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Skirmish Over the Red Moon: Difference between revisions

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{| border=1 width=300 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 align=right style="margin-left:1em;margin-bottom:1em"
{{Battle Data
|+ Battle before: [[Battle of Ragnar Anchorage]] <br>Battle after: [[Battle for the Tylium Asteroid]]
|image=PowerlessViper.jpg
|colspan=2|[[Image:PowerlessViper.jpg|center|300px|]] Starbuck's damaged Viper and the Cylon Raider are caught in the Red Moon's gravity field
|description=Starbuck's damaged Viper and the Cylon Raider are caught in the Red Moon's gravity field  
|-
|conflict=[[Cylon Attack|Second Cylon war]]
!colspan=2 bgcolor=#aaaaee|Skirmish over the Red Moon
|date=[[Re-Imagined Series Timeline|Day 14]]
|-
|place=An unnamed [[Red Moon|red moon]]
|Conflict||[[Cylon Attack|Second Cylon war]]
|result=[[Colonial]] victory, capture of a [[Cylon Raider]]
|-
|combatant1=Remnants of the [[Colonial Fleet (RDM)|Colonial Fleet]]
|Date||[[Re-Imagined Series Timeline|Day 14]]
|combatant2=[[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]]
|-
|co1=Lieutenant [[Kara Thrace|Kara "Starbuck" Thrace]]
|Place||An unnamed red moon
|co2=None
|-
|strength1=[[Viper 1104]], 1 other [[Viper Mark II|Viper MkII]]
|Result||Marginal [[Colonial]] victory
|strength2=8 [[Raider|Raiders]]
|-
|shiploss1=1 Viper destroyed, 1 damaged
|colspan=2|
|shiploss2=7 Raiders destroyed, 1 disabled and captured
{| border=1 width=300 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0
|casualties1=None
|-
|casualties2=(8 Cylon Raiders)
!colspan=2 bgcolor=#aaaaee|Combatants
|prev=[[Battle of the Communications Relay]]
|-
|next=[[Battle for the Tylium Asteroid]]
| width=50%|Remnants of the [[Colonial Fleet]]
|series=RDM
| width=50%|[[Cylon]]s
}}
|-
The '''Skirmish over the Red Moon''' takes place when eight [[Cylon Raider (RDM)|Cylon Raiders]] surprise a group of [[nugget]] [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]] pilots, under instruction by Lt. [[Kara Thrace|Kara "Starbuck" Thrace]], in orbit of an unnamed russet moon (which in turn cycles a gas giant).
!colspan=2|Commanders
|-
|Lieutenant [[Kara Thrace|Kara "Starbuck" Thrace]]
|Unknown †
|-
!colspan=2|Strength
|-
|2 Vipers
|8 Raiders
|-
!colspan=2|Casualties
|-
|1 Viper destroyed, 1 damaged
|7 Raiders destroyed, 1 captured
|}
|}


A skirmish that occurs when a scouting group of 8 Cylon [[Raider]]s surprises a group of [[nugget]] [[Viper]] pilots under instruction by Lt. [[Kara Thrace|Kara "Starbuck" Thrace]] in the orbit of an unnamed Red Moon orbiting a gas giant. It was the first time the Cylons are able to find [[Original battlestar (RDM)|battlestar]] ''[[Galactica]]'' after it's escape in the Battle of Ragnar Anchorage (and subsequent chase in "[[33]]").
Upon coming into contact with a Cylon patrol, Starbuck orders her squad to return to ''Galactica'' while she engages all eight enemy combatants simultaneously. Disobeying direct orders, and adhering to the general rule that a pilot must always have a wingman, Cadet [[Brendan Costanza|Brendan "Hot Dog" Costanza]] pursues her into combat. His tactics disorient and scatter the enemy, opening a window for Starbuck to shoot down six Raiders. Additionally, Hot Dog manages to destroy one Raider (his first kill in a Viper), before suffering damage from incoming fire, and pulling back from the engagement. His Viper gives out shortly after.


Starbuck orders the trainees to return to ''Galactica'' while she engages all eight Raiders at once. However, Cadet [[Hot Dog]] disobeys and follows her to cover her wing. This succeeds in dividing the Raiders enough between the two Vipers that Starbuck has a chance to shoot them down.  Hot Dog succeeds in destroying one Raider (his first kill in a Viper) before suffering damage from incoming fire, pulling back from the engagement.  By this point Starbuck destroys all but one Raider, and the two fighters make a final run at each other.
With only one Raider remaining, Starbuck re-orients herself into a combat position and charges the enemy. As the two combatants close in on each other, Starbuck's Viper experiences sudden [[Computers#Avionics|electrical problems]] that cause her communications and transponder to go off-line. Still, she manages to exchange fire with the Raider and finishes it off with a direct hit to the head-canopy.  


Both the Raider and Starbuck's Viper exchange fire and are critically damaged.  Both fighters tumble out of control and descend into the Red Moon's gravity well. The Raider softly crash-lands onto the moon, but Starbuck ejects from her Viper after she could not break it out of its [[Wikipedia:Spin (flight)|flat spin]] towards the moon's surface. ''Galactica'' recovers Hot Dog and his Viper.
The disabled craft immediately spirals out control, and eventually collides with the Viper.  Damage inflicted by the Raider's impact disables the Viper's flight controls, and both fighters tumble into the [[Red Moon|russet moon's]] gravity well. The Raider crashes intact upon the moon, but Starbuck is forced to eject from her Viper after it goes into an uncontrollable [[Wikipedia:Spin (flight)|flat spin]] towards the satellite's surface and disintegrates.  


Starbuck lands by parachute on the moon, severely injuring her knee after being dragged by her parachute toward boulders on the moon's surface. She wanders on the moon until she finds the crashed Cylon Raider, braindead from its wounds but otherwise intact.  Starbuck is able to find a way inside, and discovers for the first time the bio-mechanical nature of the new generation of Raiders.
==Aftermath==


Inside, Starbuck finds oxygen to stay alive after she exhausts her [[flight suit]]'s life support, and determines how to control the Raider by manipulating its internal organic actuators. Starbuck's strong flight instructor skills and [[Flight of the Phoenix|test-pilot savvy]] allows her to determine the basic mechanics of new spacecraft quickly.
After successfully ejecting, Starbuck lands by parachute on the moon. However - just as she makes contact with the surface - fierce winds heave her parachute laterally, drag her over a jagged bed of rocks and severely injure her knee. The gusts nearly haul her off the edge of a cliff, but Starbuck manages to cut herself loose moments before hitting the drop-off point.  


Starbuck seals up the damage that the Raider received after Starbuck's Viper shot it by using a portion of her flight suit to seal the damage and repressurize the interior of the fighter. Starbuck flies the Raider off the moon and returns to ''Galactica'' once [[Lee Adama|Apollo]] successfully identifies her as the pilot of what would normally be an enemy target.
As this is happening, a Raptor deployed by ''Galactica'' recovers Hot Dog and his critically damaged Viper in the moon's orbit. Subsequently, SAR teams are sent out to retrieve Starbuck, but the moon's thick atmosphere prevent them from making contact with the downed pilot. On top of that, organic deposits along ship engines cut short the rescue effort, and force the various rescue craft to hastily return to ''Galactica'' for repairs.  


This is the first time Colonial forces are able to capture and examine the new Cylon Raider version.  Chief [[Galen Tyrol]] and his deck crew spend the next several weeks analyzing the fighter and eventually returns it to flight status with significant internal modifications for effective human control ("[[Act of Contrition]]", "[[You Can't Go Home Again]]", "[[Six Degrees of Separation]]", and "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]").
On the satellite's  surface - with a broken [[wireless]] handset and no other means of establishing communication - Starbuck wanders over the rocky terrain, looking for higher ground to await rescue. Eventually she comes across the downed Cylon Raider, and finds a way inside the ship. Crawling into the belly of the beast, Starbuck discovers that the Raider is bio-mechanical in nature - it is "piloted" by an organic brain that interfaces directly with the internal machinations of the craft. The rounds that she fired during their confrontation penetrated the Raider's brain, thus "killing" the vessel.
 
Inside the Raider, Starbuck finds oxygen to replace her [[flight suit]]'s depleted reserves, and re-pressurizes the Raider's interior by using a portion of her [[flight suit]] to seal a fist-sized gash in the hull. Starbuck's [[Flight of the Phoenix|test-pilot savvy]] allows her to determine the basic mechanics of the vessel quickly and she learns to control it by manipulating the various internal actuators, eventually flying the Raider off the moon and into open space.
 
A tense situation results when she approaches ''Galatica'', and [[Lee Adama|Apollo]] is sent out to intercept what [[CIC]] believes is an enemy fighter. Some creative thinking on Starbuck's part (i.e. printing her name on the wings of the Raider, by means of a brightly-tinted track sealant) permits Apollo to identify her. He subsequently escorts her into ''Galactica'''s landing alcove.
 
== Impact ==
This is the first time Colonial forces are able to capture and examine the updated Cylon Raider.  Chief [[Galen Tyrol|Tyrol]] and his deck crew spend the next several weeks analyzing the fighter, eventually returning it to flight status with significant internal modifications for effective human control ("[[You Can't Go Home Again]]", "[[Six Degrees of Separation]]", "[[Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down]]",  "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I]]", and "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]").
 
The Raider is later lost on [[Caprica (RDM)|Caprica]] during the events to retrieve the [[Arrow of Apollo]], when [[Sharon Agathon|Caprica-Valerii]] steals it from Starbuck at the [[Delphi Museum of the Colonies]].
 
 
 
<div style="clear:both;"></div>
{{Battles (RDM)}}


[[Category:A to Z]]
[[Category:A to Z]]
[[Category:Colonial]]
[[Category:Colonial Battles]]
[[Category:Colonial Battles]]
[[Category:Colonial Military]]
[[Category:Colonial Battles (RDM)]]
[[Category:RDM]]
[[Category:RDM]]
[[de:Scharmützel über dem Roten Mond]]

Revision as of 19:37, 18 February 2009

Skirmish Over the Red Moon
Starbuck's damaged Viper and the Cylon Raider are caught in the Red Moon's gravity field
Starbuck's damaged Viper and the Cylon Raider are caught in the Red Moon's gravity field
Starbuck's damaged Viper and the Cylon Raider are caught in the Red Moon's gravity field
Summary
Conflict: Second Cylon war
Date: Day 14
Related Episode(s):
Place: An unnamed red moon
Result: Colonial victory, capture of a Cylon Raider
Combatants
Remnants of the Colonial Fleet Cylons
Commanders
Lieutenant Kara "Starbuck" Thrace None
Strength
Viper 1104, 1 other Viper MkII 8 Raiders
Materiel Losses
1 Viper destroyed, 1 damaged 7 Raiders destroyed, 1 disabled and captured
Casualties
None (8 Cylon Raiders)
Battle Chronology
Previous Next
Battle of the Communications Relay Skirmish Over the Red Moon Battle for the Tylium Asteroid


The Skirmish over the Red Moon takes place when eight Cylon Raiders surprise a group of nugget Viper pilots, under instruction by Lt. Kara "Starbuck" Thrace, in orbit of an unnamed russet moon (which in turn cycles a gas giant).

Upon coming into contact with a Cylon patrol, Starbuck orders her squad to return to Galactica while she engages all eight enemy combatants simultaneously. Disobeying direct orders, and adhering to the general rule that a pilot must always have a wingman, Cadet Brendan "Hot Dog" Costanza pursues her into combat. His tactics disorient and scatter the enemy, opening a window for Starbuck to shoot down six Raiders. Additionally, Hot Dog manages to destroy one Raider (his first kill in a Viper), before suffering damage from incoming fire, and pulling back from the engagement. His Viper gives out shortly after.

With only one Raider remaining, Starbuck re-orients herself into a combat position and charges the enemy. As the two combatants close in on each other, Starbuck's Viper experiences sudden electrical problems that cause her communications and transponder to go off-line. Still, she manages to exchange fire with the Raider and finishes it off with a direct hit to the head-canopy.

The disabled craft immediately spirals out control, and eventually collides with the Viper. Damage inflicted by the Raider's impact disables the Viper's flight controls, and both fighters tumble into the russet moon's gravity well. The Raider crashes intact upon the moon, but Starbuck is forced to eject from her Viper after it goes into an uncontrollable flat spin towards the satellite's surface and disintegrates.

Aftermath

After successfully ejecting, Starbuck lands by parachute on the moon. However - just as she makes contact with the surface - fierce winds heave her parachute laterally, drag her over a jagged bed of rocks and severely injure her knee. The gusts nearly haul her off the edge of a cliff, but Starbuck manages to cut herself loose moments before hitting the drop-off point.

As this is happening, a Raptor deployed by Galactica recovers Hot Dog and his critically damaged Viper in the moon's orbit. Subsequently, SAR teams are sent out to retrieve Starbuck, but the moon's thick atmosphere prevent them from making contact with the downed pilot. On top of that, organic deposits along ship engines cut short the rescue effort, and force the various rescue craft to hastily return to Galactica for repairs.

On the satellite's surface - with a broken wireless handset and no other means of establishing communication - Starbuck wanders over the rocky terrain, looking for higher ground to await rescue. Eventually she comes across the downed Cylon Raider, and finds a way inside the ship. Crawling into the belly of the beast, Starbuck discovers that the Raider is bio-mechanical in nature - it is "piloted" by an organic brain that interfaces directly with the internal machinations of the craft. The rounds that she fired during their confrontation penetrated the Raider's brain, thus "killing" the vessel.

Inside the Raider, Starbuck finds oxygen to replace her flight suit's depleted reserves, and re-pressurizes the Raider's interior by using a portion of her flight suit to seal a fist-sized gash in the hull. Starbuck's test-pilot savvy allows her to determine the basic mechanics of the vessel quickly and she learns to control it by manipulating the various internal actuators, eventually flying the Raider off the moon and into open space.

A tense situation results when she approaches Galatica, and Apollo is sent out to intercept what CIC believes is an enemy fighter. Some creative thinking on Starbuck's part (i.e. printing her name on the wings of the Raider, by means of a brightly-tinted track sealant) permits Apollo to identify her. He subsequently escorts her into Galactica's landing alcove.

Impact

This is the first time Colonial forces are able to capture and examine the updated Cylon Raider. Chief Tyrol and his deck crew spend the next several weeks analyzing the fighter, eventually returning it to flight status with significant internal modifications for effective human control ("You Can't Go Home Again", "Six Degrees of Separation", "Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down", "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I", and "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II").

The Raider is later lost on Caprica during the events to retrieve the Arrow of Apollo, when Caprica-Valerii steals it from Starbuck at the Delphi Museum of the Colonies.