Battle of the Ionian Nebula

Battle of the Ionian Nebula
	Cylons forces ambush the mysteriously crippled Colonial Fleet
	Cylons forces ambush the mysteriously crippled Colonial Fleet
Summary
Conflict:	Second Cylon War
Date:	Shortly after Gaius Baltar's trial
Related Episode(s):
Place:	The Ionian nebula
Result:	Inconclusive
Combatants
Remnants of the Colonial Fleet	Cylons
Commanders
Admiral William Adama	basestar command
Strength
Galactica, asoociated Vipers and Raptors;	Four basestars, approx. 200 Raiders and Heavy Raiders;
Materiel Losses
Pyxis destroyed, Space Park severely damaged, Astral Queen slightly damaged	Numerous Raiders
Casualties
600 civilians on Pyxis. 1,100 deaths on other ships. <ref>The survivor count in the credits decreases by 1,700, accounting for the deaths during the teaser. The majority of the 1,100 deaths likely occurrs on the "Space Park", but other ships are hit too.
Battle Chronology

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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 Saul Tigh, Galen Tyrol, Samuel Anders and Tory Foster begin to aimlessly wander the halls of Galcatica muttering the lyrics to a mysterious song, having heard it in their heads for the past few days. When all four arrive in the same room and see each other they realize that they are actually Cylons themselves. When the alert is sounded, they resolve to continue serving in 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 fight. 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 nebula until it pulls alongside him and reveals itself. The unknown is actually Kara Thrace, back from the dead and flying an apparently brand new Viper Mk. II. Thrace claims she has been to Earth and that she is here to lead the fleet there (Crossroads, Part II).

References