Contact Harvest: The Cylon War

Ch.2 The Long War Begins

AN :If I didn't get the Cylon FTL drives right sorry but this is the way I want them in my story.

"All Longsword fighters are away Captain. Enemy will be in range in two minutes"

"Make sure they stick close to the Spirit. There are just to many enemy fighters for them to take on themselves. They are to deal with any that get by the blanket fire of the deck guns. Firing Control get me a MAC lock on the nearest enemy capital ship, target the ship with archer missiles as well. Serina the 50mm point defense guns are yours."

"Why do I always get the small guns?" Serina pouted before her avatar frowned. "Sir someone is trying to break into my systems."

Cutter spun around in his chair, "block them!"

"I have already shut down all non-essential points of entry and firewalled key comm. systems but whoever they are they know their stuff. I can see why the Tiara's AI couldn't hold them back.

"Can you keep them out of your systems?" Cutter asked not at all liking the idea that his ships systems were being corrupted. Whoever they were could vent the atmosphere or overload the ships power core.

"If they maintain this level of attack I can keep them out of key systems but secondary systems will be more difficult to protect, meaning they'll be able to flush every toilet on the ship at once if they want."

"Or activate the fire suppression system and asphyxiate us all," Cutter deadpanned. "Serina do what ever you half to but keep them out of my ship."

"Yes sir," Serina replied already generating hundreds of counter intrusion programs that she set loose throughout the ship. If they wanted her pathways, they were going to have to fight her for every last circuit.

Leaving the AI to her work Cutter turned back towards the frontal viewport where he could just make out the massive horde of incoming fighters and further back two ominous looking capital ships each looking like two cones connected by a central shaft.

"Sir fighters in range."

"Deck guns fire at will."

The enemy fighters, which up until now had proceeded unmolested towards the Spirit, suddenly found themselves under siege by the guns of the Spirit. Solid shot fired from the forward batteries tore through the enemy fighters while flak shot fired from the rear batteries scattered whole formations as chunks of red hot metal tore into the fighters.

"Sir fighters have broken formation and can't get by through the flak their clustering enemy capital ship in range of the MAC.

"Then send them to hell."

Propelled by three massive magnetic coils down a barrel than ran the length of the ship a massive slug of depleted uranium erupted from the underside of the Spirit of Fire causing the whole vessel to shake.

The massive 1,000 ton slug traveling at nearly half the speed of light passed through the floundering fighters as if they were nothing and slammed into the central shaft of the nearest enemy ship.

Broken in half the two individually portions, their thrusters firing erratically, collided with each other. The lower half ripping up into the underside of the upper saucer fusing the ship back together before a series of secondary explosions rippled across the surface of the upper saucer.

The entire twisted structure vanished an instant latter when nearly two dozen archer missiles slammed into the hull causing the vessels power core to explode scattering the ship across the system.

"One down, one to go," Cutter said as the bridge erupted in cheers at the death of the enemy ship. "MAC status."

"MAC is recharging time until we can fire again two minutes."

Things were looking up for the Spirit, Cutter thought, the enemy fighters were bogged down by the deck guns one enemy capital ship was dead and in two minutes so would be the second.

And it was at this moment of triumph that the universe threw a curve ball.

A brilliant flash of white light enveloped the enemy capital ship and when it cleared, the massive vessel was gone.

Cutter's eyes widened, "what th…"

"Captain! Enemy ship 20,000 kilometers to port, their launching missiles.

"Serina!" Cutter yelled. "Point guns."

The deck guns while extremely powerful were also very slow at turning leaving only the small number of Longsword fighters and the point defense guns controlled by Serina to defend against the Cylon strike.

The Longsword fighters and Serina's point guns tore into the missiles but without the support of the deck guns, they could only do so much and one got through.

Captain Cutter was thrown forward in his chair with enough force to blacking his vision. Around him, the lights of the bridge flicked and a station exploded killing an unfortunate ensign and throwing shrapnel throughout the bridge.

As his vision returned, Cutter grabbed his bleeding arm where a thin piece of metal had embedded itself. "Ser… Serina what the hell was that?"

"A nuke. Low yield but it still took out a dozen deck guns and all of our fighters stationed to guard starboard are KIA. We are leaking atmosphere."

"MAC?"

"Offline along with our slip drive."

"Damn it, Serina target that god damn ship with everything we have, deck guns archer missiles… everything."

"What of the enemy fighters without the deck guns they'll be all over us."

"The Longswords will have to deal with them, at least until we deal with their capital ship."

The Spirit of Fire, ablaze and leaking atmosphere, trained what was left of her guns onto the enemy capital ship. Launching archer missiles the deck guns of the Spirit opened up on the enemy their depleted uranium rounds tearing into the armor of the Cylon capital ship.

The Cylon response was swift as a second and a third salvo of missiles erupted from their silos and streaked towards the Spirit. They also launched what must have been reserve fighters, fighters that immediately moved to intercept the Archer missiles.

But the troubles of the Spirit didn't end there.

No longer held back by the flak generated by the Spirit's deck guns the fighters descended upon the wounded warship, the few Longswords to survive the blast were unable to keep them back.

With a speed beyond human ability the point defense guns, controlled by Serina, tracked the incoming fighters. Fighters exploded as precision shots pieced what appeared to be their cockpit.

Undeterred by the loses they had suffered the fighters pressed on launching every missile they had, and while Serina was able to shoot down most of the missiles with her point defense guns, some got through.

And for each conventional missile that got through another deck gun was lost.

But Captain Cutter and the Spirit of Fire would not be denied. And their own archer missiles struck the Cylon ship obliterating large sections of the ship.

Aflame and venting atmosphere the Spirit unleashed a finial salvo into devastated armor of the Cylon ship piecing the power core deep within.

With a final shutter, the Cylon ship exploded sending a wave of energy washing over the Spirit destroying Cylon and Longsword fighters alike.

Whether out of rage or maybe spite the few reaming Cylon fighters turned towards the burning UNSC ship and in a last desperate attempt to destroy the vessel rammed the Spirit of Fire at full speed.

"That was just rude," Serina muttered as the last of the Cylon raiders threw themselves at her ship leaving her with only 16 of her original 40 guns. "Captain our skies are clear."

"How bad is it?" Cutter asked already knowing he wouldn't like what he was about to hear.

"Bad sir. Most of our deck guns are gone; the MAC overloaded and cannot be repaired without a dry-dock. Massive sections along the port side are open to space."

"Causalities?"

"Unknown I have lost contact with a number of sections but from the damage its going to be high."

"Tell me you can get the Slipspace drive back online."

"Repair crews are working on it, initial diagnostic are positive, we should be able to get it back online but it will take time."

"Time we don't have Serina. The drive is your top priority. We need to get out of here and report to UNSC before any more friends show up."

"More Captain?"

"Serina one ship destroyed Harvest, two attacked us, and we have no idea what we are up against. This is the sought of thing to be handled by a full UNSC battle group. If we are lucky, those were the only two ships these Cylons had. But I get the feeling we are not that lucky.