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Post by LucianG on Apr 25, 2005 5:11:59 GMT -6
<Lucian>
Aboard the Callisto, the work crew had succeeded in moving the first shipment of the heavy reinforcing members to the former storage room. MasterWelder Velaan worked with the Callisto crewmembers readying the lifts to place the first horizontal section in place against the bulkhead. The thumping sounds of Lifts 1, 2, and 4, was offset by the sharper popping sound emanating from Lift 3. He again approached the Callisto mechanic, Gataren, who seemed to know the equipment best.
Gataren’s check showed that the device was working perfectly, again, for the third time. The horizontal beam began its long, slow ascent, with the noise building. Velaan wiped his brow. This was going to be another hot, noisy job! Of course, for a MasterWelder, what job was not hot and noisy?
* * *
On the other side of the bulkhead in Gold Squadron headquarters, the noise was keeping the off-duty Second Shift warriors awake. Several placed calls to Lt. Amy. A couple threatened to call Captain Brie if something wasn’t done to end the noise.
* * *
Lt. Colonel Charybdis looked over the priority response received from the Galactica, and those from Forge Ships Alpha, Beta, and Gamma. The duridium situation was worse than expected. Gamma had been out for over a secton, but its message was still stuck in its own communications room, waiting to be sent to Fleet Command. Beta initially reported it was “scraping the bottom of the third to last barrel,” but that they would be glad to forward a canister to each of the other forge ships. A second message a few moments later dashed that plan, as it had been discovered that the other canisters were computer data entry errors. Viper production would end with exhaustion of the current durasteel alloy supply. A total of five new Vipers would be available in the coming sectons. Let’s hope that will be enough, he thought. May the Lords protect us!
He turned away from the screen, and headed across the bridge. Commander Sheba would not be happy about this.
* * *
Ensign Kuroiryu’s reflexes were all that kept him from ending up in Sick Bay. The creak from the front, corner dolly transporting the center section of the large horizontal beam lead him to turn and jump sideways as the front wheel shot out from under the beam! The resulting bangs (the sharp sound of the wheel initially hitting the corridor wall and ricocheting down hall and the duller clang of the beam hitting the floor after the collapse of the dolly) were heard over the entire pod. Crewmembers were immediately dispatched to locate jacks and additional dollies. Ensign Kuroiryu suddenly understood Lt. Lucian’s order about wearing the hard hats. Anyone have knee and lower leg protection?
* * *
The shuttle maintenance crew’s memo to Lt. Titon was not kind. Some nutcake had plasma welded those durasteel monstrosities to the floor of not one, but two shuttles. Burning off the welds had done additional damage. Lt. Lucian’s memo had said that repairs could proceed on Shuttle Two, but Shuttle One was to remain in its current condition for upcoming use in transporting the bulkhead plate to the forge ship. More damage! Lt. Titon’s presence was requested in the shuttle bay to put an end to this nonsense!
* * *
Thump thump pop thump. Thump thump pop thump. Thump thump pop thump.
The lifts continued their slow work up the wall.
* * *
Thump Thump PoP Thump. Thump Thump PoP Thump. Thump Thump PoP Thump.
Gataren breathed a sigh of relief. The first beam was now in position. The MasterWelders were starting their welding. Portalift three was definitely going to be serviced prior to lifting beam number two. His research had confirmed that there were no other portalifts on the Callisto capable of lifting the work into place. It would be in good condition again prior to the start of the second lift.
* * *
Lt. Amy was starting to worry. The noise was going to continue past the end of first shift. The positioning operation had taken longer than planned due to problems with one of the lifts. Hopefully, the welding operation would be complete prior to the time the First Shift Warriors arrived for bed. Otherwise, the Lt. Colonel might have to share his quarters during his sleep cycle as well. Not good, she decided. It was time to check other options.
<Joey>
Captain Joey ran into Lt. Titon as she walked down the corridor. “Titon,” she said, “my communicator on my Viper has malfunctioned. Will you please check it out for me? I am waaaay behind on the latest news.” As she walked away, thinking of welcoming the new recruits and ensigns, she muttered, “Man, one week in sick bay and you lose all track of your squadron!”
<Titon>
Lt. Titon called out as Captain Joey walked away, “I'll get someone right on that Captain. Good to see you back. How is your health?”
When she nodded, he said with a smile, “Good to see you again, Captain.”
<Charybdis>
On hearing that Captain Joey had returned to duty, Lt. Col. Charybdis sent Captain Joey a message. “Glad to see you're back from sick bay, Captain Joey. I expect to see your duty rosters and assignments for the next cycle immediately.
Fun is over!!”
<Amy>
Lt. Amy paused for a long deep breath, leaning against the bulkhead. She looked upward just in time to get a settling of dust in her face. She shook her head to get the fine debris out of her hair. What was going on?! Ensign Najinn stood nearby, fearful of saying anything that would release the anger written on the Lt's face.
"I understood it to be first shift work only", Lt. Amy grumbled. Najinn wasn't sure if the words were directed at him, so he said nothing. "They are in there, pounding away, and I haven't gotten the room cleared yet! And where's my second volunteer?" She shot Najinn an icy glance, and the helpless ensign just shrugged. "And why the hell are these... idiots not in the Lt. Colonel's quarters or staying in Black Squadron LIKE I ORDERED THEM TO!", the last being yelled in the general direction of the last warriors who had complained about the noise. "GRRRRR", she rumbled. Why did Colonial Warriors have so much trouble following orders? It was all Pyramid and Vipers to them, it seemed. And those engineers! They marched around like they owned the place!
"Stay here, Najinn," Lt. Amy ordered, "and.... keep an eye on things. My first assignment and I'll be damned if I screw it up!" This wasn't what I pictured when I answered that old recruitment video featuring Omega, Amy thought bitterly.
"Where will you be, Lt?" Najinn asked.
"I've got to find Brie, or Lucian, and find out what's going on. If I don't get some support down here, I'm gonna go supernova!" With that, Amy walked out, muttering to herself. Najinn thought he heard her saying something about preferring to be in a Viper or something, but he couldn't hear much with all the noise. As he looked away from Lt. Amy, he could see two weary looking off-duty second shift Warriors headed his way. They didn't look happy.
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Post by LucianG on Apr 25, 2005 5:12:38 GMT -6
<Najinn>
“For the Lords of Kobol’s sake, what have I let myself in for,” Najinn was thinking out loud. Thinking out loud was okay, as long as no one heard you, especially Lt. Amy considering the mood she was in. Fitting into his new surroundings was proving very difficult, especially if Lt. Amy had such a short fuse. Najinn thought give me a lecture theatre and a group of students any day.
Lt. Amy had left him watching over the noisy disruptive work. To be honest right now, Najinn would give anything to be in a Viper on patrol, the only place he thought he could get peace and quiet. He had been putting in as many centars as he could on the simulator, and he had logged around 15 centars flight time since signing up, but he knew he was green, and it grated him. Anyway, he thought back to the job, better get things right or Lt. Amy would tear him a strip a parsec wide.
The two second shift warriors approached him, looking less than enthused.
<Lucian>
It was well into second shift before the beam was anchored well enough to remove the portalifts and call it quits for the cycle. Lt. Lucian stood with hands on his hips, grimfaced at the delays. The folder in his hands held the various pieces of bad news.
First, the so-so news: Gataren had confirmed that there was not a replacement portalift on the Callisto. Of the several others in the fleet, it would be at least three cycles before one was available, without Commander Sheba doing some serious arm-twisting; however, the part that moved it from bad to just "so-so" category was that the mechanic and his crew had pledged to work straight through until portalift three was overhauled and completely repaired. Maybe a new one would not be needed.
Second, the bad news: The lifting process had gone so slowly due to the problems keeping the lifts balanced that the MasterWelders would require at least half of the next work shift to complete the attachment of the first member to the bulkhead. That meant that lifting of the second section, even at the design speed, would keep the MasterWelders from finishing the temporary attachment until at least one centar into second shift. Due to the long-duration stress on the portalifts hydraulic systems, leaving them in place as temporary supports for the member could not be an option. And there were four more pieces to go!
Then, too, Lt. Amy was already taking flack for the noise. Hopefully, she had her ensigns looking for an alternative temporary quarters for the tired Gold Squadron Warriors. Maybe one of the rec rooms could be appropriated for a few cycles until the work was done. Of course, noise in the rec rooms was always a problem, from other rec rooms and from the engines. Lucian felt sorry for the younger lieutenant, but he didn't have a solution for her, other than getting the work done as quickly as possible.
Third, the worse news: Ensign Conan had reported quality control problems in production. The memo that Lucian had received was pretty vague, but it did not give a Warrior the sense of happiness that one typically felt with the fighting equipment. Fortunately, Lucian had checked and doublechecked the test results for this equipment, and everything had been almost identical to specified requirements. There would be not problem with this work, anyway. Lt. Titon would probably assign him to look into this after this work was completed, IF Titon hadn't already gotten to the bottom of the issue.
Finally, the worst news of the day: Lt. Colonel Charybdis had copied him on Ensign BatGal's report of a shortage of duridium, and a follow up note that there was almost none left in the fleet. Without duridium, Viper production, quality or not, would quickly grind to a halt. If the Cylons were to attack in by surprise in force, the fleet could be helpless in short order, no matter how well the Warriors were trained.
Something nagged at Lucian as he exited the now quiet room. He remembered something in the durasteel alloy specification about duridium. A short time later, the Engineering Office was again silent, with a memo on the way to the Lt. Colonel, Lt. Titon, and the Science Department. Maybe Lt. Cain or one of the guys in Science would know something about that spectral analysis enhancement reference. At the end of a long, long shift, Lucian was off to the firing range for some practice. That new Mark 2 laser sight attached to his laser blaster had been "calling" to him for days. Despite the late centar, a little practice might be just the thing to help him relax.
* * *
Less than a centar later, Lt. Lucian quietly climbed into his bunk in Black Squadron's barracks. He was careful not to disturb the other sleepers in the now crowded room. Lucian had two thoughts as he drifted off to sleep.
Mark 2 was one sweet targeting system in comparison to the older Mark 1. Sweet was the word!
His efforts to fill the empty bunks in Black Squadron were at least temporarily successful. Unfortunately, the new warriors in the room belonged to the wrong squadron! Back to the drawing board for that one.
<Charybdis>
The order read simply:
Cpt. Brie, report to the bridge immediately!!!! By order of the Commander.
Lt. Col. Charybdis Liason to Cmdr. Sheba
<Brie>
Captain Brie arrived a few centons later, and said, “Captain Brie, reporting, Sir!”
Following her briefing, she issued the following to Gold Squadron:
Ensign Trenton…Report to Lt. Amy immediately. She will tell you what to do.
I apologize to Lt. Amy. I had promised her two ensigns to help with her work. Ensigns Najinn and Conan both volunteered, but Conan was unable to help since he had been assigned shuttle duty. I realize that the workload has been difficult on Lt. Amy. I hope that ALL of Gold Squadron will be helpful and respectful towards her.
Captain Brie
<Amy>
Lt. Amy was walking down the deserted corridor when she suddenly stopped. She leaned against the wall, running her hands through her hair, trying to collect herself. Things had not been going well for her, professionally and personally. The talk with Captain Brie had helped a lot—a second volunteer, Ensign Trenton, was on the way. The Captain's advice for Amy was very welcome, and had helped give Amy some perspectives for her personal troubles.
Wiping her eyes, she sighed. This was altogether unlike her, and she knew it. She especially felt bad for Ensign Najinn, who had done nothing at all to incur her wrath. She promised to put the Ensign at ease when she returned. She recalled his look of mortal terror when he was speaking to her, and it made her smile. Oops, she thought, I've really got to get myself together! She also needed to make amends with the Warriors who had heard her calling them idiots above the noise—that was just unbecoming of her to do that. Uncharacteristic too, and that really bothered her.
As she approached Najinn, she could see him handling two unhappy warriors very diplomatically. Najinn was a good warrior and she was happy to have his help. From behind him she could see Ensign Trenton approaching. Great! Maybe she could handle this after all. Putting on a pleasant expression, she walked up to join Najinn's discussion, hoping that her face did not betray the conflicting emotions that were bottled up inside her.
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Post by LucianG on Apr 25, 2005 5:19:19 GMT -6
<Najinn>
“What the freggin hell is all this noise,” The warrior screamed at Najinn.
“You come back off shift and for crying out loud you have to put up with this mess, how the hell are we meant to protect the fleet without some rest and quiet!” The second Warrior was just as vocal.
“You, you Ensign, you’re new round here, just what are you doing?”
Najinn thought, counted to ten and then replied, “I’m overseeing the moving of possessions from Gold’s Quarters while these engineers expand the space for new recruits. Lt. Amy has ordered the move completed as soon as possible.”
“What! New recruits? Not more greenies, all we need is more greenies! Like you hey, what has Core Command suddenly raised the recruitment age? We usually get them a lot younger than you.”
His partner agreed, “Yeh, you seem a bit old for this job. Just remember your place okay, and don’t think you waltz in here and start creeping around the Lieutenant.”
Najinn had stood there and taken this barrage, but even he had a limit.
“OK, now you two have every right to complain, but get this straight and get it clear—I am no old hack, I am not your punch bag, and you had better shape up. I have been given a job to do and you two have just volunteered to help me.”
The first Warrior was less than impressed, but before be could butt in, Najinn cut him off, “And lets get one thing very straight, I might be new around here, but I was teaching warriors how to tie their boot laces long before you ever donned that uniform. And I recognize you two, yeah, I failed you both last year in my Security and Strategy class back on the Galactica. So you can both stop preaching and get to working.”
The warriors didn’t really know what to say. Rather shell shocked, they moved into the room and began to pack stuff and move it. With arms full, they moved out of Gold's Quarters into the corridor.
Najinn began packing his own locker. He didn’t bring much from the Galactica, but memories, oh memories. He took his family picture down from the top shelf, he sighed. His mind wandered, how he missed his family.
He saw himself standing on the hill, overlooking Leora’s capital city. It was a late summer’s evening, the sun catching the skyscrapers and pyramids of the city center. From his house on the hill overlooking the city he could see the festivities as lights and lasers lit up the dusk horizon.
He saw the shuttles flying around over the city, and it wasn’t until the first almighty explosion did he realize, they weren’t shuttles. He panicked—they weren’t shuttles! The lasers became flames as they torched skyscraper after pyramid. It was as if hell itself had opened. The little ships, hundreds of them ranged over the city high into the dusk sky. The city in flames, the screams, the fires, the explosions….
He remembered his father grabbing him and bundling him, his sister and mother into the shuttlecar. He remembered speeding down the track, as the screech of a Raider flying overhead and letting loose its deadly rain set his home alight. His father drove, his mother wept, and he in a state of shock sat trying to understand.
His father realized that he couldn’t go into the city, couldn’t reach the space port. The base, the Colonial base 5 clicks south of his home, that was their best hope. He remembered the Vipers flying over his house on regular basis from the facility to the south, were where they now?
As they approached the gatehouse, all that remained was a burnt crater, the fence ripped apart. His father drove through the gap, through the debris, the bodies, the remains. He remembered a tall, dark Warrior, stopping his father and asking them to get out of the shuttle. He remembered this Warrior’s long arms lifting him out of the back seat. Ordering him and his family towards three shuttles on the far side of the landing pad. Other people, warriors, families, workers—all were trying to get to these shuttles.
He remembered the screams of “Incoming”, as an explosion rocked him off his feet, everyone jumping to the ground. Screams, moans, and shouts of “Move, keep moving.” He remembered the tall Warrior picking him up, running with him towards the shuttle, handing him to the people boarding. He remembered looking back seeing the laser fire on the far side of the compound at the entrance, which only a few moments ago his father had driven through. Warriors fighting, fighting with what could he see—Cylons! Their metallic bodies glistened in the half light. Warriors were trying to hold them off, but they were like a swarm of locusts, all over them. Desperate hand to hand fighting ensued, as screams of the wounded, shot while lying on the ground, echoed in his ears. He remembered his father pulling him into the shuttle, his mother screaming, the doors closing. His sister! Where was his sister? He looked out of the window and saw her in the crater, lying next to the tall dark warrior. Lying lifeless. Dead.
The shuttle lifted off, the ground got smaller. The light dimmed, as the night sky became the black of space….
Deep in his memories, the light flickered near him, the sparks from the MasterWelders in the Quarters. He gathered himself, composed himself, stood up and moved into the corridor. The two Warriors stood waiting for him. Their mood was a lot friendlier.
Najinn caught sight of Lt. Amy, leaning against the bulkhead. He saw her face, her emotion. Luckily the others had their backs to her, so they hadn't seen her emotion. He thought should he say something, should he ask if she was alright? Of course she wasn’t alright you fool, he thought, she’s in tears. She stood up, composed herself, and began walking towards him. Her eyes were red. She saw that Najinn had noticed her state. Najinn thought to take her mind off her worries and back to the job.
“Lieutenant, the work is progressing, and we have got two new volunteers. The work should be done soon. What do you want me do next, continue moving stuff?”
Behind him, Ensign Trenton joined the little group.
<Lucian>
Second shift was almost over as Mechanic Gataren nodded in approval, declaring portalift three operational. A few centons later, the work crew arrived. Ensign Kuroiryu's group had reinforcing beam number 2 ready to be wheeled into place, so the work began immediately. The portalifts were carefully positioned along the beams length, based on the locations provided in Lt. Lucian's drawings.
Gataren smiled when he heard the lifts started operating. The gentle thump thump thump thump, thump thump thump thump, sounded perfect. A quick review of gauges and seals showed that everything was working well. One of the Callisto's other mechanics took over the job of monitoring the portalifts, and Gataren and his tired crew trudged toward their respective bunks for some much needed sleep.
* * *
The noise, while of somewhat lower frequency than that of the previous work shift, was still loud. A short time into the lifting operation, the last Gold Squardon stalwarts in the barracks gave up their determination to stick it out. As a group, they left the barracks in search of Lt. Amy.
* * *
In the Science Office, Science Officer Solon was again examining the available fragments of Cylon program code that had been recovered over the yahrens. Solon was well over 80 yahrens old, and he had worked on the puzzle periodically for most of his adult life. Someday, the Colonial forces would discover a way to reprogram the Cylons, to change their unwavering desire to destroy humankind.
Until then, Solon knew that he would keep working on the problem. Until then, the fleet would never be safe.
* * *
Thump thump thump thump, thump thump thump thump. The portalifts continued their work.
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Post by LucianG on Apr 25, 2005 5:20:09 GMT -6
<Lucian> At the next desk, Lt. Cain reread the memo, searched the database, and found the reference. A few centons later, he was learning all he had never cared to learn before about enhanced spectral analysis. The needed equipment was available aboard the Callisto. If the duridium was there, the Callisto could find it.
A short time later, a frown crossed Cain's face. He was disappointed to see that the effectiveness of the enhanced analysis was inversely proportional to the square of the distance. If it is going to be done the right way, he thought, it's going to have to be up close and personal. A shuttle...or maybe...a quick calculation showed that the equipment could indeed be mounted on a Viper, IF the laser generators were removed. Cain closed the book and went in search of Lt. Colonel Charybdis.
* * *
Thump thump thump thump, thump thump thump thump. The beam was half way up the wall.
* * *
Three centars into First Shift, Sick Bay saw the first major activity in several cycles. An injured crewman was carried into the emergency room, suffering from a broken lower leg. One of his fellow crewman said he had taken a tumble off of the platform while checking piping control systems.
Doc Bkj buzzed Nurse Holodoc, who came running to help.
* * *
Ensigns BatGal and Conan were each enjoying their cycle off duty. Both would start their new assignments shortly.
* * *
Thump thump thump thump, thump thump thu-op thump, thump thump pop thump. Mechanic Gataren was out of his bunk immediately on receiving the call. He began to sprint toward the annex.
* * *
<Cain>
“When you remove the laser gens…you’re unarmed!” exclaimed the mechanic.
Where have I heard that before? thought Lt. Cain. He reported to the bridge, “The mechanics stand ready to modify my Viper. I do think it wise to have a few ARMED Vipers escort my team. The Ionic gas will hide any scans of approaching vessels.”
A short time later, he reported, “Ready to launch when ready Captain (gulp).”
<Lucian>
It had been surprisingly easy. The laser generators were quickly removed from a Viper in for service, so Lt. Cain had quickly appropriated it, and had the equipment mounted. Several centars later, he was on his way back to the Callisto, followed by his escort. A supply of duridium ore was located in the last place he'd looked, of course, but fortunately the last place today was only the second place he'd searched. The scrambled signal to the Callisto had told the tale. Now, Landing Bay Alpha loomed just ahead.
* * *
In the annex, the MasterWelders were nearing completion of the attachment of the first beam to the bulkhead, as the second beam got closer and closer to it's required position. Mechanic Gataren had assured Lt. Lucian that portalift number 3 was indeed working within specifications despite the popping noise it made on each lift cycle. The rate of lifting had been cut in half, but things were still going much more smoothly than during the first cycle of construction. At this rate, the welders would have the beam temporarily secured no more that 2 centars into second shift. And Gataren and crew would spend another shift overhauling portalift 3. Lucian added a note on the work order for the other lifts to be checked as well. No reason to neglect the other portalifts just because one was a squeaky wheel demanding lube graphite.
<Charybdis>
To Captain Brie, Lt. Colonel Charybdis sent the following communiqué:
I have had a long talk with Commander Sheba. With Lt. Cain's help and his expertise in spectral analysis scanning procedures, we have determined that there is a supply of raw ore that is heavily laced with duridium. It is located on the fourth planet in the system we are currently passing.
Given our dire predicament with running out of the element, the Commander has decided that it would be in our best interests to send a detachment to the planet to collect as much of the ore as possible.
The scanners are still giving us trouble due to the gas cloud in the area, and to make things worse, the atmosphere of the planet seems to be rather hostile. Accu-Scan computes large areas of lethal gas pockets and electrical discharges in the atmosphere. Due to the gaseous content of the planet, tremendous heat and pressures are to be expected on the surface.
This is a VERY DANGEROUS mission. However, we see no other alternative.
Since Gold Squadron has the most Warriors right now, I want you to select a crack team of Warriors well experienced in heat and gas environments and mining operations. They will take one of the shuttles to the planet's surface to collect the ore.
Also, I want four pilots to fly escort in Vipers. I will expect a complete listing of the mission roster by next cycle.
Lt. Col. Charybdis
Speaking to Captain Joey, Lt. Colonel Charybdis said, "Since Gold Squadron will be preparing for the mission, I need you to supply the patrol pilots that will take the place of Gold Squadron pilots.”
”Black Squadron will begin their patrols beginning tomorrow. Make sure they get their needed rest. They're going to need it!!”
<Amy>
Ensign Trenton had proved to be a very resourceful warrior indeed, Lt. Amy thought with much relief and satisfaction.
With Najinn and herself, the problems in the Gold Squadron barracks had been resolved, at least for the day. It was a tricky thing, a lot more difficult than it appeared, relocating pilots with longstanding superstitions about their daily routines, Warriors with an incredible amount of stuff tucked into the small areas they called their own, cocky Warriors with many yahrens of service chafing at having to listen to a young female officer....
Off duty at last, Lt. Amy was enjoying an ambrosia with Ensign Najinn. Ensign Trenton was still on duty, and Amy was glad to know that she could relax, confident that nothing could spoil a moment's peace. Najinn was silent mostly, and he seemed lost in his own world somewhere. Amy was hesitant to break his meditation, but was eager to keep away from lapsing into one of her own. Things in her own private world were a hellish mix of decisions and priorities, of what she wanted and of what she was compelled to do, and she hated the way it all tugged at the edges of her mind, darting in and out.....like little demons.
"Najinn?", she said, softly as to not startle him. He took a long drink from his mug, using the time to collect himself, Amy could tell. "Yeah", he said, with little decorum, but after working together all day, that was okay.
Amy realized that she had nothing much to say. She was hoping Najinn would say more, to help her keep the demons away. She watching him studying her face intently, perhaps looking for what she hoped was hidden from her expression. "Hell of a day, Lt.", he said.
"Yeah," Amy replied. "If I was a bit of a bear today..."
"No problem. You said it before. Forget about it. Just because we aren't flying Vipers in combat doesn't mean we aren't doing tough duties. Tempers flare—it's only natural." Najinn didn't smile, but he looked less somber. He needed his demons kept at bay, too.
"I'd rather be in a Viper", Amy replied. "Beats this. And it's been a while for me."
"Me too," Najinn replied. He drained the rest of his ambrosia.
Amy did the same, and they both stood up together. "I guess we should call it a night," she said. "Thanks for all your help today, Najinn." They walked into the corridor together.
He turned right, then stopped. "Oops" he said, "Wrong way! I forgot I'm shacking in Black Squad! Think I'd remember after all that felgercarb we put up with today!" He headed down the corridor and was soon out of sight.
It hit Amy moments later- in all the confusion of the day, she had forgotten to move her own gear! "Frack!" she shouted in disgust at herself. With nowhere else to go, she turned back around ordered herself another ambrosia. With the full mug, Lt. Amy sat down at a table in the corner, and her demons began to gather around her. Perfect, she thought bitterly. The perfect end to a perfect day.
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Post by LucianG on Apr 25, 2005 5:20:46 GMT -6
<Brie>
"This is a very dangerous mission."
The words echoed through Captain Brie's head. She almost smiled at the irony. Was there any other kind of mission? Her thoughts drifted to her husband, who had disappeared yahrens earlier on a routine patrol. She pushed the thought out of her head as she stared at the screen in front of her. She was to assemble an expert team for this "very dangerous mission."
Brie would have liked to have gone on the mission herself. But she knew that others were more qualified for this particular team. She needed to send her second-in-command, Lt. Cain. She was also planning on assigning Lt. SiressEden, who was unofficially third-in-command. With those two gone, someone had to stay behind with the squadron. So many of them were so young...
After careful consideration Brie chose the warriors whose lives she would be risking. She set out to find them, to inform them of their upcoming mission. With all the changes in quarters it might be hard to track them all down.
* * *
"Just two left to find," Brie thought. She peeked into the Officer's Club. She saw Lt. Amy sitting at a table with Ensign Najinn. Brie decided to sneak out. She felt bad for Amy. She knew that it hard been a long, hard day. But she also needed to know if Amy could handle it. Brie had thought for a long time that Amy was potential leadership material, and it was time to she how she would hold up. "Especially," Brie muttered to herself, "with Cain and Eden both leaving on another 'very dangerous mission.'" She wondered if maybe it was too soon for Amy. She knew that people were talking behind her back. Amy and Brie had become friends instantly, even before Amy had enlisted. It wasn't favoratism, though. Brie really believed in Amy's abilities, even wondered if Amy would someday be the new Captain of Gold Squadron. That was a long way off, though. Brie wasn't planning on moving to the bridge anytime soon.
With a sigh, Brie left to find the last two warrior's for the mission.
A short time later, she replied to the Lt. Colonel’s orders:
I have chosen the following team for the mission. Leading and in charge of the whole operation will be Lt. Cain. He can either ride in the shuttle or fly his own Viper, his choice. The shuttle team will consist of Lts. Mossycat, Deke, Starbow, Silverstar and Krissy.
Lt. SiressEden will be in charge of the viper escort. She will be accompanied by Lts. Tracy, Ben, and Wackbag.
<Charybdis>
A bevy of orders shot out via the Lt. Colonel’s messaging service: How soon will Lt. Cain's shuttle be fitted for the mission? We must begin a workable timetable in order to plan the mission from start to end. We have to know what we are dealing with and how best to accomplish the task at hand. Capt. Brie, you are to take personal responsibility for getting the team ready to go. Let me know as soon as all the prep work is done.
The Commander wants to meet with all members of the Mining Mission as soon as we have confirmation from Viper tech station. Also, make sure the pressure suits are tested and checked prior to loading them onto the shuttle. If one of those fails, we can kiss that Warrior goodbye.
Capt. Brie, please meet and brief the small team of miners who will be going along to do the extraction of the duridium. They must know what is to be expected of them.
Finally, since Lt. Amy is coordinating this rather strange request to have Warriors bunking in MY quarters for a while, I need to talk with her about this situation. Lt. Amy, please report to my quarters during your off-cycle.
Lt. Col. Charybdis
<Amy>
Lt. Amy was on her third ambrosia when she heard of the roster of warriors that would be flying on the mining mission. It was with great disappointment that Amy learned that she wasn't on the list. She was really hoping for some flight time, to leave the ship, and hopefully her demons, behind for a while. Briefly she thought of Najinn- he would be disappointed too. He had logged a lot of simulator time recently, and he too hoped to fly a mission soon.
It was late, and Amy was tired, but she had nowhere to go except back to the deserted Gold barracks, since she had made no arrangements for herself while relocating the other warriors from Gold Squadron. Hell, she thought, I'll stay right here. The officer's club wasn't so bad. She propped her head up with her hands, her elbows on the table, and closed her eyes.
She had no idea how long she was asleep when a Warrior gently shook her shoulder. It had been a dreamless sleep—mercifully, none of her troubles intruded upon her rest. Now she looked up, focusing bleary eyes on the warrior before her. "Yes, Ensign?" she asked.
"A call came through, Lieutenant, for you to report to Lt. Colonel Charybdis's quarters," the Ensign replied. Amy thanked him and the Ensign moved off, joining a group at the far side of the room.
Amy felt her spirits lifting. The Lt. Colonel was buried with duties, and she had not been able to see him for several days. Perhaps at last he was free. Amy got up quickly and left the Officer's Club, heading down the hall at a quick pace. The day had been hell, and there was much she wanted Charybdis's attention for.
<Skyler>
“Two more Cylons on my six!!!”
The call cracked across the vipes speakers. Lt Skyler banked his Viper, and kicked the turbos on. He spotted the Warrior making the distress call. Two raiders were closing fast. His targeting computer locked on and he pushed his turbo laser firing button. The red bolts of energy streaked across space and one of the raiders turned into a ball of fire. The second raider continued firing on the Viper in front of him. The Viper went into a dive, the Raider followed, closing fast. Skyler nosed his Viper over to follow. No sooner than he picked up the ships ahead of him then the Viper kicked in its rear thrusters and the Raider blew by. The Warrior reengaged his turbos, and opened fire lighting the heavens with the remains of the raider.
The stars began to fade, and the room lights came back up. Skyler popped the hatch and climbed out of the simulator. He hated that machine when he could be in his viper. The orders had come down, all Pilots had to report for stick time in the sims. At least it was better than trying to sleep in Gold Squadron’s quarters. He didn't mind staying in the Colonel's room, he just wished he was the colonel the room belonged to, and not squeezed in with the rest of Gold Squadron. He considered himself lucky, he had a cot. One poor guy was on the floor.
He decided to go to the Officers Club, maybe he would bump into Captain Brie and she would send him on patrol, or something to get off the ship for a centon.
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