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Post by LucianG on Apr 1, 2007 7:15:52 GMT -6
Artus
Frack! With about one fourth of the istrumentation panel lying open ensign Artus stuffed the knife back into his boot. He'd finish that up later. Right now he'd better concentrate on the cylons persuing him.
All right. Think hard Artus. If you can't outshoot them, you might as well try to outfly them. With that thought he activated his turbos and headed straight for the nearest asteroid, hoping the cylons would follow him.....
* * *
JustinB
I looked around and saw a change in the cylon strategy. Instead of going one on one they were now in a two-one shift pattern, making a reverse move much more difficult and dangerous.
But that also left them vunerable from attack from behind, where I figured out where their weak spot was. Since some of the warriors didn't have a clue of what was going on, I switched to a scrambled frequency to inform them. "Ok, fligh, listen up. The raiders have a weak spot. The raiders seem to have some sought of electronic protection shielding, but it only seems to be fitted to the fron seventy five percent of the craft. So go for the rear and you should get a kill."
Seeing my next target I banked left.
* * *
Artus
Artus was heading straight for the nearest asteroid at full speed, hoping he could get the tin-heads to crash into that as they followed him. To his dismay the cylons did follow, but stayed neatly in formation and avoided a collision.
"Frack, why do my ideas never pay off."
Then Artus heard an incoming message from captain Justin B; "Ok, fligh, listen up. The raiders have a weak spot. The raiders seem to have some sought of electronic protection shielding, but it only seems to be fitted to the fron seventy five percent of the craft. So go for the rear and you should get a kill."
Even though there was some static, Artus could still make it out. Vulnarable at the back are they? Why didn't you say so before. Artus pulled his viper's nose up towards the asteroid and made a loop around it that really was too close for comfort. But his ruse succeded and he came up right behind the cylon ships that were still following him.
Artus smiled as he opened up with allhis firepower. "OK laserbrains, see how you like a little taste of your own medicine, you backstabbin' sneaks."
* * *
JustinB
Seeing Ensign Artus being followed by a few raiders, I wondered where Lieutenant Teri was. Before I could contact her, the unimaginable happened. I picked up a new cylon signal. The Listening Post had started to transmit. By the strength of the signal, it was close by.
"Flight, the Listening Post has started to transmit. Lieutenants Rose and Teri form up with your wingmen and mop up the rest of these tin heads. Everyone else form up on me we are taking on the post. We have only a short time before the message is completed and their back up is on their way."
With Lieutenant Stadia and Ensigns Stargazor and Granfury in formation, I locked onto the source of the signal of the listening post. As I kicked on my turbos, I hoped the others could mop up the remaining raiders in time too give us a hand if we needed it. 'Need it we will, especially when the Listening Post protection squadron jumps us.' I thought to myself.
* * *
Skyler
Skyler slipped into the back of the sim room and looked around. Lt's Stadia and Teri were in the sims with Ensign's Granfury and Artus as their wings. Looks like they are holding their own against the tin heads. Capt. Justin B was doing a good job of leading them in the misson. Looks like the cross training of the squadrons was going along real well. Skyler slipped back through the same door he had came through a few microns before. He had some stuff to look after for Major Brie since she was on a mission. As he was walking down the corridor something caught his eye. Turning his head in a double take he reached up and rubbed his eyes. "Did I just see dried paint move?" Looking back at the spots, they appeared to be dried paint on the floor. "Man, those techs are getting sloppy in the painting. This felgercarb doesn't match." He continued on his way towards the Gold Barracks, and stepped on a painted spot, leaving behind a crushed wet spot on the floor.
* * *
Ursiaon
keeping an eye on all My sestems and readouts keeping a fast mentale count on all the cylon ships flying around makeing sure not to fly into any of them or our own ships or get in any crosshairs also. I take and runn through My mind all the old manuvers that I know of all the ones from training all the ones I learned from old pilots still in the fleet and those that have passeed on thinking real quick as to which ones might be the best ones to employ here.looking over at LtRose and thinking she might take a likeing to the use of some old moves that still work well but not often thought of these days as far as I know.I key My comm and as Lt Rose if she would like to try the double hearts attack on these tin heads? the old manuver of splitting and circleing back crossing over takeing all three at once from the rear in fast sucsession.with our advanced manuverability it shouldnt be a problem to hit them hard and fast that way and we could also catch some of the other ones on the back sweep get more then just a few ships at once.I suppose we could also try the cloverleafe manuver also but it puts more of us in danger then being benificiale at this point. waiting for her reply I am glad to have the feel the free movement of the viper even if its just a sim it still gives Me the manuverability that makes Me feel at ease.
* * *
JustinB
The flight that consisted of Captain Justin, Lieutenant Stadia, Ensigns Granfury and Stargazor closed in on the Listening Post. In the control room, Nat looked around at Anubis and said, "I think they might just do it." Anubis nodded in agreement.
All of a sudden, Ensign Stargazor's canopy opened and he jumped out ranting and raving. Jarrynn, who nearly was asleep, sprang into action to calm him down. "Ensign Stargazor, calm down. What is the matter?" Since he wasn't making any sense, she tried to calm down. Two Blackshirts who were doing a patrol heard the commotion and entered the Simulation Room. On Jarrynns request, they helped her take him back to the Med-Lab. **************************** "What in Hades hole does Stargazor think he is doing" Anubis said to Nat when he saw the Ensign jump out off his viper simulator. "I don't know, but he is in big trouble this time. I was going to let the fact that he stole one of my trainer vipers and disobey orders slide. Now that he has ruined the training session he aint going to get away with this,” Nat said angrily. “See if you can get some warriors from the next group to take him to the med-lab before I get a Blackshirt to do it.”
Prophetically, just as he said that, two Blackshirts came running in with their lasers drawn. At Jarrynn's request he was taken away. Turning to Anubis, Nat said, "Well now that's over and done with, let’s see if JustinB and his flight can pull this mission off without Stargazor." **************************** We were about twenty microns from arriving at the asteroid which housed the Cylon Listening Post. We had triangulated the signal coming from either one or two asteroids, but because they were so close we had to get much closer to get an accurate reading. "Captain, it has to be coming from the large one. Lets go in and blow it up and get out of hear."
Normally, I would agree with that, but taking the battle we just left into consideration I knew we would find it on the smaller asteroid. "That's a negative Lieutenant, we will find it on the small asteroid."
Looking around I noticed that Stargazors Viper had gone. "Has anyone seen Ensign Stargazor?" I asked. Both Stadia and Granfury replied with "He was here a micron ago."
Over the Comm came Lieutenant Nat, "Captain, you are to continue the mission without Ensign Stagazor. Will let you know after the mission what's going on."
"Ok flight, we are without Stargazor from here. Lets find that post and shut that listening Post down for good. Changing to another frequency, "Rose and Teri, get yourselves and your wingmen to our location ASAP." We had covered only a small part of the asteroid when, "Captain," yelled Granfury; "we have company and a lot of it." Looking over to my right I could just make out a Cylon Raider Squad launching from the larger asteroid.
"May the Lords of Kobol help us!" I said.
* * *
Artus
Artus succeded in blowing up the first raider, but utterly missed the second one because he once again had to pull up hard to prevent flying straight into an asteroid. As he was looking around he suddenly noticed that most of the colonial vipers were heading off in another direction. Guess somebody must have located the object of the mission. The Cylons in the group Artus was dogfighting however seemed to stay here. Artus was afraid that could mean only one thing. The base must have heavy fighter protection of its own. At that moment four more Cylon raiders came up on his scope, heading straight for him. "Frack, I'm in trouble again. And where is lieutenant Teri? Oh well, at least I can rest assured that the captain can take out the base. All I have to worry about now is survival. That's going to be hard enough...."
* * *
JustinB
Switching to my Long-Range Scanner, I could see that Rose's and Teri's group had only four raiders left. They were making their way to join up with us. But something was wrong, I could feel it. I saw that the last four raiders had cut off a lone viper. It was Ensign Artus.
"FRACK!!" I yelled. "Rose, Teri and Ursaion. Intercept the raider protection squadron and lead them towards Artus. Then do what you can to keep the twenty of them off our back while we knock out the Listening Post. Stadia and Granfury, we will be in range of the LP in ten microns. Make your shots count."
I switched on my attack computer. Once I had the listening post in my sights I aimed for dead centre. I waited until I was well within weapons range. Closer and closer I flew. At the last possible moment I fired off multiple laser volleys. Kicking in my turbos, I flew away from the asteroid. I was rewarded with multiple explosions, but the signal was still transmitting. Stadia's shots too were rewarded with explosions. But the signal still transmitted.
Ensign Granfury picked up a raider on his strafing run. He was going too pull up when I had an idea. "Ensign, continue with your run. When I, say pull up."
"Yes sir!" he replied. I banked forty-five degrees for a four count. After levelling out I was now perpendicular to the cylon raider.
The cylon raider followed Granfury in a straight line towards the post. "Pull up now Ensign!!" As he did so, I fired twice. I aimed for the engines and I hit them. Without the engines the raider had no propulsion to veer away. It sailed right into the listening post. Since it was still pretty full of fuel, the explosion was enormous. The comm was filled with everyone's jubilation except for one. It was Artus and he was in trouble. “Ok flight, that is the first objective completed. Lets put the rest of these Tin heads to the scrap heap where they belong. Ensign Artus is in trouble, so lets go."
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Post by LucianG on Apr 1, 2007 7:16:42 GMT -6
Artus
Artus frantically banked from left to right. He felt like the whole sky was full of raiders. He was currently being hunted by four of them, and they all simultaniously opened fire. One of them hit Artus' viper dead astern, blowing out the Stennis connection cable and effectively knocking out the viper's guns.
"This is ensign Artus to flight. I currently have zero fire control. Lasers inoperable. In other words I just make great target practice for the tin-heads, but I can't even hit them on the nose!"
Just after that transmission Artus noticed three colonial vipers heading his way. But to his dismay he also noticed a huge number of raiders following them.
Frack. This party is getting better all the time.
* * *
JustinB
We were outnumbered approximately five to one. Just as long as we kept our composure and did our job, we would be victorious in the end. Then came a transmission that might be the nail in our coffin. It was from Ensign Artus,""This is ensign Artus to flight. I currently have zero fire control. Lasers inoperable. In other words I just make great target practice for the tin-heads, but I can't even hit them on the nose!"
It was time to improvise and end this quick. Looking around, I saw that Lieuenant's Rose and Stadia and Ensign Ursiaon were being followed by a group of twelve raiders, with the rest not far behind.
"Lieutenant Stadia and Ensign Granfury, I want you to join up with me now." I said. Once they had joined up with me, we headed towards the largest asteroid. "Rose, Stadia and Ursiaon, hook up with Artus now and follow us past the asteroid. I could imagine what they were thinking at this point of time.
I took my group and started to circumnavigate the asteroid. It took us about twenty centons to do so, but if I am right we have a chance. As we lapped the asteroid there they were. The group of twelve raiders were following the second group just as planned. We were now on their six and without a word, the three of us opened fire. Within a centon we had twelve less raiders to worry about. But there were still twelve left to go.
A new strategy was in order because they wouldn't fall for that one again. I needed everyone we had but my men's safety was more important.
"Ensign Artus, you are out of the game. Do not engage the raiders without lasers. Do what you can to let us know if anyone is in trouble. Should you pick up a tail, head past that large asteroid we just navigated around. My scanners picked up an area of very small asteroid with very irregular flight patterns. Just be careful if do, cause like someone once said to me, I don't wanna have to tow you back home."
Hopefully we would mop up the rest in short order. I found another target and gave chase.
* * *
Rose
Lt Rose was doing all she could in the simulation to take out some of the cylons & keep them off of not only her six, but that of the others within the group. She had followed JustinB's instructions on flying over to the astroid field and his idea worked. Rose just hoped that everyone would be able to take out the rest of the cylons without any problems poping up unexpectedly. It was bad enough that they were one pilot short now during the rest of this simulation run, but everyone was trying to make due & take care of the task at hand.
Rose was in the process of going after one of the Cylons to take them out when she gets the alert from her instruments that a cylon had come up on her six unexpectedly. She banks hard right to try and get the cylon off her six only to come face to face with two more. Rose calls out over the her comm link, "I have a cylon on my tail I can't shake, and I am coming up face to face with two more right in front of me that I am going to try and take out." Rose lines up one of the two cylons in front of her and begins firing in order to take it out so she could work on the other one.
* * *
Artus
"Ensign Artus, you're out of the game"
That's what the captain had said. And it was sad but true. His first simulated mission and he had made a complete mess of it. Great. And he had imagined himself to be such an ace. He would show them.
Yeah, he sure showed them. He showed them what a frackup he really was. This was not the kind of thing his father would have been proud of. It's not like its not hard enough growing up knowing your father was a hero. Knowing your father died for the colonies. Knowing the death of your father saved everybody in the fleet. And now to find out that all you really are is an embarrasement. Somebody who should keep his head clear of the cylons so he won't encumber his fellow warriors on the flight home. Fellow warriors, hah. They were warriors alright. But Artus, he was probably a waste of cockpit space.
Nevertheless he did keep his eyes peeled. And the he saw Rose being boxed in by a couple of cylon raiders. He saw how she blasted one away succesfully, but how another raider used that opportunity to shoot her in the back. Artus didn't stop to think about it. Sure, he couldn't shoot, but he could still fly. He kicked in his turbos and flew just across the bow of the raider behind rose, making sure that the turo flash prevented the tinhead from making his shot......
* * *
JustinB
Looking over my shoulder, I saw Rose being boxed in by a couple of cylon raiders. She blasted one away successfully, but how another raider used that opportunity to shoot her in the back.
From the corner of my eye I saw Artus turn towards Rose. He kicked in his turbos and flew just across the bow of the raider that was behind Rose. The turbo flash prevented the raider from making his shot.
The raider didn't see Stadia and Granfury move in behind him. They both fired and both hit the raider.
We were down to two raiders until the second objective was complete. Lieutenant’s Teri and Rose and Ensign Ursiaon were targeting one. The other was locked on to Artus. I headed towards Artus should he need any help. Artus remembered what I had said to him and headed towards the area where the trajectories of the small asteroids were unpredictable. The cylon raider just flew straight into it without a care in the world.
Artus's viper took a few minor scrapes. I followed in behind just in case. The raider's forward shielding held against the asteroid strike, which was until it was hit underneath in the rear.
Seeing the sparks from behind I called to Artus. "Artus make your way back to the rest of the flight. The raider has lost its shielding." Even as I said that, there was an explosion as an asteroid hit the raider square on.
I exited the asteroid field with Artus following. Soon after we formed up as a complete flight. **********************
Outside the small black spots spin their way towards the control room. **********************
I set a course towards the location of the Callisto. Now that we had cleared this system of any threat, it was time to go home.
Little did I know the threat that lay before the lot of us.
* * *
As I climbed out, I saw relief on everyone's faces. It had been one tense training session. I personally was glad we managed to complete the objectives. I was still mystified at what happened to Stargazor. Looking over my shoulder, I could see one of Gold Squadrons newest Ensigns looking disappointed. I went over to him to cheer him up.
"Ensign Artus, I am Captain JustinB," we shook hands, "don't be disappointed. It was just one of those days. You are gifted pilot. That manoeuvre you used to save Rose was great one. I can tell that you will be a good addition to Gold Squadron. If you ever feel the need for a change, I am sure Black Squadron can use you."
Artus's disappointment look changed to a smile, "Thanks Sir, that means a lot."
"No problems Ensign and when it’s just the two of us its JustinB ok." With that I went over to Rose. I gave her a wink and we went to the De-briefing Room.
Just as we all sat down, Lieutenant Nat and Anubis came in. "First of all, good job of completing the scenario. It was made slightly more difficult than usual by Lieutenant Anubis here and he will explain to you the reason behind that in a centon. Secondly for those who were aware of it. Ensign Stargazor has some kind of medical condition, which prevented him from finishing the scenario. He is currently in the Med-Lab under observation," looking at each one of us he continued, "now Lieutenant Anubis will explain about the shielding on the raiders, Lieutenant."
"Thank you Lieutenant Nat. Not long ago, we faced a similar situation. At the Battle of Shonada, we faced a group of experimental Raiders. Each Raider had a shield generator pod mounted on a frame in front of the ship. It generated an electronic protection shield that protected the front seventy five percent of the ship. It was much better than an unmodified ship, but the back was as vulnerable as usual. Also, when these Raiders exploded, the destruction of the shield generator pod would often magnify the explosion, and in some cases, led to the destruction of adjacent Raiders. Just as we did, you took a while to find the weakness. But you managed to do it with a lot more ease than us. So I would also like to extend my congratulations on the flight simulation. Now it is back to Lieutenant Nat to give an individual account of your performances. From the results we will determine who needs more training."
I leaned back in my chair. I decided I would look up the Battle of Shonada once I had spoken with Major BatGal. Rose leaned over and whispered funny in my ear. I in turned and whispered, "Yes.”
* * *
Artus
Artus sighed, feeling very dissapointed with the way he had performed during the mission. He looked at the jumble ha had made of the simulator's control panel, and decided he'd fix it later. First I'll suffer the humiliation of the debriefing. As he got out of the simulator he saw Captain JustinB coming straight towards him. "Oh boy," Artus thought; "now I'm gonna gat it..."
"Ensign Artus, I am Captain JustinB," he said as we shook hands, "don't be disappointed. It was just one of those days. You are gifted pilot. That manoeuvre you used to save Rose was great one. I can tell that you will be a good addition to Gold Squadron. If you ever feel the need for a change, I am sure Black Squadron can use you."
That sure made Artus feel a whole lot better. Finally a recognition of my latent talent. Dad would be proud.
"Thanks Sir, that means a lot."
"No problems Ensign and when it’s just the two of us its JustinB ok." With that he went over to Rose.
With a little more hope in his heart now Artus joined the others in the de-briefing room. There were no accusing looks that Artus originally expected.
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Post by LucianG on Apr 1, 2007 7:18:02 GMT -6
Lucian
Lieutenant Nat was all business. Overall, he sounded fairly pleased with the simulation, though he questioned whether the listening post had been destroyed soon enough to prevent enough of the message from being sent to keep someone from coming to investigate. "Since the Cylons are so alien to us, we just don't know, so since you were within the defined mission parameters, I've got to say, Well done!"
He'd been reviewing specific situations in the simulation, showing causes and effects, and suggesting ways that things could have been improved, or in a few cases if things had been handled only slightly different, lost entirely.
"Now, at this point, Ensign Stargazor suffered a medical relapse and was lost to the wing. Notice the confusion, Viper flights remained straight for several microns as everyone who found out about it tried to discover what had happened. You were fortunate that no one was 'taken out' of the simulation during this period. In battle, losses, often unexplained, will occur, and this leads to periods of vulnerability. We question, we hesitate, and we die! Unfortunately, the Cylons don't have this problem, since they are not emotionally attached to their fellow tin-heads the way we humans are. No matter what happens, no matter who is lost, you cannot lose your focus, you cannot take time to grieve, or you will die, and your friends will die because you aren't there to save them. That, Warriors, is the way it is, unless you just happen to be lucky, and even then, if you think about something other than the situation at hand, you won't be lucky every time, so soon, you'd be dead. Focus, focus, focus. That's the only way to survive and help our people survive. Now, in this situation..."
When the de-briefing was over, Nat said a few words of encouragement and told the Warriors to gather anything they'd left behind, since he'd seen a few items left in the SIM room, and hit the turbowash. He'd pass the results along to Majors BatGal and Brie.
* * *
Lucian
Far to the south and half a planet away, the food collection team had hit it big. It would have been harvest time in the hemisphere if there had been intelligent life there to gather it, but it was outside the tropical zone required by the Reptiloids. As in the north, the members of the team were surprised to see an abundance of smaller reptile life, walking, crawling, and flying, but no mammals or birds. One of the teams was pulling large quantities of fish, amphibians, and swimming reptiles from another inland sea near the primary landing point.
The Silver Spar Warriors who had escorted the shuttles and the Colonial Troopers were pleased to see that the guesses about the Reptiloids being cold-blooded were paying off. They all hoped that the people from the Callisto would never have to cross paths with the Reptiloids again.
* * *
“Commander Sheba, good news!” said Lieutenant Aegina. “The first group of shuttles expects to have a full load of foodstuffs ready for transport to the Callisto in a few centars. The Cooks have pressed into service crewman from around the ship, including numerous Frodarian women, to help with the cleaning, processing, and storage. The second teams have been ordered to be ready to launch in one centar so they’ll be landing at the collection site at approximately the same time the first team departs for the Callisto.”
Sheba nodded. She was very concerned about the situation with the rescue team and Lieutenant Amy. Silently, she had briefly considered whether she should send a couple of the Silver Spar Warriors in their Vipers to fly cover for the rescue team. Based on the transmission received, the rescue team could well be walking into a trap; however, this would leave the food survey team under protected, which might be just what the aliens wanted.
“Lieutenant, any word from the rescue team? Did they respond to our warning?”
“Nothing, Commander.”
“Get Major Lucian to the Bridge, immediately. We need to be ready to respond, just in case.”
* * *
Lucian had watched the first few centons of the simulation when he received the page to report to the bridge. He nodded to Kris as he started to exit, but he then stepped back and grabbed the folded paper off the console. Stepping into the corridor, he unfolded the paper and peered inside. On getting a better look at the little mess, he whistled softly and increased his pace. When he reached the bridge, he'd have someone deliver...well, whatever it was...to the Science Lab to see if they could identify it.
* * *
In the makeshift food storage area, the cooks were making final preparations for the shuttles which would be arriving shortly with their harvest from Axces Gamma. Washing, peeling, slicing, preservations, and storage equipment was arranged, and volunteers were being given instructions on how to use the items safely. The head cooks were reviewing the information that had been sent ahead from the collection team, as they attempted to determine the best way to preserve and prepare the alien foodstuffs.
* * *
In the SIM exercise, the simulation Vipers were shifting in response to the actions of the Warriors inside them. Just outside the simulation Vipers, a small group of small dots, attracted by body heat and possibly the smell of humans, was moving forward. One of the little dots did its little in-place circular spin, once, then twice, and then moved onto the support structure as it attempted to find its way toward the cockpit and the "food" inside. Following its lead, several of the others did the same.
* * *
Hearing the situation on the planet, Major Lucian nodded and sent word to Major BatGal.
"To: Major BatGal, Black Squadron
From: Major Lucian, Flight Operations and Training Officer
RE: Support Mission
INTEL had reason to believe that a message received from the planet Axces Gamma, supposedly from Lieutenant Amy, was faked, and was most likely a recording of a previous message, that may or may not have been faked as well. A rescue team has been dispatched to rescue her, but we have lost contact with them.
Please have two Warriors report to Beta Bay immediately for Viper launch. They are to proceed to the planet, locate the rescue party, and provide aerial cover and air support. Under no circumstances are they to land or attempt ground based contact with the enemy or with Callisto personnel. Based on previous encounters with the enemy, the Support Team is to be ready for ground fire.
Team is to maintain communications silence and to approach from vector charlie alpha 240 (approximate) to provide maximum hope of surprise since it is believed that the enemy may have long range detection equipment. This should bring them in from far enough away and at a low enough angle that they should be able to achieve initial surprise.
May the Lords be with them."
After sending the message, he dispatched the folded paper to the Science Lab with a brief note: "Please examine. What the heck is this?"
* * *
BatGal
From the observation deck, Maj. BatGal watched the sim session currently in progress. Things were going well, except maybe for that rough start when Ensign Artus fell out of formation for a millicenton or two. But now things were going smoothly. Capt. Justin was doing a superior job leading the ‘mission’.
Just then, two soft ‘bleeps’ came through her comm-link, letting her know that a silent text message was forthcoming on her portable. It was a message from the bridge -- from Maj. Lucian???. (But wait, wasn’t he just in the control room with Resonat and Kris, evaluating the sessions?):
"To: Major BatGal, Black Squadron
From: Major Lucian, Flight Operations and Training Officer
RE: Support Mission
INTEL had reason to believe that a message received from the planet Axces Gamma, supposedly from Lieutenant Amy, was faked, and was most likely a recording of a previous message, that may or may not have been faked as well. A rescue team has been dispatched to rescue her, but we have lost contact with them.
Please have two Warriors report to Beta Bay immediately for Viper launch. They are to proceed to the planet, locate the rescue party, and provide aerial cover and air support. Under no circumstances are they to land or attempt ground based contact with the enemy or with Callisto personnel. Based on previous encounters with the enemy, the Support Team is to be ready for ground fire.
Team is to maintain communications silence and to approach from vector charlie alpha 240 (approximate) to provide maximum hope of surprise since it is believed that the enemy may have long range detection equipment. This should bring them in from far enough away and at a low enough angle that they should be able to achieve initial surprise.
May the Lords be with them."
BatGal left Jarrynn on the observation deck and walked around to the control room’s main entrance. She entered the room and looked around. Resonat and Kris were the only ones there.
“Kris, I’m going to have to pull you off this assignment. I’m sending you and another warrior down to Axces Gamma in your vipers.” said BatGal.
Kris, trying to not look as disappointed as she felt, said, “Who’s going with me?”
Just then, Maj. BatGal heard another soft ‘bleep’, then a voice over her comm-link:
"this is ensign brotherjoe. i think i'm back somewhere by engineering. i hear the engines where i'm at, so i'll start heading the otherway and hope to find someone who can show me where the cafateria is. after all it has been a few cycles since i had something from my rations."
BatGal spoke into her comm. “Ensign Brotherjoe, this is Major BatGal. Please report to Beta Bay in ten centons for prepping and briefing. You and Capt. Kris are going on a mission down to Axces Gamma.”
* * *
MedievalSong
Major BatGal had just given Kris new orders. Kris jumped up and started to leave then at the door stopped and ran back and hugged Nat tightly. "Why does it seem when I get to be with you I have to leave again?" "Because its what you do. You better get. Go get JustinB ok?" Kris kissed him and hung to him a little longer. "I will be back I promise!" she whispered in his ear.
Her heart was heavy as she left to the launch bay. She hated leaving Nat but she always had a homecoming from him when she got back. "That's it keep thinking on that welcome home he will give you Kris. Doesn't make it any easier." She grabbed her gear and saw Ensign Brotherjoe come running in with his gear. "You ready?" "Yes ma'am!" "Good, the sooner we leave the quicker we can come back!" After they climbed in she gave him a thumbs up and radioed him after the canopy locked in place. "Well looks like it's you and me. Core command permission to launch."
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Post by LucianG on Apr 1, 2007 7:18:55 GMT -6
Lucian
Both Warriors noticed a blinking message light on their respective control panels. When activated, a female voice said, "Support Mission Warriors, this is a pre-recorded message from Major Lucian." His voice followed almost immediately, "As I am sure you have been instructed, you are flying into a very dangerous situation with little or no support. Due to the current supply situation and our unfamiliarity with this system, we cannot spare additional Vipers or Warriors. Remember, you are to supply aerial cover only. Under no circumstances are you to land on Axces Gamma. You are the "rescue team" support team. We cannot afford to send a "rescue team support team" rescue team. Good luck, and may the Lords be with you. Major Lucian, out."
* * *
Amy
The climb back down the tube was a lot more difficult. Having to look down continuously reminded me of how high up I was, plus my injured leg really wasn't much help. I had to keep leading with the good one, and got pretty tired by the time I reached the bottom.
The dead reptiloid was blocking the bottom of the tube, and I had to step on him to get to the door. I tried to get it open but his dead weight held the door in place. I stopped for a moment, taking deep breaths and gathering my wits.
Once I left the tube, assuming I could, what then? My blaster was out of energy. I had no means of attack. I knew I couldn't stay here. After firing off those shots to warn the warriors out there, I was in danger again. They'd be after me yet again. Probably to finish me off this time.
More determined than ever, I worked at rolling the reptile thing away from the door. Just a little bit, then it would slide open easily. I strained with the body in these tight quarters. It was very hard to get any leverage. Finally I managed to move it just enough to give it a shot. I hit the door switch, and was happy to see it open up.
I should have been more cautious. So relieved to be out of the tube room at last, I stepped out into the hall without looking. The lizard that was waiting there grabbed me from behind, taking me by the neck and slamming me into the wall. I had no time to brace myself. I rattled off it hard and back toward the reptile who did it again, slamming me off the opposite wall. I hit it and dropped to the floor.
I was still conscious, but found I couldn't move. I could barely breathe as the reptile hissed at me, stepping on my back as I lay there on my stomach. I winced and grimaced as I felt his weight. He held me there while he bound up my hands and tied them behind my back. Then he pulled me to my feet.
I found my legs wouldn't support me, but the lizard man held me up, holding me up against the wall. He hissed and jabbed at me, but I felt myself starting to slip beyond pain. Is this what it feels like to be dying, I wondered? It was all starting to not matter anymore. I was ready to welcome the darkness that seemed to be moving in on me.
With a sudden move the thing picked me up and tossed me over what passed for a shoulder on his strange body. He turned and took me into the tube room, noticing for the first time the body of the one I had killed. This riled him up, and he dropped me off his shoulder, shoving my face toward the dead body as he hissed and pushed at me. I could feel tears on my face. Or maybe it was blood. Maybe I didn't care anymore.
After a few moments I was back on his shoulder, and he climbed up the access tube with agile ease. At the top he found the second body, and in his anger he grabbed me off of his shoulder and threw me into the hallway. Without my arms to brace me I landed hard, trying to roll but taking most of the landing squarely on my left shoulder. I heard it pop and wondered if it was broken. Sharp pain was replaced by a warming numbness. I came to a stop on the floor, trying to envite the darkness. Why was I still conscious? I wanted oblivion more than anything.
I was picked up again and carried roughly down the hall to the observation area. The lizard calmly took me to the edge of the overhang. My heart began to race as I thought he was going to throw me right over the edge. So, I guess I did still want to live, at least a little bit. The lizard held me out over the edge, my feet dangling uselessly. He began to grunt and hiss, and produced a weapon, firing it to attract attention.
I could see the other reptiloids out there, moving around below me. They looked up, and began pulling back toward the cave entrance, which was right below where I was hanging. I looked down. It wasn't a huge drop, but it was enough to kill me if the alien let go.
I wondered what was going to happen next. Again I could see my life was down to it's last microns. I looked over as a second lizard appeared next to me. I recognized him as my cell keeper. He held the languatron in his hand.
"This is all a waste of energy" he said. I wondered if he meant physical energy, or if maybe their resources were low. Maybe they didn't have the weapons or power for another prolonged fight. I noticed the reptile had begun to look at me differently. "They have come for you. You must be of value somehow. Let's see just how much."
He turned, attaching the languatron to another device. When he spoke again his voice boomed outward into the darkness. "Human scum", he began, "we have the one you seek. Cease this attack and show yourselves, or she dies."
So that was it! A hostage gambit. I thought about this. They must be scared. They must not know how many warriors are here. Their supplies must be low, otherwise they'd just engage the enemy. The only thing standing in the way of defeat was me. I swallowed, looking down toward the ground. I hoped the alien holding me had a strong grip.
In the end, I knew it wouldn't matter. I knew the Callisto policy toward these situations, and I understood. It wouldn't be their fault. I just wished I had the chance to say goodbye.
* * *
Charybdis
Brie and I had watched intently. We had stopped firing since our laser blasts would give our position away easily. As we started observing them, we could tell some of their movements as best we could: how they deployed, how they took positions and orders, for the most part.
Brie and I crept slowly toward the rocky outcroppings that would give us access to the cave complex. The creatures stopped firing and we could tell that something was up.
All of sudden, a thundering voice was heard, it sounded as if it came through a Languatron, "Human scum! We have the one you seek! Cease this attack or she dies!"
That did it! It proved that Amy was still alive!!!! The time to act had come, they would never expect an attack right now. Brie and I could not divulge our positions, but if we could create a diversion, we might be able to get at Amy, wherever she was.
Then, the unexpected came: Cain showed up!!! Before I could yell at him for leaving the ships, he quickly handed me a small piece of paper. He said that on it were aerial scans he had done when he was flying the mission during the last battle. On it, he could make out clear apertures near the top of the outcropping that we were hiding by. He guessed given their heat signatures, they were air outlet ports. We could get in through there!
Slowly, we made the ascent as quiet as we could. I was glad to have Cain with us, it gave us a little more firepower to use against them.
As we made it to the top without any problem, we managed to locate one of the apertures. It was well hidden, but Cain managed to get the grid open with a microlaser. We dropped through into some sort of tube.
What the reptiloids didn't know was that right before we started our climb, Brie had set a series of charges to go off at our command. They would have their diversion as soon as we could get set. We were going to rescue Amy if it cost us all of our lives...
* * *
Amy
The reptile with the languatron paced nervously. I could see him out of the corner of my eye as I dangled helplessly over the edge of the observation area. I wondered what was happening just as much as the reptile was. I knew that whoever those warriors out there were, they would not negotiate. As my eyes rolled back slightly and I fought to stay conscious for the last few moments of my life, I thought back to the oath I had took when I became a warrior. Charybdis himself had administered it upon my groups graduation, 3 or so yahrens ago:
“…and, if necessary, give my life to defend our people.” The Lt. Colonel stood proudly as we repeated the last part of the oath. I spoke out in a loud, proud voice, wishing my parents had come for at least this part. Now that I had achieved what I set out to do, I had hoped that now they would offer approval. But there were problems with the crops, or so they said.
As the Lt. Colonel looked over our group, I couldn’t help but smile as our eyes met. Despite his efforts to keep a straight face, he too smiled broadly. My life had changed in so many ways since I had left the agro ship. Not only was I not a farmer, I was a warrior, and deeply in love with Charybdis. We had to hide that love for the time being, but I looked forward to the day when everyone would learn the truth about our feelings for each other….”
My weight shifted suddenly as the reptile holding me over the ledge changed his grip on me. A claw-like hand now had me around the neck, the other under my arm. I swallowed hard, not quite believing that I’d never again have the chance to love, but it was the truth.
The reptile stopped pacing and gazed out into the dim moonlight. “What is happening?” he hissed, the translation coming through the languatron. It was disconnected from the amplifier, but I could hear it fine. “The humans must have heard my demand.”
“Maybe this girl isn’t as valuable as you thought,” the one holding me replied. “I think we waste time. Should I drop her? I do not like the silence out there.” I breathed sharply as I felt his grip loosen a tiny bit. I shut my eyes tight, squeezing out tears that had welled up.
“I don’t know. I DON’T KNOW!” the reptile raged. He quickly was next to me, grabbing at my jacket. “What are you’re friends up to?” he demanded. “Tell me or you die here, right now!” He pulled the other reptiles arm away from under my arm, and I now hung only by his grip on my jacket and the other’s grip on my neck. I could feel my air passages tightening up.
“Th-th—” I sputtered, unable to reply. The reptile pulled me onto the ledge so that the other one could let go of my neck. He held me by my jacket, but allowed me to lean backward. If he let go, I was dead. I squirmed, wishing my hands weren’t tied. I took the opportunity and sucked in deep full breaths.
“Tell me!” the lizard demanded.
Hanging the way I was, I was ready to say anything. But now, even though the end was near, I wanted to tell him to go to hades. But if I told him lies, anything to buy a little time, would I be giving myself a slim chance of surviving? Or was I just exposing those warriors to danger. If any of them died because of me, I’d truly rather be dead.
“I….” I said in a hoarse voice, surprised at it’s raspiness. “I….” I only wished I had the chance to say goodbye. “Frack off and go to hades, you daggit-faced, feldgercarb eating freak!”
The reply started low, a deep guttery noise that sounded even weirder as the languatron tried to translate it. It emerged as a full cry of anger and frustration. Holding me by the jacket he yanked me up into the air, spinning me around and around as he lost himself in a total frenzy. The jacket began to ride up in a bunch, and when he couldn’t hold on any longer I slipped out of his grasp. I thought he intended to launch me over the ledge, but I noticed that I was heading the other way seconds before I impacted with the wall. I slid to the ground, and as blackness closed in I saw the two lizards stare at me a moment before moving off in a hurry.
I struggled to keep my eyes open as a coughed up a little blood. The ground was tipping at crazy angles and I could feel what little food I had in my stomach begin to work it’s way up.
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Post by LucianG on Apr 1, 2007 7:19:47 GMT -6
Charybdis
As we scaled down the tube, we could see out into several corridors that led away from the tube. The upper levels were empty, that the Lords.
We stopped and decided that it was time. Cain held the micro transmitter that would cause the charges to blow.
"Cain, Brie, are you ready?" I asked. There would be no turning back now.
They both nodded, Brie said, "Might as well. I hate hanging around doing nothing."
These two and I had been through a lot throughout our careers, I wouldn't have anyone else with me if we were going to be taken out.
"Hit it!!!" I yelled. Cain hit the button and within a fraction of a micron, the charges blew and we thought the whole mountain was going to come down on top of us.
Sirens wailed, red lights flashed, and we could hear the massive boom. I wished I could have seen the look on those aliens' faces!!!
We quickly kept up our search for Amy...
* * *
Amy
The ground suddenly shook with a huge explosion. The walls on the observation area started to rupture, and I willed myself to my feet. The ground swayed beneath me. What had happened?
I turned to go down the corridor that led back to the access tube but it was starting to buckle, and I held back. Little stones and bigger rocks continued to rain down on me.
Looking down the corridor, I thought I was seeing things. Three warriors were coming down it, sidestepping the crumbling bits.
Amy! I knew that voice. It was Brie! And with her were Charybdis and Cain. I smiled as they ran up to me. I held on to Charybdis tightly as he looked me over with concern. Oh Amy he said. I thought I'd, we'd, lost you. Brie looked me over, concerned for my wounds. She ran a hand through my knotted hair, with a faraway look as she fingered the beads that were still in my hair.
Cain interrupted. We aren't out of here yet he reminded us. He stood at the edge of the deck. Brie had some rope and was rigging it up. Can you make it she asked with concern.
Think my shoulders busted I replied.
Cain said I'll go first. You can lower her down. We'd better hurry.
We were on the ground quickly. I was really pretty exhausted but Charybdis and Brie had my arms to hold me up. At the vipers they helped me get in the two seater. Brie acted strangely like it was deja vu or something. She said something to Charybdis, and he nodded. I'll drive he said, hopping into the drivers seat. As the lid came down Brie took my hand for a brief moment and we looked at each other. It was the look of two friends who'd been through a lot.
The lid shut and Charybdis fired up the engines while Brie and Cain got into their vipers. I leaned over onto Charybdis's shoulder. At the moment, feeling so sore and out of energy, I didn't mind leaning on him and taking the comfort and protection he offered. He pulled a blanket from the survival gear and covered me up. I still had only the CQ jacket on.
Then we were in the air. I kept my head on his shoulder as I whispered bye bye Axces Gamma. Charybdis asked What did you say? Nothing I replied.
* * *
Charybdis
I still could not believe it. Amy looked like Hades, but she was alive. Cut, bruised, naked and beaten down like I had never seen anyone before. Even though I knew her intimately, I would have sworn that it wasn't her.
I looked over my shoulder as we left the atmosphere of the planet. Amy's head was resting against the small pane of glass with her eyes closed. She seemed at peace.
Cain and Brie formed up behind me as I got two objects in my scanner. They were two of our vipers headed in our direction!
It turns out it's Cpt. Kris with a new Ensign. They were sent to cover our escape from the planet, but it's a good thing they didn't need to use some of their firepower. We had made it!!! We had rescued Amy and were heading home!!!
I just wondered how Amy would come through all of this. I remembered that Brie had said that Amy had not remembered anything when they first found her. She seemed to recognize us when we pulled her out of the cave, but who knows what lay in store for her now? what lay in store for Amy and I?
As I turned to look at her again, I saw a peace in her face. She was covered in blood, sweat, paint and Lords knows what else, but I could tell it was her. It was my dear sweet Amy. I couldn't bear to look at her that way, wondering what she must have gone through.
But, now she was safe. That's all that mattered now. She was safe and headed home to where she belonged...
* * *
Brie
Although she was thrilled that Amy was alive and finally safe, Brie’s head was spinning. She had convinced herself that it wasn’t Amy that they had originally found. But now she was back, still with the beads and some of the face paint, and it obviously was Amy that she had found before. That brought back the questions about where Amy had gone. Had she really literally disappeared? Or had Brie found her, yet returned without her? She would have to have a long talk with her friend, but only after Amy’s injuries had been attended to.
* * *
Amy
We landed back on the Callisto It felt good to be back though I felt like I had been here recently It must have been a dream I guess Id been gone a long time from what I had been told Charybdis helped me out of the two seat viper and held onto me like I would fall over or something Kind of sweet actually though I didnt need help standing Eeek I said suddenly Eeek Charybdis asked Did you actually say eeek Yes I replyed I thought I saw a fracking crawlon thingy I hate those things I dont see anything he replied Good I said I held on to his arm happy to be back From across the way Brie had gotten out of her viper and was walking toward us.
* * *
Charybdis
"Quick, get medlab over here!!!" I yelled. Within a couple of centons, the stretcher came and Amy was gently laid on it.
She seemed OK, a bit distant, I guess she didn't really know what was going on, but at least she was safe. She was home!!!!
They wheeled her off as most of the med crew followed hooking her up to different devices. Brie, Cain and I followed a short bit away, but as they took Amy into the med lab, I stopped them in the corridor.
"Wait," I turned to them. "I wanted to say 'thanks' to both of you. I think we all know how we feel about Amy, you both risked your lives to rescue her. Thanks." I know it wasn't much for what they had just done, but they knew. They didn't have to be told.
Brie spoke up, "The main thing is that Amy is back. She'll be alright."
As Cain shook my hand and started to leave for his quarters, he turned and said, "besides, it was the most fun I've had in awhile." He smiled and left.
"There's not much we can do right now while they stabilize her, I'm going to check in with Sheba and then I'll be in medlab. You should probably stay with Amy just in case she wants to ask questions. Tell her I'll be there in a few centons." I told Brie.
I left for the bridge...
* * *
Amy It didn’t take long for the meds to determine that my shoulder wasn’t broken, only dislocated. I was honored to have the attention of Captain Holodoc who was as gentle as possible during the painful procedure of getting it back into place. She gave me a shot to ease the pain there. My leg was still infected even though I had done my best to clean and bandage it during my ordeal on Axces Gramma. After another shot the meds cleaned out the nasties and treated it properly, bandaging it up good. Fortunately, the rest of me looked worse than it really was. I cleaned up rather well. Most of the blood on me wasnt mine though I had some bruises that wouldnt go away anytime soon. My face was cleaned up and the weird makeup was finally gone. “That hair will take some doing, Lieutenant,” one of the meds said. “Those beads and all the tangling! You may want to consider just cutting it off. What sort of dye is in there anyway?” I shrugged while she scraped some into a vial for analysis. She examined my bruises and was particularly concerned with some of this. “Is there anything you want to discuss?” she asked. “Im a bit tired,” I replied. “I’d like to make my report later if that’s okay.” She nodded. “How’s that head feel?” she asked. I felt her fingers gently pressing on the goose eggs I had there. “Feels like a drummer in there but I’m used to it,” I replied. “I’ll get you something for that,” she said. “You have a visitor,” she added as she headed for the door to get the pills, “Up to seeing Major Brie?” I smiled. “Of course. Send her in.” * * * BatGal Major BatGal heard a soft 'bleep' over her com-link, then:
***
Ensign Ursiaon in the passage ways heading towards storage compartments to retrive some personale items. no orders as of yet.will report for further orders as soon as I grab My trunk as I am at the storage compartment already. Ensign Ursiaon Black Squadron.
***
Wait a centon, BatGal thought, didn't I just see Ensign Ursiaon sitting in a viper in the sim room with the rest of Group One?
Then she realized that he must have sent this transmission before the sim session, but for some reason the message was stored in "save" or "delayed" mode. BatGal made a note to have that little glitch checked out by the communications team. * * * Earlier in the cycle...
Maj. BatGal walked across the sim floor to the control room entrance to give Capt. Kris her new orders. On her way there, she noticed a small trunk leaning up against the wall. She looked on the name plate -- it belonged to Ensign Ursiaon.
"Oh yeah, that reminds me." BatGal said to herself. "I must remember to get Ensign Ursiaon's direct comm-link address hooked up to my communicator."
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Post by LucianG on Apr 1, 2007 7:20:40 GMT -6
Lucian Shop Tech Gruber was having another rough cycle. He’d just received a change in orders as they were approaching the half way point on the previous order, and this one was marked “Top priority.”
“Dat darned Looten’nt Titon gonna ask fer every-ting we got to fix dat frackin’ ship. Mons, we gonna hafta fab sum reverse set differential thermo couplers. Sum luvly id’ot blowed dem one dey got to da back side uv Madagon! Specs on da screens. We’s doin’ twelve so dey have sum spares. Team one, you’s on materials, two, you’s on presses and taps, and tree, you’s on assembly. Dey wants dis stuff like yesterday, so git started, and let’s show dem once ‘gen dat dis shop’s best in da fleet!”
There was a flurry of activity as the men and women of the Fabrications Shop began their work on the new task. The former job was carefully set aside, with notes made where applicable, so it could be completed as soon as the new work was complete.
* * *
The little Frodarian boys were playing. They didn’t like to play with the girls, since the girls always just wanted to dress their little dolls and play silly doll games. The boys, on the other hand, wanted to play fun games like Cylons and Warriors. They had their little toy laser pistols, most fabricated from packaging material taken from the recycling areas. They had a little piece of chalk that one of the older boys would use to draw up scenarios and battle plans after the two sides for the cycle had been chosen.
The first group had just left to find their secret hideout for the cycle, and the second group was preparing their battle plan when one of the younger boys said, “YUCK! Look what I just stepped on! It’s gross!”
“Cool!” said the others in agreement. “Look, is that another one?”
“Let’s see!” said Cobie, the eldest boy, who proceeded to stomp on the circular dot, which led to an almost inaudile pop and a black and red spot on the deck. “Fun! I don’t have any idea what those thing are, but let’s pound’em before the ‘Cylons’ attack!”
The noise of the boys’ voices and the vibration on the deck was quite enough to signal danger to a number of the small disc crawl-ons. They had already retracted their legs so that only their main body could be seen, and they’d already morphed their appearance to match the deck’s color, but this wasn’t enough as the boys proceeded to stomp and squash a number of the discs. Some of the others proceeded lock their bodies against the deck by using their ability to vacuum seal themselves to flat surfaces.
The boys stomped and stomped on those few locked in place, but it was to no avail. Some of the boys were getting upset, so the oldest said, “I’ve got an idea. A couple of you stay there to watch them, and the rest of you follow me. Just remember, watch out for those fracking ‘Cylons.’”
“Oooho! Cobie said a bad word!” said one of the younger boys.
“Yeah! And you better not tell anyone either or I’ll box your ears,” said Cobie with a grin.
* * * “Eh, mons, what’n blazes is you cubs doin’ in here?” barked Gruber at the three boys wandering through the shop. He ran over and shooed them out. It took a couple of centons since they all had different ideas as to which way to go, but Gruber and one of the other Shop Techs finally had them all three by the collars and pushed them out into the corridor.
“Mons, don’cha cum back, eider, or I tell yur mums,” said Gruber angrily. The boys, wide-eyed at being caught so easily, turned and ran. Gruber went back into the shop, laughing. He wondered how long it would be before he saw those young scoundrels again.
He returned to his work.
“Hey! Has anyone seen my shop hammer?” asked one of the other techs on team two. “It was just here a few centons ago.”
No one saw the door to the shop open and close again quickly.
* * *
Captain Urdea, Lieutenant Proteus, and Sergeant Whitcher were in the Security Conference Room. The door was open and every few centons, an officer would bring in another report.
“I can’t explain it, Captain. Just like when that Eirikhr disappeared, we’ve searched high and low, and found nothing. We’ve focused on two things that seem most probable. One, we’ve got a mad person aboard the Callisto with an unknown device that injects and unknown poison, or two, we’ve got an intruder that injects and unknown poison. Based on what that Miss Ari’ said about his outer skin sloughing off and fleeing, and the fact that we’ve found nothing of the other, it’s almost got to be option two,” said Proteus.
“Option two, or another one that is somewhat beyond our current comprehension,” said Urdea. “Don’t ever rule out the unknown, just because you don’t know about it.” He briefly thought of an impossible situation that he’d experienced long ago, and was glad that he was still here to think about it. “What about anything else out of the ordinary? Has anything been reported?”
“No, Sir, not on the blotter,” said Whitcher. “Only thing I’ve heard is that a couple of officers have spoken with some of the housekeeping staff. Someone’s gotten into some type of liquid and they’ve tracked it or dropped it in several places around the ship. The Science Lab is analyzing it now so we can track down the culprit and tell them to quit being so wasteful. Here we are with even more limited resources than usual, and someone’s spilling things. It’s as bad as the painters. I’ve heard they’ve been dripping more than usual, and are having to go around cleaning up after themselves! Of course they deny it—”
“What? They denied it?” said Urdea and Proteus together, looking at each other.
“Have you taken a look at the maintenance records?” asked Proteus.
“Noooo,” said Whitcher. “Why should I?”
Urdea swiveled the monitor around and said, “Because the paint crews are currently assigned aboard the CQ. There’s been no painting aboard the Callisto since we arrived in the Axcian system. Send word to Commander Sheba….”
A few centons later, Sergeant Winnie entered the room. She had another strange report. Someone in the Fab Shop had reported a stolen hammer. Theft of personal or ship’s property in the fleet was pretty common, but aboard a Battlestar, it was almost unheard of.
* * *
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
“Lords!” said Cobie. “Even with a hammer those flat dots don’t squash! They’re no fun. Let’s go see if we can find some more of the round-topped ones! Find those ‘Cylons.’ Let’s get them to help us find those things.” * * * Ari’ was quite concerned about little Zillian. The little girl knew her dad wouldn’t be coming home again, but she didn’t seem to accept it. Like many small children facing the loss of a parent, much as Ari’ had been forced to experience long ago, Zillian was in denial. For Zillian though, there was a body, which Ari’ had never had. For her, they had been there, and then they weren’t, and she never saw them again. She never had the satisfaction of knowing what had happened to them.
Doc Connor had come by a little earlier to check on the little girl. He suggested to Ari’ and Demetra that they take Zillian to see the body after carefully explaining the situation to her. As he explained, this course always had an element of danger to it, since some children faced with the dead body of a parent are suddenly struck by their mortality. They could withdraw into themselves to keep from dealing with it. He’d even read of cases where they had created entire fantasy worlds where they were the ‘star’ and all the others around them were merely players in the production. To Connor, childless as he was, this didn’t seem too far from what he’d seen most ‘sane’ children do, so he felt that seeing her dad’s body in a peaceful setting might someday bring her a sense of closure that a great many people who had lived through the Cylon’s decimation of the Colonies had never felt.
“He’s cold, Ari. He’s really not coming home is he?” she asked.
“No, Zillian. He’s had to move on beyond his body now, but he wants you to always remember him as he was, and remember that he loved you more than anything else in the whole universe.”
Ari’ held her as she cried. She led the little girl away, and the lights in the room dimmed as they started to exit. Ari’ struggled to keep from shivering at the thought of being in darkness. Flowing flesh, or whatever the horror was that she had seen, would be easier to see, and kill, in the light. Like the ‘ghosts’ on Axces Gamma, there would be some explanation for the scampering skin, and she was determined to figure it out and stop it from hurting another child like little Zillian.
* * *
A short time later, Ari' was pleased when they encountered one of the young Frodarian males. He invited Zillian to come join in their new game. She wasn't very interested at first, but when the boy told her how much fun it was, Ari' encouraged her to go along and play for just a little while.
* * *
On the bridge, Major Lucian was checking on the status of the Silver Spar Warriors escorting the food gathering team. He was reading a report when he heard a couple of the junior bridge officers discussing an odd reading registering on some of the internal sensors. Since the mission status report was good, he walked to the station.
On the monitor, a strange spiking pattern was displayed. The spikes occurred intermittently.
"Sir, from what I've seen, they don't seem to match any of the usual shipboard functions," said Lieutenant Finky.
"Congratulations on your recent promotion, Lieutenant," said Lucian. "Now, can you isolate where this is originating?"
"Sir, we've thought we had it a couple of times, but it keeps...well...moving? That sounds crazy, but I think I'm operating this correctly, Major, Sir."
Lucian smiled at the slightly nervous Lieutenant. She was much calmer than she'd been in her first cycles on the bridge, but her time in confinement may have contributed to that. He watched as she tried to zero in on a location, but the "pinging" suddenly stopped, so she looked up in embarassment and despair. "Sir-rrr," she toned, "it stopped again."
"Cheer up, Lieutenant. There was nothing wrong with your procedure. Whatever it was just isn't there anymore. Keep monitoring it. I'm taking a portable comm. If, or when, it shows up again, contact me immediately with the location, and get a repair crew to the spot."
"YES, SIR!" she said in excitement. Immediately, she returned to the monitor, trying to find the anomaly again.
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Post by LucianG on Apr 1, 2007 7:23:19 GMT -6
Lucian
The sound of the hydroponics pumps was interrupted by a thudding, pinging sound from some distance away, from somewhere within the hydro racks. Lucian stopped and listened for a few moments to get his bearings. Something was wrong and from the irregular rythm, it was clearly not of mechanical origin. He slipped forward silently, watching, trying to discover what and where.
He rounded a corner and almost fell over backward. The body--the thing--on the deck was thin and collapsed. It was covered by numerous purplish black dots. Lucian drew his laser pistol and moved ahead, in extreme caution. He keyed his comm, signalling an emergency. He just hoped Lieutenant Finky would understand and send more help than he'd previously requested.
* * *
Five centons earlier, Lieutenant Finky had once again isolated the strange noise.
"Major Lucian, I've picked it up in Hydroponics Garden Three. It's pretty intense," she said into the comm.
"That's all we need, Lieutenant," said Lucian. "As much trouble as we're having with our food supply, if someone or something is tampering with our hydroponics bays, we're in trouble. I'm on my way. Locate a couple of Warriors in the area and ask them to head this way to possibly assist me with a potential problem, and get that repair crew here, just in case. Major Lucian, out."
* * *
Peeking around a corner, Lucian was surprised to see four young Frodarian males dressed in their one piece coveralls and a single female about the same age, wearing a different style of clothing. One of the boys was holding a shop hammer, raised as if he was poised to strike something. One of the older boys was whispering to the girl to be quiet and watch. Lucian, seeing that they weren't doing any damage to the equipment with the hammer, decided to watch, too, though he couldn't see at what they were staring so intently. He eased forward quietly, and in the process, noticed several stains on the floor. Maintenance and the hydroponics staff would hear about those. Looking ahead again, he saw the children staring at a similar stain. To his surprise, it suddenly transformed from a flat circle about 1.5 centimeters in diameter that was tight against the deck into a slightly rounded circle of about 1 centimeter diameter. The boy with the hammer was about to strike, but the older boy signalled to wait. He placed his hand a few centimeters from the circle and waited. A group of thin hairlike appendages suddenly sprang out from the perimeter of the circle. These were evenly spaced, and each was about a half centimeter or so in length. Lucian recognized it as being similar to crawl-ons he had seen in the records from the library of the O-9 of his youth. Similar creatures had also inhabited a couple of the worlds his ship had visited over the yahrens, but none were ever exactly like this. Instead of six to ten legs like most such creatures seemed to have, this one had, Lucian estimated, around twenty to twenty-four. Each apparently unjointed leg had a small, almost invisible pad at the end, but Lucian saw no evidence of anything resembling either eyes or a spinner. Within an instant, he was about to react when the older boy once more signalled to the boy with the hammer to wait. The younger boy had started to swing, but he succeeded in arresting the motion. He was rewarded as the children started to laugh and clap in delight as the crawl-on type creature started spinning in a circle. As the older boy said "Now!," the creature suddenly spun toward him with much greater speed than Lucian imagined it could have possessed. The younger boy swung the hammer unsteadily, repeatedly, missing the creature each time. The older boy rolled away, just out of its reach. Lucian stepped forward and brought his boot heel down on the creature, and was awarded with a small crackling noise and a reddish black stain on the deck. He said, "Children, look around. See those stains on the deck. Each one of them may be one of these creatures. We've got to get out of here before any more of them--"
It was too late! The older boy suddenly jumped up and back as several other creatures started toward him and the rest of the group. Lucian turned his laser pistol to low since he knew a regular setting would do far more damage than good. He wasn't actually sure how much good even a low setting would do, so he stepped forward to put himself between the children and the ever larger number of things advancing toward them. * * * Lucian had squashed several of the little hunters advancing toward them, but the children were effectively being herded into a smaller circle behind him, and only the repeated swings of the hammer by the largest boy, who had taken it from the smaller one, were keeping them back on the opposite side. The ceiling was far enough above the racks, and the walls far enough away, that Lucian didn't feel that there was an immediate danger of any of the little disc crawl-ons falling, or rather, jumping, on them. He saw several climbing the racks adjacent to them, though, and it was all he could do to keep himself from pulling his laser pistol and letting go with it. Even on low setting, it would probably cause serious damage to the hydroponics racks, and could significantly damage the Callisto's ability to deal with the ongoing food shortage. While it was true that food was currently arriving from Axces Gamma, the amount and how long it would last were big unknowns, so he knew he couldn't risk it. The laser pistol remained in the holster where he had returned it earlier.
"Mister, there's just too many of them," said a little girl. Lucian finally recognized her as Zillian, the daughter of the man most likely killed by these same beasts during the previous second shift. "We've got to get help or get out of here."
Lucian keyed the comm key again, "Finky, we are really in need of assistance here! Get someone here--"
In the midst of a sudden frenzied advance, he brought the comm unit down on another of the creatures as he squashed one with each foot. Their jumping ability was incredible considering the length of their legs in comparison to the size of their bodies, though Lucian suspected that with approximately 24 legs acting together, he'd be able to jump pretty far, too. He glanced at the comm unit and seeing it smashed and bloodied, he took aim and threw it at another one. It hit the deck next to the speedy beast and bounced away harmlessly.... * * * Skyler Skyler was looking over the roster for the best place for Lt. Ben to fill in when the comm beeped in the office.
Lt Finky announced "Attention Warriors, Major Lucian request assistance in Hydroponics Garden Three. Repeat, Major Lucian request assistance in Hydroponics Garden Three."
Skyler jumped up and ran down the corridor. He ran into Lt's Brik, Thunderhawk and Ben leaving the O-Club.
"Come on, Lucian needs help in Hydroponics and you have just volunteered." The four of them raced to see what was going on. * * * Lucian Shouting.
Thrashing.
Stomping.
Lucian, the three boys, and the little girl were making their last stand. They fought bravely against an incredible army of nasty little creatures, but Lucian knew there was no way out. If he were to use his laser pistol, it might kill a few of the little disc crawl-ons, but in the process, it would cause serious damage to the Callisto’s capability to produce food. To Lucian, their lives were valuable, but not if it meant sacrificing the lives of others aboard the ship. The crawl-ons were climbing the hydroponics racks, which were filled with tanks of nutri-fluid and vegetation, and were literally leaping toward the group. After the first few fell to the floor and were stomped, the others learned to wait, since their brethren were effectively herding the bi-peds their way. It wouldn’t be long until there would be food for all.
In the distance a door opened and footsteps signaled that someone was coming their way. Lucian shouted, “Watch out, there are crawl-ons everywhere!” As a crawl-on jumped on his boot, he grabbed the little girl in his arm and stomped a couple more that were about to climb onto her. He glanced back to see Captain Skyler and a squad of lieutenants entering the fray to help, but there were far too many of the creatures for mere foot stomping to get them all. Seeing that some of the creatures were now trying to surround Skyler, Ben, and the others, Lucian knew that it was now or never. “Son! Give me that hammer! Quickly!” The boy handed it to Lucian, who took a massive swing as the crawl-on reached the top of his boot. The blow landed on the face of the second level tank next to them, dead center, and it bounced off! The little crawl-on was now extending its needle-like probe from its “mouth,” centered under its body, but the leg of uniform trousers was just too far away at that moment. Lucian swung the little girl onto his back and said, “Hold on tight!” and he swung again. This time a small craze mark appeared at the center of the tank where the second blow had fallen. A third blow landed in the same spot and the plasti-glass caved in and the fluid and vegetation in the tank surged outward. The crawl-on on Lucian’s leg was swept away by the cascade of water from the tank.
“Run!” shouted Lucian and Skyler together as they moved the children away from the area of the attack. Within moments, they had the children in the corridor outside Hydroponics Bay Three, and the Warriors were frantically searching for any crawl-on stowaways. Lucian said, “Captain Skyler, get word of this to the bridge immediately. We need to find a way to get rid of these things before they harm anyone else and before they have a chance to hide.” He stepped to the nearest control panel and shut down the HVAC system for the bay, including the dampers in the ducts, effectively sealing the beasts in the room. “That room will overheat soon, and our food production could be badly damaged, so Brik, get an extermination team here on the double. We’ve got less than fifteen centons before we’ve got to start if back up again. Ben, get to the Science Lab for help. Thunderhawk, find Fenmarnis and see if she has any brilliant ideas on what might kill these things, too. Warriors, go! Hurry!”
Lucian turned to the children who were standing over puddles of fluid dripping from their clothes. The little girl gave Lucian a hug, and he kissed her on top of the head. To all of them, he said, “I’m not sure how you got involved in that or how you found those things, but you kids did a great job keeping your cool in there. Now go straight back to your quarters and warn your guardians to be on the lookout for these things. I’ll be by to speak with all of you later.” He handed the hammer back to the biggest boy, Cobie, and said, “Son, after the ‘all secure’ is announced, make sure this gets back to wherever it came from, okay. Somebody may need it.”
Dripping wet, he headed toward the bridge.
* * * Stargazor Stargazor was inside the medical facility , getting very bored . He rely wanted to get out of the med. lab. His mind was shattered only bits and peaces wore flashing trough his mind. The only clear picture he got was of this woman figure, that somehow made him relax.
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Post by LucianG on Apr 1, 2007 7:26:50 GMT -6
Holodoc Holodoc took the sample that Captain JustinB had provided. She wasn’t too optimistic of what it would turm out to be. But if a warrior was concerned enough to bring something in to be tested she should. But what made it so hard to get motivated, was she hard been flat out lately. First the Frodarians, then the mission to Axces Gamma and to top it off treating the survivors from the Caprican Questar. Jarrynn was a big help, but Ens. Phoebe had hardly made a dent in their workload. What she missed the most was the warmth and tenderness provided by Anubis. Her heart yearned for him, but he had been distant and not been to seen her for cycles.
Concentrating on the task on hand, she placed samples of the substance into three test tubes. Hopefully she would have the answer for JustinB in a few centars. Holodoc wondered what or where this thing or came from & how it had gotten onboard the Callisto. While she was waiting for the tests to run their scans & have time to settle in what was being done to the samples, Holodoc went about in checking up on some of her patients that she still had there in MedLab.
Holodoc walked by Stargazor's bed & noticed he seemed as though he wanted to be doing something other than be stuck there in MedLab with her & the others. She walks over to him & asks, "Stargazor, is something wrong? Is there something that I can help you with?" * * * Stargazor Stargazor looked at Holodoc and said “i’m bored out of my mind”! It seems people are afraid to talk to me because of my eyes (the white turned blue). I have this energy inside of me and nothing to do , i mean siting around here isn’t going to bring back my memory. If its one ting i found out about myself its , that i don’t like to sit still for a long time. Holodoc looked for a moment at Stargazor and said “I don’t fear you ensign”!
Stargazor reply’s “But the other nurses do”! “Its nice to finally be able to talk to someone”! “Whatever i did to get people angry against me , i will take responsibility for it”! * * * Holodoc Holodoc thought about what Stargazor had to say for a couple of centons. "Ensign," Holodoc begins, "I'm sure that the others would be here talking with you if they weren't busy at the moment with their duties. If you would like I could see who was available to come down to talk & visit with you for a while."
Holodoc walked closer to Stargazor's bed & gently places a hand on his shoulder. "Please don't be to upset with the other nurses on staff here in MedLab. Many of them are still unsure what to do when it comes to something like this that has happened to you. I have to admit that I was a little shocked myself at first, but I knew that I still needed to do my job in making sure that you received the proper treatment you were in need of at the time you came into MedLab." Holodoc grows quiet for a moment & then speaks up again. "Stargazor," Holodoc says, "I rarely leave MedLab right now due to the patients that are here for treatment. If at any time you need to talk to someone I am willing to talk to you about anything you would like to discuss." * * * Stargazor Stargazor looked at Holodoc with his bleu colored eyes and new she was on the level with him. HE said “There’s something i wanted to ask the others”!
Holodoc said “What is it you wanted to ask them”!
Stargazor looked sad for a moment. Then said “All i remember about me is the short flashes running trough my head”! “I overheard the nurses say that i had done some dishonored things”! “I…,i can’t remember what i did, i cant even remember who i was or who my family was”! “Do you know anything about me, or who i was”? * * * Holodoc Holodoc thought about what Stargazor had said & asked of her. "Stargazor," Holodoc says, "I don't know much about you myself other than from what is in your medical files. I rarely get to socialize with many of the Warriors since I spend so much time here in MedLab these days & about the only time it seems I see or talk to any of them is when one comes in for treatment."
Holodoc looked down at the floor & notices BrieCORA gently rubbing up against her leg. She smiles a little & bends down to pick up the kitten. Holodoc gently held BrieCORA in her arms & gently ran one of her hands over BrieCORA's back. "Stargazor," Holodoc quietly says while looking down at her kitten, "if it would help any I could see if I could get a couple of the Warriors to come down & visit with you for awhile. They might be about to fill in more of the gaps in your memory than I could." * * * Ben Lt. Ben, recently arrived back onboard the Callisto, was eagerly awaiting an assignment ... he had not seen his old friends in 10 sectars and was glad to back. The sooner he got back into the routine of Colonial Military Service life, the better ... * * * Skyler Skyler sat down at the computer terminal in the Gold Squadron Briefing room. Pulling up the most recent message he noticed that Lt. Ben needed to be assigned duty. It had been 10 sectars since his last assignment. "Man, never thought I would be doing this to anyone." Skyler muttered to himself and he typed in Lt. Ben's orders.
To: Lt. Ben From: Capt. Skyler Duty Assignment
Report to the life station for a check up to return to active duty, and then we will get you a run through the simulators as to refresh you. Report back to me (or Major Brie on her return) and we will get you back into the rotation. * * * Amy The med came back with a pill for my headache, and I swallowed it gratefully with a cup of water. Behind her in the doorway stood Major Brie. “Brie!” I said, smiling. She smiled back and walked in. The med turned to leave. “I’ll leave you two now,” the med said. “Remember, when you shower don’t get the dressing on your leg wet.” After a pause she added, “I still don’t think you’ll get those beads out of your hair, but good luck!”
“Thank you,” I said, then I turned to Brie. She sat down and took me by the hands. I just looked back at her. What was there to say? I’d apparently screwed up another mission somehow, and I’d been lucky to get back. Without the help of my friends I would have been good as dead. I still couldn’t figure out why I hadn’t died. It wasn’t for lack of trying on account of those lizards.
“I’m going to try a shower,” I said. “Meds say I can leave after that. Can you believe it?” Brie seemed preoccupied, touching my bruised face and those crazy beads. “I know,” I said, “I look like something out of hades, but really I’m fine. Nothing broken. They want to run some more scans, but I can come back for that.” I swung my legs over the side of the bed, noticing the jacket that I had been wearing on the planet. “Any idea what “CQ” means, Brie?” I asked.
She acted as if she was lost in thought. “Hmm? Oh, it’s the initials for a derelict ship we’ve discovered. Looks like you have some catching up to do.”
“Yeah,” I replied as I got to my feet. I put a little too much weight on my bandaged leg, and started to tip over. “Help me Brie!” I said, half-laughing.
She caught me in an instant, and didn’t seem intent on letting me go again. I looked at her, smiling. “I’m okay now. Really I am.” Brie still gripped my arm. I smiled and put my hand on hers. “Doc said I might have lost the leg if the infection had continued. Guess I’d better pay more attention to those First Aid classes, huh?” I headed for the shower. “I’ll be okay. We can talk after I get cleaned up. Think I can save my hair?” I laughed and tugged at a bead that wasn’t going anywhere. “Wish I knew how I picked up these things.”
I shut the bathroom door. “You don’t have to wait. I’ll met you after in your quarters!” I shouted as I started up the shower. * * * I wrapped my bandaged leg in a plastic cover, and stripped off the med gown. I felt funny, remembering too well my treatment at the hands of the reptile creatures. I looked in the mirror, fingering some of the bruises I had received from being their prisoner. I was lucky to be alive. I shook off the feelings of being on the verge of tears. It was over. Over. Yet, as I watched the mirror gently steam up, I got another funny feeling. Something I couldn’t quite remember. I ran a finger over the mirror, watching the trail forming as I wrote on the glass. “I love you.” Now why would I write something like that? I blotted it out and stepped into the shower.
I closed my eyes and let the heat envelop me. Lords it felt good. I let the pulsating shower massage my sore spots as it cleaned me up. I couldn’t remember the last time I felt clean. I reached for the shampoo, and wet my hair down. Even before the soap hit it the strange black dye started to run down the drain. There might be hope for my poor hair yet. I rinsed it out and soaped up again, trying to work at some of the fracking beads. I closed my eyes and worked in the lather.
When I opened them again, I saw that I had stained up the shower pretty good. I shut it down, and began to wipe up the mess. “What the—” I began as I touched one of the stains and it felt really funny. I dropped the towel, and when I picked it up again and looked, the stain was gone! My heart was pounding. Had I just imagined it? I stood for the longest time just staring at the shower floor. I must have imagined it. I shook my head and dried off.
Wiping away the steam and looking into the mirror, I was happy to see the dye was gone. My hair was back to its old color! I smiled. It helped make me feel like I was home again. But the beads were another story. It was going to take some time to try and get them out. Maybe Brie could help.
I put back on the med gown, and left the bathroom, not noticing that the strange little stain was still there, transforming itself into a crawlon. It was inches from my foot when I walked out. “Well, somebody looks 100% better,” one of the meds said. I smiled. “And feels 100% better, too.” I shuffled for the door. “Now to get myself some real clothes again.” I thanked them all for their excellent care, and headed for the gold barracks. * * * I sat down at my bunk in gold barracks. I still hadn’t unpacked things, and my duffel bag was still filled with nearly everything I owned. I had spent so much time rooming with Brie; it was going to be tough to go back to sleeping in the barracks again. I removed my things, laying out the clothes I wanted to put on. My uniforms were hanging in the locker, but I was off duty and just wanted to feel like a person again. I picked out my best, most comfortable blouse and skirt. I dressed happily, feeling more and more normal with each passing minute.
I got up and looked into the small mirror, trying to work out the beads in my hair. What were these things made of anyway? After a moment I really didn’t feel like fussing, and tried to pull my hair back. Fortunately it didn’t look half-bad so I tied it back into a ponytail. Good enough for now. I began to turn around when I spotted something out of the corner of my eye.
I could have sworn it was moving, but it stayed still as I looked at it. It looked like a stain of some kind. Sort of like what I had seen in the shower. I slowly picked up a shoe, and crept toward the thing. I poked at it, and screamed out; jumping back as it began to move! My jaw dropped as I saw it slowly transform itself into a crawlon. I got goosebumps watching the change take place. What kind of creature was it? A shapeshifter of some kind? Has something escaped from the science lab?
I kept an eye on it as I fingered my comlink. Who to call? Security? I still didn’t trust those guys 100%. I remembered Brie was heading to her quarters. I keyed in her code, waiting for her to pick up. She must not have made it to her quarters yet. Charybdis said he was heading for the bridge, so I keyed his code too. One of them would pick up. As I stared at the crawlon, I saw another one hit the floor. Now where did that one come from? I looked up, and what I saw made my blood run cold.
The ceiling was covered with stains.
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Post by LucianG on Apr 1, 2007 7:28:12 GMT -6
Charybdis I had spent quite a lot of time with Commander Sheba giving my; first report. She wanted it typed up and submitted as per orders. She also wanted Major Brie's report as well, ASAP.
I was dismissed and immediately went to Med Lab to check on Amy. When I left, I didn't notice that the comm unit on the bridge was going off summoning me, but I didn't notice since I wanted to hurry to the Med Lab... * * * Brie To all members of Gold Squadron:
Although I am back on the Callisto, Captain Skyler will still be running the squadron for the next three cycles, while I get caught up on paperwork, etc. Bring any matters of importance to him, I trust that he will know if it should be brought to me or not.
Major Brie Gold Squadron
****
A centon after Brie left her quarters to post her memo, her comm started to beep unnoticed. * * * Amy I kept an eye on the two crawlons that were near me on the floor. I slowly brought my legs up and curled them underneath me as I shifted positions on my bunk. My heart pounded as I waited for Brie or Charybdis to pick up the comlink. I watched as the two crawlons began to do a kind of spinning thing, and they ended up facing my direction. I shrunk away slightly. Lords I hate crawlon thingys.
Too much time had passed, and I began to think that my comlink was out of power. I slowly lowered it, and looked around the room. Up on the ceiling the stains were slowly coming to life. I looked straight up, in time to see one dropping down. It hit me on the shoulder and bounced off, and I screamed as I leaped over to the next bunk. I looked around for a weapon. I surely needed more than a shoe.
I looked toward the exit to the gold barracks. It hadn’t ever seemed far before, but now it seemed a light year away. Right next to it was the general alarm switch. Could I make it that far? Under normal conditions I probably could, but could I trust my injured leg to make it that far? I cursed the fact that I wasn’t 100%.
Another crawlon dropped from the ceiling next to me and I swung at it with my shoe as I leaped onto the next bunk. I screamed as I found two crawlons already on it, and I hit the floor in a panic. This seemed to trigger something as nearly all the stains on the ceiling began coming to life. I knew it was time to make a run for it. I could be in the doorway in a micron, hit the alarm, and find help within microns.
I didn’t make two steps before my leg gave out and I went down again, crawlons dropping all around me. I swung out with my shoe, pathetically trying to keep them away. As I scuttled along the floor I suddenly found it harder to move. I looked down at my foot and discovered several crawlons spinning a sort of web around my foot, anchoring it to the floor. I went to reach down to free it but there were just too many of them and I had enough to do just trying to keep them off of me.
I expected to feel the pain of crawlon bites any micron but they weren’t biting for some reason. Perhaps they could sense I was injured to start with. Some creatures can actually feel that in their prey. They know they’ve won. And there were so many. So many to fight off. I began screaming out for help.
My foot was solidly anchored to the floor, and I tried to keep the other one kicking but I could feel the webbing build up a thin gooey layer at a time. In microns it too was anchored. I couldn’t remain sitting up any longer and fell onto my back. I could feel their tiny legs as they scurried up my bare legs. Why did I pick a fracking dress to wear! I began to lose feeling in my legs as the webbing bound me down a bit at a time.
I struggled and swung out wildly, trying to keep them away but the slow progress with the webbing continued and I soon could no longer shift my weight. This was all so unbelievable, to have fought for survival on an alien planet and win, only to come back home to meet such a horrible fate.
The shoe slipped from my hand, and I could feel the webbing binding my wrist up. My screams turned to cries as the crawlons scampered all over me as they pleased. I could feel it getting harder to breathe as the webbing tightened around my chest. I could feel myself slowly being suffocated. My head began to spin as again I found myself looking into the blackness of oblivion. I had cheated death many times on Axces Gamma, but this time I had no more tricks left. I could feel the icy grip of death closing in, and I began to lose awareness of the crawlons as darkness descended upon me. * * * Charybdis With no luck in the Med Lab finding Amy, I decided to try her barracks. I couldn't believe that they released her already! She had looked almost at death's door, but I guess the Med Lab personnel knew what they were doing. Unless, Amy sneaked out! I wouldn't put it past her.
Anyway, I arrived at the Gold squadron barracks to check in on her and pushed the button to open the door. I walked in, "Alright, Amy, how did you get out of the ..."
What I saw at that moment could not be described by mere words. What a horrific sight!!!! I could see Amy's body on the floor covered in greyish-brown goo and there were these small crawlon-like things crawling all over her!!!!!!!!
I thought nothing could be worse than seeing her in the condition that we found her in on Axces Gamma, but this... by the Lords!!!!!!
Amy was writhing about a bit but she could hardly move. She was still conscious but it was hard to tell. What in Hades Hole were these things?
I still had my blaster with me and instinctively I pulled it out and aimed it right at Amy. But it was no use, even with the stun setting, Amy had already been stunned relatively recently, and I knew that it could kill someone who had been stunned before. Besides, it probably wouldn't affect the crawlons. I looked around wondering what to do, how to get them off of her and fast.
Then it hit me! Right to the inside of the door were cannisters of halon-boroton. The firefighters used the stuff to fight fires and each barracks had to have some in case of small fires which might break out around the ship.
I quickly grabbed the cannister and pulled the pin to activate it. I screamed at Amy, "Amy, hold your breath and close your eyes!!!!!" THe stuff would sting pretty bad if you breathed it or got it in your eyes, I didn't even know if Amy could hear me or not.
I saw her eyes close and as the crawlons started crawling over her face I got close and let her rip!!!!! The white foamy spray shot out of the cannister at high speed and quickly enveloped Amy and all the crawlons. I kept spraying the stuff all around her. She was covered to the point where you couldn't see her anymore.
Some of the crawlons that were on the floor got blown away and a few managed to escape. Apparently, they did not like the stuff.
I wasn't quite sure what was going to happen next, but I finally stopped pressing the handle of the cannister. I stayed still looking for any sign.
Suddenly, Amy's body moved and the white foam seemed to drip off of her to the sides. It was as if she was emerging from some kind of coccoon. As I watched, her body could be seen and there weren't any crawlons on it!!!! I came closer and with a sheet I ripped off from the bed, I began to wipe her clean. The foam and the army of crawlons just fell to the side. From the looks of it, the halon-boroton mixture had killed them dead. I had to peel off the goo that was holding her to the floor and finally had her free.
I grabbed a comm unit on the wall and ordered med lab to be ready to receiver her. I also put in a quick call to Solon and Dr. Curemode to come and check these things out. Some Warriors were walking by and I told them to stand guard over the room and to use the halon-boroton mixture to kill any more that they see.
I picked up Amy's body and quickly ran as fast as I could to Med Lab. What else could Amy get herself into? My mind remembered the Lolly incident and the recent reports of someone dying by horrible little "bites" or something similar. These things must be the cause.
I hoped and prayed that Amy would be alright...it seemed as if I was doing a lot of that lately… * * * Ben After reading his duty assignment, Lt. Ben sped off to the medlab. He figured, "The sooner I get this out of the way, the sooner I can be back in the cockpit." After reporting to Doc, he went through the paces of the checkup -- eyes ok, nose ok, ears ok, throat ok etc etc. The only big thing the Doc said was that he ought to get some more excersise. That wouldn't be a problem. Allergy meds needed a refill, too.
From the medlab Ben continued to the simulators, where his skills as a pilot would be tested. While not like real combat, the sims are as close as one can get without actually being killed. Naturally, Ben was a little rusty, but before his absence he and his Viper had been like one machine. It did not take long before he felt like his old self. His score was a 94% rating. Not bad, especially for somebody who hasn't been in a cockpit for over 8 months.
Now that all was checked out, Ben had nothing to do but kill time and await his first assignment. Hopefully it would be something light, but if not that was okay with him. Any assignment would suffice. How does one kill time on the Callisto? Well, he could either go get some excersise like the Doc ordered, or go catch up on what had happened in the last 8 sectars with his buddies in the officer's club. So that's where he headed ... * * * ... but on the way he ran into CAPT Skyler. He reported to the Captain that he had gone through is checkup and the flight simulator and handed him the results. Skyler read over it, and then told Ben he was glad to have him back and would have an assignment for him soon. Then he cointinued on his way, and Ben headed toward the Officer's Club ... * * * Stargazor Stargazor looked at Holodoc and said “That would be great”! “I’ve bin sitting here , even doing pushups and i still don’t feel tired “! “All i can remember is this woman or form of a woman”! “She shouts at me, but i can’t see her face , it is always in the dark”! “All i know is when i was close to dying she kept me from going over to the other side”! “She saved me, even when the nightmares came”! “I know this sounds weird but i think its a warrior from this ship”!
Holodoc can see in the eyes of Stargazor this sad look.
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Post by LucianG on Apr 1, 2007 7:29:11 GMT -6
Holodoc Holodoc thought about what Stargazor mentioned about the woman & nods her head slightly. "Stargazor," Holodoc says, "I will do what I can in seeing about getting a few of the Warriors from your Squadron to come by & visit with you. Hopefully seeing them & being able to talk with them will be able to fill in some of the gaps on your memory. I know spending time here in MedLab is not the place you want to be at the moment, but right now it may just be the safest place for you, at least until we fill in the gaps in your memory some & figure out what is going on with your eyes also."
Holodoc grows quiet & looks down at the kitten she is holding in her arms while she has been talking with Stargazor some. She noticed that BrieCORA seemed content to be near Stagazor. Holodoc smiled a little, knowing that BrieCORA was accustomed now to having others around. "Stargazor," Holodoc says, "I'm not sure how you feel about kittens, but if you want I could leave BrieCORA here to visit with you while waiting for some of your Squadron members to come by for a visit." * * * Stargazor Stargazor looked at BrieCora, you’re friend is welcome to stay if she likes. “I might never become the same person, even if i fill in all gaps”! Stargazor took the Kitten and looked straight in its eyes. The Kitten looked back and just for one moment the kitten seemed to connect somehow with Stargazor. When Stargazor released her she crawled on his chest and started licking Stargazor’s face.
Holodoc said “She really likes you”!
Stargazor said “I know”!
Holodoc looked strangely at Stargazor “How could he be so sure”? * * * Holodoc Holodoc smiled as she watched Stargazor & BrieCORA together. She had a feeling that the kitten was having a positive effect on him & Holodoc knew that had to be good. Holodoc knew that Stargazor wanted to be able to get his memories back & get back to how he was before all this that is happening to him started. She just hoped it was possible to get him to that level or as close to that level as possible.
Holodoc walked over to the commlink there near here desk & called down to Black Squadron Ready Room. She didn't get an answer, so Holodoc left a message for Major BatGal asking that a few of the Warriors from the Squadron come by MedLab & visit with Stargazor. She informed Major BatGal that having some visitors would help Stargazor & hopefully return the missing pieces of his memory to him. Once sending the message, Holodoc heads back over to where Stargazor was located.
Holodoc walked up to Stargazor's bed & noticed he was still interacting with BrieCORA & she could tell that the kitten was having an effect on the Ensign, even though others may not notice it, Holodoc could tell. Holodoc's cat Jadzia & her kittens seemed to have a positive effect on the patients, & she was glad that she had started bringing them to MedLab to help out in their own way with the patients.
"Stargazor," Holodoc says quietly, "I left a message for Major BatGal to see about having a few of the others from the Squadron coming by to visit with you. Hopefully she will get the message soon & get something set up. If you would like I can stay a little longer & talk if you would like." * * * Stargazor Stargazor was glad he could talk to Holodoc. Stargazor said “I’m not keeping you from you’re work”? “I don’t want you to get into trouble , because of me”!
Then all so sudden something happened to Stargazor. A sharp pain went trough his head and he cried out in pain. He fell of the bed and was shaking on the ground.
Holodoc shouted “Medical emergency”! She tried to talk to Stargazor to see if he responds but he didn’t react to her. He kept shaking on the ground.
{inside the mind} Stargazor was experiencing flashes of the Cylon attack on the colonies, he went from one horror picture to the other. The cries of people wore all around he was standing in the middle of it. Explosions , buildings burning , dead people on the ground. He was experiencing a living hell.
Outside Holodoc and a team of medic wore trying to regain Stargazor’s conscious , they tried everything to wake him up.
Holodoc “he’s experiencing a massive shock”!
A medic said “His brain activity is of the chart”! * * * Holodoc Holodoc was working as quickly as she could along with several others there in MedLab. She was able to get him back up onto his bed with the help of a few others & they continued working as best they could to get him stabalized. Holodoc knew that if she could just get Stargazor stablized & awake things would be a lot better & she could start working all over again to figure out what is causing him to have these episodes.
"Come on Stargazor," Holodoc says urgently, "you can't leave us now! Everyone here still needs you. You still have a lot to live for & you can't give up. Don't give up! Come back to us Stargazor! Please, come back to us! * * * Stargazor Stargazor was fighting for his life again. The people around wore working hard to stabilize him. Holodoc kept talking to him while she tried her best to help him out. Suddenly his heart line on one of the monitors went flat. Holodoc “Where loosing him, electro shocks now”!
A medic said “Everybody clear”! Zap
NOTHING HAPPENED THE LINE STILL was flat.
Zap
Again nothing
Holodoc “Common Stargazor, come back to us”! shouting “Fight, fight”!
Again the medic zapped him. This time he got his heart started again.
Holodoc “He’s fighting, he want’s to live”!
His vitals started to come back again. As Stargazor regained consciousness he opened slowly his eyes. He could see Holodoc. * * * Holodoc Holodoc smiled down at Stargazor as he opened his eyes & looked up at her. She was glad that he was back with them. Holodoc looked up & checked Stargazor's vital signs & mentally notes that they are getting stronger. "Stagzor," Holodoc says softly, "it is good to have you back with us. I want you to rest now. I will stay close by should you need anything or want to talk. I am hoping together maybe we can figure out what is happening to you & eventually come up with a remedy of sorts so that you don't have to worry about going through what you just went through again."
Holodoc did what she could to make Stargazor as comfortable as possible. She hoped that eventually she would be able to figure out what was causing Stargazor to have these episodes he was having & be able to stop them. * * * Stargazor Stargazor looked at Holodoc and softly let out some words: “Watch out”!
He could see a crawlon on the sealing above Holodoc coming closer ready to attack her. Stargazor shoved Holodoc to the side just as the crawlon jumped to attack . It landed on his open palm and he grabbed it. As the crawlon wanted to bite en poison him something strange happened, his hand started glowing as if it reacted to the crawlon. The beast let out a chirping then vaporized and only dust fell trough the fingers of Stargazor’s hand. Holodoc could see everything that happened, just to a point where Stargazor turned and fell exhausted to the floor. Holodoc knelt down next to him and held him in her arms for a moment. None of the other medics dared to even come closer to Stargazor, yet Holodoc new she was safe. That he would do no harm, to her or to the others. * * * Holodoc Holodoc continued to sit there next to Stargazor & hold him some before she pulled back just enough to look at him. "Stargazor," Holodoc says softly, "thank you for pushing me out of the way of the crawlon. It was brave of you to do such a thing, but it was also dangerous for you could of just as easily been poisoned by the crawlon." Stargazor looked up at Holodoc & replies, "I know, but I had to do something for you have been kind to me."
Holodoc smiled at Stargazor & quietly says, "how about we get you back up onto your bed so that you can get some needed rest." Stargazor slowly nodded & with help from Holodoc he was able to stand & get back onto his bed there in MedLab. Once she got him settled some Holodoc went about in checking Stargazor over some to be sure that the crawlon hadn't done any damage to him. * * * Stargazor Stargazor was watching as Holodoc checked him over. “These creatures why are they on the med. Deck”? “How was i able to kill it and make it into dust”? “What’s going on with me”!
Holodoc looked up at Stargazor and said “I don’t know how you killed it, but i do know the whole ship is infested with them”! “There’s no cure against their poison”!
Stargazor looked at his hand and turned it a little.
“If there’s more of these creatures in the med. Lab you won’t be safe”!
(With this smile on her face) Holodoc said “Well, if there’s another of these things crawling here i just shout for you”! “I’m going to scan you’re hands now”, “So we can figure out, how you killed this bug”!
Holodoc placed a device over Stargazor’s hands and activated the device.
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