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Post by LucianG on Jun 30, 2005 3:48:52 GMT -6
Brie
"Amy," Brie started slowly, "Charybdis left a few centars ago. Skyler too. Najin had been injured, they had to get him back to the Callisto. Didn't you hear anything?"
Amy thought for a moment. "I did see Skyler out of the corner of my eye. He was getting in a viper." Brie let out a sigh of relief. "I didn't see anyone else, although there was a lot of commotion." She paused for a micron. "What happened to Najin? Is he okay?"
"He was........shot." The sight of Najin falling once again filled Brie's mind. "This mission has been," she searched for the right word, "difficult." That was the best she could do.
"Shot!? Is he alright?"
"It was touch and go," Brie replied. "Jarrynn did a great job, but she was limited in what she could do. He needed to get back to the Callisto. We put Najin in the cargo hold of one viper and Skyler flew it back, with Charybdis as escort. I've been waiting for word, but with the battle and all no one has sent it. Just hearing that Skyler made it back makes me feel a lot better."
Brie had forgotten about the dried blood that was still on her jacket until Amy reached over and touched it. "Are you alright?" she asked.
"I'm fine," Brie informed her. "I'll fill you in on all the details later. Let's see how the battle here is going, and get this evacuation in full swing. And maybe," she added, "someone will finally send word."
Amy81
Brie turned to walk toward the building at the edge of the clearing. I stood there a moment, my helmet feeling a lot heavier as it dangled from my hand. I could feel the consequences for my actions closing in around me yet again. By coming out here, had I doomed myself to never seeing Charybdis again? Would I never know the joys of spending my life sealed? And would I never get back to learn the fate of Najinn? I’d just have to make sure those things didn’t happen.
I sighed and looked up, and then I realized that things were so different here! I’d never been on a planet before. Any planet. I smiled as I looked at the stars. They looked strange to me. They….twinkled? They twinkled! And the air, it had a taste to it! A sweetness very different to being on the ships of the fleet. Air there had no taste at all. I breathed in deeply. A faint breeze blew by, fluttering through my hair and lifting it off my shoulders. I put out a hand to feel it as it passed by, an invisible force carried along by nature, not by mechanical blowers pumping it around like on the agro ships.
Brie had come back to me, and I hadn’t noticed. “Time to move, soldier” she said in a mock tone.
I smiled. “I’ve never been on a planet before. I don’t think the fleet will ever be enough, now that I’ve seen this.”
Brie let out a brief laugh. “And to think, this is one of the uglier ones.”
I looked at her with wide eyes. “Oh Brie, it’s wonderful!”
“And there’s one out there for us all, but this ain’t it. And I don’t want to make this one mine if I can help it, so let’s MOVE!”. She was smiling, but I could tell the seriousness of what she was saying. I put my helmet on the top of my viper near the cockpit, and walked with Brie toward the building. We found Lt. Stadia at the doorway, staring up at the sky intently. We touched fists as I passed in a sort of salute.
“Come along, Stadia” Brie said as she walked on. “Let’s get the shuttles ready to leave this rock!” Stadia turned with a sigh and followed us inside. I could tell that she’d had enough of this planet too.
Inside I could see the effects of some of the troubles Brie had hinted at. Three warriors sat with Nurse Jarrynn, and they looked really worse for wear. Lt. Kris, Lt. Lusitan, and Lt. Wendy all sat there, their faces looking a little blank. I walked over to them, but only Jarrynn looked up as I approached.
“Hey Lieutenant!” She greeted me. Then she turned to the three. “Lieutenant Amy is here.” The three smiled a little and nodded. To me Jarrynn said, “Eye trauma. Listen, if you are here does it mean we are going to leave soon?”
“I hope so” I replied. I knelt down to the warriors, and reassured each of them in turn. Things would be okay. Of course, I didn’t know if there would be a Callisto left to return to. But there had to be. There just had to be!
Brie
"Jarrynn," Brie said, "I have a feeling we won't be here much longer. You'd better prepare your patients to leave at a moment's notice. You, your sister, Lusitan and Wendy will all ride in one shuttle with me, Boomerang and Bishop in the second, everyone else without a viper in the third one. We'll also be transporting as many people as possible from here, so things will be tight."
Jarrynn nodded. Brie turned back to Amy. "Let's go see Commander Tolar. We've got to step things up around here." Brie led Amy through the complex. "Tell me something," she asked Amy. "When Charybdis was here, he seemed, I don't know, different."
"Different?" Amy asked. Brie noticed that Amy didn't look at her. "How?"
"Nothing I can put my finger on," Brie said. "I've known Charybdis for a long time. There was something, a light in his eye that I've never seen before. You know what's up?"
Amy hesitated. Charybdis obviously hadn't told Brie about the engagement. Brie hated secrets, but they would tell her once they were all together, back on the Callisto. "Well, um, maybe..."
"We're here," Brie interupted. "This is the Command Center. You can tell me later." They walked through the door. "Commander Tolar," Brie said, "this is Lt. Amy. She'll be taking over for Lt. Skyler." Amy and Tolar shook hands. "I think," Brie continued, "that we need to step up the evacuation. My people and our ships are ready. We can take fifty more people with us."
"We have ten shuttles that can each hold 40 people," Tolar said. "It will be mostly women and children with you. The militia will stay here, defending what is ours."
"The Omega Plan," Brie said.
"Right," Tolar said.
"Let's get everyone ready," Brie said. "Each person can bring one small bag of personal possessions. I'm sorry we can't do more than that. We need to sound the alarm, have everyone at least report to the shuttles. Amy, you'll be helping me with the assignments."
"Okay," said Amy.
Tolar pressed a button and a klaxon was heard everywhere. "Amy, come on," Brie said. "Things are about to get very busy."
LucianG
The scorched and partially flattened Viper in Alpha Bay appeared to be one of the somewhat older models, so it was likely one of the spares being flown by one of the bridge officers, by one of the new ensigns, or by one of the older Silver Spar Warriors. One of the Techs pounded on the canopy and shouted to the unknown Warrior inside, “We’ve got to move your ship since Beta’s down. We’ll have you out shortly. Just hang on!”
The cart pushed against the side of the Viper, but it quickly became obvious that at least part of the craft had fused to the deck upon impact. The cart was backed away a few meters, and then used to ram the Viper directly in the side, breaking the bond, and sliding it roughly across the deck to the far edge of the bay. A rescue team began trying to pry off the canopy, since it was feared that cutting it away might further injure the unfortunate Warrior, who appeared slumped over in the smoky cockpit.
A rescue arm was attached and was activated, but before it got very far, the order came to evacuate that portion of the bay, since another Viper was coming in hot. Even as the Techs ran into the nearby shelter, the Viper, with mangled landing gear protruding from the bottom, flew into the bay and was quickly captured by the emergency stops. This Viper was now blocking traffic on two of the landing lanes, so the crews pushed it to the side as well. The Warrior climbed out and stumbled to the ground, where two members of the rescue team assisted him. Then, the rescue team returned to the first Viper to try to save the pilot inside.
* * *
“Lieutenant MaraJade, fire another ten missiles, targeting right…there…8 meter symmetrical spread, just after Swennson hits that same spot with a set of blasts from the laser cannons. Fire when ready,” said Commander Sheba.
Swennson, punched in his targeting information, and then pressed the button to fire. Then, he turned to his left and said to MaraJade, “Your turn. Take it out.”
She was still setting target when she started counting, “Firing in five microns…three…”
* * *
Smedelac saw the explosions on the other Cylon Base-Star, just as his Praetorian assistant approached. “So? What did you find?”
“Enhanced optical scans prove that this ship is not the Galactica, unless it has been extensively retrofitted. Our recent run-ins have been with this vessel instead of the Galactica. Our forces have not identified this Battlestar previously. In addition,” the Praetorian said, “it appears to have a pulse-type weapon that is far more powerful than our own, although it appears to take considerable time to recharge, since they have not used it since the original attack. Our tactical planners suspect that it may be saving its next charge for use on our ship.”
The monitor showed a series of streaks from the forward missile batteries of the Battlestar that arced toward the other Base-Star. Smedelac paused for just a moment, watching the battle unfold, then answered, “Either our enemy has more resources than we knew, or were far more crafty than we thought. This news is far too important to keep to ourselves. Launch a courier craft to Cylon, requesting additional assistance from the Imperious Leader. Then, have our Raiders make one final pass against the Callisto, and return to this base.”
The streaks disappeared behind the second Base-Star, which suddenly shuddered, with numerous parts being blown clear of the main body. A second group of explosions followed, and within a few microns, the entire top of the ship exploded outward in a blinding flash.
The IL-4 said, “Belay that order. Call all Raiders back to defend this ship. Set course for the fifth planet. We will pick up our forces here, and then see if our forces there have succeeded in destroying the human presence on the planet.”
* * *
A great shout was heard across the Colonial comm system when Two finally took its proper place in the cosmos, as space dust and debris.
“We got one!”
“We got it!”
“Toast!”
Major Lucian smiled briefly upon hearing the celebration, but he forced himself to cut in to order the Warriors to concentrate on the Cylons that were still flying all around them. Some seemed to be moving back toward One, probably in an effort to defend it. Lucian was about to order the Black Squadron Vipers to shift their attack to One, when Commander Sheba’s voice gave the order to disengage and return to the ship as soon as possible. All Vipers were to land in Landing Bay Alpha due to a problem in Beta.
The surviving Vipers started returning to the Callisto, packing the landing bay far beyond its normal maximum capacity. Lucian had his wing hold off on landing to allow more seriously damaged craft, with the exception of any with failed landing gears or similar landing control problems, to land first. When the last Viper had landed safely, along with the C.O.R.A.’s that had rescued a total of seven Warriors, including Security Officer Hawke, the Callisto made maximum system speed toward the planet Frodar Epsilon. According to the latest news, the sixty Raiders that had been dispatched earlier had engaged the Callisto’s forces near Frodar Epsilon.
Sheba sighed softly, sitting down. They had taken out one of the two Cylon Base-Stars! That was a good feeling, but the celebration was quashed by the thought that the other Base-Star had escaped, at least temporarily. Losses had not been as high as they could have been, but her ship was badly damaged. Repairs started immediately, but they would take time. The Callisto was now chasing the remaining Base-Star. Could they catch it in time to prevent it from wiping out the Colonial forces on or near Frodar Epsilon?
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Post by LucianG on Jun 30, 2005 3:49:28 GMT -6
Hawke14
I woke up coughing. I felt something warm in my mouth as I was coming around. Blood! That meant that I had internal injuries. I felt warmth on my face. I looked around. I was in the Callisto landing bay but I was still in my cockpit. I tried to sit up to look outside but I couldn't. I couldn't feel anything. My viper was moving from what I could see. I must be getting a tow in. I looked at my control panel,it was toasted. Nothing worked. I tried to take my battle helmet off but I couldn't raise my arms.My viper stopped with a lurch. A crew of med-techs started banging on the side of the canopy telling me to open it. "Can't move." I managed to croak out. I started coughing up blood again. I saw some splatter on the inside of my canopy. "Get a prybar over here! This pilot's got third degree burns!! And get a burn kit over here!!" 3rd degree burns? Oh no! That must have happened when my control panel exploded. The med-tech got the prybar and popped the canopy. I felt the rush of fresh air hit my face. It felt good. Then the stinging returned! "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" I screamed. I felt my helmet come off and something cool placed on my face. I passed out again. *****************************************************
The next time I woke up I was in a life station. I saw a very pretty nurse standing over me. "Am I dead? And you're one of those angels I've heard so much about?" she smiled at me and said "No,Hawke fortunately,you're not dead, and I'm not an angel. You're back on the Callisto." She looked up and said to someone else,"Doctor,he's awake." I saw a doctor come over and look at my chart. "Hawke, can you move your left hand for me?" I move it barely. "Not bad." "Not bad? What's that supposed to mean?" I ask. "Concidering you had some spinal column damage you're coming along nicely. You were almost parylized." "Parylized? What are you talking about?" I tried to sit up but my swimming head prevented me from doing so. I waited for the doctor's response.
BSGNylah
Nylah came in and set the viper down and skipped over to where Lt Resonat was standing. "We did it! You didn't die! I didn't die! Yup you taught us well! Thanks!" she quieted down and looked serious as that Captain Lazant walked by. Once gone she sighed. She remembered what her friend Kris had gone through with that guy during that whole hearing mess. She turned and looked at the Lieutenant. Getting a goofy smile that she was famous for, "So you waiting for a certain Lieutenant from Black to make it back, sir?" Nylah giggled as she saw him blush and roll his eyes at her. "So you know?" he asked. "I know about you and her yea. Kris and I are good friends. She keeps my blonde self in check every now and then. I know you made her happy. Sir, I don't mean to intrude, but I heard a rumor before she left..." the look on his face was one that he was not wanting to talk about it. Nylah quieted down and mummbled maybe to herself. "Well thanks for flying with me. Bye now." Nylah headed off to the debriefing room. She had to wait till Kris got back, she knew somehow she would get the truth.
BsgRose
Ensign Rose followed Major Lucian's lead in heading back over to the Callisto for landing. Major Lucian had told her to go in first so she followed his orders.
Rose landed the Viper without any problems, even thought she thought she could of done a better job of it. It was still good considering it was her first landing right after a battle. After the canopy was up so she could get out, Rose climbed out & down the ladder that had been pushed up to the Viper she had been flying.
Rose couldn't wait to meet some of the others from Black Squadron. She hadn't had a lot of time to meet many of them before she was told to report to the landing bay to launch to go out into battle.
Rose headed on over to the briefing room for the briefing that would take place. It took her a little while to find it but she eventually found the briefing room. Once she did, she walked on in & sat down in one of the seats & waited for the others to arrive.
Lt_Skyler
Skyler held off landing as long as he could. He had been late joining the battle, and felt the other Warriors would need to land first. He thought he had been in his own Viper when he launched, but quickly realized he had been in Mara's. It was almost like having her out there with him in battle. He even thought he had heard her voice before the launched, but with all the comm chatter, he wasn't sure. A Viper on final caught Skyler's attention, it was his Viper. Who ever was flying her had brought her back in one peice. Finally it was Skyler's turn, and he landed with out problems. Once on the deck, he told the tech's to prep his Viper for launch as soon as the order was given, and went to find the acting CO of Gold Squadron. Finding Lt. SiressEden, Skyler reported in. He was granted 30 centons to find Mara before he had to report back to the Squadron breifing room. It would be at least that long before either his Viper or Mara's would be ready to launch again.
When he thought he had heard her voice before, he also thought he had heard Sheba's in the back ground, so the Bridge was a good place to find her. He set off at a jog, hoping she would be there still. They had been apart far to long, and he need to atleast see her before he returned to battle.
MaraJadeJedi
Lt Mara couldn't help but smile with the rest on the bridge. She watched as all the vipers come in. She watched Skyler come in with her viper. She tried not to beam so much but she couldn't help it. Mara had hoped Skyler had heard her as he took off, but with all the commotion she had no clue. Mara stayed on the bridge, not sure what the commander had in store or if she was still needed or not. She had to admitt it was a nice change from being in the vipers all the time. She looked at her time piece hoping maybe he would see her before he took off again. She just wanted to see her fiance again. Time was not on their side lately and they still had a sealing to plan and finally set in motion. She looked at her hand, at the ring that was on her hand that Skyler had given her. Mara sighed and smiled, then as she looked up she saw him jog in on the bridge. Mara smiled and laughed as she ran to him, then stopped short of him. Looking around and then blushing realizing there were still people around, including the commander. Mara smiled took his hand and left to the hallway where she jumped into his arms. She giggled as Skyler started to spin with them both. Stopping before they both got too dizzy, Mara took that chance and kissed Skyler. Something she hadn't been able to do in a long time.
Lt_Skyler
Skyler kissed Mara in a deep passionate kiss. He then gazed into her eyes.
"I didn't think I would ever see you again. I know we weren't gone that long, but it seemed like sectars since we left the Callisto. Frack, our 2 centar flight back with Najinn seemed to last for a senton."
"The important thing is that you are back with me know."
Skyler stood just holding Mara, and looking into her eyes. It was something he wanted to do for the rest of his life. No matter how short it could be. Skyler's chrono beeped telling him his 30 centons was up. Pulling Mara close to him, feeling her next to him. Not wanting to let go, Skyler leaned over and kissed her. Slowly slipping apart, not wanting to let go, Skyler turned to leave his love to her new found temporary duites on the Bridge. Thinking to himself, 'at least she will be safer this go around here than out there in a Viper'. Turning back towards her...
"Thank Lt. Col Charybdis for me, if he hadn't been covering my six coming in with Najinn, I might not be here, and Najinn wouldn't be for sure."
"I will as soon as he returns to the Bridge."
Looking slightly puzzled, Skyler half shrugged his shoulders. "Must be in Med Lab checking on Najinn, heck, with all the confussion in the launch bays, I could have walked right by him and not seen him."
Taking another step towards the launch bay Skyler just smiled. "Mara, I love you." turned and he was gone back to his Viper.
Brie
The klaxon had sounded, and suddenly people were everywhere. Brie led Amy to where the shuttles were docked. The list of who was to go on what shuttle had been prepared centars before, all that was really needed was to place faces with the names and load the shuttles. There were ten shuttles from Gastonovia, carrying forty people each. Another fifty people would ride in the Colonial shuttles. Each person was allowed one small bag, there was no room for cargo when there wasn't enough room for everyone. Brie looked at the shuttles, they looked ancient. She wondered if they would really be able to fly.
Brie handed a list of names to Amy. "You'll be in charge of those five shuttles over there," she said, pointing. "Match the name with one on the list. If they aren't there, they're not allowed on the shuttle. No exceptions, unless they come from Commander Tolar."
"That sounds a little bit cruel," Amy said.
"I know, but it's the way it has to be," Brie said. "Also, only one small bag. You never know what people might try to bring."
The whole thing reminded Brie of the night of the "Peace Conference." She had just entered the academy, and she was part of the group assigned to assist in the evacuation of Taura. People were running, pushing, shoving, doing whatever they had to do to stay alive. Fortunately this was more organized, but unfortunately for most people it didn't seem a matter of life or death. Many of them still didn't think that the Cylons were that big of a threat. If only they knew what the Cylons were REALLY capable of.
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Post by LucianG on Jun 30, 2005 3:49:57 GMT -6
Amy81
I stood for a moment with the list, not liking the whole thing at all. This sort of thing belonged in a commander's hands, like what I heard the great Commander Adama had done during the exodus from the 12 home worlds. I was not cut out for this at all. But Brie had confidence in me, and I just had to do the best I could.
I regarded Brie as I watched her a short distance away. She seemed really tired. The weight of command on this mission must have really worn away at her. If it had gone anything like it was going now, I couldn't really blame her for showing the strain. I wanted so much to take her aside, but there just wasn't time. I hoped there would be time later.
The shuttles that we would use that weren't ours looked horrible. In space, assuming they could make it that far, they would look like our fleet in miniature. A bunch of floating wrecks that had no business flying at all. But we had no choice, they had to fly. I wondered briefly who was more lucky: those who were on the list or those who weren't.
I caught sight of Jarrynn out of the corner of my eye. I wanted badly to talk to her further, about what had happened to Najinn, but people were coming and there was a job to do. Again, I hoped there would be time later, aboard the Callisto if it was still out there.
Families, whole families approached. Parents guiding small children, showing infinate patience as they looked for assistance on where to go. Thankfully, there must have been some screening done elsewhere, for the people that passed by me were all on the list. Little innocent eyes stared at me as I went about my duty, and I tried not to look back. I knew my heart would melt and I needed to stay detached. I hated this, and wanted to be gone from here.
I knew now what Brie felt about this planet and why she so wanted to leave. As much as being on a planet for the first time was so fascinating to me, I'd feel better back in space, back inside my fighter. The gentle breeze was still blowing, still fluttering through my hair, but it only sent a chill down my spine now.
I was surprised, things were going way too orderly. I was a little confused. For an evacuation, this was looking more like a little road trip for these people. They were calm, almost like this was an inconvenience. In a way, I was relieved, but got more confused as it went. Finally there was a gap in the steady flow of people, and I went over to Captain Brie, banging my clipboard absentmindedly against my leg as I walked.
She turned as I approached, relief crossing over her face. I probably looked as pleasant, for dispite the circumstance I was happy to be with her. She was a good person and a great, wise friend to me.
"Hey Captain" I said easily, "Why not take a break. We've got it going pretty good here." I gestured to the others working around the dock. Lt. Stadia was nearby, helping with supplies.
Brie laughed but without much joy. "I'll relax when I set a boot on the deck of the Callisto." I nodded, understanding where she was coming from.
"So, what's with this evacuation, anyway?" I asked. "It seems more like we're booking a cruise or something."
"Long story" Brie said. She looked at me suddenly, I think realizing that there were many long stories around here that I was waiting for details on. "Short version" she said, "these people just don't understand how bad the Cylons can be."
"Hmmm" I replied, still in the dark. I guess I didn't need to understand. I wasn't going to pry the information. I decided to change the subject. I reached under the collar of my uniform, and pulled out the amazing necklace Charybdis had given to me. "Guess what this is?" I asked.
Brie was dazzled. It was clear that the gem had the same effect on her as it did on me. And that was before Charybdis had proposed! Brie spoke in a whisper. "Amy, that's beautiful! Where did you ever find such a thing?"
"Oh, an admirer" I said in a singing kind of way. My face was bursting with happiness. I forgot that I was far away from my fiancee and the Callisto for a moment.
Brie was still blank. "Who?" her expression said to me. Sweet Brie, she was afraid to make a guess and be wrong. So many had guessed and WERE wrong.
"Charybdis. He proposed yesterday!" I reached out to hug my Captain in a very non-military move. "Oh Brie, I'm going to be sealed!" I watched Brie's eyes go big for a moment as she let the information sink in. It was for the shortest of moments, but I saw the confusion pass over her expression.
Then Brie let out an un-captainlike squeak and reached out to recieve my embrace. I dropped my clipboard, and it landed noisely on the dusty ground. We both looked like idiots, or just a little weird maybe. Good! Let a little joy get a foothold on this less than happy planet!
As I hugged my captain, I felt the moment slipping fast, but held on to my happiness. I just couldn't forget that somewhere out there, Najinn was gravely wounded. I thought about the medics swarming the viper that Skyler had brought in. Then it dawned on me. That viper that had been trying to land behind Skyler. It was having trouble, taking a hit or two. I shook my head, but it made sense. Charybdis would be landing behind Skyler. It added up.
I hugged Brie harder, tears beginning to form. But it was okay. Brie would think them as tears of joy. I blinked them away. Charybdis was fine. Until I knew otherwise, he had landed fine and was probably on his way back here.
Brie
Sealed. Wow. Brie's new best friend was taking the seal with the only person that Brie thought of as family. "Since I consider Charybdis like a brother I guess you'll be like a sister-in-law," Brie said to Amy. "And since he's my superior officer I'll have to find someone else to do my laundry." Amy laughed slightly at their long-standing laundry joke, the joke that had caused them to become friends in the first place, but she still didn't let go. Her sobbing grew a little bit stronger. "Amy, are you okay?"
Amy held on to Brie a few microns longer, then pulled away. "I'm fine," she said, trying to catch her breath. "It's just that a few centars ago, life was perfect. Now, helping with the evacuation and hearing about Najin..." Her voice trailed off.
"I won't lie to you," Brie said, "Najin is in for the fight of his life. But he's beat the odds before, he'll do it this time. You can't let your happiness with Charybdis depend on Najin."
"But..."
"No buts," Brie said. "You were happy with Charybdis when you thought Najin was fine. That shouldn't change now. So wipe your eyes and smile! You're getting sealed!
Holodoc2000
Head Nurse Holodoc was staying very busy in Life Station now. She was keep a close watch over Najinn & she was also now keeping an eye on Hawke's condition. She definately had her hands full in keeping a close eye on the two of them & also treating the injuries that the other Warriors had that came into Life Station.
Every so often when one of them would come in they would keep her updated on how things were going but none of them knew about how things were going on the moon that several of the Black Squadron members had gone to on a mission.
While she went about her duties there in Life Station, Holodoc would be thinking about Anubis & how he was doing. She would also say silent prayers for his safe return. She wouldn't be able to stop worrying about him until she was able to see him & touch him to make sure that he was actually there in front of her.
* * *
LucianG
The damage reports continued to roll in from around the ship. Sheba continued to be thankful for the numerous modifications built into the Callisto by her father, the “legendary” Commander Cain. Without those changes, it was highly doubtful that the Callisto would have survived the battle. Still, even with the changes, it was going to be quite some time before the Battlestar was ready to take on another Base-Star or worse yet, pair of Base-Stars. Repair crews had been formed from all available crew members around the ship, including numerous volunteer Fleet Security Officers, acting under the direction of the Engineers, Techs, or mechanics. The lists of Warriors were being scrutinized, since there were still a number of Vipers and Warriors missing, although several MIA’s had already been cleared from the roles when the missing Warriors, or at least their assigned Vipers, turned up in an unusual location in Alpha Bay. A careful scan had turned up no remaining stranded Vipers or ejection cockpits.
Casualty reports were still arriving, too. So far, there were over forty fatalities, including the Warriors killed in space, and about sixty injuries, with more being reported as time passed.
The good news was that the smoke had been cleared from Beta Bay, so Vipers were being flown two at a time from Alpha to Beta by volunteer Warriors, and there was a good chance that the pulsar cannon could be repaired without the need of parts requiring manufacture in one of the Forge Ships, which were currently far, far away.
“How is our drive?” asked Sheba.
“We’ve got some damage, but we’re underway. The Base-Star has a good lead on us though. It’s going to arrive at Frodar Epsilon well ahead of us,” said CureMode. “Transmissions should now be possible, since the Cylon jamming has lessened with the distance. We should be able to punch a message through.”
“Contact our forces at Frodar Epsilon. Evacuation efforts should be complete by now, so tell them to get out of there well before the Base-Star arrives.” She plotted a course on the board, showing a potential escape route. “We will meet them there. Have our Vipers and bombers escort them. We will not be returning to the planet if the Base-Star is there.”
“Message has been relayed by FTL uplink, Commander,” came the reply.
"Good. Continue to make best possible speed. Let's get to our people and any evacuees as quickly as we can, in case the Cylons spot them and start to chase them," Sheba said. "Now it's a sprint, and we're starting off behind with a pulled hamstring. Let's just hope they don't notice we're making our own race course."
* * *
In Alpha Bay, two Techs were moving a Viper when they noticed the scorched ship pushed against the bulkhead. Several Techs had been working on it periodically earlier, but repeated interruptions had caused it to be temporarily forgotten when Vipers flooded the landing bay. When one climbed up to start checking the damage, he said, “Hey! There’s still someone in here! Get medical help and those rescue arms back over here, now!”
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Post by LucianG on Jun 30, 2005 3:50:27 GMT -6
Brie
"Colonel Brie," one of the Gastonvian warriors called, "see you Commander Tolar must. A message he's received."
Brie had been grateful for her time with Amy, but she had been waiting to hear from the Callisto. It was time to go home! Most of the people were already on the shuttles, there wasn't much else to do and Brie knew that Amy could handle it, although she wasn't so sure if Amy believed that. Brie ran back to the Command Center.
"Commander Tolar," Brie started, "there was something about a message?"
"Yes," Tolar said, as calm as ever. "They've sent the evacuation route." Tolar gave Brie the coordinates and the other information. He looked away for a moment, and then back at Brie. "I'm sorry about what happened. You came here to help, and my people will live because of you. I hope Lt. Najin will be alright."
Brie was disappointed that the Callisto hadn't sent her word about Najin as well. She figured that was neither good nor bad, if he was doing miraculously well they would have said, same thing if he had died. She also thought about Dexter, the dead guard, whose face would haunt her forever. "Thank you," she said, not knowing what else to say. "I understand. And we'll take care of your people, I promise." Brie held out her hand, knowing that she would never see the man again. Since he was planning on leading the gorilla forces against the Cylons, he would probably be dead soon, no matter how well thought out their Omega Plan was.
Tolar shook Brie's hand. "Although it's mostly women and children that will be leaving with you, a few of our warriors are going as well. I hope that you and Captain Jorlan will find a way to get along. I realize that my son is very strong-headed, but that's just because he cares about our people so much. Life here has never been easy. Now you'd better go. Getting those shuttles our of here will be no easy task."
"May the Lords of Kobol protect and guide you," Brie said and walked out the door. She was halfway back to the shuttles when it hit her. Did he say "son"?
Brie
Back at the launching bay Amy ran to Brie as soon as she saw her. "Captain, any word?"
"We're leaving this rock," Brie said, knowing that wasn't what Amy was asking. "Are the shuttles loaded?"
Amy nodded. "What about..." she started.
"They didn't say anything one way or the other," Brie interupted. "That means Najin is still alive, they would have said if he had died. And no mention at all of Charybdis, which means he made it back safe and sound. If not, someone would have sent word to his fiancee."
"No one knows that we're engaged," Amy said softly, "and no one knows that I'm here."
Brie was taken aback for a moment. Amy had taken a viper in the heat of the battle and flown off without clearance. Brie hoped that there wouldn't be any repercussions from her actions, but now wasn't the time to think about that. "They would have sent word to me," she tried to assure her friend. "Now you'd better get to your viper. You're flying escort. This could be a dangerous trip."
LucianG
Almost all of the Callisto’s Vipers were crammed into Alpha Bay. Near the right side of the bay, a group of Techs were trying to pry open the canopy of a badly damaged Viper without success. A MedTech arrived humming an old hymn for the brave departed Warriors of old. She quickly scanned the ship, made several adjustments to her monitor, and tried yet again. She turned, looking dejected, and said the poor Warrior inside was already dead. The body was to be removed and brought to MedLab for preparation for internment.
Placing a hand over the canopy as if to touch the Warrior inside, the MedTech, who had lost her Warrior father some yahrens before in one of the many unnamed skirmishes with the Cylons, asked, “Do you know who it is?”
“Not a clue. They said almost half of the ships that landed were flown by someone other than the regularly assigned Warrior, and with so many coming in at once, most weren’t even logged in. According to Solan, the Flight Officer, they don’t know who’s alive and who’s dead at this point. It may take two or three centars to figure it all out.” Turning to the others, the Tech continued, “Okay, guys, time for care is over. Chop ‘em ou—“
“Wait a minute!” said another Tech. “We’re short on Vipers, and if we go hacking into this one, we may be damaging parts that might be salvageable. I think we should ask about this.”
The Alpha Bay supervisor agreed. The small ship had already been moved as far over as possible, so it was tagged with an order for Techs to begin disassembling it as soon as possible. There were lots of repairs to be made to more serviceable ships first though, so the Warrior inside would have to wait just a little longer before he or she would receive the honors due a true hero.
The Techs stood back and offered a salute, holding still for a few microns, and then scampering to the next of many tasks remaining to make the Callisto battle ready once again.
Brie
The shuttles were loaded, orders had been given and the pilots were preparing their ships. They would FINALLY be leaving the planet in 20 centons. The plan was that the vipers would be flying in a semi-circular shape around the perimeter of the shuttles. Any armed ships, such as the Colonial shuttles, would be spread out among the unarmed ships. Running into Cylons could be a disaster, Brie prayed it wouldn't happen.
All checks had been run, and there was nothing for Brie to do but wait. She had with her Jarrynn and her patients from Black Squadron, plus fifteen civilians. The civilians were mostly women and children, there was only one man in Brie's group. If Tolar and his forces actually survived, women on Gastonovia would probably once again be used primarily for breeding.
Brie couldn't help but think about Amy and Charybdis. The news of their engagement had come as quite a surprise. She didn't have the same worried feelings that she had experienced when she learned of Mara and Skyler's upcoming sealing. Both Mara and Skyler were viper pilots, the most dangerous job in the fleet. Since Charybdis had moved to the bridge he hardly ever flew a viper anymore, making it safer, although no one in the fleet was ever quite safe. He and Amy held a better chance of growing old together. Brie was happy for them, mostly. She had told Amy not to think about Najin, but Brie couldn't follow her own advice. The only reason that Najin had held on at all was because of Amy. If it hadn't been for his love for her, he probably would have died.
Warriors saved each others lives all the time. It happened in every battle with the Cylons. Charybdis had saved Brie's life in battle countless times, and she his. It was part of the job. But what Najin had done for Brie was different. He threw himself in front of a laser blast that was meant for her. If it weren't for him she would be dead. No human had ever shot at her before. It was a terrifying feeling. The war with the Cylons was bad enough, humans killing humans was unacceptable. Having killed the guard, no matter if it was "justifiable," was something Brie didn't know how she would ever live with. This mission had changed her forever, she felt like her very soul had been scarred.
Eighteen more centons until launch.
Jarrynn
Jarrynn sat there in the shuttle she was thankful to be leaving that planet. She couldnt stop worrying about Najinn and if he was ok. She hated letting him go but knew it was the only way to save his life, even after all she did to stabilize him. She looked at her arm where they had taken her blood for him and wondered if it was all in vain. Sighing she closed her eyes and leanded back. She opened one as she heard the three warriors giggling. Leaning over to Kris, "Ok you blind daggit what is so funny?" Kris stopped giggling long enough to talk. "Oh just how we can see fuzzy pictures now. Its not a bright blur anymore. We can see colors and well everything and everyone is fuzzy! Almost like you have fur!" With that she started giggling again. Jarrynn rolled her eyes and shook her head. Anything to entertain them right now she thought. She wanted to check Merak out to make sure he was ok from the hole in the envirosuit, but he was busy with the rest of them. They started talking about blowing up the cylons and how Wendy celebrated too soon and had to take a hard run for the land ram. They laughed about it. Jarrynn smiled and turned her head. She just wanted to know if Najinn made it. She reflected on how she had to overcome a lot to work on him. And seeing that much blood and to keep her head on straight, that was not an easy task. Jarrynn got up and headed to where Brie was. Sitting next to her Jarrynn smiled and sighed. "So we finally leaving here huh?" Brie smiled and nodded. "Brie are you ok? I didn't get the chance to make sure you were ok thru all of this. I hope that blood is not yours or I will feel real bad for not taking care of you in time. Any word on my patient back at the Callisto? I hope he made it Brie, I really do." A roll of laughter from the three caught their attention and they looked over at them. Brie looked at Jarrynn who was rolling her eyes again and trying not to laugh herself. "Uh Lt?" "Brie, you are going to laugh at them I swear you will. They are getting their sight back and right now they can see things and people but its all fuzzy like we have fur or something and they are finding this amusing. As well as sharing stories from the moon. Lords only know what they are laughing over now, but atleas they are in better spirits than when they showed up." Jarrynn shrugged. "So Brie back to you, are you ok?"
Brie
"So Brie back to you, are you ok?"
What a loaded question Jarrynn had just asked. "Are any of us really ok?" Brie replied. "I'm fine," she added quickly. "Nothing that a long turbowash and a couple of cycles of sleep won't cure."
"I know that feeling," Jarrynn agreed. "They didn't send word?"
"Nope," Brie said, "but that doesn't mean anything. The message was quick, just the information on the rendez-vous with the Callisto. Amy said she saw Skyler getting into a viper, so at least we know they made it back."
"That's good, I guess," Jarrynn said.
Another giggle was heard from the passenge area of the shuttle. "You'd better go prepared them for take-off," Brie suggested. "I've heard that riding blind is strange, I can only imagine what 'riding fuzzy' would be like."
"Okay, but let me know if you need anything," Jarrynn said.
"I will," Brie promised. As Jarrynn left, Brie thought about what an incredible job the young nurse had done. She reminded herself once again to make sure that Doc Bkj found out.
Twelve more centons until launch.
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Post by LucianG on Jun 30, 2005 3:51:09 GMT -6
LucianG
Commander Tolar looked at the collection of relics that were about to launch on a journey that would mean either life or death for those aboard. Ten shuttles had been constructed from the remains of the Gastonov over 100 yahrens earlier. Their systems, though patched together, were reasonably good, but their vastly varied exterior claddings made it obvious that these were homemade ships rather than ships built from a standard design in a real production facility. While they would be reasonably fast, they still wouldn’t be able to outrun a modern Cylon fighter. That, he thought, is the major problem with “reasonably” anything.
He watched as the last of his people entered the last shuttle. His only son, Captain Jorlan, placed his hand on the hatch to pull it closed, but he hesitated, looking across the apron of the flight center toward the control bunker. Jorlan momentarily stood erect, saluted briefly, and then reached across and closed the door behind him. Tolar silently returned the salute, and at the same time, wished Jorlan and all his people, along with the other Colonials, a safe journey to a safe haven somewhere across the heavens. He hoped that he would live long enough to see his son or possibly even a hypothetical future grandchild return someday to liberate their world and once again make it safe for human habitation.
Tolar gave the order, “Lower the dome. Pairs of shuttles are to launch on command, twenty micron intervals,” as had been discussed with the pilots. “Initiate launch sequence now, then get that dome back up as quickly as possible.” He stood silently watching the shuttles fly off into the sky. As the last cleared the dome area, it was reactivated, and the Omega Plan was fully functional.
* * *
“VILLOZA, PULL UP, HARD!” shouted Captain Buellah, but a micron later, another Silver Spar-operated bomber exploded into millions of pieces. To Buellah, this was like another giant hammer crashing down on his heart. He’d flown with all of these Warriors since they’d started, and Lieutenant Villoza had been one of his best. She’d come through countless encounters with the Cylons in the relative “safety” of her Viper, primarily due to her skill and its speed and armament. The bombers, on the other hand, were slow, lumbering beasties that could give a tremendous amount of punishment to stationary or slow moving ship or ground-based targets, but against fast moving craft like the Cylons’ Raiders, they were basically useless. The missile “system” hastily improvised and added by the Gastonovians on Frodar Epsilon had given the bombers their only real advantage during the first few microns of the battle, when by shear number of missiles flying, the Cylons were not able to avoid all of the incoming rockets. Since that time when they had destroyed five, six, or perhaps seven of the Raiders (depending on who delivered the report), they’d had basically no success, except for Buellah, who had destroyed three more. This wasn’t particularly surprising, since according to common gossip, he could fly an empty rations crate around any Cylon any time. Unfortunately, the bomber wing had lost half of its initial number, and, of the remaining three, one was badly damaged.
If the bombers had had it bad, the pod ships from Frodar Epsilon had had it much worse. Of their initial twenty-five ships, which had taken out eight to twelve Raiders in the initial attack, there were now only seven remaining, and these only by the incredible skills exhibited by their pilots. The pod ship pilots had not destroyed additional Cylons, but by their sheer numbers, they had distracted and harried the Cylons enough that the modern Vipers were able to do significant damage to the Cylon attack force without loss of any of their own. Several Vipers showed signs of damage, however, and the human pilots were beginning to tire. That, unfortunately, was not a problem faced by the Cylon robots.
Shortly after launch of the shuttles, Lieutenant Cain received communication from Colonel Brie. “As soon as you see the opportunity, it’s time to break it off, Gold One. Gather all of our forces, and meet us at these coordinates,” sent on scrambled data feed, “as soon as you can. We’re on target now, ETA 40 centars.”
“Got it! Everyone, it’s time to blow this joint. Begin disengagement exercise Delta. Let’s see if we can send these nasty daggits toward home with their tails tucked,” Cain said to the others. The maneuvers were successful in relatively short order, primarily because the Cylons were beginning to see their fuel levels dropping toward the critical point. The remaining Cylon Raiders, which numbered between twenty and thirty, pulled away when presented the opportunity, and began their journey to return to their incoming Base-Star. At the same time, ten Vipers, seven pod ships, and three bombers limped toward their rendezvous point.
* * *
On the Callisto, Commander Sheba had a brief discussion with Science Officer Solon on the bridge. Solon nodded periodically as she spoke, made a few notes, and then headed to the Science Lab to run some analyses to see if her idea had a chance of working.
Amy81
The shuttles were pretty well loaded up. By the time I had finished with my duties, Captain Brie had gone inside her shuttle along with Jarrynn and the injured warriors. As I walked to my viper I tried to get Brie's attention by waving, but she was deep in a conversion and didn't look up. Oh well. It wasn't anything important. Just a thumbs up maybe.
I paused before climbing into my ship. First planet, huh? It wouldn't have been half-bad if not for all the extra baggage that came with it. I'd miss the breeze that blew around, that was for sure. Looking around one last time, I looked down and kicked at a couple of rocks. For the heck of it I picked one up and put it in my jacket pocket. Something to remember my first planetfall with.
I climbed into the cockpit, pushing snarled hair out of the way to get my helmet on. I lowered the canopy, punching buttons to get the ship up and running. For some reason I was irritated, but couldn't put my finger on why. I didn't realize that I was until it dawned on me how hard I was hitting those buttons. I sat back, let out a big sigh, glancing back at the shuttles as they rose from the ground.
Again with more force than was needed, I kicked in the turbos and vaulted into the sky. I rose up through the atmosphere and out into space, never once looking back. Through my comlink I could hear a voice giving coordinates. Fine. See you there.
I did one roll, then two more. I half felt like heading the other way, but banked left, looped around and headed in the right direction. I shook my head, trying to shake my mood and wondering where it had come from.
Brie
As they shuttle Brie was piloting was launched, she let out a sigh of relief. She couldn't help but take one last look at the planet that had changed her life forever. She didn't know how she was going to be able to live on the Callisto like nothing had happened. Sh didn't know who would understand how she felt, except maybe Najin. She said yet another prayer for him.
Walksallroads
Lt. Anubis was sitting in the gunner's seat with Capt. Brie. In the time before the launch, he steeled himself for the launch, when he knew that the G-forces were going to fight dirty with his injuries. As the shuttle launches, he grunts when the G's hit, buut once in the vaccume of space, relief takes hold again. In the back of his mind, he starts forming his report to Major Jucien, which is to include that an injured warrior is to not be allowed to be bounced all over the inside of a LandRam, as further injuries will result, thus lowering the warrior's abilities. The planet had an interesting view, and Anubis is positive that Holodoc would've enjoyed it if there wasn't a war on. Perhaps, if the Callisto can evade further pursuit for a time, shore leave could be allowed, give those unused to making planetfall an opportunity to see what it's like, and give the more experienced and battle-worn warriors a chance to rest and regroup. Even his batch was allowed to play some sports, though they were to test physical capabilities and mental capacity, but they still provided a diversion from the tedium of training all of their lives. But before the idea may be submitted, they must find a habitable planet, and not have Cylons halfway up their thruster manifold.
Holodoc2000
Holodoc finally had a short break on the incoming injuried Warriors that were in need of one form of treatment or another. It seemed like forever since she had been able to get any kind of rest at all. She had been taking 5 or 10 centon cat naps whenever she could but knew that it could only last so long before she completely gave out & had to have more rest than what she was getting currently.
Hawke & Najinn where in beds next to each other so that it would be easier to keep a closer eye on both of them.
Holodoc walked over to where Hawke & Najinn were laying on their beds there in Life Station to check on them. Najinn was still very weak, but he was holding his own in his fight to live. Hawke was stable & in a lot of pain with the burns that he received when the panels in his Viper exploded. Holodoc made a few notes on both of their charts & then went to check on a few of the other patients that she had there in Life Station.
Doc Bkj had left Life Station earlier to go down to one of the landing bays to check on things there since there had been a call that came in that one of the Warriors were currently trapped in their Viper & hasn't been removed from the Viper yet. There was no word as of yet who that Warrior is that is trapped in the Viper.
While doing her rounds Holodoc started thinking of Jarrynn in hopes that she was doing alright on the mission she got assigned to at the last moment. She knew that Jarrynn wasn't to fond of the sight of a lot of blood & hoped that she did alright. Holodoc would be glad when she could see her friend to know for herself that Jarrynn was alright. Holodoc also started thinking about Anubis & hoped that he was alright. She knew that he shouldn't have been assigned to the mission since he hadn't had time to fully heal from the injuries he recieved from the last mission that he went on, but every available Warrior was needed to defend the Callisto.
Once she finished her rounds, Holodoc went back over to where Najinn & Hawke were located there in Life Station. She relieved the person that was keeping a close watch on both of them & sat down to do take her turn in watching both Najinn & Hawke.
While she was sitting there in the chair between Hawke & Najinn, Holodoc started trying to work out some of the tightness & kinks out of her shoulders & back some. While she was doing this, Holodoc was also thinking of how it would be nice to have more people on the Medical Staff at times like this so that things wouldn't seem as stressed or stretched beyond the limits as they were now. Holodoc wondered if any of the Warriors that had already landed back on the Callisto had any kind of medical training from their days at the Academy. She made a mental note to herself to check on it when things settled back down.
BSGRose
Ensign Rose had been sitting in the briefing area for Black Squadron for awhile & was getting nervous. She hated waiting around & not being able to do anything to help out in some way. She could no longer just sit there and do nothing, so she gets up from where she had been sitting and walks over to where she could write out a note to Major Lucian and leave it for him to see when he arrived there in the Black Squadron briefing area.
Note reads as follows:
Major Lucian:
I could not just sit around and not do anything while everyone else was busy working on helping out in some way here on the Callisto. I have had some medical training in the past and I have gone down to life station to see if there is anything that I can do to help out.
Ensign Rose
Ensign Rose placed the note on Major Lucian's desk and headed out the door to go down to Life Station to see what she could do to help out there.
10 centons later....
Ensign Rose walks into Life Station and notices right away that things had been wild there for awhile with the medical staff working on the injuried Warriors. She notices one of the staff members sitting down inbetween two of the injuried Warriors and walks over to her.
"Excuse me," Ensign Rose says, "I don't mean to bother you, but I thought I would let you know that I am here to help out in any way that I am able to help." Holodoc looks up at the Ensign who had come over and offered her services and smiled. "Don't worry, Ensign. I can use all the help I can get," Holodoc says. I am Lt Holodoc, the Head Nurse here in Life Station. "What is your name Ensign?," Holodoc asks. "I am Ensign Rose and I have just recently joined Black Squadron," Rose replies.
"Rose, if you would please sit here between these two Warriors & monitor their read outs and let me know of any changes," Holdoc says. "I would be happy to help," Rose replies as she takes the seat that Holodoc had just vacated. "I am going to work on cleaning up a few things while there is a chance," Holodoc says as she heads over to one of the areas that needs some cleaning up. "Yes ma'am," Rose replies, "and I will let you know of any changes."
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Post by LucianG on Jun 30, 2005 3:51:39 GMT -6
Hawke14
I woke up with a start. As soon as I opened my eyes I looked around. I was in life station.. Hmm... I suddenly remembered my cockpit control panel exploding in my face. I put my hand up to my face and there were bandages all on the right side of my face. That's why I could see with one eye. Great! My depth preception is shot! I caught a nurse looking at me from her desk. "Are you ok? Is there anything I can get for you" I thought about it for a micron and then I said "A mirror if you got one." This was it, I didn't know what kind of actual damage I had to my face, but now was the time to find out. She hesitated for awhile. "Well?" I asked. "Hawke I don't think you'd want to do that right.." "Are you saying I'm burned beyond recognition?" "No, it's just that...You have 2nd and 3rd degree burns on three quarters of your face. You're scheduled for cosmetic surgery tomorrow. The doctors are going to try their best to not leave any scarring." Three quarters of my face? Jeeze,there goes my shot with the ladies. "Can I look anyway?" I asked. "If you really want to I suppose so. Just so you know, the damage was extreme. We have bandages on the right side of your face, but the uncovered section is the second degree burns. Don't be frightend of what's looking back at you. It's still you." She got a mirror out of the drawer of her desk and came over and handed it to me. I grabbed the mirror and closed my eyes. I put the mirror up and opened my eyes. I saw my head wrapped up and there was a bandage over my right eye. More bandages came around my cheek and mouth. That's why my voice sounded so muffled! I looked at my left side and I just couldn't take it. I started crying. My god! I was a mess. What I saw was my lower jaw and eye was so wrinkled. I didn't recognize myself! After I stopped sobbing uncontrollably I asked the nurse "What happened to me? The I remember my ship being dead in space, A Cylon fighter came by me to take target practice,I re-wired my control panel to get my mega-pulsars working and I hit the firing stud and that's when I remember the flames. I tried turning away and then I passed out." She said,"I don't know what happend to your ship,but all I know is if you didn't have you're helmet on you wouldn't have ANY remnants of a face right now. The techs said that your helmet seemed to melt to your face in the explosion. They had to pry it off. That's why you have the bandages on your right side." I mulled that over for a bit and then asked her "The doctor said that I was almost parylized. What did he mean by that?" She said something to the effect of when my viper got hit something lodged in my seat and bruised my spinal column. She explained it in medical terms that I didn't understand. "Ok, thanks. One last thing, after the surgery tomorrow,can I go back on duty?" I anxously awaited her answer.
Holodoc2000
"Hawke, you will be able to go back on duty, but it will be a couple of sentons (weeks) before you are cleared for light duty," Holodoc says.
Holodoc goes over & puts the mirror up & comes back over to stand next to Hawke for a little while longer.
"Hawke," Holodoc says, "don't worry so much. The doctors will do their best to fix your face & I will be in the surgery area also to assist where needed. Right now all you need to worry about is getting well & resting as much as possible." Hawke nods in response & closes his eyes to try & rest some. Holodoc then sits down in the chair to observe both Hawke & Najinn while they were resting.
Hawke14
I tried closing my eyes but I was in no mood to sleep. Surgery! Some hope of looking normal. That sounded so definite. I began thinking about what could happen in the surgery when someone new came into life station. I never saw her before. She went over and said something to the duty nurse. She came over and sat in the chair that was between me and the other warrior that was in the next bed. "Hi." she said to me. She had kind of an astonished look on her face when she looked at me. I rolled over onto the other side to prevent her from getting a good look at me. "Hi." I replied. "You don't have to hide your face from me you know." She said. "I'm hideous looking." "No you aren't. You've been through alot. It could have happened to anyone." That didn't make me feel better. "For what it's worth I'm Rose." I smiled. I turned over to look at her. "I'm Hawke." "Now see? That's a start."
BSGRose
Rose smiled at Hawke when he turn back over to look at her. Rose moved the chair she was sitting in closer to Hawke's bed so that they could talk & not disturb the others around them getting some much needed rest.
"Hawke," Rose quietly says, "I am going to reveal something to you that very few people know about me. I hope that it will help you in some way. About four and half yarhons ago, I was badly burned on a portion of my face, neck, and shoulder. It happened one day when I was cooking a meal for my parents and sibblings. The burns were bad enough that I had to go through surgery in order to repair the damage. The doctors able to fix my face and neck to where you wouldn't know that I had any surgery done unless you knew where to look for their handy work. My left shoulder on the other hand is a different matter. They were able to do the reconstructive surgery on it but I still have a couple of scars to show that I had surgery on it to fix the damage that was done from the burns."
Rose grows quiet after revealing something so personal that she normally didn't reveal to anyone, but revealed it to Hawke in hopes that it would help him some. Without even thinking about it, Rose reaches over and takes one of Hawke's hands in her own. She sits there holding his hand in hopes that he would be able to recieve some sort of comfort from her being there and knowing that someone knew what it was like to go through what he was going through at that moment.
Hawke14
I was incredible. I wasn't alone after all. Uh oh! Drugs kicking in.... The last thing I remember is Rose taking my hand in hers. I quietly fell asleep with a smile on my face.
BSGRose
Rose noticed that the medication that Nurse Holodoc had given Hawke were taking effect and he was drifting off to sleep. She continued to sit there holding Hawke's hand and thinking about many things. She hoped that Nurse Holodoc and Dr Bkj were able to do the same type of surgery for Hawke that the doctors those years ago were able to do for her when she was burned.
It had been a long day for Rose and she started getting a little sleepy herself, but she didn't want to leave Hawke just in case he woke up and needed to talk or need help in with other things. Rose ends up leaning over some onto Hawke's bed & lays her head down on her crossed arms. She had intwined Hawke's hand and forearm in with her amrs so that if he moved she would awaken to see if he needed anything.
Holodoc2000
Holodoc had a busy day ahead of her in Life Station. One of the first things on the listing of things to do for the day was Hawke's reconstructive surgery.
After checking to make sure that Jadzia & kittens were safely secure in her sleeping area there in life station & that they had plenty of food & water, along with some toys to play with during the day, Holodoc went about her rounds to check up on all of the patients there in Life Station.
Holodoc went over to Hawke's bed last so that she could talk to him about his surgery that would be taking place momentarily. When she came up on his bed, Holodoc notices that Rose had fallen asleep there at Hawke's bed there in Life Station. Holodoc gently nudges Rose awake. Rose awakens & sits up seeing that Holodoc was standing next to her & that she had fallen asleep there in Life Station.
"Rose," Holodoc says, "I appreciate you staying around & helping out like you did. I hope you can stay around for a little while longer. Doctor Bkj & I will be doing Hawke's surgery momentarily." Rose nods & tells Holodoc that she would be happy to stay around to help out as much as possible. Holodoc thanks Rose again.
Holodoc steps over to where she was closer to Hawke's head & shoulder. She gently shakes his shoulder to awaken him. "Hawke," Holodoc says, "It's me, Nurse Holodoc. Dr Bkj & I will be taking you into surgery momentarily to do the needed surgery to repair the damage to your face."
Hawke14
"Thanks Holodoc. I want to look normal in the worst way. I know you'll do your best." I look over at Rose. I smile at her and say "Thanks for sticking by me." I let out an audible sigh and look at Holodoc and say "Ok, Let's get this done."
Holodoc2000
Holdoc nods in response & tells Hawke that she will be right back. She was going to check on the statis of the surgery area & get some of the medication to give him before going into surgery.
Holodoc then walks over to the surgery area to see that it is set up & see's that it is ready to go & all that is needed is to give Hawke the needed medication & get him into surgery. She wanted to give Hawke & Rose a little time together before taking him into surgery, so she took her time in getting the needed medication & going back over to give it to Hawke. Holodoc noticed that there was a special bond developing between Hawke & Rose & didn't want to interupt them right at then.
Hawke14
The drugs are kicking in now.. I look up at Rose and smile at her. "Wait for me when I get out." I mumble to her barely audible "I'm scared." I finally give into the darkness.
BSGRose
Rose barely heard what Hawke said about waiting on him to come out of surgery and about being scared. She leaned down close to him & whispered that she would wait on him to come out of surgery, but wasn't sure if he heard her or not.
Holodoc then takes Hawke on into the surgery area, leaving Rose alone to wait around to see how things went during the surgery.
Rose started walking around some there in Life Station while she was waiting. She couldn't stay in one place until she heard that Hawke was doing alright & would pull through.
Holodoc2000
Holodoc rolled Hawke into the surgery area & she along with Doc Bkj started working on repairing Hawke's face.
It took some work, but Holodoc & Doc Bkj were able to repair Hawke's burned face. It took three & a half centare's to get everything done, but they finally got it all done. Once they finished up the last of the work, Holodoc rolls Hawke out of the surgery area & back over to where he would be watched closely.
Holodoc got Hawke set up on the monitors when Rose walks over to where Hawke was set up & sits down in the chair next to his bed. She looks up at Holodoc & asks how things went during the surgery. "Rose," Holodoc says, "the surgery went well. Dr Bkj & I were able to repair the damage that was done to Hawke's face. He will be fine & it will take a few days for the swelling to go down from the surgery that was done." Rose thanks Holodoc for letting her know & sits there holding Hawke's hand. Holodoc makes a few notes on Hawke's chart & then goes about doing her rounds.
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Post by LucianG on Jun 30, 2005 3:52:07 GMT -6
BSGRose
Rose continued to sit by Hawke's bed there in Life Station while he was sleeping off the medication that he had been given before and during his surgery. As she would sit there waiting, Rose would hold Hawke's hand and gently rub it some with one of hers.
Every so often Nurse Holodoc would come over to check on Hawke and make notes on his chart and then go on about her rounds.
Rose hoped that Hawke would wake up soon so that she could talk to him a little and let him know that he was going to be fine.
Hawke14
I wake up coughing. "Holodoc! Something's wrong!" I hear. I continue to cough violently. "Get that waste basket at the side of his bed quick!!" Jeeze! What kind of drugs did they give me? I lean over my bed and throw up. I cough a bit more and I start to feel better. "What happened?" I hear a voice ask. "He's having a reaction to the drugs wearing off. I think he'll be fine now." I look over at the voices and I see it's Rose and Holodoc. I smile at Rose. "Hi." She smiles back at me. "Hi there. How do you feel?" "Like I was in a Triad game and I was the ball. How about you?"I asked. "That's to be expected. You just had a reaction to the medication." Holodoc answered. "Oh." was all I could say. "How did the surgery go?" I asked. "Look for youself." Rose replied. She gave me a mirror. I looked at who was staring back at me. Except for a bit of missing hair which Holodoc had to shave off for the surgery, I couldn't even tell where the scars were. "My god! I'm GORGEOUS!" (OT: Sorry, I just HAD to put that in there. 3rd Rock reference.)"You did a REMARKABLE job Holodoc, thank you." "You're welcome,Hawke. But Dr. BJK did the actual surgery.I just assisted." "Well, give my thanks to him too." "I will. Now, if you'll excuse me,I've got my rounds to do." As Holodoc left, I looked at Rose. I smiled at her. "Hey." I said. "Hey." She said. She took my hand in hers. "I waited for you all through your surgery." "You didn't have to do that." "I know. But I wanted to." "I appreciate what you've done. Believe me. So, don't take this the wrong way,but I've GOT to know. Why? Why have you stuck around? Why me?" I awaited Rose's reply.
BSGRose
Rose looked down at her hands holding on to Hawke's momentarily when he asked her why she stuck around and why him. When she looked back up and looked at him in the face, there was a lone tear coming down her cheek.
"Hawke," Rose begins, "I stayed around because I thought you could use a friend and the support of someone who knows what it is like to go through what you have just gone through. I didn't want to see you go through this alone like I did for a good portion of my recovery. When I was first burned my family was there for me at first, but after awhile they started drifting away from me all because of the scars that I had received from the burns. They didn't want to have anything to do with me because of the way that I looked so whenever we were out in public they would more or less shunned me so that others wouldn't know that I was with them. It wasn't until several Sectars (months) later when I found a doctor that could fix the damage that was done by the fire that they wanted me to be a part of their lives again. It wasn't until after I had the surgery to fix the damage before I could start dealing with my family and how they had treated me before I had the surgery. We have resolved things now, but there are still moments when what happened comes back up and I have to deal with my feelings on it all over again."
Rose grew quiet for awhile to let what she just revealed sink in with Hawke. She wasn't sure how he would react to what she revealed, so she looked down again at her hands holding on to Hawke's hand and silenty let the tears fall. She hoped that what she had told Hawke would help him some in his recovery.
Hawke14
I smiled at Rose and thought about what she said. "Thanks" was all I could muster up. I brought her face closer to mine and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I appreciate all you've done for me. You're the only real friend I've got on this tub. I guess you heard how I was a viper pilot and then became a security officer. I'm not very lucky to be around. But if you want you can stay. Who knows? Maybe we'll get to be not just good friends,but great friends. And maybe a little more. But we have to take it slow. Ok?" I awaited Rose's answer. Every micron that passed seemed like an eternity.
BSGRose
Rose blushed a little when Hawke kissed her on the cheek. She thought to herself about kissing him also, but thought better of it at the moment. She didn't want to embarrass him any.
"Hawke," Rose says, "I haven't heard about what has happened for you to now be a Security Officer instead of a Viper Pilot. I am sure that you had your reasons for whatever it was that you did to cause the transfer. I will understand if you don't want to tell me about it. I would like for us to be friends and more if possible also. Also, luck is what you make of it. I am sure that your luck will change for the better soon."
Rose grew quiet for a moment and hoped that Hawke would open up to her some in time. While she was sitting there, Rose picked up Hawke's hand again and starts to gently massage it some.
LucianG
The hum of the old twin engines muffled the sounds in the rear of the lead Frodarian shuttlecraft. Packed with thirty-eight passengers and the two pilots, the unarmed old craft followed Colonel Brie’s modern shuttle and led four of its fellows, the second Gold Squadron shuttle, five more Frodarian shuttles, and the Black Squadron shuttle acting as rear guard. A short distance away, eleven Vipers, the three remaining bombers, and the eight remaining pod ships encircled the basically unarmed convoy. The pilots of these ships were on watch for any Cylon activity that might surface to cause trouble for the shuttle fleet.
In Frodar One, a young mother held her two small children sitting in the seats beside her. The Frodarians had hastily installed the seats in the shuttles on word of the evacuation, taking them from storage, where they had sat for many years just in case such an event was to occur. The dark haired young woman’s eyes were still red from crying as she’d said goodbye, probably for forever, to her husband, but now she was putting on a brave front for her children, promising them that they’d get the chance to see their da’ again someday.
The sounds of the engines, sniffles, and whimpers continued, as what had been known and comfortable, was left behind...forever.
Holodoc2000
Holodoc had been staying very busy in Life Station with rounds & updating patient files. She had not been out of Life Station in what seemed like forever & thought it was time for a little break from Life Station.
Holodoc saw that Dr Bkj was in her office working on other items & went over to tell her that she was heading out for a little while to take care of a couple of things & would be back as soon as she could. Dr Bkj says alright & that she would look after things until Holodoc got back.
Holodoc looks over at Hawke & Rose as she heads towards the door to head out for a little while & see's that they are talking & getting to know each other some. Holodoc smiles to herself & thinks that Rose would be good for Hawke & that maybe Rose would be able to change Hawke's luck for the better.
Holodoc was almost to the door when she remember that there was something that she wanted to take with her as she left Life Station for a little while. Holodoc heads back over to a certain cabinet there in Life Station & pulls out a couple of jars of a special mixture that she kept handy for certain occassions. Once she had the needed jars, Holodoc heads on out of Life Station & heads out on her first little mission of fun in a long time.
20 centons later....
Holodoc reaches the Ready Room for Black Squadron. She proceeds to sneak in & looks around & see's that no one is paying her any attention. Holodoc then heads on over to Major Lucian's Office & goes inside when she see's that he is not there at the moment. Holodoc walks over to Major Lucian's desk & chair then proceeds to pour some of the of the marshmallow cream & honey mixture in the chair & then heads back out of his office & over to his bunk there in the ready room. Once she was over at his bunk, Holodoc then pours some of the mixture around his bunk & places the half empty jar in the center of his pillow for him to find.
Holodoc then heads out of the Black Squadron Ready Room with the other jar of special mixture still in hand & heads out to her next location to pull one more prank before heading back to Life Station.
LucianG
Major Lucian stopped in the Black Squadron office for just a moment. He’d returned from some long meetings on the bridge, where the decision had finally been made. Three wings from Black Squadron were going out to greet the evacuation fleet, along with three wings from Gold Squadron. Major Lucian had assigned himself to the “rescue party,” although everyone was hoping that “rescue” would not be needed. Lieutenant Siress Eden would head up the Gold Squadron contingent. Major Lucian posted his assigned Warriors to the list, and then sounded the call for all of them to report to Alpha Bay or Beta Bay, depending on where their fighter craft was currently positioned.
* * *
Colonel Brie, piloting the lead shuttle, thought to herself, “This nightmare should be over in about half a centar!” Already, the Callisto was preparing to send out a welcoming patrol to lead the small fleet “home.” Rendezvous would be in about thirty centons.
* * *
Positioned to the front and left of the evacuation fleet, Lieutenant Randrius was watching his scanners closely. The blasted tin-cans seemed to always materialize when and where one least expected them. Following the encounter a short time earlier, Randrius figured that this would definitely qualify. He felt they were lucky to have suffered no more losses than they had, considering the circumstances. Randrius’ eyes rapidly flitted over the instruments. Nothing. “Good!” he thought, “We might just get out—”
The “BEEP! BEEP!” from the scanner interrupted his thoughts. Small triangles began to appear at the edge of the monitor.
“FRACK! We’ve got company, course 320, mark 12,” he reported to Colonel Brie, who was in charge of the overall operation.
“Black Leader, how many incoming?” she asked over the comm.
“We’re up to about 40 and there are still more showing up on the monitor, Colonel, as we speak…. Looks like that may be it. We’ve got 50 incoming.”
“How soon, Lieutenant?”
“Too soon, Colonel…. Looks like about ten centons. If we change course to …” Randrius sent the course info by scrambler, “we’ll be able to add another ten centons to that.”
“And we can get coverage from home just after that.” She considered the options for only a moment before saying, “Let’s do it, everyone. Course change on my mark…Mark!” The triangles had just begun to fill the edge of Brie’s monitor.
“Mother, this is Gold Leader. Help would be much appreciated at coordinates Beta One, attached,” said Brie.
The response took several microns in coming. “Understood and on the way, Gold Leader. ETA is 27 centons, 80 microns. Launching now, and may the Lords of Kobol be with you.”
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Post by LucianG on Jun 30, 2005 3:52:34 GMT -6
Brie
Colonel Brie couldn't imagine the situation being any worse. She had been willing, time and time again, to put her life on the line in battle. She was known to pull off the occasional amost-suicidal move. That wouldn't happen this time. She was flying a shuttle. It was armed, but nothing like what she would have had in her viper, and it wasn't very manuverable. And it was filled with civilians, women and children that Commander Tolar had entrusted to her care.
As they waited for the Cylons and the backup from the Callisto, Brie made a mental scan of who she was flying with. Since she was in command, she needed to know who was where. It dawned on her how little she knew most of the warriors with her. In the vipers she knew she could depend on Cain and Amy, and Kiwi had proven himself in the last battle. She worried about Selene and Arianna. They had just joined Gold Squadron, and except for the reports given to her in their files, she knew nothing about them. She decided to recitfy that once they were back on the Callisto. She thought about the Black Squadron warriors that were also with her at the moment. The two squadron would mix some, but not really all that much. When was the last time she had really held a conversation with any of them? There was a friendly rivalry between the squadrons, and that was fine, but maybe it was time she got to know the Black Squadron members a little bit better, and Major Lucian could do the same thing with Gold.
Of course she didn't need to go far to realize that she was trusting her life with yet another total stranger. Lt. Anubis was with her in the shuttle, flying tactical. She couldn't think of a time when they had ever said more than, "Captain," "At ease, Lieutenant," to each other. She knew nothing about him, she had never ever read his file. She knew that he had been injured, and she thought she had heard somewhere that he had taken one of Holodoc's kittens, but that might have been someone else. Brie swore that once they were back on the Callisto, she was going to try to start to see people a bit differently. There was more to life than this fracking war.
But at the moment, there wasn't. With the Cylons being only a few centons away, there was the war and that was it. The lives of hundreds of people, warriors and civilians, depended on her judgement. Brie said a quick prayer for guidance, took a deep breath, and focused.
LucianG
The call signal for Black Squadron Warriors had been sounded. Black Squadron Warriors scrambled to check their orders, which were as follows:
URGENT! All Black Squadron Warriors currently aboard the Callisto are to report to their Vipers for immediate launch. Cylon Raiders are reportedly closing on the evacuation fleet nearing the Callisto. We will provide cover for them.
The list of Vipers that are still on station in Alpha Bay is attached, so please report to the correct launch bay. Launch begins as soon as temporary flight wings can be formed. Please report [below in this thread] when you are ready for launch.
Major Lucian, Black Squadron, Battlestar Callisto
Lt_Skyler
Skyler had just left Mara, and was half way back to the Launch Bay when the alert Klaxons sounded. He took off at a run, and arrived back into the organized confussion that was taking place. Looking around, Skyler spotted Lt. SiressEden, and went to check his flight assignment.
MedievalSong
I headed to the front and still slowly gaining everything back. I saw everything right now like it was a really bright sunny day and I didn't have any eye protection. "Captain, what's going on?" "We have company." "That bad huh?" I asked hoping it wasn't but I could tell by how tense Brie was that we weren't in a good position. "It's times like this I wish I was in my viper." she sighed. "I completely agree with you there." I rubbed my eyes lightly and squinted a bit. "How are the eyes Lieutenant?" "Well better but not where I want them. If you need a gunner I will do my best." I waited to hear from Brie and what she wanted me to do to help.
MaraJadeJedi
Lt MaraJade headed back to her seat at the missiles comcenter. She awaited what orders Commander Sheba had for her. She watched the vipers launching again and she said a silent prayer for her dear Lt Skyler. She hoped he would be safe and come back to her once more. She hoped that they would truly see the day they would be sealed. Again she sat there waiting for orders.
IrishKnight
Ensign Sonja sat there in her viper waiting orders. She looked at her screen and knew that this was going to be a bumpy ride. "Let's teach these tin heads who is boss around here!"
Brie
Brie couldn't help smiling. "A blind gunner? Somehow that fits in with the rest of this whole fracking mission."
"My site is getting better by the micron," Kris replied.
"I know," Brie said. "Listen, if your sister clears you, then we'll see, no pun intended. But until then, what I really need is help with the civilians. They're not taking the Cylon threat very seriously, and since so many of them are children..."
"Say no more," Kris said. "We'll do our best to keep everyone calm in the back."
Raycer
Raycer is ready to rock, tell me where my ship is or Ill just put a spacesuit on and stand on the hull with a blaster
BSGRose
Rose continued to sit there by Hawke's bed during the times that he would sleep. During the times he was awake they would talk some, but not much. She didn't want him to over do it any and she wanted him to concentrate on getting well. During some of the time that Hawke was asleep Rose would take little cat naps.
While she was sitting there, Rose would think about many things. One of the things she would think about was family and then she would also think about the current battle that everyone was having to deal with in one way or another.
LucianG
Rose was taking another short cat-nap near Hawke when the klaxon sounded. She quickly checked orders and saw that Black Squadron Warriors were being ordered to their Vipers, with emphasis on checking where those Vipers were due to the earlier problems in Beta Bay.
Black Squadron Warriors were already starting Vipers and preparing to launch.
Jarrynn
Nurse Lt Jarrynn sat there as Lt Kris came bounding over. "Can I fly gunner for the Captain? She needs help up there." "How well can you see?" She asked looking into her eyes with a light. "Well its like a really bright sunny day and I wish I had solar shades." Jarrynn looked again and looked around. She found Kris' enviro helmet and put it on her head. "HEY!" "Shut up will you?! I am trying to see if this will help! Now quit squirming!" Jarrynn lowered the blast sheild on the helmet and Kris looked around. "Much better! I need air!!!!!!" jarrynn stuck a tank to the hose and Kris headed to the front seat. Brie just looked at her in and was about to ask what was going on. "Don't ask just be thankful you have a gunner!" Brie stiffled a laugh and Jarrynn watched from the back as she tried to quiet down the civilians and to keep them calm as she could. Brie kept looking over at the new gunner and the fact she had to wear her suit helmet. Jarrynn wished she had a way to capture the scene in a holopic to show Lt Nat when they got back. She hoped the two could patch things up.
Walksallroads
Anubis was glad to have been given a break, though it wouldn't've been shown in his face. His questioning the wisdom of having a gunner who'd nearly been blinded showed more, but he sat near the chair, ready to spring back into it should anyone try to come at them. His reflexes and visual aquity could make the difference between the safety of those they carry, and death for all on board. He goes into his meditative posture, closes his eyes, and drifts in the void of thoughtlessness.
Brie
Brie didn't know Lt. Anubis well, but she thought that he probably needed a break. Even though Lt. Kris had been cleared, Brie still wasn't sure. What was worse, an exhausted gunner or a blind gunner? She only had a micron to decide. "Okay, Lt. Kris, you start off. Anubis, you can take a break, but stay close."
MedievalSong
I looked at the Captain as she looked at the helmet I was forced to wear. I was still wanting to get even with Jarrynn on this but I knew it was for the best. I looked at the Captain. "Listen Captain, I know you are nervous about my sight. Trust me, if I didn't think I could do this I wouldn't have offered. Jarrynn said this blaster sheild will help. I can see it's just everything looks really bright. It looks much better with the blaster on, so please try to have faith in me, please?!" I wished she could see the honesty and sincerity in my eyes but that blasted sheild was down. "I was out for a bit but its getting better. Please Captain Brie, trust me, I am a warrior first. If I didn't think I could do this I wouldn't have pushed for it." I hoped she would understand and not push me away but I could understand if she chose Anubis over me. I hoped that Lt Resonat was doing better than I did, and that when this was over we could talk again. But right now I needed to know what the Captain wanted me to do.
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Post by LucianG on Jun 30, 2005 3:53:06 GMT -6
LucianG
Geenie gave the order, "Vipers launch when ready."
Moments later, space around the Callisto briefly boiled with Vipers, but moments later, they were gone, heading on a mission to save their friends and another small but important part of the human race.
* * *
Major Lucian was leading a group of 18 Black Squadron Vipers. They had launched immediately on his arrival, and formed in a group, where he was just beginning to check wing assignments literally on the “fly.” Unfortunately, not everyone had been ready, so very few usual wingmate pairs appeared to be present, but like Captain Brie always said, Colonial Warriors had to be ready to fly with anyone at a moment’s notice. Just to his left, he saw a group of twelve Gold Squadron Vipers pulling into position, traveling on the same course as the Black Squadron group. Turbos were on maximum thrust, as the combined group was trying to make up as much time as possible in order to save their friends and a band of human refugees.
Lucian said to the Black Squadron group assembled to his right, “Okay folks, sound off if you’re here, so we can tweak our formation a little if we need to do so.”
* * *
Buellah, Randrius, and Cain had had their groups peel away from the refugees’ shuttles. They were intent on stopping the group of up to fifty Raiders from breaking through their ranks. If the Raiders got through, the last line of defense for the shuttles, which included three armed Colonial shuttles and ten unarmed Frodarian shuttles, was the armament of the Colonial shuttles and four Frodarian pod ships that had already been proven to be grossly outmatched, except for pure piloting skills, by the Cylons in their more modern Raiders.
“They’re closing too quickly,” said Buellah, the leader of the Silver Spar Squadron. Unfortunately, he was flying one of the three bombers in the group, so his effectiveness would probably be limited. “We need to stop them earlier rather than later so we can give our shuttles more time to reach the coverage of our incoming Viper group.”
“Agreed,” said Cain. “You heard the man, Viper pilots. Let’s go to turbos, and buy them as much time as we can.”
* * *
BSGRose
I'm here Major! I'm ready to cover your tail again if needed.
BSGNylah
Ensign Nylah ready to launch. But excuse me - am I supposed to fly with that Lt guy again? That one that Kris worked with me on?
IrishKnight
Lt Sonja flying still with Lt Randrius' group. I haven't fallen yet. Just can't get online as much as I used to.
Raycer
Im ready to fly, I got a score to settle with the Cylons
Holodoc2000
Nurse Holodoc was really starting to drag now. She had been working for so long & with very little sleep that it was starting to take its toll on her. She needed to get some much needed sleep, but she still had so much to do & several patients to tend to these days.
Holodoc continued her rounds in checking up on Hawke, Najinn, & all the others that were there in MedLab. Najinn was doing a lot better than he was when he had first arrived there in MedLab & she would be glad when he was able to go without all of the medication that she & the Doctor where having to give him at the moment to help with all the pain that he was in currently. Once her rounds were done, Holodoc goes over ot her desk for a couple moments & places all the files that she had handy down & then heads over to her sleeping area there in MedLab.
Holodoc hoped to be able to get more than two centares of sleep this time. She had been unable to sleep well since this mission started & would be glad when things got back to normal to some extent. Holodoc reaches her sleeping area there in MedLab & sits down on the edge of her bed long enough to kick off her shoes & then she curles up on her bed. Once she was settled Isis jumped onto the bed with her & settled in to get a little sleep also, while Jadzia, Abby Tabby, & BrieCORA still played there on the floor near the bed.
Amy81
I pulled up into formation with the shuttles and escorts just as my scanner lit up with targets ahead. Frack! I guess this wasn’t going to be an easy ride home. Studying the readouts, it looked like nearly 50 cylon raiders were moving our way.
Thump.
My heart jumped, immediately thinking back to my nightmare, and explosives planted aboard my viper. But this wasn’t even my viper! So what was that noise? I allowed myself a peek down around the floor of my cockpit. Nothing. Oh wait, there it is! I started to laugh. What an idiot!
I reached down and picked up the rock I had taken from the planet before I left. It must have slipped out of my jacket pocket. I tucked it back in, as deep as I could. “Can’t have you rolling around” I said softly to myself. Even after leaving that world behind, it was still managing to be a pain.
I heard the order to pull ahead to meet the Cylons before they got too close. I radioed my response, then took a last look at the shuttle convoy. I was close to the head shuttle, the one holding Captain Brie, Jarryn, and the others. I wanted to call them, say something to reassure them. Reassure me too, I guess.
Instead I kicked in the turbos and left them behind, taking up a position below Lt. Randrius and to the side of Ensign Arianna. Bring ‘em on, I thought, bring ‘em on.
Lt_Skyler
Skyler brought his Viper into formation, and Lt SiressEden passed out squadron assignments while in flight. All the Vipers were at full turbos to reach the flight of shuttles as soon as possible. Even at this speed, the Radiers would reach the shuttles before them. Their only hope was that Lt. Cain, and the surviving Vipers from the missions could fend off the Cylon attack. As the stars streaked by, Skyler's memory flashed back to the Sim exercise Capt. Brie had set up for them some time ago, where Commander Apollo's Shuttle was under attack. They had saved the shuttle, Skyler just hoped he would be here to see it this time.
Brie
It suddenly dawned on Brie that she was in a unique situation. She was in command of her own "mini-fleet." She would normally be piloting the shuttle, but Lt. Kris had been cleared, which was something Brie hadn't counted on. "Anubis," Brie said, "you take controls of the shuttle. Kris, you'll be gunner. Since I'm supposed to be heading this operation, I'll be watching the scanners and giving out the orders to everyone in the group. But if either of you need a break, let me know immediately." She gave the pilot's seat over to Anubis, adjusted her headset, and stared at the scanner that was in front of her.
Walksallroads
"Captain, I would advise, before anything starts, that the personnel prepare for a bumpy ride. While I have confidence in our escort, it is best to be prepared for the worst." Anubis checks his screens and makes minor adjustments in the course to shave as much time as possable. "I might also reccommend a refit of the other shuttles. I have flown many kinds of crafts, and learned how to gain extra speed with some adjustments. My viper is similarly modified, though the difference is barely noticable. I might also suggest, once the threat is at it's minimum, perform a salvage operation for raw materials."
Brie
Brie was about to reply to Anubis' suggestions when the screen lit up in front of her. "Looks like we've run out of time." She decided to contact the others. "Viper pilots," she said, "listen to your group leaders unless you hear otherwise from me. Try to let as few as possible break through. We need to protect the shuttles. Shuttle pilots, don't try anything fancy, we're not used to flying with each other. And listen to me, I'll try my best to get us through this. Also, make sure your passengers are all strapped in. Things could get tricky."
Walksallroads
Anubis glances at the screens, and processes the data quickly. He turns his attention back to the course that lay ahead as his dark eyes move rapidly, calculating evasive maneuvers. His jaw is set, and his left hand covers part of his right. He glances at his arm, and scowels. Visions flash like lightening through his mind, death, running, gathering, escaping. Only this time, their persuers were Cylons, and more was at stake than five experiments.
Amy81
They showed up plain as day on my scanner, but my eyes strained as I looked for visual confirmation. As always, the Cylons were suddenly right there, as the speed of converging forces came together, just as they had countless times throughout the yahrens.
I banked left, circling behind a viper and it's wingman; I'm not sure who it was. As I dropped below them, I had a target in sight just long enough to rip open a section of it with several volleys. It kept on going, however. It occured to me that it seemed strange, like it didn't intend to engage, but then my hands were full again.
My heart pumped double time as I just squirmed through a barrage from my blind side. I turned away, flinching reflex kicking in as the explosions rocked my ship. Turning back to look, I saw the determined expression on Arianna's face as she took care of my tormenter.
"Thank you!" I shouted with relief over the comline. I let off several blasts of my own, chasing away a raider with ideas of locking on Lt. Randrius. I looped back around, only to discover another enemy lining me up. I'd need help again.
Was Arianna still near? Someone had better be, I thought as the first laserblasts errupted nearby.
Arianna wasn't coming, that was certain. Okay, I could go it alone if need be. Another fireball erupted way too close by me for comfort, so I pulled back on the stick, and kicked in the turbos to get away from the heat. Turning my escape into an over-the-top loop, I came down spraying the entire area with laser fire. I watched the attack screen as one by one the 3 Cylons on it disappeared. Completing the dive, one ship remained on my attack computer. Arianna's viper. I backed off the trigger just in time. Whew! Easy does it, girl. I tucked my viper around to the right, lining up yet another Cylon target.
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Post by LucianG on Jun 30, 2005 3:53:35 GMT -6
Arianna29
Arianna was getting closer to Lt Amy to work on taking out the other Cylon Raider off of her tail when she saw Amy do an over-the-top loop and take out three Cylon Raiders. "Uh, Lt Amy," Arianna says over the comm link, "sorry about not getting back over here in time to get them Cylons off your tail, but I was working on taking care of a few that were going after one of the shuttles."
Arianna looks down at her scanners momentarily and notices that a bunch of Cylon Raiders are going after a couple of the shuttles again.
"Frack!," Arianna calls out over the comm link, "there are more Cylon Raiders going after a couple of the shuttles again. Time to take them turkeys out!"
Stadia
I sit and stare out the window in some out of the way place aboard the Callisto. Not really wanting to be around people, I searched out the most isolated place.
I cant seem to make sense of the death around me. There seems to be no reason for it. What purpose does it all serve?
I close my eyes and flash back to the night the Cylons attacked the colonies. I still remember holding my brother's head in my lap, crying. I remember the poem he cited to me.
Remember Me.
Do not mourn me. I have lived a life filled with joy and love.
Do not mourn me. For I have known love of another.
Do not mourn me. For I have known the freedom of being an American.
Instead celebrate the life that I have lived. Remember the joy I gave to you. Remember the love from my heart that wraps itself around you.
Celebrate the life that I have lived. Remember the laugh of mine that warmed your heart. Remember the special places we have gone.
Celebrate the life that I have lived. Remember the special times that we shared. The special feelings between us.
The tears trickle down my face as I try to sort out my feeling that have been welling up for so long.
LucianG
The battle had been joined. Like enraged beasts, Vipers and Raiders clashed together, with laser blasts replacing horns, or talons, or tusks. On the first pass, several Raiders flared, their charred fragments flying in hundreds or even possibly millions of directions. The intensity of the attacking Vipers and the three remaining bombers had turned the Raiders from their course; however, this was only for a moment. The human defenders were greatly outnumbered by their attackers, and within a few moments, Colonel Brie saw that a group of about twelve Raiders had broken away and was heading for the shuttle fleet.
Checking the disposition of her forces, she saw that Cain, Amy, Arianna, and Sonja were the four Vipers closest to the shuttles. Lieutenant Randrius and another Black Squadron Viper were also near this group, but she knew that Randrius was needed with his wing to lead them. Throwing the scanner to longer range, she saw thirty incoming Vipers in the distance, but by the telemetry readout, she immediately knew that their ETA was several centons after that of the Cylons. If they could survive six or seven centons of Cylon attacks, the incoming Vipers would cut them to pieces in short order. IF…
With three armed shuttles, which were really no match for a single incoming Raider in a pitched battle, and four pod ships that probably wouldn’t last long in an open battle with the Raiders, Brie made up her mind. She triggered her comm to give the orders.
* * *
“Okay, Ensign Rose, you’re on me. Ensign RaycerX, I understand that you did some SIM practice runs with Ensign Nylah. Lieutenant Resonat told me you’d done pretty well together, so for the next centar or so, you’re to stick with Nylah just like in the SIM’s, except this time, there are no second or third chances. Stay tight, and do it right. Got it? Good!” said Major Lucian. He proceeded to run through the rest of the pairings, since only a very few of the Black Squadron Warriors had been able to team up with their usual flying mates.
After finishing assignments, he said, “We’re going to be there several centons after the Cylons arrive. Versus basically unarmed ships, that’s next to eternity for those Raiders. Don’t be discouraged, no matter what happens before we arrive. We’re doing all we can to get there as quickly as we can, and whatever happens, we’re going to make them pay all the same.”
Silently, he said a prayer for safety of all those in that small fleet a short distance ahead. With the situation looking this grim, he suspected that they would need all the prayers they could get.
BSGRose
Ensign Rose quickly formed up on Major Lucian to cover his tail like before. She had a feeling that this battle with the Cylons was going to be a lot rougher than the last one that she just went through not all that long ago.
While she was flying along covering Major Lucian, Rose stayed alert to all that was going on around her, for she didn't want to let any of the Cylons slip up on her or on the Major. It wouldn't look good on her record if she let anything happen to her squadron leader and the person that trusted her enough to be his wingmate.
"Major Lucian, sir? I know this may seem like a strange time to ask this," Rose says, "but I was just wondering how it came about that I, a lowly Ensign, got chosen to be your wingmate. I know that you normally do the Wingmate assignments, but why did you chose me to be your wingmate?"
LucianG
"Ensign Rose, go to ship to ship for a moment," said Major Lucian. He said, "Switching..." He then switched his comm, and asked, "Ensign, are you there?"
"Yes, Sir, Major," came Rose's response. "I hope you don't mind me asking, Sir," the tentativeness in her voice somewhat evident.
"Ensign, our squadron has experienced Warriors and inexperienced Warriors. The only way inexperienced Warriors can gain the experience they need to survive is to fight, and the best way of doing that is with someone with experience, or with someone with whom they've trained, as in the case of Nylah and RaycerX. You survive, you gain experience, and you gain confidence, so pretty soon, you're taking one of the new Ensigns under your wing for a little while, doing the same for them. It's a management theory called "duplication" that I studied on the O-9 long ago when I was a young helmsman. The experienced Warriors are basically duplicating themsselves in that they help create others with valuable experience similar to their own. By doing this, our pyramid of experienced Warriors continues to grow. Good enough?" Without really waiting for a reply, he continued, "Now, let's switch back to the main channel so we can set up our wing's attack. Switching..."
Unsaid were two other thoughts going through Major Lucian's head. First, both parties, the experienced and the inexperienced, had to survive to make the theory work. Unfortunately, it had been proven over and over again that that wasn't always the case. Second, it was often the case that the more experienced party, trying to protect the less experienced party, was the one who did not survive. Just getting through a fight together naturally built trust. Rose had done a good job last time, and now, he hoped, she'd do as well or better this time, for both their sakes.
Keying the comm, he said, "Black Ice Wing, switch to channel Delta. Switching..."
Hawke14
I'm sitting on an examination table. "Will you stop fidgeting? Your acting like you're a daggit sitting on a hotplate. It's only your release examination!" Holodoc was saying to me. "I know Holodoc,but I'm worried about Rose. She's in battle right now." "You're kind of sweet on her,aren't you?" I blushed.. "Ahhhh.. You are.. Does she know?" "I don't know. I'd like to get to know her better,but.." "You don't know how to approach it..The brave and mighty Hawke doesn't know how to ask a girl for a date,but you'd climb into a cockpit of a viper to shoot down Cylons witout a second thought..Your secret is safe with me.. As for the examination,you are done. And you can go on light duty for 2 sectars. Then you are cleared for normal duty after that. Take the day off today." "Thanks Holodoc. For everything." I hop off the table and give her a kiss on the cheek and a hug. I leave the life station and head upto the bridge. "Commander Sheba?" I ask. "I'm a bit busy here..What are you doing out of Life Station,Hawke?" "Holodoc released me. I'm to take the day off today and be placed on light duty for 2 sectars. After that I'm cleared for normal duty." "Get vipers onto our flank quarter we're exposed! Sorry,Hawke. Ok. Retire to your quarters until tomorrow. And no jumping into a viper. Understood?" "Yes Ma'am. Can I stick around here? I feel like I need to be here. Where's Rose?" "She's ok. You can stay,but stay out of the way."
BSGRose
Ensign Rose switched over to Delta channel like Major Lucian had asked all of Black Squadron flying nearby to do so that he could go over a few things. While she was waiting on Major Lucian to go over what he wanted to discuss, Rose kept her eyes & ears open for any signs of trouble or advancement from the Cylons.
While she was waiting and watching, Rose starting thinking about Hawke some and what he was doing at the moment back on the Callisto. Nurse Holodoc must of released him by now from Life Station. Rose never did get the chance to find out the reason as to why Hawke was now working in Security instead of being a Warrior, before she had to run down to the landing bay and get into one of the vipers to head back out into battle. She hoped that she would be able to find out from him sometime soon. Rose smiles a little to herself as she thinks back to what she and Hawke had talked about and the kiss he had given her on her cheek. She blushed a little at the though of the kiss and hoped that she would be able to able to share more than just the one brief kiss from Hawke.
Rose had just looked back out in front of her after checking her instruments to see what they were saying as to how close the Cylons where, when she see's that they look to close for comfort for her taste.
"Uh, Major Lucian, Sir," Rose says over the comm link, "I hate to interrupt you before you get started on things, but either my eyes are playing tricks on me or those Cylon fighters are closer than originally thought."
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