Battle of New Caprica

Battle of New Caprica
Summary
Conflict:	Second Cylon War
Date:
Related Episode(s):
Place:	Near New Caprica space; on New Caprica
Result:	Successful retrieval of the Fleet, deposition of the Baltar administration, Hera is captured by Cylons
Combatants
Remnants of the Colonial Fleet	Cylons
Commanders
Admiral William Adama, Commander Lee Adama, Colonel Saul Tigh, Former President Laura Roslin	Basestar command
Strength
Battlestars Galactica and Pegasus,; Blue Squadron,; Resistance team and associated Colonial Marines	Four basestars, associated Raiders, Heavy Raiders,; Ground occupation forces and associated ; Cylon Centurions
Materiel Losses
Battlestar Pegasus,; several civilian ships ; (off screen),; Heavy damage to Galactica	At least three basestars; Moderate damage to 1 basestar
Casualties
Approximately 2000;	Unknown, Heavy
[[Colonial battles chronology ({{{series}}})\|Battle Chronology]]

Battlestar Galactica launches a daring mission to occupy the Cylon force's attention as the majority of the Colonial citizens escape from Cylon occupation on New Caprica.

Greatly outnumbered, Admiral William Adama enacts an elaborate plan that relies on a squadron of Raptors (with a Viper escort squadron) to fire a series of swallows that collectively mimic the EM signatures of the Colonial battlestars. After firing the swallows, the Raptors retreat, luring several Cylon Raiders further from the fight. The Cylons are deceived temporarily by the false readings.

On New Caprica, Samuel Anders and the resistance team detonate dozens of bombs in key Cylon structures as a feigned attack by Colonial forces. The people evacuate per their fire-drill training, but escape to the various grounded ships of the Fleet, which prepare their engines and FTL drives to depart. Many people, however, become pinned down by Centurion fire.

Admiral Adama performs an extremely risky move. He orders Galactica to conduct an intra-atmosphere jump, escaping the detection of the basestars. While in freefall, it launches Blue Squadron. Blue Squadron performs hit-and-run attacks on the Cylons on the ground, those in observation towers, interdicts the few Raiders operating near the surface, and eliminates the main gates of the shipyard where the grounded civilian ships are kept. Before the battlestar impacts the surface, Galactica performs a second jump back into space. Stress from the vibration and heat of entry have heavily taxed the structure of the battlestar.

Soon, the two basestars move on Galactica without any fighter support as their Raiders are engaged elsewhere. Galactica’s mission analysis had predicted that only two basestars would engage Galactica. However, two more basestars jump into the vicinity and four basestars converge to attack the battlestar.

With the Vipers destroying targets on the ground and in the air in vicinity of New Caprica City, the civilians previously pinned down are able to board their ships. Simultaneously, Colonial Marines and resistance members assault the detention center, freeing Kara Thrace and other detainees.

The Cylons in charge on the ground realize the ground situation is lost and escape in a Heavy Raider as they task Number Three with setting off a nuclear detonation to "clean up."

Before long, Galactica's FTL drives and maneuvering thrusters are disabled, and the port side of the ship reaches its structural limits. Upon hearing that the FTL drive was disabled, Admiral Adama tells his crew, "Then that's it. It's been an honor." Battlestar Pegasus then arrives with its forward batteries blazing, scoring several hits that severely damage or destroy one basestar. Commander Lee Adama orders his battlestar towards the basestars to give Galactica time to repair its FTL drive and escape. Meanwhile, most of the civilian ships become airborne and jump away.

Commander Adama directs his ship to a position between the basestars targeting Galactica, in an effort to draw fire away from her. Admiral Adama infers from the absence of Vipers from Pegasus that its Vipers are guarding the remaining ships of the Fleet at the rendezvous point and that Pegasus is on a one-way trip. While Pegasus "was taking a hell of a pounding," the crew of Galactica is able to bring its FTL back on line. Admiral Adama immediately orders his crew to land its birds and prepare to jump.

With Pegasus taking phenomenal damage, Commander Adama orders all hands to abandon ship, using standby Raptors to jump away from the battle. He ensures that the weapons were set to autofire and that the ship is on a collision course with one of the basestars before departing. The damaged, unmanned Pegasus collides into one basestar, destroying both. The remnants of Pegasus’s starboard flight pod collides with another of the remaining basestars, destroying it.

Colonial One is the last Colonial ship to leave the planet, with Laura Roslin back in her old chair in place of the deposed president, Gaius Baltar (Exodus, Part II). On the surface, the Cylons' planned nuclear detonation (which would be of questionable tactical value now that the Colonials have left the planet) does not occur.