The Trident Note

The following note was found in the quarters of the Commanding Officer is the CGC-41-N "Trident":


April 15th, 2005

We had been scrambled into back service just after starting our shore leave, most of us planning on holidays at home. Being the Commanding Staff of a ship like this, you never expect to get a phone call telling you that your leave has been cancelled and you are to report to your ship for immediate deployment. Our tasking said to proceed here, radio silent, to the Acheron Belt and await further orders with the William Landry and Courtney Selen and the minesweepers Oleander and Bonaventure. We were supposed to hear from Seventh Fleet on the fifteenth of January when a combat support ship would deliver food, mail, and our orders.

To those that may find this and might never know what happened on January Fifth, I will not insult the billions killed by trying to describe it. It was just, plainly, an act of genocide. We heard the dying fight from the Scorpian Yards as the Centurions stormed the CIC. Having had our FTL down for repairs, we couldn’t leave. But we could hear the calls to join the major engagement.

It was anarchy.

It was a complete slaughter.

But the Fleet never quit. They threw in everything they had, most of these CO’s already knowing that the Cylons had something that could cripple them. How could you turn your back? As we write this, we are filled with the immense pride for having served with so many fine commanders to have courageously moved forward into a fight they could not win. But as the fifth passed to the sixth, the stragglers of the fleet were being hunted down and killed. We knew it was over.

Once we had the FTL working, we debated where we should deliver our payload. Given that all of our missiles contain nuclear warheads, its a sizable consideration. We were talking about glassing every one of their main staging areas when Rick asked us if we were seriously talking about using nuclear weapons on the population. It was an unavoidable fact that we’d likely be hitting civilian sites. Tiff and I knew we couldn’t do it after that. How few remain, and we were to add to the nuclear ruination of the Cylons efforts at it. So with no targets, a full payload, dwindling supplies, and no contact with other members of the fleet in twenty-two days, I gave the order to our small task force on the fifth of March. All those who wanted to take the Raptors and make a try at finding a colony to live out their days would be allowed to. All else would be staying aboard and we would accept our fate and keep the ship together until it was no longer possible. The implications were plain.

77% of the personnel opted to go. The pilots said they were dropping people on Leonis. I don’t know where all those pilots ultimately went. The Command Staff on every ship volunteered to stay behind, as did most of our Tactical staffs. They said that just in case something happened, we’d need staff to help us fight the ships. Gods bless them all. Before leaving, our Medical groups cooked up batches of heavy sedatives that we could take when the time came.

That time is here. The crew has been quiet, but thankfully in high spirits. There was a relaxing calm that had settled over all of us, knowing that we’ll be with our families and each other again soon. It has been the greatest honor to serve with these men and women who chose to bravely stay behind with us. They’ve all taken their pills and passed on ahead of us. Now it is our turn.

To the Cylons, should you find this:
We hope you burn in hell.

To humanity, should you find this:
Please deliver this letter, the binder below, and the two enclosed keys to your Commanding Officer. They are our missile keys that will arm the nuclear warheads. The binder contains strike package codes and operations of the command console in relation to the missiles. We hope you can make better use of this vessel than we could. There is fuel in the tanks and everything is operational as of this writing. Simply restart the reactor. Secondary life support has been left turned-on under emergency power and fuel supplies should sustain it for decades. Gods be with you.

“Above all, we must remember that no arsenal, no weapon in all the arsenals of all the colonies, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and and women. It is a weapon our adversaries do not have.”

Commander Eugene Banner
Commanding Officer, CGC-41-N
<signed>

Colonel Tiffany Engvall
Executive Officer, CGC-41-N
<signed>

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