College by its students. It was an example of thinking outside the box and a very controversial decision that shaped the war for years to come.

On one side of the debate, the act had been seen as a courageous sacrifice to secure a victory in battle for the Colonials when it desperately needed one to boost morale and to save Virgon from an enemy occupation. It was example for those who agreed with the tactic on how to turn the tide of a losing battle to a victory.

On the other side, many saw that if Colossus had made a tactical withdraw at that moment, she could have been repaired and remained a vital warship. She would have been available for the next great battle. It was quiet possible the war’s outcome would have come sooner with a more complete victory, with the absolute end of the Cylons. Instead the war continued for another eight years and ended with an armistice…and then decades later, here they were with what remained of the Human race.

“With all due respect, Admiral. I am no qualms about disturbing the final resting place of the dead, if it’s for the greater need of the fleet, but I must disagree with the opinion that a salvage operation will require urgent and maximum protection.” He glanced around the room before continuing. “I am sure this issue will be brought up by the civilian leadership, which controls the civil resources needed for a salvage of this size. It’s going to be a hard sale to convince them.

They will ask questions, such as this one.” A question he had himself. “It is not reckless to conduct such a large salvage operation in hostile open-space? A large salvage without the benefit of cloaking it with natural cover, as we done with the Vulcan in the orbit of the gas giant, exposes the attempt to a greater risk of detection. You have much as answered that already with an affirmative. I see the need, but I see the risk is too great to do so quickly”

“I would agree that another look at the site is warranted and would suggest an actual boarding where it is possible. However, it would be prudent to search for any hidden dangers, to eliminate any threat within the debris before any size salvage is attempted. An advance team should secure the area for prospecting. If it means dismembering or preferably the beheading of each Centurion body, so be it.”

Burk felt he had make those points before any final plan or decision was made in regards to a future operation.

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admiralsinclair
2008-03-24 12:34 am UTC (link)

"Indeed. But we can't afford the months it would take to check every single duct. We haven't the inspection drones, personnel or, more importantly, time. Any advance search is going to have to be superficial, at best. The factory ships are my concern... All our eggs are going to have to be placed in one basket, for the duration. They'll literally be sitting on a viper's nest."

Another image flashed up on the Admiral's command. This time of a schematic of an old basestar's layout. Not the sort like two stars compressed together, but of two saucer-like sections, such as the vessel they would be encountering. Weapons emplacements were highlighted - and there were a lot of them.

"As I say, Marine detachments will embark early. But there'll have to be a second attempt, during the actual operation. We'll need them to place internal charges and blow specific hull components. If the initial recon sweep happens to miss something nasty and it wakes up while the next are doing their job, we might have a lot of problems awfully fast. And that's assuming their Raiders can't launch or that they haven't networked the Collossus' CWIS as a second layer of defence, in the intervening years."

As much limited initial reconnaisance as could be spared, followed by internal and external carving of both masive hulls. A walk in the park, really.

If only the potential hornets' nest was not so volatile.

"There's also one more problem... If records are to be believed, this particular basestar was showing some unusual energy readings, immediately prior to being rammed. It was why the Collossus chose it as a primary target; another three were acting as escort, treating it as something valuable. Nothing was ever proven, but there were some theories it might have had something important aboard. Maybe some experimental weapon for use on the planetary siege it was settling over. Who knows? Whatever the case, this could either prove very lucrative or... One more annoying 'what if' to factor into our contingencies."

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	tom_burk 2008-03-27 05:26 am UTC (link)
	He nodded and said nothing. The situation as it was presented gave him no comfort. His confidence in the Admiral had never been very high for her since leaving the Colonies, and this did not improve it. None the less he would keep it to himself and give her the benefit of the doubt, at least for now. (Reply to this) (Parent)