Battle of the Ionian Nebula

Battle of the Ionian Nebula
	[[Image:\|center\|300px\|Cylons forces ambush the mysteriously crippled Colonial Fleet]]
	Cylons forces ambush the mysteriously crippled Colonial Fleet
Summary
Conflict:	Second Cylon War
Date:	Unknown
Related Episode(s):
Place:	The Ionian nebula
Result:	Kara "Starbuck" Thrace returns to the fleet,; Four of the Final five Cylons are activated,; Conflict unresolved
Combatants
Remnants of the Colonial Fleet	Cylons
Commanders
Admiral William Adama	basestar command
Strength
Galactica, Vipers, Raptors;	Four basestars, associated Raiders, Heavy Raiders;
Materiel Losses
None as of yet	None as of yet
Casualties
None as of yet	None as of yet
[[Colonial battles chronology ({{{series}}})\|Battle Chronology]]

Upon jumping into the Ionian system, the entire fleet suddenly loses power and becomes dead in space. While the fleet drifts aimlessly, four Cylon Basestars jump into the nebula and begin launching Raiders. By the time power is restored to Galactica the Raiders are already inbound and the fleet is incapable of jumping to safety before they close to firing distance.

During the power outage Colonel Saul Tigh, Cheif Galen Tyrol, Ensign Samuel Anders and Tory Foster begin to aimlessly wander the halls of Galctica muttering the lyrics to a mysterious song from their pasts, having heard it in their heads for the past few days prior to the fleet arriving at Ionia. When all four arrive in the same room and see each other they realize that they are actually Cylons themselves and that the song had activated them. When the Action Stations alert is sounded they resolve to continue filling the roles they did when they believed they were human. Tyrol returns to the flight deck, Anders heads for his Viper and Tigh and Foster head for the CIC and return to the sides of Admiral Adama and President Roslin.

During the scramble to get the alert Vipers launched, Lee Adama, now just a civilian after resigning from the military during Baltar's trial, returns to his quarters and breaks out his helmet and flight suit and joins the assault in Viper 3. While en route to intercept the incoming wave of Raiders he picks up an "Unknown" contact on his Viper's DRADIS and breaks formation to intercept it. Adama and the unknown contact chase each other through the Ionian dust clouds until it pulls alongside Adama's Viper and reveals itself. The unknown is actually Kara "Starbuck" Thrace, back from the dead and flying what appears to be a brand new Viper Mk. II. Thrace claims she has been to Earth and that she is here to lead the fleet there.

The outcome of the battle is still undecided (Crossroads, Part II).