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| Capture of Galactica | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| The Maytorian IL leads a platoon of Command Centurions into Galactica's core command (Classic Battlestar Galactica Vol. 1 #5). | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Conflict: | Thousand-Yahren War | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Date: | Between the Battle of Carillon and the Battle of Otarsis Quadrant | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Related Episode(s): | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Place: | Near Maytoria | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Result: | Decisive Cylon victory, destruction of the Twelve Colonies | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Battle Chronology | |||||||||||||||||||||
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The capture of Galactica is a near-catastrophic event during the early days of the rag-tag, fugitive fleet.
Planning and Preparation[edit]
Following Apollo's mission failure at Maytoria, resulting in the crash of both Lieutenants Boomer and Starbuck, the Maytorian IL's forces capture Boomer and determines that it can use the misbegotten Colonial Warrior as a means to root out the Sagittaron forces from the planet.
Planting a tracking bug on the Warrior's jacket, Boomer is subsequently allowed to be rescued by Stadra Ah Mun's resistance force, who bring their injured compatriot to the resistance's stronghold: the basement of a bombed-out trade center (Classic Battlestar Galactica Vol. 1 #2).
After the Cylons subsequently storm the stronghold and the resistance force learns the breadth and depth of humanity's fate, Ah Mun and Galactica's Warriors lead a perilous attack on the Central Command, finding a Cylon personnel carrier being loaded and ready to launch. Led by Captain Freg and Lieutenant Boomer, the resistance forces storm the hangar and take the ship, despite seemingly heavy resistance.
Unbeknownst to them, the Maytorian IL and platoons of Command Centurions lay hidden aboard, making the personnel carrier—with its less than 200 Maytorian survivors—a Cylon Trojan horse, not only routing out the Sagittarons, but conceivably Commander Adama's Fleet (Classic Battlestar Galactica Vol. 1 #3—#4).
Execution and Subsequent Failure[edit]
During celebrations in honor of the new survivors and the returned Warriors, the Maytorian IL and his troops board Galactica through the docked personnel carrier. Their first victim, Stadra Ah Mun, is shot in the back and dies in Starbuck's arms (Classic Battlestar Galactica Vol. 1 #4).
Starbuck escapes the ambush in the corridor and returns to the lounge, informing Commander Adama and Captain Apollo that the ship has been boarded.
In core command, Colonel Tigh is shocked to learn that the Cylons have quickly and effectively targeted the main areas of Galactica. The Maytorian IL, accompanied by a legion of Command Centurions, demands Tigh to order a "communciation's daggit" to open a communication's channel to the Cylons on Maytoria, having an officer executed to make its point.
With civilians aboard Galactica making their way to the supply vault, lead by Athena, the surviving Warriors make it to their Vipers to defend the Fleet under Apollo's command.
Adama then enacts his plan to be captured by the Cylons, allowing Captain Freg the time needed to find the munitions room, plant them aboard the Cylon personnel carrier, and reprogram Muffit to control the detonation of said explosives.
WIth this done, Adama is brought to core command before the gloating IL, and Adama activates Galactica's self-destruct mechanism by voice command. Before the IL can order everyone's execution prior to their evacuation, Freg storms core command and forces the Cylons' hastily retreat back to their carrier.
Upon docking on the lone basestar, the carrier's explosives are remotely detonated by Muffit, destroying the enemy basestar and allowing both Galactica and her convoy to make their successful escape through the Deltian Nebula (Classic Battlestar Galactica Vol. 1 #5),