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The '''Battle of the Binary Star System''' was an engagement in which battlestar ''Pegasus'' was lured into a trap by three [[Cylons  (RDM)|Cylon]] [[Basestar (RDM)|basestars]].  The Cylons lured two of ''Pegasus<nowiki>'</nowiki>'' [[Raptor]]s out into a shroud of electro-magnetic interference (EMI) generated by a binary star system. Once the Raptors were there, the crews were killed and the craft left intact and adrift at the edge of the Colonials' [[DRADIS]] range. By all available data to the Colonials, the craft appeared to be disabled, albeit non-responsive. The new commander of ''Pegasus'', [[Barry Garner]], disobeyed Admiral [[William Adama]]'s orders and took the battlestar in to rescue the Raptors, ignoring Adama's planned five-Raptor [[SAR]] mission and warning of a likely Cylon trap.
The '''Battle of the Binary Star System''' is an engagement where battlestar ''Pegasus'' is lured into a trap by three [[Cylons  (RDM)|Cylon]] [[Basestar (RDM)|basestars]].


Once ''Pegasus'' took the bait and entered the region, three Cylon basestars Jumped in and promptly launched a full salvo of tactical nuclear missiles,  scoring two hits on the stern of the battlestar.  ''Pegasus''' air wing, already spaceborne under the command of [[Kara Thrace|Captain "Starbuck" Thrace]], immediately engaged the Cylons and returned fire. Virtually ignoring the Vipers, the Cylon basestars focused their efforts on ''Pegasus'' and produced a third nuclear missile hit on the battlestar resulting in damage to the topside heat exchanger.
The Cylons lure two of ''Pegasus<nowiki>'</nowiki>'' [[Raptor]]s out into a shroud of electro-magnetic interference (EMI) generated by a binary star system. Once the Raptors are there, the crews are killed and the craft left intact and adrift at the edge of the Colonials' [[DRADIS]] range. By all available data to the Colonials, the craft appear disabled and non-responsive. The new commander of ''Pegasus'', [[Barry Garner]], disobeys Admiral [[William Adama]]'s warning and orders to send a five-Raptor [[SAR]] mission. Garner takes the battlestar in to rescue the Raptors.


Commander Barry Garner was an engineering officer, inexperienced in combat command. Worsening the situation, the heavy barrage dealt by the Cylons damaged the FTL drive, putting ''Pegasus''' survival in peril.  Realizing his skills would be best used in engineering, Garner voluntarily transfered command to (newly promoted) [[Lee Adama|Major Lee Adama]], and dashed below to Engineering.  
Once ''Pegasus'' takes the bait and enters the region, three Cylon basestars Jump in and launch a full salvo of tactical nuclear missiles, scoring two hits on the stern of the battlestar.  ''Pegasus''' air wing, already spaceborne under the command of [[Kara Thrace|Captain "Starbuck" Thrace]], engage the Cylons and return fire. Virtually ignoring the Vipers, the Cylon basestars focus their efforts on ''Pegasus'' and produce a third nuclear missile hit on the battlestar, resulting in damage to the topside heat exchanger.


After only a moment of hesitation, Major Adama promptly ordered ''Pegasus'' to make for the nearest baseship, while rolling ''Pegasus'' over to keep its damaged dorsal side out of the line of fireAdama ordered Starbuck and [[Marcia Case|Showboat]] to take the rest of the Vipers and concentrate on defending the compromised portions of ''Pegasus'' from further damage, while directing the battlestar's forward batteries to fire on the closest of the three basestars, inflicting severe damage to its central axis to buy ''Pegasus'' more timeThe wounded basestar was forced to withdraw; the first documented occurrence of a baseship diverging from their normal tactic of fighting to the death, perhaps due to the loss of the [[Resurrection Ship]].
Commander Barry Garner was an engineering officer, inexperienced in combat commandWorsening the situation, the heavy barrage dealt by the Cylons damages the FTL drive, putting ''Pegasus''' survival in perilRealizing his skills would be best used in engineering, Garner voluntarily transfers command to (newly promoted) [[Lee Adama|Major Lee Adama]], and dashes below to Engineering to help.  


The problem in repairing the FTL drive was an oxygen leak that blocked technicians from making repairs to the damaged FTL drive components by openning the auxiliary coolant valve.  ''Pegasus'' was running out of time and its Vipers were beginning to run out of ammo.  Commander Garner heroically sacrificed himself, dying of asphyxiation after entering a vented compartment and successfully opening the auxiliary coolant valve to restore the FTL drive to operational status.  With the FTL drive restored, Major Adama ordered all fighters to return and ordered ''Pegasus'' to Jump.
After only a moment of hesitation, Major Adama orders ''Pegasus'' to make for the nearest baseship, while rolling ''Pegasus'' over to keep its damaged dorsal side out of the line of fire.  Adama orders Starbuck and [[Marcia Case|Showboat]] to take the rest of the Vipers to concentrate on defending the compromised portions of ''Pegasus'' from further damage, while directing the battlestar's forward batteries to fire on the closest of the three basestars, inflicting severe damage to its central axis to buy ''Pegasus'' more time.  The wounded basestar is forced to withdraw; the first documented occurrence of a baseship diverging from their normal tactic of fighting to the death, perhaps due to the loss of the [[Resurrection Ship]].


From a tactical standpoint, the battle was a marginal Cylon victory &mdash; if their ultimate goal had been the destruction of ''Pegasus'', the attempt failed, thanks to the quick reactions of the Colonial crew.  ''Pegasus'' suffered fairly minor damage and casualties, however it suffered the significant loss of its third commanding officer since the destruction of the Resurrection Ship. The battlestar returned to the relative safety of the [[The Fleet (RDM)|Fleet]]The extent of the damage appears to not have been very severe, as by one month later ''Pegasus'' seemed to have fully recovered.
The problem in repairing the FTL drive is an oxygen leak that block technicians from making repairs to the damaged FTL drive components by openning the auxiliary coolant valve.  ''Pegasus'' was running out of time and its Vipers are beginning to run out of ammo.  Commander Garner heroically enters the compartment himself, dying of asphyxiation after successfully opening the auxiliary coolant valve to restore the FTL drive to operational statusWith the FTL drive restored, Major Adama orders all fighters to return and for ''Pegasus'' to Jump.


Lee Adama's tour under the rank of Major and duties as XO were short-lived. For his efforts in returning ''Pegasus'' under dangerous odds, Admiral Adama awarded him with the rank of Commander and the command of ''Pegasus'' ([[The Captain's Hand]]).
From a tactical standpoint, the battle is a marginal Cylon victory &mdash; if their ultimate goal had been the destruction of ''Pegasus'', the attempt fails, thanks to the quick reactions of the Colonial crew.  ''Pegasus'' suffers fairly minor damage and casualties, but it suffers the loss of its third commanding officer since the destruction of the Resurrection Ship. The battlestar returns to the relative safety of the [[The Fleet (RDM)|Fleet]].
 
Lee Adama's tour under the rank of Major and duties as XO are short-lived. For his efforts in returning ''Pegasus'' under dangerous odds, Admiral Adama awarded him with the rank of Commander and the command of ''Pegasus'' ([[The Captain's Hand]]).


[[Category:A to Z]]
[[Category:A to Z]]

Revision as of 15:19, 30 September 2006

Battle of the Binary Star System
Battle of the Binary Star System
Battle of the Binary Star System
Battle of the Binary Star System
Summary
Conflict: Second Cylon war
Date: 8 months after the Fall of the Twelve Colonies
Related Episode(s):
Place: Unnamed binary star system
Result: Tactical Cylon victory
Combatants
Remnants of the Colonial Fleet Cylons
Commanders
Commander Barry Garner
Major Lee Adama
Unknown
Strength
Mercury class battlestar Pegasus
Associated Vipers, associated Raptors
3 Basestars, associated Raiders, Heavy Raiders
Materiel Losses
2 Raptors, heavy damage to Pegasus 1 Basestar heavily damaged
Casualties
5 Unknown
[[Colonial battles chronology ({{{series}}})|Battle Chronology]]
Previous Next
Battle of the Resurrection Ship Battle of the Binary Star System Unknown


The Battle of the Binary Star System is an engagement where battlestar Pegasus is lured into a trap by three Cylon basestars.

The Cylons lure two of Pegasus' Raptors out into a shroud of electro-magnetic interference (EMI) generated by a binary star system. Once the Raptors are there, the crews are killed and the craft left intact and adrift at the edge of the Colonials' DRADIS range. By all available data to the Colonials, the craft appear disabled and non-responsive. The new commander of Pegasus, Barry Garner, disobeys Admiral William Adama's warning and orders to send a five-Raptor SAR mission. Garner takes the battlestar in to rescue the Raptors.

Once Pegasus takes the bait and enters the region, three Cylon basestars Jump in and launch a full salvo of tactical nuclear missiles, scoring two hits on the stern of the battlestar. Pegasus' air wing, already spaceborne under the command of Captain "Starbuck" Thrace, engage the Cylons and return fire. Virtually ignoring the Vipers, the Cylon basestars focus their efforts on Pegasus and produce a third nuclear missile hit on the battlestar, resulting in damage to the topside heat exchanger.

Commander Barry Garner was an engineering officer, inexperienced in combat command. Worsening the situation, the heavy barrage dealt by the Cylons damages the FTL drive, putting Pegasus' survival in peril. Realizing his skills would be best used in engineering, Garner voluntarily transfers command to (newly promoted) Major Lee Adama, and dashes below to Engineering to help.

After only a moment of hesitation, Major Adama orders Pegasus to make for the nearest baseship, while rolling Pegasus over to keep its damaged dorsal side out of the line of fire. Adama orders Starbuck and Showboat to take the rest of the Vipers to concentrate on defending the compromised portions of Pegasus from further damage, while directing the battlestar's forward batteries to fire on the closest of the three basestars, inflicting severe damage to its central axis to buy Pegasus more time. The wounded basestar is forced to withdraw; the first documented occurrence of a baseship diverging from their normal tactic of fighting to the death, perhaps due to the loss of the Resurrection Ship.

The problem in repairing the FTL drive is an oxygen leak that block technicians from making repairs to the damaged FTL drive components by openning the auxiliary coolant valve. Pegasus was running out of time and its Vipers are beginning to run out of ammo. Commander Garner heroically enters the compartment himself, dying of asphyxiation after successfully opening the auxiliary coolant valve to restore the FTL drive to operational status. With the FTL drive restored, Major Adama orders all fighters to return and for Pegasus to Jump.

From a tactical standpoint, the battle is a marginal Cylon victory — if their ultimate goal had been the destruction of Pegasus, the attempt fails, thanks to the quick reactions of the Colonial crew. Pegasus suffers fairly minor damage and casualties, but it suffers the loss of its third commanding officer since the destruction of the Resurrection Ship. The battlestar returns to the relative safety of the Fleet.

Lee Adama's tour under the rank of Major and duties as XO are short-lived. For his efforts in returning Pegasus under dangerous odds, Admiral Adama awarded him with the rank of Commander and the command of Pegasus (The Captain's Hand).