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Post by Brie on Jun 4, 2007 12:58:23 GMT -6
Twenty centons before the briefing was to start Brie entered the Gold Squadron Ready Room. Three members of her team were already there. "Care to fill us in?" Skyler asked as Brie immediately headed for the coffee.
"I'd rather wait until Amy and Persephone are here," Brie replied. "Just don't expect too much. Remember, Captain, that you're on light duty, and I still was able to get permission for you to come along." She poured a cup, recalling seeing JustinB with a cup of coffee at the briefing. So now she knew that he drank coffee. She wasn't sure why knowing that was so important to her, but it was. She took a seat near the others. "I guess since we'll be gone for a few centars that Black Squadron will be holding things down here, especially since Bronze isn't back up to full strength. At least Major JustinB has all his people." Brie noticed an exchanged looked between Skyler and Brik as she mentioned JustinB's name, while Logan rolled her eyes. Could it be that they knew? "Anyone care to fill me in on the joke?" Brie asked.
"It's nothing," Logan replied. "Roxzanna-Rizou from the IFB thinks that JustinB has a new girlfriend, and I sort of let her think that it's me. So that he and his REAL girlfriend can have some privacy."
Brie wasn't quite sure how to answer. "I'm sure they'll appreciate that," she replied at last. "It's hard enough for a warrior to have a relationship without some snooping IFB reporter tracking down redheads."
"How did you know she stopped me because of my hair color?" Logan wanted to know.
Brie pointed at her own head. "I had my own conversation with Ms. Rizou."
Much to Brie's relief (the last thing she wanted to be talking about was JustinB's new girlfriend), someone knocked on the door. "Enter," she said, hoping she hadn't said it too quickly.
Den from the Callisto Mess wheeled in his cart. "I overheard someone from Gold Squadron complaining about not being assigned to a mission, so I knew I'd find you and your team here. I thought I'd bring you some pastries, especially since I know that you, Major, will probably otherwise drink your breakfast."
"Thank you, Den, that was very thoughtful of you," Brie said.
"I hope I brought enough," he said, laying a plate on the table, along with some milk and some fruit. "Are you expecting many more?"
"Just two," Brie replied. "This should be plenty."
The old man headed back towards the door. "Good luck with your assignment."
"He's really a nice person," Brie remarked after he was gone. She reached for a muffin. "So how is everyone feeling? Up for a boring, uneventful mission for a change?"
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Post by Skyler on Jun 4, 2007 15:23:42 GMT -6
Skyler thought back for a few microns.... a boring, uneventful mission.... none came to mind. Even the Gold Sim Trainings got interesting. He hated people stating before hand about a borning mission. A Milk Run... It never was. He eyed the pastries on the table for a micron, but decided against it. He still wasn't used to eating heavy, and still had his tank full from the cookies Brik had supplied in the O-club last night.
He almost smiled as he tought of Rizou chasing all the red heads in the Fleet down. Once she had exhausted her supply of red headed female Warriors, she would move onto civilian populace, then maybe red headed male Warriors...
If Logan had of been off ship when JustinB had his date he would of have thought it might of have been her, and she was using the screen of protecting a fellow Warrior to throwBrik and himself off the trail, but on the night of the big date she had been on the ship, even stopped by to see him. If she knew Brie had a meeting off ship around the same time she would never get any peace, no matter how much Logan baited her......
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Post by Logan on Jun 5, 2007 8:53:11 GMT -6
"Up for a boring, uneventful mission for a change?"
"Be careful, Major. Those kinds of missions are few and far between. At least for this squadron," Logan joked as she reached for a muffin, but changed her mind at the last micron. She'd already had a light breakfast and didn't want to be weighed down with sweets so close to a mission. Plus, the coffee had killed the rest of her appetite. That and anticipation on the mission details.
She was glad to have Skyler and Brik's attention diverted away from her and onto the mission. She knew their teasing was all meant in fun and if she had the chance she'd be doing the same thing to them.
"Well, one thing's for sure. Roxana-Rizou will be bored until we get back. Unless JustinB decides to talk to her." Logan laughed at the image of the reporter camped outside the Major's quarters scanning for redheads.
"Unlikely," Brie replied.
"I suppose so. But I can see it now...", Logan screwed her face up in a pinched expression and looked down her nose at Skyler, "So, Major JustinB, what do you think about the fact that you are separated from the love of your life as she is on a dangerous mission for the Fleet, while you are left here to ponder her fate?"
Brik laughed at the spot-on impression. "I'd almost feel sorry for JustinB's new girlfriend if that reporter does find out her true identity."
"Almost?" Logan looked confused.
Brik scratched his head and nodded. "Well, yes. You can't expect to have a romantic relationship with a CO on this ship and not have everyone know within a centon. You have to be prepared for that. Hiding only delays the inevitable and gives people like Rizou fuel for their gossip factories."
"On that note, I really should let him know at some point that I let Rizou think I'm his girlfriend. Might save him some shock when people start asking strange questions." Logan sipped her coffee as Brik and Skyler laughed goodnaturedly.
"What?" Logan asked.
"Also might save the real girlfriend coming after you for claiming her man." Brik smiled wickedly at his friend.
Skyler piped up. "Or her going straight to JustinB. I don't think he'd look good with a bloody lip or a black eye."
Logan raised her eyebrows. But she really hoped that it wouldn't come to that. She didn't want JustinB or his lady to be upset with her, but there was nothing for it now. "I'll just talk to him. It'll be fine."
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Post by Brie on Jun 5, 2007 11:08:01 GMT -6
Brie shook her head in disgust. "Do you realize what you're doing? Sitting here, gossiping about a senior officer, a man who has put his life on the line for the fleet countless times. How would you like it if Black Squadron was in their Ready Room, speculating about your private lives? You're just as bad as Roxzanna-Rizou, all of you." Brie grabbed her cup and stormed to the door. "I'm going to go see if I can find Amy. I'll be back in a few centons." She turned and looked back at them. "You know my husband was killed while I was sitting back on the Galactica, waiting for him to return. A relationship between two warriors is nothing to joke about." She left, then waited while the door closed behind her. She just stood in the hall, sipping her coffee. What kind of a mess had she gotten herself into?
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Post by Logan on Jun 5, 2007 13:04:42 GMT -6
Logan sat with her cup half-raised to her lips looking at the Ready Room door.
Brik and Skyler were similarly frozen in their positions.
Logan recovered first and sat her cup down, looking at both the Warriors at the table. "Hmmmm....what...what just happened?"
Skyler just shook his head and looked at the empty doorway.
"I thought we were harassing that nosey reporter from the IFB, not JustinB or anyone else for that matter," Brik said, stunned.
Logan wasn't sure why Brie had reacted that way. Or overreacted was the better term. Relationships in the Fleet were tenous at best, especially when Warriors were involved. No one took that more seriously than the Warriors seated around the table in the Ready Room. They'd all had disasters, lost loved ones. Matters of the heart weren't easy for civlians, but throw in dangerous duty in hostile environs...they all knew what was at stake. And how precious having any loved ones at all really was.
Frack. I just put myself in the midst of a publicity nightmare to save JustinB's lady some grief. I thought that was a positive thing.
"That was...not like Brie," was all Skyler said.
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Post by Brie on Jun 5, 2007 18:17:31 GMT -6
Brie snuck into a dark side room and closed the door behind her. She sat down on the floor, in front of the wall, tears streaming down her face. What had bothered her the most had been Logan's joke about JustinB's new love being on a dangerous mission while he stayed behind to ponder her fate. How could any warrior joke about something so serious? And Skyler and Brik just sat there, laughing.
Brie finally understood. The closure that Commander Sheba had been talking about wasn't just from the recent mutiny. Pierce had murdered her husband, and that was where the closure came in. It was like her sealing was finally over for good, proof that Turner never could come back.
She loved JustinB, but she and Turner had been magic. A part of her heart would always be his. She had denied for such a long time that he was dead and now, with this assignment, it was all finished. As she continued to cry she could feel Turner's arms around her, holding her close. "I'm not ready to give you up," she said out loud.
"You're not," Turner replied. "I'll always be with you, Brie, even if you love someone else. You should know that by now. We're a part of each other."
"I can't always feel it anymore."
"That's probably a good thing. Just know that I'm here. I'll always love you, Brie. And JustinB is a good man. He understands our connection."
Brie just sat there, in the dark, being comforted by someone who wasn't really there. She knew she needed to apologize to her team, her friends, but she wasn't ready to leave quite yet. She wasn't ready to give up her first love.
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Post by persephone on Jun 5, 2007 23:45:28 GMT -6
Persephone strided down the hall, almost about to turn into the ready room, when the door to a small room opened. Major Brie came out, her eyes looking a little glassy. She wondered what she could have been doing in there, and what had perhaps upset her. "Good moring Major", she said, as she gave a look of concern for Brie. "Are you alright, Major?".
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Post by Brie on Jun 6, 2007 6:29:15 GMT -6
Frack Brie thought to herself as she immediately ran into Persephone. She had wanted to wash her face and make herself presentable before anyone saw her. "I'm fine, Lieutenant, thanks for asking," Brie replied. "Just looking for my coffee mug. Unfortunately, someone was smoking in a non-smoking area. I'm deathly allergic to the fracking things. Why don't you head to the Ready Room, I'll be there in a couple of microns."
After watching Persephone take a few steps down the hall Brie ducked back inside the room. Turner had the mug in his hand and gave it to her. "I don't know if I can do this," Brie told him.
He smiled his million cubit smile. "You're the strongest person I ever knew. You can do anything. But if I were you I wouldn't mention having conversations with you dead husband to your mission team. At least not until after the mission is over."
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Post by Logan on Jun 6, 2007 8:37:35 GMT -6
Logan, Brik and Skyler sat in silence still trying to figure out a reason for Brie's sudden outburst.
There had always been a rivalry, albeit a good-natured one, between Gold and Black Squadrons. And they knew that many jokes were passed around both Ready Rooms and barracks at the other squadron's expense. No one ever meant anything malicious by it. After all, they were all Warriors assigned to the Callisto and dedicated to protecting the Fleet. Sometimes a bit of brevity was the only thing that could keep you sane in difficult circumstances.
And Logan felt a tie to the other Warriors of the Fleet, not just her own squadron. So when that IFB reporter had seemed Hades-bent on dragging JustinB's private life through a very public forum and seemingly to Logan, make it seem inappropriate for a Warrior to have a bond with someone that didn't involve their work, it was more than Logan could take. Warriors put themselves on the line every day and if they could find a bit of happiness with someone, no one had a right to begrudge them that. Especially not an insufferably smug and obnoxious reporter who seemed to think it was some dirty secret that JustinB was hiding.
If it got Rizou off JustinB's back for a few microns while Logan was the object of her attention, so be it. Logan didn't mind helping out a fellow Warrior who deserved to be as happy as any civilian in the Fleet. The thing that made Logan so fierce about this was Rizou's demeanor. She'd seen it before. many civilians thought that Warriors just shouldn't have romantic relationships. They felt it would detract from their ability to perform their duties, go out on dangerous missions, or put their lives on the line, especially if the two people involved were both Warriors.
This rationale made no sense to Logan. She'd be willing to bet that if any of these civlians were put in similar circumstances they would fight harder and be more determined because of the love driving them forward. It was something to fight for beyond an ideal.
They all looked up as Lt. Persephone entered the Ready Room and headed for their table.
"Persephone, glad you could make it. This big one you've already had the misfortune of meeting," she nodded in Brik's direction and he stood to shake hands with the Lt. who smiled at Logan's apt description of the man in question. "And this is Captain Skyler."
Skyler stood to greet the Lt. as well. "I've heard a lot about you, Captain," Persephone commented as she took the seat so recently vacated by Brie.
"If it came from either one of these two, don't believe a word," Skyler said, indicating Brik and Logan.
"Looks like we're just waiting for Amy now. And the Major to return," said Brik.
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Post by Skyler on Jun 6, 2007 9:40:12 GMT -6
Skyler stood to greet the Lt. as well. "I've heard a lot about you, Captain," Persephone commented as she took the seat so recently vacated by Brie.
"If it came from either one of these two, don't believe a word," Skyler said, indicating Brik and Logan.
"Looks like we're just waiting for Amy now. And the Major to return," said Brik.
We still have a few centons before the briefing kicks off, I will be right back. I am going to check on the Major.
"Captain, she is looking for her coffee cup, down by the storage rooms."
"Thanks Lt. I will be back in a few microns, you two behave yourselves."
As Skyler left the room he heard Brik and Logan both exclaim in unison.... "What...?"
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