The Destroyer By Mat Ridgway 11-13-97 The following story occurs after Leitner and his enfocers are taken prisoner by Apollo and Starbuck, but before the hostage crisis involving the Council. Adama: Enter. Wilker: You wanted to see me Commander? Adama: Ah, Dr Wilker please have a seat. I know you have only had two days to study the craft, but this "Eastern Alliance" may turn out to be a new enemy, and I need whatever information you can provide about that destroyer's combat capabilities. Wilker: Well I still have not been able to access the destroyer's computer systems, like the previously studied Terran shuttle, this craft utilizes technology we've never seen. One thing is clear, the destroyer is far more advanced than that shuttle was. Adama: How would you compare the destroyer's technology with the technology we utilize? Wilker: Different. Inferior. Other words could be used to describe it. Although most systems aboard the destroyer seem less advanced than the ones we employ, I believe their sensor technology may be superior to the sensors we use aboard our combat vessels. Adama: Explain. Wilker: Sir, that destroyer's sensor array tracked Apollo And Starbuck's vipers en route to Paradene, without being detected by the vipers sensors. The destroyer uses sensors that have greater range than the sensors aboard our vipers. That's not all, somehow the destroyer's sensor array can provide a visual image of what is being tracked even at very great distances. I have no idea how it works. Adama: Truly amazing, doctor. What about the destroyer's weapons? Wilker: The destroyer is epuipped with numerous armaments. There are two nuclear missiles in the ship's bomb bay, each contain a 3 kiloton warhead. The speed and range of the missiles appear limited, but if enough of these missiles penetrated our defenses, then our entire fleet could be annihilated. Adama: By the lords.......... Wilker: Sir... There is also a large plasma cannon of some sort in the nose of the destroyer,it probably serves as an offensive and defensive weapon. Plasma cannons of the same type were found in two rotating, retractable, turretts that are certainly used in protection of the destroyer. These turretts can target enemy craft from any angle, except craft directly behind the destroyer. Three pods in the rear of each of the destroyer's wings fire high velocity exploding projectiles at craft threating the destroyer from the rear. In other words, no angle of attack against the destroyer is without risk. Adama: What else? Wilker: Sir the destroyer's hull is composed of an unknown alloy. This alloy is very dense, and the destroyer's armour is several feet thick in certain places. One of those destroyer's could probably take multiple hits from one of our vipers, or even one of the Galactica's defensive turretts,and remain operational. The main drawback of the armour is that it is so heavy, it limits the destroyers top speed. Adama: And what do you estimate the destroyer's top speed to be,doctor? Wilker: Given the probable thrust to weight ratio, maybe 40% of the top speed acheived by our vipers. The destroyer could probably keep up that speed for only a short time, before running out of fuel. This means, Should it become neccessary, we could outrun a superior force of those destroyers. Unfortunately, slower ships in our convoy would be left at the mercy of the attacking destroyer fleet. Adama: I don't even want to discuss that as an option. Doctor, in one of my disscussions with Commandant Leitner, I informed him that it would take a thousand destroyers like his to defeat the Galactica. I was'nt being foolish, but I was trying to bait him into telling me just how many of those destroyers are out there. Suffice to say it did not work. In your opinion how many destroyers would it take to dispatch our forces? Wilker: Sir, I ran 71 battle simulations through the Galactica's combat supercomputer to answer that very question. With what we currently know about the craft's tactical abilities, between 89 and 134 destroyers would be neccessary to defeat the Galactica, and all of our viper squadrons. a far cry from a thousand, Commander. Adama: ......Thank you for your input doctor. Continue your analysis, and report any signifigant findings to me at once. Wilker: Understood sir. Adama: One more thing doctor, you're running out of time. Wilker: Sir? Adama: I am receiving great pressure from the Council to free the Commandant and his men, soon I will have to comply. You may only have a few days left to study the destroyer. Wilker: Sir, surely you can think of a way to delay their release. We haven't even scratched the surface of that destroyer's secrets. Adama: I'm sorry doctor, but the Council has many valid reasons for letting these men go. For one, they have'nt done anything to us. The Eastern Alliance could also perceive our seizing one of their ships and it's crew as an act of war. Based on what you just told me about that destroyer, that's not a something I wish to encourage. Wilker: I understand sir. I'll do my best to learn whatever I can about the destroyer in the time I have left. I won't let you down. Adama: Thank you doctor. Dismissed. Next.... When the general population of the Eastern Alliance learn that a group of aliens intervened to stop a nuclear war initiated by their government, a revolt against the Supreme Commandant, and the ruling party ensues. An unlikely hero emerges. Then.... Apollo and Starbuck's inoperable vipers are retrieved from Paradene, and taken back to Terra for study. Later.... Cain finds an ally named Lucifer? Coming soon.... A Cylon deep space probe detects Terran vipers and destroyers conducting wargames near Lunar-7. Spectre orders half the Cylon fleet to surround, and destroy what it Believes are the fleeing Colonials in the Terran system. Will Cain, and Leitner join forces to defeat the numerically superior Cylons? Can the biggest egos in the universe exist in such close proxcimity to each other? Find out!!!