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Post by LucianG on Apr 26, 2005 10:47:20 GMT -6
<Lucian>
Lt. ShebaApollo had pulled her Viper parallel to and within 15 meters of Lt. Tracy's ship. Lt. SiressEden's Viper was just a few meters farther away, on the other side of Tracy. ShebaApollo could see no damage on the exterior of the ship, but the cockpit was dark, with only the lights of Tracy's helmet giving off a faint glow. From what ShebaApollo could see, Tracy was indicating that her controls and comm system were basically dead. At least that was what she assumed the pantomime of operating a control stick, the finger in the side of the helmet, and the imitation of a throat slash meant. Sheba nodded, gave a thumbs up which Tracy acknowledged, and then scooted up and over Tracy to check Lt. Siress Eden's status.
Eden's Viper was lit, but she was tapping the side of her helmet at ear level, indicating another dead comm. ShebaApollo motioned toward herself, then made a clenched fist, and motioned toward Lt. Tracy's Viper. Next, she pointed to Lt. Chewtoy in the rear, then toward SiressEden, and made a quick circular roll with her index finger. Finally, she stabbed her index finger twice in quick succession toward the Callisto. SiressEden nodded in understanding, motioned back toward Tracy, then shot forward toward the Callisto. Lt. Chewtoy quickly moved in on her wing. Lt. ShebaApollo settled in about 10 meters from Tracy's wing, and they continued to fly on together at what seemed to be a snail's pace.
* * *
On the planet, nightfall had come. The ground under the mortally wounded shuttle shook as the mining auger continued its journey toward the ore deposit below. One of the miners, accompanied by a Warrior, had to check the status every 50 centons. Ensign Najinn looked at the latest results. They should be to the level of the duridium seam by first light, another 7 or so centars away, if all went well. Of course, so far, nothing on this mission had. He closed his eyes again, breathing slowly, and thought of other things.
* * *
Aboard the Callisto, Velaan was finishing a very long shift. The MasterWelder was happy with the reinforcing work, which was now to his trained eye, complete. Following approval of the work, the process of cutting the hole in the bulkhead would begin. He was sorry about all the problems aboard the Callisto, but he was glad he and his fellow welder were almost done so they could return to their own ship. One more cycle, he thought. That should just about do it.
* * *
In the landing bay, the Vipers settled perfectly. Immediately, both were decontaminated due to the exposure of Lt. SiressEden's ship to the atmosphere of Shonada Delta. Following the short procedure, the pilots were hustled out of their ships into the waiting decontamination chambers. Lt. Colonel Charybdis was waiting and he immediately escorted SiressEden and Chewtoy to the bridge.
* * *
Commander Sheba now had her information on the status of Lt. Tracy's ship courtesy of Lt. ShebaApollo. She was still waiting for information from Lieutenants Skyler and Ben circling the planet, although only one Viper was still visible on the scanner. The Science Office had reported that the solar flares in conjunction with the electrical storm on the planet could be interfering with communications, but no one was certain. Sheba hoped that the Callisto would be in contact with the Viper patrol any moment.
* * *
In the recreation hall, a number of officers and crewmen were discussing the latest rumor. Electrical surges in the atmosphere had caused the problems with the landing craft and the Vipers. A brainstorming session was underway to figure out a way to help their fellow shipmates escape from the planet. Science Officer Solon sat quietly in the back of the room, listening and thinking.
* * *
Lt. Ben had struggled into his envirosuit, a not too easy task in the confines of the Viper cockpit. He knew that his time was running out, since the storm continued to rage overhead as if it had no intent to ever stop. He seriously doubted that anyone knew exactly where he was. He had to find the shuttle quickly once morning came, else he would be just another permanently lost Warrior. He tried his helmet comm again, but still got nothing in response except static.
<Skyler>
“Lt Skyler to Battlestar Callisto.…
“I am holding over the location I last saw the shuttle. My scanners are not much use due to that soup. I am only picking up storm activity in my current position. I see some lightning activity. Do not know how severe. Maybe if I enter the atmosphere I might be able to pick them up on my scanners....
“Lt. Ben's Viper went in after the shuttle. I lost him on my scanners also; I fear he went down on the planet. I cannot reach Lt. Ben or Lt Cain on the shuttle. The comm system seems to be affected by the storm. I will continue to hold this orbit and try to make contact. Awaiting orders, Skyler out.”
<Brie>
“Lt. Skyler, is that you? You're breaking up. Keep transmitting, and we'll try to get a fix on your position,” Captain Brie said aboard the Callisto.
<Lucian>
Lt. Colonel Charybdis stepped onto the bridge, followed by Lieutenants SiressEden and Chewtoy. Chewtoy had no useful information regarding the situation, so Commander Sheba ordered him to go rest. He would be needed again soon, she was certain. SiressEden, on the other hand, was in for a long interview. Commander Sheba and Lt. Colonel Charybdis seemingly took turns asking questions, with occasional input from Major CureMode. Captain Brie was paged, as was Lt. Titon, who arrived a few centons later. Science Officer Solon had been located by one of the young crewman, and was escorted, ever so slowly, to the bridge to listen to the questions.
The level of ionization in the vaporous atmosphere was a serious problem. The swirling clouds were acting as flexible conductors, sending massive surges of electricity through everything in contact. They had evidently acted as grounds and shorted the hardened communications system aboard Eden's Viper. With her additional input, the bridge officers were forced to conclude that the same thing had happened to Lt. Tracy's Viper, and most likely, to the Shuttle as well. Communications signaled that they were receiving a transmission from the orbiting Viper patrol, and that it would be passed along as soon as it was complete and printed. Commander Sheba thanked SiressEden for her efforts and sticking with her battered comrade. "Options," she decreed, "we need options, and fast." She immediately turned to get the latest news from the planet.
Solon, sitting in the corner, began writing furiously. The Commander had demanded options, and by the Lords, she'd have them!
* * *
The mining crew chief, Azar, had asked Cain to hold off on sending the signal flare, since any unexpected earth movements could destroy the mining operations progress. As the first morning rays of the star, Shonada, were beginning to brighten the horizon, the miners prepared to begin the next stage of the operation, collecting the ore from the seam. The drill had been stopped for a couple of centars on reaching the depth of the vein. Now, he and the crew would begin the process of extracting the ore. Hopefully, by nightfall on the planet, they would be done, and a rescue team from the Callisto would be arriving.
* * *
Several kilometers away on the planet's surface, Lt. Ben, sitting tight in his cockpit, was awakened to what he thought was a strange sound. On a dead planet with a whirling atmosphere and booming thunder, he did not expect to hear regular rhythms, albeit ever so faint. Ben knew that this could be his salvation, if he could follow the sounds to their source. The shuttle must have landed safely, and he believed that it had to be the mining operation only a short distance away. If he could take a couple of bearings, he could triangulate the source, and then it would be a relatively "simple" matter to hike over and say hello and hitch a ride home. If anything on Shonada Delta could be considered "simple."
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Post by LucianG on Apr 26, 2005 10:48:07 GMT -6
In Sick Bay, Doc Bkj completed her examination of the patient. He was fit to return to duty, but was on restricted status for the next cycle. Lt. Lucian thanked the doctor and headed for the annex. Gataren had said that the welders were ready to start cutting the opening in the bulkhead, as soon as the welds were approved. Already being a full cycle behind in the schedule did not bring a happy thought to the lieutenant, and he was determined not to loose another one.
* * *
Ensigns BatGal and Conan777 were ordered to the shuttle simulator again. They would be taking the durasteel bulkhead slab and the welders back to Forge Ship Alpha; however, they had been told by the shuttle operations officer that they could under no circumstances secure the load by "welding it to the *$#@(!&^%* floor again!" This trip would be more difficult if everything could move around. The simulator program modifications were being completed as they reported for practice.
Both ensigns had been happy to get Viper patrols over the last few cycles, although it was only one flight each, and both had flown on the wing of a more experienced pilot, who gave pointers periodically along the way.
* * *
As they watched the scanner and received reports from Lt. ShebaApollo escorting Lt. Tracy, Commander Sheba and Lt. Charybdis huddled to discuss how to bring Tracy aboard. With emergency procedures in place, typically a damaged Viper could be landed without significant incident; however, to bring her in with complete loss of control could be disastrous, for the pilot, the Viper, and the landing bay. The safest route might be to eject the Viper's cockpit unit, which under ordinary circumstances should allow a pilot to survive for up to three cycles; however, in this case, the emergency power appeared to be out or at least in very short supply, so the length of time they would have to retrieve her was not known. Then, too, the Viper would have to be captured and returned aboard ship, which could be a serious effort in its own right, and could potentially lead to more damage than just bringing her in hot. Tracy was scheduled to arrive, one way or the other, in less than two centars.
<Brie>
Captain Brie had just about given up on finding Lt. Amy. "What's she doing, hiding in a closet?" Brie wondered. She wanted to go to the landing bay, but first stopped by the bridge. As she neared the communications station, she heard: "Sk...hel...Callis..." A voice, though distant and breaking up, was coming from SOMEWHERE out there. Brie had a lot of experience in long-range communications, and wanted to see if she could help. "Lt. Skyler, is that you? You're breaking up." Fragments of the voice kept coming. "Try narrow band," Brie suggested to one of the officers on duty. "It might help clear it up."
Just then, Brie heard the page. "Captain Brie, report to Commander Sheba immediately." Brie went off to find her, anxious to add the good news that another pilot, although in trouble, was still alive...for the moment.
<Cain>
The precious ore started to fill the containment cylinders. "YeeeHaaaa" rang out from the internal comm unit. Cain was about to send single shot across the gorge when the mining chief suggested he hold off.
Cain replied, "I respect your decision, but nightfall is coming, if it isn't already."
Mossy snickered, "Yeah? How can you tell?" All smiled.
"What became of Ben?” Cain asked. “We saw his Viper spiraling, it was headed up though. I think he made orbit...I hope he did." Cain again cautioned, “Time, time people, check your suits! No casualties while I'm in command...got it?" One crewman had to return to the shuttle to get sprayed down and have fresh enviro-seal goop (Affectionately called "Titon's Marshmallow Fluff") smeared on again. There was a very limited supply of that on board. Cain had snuck an extra pot of it on just before launch. "Gut Feeling," he thought. The mining continued on schedule, as everyone monitored everyone else. “Soon, very soon. We needed to signal very soon or all may be lost. You can't fire a laser when unconscious.”
<Doc>
With all the activity in Med Lab Doc had finally gotten around to updating her patients' files.
Lucian was returned to duty on restricted status for the nest cycle. Upon last examination every test had read normal and full recovery will take place if the Lieutenant listens and observes some restrictions for a short time.
However, the burn victim was not as fortunate. His eyes had been flushed and bandaged. When the bandages had been removed, the patient was again able to see. However, sight was blurred and the process of applying the eye cream was repeated. The worst of the situation was that his face burns were not responding to treatment. There is no sign of infection. However, it looks as though a skin graft may be necessary when the burns have healed. Antibacterial ointment is still being applied. Ointment and dressing are to be changed frequently while checking for infection. Patient is no longer is severe pain but remains under a slight sedative.
<Ben>
Ben decided that he had to hurry and find the mining site. After taking a few bearings with the damaged scanners, he located the shuttle. It was only a kilometer or so away, luckily, and he could locate it in no time. He tried raising the shuttle on suit to suit communications. “Lt. Cain, this is Lt. Ben. I am down about a kilometer from your position. Anybody home over there?”
Cain's voice crackled through the headset, “Good to hear your voice, Ben. Are you all right?”
Ben said, “I'm fine. I'll be reaching your position in a while. First I have to take care of the ship, though. Get the coffee hot, I'm coming over!” “See you in a while, Ben!” Then Cain signed off.
Ben popped his canopy. Then he holstered a laser pistol and grabbed a sack of solonite charges from the storage compartment to blow up the ship in case of any Cylon patrol that might come by this area in the near future. Lt. Colonel Charybdis wouldn't be too happy if a fleet of Cylon ships suddenly found them. Hurriedly, Ben affixed the charges to the hull of the damaged ship and tossed one inside the canopy. Once he was a safe distance away, he detonated the charges and the ship erupted into a ball of flame. Bye-bye Viper.
Ben set off across the rocky surface to reach the shuttle. He only hoped he would get there in time -- his envirosuit had no special coating and would damage a lot faster than the shuttle crew's. He needed a lot of luck, but time was on his side... <Cain>
There was a tear in the eye of Mossy when contact had been made. Cain was elated! "He made it! Ben, hope you make it here before we set off a ground salute to the Callisto." Cain sat back and laughed. Mossy asked, "Should I go to meet him and lead him back?"
Cain responded, "No, sorry. Our suits are nearly at critical as is. If he's not here within 20 centons...yes, go out after him. He'll be here. I know Ben, he never misses a party."
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Post by LucianG on Apr 26, 2005 10:48:53 GMT -6
<Lucian>
Lt. Ben checked his chrono again. He should have been there by now. He could still hear the mining operation in the distance, but by his estimation, he had traveled at least 2 kilometers, and still had some way to go. Those darned scans must have off due to this noxious atmosphere. His helmet faceplate was getting more frosted by the centon, and he still had some way to go. He flipped the comm back on and let Cain know that it would be a little longer than planned before he arrived.
* * *
On the shuttle, Ensign Najinn was the first to detect it. There had been vibration recorded by the portable scanner since the mining operation had begun, but Najinn was seeing signs that some of this vibration was not due to the mining. The surface of the planet was evidently seismically active. He reported to Lt. Cain, who rolled his eyes and said, "What next? Volcanoes and giant worms? Really, keep an eye on it and let me know if you detect anything major."
* * *
Outside the shuttle, two of the miners, escorted by Lt. Krissy, were switching the auger feed to the next-to-last collection bin. Ten bins had been filled so far, each with almost one cubic meter of rock containing the duridium ore. The miners were struggling with the feed attachment, trying to set it securely in the bin so they could return to the relative safety of the shuttle during the majority of the operation. Torval, the larger of the two miners, clenched the feed tightly, nodded to the other, then suddenly jerked the feed, forcing it into the correct position. As he did so, the much weakened surface of his suit and gloves disintegrated under the pressure, allowing oxygen and liquids to escape in to the atmosphere, and the corrosive gas in! Lt. Krissy, standing a couple of meters back watching the perimeter for Lt. Ben or anything else heard the screams begin and turned to see Torval frantically rubbing the right arm of the suit as it continued to spew gas into the atmosphere. As he rubbed, the disintegration was spreading. Lt. Krissy quickly removed a patch from the sealed pocket of her suit, and was about to attempt to put it on Torval's arm; however, before she could do it, Torval, still screaming in agony, threw himself to the ground ripping at his suit as if he were being attacked by an invisible creature over all parts of his body. Through the frosted faceplate of his helmet, Krissy could see the look of agony on Torval's face. His eyes were bulging and he appeared to be gagging. His screams abruptly ended in a burble of bloody vomit, but his body still twitched. It was all Krissy could do to keep from vomiting herself as she led the other miner back into the shuttle. Shonada Delta had now proven itself to be a very deadly world.
* * *
After getting the report of the miner's death from Lt. Krissy and the terrified surviving miner, Lt. Cain ordered everyone to stay aboard the shuttle. Together, he and Mossycat had rigged an emergency battery to one of the evac fans, and after Lt. Krissy and the miner returned, they prepared to activate it. Ben had still not arrived, but Cain could wait no longer. The atmosphere was sucked out of the shuttle as Mossy slowly, manually, bled breathable air into the cabin. Cain ordered everyone to keep their envirosuit on, but at least this way, their suits weren't being eaten off of them within the shuttle itself.
* * *
Darkness was falling again when Ben approached close enough to see the auger. Evidently, it was malfunctioning since the containment bin was overflowing. Azar came out and Ben helped turn off the equipment. Upon seeing the remains of the dead crewman, Ben quickly and carefully entered the shuttle through the pressurization chamber, to minimize the amount of the toxic atmosphere that would enter the shuttle with him. Azar was right behind. Once inside, there was some serious whooping and shouting, but no one exchanged high fives. A disintegrated glove would do no one any good!
* * *
Above the planet, Lt. Skyler had pulled up a little further above the planet's atmosphere, and had established a steady link with the Callisto. He downloaded all of his scans, and was ordered to sleep with his Viper on autopilot, with continous scans feeding information to the Callisto. Another pair of Warriors would relieve him shortly.
* * *
MEMO
To: Commander Sheba, Lt. Col. Charybdis, Captain Brie, & Lt. Titon From: Science Officer Solon
RE: Requested Options for Rescue of Downed Personnel
Using ideas and input from a number of crew members and the information collected from the various sources to this point, the Science Office has compiled the following for rescuing our downed comrades on Shonada Delta:
Recommended Option:
1. Eliminate the electrical storm in the area of the downed craft by seeding the atmosphere with the proper ions to bond with those currently there. Shuttle (as is) would have to drop almost straight in, pick up the crew and any ore that might have been obtained, and relaunch within less than 30 centons, since atmospheric remixing would soon return the storms to the area. Figuring 8 centons down and 12 back up, we would have 10 centons on the ground. This is based on an estimated radius of seeded area of about 5 kilometers. This will require 3 metric tons of the ions (see attached for formula), which can be gathered from throughout the fleet within 8 centars. It will take 6 Vipers to seed the clouds, with especially fabricated apparatus that can be manufactured from components aboard the Callisto. Fortunately, we still have two MasterWelders aboard who can accomplish this task much more quickly than our regular personnel. This option might allow us to rescue some of any duridium ore as well as our comrades; however, as in all options, the mining equipment would have to be abandoned. Overall, a rescue mission can be underway within approximately 12 centars, with an estimated probability of success of 60 percent.
Other options considered but not recommended:
2. Send in a rescue shuttle as is. Chance of the shuttle safely reaching the planet with the electrical surges recorded by Lt. SiressEden’s Viper appears to be about 25 percent. Chance of the shuttle safely exiting the atmosphere would again be about 25 percent. Overall chance of mission being successful is about 5 to 10 percent.
3. Send in a rescue shuttle with a hardened electrical system. It would take an estimated 3 to 4 cycles to design and construct the required system. Survival of crew on planet for this period is highly unlikely.
4. Send in a rescue shuttle by parachute. Assuming the shuttle lands safely, estimated at 75 percent, the chance of the shuttle safely exiting the atmosphere would again be about 25 percent, giving an overall chance of mission success of about 20 percent.
5. Drop a pair of solid propulsion rescue rockets by parachute. Each could hold up to 6 people, and would have to be manned by a one person crew during the descent. Chance of successful landing is about 75 percent per rocket, and chance of successful launch is about 90 percent per rocket. Overall chance of rescuing all crew members is almost 50 percent. Craft could be ready in two to three cycles using existing missile technology. Any duridium ore would most likely have to be abandoned.
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Post by LucianG on Apr 26, 2005 10:49:50 GMT -6
<Amy>
Lt. Amy knew before she got close to Gold barracks that it wasn't the place to go for rest. Work continued there, and Amy shook her head at forgetting about that. After considering Black Squad, she decided to go to Lt. Colonel Charybdis's quarters. He would be out, and current arrangements had left no warriors quartered there. The privacy would do her good, and she had a good chance to see him when he returned.
Reaching the quarters, Amy glanced around. With no one around, she punched in the Lt. Colonel's code and went inside. She had never been here alone before, and it felt strange to her. She had a brief smile at the thought of looking for the fabled secret stash of good laundry soap, but the idea faded quickly. Amy went to the sofa and got as comfortable as she could. She closed her eyes and as soon in an uneasy sleep.
* * *
Amy's eyes flew wide open at the sound of a voice! Najinn? It sounded like Najinn! He was there, though his features were softened, faded. His voice was like an echo.
"Don't you care?" he demanded to know.
Another figure appeared. It stepped in front of Najinn, and Amy could see it was Charybdis!
"Don't you CARE?" he questioned, even louder than Najinn had done. His face was stone, his eyes flared at her.
Amy's eyes flashed as she caught a third person's presence in the corner of the room. Though her appearance was distorted somehow, Amy could tell that it was her very good friend, Captain Brie.
"Amy!" she called. "Where are you?" Then she looked right at Amy with a cold look that sent a chill through her bones. "I know where you've been," she said icily.
* * *
Amy awoke with a start. The room was empty. Geez, she thought. What a dream! As she thought back on it, she saw that nearly all of her anxieties were wrapped up in those statements. She got up and looked at herself in the mirror. "Man, you look like Hades," she said to the tired looking warrior in the mirror.
Somehow, the sleep had done Amy some good. She felt better, but decided it was better not to stay in Charybdis's quarters. She opened the door, and after a quick glance around, she left. She needed a good cold shower.
"Of course I care, Najinn," Amy thought. "And you Charybdis." She still chilled at what Brie had said in her dream. There was more to that than appeared on the surface, Amy knew too well. She prayed it wasn't true.
<Skyler>
“Lt Skyler to Captain Brie. I have received your orders. I am holding position above the last known shuttle position. I thought I saw a bright flash from the surface, like a explosion, but it could have been lighting. I marked the position on the recon scans, and will transmit it with the next batch of scans.
“Awaiting further orders...Skyler out.” Skyler transmitted the latest scans back to the Callisto. Somewhere below were good friends of his. People he had trained with, flown into battle with, and now they were on this planet, and he couldn't get to them. The urge to nose his Viper over, and look for them was strong. He felt so helpless holding high orbit, but he knew from their first attempt to enter the atmosphere, and the reports he received from the Callisto, his Viper stood no chance of making it down in one piece. He tried to get some sleep, but his thoughts kept him awake, not wanting to rest while his friends suffered below. His eyes darted from point to point, hoping for some sign from the Warriors on the planet....
<Najinn>
You know that feeling, that feeling you get when your are excited, nervous, and anxious, anticipating the most frantic, most challenging of experiences. That was how Najinn felt right now.
Stood on the surface of this hellish planet, Najinn was overseeing the mining operation. The shuttle had crash-landed, it was one hell of an introduction to Callisto away missions. In fact it reminded him of chaos and extremes of serving aboard the Aggi.
The mining was progressing well. The team had drilled down to the seam and was preparing to extract the ore. Najinn surveyed the seam and identified precisely were the miners needed to place their equipment. He was glad that things were progressing so well, so quickly, since he knew that time was of the essence.
He left the miners drilling the seam and returned with his sensor information to the shuttle. He wanted to make sure of the geology of the ground. If it was as unstable as he had earlier identified, then they would have to be very careful.
At the shuttle, Lt Cain was busy looking over the shuttle’s hull, since both he and Lt. Mossy were concerned about the hull’s integrity after the crash. They knew that if they couldn’t take off, the shuttle would be the team’s only shelter, their only chance of survival.
Back in the shuttle, Najinn uploaded his sensor information and began to carefully analyze the results. As he pondered the figures and statistics, his face became more and more anxious.
“Najinn, what’s up?” asked Lt Mossy, coming through the airlock.
“The planet is more unstable than we thought, than I thought. Look.” He showed Mossy the data. “The planet’s core has a tendency to produce fast moving magma flows through the unstable surface crust. If we fire the lasers, we are more likely to blow ourselves to pieces before reaching a safe altitude. We’re going to have to plant explosives rather than risk an uncontrolled laser blast. And the mining had better keep going slowly; if they so much as drift off course then they could set off a dangerous flow, and with this atmosphere—well you can guess the rest. Also, I have looked at the hull data and suit data. We are running out of time. I have some ideas about the hull, but the suits—that’s something I can do nothing about.”
“Okay, Ensign. I’ll inform the mining crew of the situation and take personal control of their drilling. You get this shuttle secure. We’ll have to take shifts at mining.” Lt. Mossy again went back into the air lock, and left the shuttle, first to inform Lt. Cain of Najinn’s findings, and then to inform the miners.
Najinn went into the engine room of the shuttle, he spent some time searching for various parts and circuit boards. When he had assembled the various pieces of equipment, he began to construct his idea.
Lt. Cain entered the shuttle, “Ensign, what are you doing?”
“Sir, I thought, the suits are running out of time, and the shuttle will be our only refuge until we can try your escape plan. Sir, I thought what if we could set up some kind of force field, like that we have round the Brig back on the Callisto. It’s a low energy field that would repel the most harmful elements of the atmosphere. We could set it up and encase the ship in a bubble. Like a kind of bio-dome. We could use the ships reserve batteries. If we don’t do something, the hull will be compromised.”
“Najinn, we aren’t going to be spending any longer than we have to on this rock. As soon as the ore containers are filled, I intend to get us out of here. Mossy told me about your geological data; if we have to use charges then so be it, but if we can’t, if we have to, I will use the laser.”
“Sir, the mining operation will have to go slow to succeed, our suits are degrading quickly, and we need to buy ourselves time. I honestly believe this energy field could do just that. But, Sir, if a seam breaks and we face a full magma flow—well, you know what that will mean.”
“Yes, Ensign I understand. Get that field working, and pray that we can get off this rock soon.” Cain went up to the cockpit.
Najinn started piecing the various bits of equipment together. He thought. I am not going to get stuck here. I am not going to die here. He thought of Lt. Amy, and he was going to make it back. She was the only person he had reached out to since the Aggi had found the Galactica all those years ago. He didn’t really know her well, he didn’t really feel he knew any of his new crew mates, but for some reason he had come to trust her, come to confide in her, come to enjoy spending time with her. In the short time he had been aboard the Callisto, he had made a clear connection with her, one that came to the forefront of his mind now. He was determined, he was going to get back to the Callisto, he was going to see her again. He wondered how she was taking the news of the crash. Surely the Vipers had made it back. He hoped that they had gotten word back to the Callisto and the Galactica, since if the shuttle was going to get off this planet, they would need help quickly.
His mind was drawn back to the sensor info screen behind him. The screen beeped, and Najinn punched up the new data. It showed him a set of strange readings. There was a low, monotonous hum from below the planets surface, some 4 clicks off to the east. A low unnatural manufactured hum, like a generator?, a forcefield?, a habitat? It wasn’t coming from the planets core or tectonics, it was definitely unnatural.
He rushed off to the bridge.
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Post by LucianG on Apr 26, 2005 10:51:07 GMT -6
<Najinn>
As Najinn approached the cockpit, he saw Cain busy over the communications panel.
"Okay Krissy, get back here, bring the other miners."
"Mossy, get back as well. We will regroup here."
Najinn gave Cain his report.
"Ensign, keep your eyes on that scanner, but we have more important things to worry about."
As the others made a slow journey back over the ridge to the shuttle, Ben made it to the mining site. He was relieved, but asked himself, where is everyone? He spotted the dead body, and then Azar coming over to him,
"Help me," shouted the miner. The mining system was malfunctioning and overflowing.
Ben helped the miner turn the system off. They then both walked over to the shuttle. Azar filled Ben in on what had happened.
Najinn was busy sorting out what decontamination there was for the returning warriors and miners. Lt. Cain was pleased when all the team was back inside the shuttle. There was a short outburst as Ben came inside, but only short. Everyone was still shocked at the death of Torval. Najinn thought, “Okay what would Lt Amy do in this situation?” Keep control. Keep your wits. You knew this mission was dangerous, but it struck him that he had lost so many people, so many friends over the years. Death was a part of this job, but it didn't make it any easy, and more times than not, it just made it that much harder. It made you turn your emotions off, withdraw into yourself. You come to rely on the experience, your training. You need to get on with the job.
After everything had quieted down, Najinn got back to setting up the low intensity field. It wasn't going to take long to set up, but it would only last for a few centars, since that was all the battery power they had available.
Lt. Cain had reviewed the situation, and had called a meeting of the whole team. He wanted to get the mission back on track. Everyone gathered in the main deck.
<Lucian>
It had taken several extra centars to line up her Viper correctly. At least, Lt. Tracy thought to herself, as "correctly" as she could tell based on Lt. ShebaApollo's elaborate "game" of charades from about ten meters away. Every time they made a minor adjustment, Tracy's Viper shook violently, usually changing the course by several degrees, depending on the direction of attempted corrections. Tracy estimated that she was several hundred meters away from the landing bay, moving toward the Callisto ever so slowly. She continued to grip the stick with both hands. A little slip could sentence both pilots to additional centars of work realigning the ships with the bay. Tracy knew she couldn't afford that time. She was already exhausted, and she was afraid that only the adrenaline produced by the edges of fear were keeping her going. Centon by centon, she was slowly gaining on the Callisto.
* * *
"We bring her in," Commander Sheba had said. "We cannot take a chance of getting her this close, then loosing her due to a damaged cockpit ejection system. Prepare the landing bay for a Viper coming in Hot!"
Lt. Colonel Charybdis stood in the bay. Preparations were complete. Emergency stops were deployed. Assuming Tracy's ship was aligned perfectly and their speed differential was less than about 10 to 12 meters per second, there should be no problem. Unfortunately, Lt. ShebaApollo's information was that Tracy was currently moving about 15 to 20 meters per second faster than the Callisto, and there was no known way to slow her progress. In addition, the alignment was very close, but not perfect. Overall, the chance of a completely safe landing was looking very questionable; however, failure, Charybdis knew, was not an option. He turned, did a final review.
* * *
In Engineering, the dispersion tank design was completed. The computer models showed that they had been optimized as much as possible. Drawings were printed, and quickly delivered to the MasterWelders, who immediately started the job of cutting up various tanks and equipment from around the Callisto, and then reassembling them into the equipment shown on the drawings. There would be no time for a testing program, so each part was checked very carefully. The lives of their downed crewmates depended on them completing their work right the first (and only) time.
* * *
On several ships across the rag-tag fleet, the chemical dampening ions were being processed using Science Officer Solon's formula. Shuttle Seven, with a two Viper escort, was collecting the materials, hopping from ship to ship. It was on the way back to the Callisto with the required amount in very short order.
* * *
In a patrol pattern above the believed crash site, Lt. Skyler shook off sleep again. Suddenly, he saw a much larger flash from the surface than he'd seen several centars before. Quickly, he verified the exact position, then sent a quick burst back to the Callisto. That had to be the right spot. Now, he thought, how do we rescue those folks?
At that point, his early warning scanner sounded. A few centons later, he was joined by two replacement Vipers, piloted by Lieutenants ResidentAlien and FirstKnight. Lt. Skyler was relieved, and instructed to immediately return to the Callisto. Reluctantly, but knowing he had done all he could do there, Skyler hit his turbo thrusters to return to the Calliso.
* * *
Scant meters from the entrance to the landing bay, ShebaApollo gave Tracy a final thumbs up, and pulled away. Tracy steadied herself as much as she could. A few microns later, she watched helplessly as her Viper hit and ripped through the first emergency stop in the landing bay!
SLAM! SLAM! Emergency stop numbers two and three were violated in quick succession. Lt. Tracy knew that each successive emergency stop would be angled slightly more, each one nudging her closer to the floor of the shuttle bay where the hooks could catch her Viper and bring it to a stop. She still wasn't sure what her speed was relative to that of the Callisto, but from her perspective—SLAM! went number 4—her Viper was not slowing anywhere close to fast enough, and she was still well above the floor. She stayed focused on holding the stick with both hands for all she was worth. She knew that if she lost control, she might even cartwheel through the landing bay like something out of one of the training films. Emergency stop number 5 was coming up fast...
Fire suppression systems activated immediately on initial contact of the nose of Tracy's Viper with emergency stop number 1. With a one micron reaction time, thick foam started pouring down on the landing bay by the time the Viper hit emergency stop number 3. The foam started hitting the hood of the Viper just before it hit number 5, quickly obscuring Tracy's vision.
Less than a meter below the bottom of the Viper, the floor of the landing bay was already covered with a thick cream. Its primary purpose was as fire suppression system, acting in the event of a belly landing to prevent most sparks from being thrown up into the landing bay. In addition, its thickness would help slow the Viper slightly once it had been directed into the cream. When exposed to the electrical field under the deck, the cream could be liquefied in less than 10 microns, and be sucked away through the evac ports located along the perimeter of the landing bay.
* * *
In the landing bay control room, Lt. Colonel Charybdis gripped the back of a chair tightly as he watched Tracy about to slam into the first barrier. "Steady!" his mind screamed at the pilot. As she cleared the first stop, Charybdis still held his breath, knowing that Lt. Tracy's life held in the balance over the next few microns. Despite the fact that she could not hear him, he continued to shout at her in his mind, "Hold it steady! Don't let go!"
Captain Brie stood next to Lt. Colonel Charybdis. She lived with the fact that every flight by every Warrior under her command could end in tragedy similar to this. Still, she trusted her Warriors and the training that had been drilled into them over time. Lt. Tracy WILL be okay, Brie's mind commanded. She WILL be...
* * *
Commander Sheba watched from the bridge monitor, as did seemingly half the ship's company from various monitor's around the Callisto. Sheba's thoughts closely mirrored those of Lt. Colonel Charybdis and Captain Brie. In addition, she thought how she was glad this was happening now rather than when Cylons were attacking from all sides. In that case, Tracy would have definitely been lost, since tying up a landing bay in an attempt to save a single Warrior during a battle would not be possible. On the monitor, the thick foam obscured the view, making it difficult to see what was happening in the bay.
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Post by LucianG on Apr 26, 2005 10:52:15 GMT -6
<Brie>
Brie forgot to breathe as she watched Tracy trying to land. She tried to think of anything that she could have done differently. Maybe if she had sent someone else...no, she had confidence in Tracy, and anyone else would had been in trouble as well. Brie wished that she could trade places with her, she wished that every time she saw a warrior in trouble. It constantly bothered Brie that she had to make life and death decisions for other people, but Commander Sheba had placed her confidence in Brie's ability to make decisions, and Lt. Colonel Charybdis had as well. Frack, when she had been offered the job on the bridge, several members of Gold Squadron had asked her not to take it. The thought didn't make watching Tracy any easier.
A long time ago, Brie's husband had jokingly told her that people who talk to themselves are crazy. Brie informed him that you have to be crazy to want to be a Warrior. As Brie helplessly watched Tracy, she found herself mumbling quietly, "She WILL be alright, she WILL make it." She didn't care if Lt. Colonel Charybdis, standing next to her, heard. <Lucian>
Tracy's Viper slashed through emergency stop number 5 with another SLAM! She could tell that she had slowed a little, but due to the foam that now coated her hood, she couldn't tell how much. Her immediate thought was that she was not slowing nearly fast enough. Without instruments, she wasn't sure how far above the deck she was. Unless she engaged the deck, Tracy now felt she didn't stand a chance. Still, she hung on grimly, with great determination, for she was a Colonial Warrior. There was no question of giving up. She had to contact that deck.
* * *
The emergency crew was ready, with spray and foam hoses, cutters and rescue equipment, and first aid equipment. Doc Bkj and Nurse Holodoc were in the adjacent waiting area, ready to rush in to treat any possible injuries. Doc's knuckles were white on the handle of her emergency medical kit, and Holodoc stood with her jaw unconciously set. Both watched intently as the Viper went SLAM! into emergency stop number 6. Even through the viewport, the noise was incredibly loud.
* * *
Lt. Colonel Charybdis was estimating the distance from the landing gear to the deck. The very bottom of Tracy's landing carriage was now in the foam, but still well off the deck.
* * *
Intergral to emergency stop number 7 was the failure to stop warning (FSW). It was set to automatically activate if a ship was traveling at a rate, calculated by the monitoring computer, to still be going after penetrating the remaining stops. When Lt. Tracy's ship hit emergency stop number 7, the FSW began its hideous wail.
<Charybdis>
It all seemed to happen in a flash. Tracy's Viper slicing through the foam. Watching on the monitor was excruciating. It seemed to last for cycles. She HAD to make it!!! She WOULD make it!!! Frack!!!!
...The formation of Vipers had patrolled around a shadowy asteroid to find out where a strange signal emanated from. IT could be the Cylons, but we had not seen them for several sectons. Could it be them? Or could it be another life form?
I told my wingman to cover as I made a low pass. That's when it happened. A full squadron of Cylon Raiders pulled from behind the surface of the asteroid. Their lasers were blasting away. My small flight engaged the best we could. I remember losing Armisted first off. He was a good man. I had known him since I was around 15 yahrens old. We sometimes hung around the landing bay on the freighter we lived on, looking at all the container transports land. It happened so fast.
We couldn't hold them off, so I ordered evasive maneuvers and tried to run behind the jagged cliffs of the asteroid. If we could make it, we could turbo to the other side and get the frack out fast. Just before I got covered, a searing laser bolt fried my apex pulsar. It dropped to 50% power, not good, but enough to keep me ahead of the Cylons.
We gave them the slip and made it back to the Galactica. I remember not having power down capability. The pulsar was locked in 50% mode. I had to come in hot. For those who have never done that, I don't recommend it. You try to keep your cool, but when that launch bay comes up that fast, you sometimes wonder if this is it.
The emergency drill worked perfectly and the foam killed my speed by the end of the bay. That was the closest I'd come to dying on the Galactica. I knew that the Callisto was even better equipped.
Tracy better make it!! Frack, she WILL make it!!!!!!
<Lucian>
On Forge Ship Alpha, ForgeMaster Kharkarian stared intently at the monitor. It was all there, spelled out in the proverbial black and white, if he or someone had just known what to search for a little earlier. He wasn't sure how much time was left, but he had to stop that poor Warrior from landing that Viper aboard the Callisto. As he started to put in the call, he did not hear the door to his office quietly slide open.
* * *
In the Gold Squadron Annex, the hole in the bulkhead was growing. While the original plan was to have the MasterWelders cutting the hole, they were busy fabricating the seeding tanks. Determined to get the work completed, Lt. Lucian's investigation had turned up several crewmen with significant experience using plasma torches. These were quickly transferred to Ensign Kuroiryu's crew, and the cutting had begun. Lt. Lucian had marked the limits of their cutting, keeping them at least 50 centimeters from the actual limit of the new opening. The MasterWelders would be back during the next cycle to finish removing the material at the perimeter. One of the cutters removed her helmet, shook out her gleaming red hair, grinned at the female cutter next to her, and stepped down for a break. So far the all-female cutter crew was winning the informal game versus the guys transporting the blocks. The other "Torchettes" had stopped just in time to watch the monitor showing the events in the landing bay.
Kuroiryu had his team loading each small cart with two of the durasteel blocks, now almost affectionately known as "gutbusters" by the sweaty crew calling themselves the "Pack-animals." When the second block was loaded, four crewmembers would transport the cart to the shuttle bay, use the mobile-lift to pull off one block at a time, and load the little gutbusters in the shuttle. The first layer on the shuttle floor was almost complete.
* * *
A Battlestar is an immense ship. Its mass is tremendous, and its maneuverability is therefore extremely limited. Then too, sudden twists and turns, even if possible, wouldn't be used except in dire circumstances due to their effect on the artificial gravity system used on board ship. Those steering the ship do so knowing that inertia can wreak havoc on the ship, its contents, and most of all, on its passengers and crew.
Commander Sheba knew the rules by heart. Still, as she saw Lt. Tracy's Viper go through emergency stop number 5 without slowing enough to stop in time, she put her hand on Helmswoman Karia's shoulder and said softly, "Ready..." The Helmwoman nodded softly, saying, "Sir." Just a couple of microns later, as Tracy slammed through emergency stop number 8, Sheba, despite years of training and critical thinking, did the unthinkable, saying "NOW!" The Helmswoman pushed down on the button, executing the program that she had written against her will on Commander Sheba's direct order only a few centons before.
* * *
Through an observation port, Lt. Lucian watched as Lt. Tracy's ship flew on through the emergency stops. There has to be a way to improve this system, he thought. Double reinforcement of the supports and some work on the stops themselves could increase stopping capacity by close to 50 percent, he suspected. He made a mental note to model this in the engineering office. He continued to watch the space between Tracy's Viper and the end of the bay get smaller by the micron.
* * *
The call was being routed to the Callisto when it was abruptly terminated. Kharkarian was touching his viewscreen to try again, when he say the reflection of movement on its face. He turned slightly, avoiding the immediate killing thrust, but the blade cut deeply enough into his neck and shoulder that he knew he would not live long. The searing pain caused him to collapse to the floor, clutching at the papers on his desk as he fell. On the floor, he caught the face of his killer as the papers were pulled from his hand. "You!" he struggled to say.
With his dying breaths, ForgeMaster Kharkarian heard the soft whirring of his computer as information was being permanently erased from the fleet's computer network. A small disc was removed from the computer. As the murderer exited the office, he turned and said softly to the dying Kharkarian, "No, my friend--US!"
* * *
Lt. Tracy continued to hold on with a deathgrip as her Viper—SLAM!—went through emergency stop number 9. She was determined to keep her eyes open, at least she thought, until after she was through number 10, despite the thick layer of foam on the canopy that made it almost impossible to see out. After going through number 10, she thought, it probably won't matter anyway!
* * *
Lt. Colonel Charybdis estimated that Lt. Tracy’s initial speed was much higher than it had seemed from his vantage point. He had watched as her Viper had burst through each of the first nine stops, and while it had been deflected down toward the deck of the landing bay, the landing gear was only slightly into the thick layer of foam. Based on what he had witnessed with the first nine, number ten would not do nearly enough to bring her Viper down to the deck. In less than three microns, Lt. Tracy’s ship was going to hit the rear wall of the landing bay, and unfortunately, he knew there was nothing anyone could do about it.
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Post by LucianG on Apr 26, 2005 10:53:21 GMT -6
The emergency crew was now retreating, as they too knew that the Viper’s progress would carry it into the wall. While the initial impact would probably not kill the “unlucky” lieutenant, there was a significant chance of a resulting explosion that would. The crew was hurrying through the exit doors, protecting themselves as best they could from the initial blast. As soon as it occurred, they would be scurrying back through those doors as fast as they humanly possible to do whatever they could to save her.
* * *
Through the observation port, Lt. Lucian’s sore shoulder was all but ignored as he estimated Tracy’s speed at about 10 to 12 meters per micron relative to that of the Callisto as she traveled from stop 7 to stop 9. Considering that the stops should have easily stopped a vessel traveling at least 15 meters per micron relative, or maybe even a little faster, Lt. Lucian now estimated Tracy’s initial speed had been between 25 and 30 meters per micron relative. Through the falling foam, he thought to himself, if we’d only been dropping sandbags, she’d have been on the deck and stopped by now. Say! Sandbags…
* * *
In the other landing bay, Lt. ShebaApollo was climbing out of her Viper. Her first words to the crew chief had been, “How is Lt. Tracy?” The landing crew chief shook his head, not knowing her fate. ShebaApollo jumped to the ground and started to sprint toward the opposite bay.
* * *
Around the Callisto, there were a great many sharp breaths taken as Lt. Tracy’s Viper approached emergency stop number 10. As the last, best hope, everyone who was viewing the situation in person or could see it through the almost foamed over video feed waited to see if the Viper came down to the deck. Almost no one breathed as the Viper slammed into emergency stop number 10…and continued on through it. The landing gear was still over 10 centimeters off of the landing deck.
<Brie> A JOKE INTERLUDE
Two days had passed, and Captain Brie still hadn't taken a breath. It seemed as if time had somehow stood still. Then, from lack of oxygen, she finally passed out.
"Air," Dr. Bkj yelled, "she needs air! How long has it been since her last breath?"
Lt. Colonel Charybdis shook his head. "Well," he said, "we've been watching poor Tracy crash for two days now. I think that was probably when she started holding her breath. I can't say for sure."
"Two days without breathing," Doc exclaimed. "We've got to do something to get her out of this."
Quietly, Lt. Amy walked in. "I know what will get her breathing again," she said softly. She walked over to Brie and whispered in her ear. A smile started across Brie's face. Then, slowly at first, she started to breathe.
"What did you say?" both Doc and Charybdis asked at the same time.
Amy smiled. "I just reminded her that tomorrow (March 1) is Dirk Benedict's birthday. It will work every time on a WOWD member, but only once a yahren."
* * *
Okay, obviously the above was a joke post. I need sleep, I guess. But Happy Birthday tomorrow Dirk!
<Lucian>
Helmswoman Karia lifted her finger from the key and grabbed hold of the console. Years of training told her that what she had just done was NEVER to be done. Yet the Commander had ordered her to do so, and those same years of training said that one never argued with one’s Commander. Now, Karia readied herself for the consequences.
* * *
As Lt. Tracy’s ship cleared emergency stop number 10, she did the last thing that she thought might help her situation. She fired the explosive bolts to release the Viper’s tailhooks. She had delayed until after clearing the final stop so the hooks would not catch the remnants of a stop and spin her ship out of control. The front wall was less than 25 meters away.
* * *
The Callisto was the largest ship in the fleet. Lengthwise, it was almost 100 meters larger than even the Galactica. As such, its inertia was greater as well. Near the front of the Callisto, nearly a hundred small maneuvering thrusters oriented in similar directions suddenly fired simultaneously at the impetus of Karia’s program. Working perpendicular to the Callisto’s original forward moment, the maneuvering thrusters attempted to jolt the ship upward, violently and suddenly, as Karia suspected they would; however, due to her great mass, the net effect was so gentle and so subtle that few people aboard the Callisto were even aware to the minor course change that had occurred.
* * *
Twenty meters from the wall, Lt. Tracy was braced for impact when it occurred, but from an unexpected direction. While expecting to hit the wall, the contact with the deck was a welcome surprise, at least momentarily. The front strut of her Viper struck the deck with a jar, pushing the strut backward, and causing the nose of the Viper to angle down steeply toward the deck. As the Viper continued forward, the landing gear struck one of the arresting stops, which instantaneously exerted more force on the strut, forcing the nose down further, until the strut snapped at its connection to the Viper. The Viper slammed into the deck, sliding forward at about 10 meters per micron. A few sparks generated by the Viper scraping against the metal deck escaped foam in the Viper’s wake, but none were substantial. The crippled Viper slid the last few meters, dissipating kinetic energy as heat, slowing the ship slightly. When it hit the front wall, it was traveling about 7 meters per micron [Narrator's Note: about 26 mph]. The front of the ship crumpled slightly, dissipating even more energy, but the rear still rose up, as if to catapult the lieutenant into the wall. The rear stabilizer hit and crumpled, breaking the last of the Viper’s momentum. The emergency crews were already rushing toward the ship through the thick foam, when the artificial gravity brought the Viper crashing back to the deck. The electrical coils under the deck activated, transforming the foam covering the deck into a liquid in microns, and it was quickly sucked out of the landing bay by the evac vents.
The first crewman to climb aboard the Viper was reaching for the canopy, when the hood slid back. Lt. TracyB144 looked straight into his eyes and said with a great deal of effort, “All this for me? What…a…party.” Injured and exhausted, the lieutenant collapsed.
A few microns later, Doc Bkj was examining Lt. Tracy with Nurse Holodoc’s assistance. Quickly determining that the patient should live and could be transported, they accompanied her to the Med Lab.
* * *
In the landing bay, a severely damaged Viper was being pushed out of the way, in preparation for repairs or salvage. New emergency stops were being prepared. Aboard a Battlestar, one never knew when they might be needed.
Lt. Lucian had a couple of the emergency workers pick up the broken front landing strut. They were carting it on the lieutenant’s orders but against their own will to Vessel Engineering where the lieutenant said he wanted to look at it. In their minds, there had been plenty of light in the landing bay for him to see without any problem at all. Then again, the guy was an officer, and sometimes they were just like that.
* * *
On the bridge, Commander Sheba said a quiet thank you to Helmswoman Karia. The Helmswoman gave a faint smile and a nod as the Commander stepped away to check on the status of her other emergency.
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Post by LucianG on Apr 26, 2005 10:54:05 GMT -6
<Ben>
Although he wasn't supposed to be there, Ben was trapped in the shuttle with the mining group, (with the exception of Torval) and he wondered to himself, “Will we ever get out of here alive?” Ben was the youngest warrior on board the Callisto, and didn't feel as much "at home" with the other miners. They had all been through lots of battles and tough situations together, and Ben just didn't feel quite a part of the gang.
But right now, Ben was a part of the team and decided to take a nap -- after all, he'd need his rest for, well, the way things go on the Callisto, you need rest all the time because something big is going to happen... it just works that way.
Ben drifted off to sleep, but was awakened only a few moments later to feel the shuttle begin to roll to one side. Cain shouted something to the crew, but Ben didn't hear what he said. Ben tried to get up and gain his footing, but instead was thrown against a bulkhead, and the arm of his suit disintegrated. As Ben clawed at the hole, just making it bigger, he began to scream. As he was about to breathe his last breath, he saw one of the Warriors rushing to his aid, but it was too late... AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! Ben woke up screaming! Thank the Lords of Kobol, it had only been a dream. He was OK. Everyone was staring at him, and Ben just grinned. "Just a little nightmare..." but do REAL warriors have nightmares, or just the youngest one?
<Randrius>
Ensign Randrius Dalas, the newest pilot of Black Squadron, set foot on the deck of the mighty Battlestar Callisto. He peers around at his surrounding and starts off for the barracks to settle in. Upon reaching the barracks, he tosses his gear onto his cot. He smiles as he remembers many of the other times he had had to settle in to a new ship. Although an ensign, he was already a seasoned Viper pilot. He had spent two years flying hit-and-run missions for an anti-Cylon extremist group. His smile faded as he remembered the Cylon base ship that had destroyed the group’s command ship, an aging Gemini freighter, and all of its handful of Vipers. After that he had fled blindly, it was only amazing luck that he had run into the Callisto and her group. He smiled grimly and stood as he attempted to wash those thoughts away. He knew that the first step would most definitely be to meet his new squad-mates.
<Amy>
Lt. Amy had taken that much needed cold shower. She felt like a different person now. She shook her head at her actions of the past few hours. Why did she have such extreme reactions? Her emotions were nearly uncontrollable at times, despite her best efforts to control them.
Is something wrong with me, she wondered? She had just passed a physical not that long ago. Had they missed something, she wondered? Maybe I just need to grow up a little and take better charge of my life. She grunted to herself. I need to find Captain Brie. It has been too long since they bumped into each other last. Her advice was always comforting.
As she sat on a bunk drying her hair, a shadow passed over her. She looked up to see someone she didn't know plopping his gear on an empty bunk. Somebody new, she thought.
"Hey warrior,” Amy greeted him, "With Gold Squad barracks in pieces right now, it's amazing you found a bunk!" She stood up and extended a hand. "Welcome! I'm Lt. Amy."
<Randrius>
Randrius smiles warmly and shakes Amy's hand.
"I can see that the barracks are not exactly in the best of shape, but hey, I've rarely had better." He glances around, "Well, I had better get to unpacking...Nice meeting you." He wanders back over to his bunk.
<Skyler>
Lt. Skyler lines his Viper up for final approach to land onboard the Callisto. He had not wanted to leave his friends on the planet, but knew he could do nothing more from them.
He was eager to land and report to Captain Brie. Maybe he could go on the rescue mission, even though he knew she was going to order him to get some sleep. Sleep, was it possible, with the fate of his friends on his mind? How could he think of it, knowing they may be dying. The speakers in his flight helmet cracked and brought him back from his thoughts.
"Callisto to Lt. Skyler, final approach is good, cleared to land in Landing Bay Beta."
"Affirmative."
He touched down on the deck and climbed from the cockpit. The Flight Deck crews hurried over and started checking the ship over, and refueling it. Preparing it for its next launch.
Where is Brie? he wondered as he boarded the lift....
<Charybdis>
Just a few centons to rest... The ordeal of watching Lt. Tracyb crash on the landing deck was not pleasant. However, thank the Lords that she will be alright. I hope we can salvage her Viper or at least parts.
Too much death and destruction. I'm getting tired of it all. When will this end? When will we find Earth?
And the mission on the planet. Plans have begun to rig the Vipers to spray the surface area so we can pull out our Warriors. A couple of them I have known a long time. Lt. Cain...one of the best. If there's anyone who can pull them out in one piece, it's him. And Lt. Mossy...right there in Gold Squadron from the beginning. We can't lose them.
We have lost so many. It seemed such a short time ago. Astraea...where are you? what happened to you? I remember your cheerful smile, your genuine friendship. I pulled you out of the fire once and after that, it seemed that we were almost inseparable. You did a great job as ship's historian. I was almost grateful that you were not assigned to dangerous missions. You were safe. We were safe.
I still don't know how or why you were picked for that mission. You shouldn't have been there. You shouldn't have gone. You weren't prepared. That's when the Cylons showed up. The team was scattered and only a couple of warriors made it back, but...you never did.
I still wonder if you're out there, somewhere, lost and alone. Or worse yet, captured by the galmonging tinheads! I hope not. I think that's a fate worse than death. If you're still alive…I think by now I have given up hope.
But, hope springs eternal. I have begun to live again. I have found a beautiful respite from all that is going on around us. Short times spent lost in hope and desire. Something that fuels the fire in every living being. I am so glad to share that with someone again... * * *
Later that evening, Lt. Charybdis posted a note on the Callisto message center.
It is my pleasure to announce that Ensign Leedson has been granted a full promotion to the rank of Lieutenant in the Colonial Military.
Congratulations to the new Lt.!
Lt. Col. Charybdis
<Lucian>
Upon reading the message, Lt. Lucian tracked down Leedson, and said, “Great to hear it, Lt. Leedson! Congratulations! Let’s hit the O-Club for a drink!”
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