The Thirteenth Tribe (nBSG/SG Crossover)

[U.P. Cinnabar]

I was just being curious, since you were using skippers/admirals from skimmers/targets so far.

Well, Jellicoe and Beatty (and Walyn) fit so well I had to use them. Lethbridge-Stewart is in based on fnord's suggestion for the TCN Admiral, and I liked it, so I shamelessly adopted it. His original suggestion was Jack "They don't like it up 'em" Jones, but that would be crazy. KAte Stweart as his daughter fits as well.

I'm somewhat ashamed to admit I know surprisingly little about RN submarine operations, beyonf the missile boats and the infamous Conqueror in the Falklands part. My interest is and was always the big-gun dreadnoughts. Or ships of the line.

Incidentally, I fully intend to have the TCN begin work on Lionheart hulls seven, eight and nine now that three docks are empty. I am open to suggestions for names (so far: Lionheart, Excalibur, Barham, Victorious, Republic and Temeraire).

Vanguard, Conqueror, Unbroken, Nemesis, Black Joke, Ariel, Eagle, Ark Royal, Albion, Bulwark, Hermes,, Invincible, Inflexible, Indomitable, Indefeatigable, and Centaur.

Do you have Colledge's book, Ships Of the Royal Navy? It's a veritable treasure trove of RN and Commonwealth Navy ship names and basic stats.

[U.P. Cinnabar]

I avoided most of the royal names(Prince Of Wales and suchlike)and the last few are long-established RN names, with the four I names having been borne by WWI battlecruisers and WWII Lend-Lease Essex-class fleet carriers.

[Eternal_Freedom]

Pending better suggestions, Vanguard, Ark Royal and Indomitable it is.

Also, for future chapters (when the combined humans go to fight the Wraith, or crush Ba'al, I'm having the TCN build, well, a Warstar. I'll need a name for her too, Dreanought is tempting but too obvious.

I don't have that book, but I do have Janes Fighting Ship's of WW2 (picked up in near-mint condition for £2.50 in a National Trust second hand bookshop) and "The Trafalgar Companion" for Nelson-era ships.

[Darth Lucifer]

I'm having the TCN build, well, a Warstar. I'll need a name for her too, Dreanought is tempting but too obvious.

I like the name Goliath. The French pronounciation "GOLE-e-ahth", not "go-LIE-eth" But the regular one works too. Leviathan is another. Maybe Juggernaut.

[Borgholio]

If by Warstar you mean a bigger and meaner ship than any standard Battlestar, then it needs an appropriately intimidating name. How militaristic do you want it to get? You could always go for names such as Devastator, Avenger, Dominator, Intimidator or something like that. Or you could go the "noble" route with names like Liberty, Defiance, Impervious, Imperator, Sovereign, etc...

[U.P. Cinnabar]

Pending better suggestions, Vanguard, Ark Royal and Indomitable it is.

Also, for future chapters (when the combined humans go to fight the Wraith, or crush Ba'al, I'm having the TCN build, well, a Warstar. I'll need a name for her too, Dreanought is tempting but too obvious.

I don't have that book, but I do have Janes Fighting Ship's of WW2 (picked up in near-mint condition for £2.50 in a National Trust second hand bookshop) and "The Trafalgar Companion" for Nelson-era ships.

Having one of the battlestars named for your country's last battleship seems fitting somehow. And, Ark Royal is an honorable name shared by many an honorable RN ship(including two carriers).

Hmmm, how about Colossus, Canopus, Lion, Thunder Child, or Warrior for the Warstar?! Warrior was the name of the RN's first ironclad, while Canopus and Colossus were pre-dreadnaught RN battleships, with Colossus serving as a guardship at Stanley during the WWI Battle of the Falklands(the one that did in Maximillian Graf von Spee).

[U.P. Cinnabar]

If by Warstar you mean a bigger and meaner ship than any standard Battlestar, then it needs an appropriately intimidating name. How militaristic do you want it to get? You could always go for names such as Devastator, Avenger, Dominator, Intimidator or something like that. Or you could go the "noble" route with names like Liberty, Defiance, Impervious, Imperator, Sovereign, etc...

There's also Nemesis, the name of the first British ironclad steam-powered frigate(HEIC Nemesis, which fought during the Opium Wars). Or Habbakuk, the proposed, but never-built WWII supercarrier made of pycrete(ice-impregnated wood pulp).

On the other hand, since this is the TCN, why not the Vesuvius, the Mount St. Helen's, the Concordia, or the Tiger's Claw?

[Eternal_Freedom]

Pending better suggestions, Vanguard, Ark Royal and Indomitable it is.

Also, for future chapters (when the combined humans go to fight the Wraith, or crush Ba'al, I'm having the TCN build, well, a Warstar. I'll need a name for her too, Dreanought is tempting but too obvious.

I don't have that book, but I do have Janes Fighting Ship's of WW2 (picked up in near-mint condition for £2.50 in a National Trust second hand bookshop) and "The Trafalgar Companion" for Nelson-era ships.

Having one of the battlestars named for your country's last battleship seems fitting somehow. And, Ark Royal is an honorable name shared by many an honorable RN ship(including two carriers).

Hmmm, how about Colossus, Canopus, Lion, Thunder Child, or Warrior for the Warstar?! Warrior was the name of the RN's first ironclad, while Canopus and Colossus were pre-dreadnaught RN battleships, with Colossus serving as a guardship at Stanley during the WWI Battle of the Falklands(the one that did in Maximillian Graf von Spee).

Not to nitpick, but I'm going to nitpick. Ark Royal has been used as a name for at least three carriers, it was Canopus not Colossus at the Falklands, Colossus was a dreadnought battleship that fought at Jutland. Thunder Child is an interesting suggestion though, I'll put it on the list.

[Crazedwraith]

Yes, the Cylons are bringing one hell of a fleet to the party. I've adopted a few ideas from fnord and Crazedwraith, with my own special twist, so credit is due to them when the time comes.

I guess it's a good thing that I've caught up. It's differently a very fun story. But them just happening to run into friendly supertech allies and everything being dandy is a bit of stretch, one necessary for the fun.


The flashback escape from the cylons was cool and the energy + FTL system = superjump thing has been done in fanfic a lot but also makes sense in Stargate canon. If the bsg ftl drives are somehow a refinement of the sg hyperdrive merge with wormhole drive or whatever. It's the same thing that happened to SG-1's mothership in 'Exodus'.

Looking forward to the Cylons making a good fight of it next chapter.

[U.P. Cinnabar]

Pending better suggestions, Vanguard, Ark Royal and Indomitable it is.

Also, for future chapters (when the combined humans go to fight the Wraith, or crush Ba'al, I'm having the TCN build, well, a Warstar. I'll need a name for her too, Dreanought is tempting but too obvious.

I don't have that book, but I do have Janes Fighting Ship's of WW2 (picked up in near-mint condition for £2.50 in a National Trust second hand bookshop) and "The Trafalgar Companion" for Nelson-era ships.

Having one of the battlestars named for your country's last battleship seems fitting somehow. And, Ark Royal is an honorable name shared by many an honorable RN ship(including two carriers).

Hmmm, how about Colossus, Canopus, Lion, Thunder Child, or Warrior for the Warstar?! Warrior was the name of the RN's first ironclad, while Canopus and Colossus were pre-dreadnaught RN battleships, with Colossus serving as a guardship at Stanley during the WWI Battle of the Falklands(the one that did in Maximillian Graf von Spee).

Not to nitpick, but I'm going to nitpick. Ark Royal has been used as a name for at least three carriers, it was Canopus not Colossus at the Falklands, Colossus was a dreadnought battleship that fought at Jutland. Thunder Child is an interesting suggestion though, I'll put it on the list.

You're right, there was a third Ark Royal aircraft carrier, and it figures I'd get the C-names backwards. Which is more embarassing, because Canopus has been a stand-in for Wells' Thunder Child(as opposed to the torpedo ram/boat HMS Polyphemus, which was what Wells had more in mind)in a couple of re-tellings(including visuals for Jeff Wayne's musical, IIRC).

[jayel]

Just to twit a Englishcentric thread, Concord, Ticonderoga, Bunker Hill, Cowpens, Monmouth, Saratoga
although I do like Nemesis, goddess of justified retrubuition

[Crazedwraith]

So English I have no idea what any of those names mean....

(assuming american revolution battles?)

[Eternal_Freedom]

Yes, the Cylons are bringing one hell of a fleet to the party. I've adopted a few ideas from fnord and Crazedwraith, with my own special twist, so credit is due to them when the time comes.

I guess it's a good thing that I've caught up. It's differently a very fun story. But them just happening to run into friendly supertech allies and everything being dandy is a bit of stretch, one necessary for the fun.


The flashback escape from the cylons was cool and the energy + FTL system = superjump thing has been done in fanfic a lot but also makes sense in Stargate canon. If the bsg ftl drives are somehow a refinement of the sg hyperdrive merge with wormhole drive or whatever. It's the same thing that happened to SG-1's mothership in 'Exodus'.

Looking forward to the Cylons making a good fight of it next chapter.

Glad you're still reading. Yes, the Terran tech boost is a bit of a stretch, but it's necessary and also, and most crucially, does not, will not, give them an overwhelming advantage. The Cylons have their own upgrades now, and numbers. Consider that this is effectively everything the Cylons have versus everything the Colonials/Terrans have.

Incidentally, the idea of yours I adopted was the refitted TOS Basestars, complete with blue energy weapons courtesy of Ba'al, so an old-school Basestar vs Battlestar duel (a la "The Hand of God") is in the works.

[fnord]

Puts a slightly different spin on "NUKE IT FROM ORBIT, ONLY WAY TO BE SURE" when you're defending the "IT", doesn't it?

I'm still reading, and impatiently waiting for the next bit.

[Darth Lucifer]

An old-school Basestar vs Battlestar duel (a la "The Hand of God") is in the works.

Don't forget to throw in the "flying wing" old school raider with pew-pews and a trio of chrome toaster Cylon Centurions that say "By Your Command." Hell, maybe there's an IL-series Cylon in command of the Basestar, I'd totally dig that given my handle

[U.P. Cinnabar]

So English I have no idea what any of those names mean....

(assuming american revolution battles?)

Correct. As well as the names of several USN ships throughout history. All of the above-named are/were names of Ticonderoga-class "cruisers," if memory serves.

[jayel]

I left out Yorktown, that would have just been mean... How about Golden Hind?

[Eternal_Freedom]

On the names; I'm reluctant to use historical battles as I'd have to justify why Terran history has the same names as Earth history, and that would be confusing as all hell. Plus, Maybe I'm a snob, but RN capital ship names are better anyways

Another two chapters are complete and will be posted this evening, the lead up to the Battle of Terra and it's opening moves.

[Eternal_Freedom]

Cylon Fleet, unnamed star system
Outskirts of Terran space

The massed Cylon fleet had assembled, the greatest force they had ever fielded for a single target. The fleet was formed into three rough squadrons; the first contained the twenty-four Basestars that had been searching for the Colonials, these were the same force that had laid waste to the Colonial Fleet and the twelve worlds.

Second were the twenty-four Basestars Ba’al had upgraded in the shipyards of Dar’Mok. These were more dangerous vessels, they carried rudimentary shield grids and arsenals packed with naquada warheads. They would yield about a hundred megatons, ideal, in Ba’al’s mind at least, for battering down the Colonial shields. They would have been, individually, more than a match for the Galactica or Pegasus before their upgrades.

Finally, there were six ships in the heart of the formation, acting as the command ships. One was an otherwise normal Resurrection Ship, a replacement for the one the Colonials destroyed, although this one carried the strongest shields possible. The other five were something special Ba’al had created.

They were the remnants of the Cylon fleet that had rebelled against the Colonies forty years ago. Their huge double-disc hulls sheltered vast hangers for Raiders, while the outer surfaces carried heavy weapons, missile silos and heavy armour. Ba’al had both improved the armour and provided shield generators, making them potent combatants in a brawl. The shields were almost as strong as those on a Ha’tak, and the armour was a new composite of trinium and naquada, a material virtually unparalleled as protective plating.

The weapons too had been improved. The missiles carried heavier naquada warheads, whilst the original kinetic weapons had been replaced with modified Goa’uld plasma cannons. Ba’al had tweaked and improved the standard design, so that instead of a bright golden hue, the bolts were now a vivid electric blue. Coupled with slightly increased damage and a higher fire rate, these Basestars were easily a match for Ha’taks, and although Ba’al did not know of their existence yet, they would prove an equal foe for the Terran Lionhearts.

The fleet waited for their scouts to return, as it had so often in recent months. They had been unable to detect the small Terran sensor buoys, so they proceeded with the haughty arrogance of one who assumes his location is secret. It was only a matter of time until they found the Colonials again.

Terran Commonwealth Navy Fleet Operations, Olympus Base,
In orbit of Terra

“So they’ve found us. And in such strength too.” Despite his years of service and professionalism, there was no hiding the undercurrent of fear and uncertainty in the Terran Admiral’s voice. Around him were gathered the senior officers of the Combined Fleet. Admiral Adama, acting as second in command, Commander Jellicoe, Commander Adama, Captain Davies, Captain Pendragon, Captain North and Captain Stewart, in command of the destroyer squadrons.

In front of them was a large holographic map showing the data from sensor buoy 900. The Cylons had arrived. Everyone was on edge. Even Bill Adama, the only veteran of the First War, had never seen so many Basestars at once. Or even Battlestars, despite the size of the post-war Colonial Fleet, such massed gatherings were unheard of. Fifty three enemy capital ships in perfect formation was enough to chill the blood of the sturdiest soldier.

“This data shows one of those Resurrection Ships at the heart of the fleet, along with these five other contacts that the warbook can’t identify.”

Admiral Adama leaned forward, squinted at the images, then reached down and zoomed in. The five original Basestars were an unwelcome sight in a day full of them.

“First War Basestars Alistair, they must be pulling out everything they have for this fight. Those bastards carry nearly five hundred Raiders and unlike the newer models carry armour and heavy guns as well. One of them was an even match for Galactica during the last war, even with the wartime weapons refits we had back then.”

Jellicoe nodded along as the Admiral spoke, his mind churning over some of the non-optical sensor data. He reached a decidedly unwelcome conclusion.

“Sirs, I think we have an even bigger problem. This squadron here,” he pointed to the first group of twenty four new-model Basestars “show up as ordinary Basestars. Even with their numbers, our six Battlestars should be able to take them on and come out on top.”

Kate Stewart spoke up. “I sense a “but” coming Commander.” She had a bad feeling that she knew where Jellicoe was going with this.

“But this second group of Basestars show up quite differently on the sensors. We get the same kind of interference we’d get looking at a shielded Battlestar. Those five First War ships give the same readings, as does the Resurrection Ship. I think those ships have shields.”

There was silence around the display. A single thought ran through the minds of everyone present, and that was a prosaic oh, shit, followed swiftly by how the hell did they get shields? The silence was broken by a call from the senior sensor operator.

“Sirs? We have additional contacts being reported by buoys 569, 723 and 405. Warbook identifies them as Cylon Raiders and scout ships. Based on their locations and apparent search pattern, I would estimate we have at most twelve hours until they locate the Terran system.”

Lethbridge-Stewart sighed. “At least we have an estimate. Options?”

Adama Senior spoke up. “Two choices sir, we consolidate all our forces in Terran orbit around Olympus Base and wait for them to come to us, perhaps deploying minefields a safe distance out. Or we take the Fleet and hit them now, out in empty space.”

There was another moment of contemplation. The Terran Admiral spoke. “Hitting them now is too risky, with only six Battlestars and fourteen destroyers, two of which are only just completed, we don’t have the numbers for a pitched battle. We’ll need the backup of Olympus and the weapon platforms, not to mention the extra Vipers. I think we have no option but to stand on the defensive.”

Lee Adama spoke next; an idea had been forming in his mind, fulled by the appearance of another Ressurection Ship; “I have a third option sir. We keep the heavy ships here and instead launch a precision bomber strike. If we take out the Resurrection Ship they will be forced to either attack without it and risk being lost forever if they’re killed, or waiting for another ship to arrive.”

Captain North jumped in. “And we have three squadrons of Scimitar bombers ready to go. They have jump drives and can each carry a dozen anti-ship missiles with enhanced warheads. We could program precise jumps; they jump in, ripple off the missiles and jump out. This sensor data shows they haven’t even got a CAP flying at present, and with them so closely clustered, we might take out two or three Basestars per bomber.”

It was an audacious plan, and extremely risky for the bombers. But for the potential price of three squadrons of planes and pilots, they could severely cut down the odds. Lethbridge-Stewart looked around.

“Does anyone have any objections?” Everyone shook their heads. “Very well. Commander Adama, Captain North, you two work up this plan as quickly as you can. The bomber squadrons are to be on plus-five alert. All ships and stations will assume full wartime readiness at Condition Two. Shields are to be kept raised at all times. Battlestars will adopt a defensive hexagon formation around Olympus Base. Captain Stewart, your destroyers will assume station in pairs around the Battlestars. Keep Vendetta and Valkyrie close to Olympus Base as a reserve.”

The officers nodded and departed for their ships. Admiral Adama remained with his Terran counterpart and newfound friend.

“This is going to be a very bloody fight Alistair. Are you sure you want Kate out there leading from the front of her squadron?” It was a quiet remark, father to father.

“I honestly doubt I could stop her if I tried Bill, short of a direct order, and that’s going too far. She’s too much like me for her own good. I’ll be out there on my flagship, so will you, what right do I have to ask her to stay behind? Would Lee stay behind if you asked him?”

Bill closed his eyes and sighed. “No, no he wouldn’t. Gods help me but he’d want to fight as well as I would, him and Kara as well.” That was an even worse thought; he loved Kara like the daughter he’d never had, and she’d be out there leading Galactica’s air wing. Lee at least would be protected by shields, armour and the fearsome firepower of Pegasus, Kara would have only her Viper and her wits.

Lethbridge-Stewart placed a comforting hand on his fellow’s shoulder. “They’re all exceptional officers Bill, we’ll just have to trust in their training and abilities to bring them home safe.”

If there is still a home to come back to was the unspoken, but well-understood addition.

Bill reached down and adjusted the display, showing Terra and it’s orbital space. Icons indicated the fleet base, the platforms, the Battlestars and destroyers, even the Vipers on patrol. Below them all, Terra slowly spun on its axis. On the surface were five billion people counting on the Fleet to protect them from harm. The cities had shield grids that were even now being activated as the wartime readiness order went out, but both Admirals knew they would not stand up to a sustained bombardment for long.

It would be the largest and most brutal battle of Adama’s life. But, he thought, praying to beings he didn’t believe in just this once, Gods willing it will be the last one.

[Eternal_Freedom]

The Battle of Terra, Opening Moves,
Cylon Fleet Staging Area,
Five Hours Later

The Cylons continued to wait. Every few minutes, scout ships or Raiders would flash back into existence as they returned from their recon flights. Forty percent of nearby systems had been surveyed so far with no sign of the Colonials, though a number of potentially very valuable resource deposits had been found. While not of immediate interest, the dutiful Cylons catalogued them for their God to review and use at a later date.

Despite the assumed proximity of the enemy, the Cylons were supremely confident that they remained undetected. After all, they had hundreds of scouts and had yet to find the humans, what possible chance did the humans have of finding them first?

Unknown to them, the small sensor buoy, placed only ten hours before, continued to monitor them. In the last few minutes its role had changed from simple surveillance to painting targets for the Scimitar strike that was now mere seconds away. Lee Adama and Franklin North had decided on a simultaneous, computer-coordinated jump and firing sequence. The pilots would have to do nothing more than pull the trigger immediately after jumping, and their missiles would launch and they would jump away in a matter of seconds.

The targets were varied. A full squadron, ten bombers, would hammer the Resurrection Ship, ensuring its destruction, whilst the remaining twenty planes would spread themselves and their missiles out amongst the Cylon fleet. The upgraded Basestars had their shields raised, so how much damage they would take was a complete unknown. The unshielded vessels would suffer deeply however.

The moment came. Thirty flashes of light appeared amongst the huge warships. Half a second after appearing, their payload bays began spewing forth missiles in pairs at a fast pace. Six seconds after appearing, twenty-nine of the bombers jumped away. The thirtieth suffered a jump drive defect, stranding it. The crew had barely five seconds to scream their rage before they were vaporised by the wash of nuclear fire.

All across the Cylon fleet, brilliant flashes of nuclear detonations lit up the sky. The Resurrection Ship died first; with ten bombers firing on it with fully one hundred and twenty missiles it stood no chance, even with its shields. The missiles these bombers launched carried much smaller warheads than the big anti-ship missiles on the Battlestars, but with the naquada reaction enhancing their nuclear reactions, they still packed a ten megaton yield. All one hundred and twenty missiles detonated simultaneously on all sides of the large, fragile ship. The shields withstood this incredible energy for perhaps half a second before collapsing; the remaining energy pressing in from all sides completely obliterated the ship; when the flashes of light cleared there was not even debris left behind.

Other ships fared better. Despite having only ten seconds of warning, the Cylon point defence weapons proved effective; nearly sixty percent of the missiles were shot down before detonation. This was the main reason Colonial ships mounted shell-firing kinetic energy weapons rather than missile batteries, the Cylon’s missile defence was too strong.

But with two hundred and forty missiles flying, from twenty different directions at fifty different targets, shooting down sixty percent of them merely meant you would take somewhat less damage than you otherwise would.

Ninety eight missiles got through the point-defence screens and detonated, nearly simultaneously across the fleet. When the flashes faded, the Cylon commanders, who had only just been informed of the presence of enemy attackers could count their losses.

The Resurrection Ship was gone, blasted into atoms. Twelve of the unshielded Basestars were either destroyed or flaming wrecks. The other twelve all had some degree of damage. The upgraded Basestars fared considerably better. Only three had been destroyed, those that had been caught between salvos and smashed by multiple hits. Three more were damaged but still operational, though their shield generators were wrecked beyond repair.

Most troubling of all was the damage to one of the First War Basestars. It was still operational, but its shields had collapsed and one missile had detonated just above the upper hanger disc. All the weapon mounts on the dorsal surface had been destroyed and the armour had cracked open, allowing two spears of nuclear fire to penetrate into the vulnerable hangers. A third of the ship’s Raiders had been destroyed or damaged beyond repair by either the blasts or by sympathetic detonations of Raiders, fuel and munitions closer to the armour breaches. Only the absence of an atmosphere saved the ship from devastating fires that would have spread throughout the upper disc.

The first blow in the Battle of Terra had been struck. Fifteen Basestars were gone, along with the Resurrection Ship. More were damaged, and one of the precious First War vessels was badly wounded.
But for all those losses, the Cylons still fielded five upgraded First War Basestars, eighteen more upgraded new model ships, and fifteen standard or unshielded vessels, as well as countless thousands of Raiders. The odds had been cut down but they were still in the Cylon’s favour, especially as this one strike had used nearly all of the Terrans available supply of smaller anti-ship missiles.

Barely twelve minutes after the attack, and while some ships were still burning, one of the scout ships returned. They had found Terra.

[fnord]

GO FRANKIE!

Well, looks like the shit's about to hit the fan - will the punch up the conker make the Cylons more cautious or just piss them off? By my count, that's what, 12 stock Basestars, 21 Moredakka-class Basestars and 5 first war models still surviving? (Even though the 3 now-unshielded Moredakkas probably won't survive too long when the fur starts flying).

Assuming I can count, that still puts the defending capital ships outnumbered by a bit over 6:1 (Helluva lot better than 9:1, though, from the human viewpoint - getting force-fed two bricks instead of three).

[Darth Lucifer]

The humans have given the Cylons more than a bloody nose, the retaliation will be equally deadly. Losing another resurrection ship has got to send the toasters into desperation mode at this point.

Nicely done, I'm eagerly awaiting the next segment...

[Eternal_Freedom]

You'll have to eagerly await a while longer sadly. Fnord, the Cylons currently have 4 intact First War Basestars plus one damaged, eighteen intact shielded Basestars and twelve operational, but damaged basic versions, plus 3 upgraded ones whose shields are disabled for good.

As for the lack of a Resurrection Ship, that I'm toying with in regards tot he Cylon's reaction. Ba'al won't care, but Cavil might just make his move...

[fnord]

Oh bollocks. Least our counts worked out the same.

At least Frankie jointly masterminded the strike that put the first boot in - I'd say losing one bomber (although that bomber's crew might disagree) and expending most of the TCN's war-stock of naquada-enhanced small-craft anti-ship missiles is a damn low price to pay for completely wrecking the shit of twelve basic Basestars, 4 upgraded ones and one Resurrection Ship, ntm the ships that survived with damage.

Have the capital-ship bang bangs been similarly upgraded, or was Warspite's volley in the opening a once-off?

Fifteen unshielded capital ships may not be as big an asset as they were before Beatty told Jellicoe there's something wrong with their bloody ship today. I'd guess they'd be shoved forward as missile sponges, providing Miyagi defense for rest of fleet (be somewhere else when missile initiates).

Will the Cylons go balls out or wait up and fix what damage they can? How much will Alistair (and/or Bill) pay for advance notice of the answer to THAT question?

As for Cavil's reaction, why not? Keep the pot stirred, remind Ba'al he may not be quite the Magnificent Bastard he thinks he is.

[fnord]

Another (possibly dumb) question - can a Lionheart's shields (or a Warspite's, come to think of it - the Combined Fleet has got two of the latter) stand up to her own heavy guns (eg Giant Frikkin' Turbolasers)?