The 13th Tribe Book II: A Symphony of War

[U.P. Cinnabar]

That's because the Cylons just refused to die.

Are the Bellicose and the Everest going to appear in the Pegasus Galaxy, by any chance?

[fnord]

Unless I've misread, Enterprise et al were in the Pegasus galaxy, so Enterprise at least already has appeared in said galaxy - the Smug Git is in for an unpleasant surprise.

[U.P. Cinnabar]

Everest. You know, the ship that may or may not made a slipspace jump inside Viperadae's atmosphere during Admiral Cole's Last Stand. At the same time Shiva missiles were converting said super-Jovian into a brown dwarf.

[Sky Captain]

Poor Baal, even in another galaxy he can't get away from humans. He better make a run for yet another galaxy before human battle groups find him.

[Eternal_Freedom]

Hmmm...you know, having Everest turn up would indeed be an amusing touch. I shall investigate further. As for Bellicose, that's a good name, I'm nicking that for one of the cruisers.

Yeah, Ba'al doesn't have much luck with humans. But he won't be running. He doesn't know the Al'kesh was tracked by Argus Control and Commodore Ryan, aka Swordsman, another fun shoutout.

This time, Ba'al is done for. No spoilers, he's a dead snake crawling.

[U.P. Cinnabar]

I figured you needed a maguffin to get the Alliance into the Haloverse, E_F.

And, bye, bye, Ba'al. You won't be mourned.

[Eternal_Freedom]

Nah, got a plan for the Alliance reaching the Haloverse. I included that Furling Beacon for a reason, scanning the skies and setting transmissions ain't all it does...

[U.P. Cinnabar]

Never mind, then.

[Eternal_Freedom]

Suffice to say, the Furlings/Forerunners aren't as dead as might be expected....

The idea of Cole and the Everest reappearing though is an extremely interesting one, which helps fill in a few gaps. May need me to tweak some of the Halo backstory, but that's not exactly a major issue given all the other stuff I'm adjusting.

[fnord]

Everest. You know, the ship that may or may not made a slipspace jump inside Viperadae's atmosphere during Admiral Cole's Last Stand. At the same time Shiva missiles were converting said super-Jovian into a brown dwarf.

Ie, I did misread.

[U.P. Cinnabar]

You sure you don't need my glasses, fnord?

[Eternal_Freedom]

Boom. 3k words this time. Mostly filler and character stuff, but I'm quite pleased with it. Plus turns out my real-life sister-in-law is reading through Book I and loves it, so this one's for her:

Showing the Flag
Battlestar Temeraire, Capital Berth Five, Olympus Base, Terra

The Temeraire had been overrun.

Bodies swarmed through her corridors and compartments, outnumbering her crew by five to one or more. Chatter, loud and excited reverberated through her hull as thousands of people moved through the ship in an organised and disciplined fashion. This was not piracy, or a boarding action however. This was something that many of the crew felt was worse by far.

This was Fleet Day.

It was an idea dreamed up by the public relations office at Fleet Headquarters and subsequently approved by the Admiralty and the Senate. Once every month, whichever Battlestar was in port would open herself up to the visiting public, or at least those who had applied for tickets and passed a background check.

Intended as a way of showing off the Commonwealth Navy and Colonial Fleet that had been built at such great expense, it had been hoped it might prove moderately popular and help keep the Navy’s popularity high enough to sustain the number of ships, planes and personnel the Admiralty wanted even in peacetime.

They had grossly underestimated the interest the public held in their Fleet. The twenty thousand tickets available for the first Fleet Day two years previously had been snapped up within less than an hour of applications opening, and they were still working through the waiting list. The number of places available had been steadily increased each month, until for this Fleet Day nearly sixty thousand people were expected to be visiting the Battlestar, her escorts and the vast complex of Olympus Base itself.

The Admiralty were delighted with the results, seeing it as being responsible for the major funding bill the Senate passed that allowed for the design and construction of the thirty Legend class cruisers needed to bring all the Battle Groups up to full strength. Recruiting stations were also present during Fleet Days and these generated a steady stream of new personnel and expressions of interest, especially from those too young to join straight away but considering their futures.

As happy as the senior commanders were with Fleet Day as a concept, they were not the ones who actually implemented it. It was the individual crews who put the work in, giving directions, providing tours, explaining the cockpits of Cobras and Scythes a dozen times an hour, all while wearing Dress uniforms, something that was inevitably disliked.

All of this led to a curious mixture. The senior officers thought Fleet Day was wonderful. The junior officers and enlisted personnel thought it was tedious and tiring, even if they could see the value of it. For most, it was considered an important but onerous duty. Luckily, given the size of the Fleet, each Battle Group only had to do Fleet Day once a year which went a considerable way to lessening the irritation.

This time, Commodore Wallace was particularly enjoying himself. This was down solely to the company he kept. Usually, the Commodores were expected to be in Fleet Ops, keeping an eye on things and generally looking “in charge.” It was certainly not expected that they’d be giving a tour, especially to a comparatively small group.

But Phill had pulled some strings to make sure that some of his family were able to get tickets for today, knowing it would be all the more special for his nephews and niece if it was his ship they were seeing, rather than any of the other Battlestars.

This led to a wonderfully curious sight, one that the Public Relations Officers would have fallen over themselves to record if they could. The Commodore, decked out in full dress uniform with his impressive collection of medals and awards on his tunic, was walking down one of the primary corridors with a toddler held in one arm, his other hand holding on to his six year old nephew and chatting away animatedly with both his brothers and their wives, one of whom was carrying his younger nephew, who at three was looking around with wide-eyed excitement.

More than a few of the visiting public who saw this scene felt it was utterly adorable.

As they approached Fleet Ops, Phill had to shift slightly as his niece had grabbed part of his uniform.

“No Liz, sweetie, please don’t eat that, that’s the Pegasus Campaign Medal, kinda difficult to replace.”

His older nephew looked up at his uncle when he heard that.

“Uncle Phill, did you really fight those nasty Wrath creatures?” His tone made it clear that he knew the answer already but liked hearing the story, even if he couldn’t pronounce the name quite right.

“Yes Ryan, I did fight the Wraith. I was on the Nemesis when we slugged it out over Atlantis.” He smiled down at the boy. “Got pretty hairy a few times, I had to take command once when the Captain was knocked out.”

His niece Liz stopped trying to eat the medal and looked at him closely.

“Why you do that Uncle?”

The answer came from Liz’s father Andrew, the middle brother and a recently-elected Senator.

“It’s his job Lizzie” he said with a fond smile. The toddler seemed to ponder this as they continued down the hallway.

“So Uncle Phill fights bad guys and you argue all day?” The question was posed with all the innocence a four year old could muster. Phill chuckled at that, as did Rob, the eldest brother and Claire, his wife.

Rob prodded the Senator in the arm. “Don’t think I’ve heard politics summed up so well before.”

Andy mock-scowled at the group. “I would say I resent that, but it’s mostly true.”

Before the argument could escalate, the group arrived at Fleet Ops. Phill nodded in response to the Marine guard’s salute, unable to return it directly given his hands were otherwise occupied. All the adults were amused when Ryan saluted the Marine as well, partly because it was cute but mostly because he’d used the wrong hand. Despite that, the Marine solemnly returned the gesture before opening the hatch and allowing them entry.

“Step into my office everyone” Phill said with a grin. He led them over to the plot table and called up a standard tactical display. To the awe of the youngsters, a huge hologram appeared showing the Temeraire docked safely at Olympus Base along with the rest of the battle group, the Cobra and Scythe patrols, the orbital weapons platforms, and the old Galactica holding her geosynchronous orbit over Lemuria. Phill pointed them out to the children, giving a brief explanation of each before moving on. He’d just finished when his aide stepped up and quietly explained that lunch was ready.

The group headed further aft from Fleet Ops, passed the briefing rooms and his quarters before arriving at the Flag dining room, a glamorous name for what was, in fact, a medium-sized compartment with some finer decorations on the walls and a long table and chairs in the centre.

After a very pleasant lunch, Phill noted Andrew was giving him a look that said he and Robert needed to talk in private. The Commodore nodded and called for one of the Marine guards. He exchanged a few quiet words with the sergeant, who smiled and nodded. Phill turned back to his smiling nephews and niece.

“Well kids, how would you like to see the hanger decks and try out a flight sim?”

Ryan jumped up and down with all the eagerness of a young child. His mother Claire smiled fondly at the antics of her eldest before agreeing. Phill guided them over to the door and the waiting sergeant before speaking again.

“You’ll have to excuse me kids, I don’t know the first thing about flying fighters, I drive the big ships, but Sergeant Richards here will take you down to the port hanger deck and one of my pilots will get you sorted. I need a word with your dads right now.”

The kids all nodded in understanding, they knew the three brothers were important people with lots to do, so they dutifully followed Sergeant Richards, with Claire and Hannah bringing up the rear. The hatch clanged shut and Phill returned to his seat, loosening the collar of his dress tunic as he did. His eldest brother Robert let out a long sigh as he too relaxed.

“You do know Ryan has been so excited about this that he hasn’t slept in nearly two days?”

Phill snorted. “That sounds like him. Now I dunno about you two but since it’s been a while since we were all together, this calls for a drink.” He stood and moved over to the well-stocked and equally well-secured liquor cabinet. Removing three glasses, he looked over his shoulder. “Any preference lads?”

Robert smirked at him. “Actually, just bring the glasses, I’ve got it covered.” Phill sat back down, the glasses in front of him and a look of curiosity on his face.

Robert continued smirking. “Well, Claire insisted I get you something as a thank-you for arranging this, and the new job is paying interesting dividends. So, enjoy.” With that, he handed over a large bottle of fine amber liquid. “From Earth, a drink called Scotch.”

With a sense of ceremony, Phill took the bottle, reading the label proclaiming it to be eighteen year old single malt made by someone called Glenlivet and then removed the cork. Taking an experimental sniff, he was immediately impressed. He poured a measure into each glass and handed them around.

Phill raised his glass. “To family.”

Andrew followed suit. “To the good times.”

Robert joined them. “To the future.”

They all took an experimental sip of the new drink. It had quite a kick but went down surprisingly smoothly. Phill blinked a few times then grinned.

“Oh that’s good stuff. The company must be really happy with you Rob.” And that was an understatement. Robert had been one of the junior executives at Terra’s leading shipping and logistics company when, shortly after the Earth public became aware of alien life, he had suggested opening up trade routes and passenger services. He’d been put in charge of the effort, with the rest of the board being fairly pessimistic. The pessimism had vanished when they’d landed the contract to haul all the supplies needed to build Elysium Base and the technological and humanitarian support to Earth. Even the passenger services were picking up nicely.

Andrew, the Senator, spoke up. “You could say that. Though I should feel kinda irritated with you both. Because of your jobs I’m not allowed to sit on the Defence or Commerce Commissions. I’m stuck with Science and Education. I’m an engineer damnit!”

This was said with a smile, letting both of them know he wasn’t actually annoyed. They all took another sip before Andrew spoke again.

“Actually, that’s the topic we need to discuss Phill. Normally I shouldn’t say anything, but the Speaker gave me permission to inform you, since it’s a done deal and you’d find out tomorrow anyway.”

At that, Phill winced. This was probably not good news.

“Based on the systems in place in Great Britain on Earth, some bright spark decided we should set up our own Order of Knighthood for military officers and leaders in general. It’s being called the Order of Kobol, with the two living Star of Kobol winners being top of the food chain. Then you get Knight or Dame Grand Cross, then Knight Commander, then Commander and so on. It’s meant as an intermediate step between an Olympic Cross, a Commonwealth Star and the Star of Kobol.”

Phill looked down at the deck. “I don’t like where this is going Andy.”

Andrew looked at his younger brother (he hadn’t been able to call Phill “little brother” for years, not since Phill had grown taller than him). “You’re on the list of first recipients and will be inducted as a Knight-Commander of the Order of Kobol. As such, you’ll be known as Sir Philip from then on.”

“Andy, I really don’t need any more awards or medals. My dress tunic is heavy enough as it is.”

Robert grinned. “Go hit the gym some more then. It’s not that many medals, just an Olympic Cross, a Commonwealth Star, two Silver Crescents, a Red Heart, the Pegasus Campaign, both Battles of Terra, Earth, six Combat Stars…” he trailed off. As Phill glared at him.

The Commodore continued glaring for a few seconds before once again snorting in derision. “I still can’t believe they struck a medal for Second Terra, that engagement lasted four minutes! We only fired two salvos.”

Andy grinned, knowing his brother was embarrassed about the awards and accolades which amused him to no end. “There are a couple of bright spots Phill. Firstly, the medal for this is worn around the neck, not on your tunic.” Phill grunted, still not convinced. “Second, as a Knight, you’ll be entitled to wear a sword as part of your dress uniform.”

The Commodore perked up at that idea. “That’s something at least. Guess there’s nothing I can do to get out of this is there?”

Andy grinned once again. “Nope, not really Phill. But you know mum and dad will be thrilled.”

Commodore Wallace responded in a very mature fashion, by sticking his tongue out at his brother and blowing a raspberry. This cracked all three of them up, and they were still laughing when the One-MC announced loudly:

”Pass the word, Commodore Wallace, please contact Fleet Ops immediately.”

Phill groaned, shrugged apologetically to his brothers before reaching out and grabbing the intercom. “Duty calls, sorry lads.” He pressed the switch for Fleet Ops. “This is the Commodore, what’s up?”

”Fleet Ops, Commander Jeffries here sir. We’ve received flash traffic from Fleet HQ, eyes-only for you. Benson is bringing it down.”

“Eyes-only flash traffic while in dock? That’s a new one. Very well, thank you Commander.”

Phill replaced the comm handset and sat back down. “Something must have gone wrong somewhere. I’m afraid I’m going to have to bail on the rest of the tour but I’ll get the XO to show you the rest of the ship.”

Just as he finished speaking, there was a knock at the door. Phill opened it, nodded at Lieutenant Benson and took the offered message packet. He stepped back inside, opening the packet and quickly skimmed the message. His blood ran cold and he read it again more carefully:

TO: All Flag Officers, All Allied Commands
FROM: Admiral Lethbridge-Stewart, Combined Fleet HQ

MESSAGE: Goa’uld forces encountered in Pegasus. Two Al’kesh engaged TCS Enterprise and RFS Korolev at M9X-723, one enemy destroyed, one captured. Third probable Al’kesh escaped under cloak. Enemy base estimated to be M9Z-359, total strength and disposition unknown, recon efforts underway.

All Battle Group CO’s report readiness for immediate deployment to Pegasus.

Phill put the message form down on the table, face-down. Rob looked at him with concern.

“Something big, isn’t it?”

Phill nodded. “I can’t say more, but I think my leave just got cancelled. You’d better catch up to your wives and the kids, I’ve got to make a call. Thanks for the bottle Rob, I may need it soon.”

His brothers nodded. While not exactly happy at the news that the Commodore was going back to duty before his leave had even begun, they both knew that this is who he was. They gave him brief hugs and then headed out, Phill gesturing at the Marine outside to take them down to the hanger deck and the rest of their families.

Phill closed and locked the hatch, walked back to the table and flipped over the message form again, his mind racing. Goa’uld ships, they had been repeatedly told, did not possess powerful enough hyperdrives to make an extragalactic flight. The only way they could have gotten out there was with jump drives, the same as the Task Force had done for the Pegasus Campaign three years earlier.

And there was only one place a Goa’uld could have gotten jump drives. It seemed the Cylons and their God were not as dead as they’d hoped.

Phill slammed his fist down on the table in frustration. Why couldn’t the bastards they fight just stay dead? He was about to launch into a full mental rant when the comm handset buzzed again. He growled before taking a deep breath to steady himself before answering.

“Commodore Wallace.”

"Fireman, Battleaxe. You alone?"

Phill, despite the fact that it was only a voice channel and he was alone, stood to attention purely on instinct.

“Copy Battleaxe, yes I’m alone.”

”I take it you’ve read the flash-traffic. We need you to gear up and head out to Pegasus.” Even over the scrambled channel, the regret in the old Admiral’s tone was clear.

“Sir, Temeraire and my whole group is in dock for refits, we can’t get away in anything less than a week.” Phill protested as best he could.

“I didn’t mean your group Fireman, I meant you. First Fleet, with the Indomitable group in place of yours, is scrambling out to Pegasus as fast as possible, the Phoenix group are lining up at the jump gates now. Everyone else is reporting in just in case we need reinforcements. White Knight is in the hospital and you’re First Fleet XO, you’re to transfer your flag to Phoenix at Midway Base immediately and take command.”

Phill sighed. This was duty, this was his job. He didn’t have to like it, just get it done.

“Aye aye Battleaxe, I’ll get over there ASAP. What are my orders?”

”Recon that whole sector, drop more sensor buoys, ascertain exactly who is there. They’ve already proved hostile, so you are clear to engage at your discretion. It’s probable that these are the same Goa’uld forces who worked with the Cylons and their God Ba’al. If it is them, destroy them completely.” The flat tone brooked no argument.

“Very well sir, I’m heading out. See you on the other side. Fireman out.” The comm set was returned to its cradle. Phill sighed again.

Well shit he thought to himself, before heading to his quarters to grab his ready-bag. He’d go down via the port hanger deck and say goodbye to his family on the way, just in case.

========

-Welp, things are kicking off. First Fleet is about to come riding over the horizon like the proverbial cavalry, with Fireman at the helm.

[U.P. Cinnabar]

So, did that same bright spark think to suggest revising the Terran Admiralty to more closely resemble the RN's, with First and Second Sea(Star) Lords in charge?

Looks like someone's going be a rear admiral soon.If he survives.

[Eternal_Freedom]

Nah the Terran Admiralty are happy with how it's set up at the moment, especially since it's just four of them (Lethbridge-Stewart, Davies, Pendragon and Kate Stewart) - Adama, Jellicoe and Kirov are Colonial officers, they just hold positions in the Combined Fleet. There's a few Commodores sitting around dealing with staff stuff, and Captains and Commanders as well, but the Terrans generally feel that to be Admiral-grade you need to be a line officer. So no staff REMF politicking his way to the top.

Though the idea of having Admiral Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart, First Star Lord is amusing

[U.P. Cinnabar]

Of course, that doesn't quite rule out a staff puke finessing his way into a line command to get those admiral's stars.

Unless of course there's a rule in place that you have to be a line officer for more than 90 days to qualify.

[Eternal_Freedom]

Of course, that doesn't quite rule out a staff puke finessing his way into a line command to get those admiral's stars.

Unless of course there's a rule in place that you have to be a line officer for more than 90 days to qualify.

Pretty much this. You need to have served as a Line officer, in a command position for at least six months before being considered for Flag rank (which includes Commodore). And to get a command position, you need an Admiral's review and recommendation, so the odds of staff pukes getting combat commands are slim indeed.

[fnord]

Get off my damned lawn, UPC.

How did White Knight get himself banged up this time?

Though the idea of having Admiral Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart, First Star Lord is amusing

The gift that keeps on giving. Bit annoyed with myself that, at the time, I muffed the chance to also drop in a bootie Lethbridge-Stewart (and yes, Brigadier IS a TCM rank, iiuc) alongside the starman. Ah well.

Does that flag rank qualification apply, mutatis mutandis, for the booties as well?

[Eternal_Freedom]

Yup, Flag Rank qualification applies to Marines as well as Fleet.

As for White Knight, serious but unspecified disease. Terran medical tech is outstanding at treating trauma, replacing organs and so on, but it ain't quite so epic at treating nasty little infections.

[fnord]

Was pre-contact Terra a much more biochemically benign-to-humans environment than Earth?

Can't be as bad as Traveller's Plague of Duskir (where germs that had been co-evolving with Solomani for millennia got let loose on immunologically-naive Vilani populations), otherwise the post-contact bits of book 1 would have had some very sick, even dead, Terrans.

What sort of exchanges of medical technology have happened? Tau'ri medicine might be better suited to fighting infection.

[U.P. Cinnabar]

Yup, Flag Rank qualification applies to Marines as well as Fleet.

As for White Knight, serious but unspecified disease. Terran medical tech is outstanding at treating trauma, replacing organs and so on, but it ain't quite so epic at treating nasty little infections.

Space clap from a socialator?

[Eternal_Freedom]

Nah Terra is largely similar to Earth in regards to how habitable it is. Bit more land mass, bit less ocean but pretty close.

It's not some bug picked up from Earth, it's more like, oh, the Terran version of adult meningitis, or chickenpox, or a really severe flu infection - serious, but treatable given enough time. Certainly it's laid him up for at least this fight. He'll be back by the time First Fleet is heading off to Sigma Octanis.

EDIT: In other words, a nasty virus, something even Terran medical tech can't do a huge amount to directly cure, but supportive care is a lot better.

[fnord]

Was more asking about whether, frinstance, what a Tau'ri would call a common cold - is that just 'these damned sniffles" for a Terran, or is it an actual biohazard?

[Eternal_Freedom]

Nah, "the common cold" is just as prevalent on Terra, and just as trivial.

[Eternal_Freedom]

Behold, a complete fleet list for the Kobolian Combined Fleet:

Command Group
•Nemesis (Vice-Admiral Jellicoe/Iron Duke, Rear-Admiral Davies/Sharpshooter, Major-General Warwick) Combined Fleet Flagship, Command Group Flagship, Headquarters, 1st Marine Division)

•4 Legend-class cruisers: Cassandra Cameron, Artemus Bowman, Stephen Falken and James McKenna

•8 Challenger-class destroyers: Falcon, Hawk, Peregrine, Eagle, Osprey, Predator, Tiger, Panther

First Fleet:

•Battle Group Phoenix (Rear-Admiral Arthur Pendragon/White Knight, First Fleet Flagship), cruisers Franklin North and George Shtarker, destroyers Challenger, Dragon, Centurion, Aurora

•Battle Group Lionheart (Commodore Steve Rogers/Marvel), cruisers Thor and Odin, destroyers Mjolnir, Gungnir, Fenris and Ragnarok

•Battle Group Temeraire (Commodore Phill Wallace/Fireman, First Fleet XO), cruisers Revenge and Furious, destroyers Battleaxe, Javelin, Phalanx and Lancer

•Battle Group Illustrious (Commodore Richard Sturdee/Linebreaker), cruisers Asgard and Valhalla, destroyers Rampage, Renegade, Adamant and Broadsword

Second Fleet:

•Battle Group Victorious (Rear-Admiral Kate Stewart/Bad Wolf, Second Fleet Flagship), cruisers Heracles and Theseus, destroyers Bellicose, Relentless, Judgment and Night Caller

•Battle Group Republic (Commodore Stephen Garrett/Abraxas, Second Fleet XO), cruisers Perseus and Bellerophon, destroyers Dauntless, Bulwark, Firestorm and Ardent

•Battle Group Vanguard (Commodore John Sheridan/Babylon), cruisers Praetorian and Cerberus, destroyers Tornado, Cyclone, Hurricane and Spirit

•Battle Group Intrepid (Commodore Brian Fischer/Overwatch), cruisers Kraken and Medusa, destroyers Leopard, Wolverine, Ocelot and Charger

•Battle Group Indomitable (Commodore Alan Walker/Marathon), cruisers Freyr and Heimdall, destroyers Sabre, Tomahawk, Katana and Whirlwind

Third/Colonial Fleet:

•Battle Group Eridanus (Rear-Admiral Mikhail Kirov/Scorpion, Third Fleet Flagship), cruisers Zeus and Athena, destroyers Delphi, Boskirk, Sanctum and Faslane

•Battle Group Warspite (Commodore David Beatty/Heavyweight), cruisers Hera and Demeter, destroyers Caprica City, Troy, Serenity and Fortune

•Battle Group Pegasus (Commodore Lee Adama/Apollo), cruisers Aries and Dionysius, destroyers Armagh, Adroa, Ikenga and Savitri

•Battle Group Galactica (Commodore Saul Tigh/Greaser, Third Fleet XO), cruisers Hades and Poseidon, destroyers Limnos, Kilkis, Sarnak and Runell

Phew! Incidentally, coming up with names for 30 cruisers and 60 destroyers was a pain in the ass.

[U.P. Cinnabar]

PM me next time. I have a a Colledge's Ships Of the Royal Navy handy.