Armageddon

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Armageddon A book of the Richard Hatch line
Book No.	1
Author(s)	Richard Hatch Christopher Golden
Adaptation of
No. of Pages	{{{pages}}}
Published	August 1, 1997
ISBN	0671011693
Chronology
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None	Armageddon	Warhawk
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Armageddon is the first novel in Richard Hatch's continuation series, published 1997.

Twenty years after the fall of the colonies the Fleet has long since left the Cylons' behind. Or have they? As Commander Adama's health fails Starbuck and Apollo encounter Cylons on a recon patrol. Starbuck is shot down and seemingly killed.

Soon after Adama dies and Apollo is left in temporary command of the Fleet. But a Cylon fleet is closing in and the evil of Count Iblis is rising once more. He also faces internal strife and a nagging certainty that Starbuck isn't dead.

Summary

Chapter 1

• Captain Starbuck and Lieutenant Commander Apollo are investigating the Binary 13 star system. Apollo is piloting a Scarlet Viper. As they approach Binary 13, Apollo wakens Starbuck from his sleep period.
• Starbuck reveals that he spent two cycles aboard the Rising Star winning at games of pyramid. He brought himself ambrosa, which earns a friendly chiding from Apollo: he pretends he didn't hear that, as he'd "hate to report [Starbuck] for launching while altered".
• Apollo tells Starbuck that Ochoa is their target, explaining to him the extraordinary nature of the planet. Starbuck voices concern about the potential instability of the planet, despite the fact that the sensors do not detect seismic disturbances. He makes a crack about recon missions not usually "risking my neck".
• Apollo replies that Starbuck's risks his neck every time he flirts, play triad with cadets, cheat at pyramid, or launch in "that antique Viper" of his.
• At Apollo's order, Starbuck sends a narrow-beam message to Galactica, informing them that they have arrived and are going to perform a recon orbit of Ochoa before landing on the planet.
• After a minor course correction, Starbuck comments that he wants the recon taken care of, so that he can continue his "long-delayed furlon", and mentions that he's saved up enough cubits from his last game to buy a bottle of ambrosa for himself and Cassiopeia.
• Starbuck also relays that Athena tells them not to waste time, as Adama has taken ill. Despite Athena's plea of not wasting any time, Starbuck assures his friend that Adama's fine. Apollo pushes forward, despite his concerns about his father.
• The two Vipers are experiencing problems getting detailed readings on the planet; Apollo voices his belief that they are being jammed. Starbuck brushes this off as paranoia, but Apollo believes that they are being jammed; he also assumes that the occupants on Ocoha may be jamming them in a defensive manner.
• As they close in on the planet, Apollo gets detailed readings about Ochoa, a planet rich in mineral and tylium resources. It is also inhabited, and he's found the source of the the jamming: a techno center on Ochoa's furthest axis. What ever jammed them has stopped doing so, Apollo orders his onboard computer to broaden the scan of the entire sector.
• Starbuck urges Apollo to continue on. Apollo replies that he senses danger, hostility and familiarity. Starbuck replies that he thought Apollo was "done with that mythical feldergarb (sic)"; Apollo briefly retorts that his intuition is neither "feldergarb" or mystical, but purely scientific in exercising the mind and its power.
• Apollo is resolved to warn the Fleet, but realizes he cannot simply send a message that could be traced back to the Fleet's location. As they continue their approach, they are attacked by a phalanx (12) of Cylon Raider, having not seen the Cylons in the past six years until then.
• Apollo is sided by a laser hit, but the shields on his Scarlet Viper shrug it off. Between them, they destroy three Raiders, making a full-thrust flyby of the planet in order to make a detailed scan of what's down there, discovering that it is, indeed, a Cylon base. The remaining Raiders gain on them as Apollo scanned the base.
• After executing a "divide and conquer" tactic, Apollo destroys the five Raiders that pursued Starbuck; Starbuck had taken out three of the four. Before Apollo could destroy the fifth Raider, it released a volley of laser fire that destroyed the apex pulsar of Starbuck's Viper. It impacted with the remaining lone Raider, destroying the Raider in the process and allowing Ochoa's gravitational pull to grab a hold of Starbuck's Viper, dragging it into the atmosphere.
• Apollo detects another phalanx launching from the planet, and is forced to leave as he is severely outnumbered. He believes Starbuck to be dead, and weeps.

Chapter 2

• Three weeks have passed since Adama had his first cardiac seizure and the Battle of Ochoa. Since then, he has been in and out of consciousness, however it is known that Adama himself is now dying.
• Athena is at his bedside, keeping vigil. Others of his family had come to visit, but he is incapable of recognizing or acknowledging them.
• A second seizure occurs, which results in Adama awakening, lucid and smiling. Apollo and Troy (Boxey's real name) are present during this period. Adama asks that he be moved to his quarters and that they not concern themselves with him, but with their responsibilities to the Fleet.
• Adama asks for "Boxey", who kneels by his side, and asks what he can do to ease Adama's pain. Adama tells Troy that "one day, you may command this fleet", and gets Troy to swear to him an oath that he will dedicate his life in service to the Lords of Kobol.
• After tousling Troy's hair like Adama did when Troy was a child, Adama's begins to lapse into a coma, his last response being that of a throaty laughter, and his pronouncement that "the light has come, Athena. The Lords have come. Kobol is so close now. I hear their voices."
• Since falling into a coma, he is moved back to his quarters, with Athena still attending to him, during which she thinks about her father and Starbuck. Meanwhile, Apollo and Troy meet with Tigh, who was Adama's president-by-proxy to the Quorum of Twelve as the members of the Fleet are now fearful for they had no clear line of leadership. After Athena hums a lullaby to Adama, she falls asleep after laying her head on Adama's chest.
• Athena is awakened by her brother, after which she discovers that Adama has passed away. Both siblings have a discussion, where Athena claims that "we always knew you were his pride and joy", which Apollo dismisses, claiming that she was both a soldier and born diplomat, traits that their father greatly admired in her.
• After consoling one another, they leave to tend to the needs of the Fleet, but before doing so Apollo tells his father that he can now rest, and that his great burden has been lifted.
• At Adama's private wake, his immediate family, in addition to Tigh, Cassiopeia, Boomer, and Cassiopeia and Starbuck's daughter, Dalton, pay their respects before the funeral.
• After they had paid their respects, Cassiopeia tells Athena that Adama gave her more support, understanding and encouragement than her own father did, and offers to do anything for Athena. Athena, however, changes the subject, first discussing Dalton and how she graduated from the academy early, making her the youngest graduate and Colonial Warrior in the Fleet. The conversation turns sour when Athena mentions that Starbuck planned to spend two weeks of his furlon with Cassiopeia. After a heated exchange, Cassiopeia reveals that the reason she left Starbuck many yahren prior is due to the fact that Starbuck, the "man he was at his core, the courageous and giving person beneath the facade, that man always belonged" to Athena.
• After the conversation, they mend fences, knowing that now that Starbuck is dead, there's no need for their rivalry to continue unabated, and that while they may not be friends, they both lost something and that it was time to move on.
• During the funeral, Apollo receives many condolences from mourners, and some odd attention due to his choice of Warrior's clothing; as he is descended "the pure blood lineage of the Lords of Kobol", he "has greater access to certain areas of the brain than other humans", and is thus able to become more sensitive to the emotions of others. It is also the reason why his father, apparently, had been able to be the commander he was, since he was empathic to others' plights.
• As he continues to participate in the funeral, his mind is weighted by command, seeing how it affected his own father. He also thought of Starbuck, reflecting on their friendship and how, if it were not for Starbuck's insistence, he would likely never have been friends with Boomer.
• Tigh, who was voted as President of the Quorum in an emergency session less than a centon after Adama's death, presents an eulogy. After Adama is buried in space, his casket launched through the launch tube, Tigh announces that the Quorum has revoked the state of war and thus assumed command of the Fleet, while they deliberate on who shall become commander. Despite Apollo's lack of diplomacy, having offended members of the Quorum at one time or another, he is appointed as Galactica's Interim Commander, until the Quorum casts a final vote one way or another.
• This announcement comes as a surprise to both Apollo and Athena, as neither were consulted beforehand. Additionally, Tigh himself did not consider Athena for the job, at all.

Chapter 3

• Baltar's basestar has moved to the destination where Apollo's Viper was last seen to be headed. Upon arrival, they have found nothing.
• After Lucifer questions him on what their next course of action is, Baltar orders that they shall go to Ochoa to interrogate the prisoner. Lucifer replies that this is impossible, as the planet will soon break up by the stars' gravitational pull, and is in the process of being evacuated. Baltar then orders that the prisoner be brought to them immediately.
• Lucifer leaves to execute the order when three Centurions, one of whom is a Command Centurion, enters the room. The Command Centurion then tells Lucifer that Baltar is to be removed from command, by order of the Imperious Leader. Baltar is beside himself when, despite the fact that the Leader has spared his life, he is relegated to an adviser position to Lucifer, who he loathes. While he makes a fuss, Lucifer threatens to have him detained until he can "learn to behave [himself]"; Baltar begrudgingly accepts his position, believing it best for his survival.
• Onboard Agro-3, an unnamed person hears a voice claim, in a whisper, that "your life need not trouble you any longer". The person is subsequently killed by an "unnatural flame" and the death goes unnoticed.
• On Galactica, a military reception is being held in honor of Commander Adama in the Officer's Club. Troy mulls over his reasons for becoming a Colonial Warrior and reflects that, while he desired to bring Starbuck back to life, he is glad that the Cylons have returned to become a threat, so that he may exact revenge.
• While sitting alone in the Club, Dalton waves him over to another table, surrounded by fellow, younger Warriors. He obliges, and upon approaching the table Ensign Roman, then Zimmer, offer their condolences on his grandfather's loss. Troy and Dalton then leave the table, heading toward a table occupied by Majors Boomer and Sheba, with whom they share a toast to their late commander.
• Dalton and Troy head off to the side, where they discuss Apollo's appointment as Interim Commander of Galactica. She tells him that there are people who are vying for their own candidates, and even some of the Warriors are against the appointment, mainly because they believe that this would mean Apollo can no longer fly Vipers.
• Dalton also comments that the bloodline of the House of Kobol, and that while Apollo is not Adama, he shares both his blood and much of his wisdom.
• Apollo then enters the Club, where Jolly offers to buy him a drink. He doesn't take up the offer and moves to greet Troy and Dalton, who give Apollo their congratulations. After Troy and Apollo embrace, Apollo briefly shares his slight concern about his ability to lead the Fleet with his son.
• On the bridge, Athena is on duty, mulling over Tigh's apparent snub of her for even being considered the next Fleet commander. Her thoughts are interrupted by Omega, who informs her that Ambassador Puck, a Quorum member, wishes to speak to her.
• After Puck makes snide comments about Apollo, he demands the location of President Tigh, as he believes that Tigh may be seeking the "company of his former lackeys".
• Athena replies that she neither knows Tigh's location nor does concern herself with the activities of the Quorum's members; she then attempts to offer advice to Puck, who brusquely scoffs her and cuts the transmission.
• The conversation makes her angry enough to nearly cause an outburst on the bridge, which is quickly stopped by Omega. After returning the stares of the bridge's crew individually, she discovers that Cassiopeia has just entered the bridge.
• Cassiopeia offers Athena an interesting proposal: the female special interest group called the Gemon Monarchs is willing to back Athena as Fleet Commander, and Cassiopeia will be the one to nominate her for the position, much to Athena's surprise.

Changes

The story picks up about eighteen years after "The Hand of God" so there are some major changes.

• Commander Adama dies in the opening sequence of a heart attack.
• Tigh has now retired from active service and is the president of the Quorum of Twelve after Adama's death.
• Apollo holds the rank of lieutenant commander, having been promoted from captain. He becomes temporary commander in aftermath of Adama's death. During the events of the past eighteen years, he is driven by developing mental powers. He sets out to rescue Starbuck and defeat a Cylon armada. By the end of the book he is made full Commander, on the condition that he can keep flying Vipers.
• Starbuck is a captain. He still continues his maverick ways, although he fathered a daughter, Dalton, with Cassiopeia. Eventually lived with Athena for some years before she threw him out when he asked to marry her. Has bounced between the two ever since.
• Athena is a lieutenant colonel and second in command of Galactica, and she considers herself capable enough to become Commander.
• Cassiopeia had a daughter with Starbuck but married another man, who goes unnamed. She divorced him some years before, though she appears to have reconciled with Starbuck since this. She and Athena still don't get along.
• Sheba is now a major. She is an active pilot as well as pilot trainer, and still believes her father Cain is alive.
• Boomer is also a major, and also teaches pilots.
• Baltar is still in command of a basestar, presumably after being rescued after Adama dumped him on a nearby planet soon after "The Hand of God".
• Lucifer is still Baltar's advisor and second in command, although Lucifer ascends to command the basestar at the order of the Imperious Leader, thus relieving Baltar of command.
• Omega is still in the service.
• Boxey is now known by given name of Troy. He was the youngest to graduate flight school, but Dalton has since broken that record. He may have feelings for Dalton. The only one who still called him Boxey at this point was Adama.
• Dalton is Starbuck and Cassiopeia's daughter. She is said to have her mother's looks and her father's cardshark and piloting skills. It is rumored that she was rushed through flight training because she won everybody's money.
• Muffit II is not mentioned.
• Pegasus is the battlestar that is still presumed destroyed in action. Sheba believes it survives, although there is no evidence for or against this belief.
• The Fleet's numbers have dropped slightly as ships have broken down for good or had to be canabalized to fix another. Some groups have settled habitable worlds along the way. (It is unknown whether the Cylons have found any of them.) There is a movement within the Fleet to break off and colonize the nearest habitable planet rather than go on to Earth.
• The Cylons have not been seen in six yahren. However they are still around and they may be changing.
• Count Iblis has not been seen since the Fleet's last encounter in "War of the Gods, Part II", but for a being as old as him that may not mean much.

Notes

• This series led to a further six books (as of 2006), these stories continue the series and do not hold Galactica 1980 as canon. Nor are they, in and of themselves, canonical to the Original Series.

• However, one of the few things to be held over from Galactica 1980 is the fact that Boxey is the nickname of Troy, who is also a Warrior.

• The rank of lieutenant commander is established. The rank is higher than captain. Apollo holds this rank at the beginning of the novel.

• The rank of lieutenant colonel is also established, apparently lower than a full colonel. Athena holds this rank in the book, having been promoted from lieutenant.

• The word felgercarb is misspelled "feldergarb" thorughout the book, with the exception of the glossary.

• A "phalanx" is defined as 12 Raiders.

• Caprican burial tradition stipulates that the immediate family of the deceased would attend in a private wake-like ceremony prior to the funeral.

• Adama revealed Apollo and Athena's Kobollian heritage to Apollo ten yahren prior.

• Tigh hails from Leonis; his people are called Leonids. In addition, Tigh is the only Leonid to have served as the Quorum's President.

• Richard Hatch played Apollo in the Original Series and plays Tom Zarek in the Re-imagined Series.

• The book includes a glossary of terms on page 310, the unique (or different) terms from which are located at List of terms (RH).

• Several ships are named in the fleet:
  • Agro-3, an agricultural ship
  • Icaras, the prison barge
  • Rising Star
  • Hephaestus, a modified freighter that built the new Azure-class Vipers, it was heavily damaged in the mutiny and was then destroyed
  • Adena, a ship known for its socialators
  • Delphi, market ship
  • Cerebus, archiving ship
  • Neptune, fast response rescue ship
  • Celestra
  • Scorpius Ascendant, a luxury liner that Ambassador Puck had lived on, it had threatened to abandon the fleet but eventually returned
  • Ursus, a ship in the fleet where people live in extremely poor circumstances

Analysis

• Apollo makes an incorrect comment regarding the fact that the ambrosa waiting for Starbuck has "been fermenting for six hundred yahren". As it stands, unless the Fleet has found another ambrosa refinery like Proteus, there should be no ambrosa over 500 yahren old, since this did not exist for the Colonials of the Colonies, as established in "The Long Patrol".
• The book implies that more than one Agro Ship is in the Fleet, however all but one of the Agro Ships are destroyed in a Cylon attack in "The Magnificent Warriors".
• The life span of a human from the Colonies is stated to be 120 yahren. However, Adama in "War of the Gods" tells Apollo that "our life span, now, Cylons notwithstanding, is about two hundred yahrens".
• The gaffe nonwithstanding, given that Hatch's books define a yahren as "250" days, the life expectancy of a human of the Colonies is 30,000 days. With that number by the days in an Earth year -- 365 -- this brings the Colonial's life span to a little over 82 Earth years. This is just a decade and a half more than the average life expectancy of humans on Earth, which is, as of 1998, is reported to be 67 years; Japan itself held the highest mortality record, with an average life expectancy of 81 years.
• Ironically, like the television series itself, the use of terms for time (for instance, "years" instead of "yahren") varies between the Earth equivalent to the Colonial equivalent in the text.

Questions

• It is mentioned that an antique clock is "the one thing [Adama] had salvaged from the ruins of their home on Caprica". Did Adama not take the pictures of Zac, Ila and his family that were in the box that survived the Cylon attack as well?
• How is Iblis able to kill Puck, someone who did not willingly give himself to Iblis, on Agro-3 without incurring interference from the Beings of Light?

Noteworthy Dialogue

• Starbuck replies to Apollo's mocking of his "antique" Viper:

Apollo: You risk your neck every time you flirt, or play traid with the cadets, or cheat at pyramids (sic), or launch that antique Viper for that matter.

Starbuck: That's different. I'm a Warrior, not an idiot. There's no way, as I see it from my limited knowledge of science, that Ochoa could not be unstable. Oh—and I've had enough of you mocking my ship. She's kept me alive this long, and I don't need a shiny new toy.

• Apollo remembers a piece of advice from his father:

Adama: Love and compassion are not liabilities, but strengths upon which to draw. A Warrior has nothing to fight for if he does not allow himself to love, and be loved in return.

References

Battlestar Galactica Richard Hatch Book List Armageddon | Warhawk | Resurrection | Rebellion | Paradis | Destiny | Redemption Template:Navigation box end