Editing Battle of Ragnar Anchorage

{{Battle Data
|image=Ragnarbattle3.jpg
|description=''Galactica'' provides cover fire while the civilian Fleet escapes 
|conflict=[[Cylon Attack|Second Cylon War]]
|date=[[Re-Imagined Series Timeline|Days 1-6]]
|place=[[Ragnar Anchorage]], Deep space
|result=Successful escape from Cylon-occupied Colonial space
|combatant1=Remnants of the [[Colonial Fleet (RDM)|Colonial Fleet]]
|combatant2=[[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]]
|co1=Commander [[William Adama]]
|co2=[[Basestar command]]
|strength1=''[[Galactica]]'', approx 40 [[Mark II|Mk. II]] and 8 [[Mark VII|Mk. VII]] [[Viper (RDM)|Vipers]], 8 [[Raptor]]s
|strength2=3 [[Basestar (RDM)|basestars]], associated [[Cylon Raider (RDM)|Raiders]]
|shiploss1=''[[Olympic Carrier]]'', at least 8 Vipers
|shiploss2=Unknown, minimal
|casualties1=8 pilots, 1345 civilians
|casualties2=Unknown, dozens of Raiders
|prev=[[Fall of the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards]]
|next=[[Battle of the Communications Relay]]
|series=RDM
}}

The '''Battle of Ragnar Anchorage''' marks [[Galactica type battlestar|battlestar]] ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica's]]'' successful penetration of a [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon]] blockade surrounding [[Ragnar Anchorage]]. Additionally, it documents the escape of ''Galactica'' and her [[The Fleet (RDM)|fleet]] from 5 days of continuous attack by a Cylon armada ([[Miniseries]], "[[33]]").

Upon receiving telemetry that many [[Colonial Fleet (RDM)|Colonial Fleet]] vessels, including flagship battlestar ''[[Atlantia (RDM)|Atlantia]]'', have been destroyed in a surprise attack by the Cylons, Commander [[William Adama]] assumes command of the Colonial Fleet. He promptly orders all surviving units to rendezvous with ''Galactica'' at a remote munitions depot - [[Ragnar Anchorage]] - for a planned counter-attack. 

Orbiting within the tenuous upper atmosphere of the gas giant [[Ragnar]], the Anchorage holds critical ordnance for ''Galactica'' - which had destroyed its own munitions as part of its scheduled decommissioning<ref>The destruction of the battlestar's munitions occurs in a [[List of Deleted Scenes (RDM)#Miniseries|deleted scene]] of the Miniseries.</ref>. The depot's location also offers effective cover against Cylon attack, as a particular form of electromagnetic radiation generated by the planet's upper atmosphere causes damage to [[Silica pathways|Cylon hardware]] after sufficient exposure. It also interferes with [[DRADIS]] detection, making assaults within the cloud threshold problematic at best.

''Galactica'' reaches the rendezvous point by [[FTL]] jump, by-passing the Cylon fleet that lies between it and the depot.
Not long after arriving at Ragnar Anchorage, ''Galactica'' is joined by a convoy of [[FTL]]-capable civilian ships rescued from the space-lanes around [[Caprica (RDM)|Caprica]] by the recently appointed President [[Laura Roslin]]. As no other military vessels rendezvous at the designated coordinates, it is concluded that ''Galactica'' is the last [[Pegasus (RDM)|known]] capital ship able to mount a counter-attack against the Cylons. 

Despite the overwhelming odds, Commander Adama intends to proceed with a counter-offensive. After some persuasion by President Roslin, Adama realizes that they are in a no-win situation; ''Galactica'' is hopelessly outnumbered, the Colonies are destroyed, and he is surrounded by nearly 50,000 of mankind's only known survivors. He resolves to take the remnants of humanity away from the home star system of the Twelve Colonies<ref>In the [[Re-imagined Series]], the home star system of the Twelve Colonies is not named. In the [[Original Series]], the name "[[Cyrannus]]" is used inconsistently to describe either the name of its star system or galaxy where [[The Twelve Colonies (TOS)|its Twelve Colonies resided]].</ref>, towards the [[Prolmar Sector]], never to return. 

Because FTL calculations are distorted by the gas giant's ambient radiation, the Fleet will have to venture outside the protection of Ragnar's atmosphere to complete the necessary jump. During a reconnaissance mission of the surrounding space, Lieutenant [[Kara Thrace|Thrace]] discovers two Cylon [[Basestar (RDM)|basestars]] and hundreds of accompanying fighters orbiting Ragnar. Their presence severely diminishes ''Galactica's'' odds in an offensive engagement, and places the Fleet in incredible danger.

''Galactica'' departs from the Anchorage first and positions itself at the mouth of a storm on Ragnar's surface - acting as a shield for the Fleet as they escape to the specified coordinates. With her batteries fully armed, ''Galactica'' creates a defense perimeter and engages the basestars. The battlestar then launches its Vipers, directing them to engage the [[Cylon Raider (RDM)|Raiders]] that the Cylons deploy. Meanwhile, a third basestar appears and pummels ''Galactica'' with successive missile strikes.

When the last civilian ship is clear and the remaining Vipers return to the ''Galactica'', the battlestar jumps. The Cylons enter Ragnar Anchorage shortly after the battle, and retrieve a suspected [[Cylon agent]] left there by the Colonials, a [[Number Five]] copy posing as a man named [[Aaron Doral]] ([[Miniseries]]).

== The Chase ==

Approximately one day after the struggle at Ragnar, the Colonials are surprised to find the Cylons still pursuing them - the vastness of space ''should'' make such a feat virtually impossible. Instead, the Cylons jump into range and attack every 33 minutes for 5 consecutive days and over 240 jumps, launching waves of missiles and deploying hundreds of Raiders against the Fleet. 

However, when the ''[[Olympic Carrier]]'' (a passenger liner listed to carry over 1000 civilians) fails to join the Fleet after a jump, the Cylons fail to appear as well. After the vessel re-emerges, a suspicious Adama orders the 33-minute countdown to recommence, speculating that the Cylons are tracking the ship. His fears about the ''Olympic Carrier'' are confirmed when the Cylons appear 33 minutes after its return. 

[[Anastasia Dualla|Dualla]] then detects a [[Radiological Alarm|radiological signature]] emanating from the ''Olympic Carrier'', suggesting that the vessel has been boarded and now carries a nuclear warhead. In response to this threat, Adama orders Vipers dispatched to intercept and destroy the approaching ship. 

Ultimately [[Lee Adama]] makes the difficult decision to fire on the civilian craft, safe-guarding the remnants of mankind from the marauding Cylons in the process. The Fleet jumps once more, and the enemy is no longer able track them ([[33]]).

== Aftermath ==
Although ''Galactica'' and the civilian fleet escape, the Cylons continue to pursue them across the galaxy for the better part of four years.  Like this particular battle, most are defensive in nature, and the Cylons experience mixed success in their encounters.  Approximately four years after Ragnar Anchorage, ''Galactica'' takes offensive action at a Cylon facility known as [[The Colony]], in an [[Battle of the Colony|engagement]] that brings the conflict to a permanent end.

==References==
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{{Battles (RDM)}}

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[[Category:Colonial Battles]]
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[[es:Batalla del Ancladero Ragnar]]
[[de:Schlacht bei der Ragnar-Anlegestelle]]