Battle of the Communications Relay

Battle of the Communications Relay
Battle of the Communications Relay
Battle of the Communications Relay
Summary
Conflict:	Second Cylon war
Date:	Circa Day 7
Related Episode(s):
Place:	Unspecified Cylon staging area
Result:	Pyrrhic Colonial victory
Combatants Battlestar Pegasus Cylons Commanders Admiral Helena Cain Unknown Strength 1 battlestar and assorted Viper squadrons At least 15 squadrons of Raiders and Heavy Raiders Centurions Materiel Losses 32 Vipers destroyed, 61 damaged Relay station destroyed. Boarding party defeated. Likely severe ship losses. Casualties Approximately 100 crewmen , Jurgen Belzen One Number Six and Centurion boarding party. Gina Inviere discovered to be a humanoid Cylon and taken into custody.
Battle Chronology
Previous Next Battle of Ragnar Anchorage Battle of the Communications Relay Skirmish over the Red Moon

Shortly after the destruction of the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards, Pegasus attacks a Cylon communications relay that is believed to be lightly guarded. Intelligence reports conclude that only half a dozen Raiders are in proximity to the station.

When Pegasus jumps into the area, twelve enemy contacts are picked up on DRADIS, and Admiral Cain orders the launch of Blue Squadron. As the Vipers are deployed, 15 Raider squadrons jump into firing range and the crew realizes, to their horror, that the installation is not a communications relay at all, but a staging ground for Cylon forces.

Recognizing that they are outnumbered four to one, Colonels Fisk and Belzen recommend the immediate recovery of Blue Squadron, and a swift retreat from the area. However, in a surprise move, Cain orders the remaining Vipers launched to provide cover-fire for Blue Squadron as they make a run at the relay. When Belzen officially refuses to carry out this order, Cain asks him to hand over his sidearm, whereupon she shoots him in the head with it. A shocked Fisk, fearing the same fate should he refuse the admiral's orders, immediately deploys all reserve Vipers.

As the Vipers commence their attack, Cylon operative Gina Inviere covertly takes the Pegasus weapons grid off-line, permitting two Cylon Heavy Raiders to access the port landing alcove with a Centurion boarding party. In an attempt to hold off the enemy boarding party, Cain orders the surrounding sections of Pegasus to be vented of atmosphere, hoping that the resulting vacuum will subdue the Cylons. The tactic is unsuccessful, and the Centurions make their way into the ship.

While investigating the sudden collapse of the battlestar's weapons grid, Lieutenant Shaw spots a Number Six among the advancing Cylon boarding party, and deduces that Gina must be an enemy agent. She pulls a rifle from the grasp of a dead marine and fires at the surprised Six. After shooting the Cylon, Shaw returns to CIC, and reveals Gina's true nature by displaying a security feed of the killed automaton. When Marines try to apprehend Gina on Cain's orders, she breaks the neck of one and uses his sidearm to shoot another. Gina then points the gun at Cain, but a moment of hesitation allows Shaw to knock the Cylon unconscious with the end of her rifle .

Additional details of the battle are unknown, but the communications station is presumably destroyed while Pegasus escapes with severe losses - 32 Vipers are destroyed, while 62 are badly damaged with not enough resources to repair them all ("Pegasus", "Razor").

Notes

• Gina is mentioned as having been vital in discovering the communications relay. Since it later appears to be a trap by the Cylons, it is possible that she intentionally lured the battlestar to the relay.