Gone in a Flash: Nothing will be the same again
WHO: Jilleen Simmons & Jake Mackenzie WHERE: Ft. Iwo, Sagittaron WHEN: Shortly after this. Evening local time. Y03 Jan 06
Jilleen glanced up in the air to see a group of larger ships, three cargo shuttles and four raptors fly overhead toward the airfield. She thought nothing of them before turning to face Jake. “How many on your team?” She asked as continued to walk. It was better to ask some question to occupy the time, than try to imagine the effects of what she believed to be a terrorist attack.
“There’s a half dozen of us. Three officers, three non-coms.” Jake responded, noting the group of ships with an absent frown as they walked. He wanted to get her to the Command Center ASAP and get his own team gathered, though he had no idea what they’d be tasked to do.
“I’m sure they’re okay, doesn’t look like we taken too much damage from the blast.” She glanced at the mushroom cloud which started to deform in the higher elevations. “It must have been the center of the city,” she hurried her pace. When other personnel were running to stations, there was no need for officers to run and seem panicked when it was not necessary. It was not like they were directly under attack.
Suddenly a small flash from the direction of the airfield followed a second later by the sound of a large explosion of conventional origins. Jilleen flinched “Frak!”
“You can say that again!” Jake agreed. It was clear now that whatever was going on wasn’t just a single terrorist attack, albeit of massive proportions, but a direct assault on the Colony. “Let’s get moving.”
“Frak,” she repeated again. Jilleen was on the same page with him. She grabbed his arm for moment to urge him to follow as she started to run in the direction of the command center. “Follow me.”
She ran a few yards, when gun fire erupted in the distance. Jilleen quickly crouched near an automobile for cover and to determined the source of the automatic gun fire. “Jake, did you see anything? It sounds like it’s coming from parade field.” The field was about 600 meters, or two blocks away from their location. Buildings and vegetation blocked part of the view.
“Nothing.” Jake shook his head beside her. “And there’s nothing we can do about it here and now. We’re unarmed, the best thing we can do is get you to the Admiral and get orders.”
“I know that,” she said a little annoyed not knowing the exact situation. Jilleen continued to search with her eyes to make sure it was clear. She then grabbed his shoulder to get his attention, and then pointed. “Between those two buildings, that small walkway with the gazebo. It will lead us to the rear entrance of the CIC.” More small arms fire was heard, distinctly from Colonial weapons returning fire. “The attackers must be trying a frontal assault from the sound of things.”
Her mind was focused. All those years of training since the first days of her academy years guided her. She gave Jake a hard pat on the shoulder. “I’ll run for it.” Her place was with the Admiral. “You should go find your people.” There was a chance that it was a very bad idea if the opposing forces overwhelmed the marines at the center, and she did not want to have to ask Jake to take the risk. Even though an extra pair of eyes would also increase her chance of making it to the center unhurt too.
“I will, once we’ve gotten you to CIC.” Jake told her. “Once I’m certain you’re where you need to be then I’ll go. Let’s move Captain!” With that he patted her on the back and started off.
“Copy that,” she flashed Jake a smile. He was someone she could always count on when they were cadets and was pleased that she still could after all these years. She sprinted for the gazebo. Gun fire still sounded off in the distance with an occasional explosion and shouts. When she reached the gazebo, Jilleen took cover beside it, her heart racing with adrenalin . Jake kept up and was right beside her.
A raptor had gone unnoticed by them when it flew low to the ground and then hovered near the trees. The ship’s guns hummed as they poured tracer fire into the near by battlefield,. “Yay! Get those frakkers.” she cheered with her fist. It did not take too long for returned small arms tracers to zip by the raptor in an attempt to shoot it down. The exchange was one sided, as secondary explosions lit up the the area of the fight on the ground.
Another Forces member in olive drab rushed to them and joined them by gazebo. “Cylon shock troops!,” He yelled over the noises. “They’re everywhere,” the excited soldier said to them.
Jilleen nodded with out a word. It was the first confirmation of the beginning of the new war. As she thought about it, she watched as the raptor hovered to shift it’s position to avoid direct ground fire. Not a second more, the raptor was violently ripped apart by fire from above and behind by larger tracer rounds. Its cockpit exploded, and the raptor begun a slow spin down into the nearest building. A viper roared passed and then climbed at full afterburner. It had shot the Raptor!
There was no time to waste, she tapped Jake again, and started on the last leg of the run toward the the command center. They ran through smoke which now fill the air, flashes of explosions from the landing zone lit up the smoke. It was surreal. When they arrive at the center they would find Admiral Pierce, and learn this was only the beginning of a massive Cylon attack.