The Brief Savage Battlestar Back Story: The Cestus

The Brief Savage Battlestar Back Story.

The Battlestar Universe is a great system to play in, great concept, great everything. But if you play it as if you are in the latest series, it is very linear. So, although it would be fun to play games with NPCs like Starbuck or Apollo, a GM may find it challenging to explore the setting if you want to be play that particular aspect of the story. (At least I find it difficult)

I wanted to play in the same time frame as the series, but away from Galactica. So like others I designed my own little step off point where players can jump into the action.  Yes, Galactica got away, saving 50,000 + people that day. Pegasus also fled, found survivors and eventually found Galactica. But there were millions, if not billions of people in the system. There had to be more survivors, resistance, maybe even some great last stand. Where, when and how that happens is up to you, the GM.

My setting takes place on Day 1 of the Cylon attack on the twelve colonies. The story begins with the Rapid Interdiction Cruiser “Cestus”. The RIC class cruisers were being designed to be a rapid response/strike craft to be used in response to any immediate warfare needs. Cetus is complemented with roughly 500 crew, can also handle one Company of Marines (130), 1 squadron of MK VII Vipers (20), 2 Raptors, and 1 Gunship Raptor.

The Cestus, still in the development/testing stage was performing space trials with an under strength crew of only 250 Crew, 1 ship security platoon of Marines (32), 12 Mk VII Vipers and 1 Raptor during the time of the attack.

The space trials were for testing all of the “off the net” systems, in case the CNP was ever lost during a conflict. The testing required that all CNP systems to be hard shut down and use secondary systems. It was mere chance; the Cestus did not suffer the same fate as the rest of the colonial fleet.  With the CNP systems offline and hard shut, the Cylon virus activated but could not interact with the main system controls as designed. This allowed ship techs to react quick enough to stop the virus from affecting the rest of the ship. After knowing what the virus could do, the techs kept the CNP systems turned off on their current compliment of fighters. Allowing them to perform as needed. *Game note* until the crew can find a more efficient way of keeping the CNP offline, all missile lock rolls/DRADIS rolls/Astrogation rolls are (-1)

Even while still understrength, the Cestus regrouped and immediately jumped to its closet military port, The Shipyards of Scorpio. When the FTL jump was completed, they found themselves in a hellish situation. Their jump into the system was masked by the sudden and unsuspected blind jump by the Pegasus which just that moment departed! This allowed Commander Tobias Whitney to witness the destruction of the remainder of the Scorpio shipyards. Then the Cylons noticed the Cestus.. This is where your story begins!

I have loads of my own notes, NPCs, back stories. But I save that for my games. At least for now, you have the Cestus, her Crew, Pilots, Fighter Craft, and Marines for your players to become a part of.

Welcome aboard the Cestus!