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Post by LucianG on Apr 25, 2005 5:22:54 GMT -6
<Lucian> Tired and displaced First Shift Gold Squadron warriors were exiting the Lt. Colonel's quarters, heading back to the Gold Squadron necessary rooms to prepare for their shift. They grumbled among themselves as they walked. Fortunately for Lt. Amy, they did not pass her on the way.
* * *
A very weary Gataren made the final adjustment to Portalift number 3. Once again, it appeared to be working properly. Once again, Second Shift was almost over. He looked over at one of his assistants, who nodded, indicating that they were finished for the shift. Gataren made a big checkmark on the work order, initialed it, and then headed toward his quarters.
* * *
A short time later, Lt. Lucian walked into the annex. He quickly examined the troublesome portalift. The work order showed that Gataren and his crew had repaired it and serviced the other portalifts. He'd have to talk to Gataren about checking off the individual line items as required by standard procedures. Lucian attributed the global checkoff to the tired state of the repair crew. Still, not following procedures sometimes led to problems. Better to head it off early, rather than be sorry later. He made a mental note to speak with Gataren the next time he saw him.
Lifting the third beam began smoothly. Thump thump thump thump, thump thump thump thump. The lifts sounded perfect once more. The MasterWelders began their work permanently attaching the second beam to the wall. They had finished this operation on the first reinforcing member the day before. Lt. Lucian unpacked the radiograph machine from its case, climbed on the small manlift, and began the process of checking every centimeter of the completed welds. Every few centimeters, he made a mark on the weldline, showing his progress, and serving as a means of locating any problems he might find. After the first centar, he was pleased. The weldments passed without exception. These guys were GOOD!
* * *
On the bridge, the mission planners were examining the spectral analysis from Lt. Cain's mission. Major CureMode instructed the navigation specialist to plot the exact course for the mining team shuttle. The shuttle should land immediately over the richest part of the small duridium deposit, since the machinery might be difficult to reposition in the harsh environment expected.
* * *
The duridium ore extraction equipment was being prepared. It consisted of an extraction drill with a small diameter auger that would penetrate the overburden. Any difficulties encountered would be handled by the integral laser drill incorporated into the shaft. When the auger reached the level of the ore, with a bell undercutting attachment would be released from the shaft, slowly being unhinged outward to cut into the ore field. The auger would continue downward through the field. As the auger turned, the ore would be pushed up the drill shaft by the newly cut material. At the top, it would be fall down a little chute into the storage bin, which would be carried a very short distance to the shuttle.
The duridium itself would be embedded in a quartzite matrix. The duridium probably represent less than five percent of the total material extracted; however, the quartzite usually contained a number of other useful elements, so it was decided that there was no reason to try to separate the ore on the small planet.
* * *
Lt. Lucian climbed down from the manlift. The welds, with a few very minor (and clearly marked) exceptions, passed with flying colors. One of the techs started to climb onto the lift to begin removing those welds for rework. As the lift started upward, Lucian suddenly ordered the tech to stop his ascent.
"Where is your construction helmet, Technician Arnoe?" Lucian asked. "Find it, NOW, and wear it." Lt. Lucian signaled everyone in the room for attention. Over the noise, he shouted, "Wear your construction helmets! They are for your own protection. Anyone caught again without a construction helmet will be docked a secton's pay!" A mad scramble to get the few missing construction helmets ensued. "And don't forget your eyeprotection!"
* * * <Brie> Captain Brie looked at Doc Bkj in disbelief. "What do you mean, an alergic reaction? He's needed for this mission!" Doc just shook her head. "Brie, there's nothing I can do. His eyes are swollen shut. I can give him something for the pain, but there's no way he'll ready ready to fly for at least several cycles." Brie walked into the back room, where Lt. Wackbag was resting. "I'm sorry, Captain," he said weakly. "I didn't know that what I was eating contained nuts. I've let the whole squadron down." Brie felt sorry for the Lt. He looked so uncomfortable, and it was obvious that he wasn't going anywhere. "You just get some rest," Brie told him.
* * *
Brie was happy to see Lt. Ben in the corridor. "Lt., I need you to find Lt. Skyler and brief him on the mission. He'll be taking Lt. Wackbag's place." "Excuse me, Captain," Ben replied a little bit nervously, "but I believe that Skyler just returned from patrol." "I need one more experienced pilot. I'm not sending out someone with very little actual flight time. Find him, now!" Brie put a little bit too much emphasis in her last comment. "Yes, ma'am," Ben replied and hurried down the hall.
Brie was hoping to not run into Lt. Amy. She knew that Amy wanted to be on this mission, and with one of the pilots sick probably thought she had another chance. "Skyler has much more experience," Brie told herself, "and that's what we need, since this is another 'very dangerous mission.'" <Ben> “Captain Brie, well, I found Lt. Skyler and did just as you instructed,” Lt. Ben reported. <Charybdis> Lt. Colonel Charybdis’ Private Log: It's been a few cycles now that work on the new pilot's quarters has begun. Seems like no one can find any peace anymore on this ship! Even my quarters are filled with Gold Squadron pilots. This is getting very tiresome. Still, things are basically quiet on the bridge. I spend a lot of my time there now. The Commander is holding up well. She is a bit reserved and tends to keep to herself lately, but I know she still thinks of her father. She knows he is alive and I believe she waits every second for when the Pegasus will arrive much as the Callisto did...
It all seemed to have happened so fast for me. Seems like only yesterday that I was a young Ensign going on recon patrols. Then, here came the Callisto as if out of a dream...out of the darkness of space. I jumped at the chance for something new. I was sure suprised when I was elected Captain of the new squadron. But, I realized that other Warriors deserved their chance. Being in command of so many is quite disconcerting. Especially when missions such as the one our Warriors are about to face comes up. We may be sending these young men and women to their deaths. I wish we never had to make such decisions...
I don't know...sometimes it all seems so futile. I pray to the Lords that we find Earth soon. It's been so long. We need something to hold dear, we need someplace to land and call our own. Who knows when that time may be?
And then, there are the Cylons. Of course—the Cylons. Where are they? Why haven't we seen them for such a long time? I hope that we have lost them for good. They can't keep following us forever. Damn them!!!!
(Commlink: short announcement that Lt. Amy has arrived at the door)
Well, I'll be back to enter more into the diary later. Amy is here. She is really starting to show her potential in command situations. That's good. But, we shouldn't meet in here. Second shift pilots will be getting off work and coming back in to rest. We'll go someplace more private."
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Post by LucianG on Apr 25, 2005 5:23:45 GMT -6
<Charybdis> Attention Black Squadron: Are the patrols ready to launch? All Gold Squadron pilots are to be taken off patrols for the next several cycles.
Cpt. Joey, please report as soon as you can as to the status of the Black Squadron patrols.
Lt. Col. Charybdis <Najinn> You know those days, those days you have when you can’t seem to find peace with yourself. Najinn was having just such a day; if it wasn’t angry warriors screaming at him about the work in Gold Squadron’s quarters, then it was his concern for Lt. Amy. She had been decent enough, in fact a real support to Najinn since he came onboard the Callisto. It was obvious she had some real issues, but he thought through all her discomfort she performed her duties. Professionalism. Capt. Brie would have to acknowledge, she was a top class Lieutenant.
Most new recruits were the 19 year old fresh out of war college sort, Najinn knew because up to a few months ago, he was the teacher processing them like blasters on the production line. Okay, he was only 27, but 7 years seemed to be a large gap between him and the other new recruits. Seven years of more experiences and pain. Najinn had developed a real hard edge to his character; he didn’t let anyone get close to him. It was too risky. To make emotional connections only hurt more when friends didn’t come back from patrol or a mission. It was easier to be remote, to keep his wits about him, in order to clear his mind of anything but his own survival. But in saying that, he thought Lt. Amy, and his new crewmates had come to mean something to him, he kicked himself for breaking his golden rule.
Najinn had enjoyed the short quiet drink in the officer’s lounge, and he found it easy to relax around Lt. Amy. She set him at ease, which was good after the stressful day he had just endured. Simple jobs seemed so much more difficult than blowing Cylon Raiders to pieces.
As Najinn had retired, walking back to Black Squadron, he realized Lt. Amy had not been moved out of Gold Squadron’s quarters. He took a short detour over to supplies and picked up some stuff. If she was going to have to crash in Gold Quarters, he thought, he would at least make it as comfortable as sleeping in a building site could be for her.
A while later, he slumped into his new bunk, sighed, laid back and let the world slip away, in peace and quiet, alone with his own thoughts. <Charybdis> Capt. Brie,
It has come to my attention that Ensign Najinn has extensive study in geological surveying given all his yahrens of academic study. I believe he would be an invaluable source of knowledge on this mission.
Maybe you could retool your team to include him on the landing party.
Lt. Col. Charybdis <Brie> Lt. Colonel, I am aware of Ensign Najinn's background, and struggled with whether or not to have him on the mission. My concerns have to do with his lack of experience as a warrior. It's not that I think he can't handle it, but the other members have more field experience. I will make the necessary changes, and include Ensign Najinn on the team. To Ensign Najinn, she sent a note saying: Ensign Najinn, please report to me immediately.
Captain Brie <Najinn>
In his slumber, Ensign Najinn drifted away, back to times past. He had so many memories; he had been through so much since the exodus. His dreams took form in his minds eye.
He saw himself on a bridge, of a corvette. Old, cramped, noisy, smoky, and full of flashing red lights.
“Break left, full right engine.” “Helm! Break left, full right engine.”
“Yes Sir,” Najinn replied, “full right engine, breaking left.”
“Nose down thirty degrees, rear gunner you have two coming in at three o’clock, watch for their pass.”
Najinn was sat at the helm; he looked younger, some 14 years younger. Behind him sat in the command chair was Captain Anders.
He remembered. This was the Agamemnon, the ship he had escaped from Leora aboard. After leaving Leora, his family made it to the fleet in orbit. The fleet was under heavy attack, but the cruiser Nagano provided covering fire allowing the smaller ships to dock shuttles and escape. He remembered coming aboard the Agamemnon, her engaging her main drives, and accelerating away from Leora, his home.
Out of the window, he saw Leora lit by orange flames of cities ablaze. And he remembered, the huge explosion of the Nagano as she was ripped apart under the fire of the Cylon Base Star orbiting Leora. He was safe, he was safe, but, his sister wasn’t. He didn’t know how to feel. In fact, he couldn’t feel. He was in shock—he was? Well, he didn’t know what he was; he just couldn’t feel. That was too painful, his dream took him away again.
His mind wandered, back to the bridge, years later. Captain Anders screaming at him, “Najinn, get us out of here, we are outgunned. Make for that gas cloud bearing 263 degrees by plus 40.”
“Aye, Sir.”
The Agamemnon had fled Leora, joining a small fleet of Colonial ships searching for the Galactica. They had heard of all the rumors about how Galactica was the surviving Battlestar, how she had escaped the Cylon’s attack, and their trap at Carillon. The ‘Aggi’ as she was known, was a Colonial Corvette, a small escort ship usually given duties looking after agro ships from Picon. But here in this small fleet, she was the most maneuverable small capital ship around. And the Cylons chasing knew it.
They had passed by a midrange outpost some days past. Anders intended to pick up supplies from the abandoned stores and thought they could make it back to the main fleet undetected, but the Cylons were lying in wait. Not only had they fought their way in, but the ‘Aggi’ had taken at least a squadron of Raiders down fighting her way out. Right now they were at full speed moving away from the planet, running for the fleet, running with Cylons chasing. Anders was a daredevil, he gambled, he had to, and the Aggi, well, she was just his good luck charm. She was only about as big as the forward section of a Battlestar, but she was a tough little ship. Fast, very maneuverable and over the past five years, she had been fitted out with Turbo Lasers fore and aft. She could quite happily defend her self against most Cylon fighters and small capital ships. Which was good, because Capt’ Anders more often than not tested her abilities.
They had a crew of Warriors, civilians, technicians, and engineers from all over the 12 colonies. Although this was quite by accident, it was also their greatest strength, since someone always had the answer to the latest crisis or problem.
Najinn was a first class pilot, his gift from the Lords of Kobol Capt’ Anders used to say. The rest of the crew certainly thought so, too. He was just 13, but he could move the ‘Aggi’ like she was a Viper, which was some feat.
“Two Raiders breaking on our Eleven, Capt’,” screamed the tactical officer off to Najinn’s left.
“Forward guns, track & wait for my order to fire,” Anders watched the forward screen.
“They're closing Capt’,” The tactical officer was getting very nervous.
“Wait, break right Najinn when I give the order.”
“Point blank, sir.” The tactical officer was now red faced.
“FIRE!!” Anders screamed.
As Najinn pulled the Aggi to the right as ordered, the forward guns took the two Raiders down at point blank range.
“We have fires on D deck, Sir. Main energizer is overheating. Engine’s stable, but she won’t take much more of this punishment.” The voice of the chief engineer came over the speakers.
“Anders to Engineering, hold it together, Lieutenant, we haven’t got far to go.”
He was right as well as the small fleet came on the scanner, with its escort of Vipers!
“This is Alpha Squadron, we are in pursuit. Agamemnon, please bring your covering fire to bear.” The voice of the Squadron Commander was like an angel. The bridge erupted in cheers.
“Bring to bear Mr Najinn, all gunners, you have them, take those Raiders out of my sky.” Anders voice was a little more settled. Even he knew how close that one was.
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Post by LucianG on Apr 25, 2005 5:24:34 GMT -6
<Najinn> The ensuing firefight was pure vengeance. By the time the Vipers and the Aggi’s gunners had finished all that remained of the Cylons was debris.
The Aggi had taken a pounding, she always did. Fires everywhere, black charred consoles, charcoal colored corridors. But she was still together, still operational, still the Aggi.
The fleet regrouped and continued to move further into uncharted space. Capt’ Anders knew he would have to find the Galactica soon. This small fleet didn’t have the resources to survive alone for much longer. Five years, five long years. Years where families had been torn apart by death, disease, and malnutrition. Anders had done everything he could to keep people together, to find resources, to keep the hope alive. But it was difficult: old Gemen freighters with engines that wouldn’t stop leaking dangerous chemicals; old Picon agro ships whose environmental controls were more often than not offline--there was no way then to grow good crops; old Colonial warships like the escort cruiser Nigara, a ship from a bygone era, an antique, retrofitted with turbo lasers and the only operational mega pulsar cannon available. Like a looming creaking leviathan, she was the Flagship of the fleet. Commander Ieyasu was the leader of this band of survivors, he himself a casualty of the exodus, one of the few survivor’s of the Battlestar Draconis. It was his and Anders military experience that had gotten us this far. But, how much further did we have to go?
Najinn’s dream flickered in his mind, pictures of ships, scenes of rooms, noises, faces, all mixed up. He awoke, sat bolt upright, sweating. He stood up walked over to the sink, and poured water on his hands. He splashed his face and looked at himself in the mirror. He thought, everyone knows me as the teacher, the academic, the new recruit. No one really knew about his past, he had confided in no one. Well, almost no one. The only person who had the vaguest idea was Lt. Amy. She had known an officer that served aboard the Aggi before the exodus. Only she knew of his connection to that ship, but the details of those years searching for the Galactica, they were only in his memories. He spoke of it to no one.
He showered, dressed, and walked over to the mission post board. He saw he wasn’t down for the next mission off the Callisto. He was disappointed, but then that wasn’t a first. He headed off to the mess hall, ate breakfast, then swung back by Black Squadron barracks for a moment before starting the next shift.
<Amy> Lt. Amy burst into the Black Squadron barracks. She stopped, looking around breathlessly, until she spotted Ensign Najinn by the mission board. She ran over to him, shouting his name to get his attention.
Najinn was surprised to see Lt. Amy like this—her sudden joyfulness was quite unexpected. Amazing, even. When last he had seen her, she was very somber, wallowing in a deep sadness, over what, Najinn could only guess at. Now, she was smiling broadly, a brightness in her face and a bounce in her step.
"Najinn!" Amy said, "I've got good news!" She studied his face intently, waiting to savor his reaction when she told him the rest. "You're flying on the mining mission!"
"Come on, Lieutenant," Najinn replied. "There's nothing here. I'm not on the list."
"Well, you are now,” Amy said with confidence. Just then the call came through: Ensign Najinn was to report to the mining mission team.
"Woohoo!" Najinn exclaimed. He instinctively gave Amy a hug, then backed off awkwardly.
Amy just smiled that broad smile. "Better get going, Ensign!"
Najinn grabbed his gear and moved for the door. As he got there he looked back at Amy. How did she know? She just smiled, and Najinn left the room. Amy was happy, and he was flying! Sometimes things aren't so bad, he thought. <Amy> Message for Captain Brie:
I have seen Ensign Najinn, and he is on his way to report to the mining mission team. If you need me I am heading for Gold Barracks to continue my duties.
I will need a replacement ensign—as soon as one becomes available, please send one to the Gold Squadron barracks.
Lt. Amy <Doc Bkj> Doc had explained to Capt. Brie that Lt. Wackbag would be out of commission for a short time. This was due to an allergic reaction to eating nuts. She had given the lieutenant some medication for the pain and to reduce the swelling. Now it was just a matter of letting nature take its course. In a cycle or two, Wackbag would be himself again.
The crewman with the broken leg was also on the mend. Hobbling about with crutches but with the help of modern medicine, he would have the strength back in his leg in a relatively short time.
Nurse Holodoc had been a welcomed addition to Med Lab. She knew her stuff and could keep these young warriors in line!
Doc took a moment and just looked around Med Lab. How different things were now. When she was a young assistant to her mother, who was a nurse, never had she dreamed that one day she would be responsible for the health, actually the lives, of all the people aboard a battlestar. The best equipment was available here and she had even begun experimenting with new potions, always trying to have on hand the best medicines available for all types of situations... <Amy> After breaking the news to Najinn, Lt. Amy headed for the dreaded Gold Squadron barracks to begin a new day there. It promised to be the same thing over again, and though she was very happy that Najinn would be flying on the mission, she was not going, and would have to face the day without the capable ensign's help. Another fine mess, Amy thought.
She entered the Gold barracks, and found it still empty. She was ahead of the end of cycle by a few microns, but soon the warriors would start to filter in and the fun would begin again. The noise had never stopped, and she wondered if it ever would! She had a hard time picturing the barracks back in order again. It will be nice in here, she thought, if it ever gets finished!
The corner of her eye spotted something out of order. And she walked over to the area that was once hers. The bunk was made up, with a note on the top blanket. Amy picked it up and read the note:
"Lt. Amy-- it dawned on me that you didn't move your gear. I hope this will do for you. Sorry, no earplugs were around. I think the engineers used them all up! Sleep well, -Najinn"
Amy sat down on the unused bunk. She wondered if Najinn had passed through here to see that it had been undisturbed through the night. She tucked his note into her belt, and began to take the sheets off the bunk. Behind her, Ensign Trenton entered the room. His cycle was just ending. He had been keeping an eye out for Amy all night, and with her finally here, he walked over to give her a report on the work in progress. <Skyler> Lt Skyler was sitting in the Officers Club, thinking about getting a big mug of ambrosia. He liked ambrosia as much as the next warrior, but it tended to keep him awake during sleep cycle. Being displaced to a cot already made sleep a problem, so he decided to avoid complicating it further.
Skyler was just finishing off a large milk when Lt Ben walked into the O Club. He approached Skyler and told him of the mission change. Skyler was sorry Wackbag was having allergic reactions, and hoped it would be better soon.
He was also overjoyed to be getting back into a REAL Viper, and not the Sim, to be among the stars in his fighter, the Dream of every warrior.
Skyler left the O Club to gather his gear for the mission, and check with Capt. Brie....
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Post by LucianG on Apr 25, 2005 5:25:18 GMT -6
<ShebaApollo> ShebaApollo went to the quiet place on the Callisto to practice on her songs for her opening act numbers for fellow Black Squadron member BatGal. She has been singing on the Rising Star or going out on patrol. It was her cycle off, and no one was around, so ShebaApollo thought that she would work on a possible number for her singing on the Rising Star.
She does a few warm up exercises before singing.
Don't Worry, Be Muffy AKA Don't Worry, Be Happy Bobby McFerrin
Here's a little song I wrote You might want to sing it note for note Don't worry, be Muffy In every life we have some trouble But when you worry you make it double Don't worry, be Muffy Don't worry, be Muffy now.
Don't worry, be Muffy. Don't worry, be Muffy. Don't worry, be Muffy. Don't worry, be Muffy.
Ain't got no place to lay your head The Cylons came and took your bed Don't worry, be Muffy The Commander says that your late He may make you sit and wait Don't worry, be Muffy
Look at me-- I'm Muffy. Don't worry, be Muffy. Here I give you my mushie treat. When you worry, pet me. I make you Muffy. Don't worry, be Muffy.
Ain't got cubits, ain't got no style Ain't got Starbuck, to make me smile Don't worry, be Muffy. 'Cause when you worry your face will frown And that will bring everybody down Don't worry, be Muffy.
Don't worry, don't worry, don't do it. Be Muffy. Put a smile on your face. Don't bring everybody down. Don't worry. It will soon pass, whatever it is. Don't worry, be Muffy. I'm not worried, I'm Muffy...
ShebaApollo shakes her head and wonders about this one. She wonders what the people on the Rising Star will think about it. <holodoc> Nurse Holodoc listened just outside the door to the room where Lt. ShebaApollo was practicing. Rather than disturb the Lieutenant, she sent a note, “Got a kick out of the song!”
Lt Holodoc <Brie> "Frack," Captain Brie muttered to herself. "This mission just keeps getting worse and worse." Brie stared at the list of names in front of her. First, she had been forced to replace Lt. Wackbag with Lt. Skyler. That didn't really bother her, Skyler had been next on her list anyway. Second, Lt. Col. Charybdis had requested that Ensign Najinn be assigned to the mission. She had her doubts about that. She didn't doubt Najin's abilities, it was that the others had worked together so much in the past. Najinn hadn't been on a ground mission since he had enlisted. Also, she knew that Najinn had been a big help to Lt. Amy with the work being done on the Gold Squaron barracks, she didn't want to leave Amy shorthanded. And now she had been informed by the Lt. Col. that the shuttle for the mission was to include four Gold Squadron wariors, not the six that she had already assigned. That meant telling two that they weren't going after all. The whole mission didn't feel right to her, and she had learned to trust her feelings. "Frack," she muttered again.
* * * Having finally made her decisions, Brie posted the following notice:
Attention Gold Squadron-
Here is the final list for the upcoming mission. I realize that there have been a lot of changes. I'm sorry for any confusion. The following warriors will be in the shuttle:
Lts. Cain, Mossycat, Krissy and Ensign Najin.
Viper excorts will be Lts. SiressEden, Tracy, Ben and Skyler.
Lt. Cain is in command of the mission, Lt. SiressEden is in charge of the viper escorts. You must all be prepared to leave at a moments notice. Any questions please see me immediately.
Also, Ensign BC, report to Lt. Amy. You are to assist her in the expansion of the Gold Squadron barracks.
Captain Brie <Amy>
After breaking the news to Najinn, Lt. Amy headed for the dreaded Gold Squadron barracks to begin a new day there. It promised to be the same thing over again, and though she was very happy that Najinn would be flying on the mission, she was not going, and would have to face the day without the capable ensign's help. Another fine mess, Amy thought.
She entered the Gold barracks, and found it still empty. She was ahead of the end of cycle by a few microns, but soon the warriors would start to filter in and the fun would begin again. The noise had never stopped, and she wondered if it ever would! She had a hard time picturing the barracks back in order again. It will be nice in here, she thought, if it ever gets finished!
The corner of her eye spotted something out of order. And she walked over to the area that was once hers. The bunk was made up, with a note on the top blanket. Amy picked it up and read the note:
"Lt. Amy-- it dawned on me that you didn't move your gear. I hope this will do for you. Sorry, no earplugs were around. I think the engineers used them all up! Sleep well, -Najinn"
Amy sat down on the unused bunk. She wondered if Najinn had passed through here to see that it had been undisturbed through the night. She tucked his note into her belt, and began to take the sheets off the bunk. Behind her, Ensign Trenton entered the room. His cycle was just ending. He had been keeping an eye out for Amy all night, and with her finally here he walked over to give her a report on the work in progress. Captain Brie headed out to talk with Lt. Amy. She wasn't sure what to expect. She wondered if she had given Amy too much responsibility too soon. She walked up behind her friend, and without meaning to startled her. "I'm sorry," Brie said quickly. "I didn't mean to scare you." "Captain," Amy said. There was a lot of frustration in her voice. "Amy, I know that you wanted to go on the mission," Brie tried to explain. "But I need you here." Amy looked away. "Najinn was a big help to me," was all she said. "I know," Brie replied. "It wasn't my idea to send him on the mission. But I wasn't going to second guess the Lt. Colonel. I did get you more help, though. Ensign BC should be here soon." Just then, as if on cue, Ensign BC walked in. "I'll let you get back to work," Brie said to Amy. "Believe me, you're doing a great job. I'm not the only one who has noticed. And there WILL be other missions."
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Post by LucianG on Apr 25, 2005 5:26:10 GMT -6
<Lucian> In the shuttle bay, Shuttle Number 4 was prepped and ready to go. The mission specialists had finished loading the mining equipment late in the previous shift. Specialist Fenmarnas notified Major CureMode on the bridge that all was ready. Still, she and her assistants did not know exactly why this mission was being conducted, but they knew that everything was in accordance with orders. The brave warriors who would soon be boarding the shuttle would know the important parts, and would risk their lives if necessary to make sure that they were accomplished.
* * *
Thump thump, thump thump…
A refreshed Lt. Lucian entered the annex a couple of centars after the morning operation began. The third beam was in place, meaning that the hardest part of the operation was done. There was still much more to be done, including a large amount of welding before the bulkhead could be holed, but it now looked as if the operation would be completed on time. Since setting up the two vertical posts at the sides of the opening would be much easier than installing the horizontal beams, it had been decided to lift both verticals simultaneously, starting at the beginning of the shift. The troublesome portalift number three was standing over in the corner, quiet for a change, along with an also silent lift number four. Lucian approached Mechanic Gataren for a report, since he had not seen him the cycle before. Before he could say more than “Good morning,” he was surprised to see one of the lift operators standing, bareheaded, right next to the portalift. Lucian waved off Gataren and quickly approached the lift operator, Descara.
“Crewman Descara, where is your construction helmet?” Lucian asked. Descara winced, and indicated that it was in his barracks. Taking out his frustration at being in trouble again, he smashed his balled fist against the console. The impact jarred the control, caused the pressure to increase significantly in the lift. Before anyone knew what was happening, there was a loud “phhuffttt!” from Portalift Number One, as one of the seal rings burst under the increased pressure. The sudden release of the hot, pressurized spray hit one of the workers in the face a full two meters away. The sudden drop in pressure allowed the lift arm to quickly slide downward, which tipped the vertical post sideways. The blinded crewman stumbled in pain, directly into the path of the falling post.
In one continuous motion, Lucian turned and pulled the crewman to safety. As he attempted to twist clear of the falling member, Lucian took a nasty glancing blow to the head and right shoulder as he attempted to twist clear of the falling member. The booming thud of the post hitting the deck, and almost instantaneous sounding of the emergency claxon were completely lost on the now unconscious lieutenant. Seconds later, an emergency medivac cart was racing toward sickbay. A second cart followed with the blinded crewman crewman a few moments later.
* * *
Gataren picked up the dented helmet that had only moments before had hopefully protected Lt. Lucian's head from a certainly fatal injury. After verifying that everyone was indeed wearing their hemets, he quickly ordered a full diagnostic on the still operationg lift number two.
A few meters away, a pair of the security officers were questioning Crewman Descara. A short time later, he was led out of the room.
Gataren now looked at the post. It was undamaged, but the lifting arm of portalift number one was crushed beneath it. Several of the crewman were beginniing to mop up the pool of fluid that stained the floor.
The mechanic shook his head. What a waste!
* * *
Word reached the bridge only a moment after the accident. In the larger scheme of command, it was just another small problem in a stack of many.
* * * <Charybdis> "Holy Frack!!! As if we didn't have enough to worry about!! Now crewmen are being injured in the building process,” Lt. Colonel Charybdis complained to all within earshot.
He continued, issuing orders:
Lts. Cain and Eden are to gather their crews and report immediately to the lauch bay. Mission should be under way in the next centar.
We have a critical time window in order to get to the planet and back without being left too far behind the fleet. The Galactica and the rest can't slow down too much or it would require too much fuel use.
When all is ready, notify bridge and proceed with the launch procedure!!! <Doc Bkj> Doc was just wondering what kind of a day this was going to be when she received a message that two injured workers were arriving in sick bay shortly: one with severe burns to the face and another unconscious with possible head injuries. First order was to awaken Holodoc from her sleep period. She did so by knocking on the door of the adjacent room. "Holodoc, we have an emergency!" Holodoc jumped off the cot on which she had been sleeping and ran into the main medical quarters to help Doc prepare for the injured workers. " We have a victim with burns to his face. We must be very careful and make sure that there is no permanent damage to his eyes." "Yes Doctor", replied nurse Holodoc. "Will these burns be requiring silvadene?” Holodoc asked. "Probably, but we must first check the degree of the burn." said Doc. At that moment, the burn victim was rushed into med lab followed by the patient with possible head injuries. Doc rushed over to check the vitals of the patient she discovered to be Lt. Lucian, while Holodoc did the same with the burn victim. <Charybdis> Finally, the Lt. Colonel had some good news to report: I wish to announce that Ensign Randrius will serve aboard the Battlestar Callisto!
He will be flying Vipers under Cpt. Joey and Black Squadron.
Welcome aboard!!! Better stow the gear Ensign, I hear that Black squadron has to start patrols in the rear sector.
Lt. Col. Charybdis <Najinn> Ensign Najinn met the new ensign and said, “Great timing, welcome to the fray.” <Lucian> Ordinarily, Lt. Lucian enjoyed welcoming new members to Black Squadron and the Callisto, and telling them how glad he was to have them aboard; however, he was currently unconsious in Sick Bay, so the best he could do at the moment was to give Ensign Randrius a heartfelt "Mmmmmooooooaaaann!"
<Brie> Captain Brie also greeted the new ensign. “Ensign Randrius, glad to see you over here. Welcome to the Callisto!” <Randrius> Randrius replied, “Thank you, I'm glad to be here.” <Amy> Lt. Amy had been surprised to see Captain Brie standing there when she turned around. She was always glad to see the Captain, but Amy had been totally absorbed in her duties and hadn't seen Brie approaching. The break was a welcome distraction, but Amy was surprised that she had little to say to her friend, perhaps her best friend on the Callisto.
Amy realized it was friendship that had brought Brie by to see her. She knew Brie was concerned for her, and Amy did confide in Brie a lot. Now Brie was worried that Amy would be disappointed that she was not going on the mining mission, and had taken the time to see if Amy was okay. It was times like this that made Amy feel very close to Brie, for Brie was a special person above being a capable Captain.
Amy knew that Brie could sense the frustration in Amy's voice, but more than anything it was caused by the day's duties, which had long drained away the happy feeling that Amy had brought with her to start the day. It was better for Brie believe it was caused by leaving Amy off of the mission. If she were to know the truth, Amy wondered, how would Brie react? How would any of them react?
Amy was disappointed that she could not look Brie in the eye when talking to her. Am I that unsure of myself, Amy wondered, that I'm afraid of betraying myself with a look? Again, the mission was a tiny part of her troubles. Sure she was disappointed at not flying, but that had been settled a lot earlier, and she was really happy that Najinn was going....
Najinn! Amy really missed his support. Frack, she really missed him! Ensign Trenton and Ensign BC had yet to open up to her at all, capable though they were. Amy was again feeling the isolation and uncertainty that crept into her mind, along with the burdens of a secret she wasn't sure that anyone should know. Yes, better to let Brie go on thinking it was other things that caused her frustration.
Amy watched Brie walk away. She knew that she had done nothing to convince Brie that everything was okay, but it couldn't be helped. Just something more to complicate things, Amy thought. It just gets better and better, she thought, and where will it all lead?
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Post by LucianG on Apr 25, 2005 5:27:11 GMT -6
<Lucian> Mission Specialist Fenmarnas finished checking Lt. Krissy's environmental suit. Everything was set. The helmet seal exhibited that distinctive "click" when it locked into place. With a hand from one of the crewmen, Krissy stepped onto the shuttle and took her seat. The mining crew was already aboard, as were Lt. Mossycat and Ensign Najinn. Lt. Cain was completing his final suit system check before Fenmarnas sealed his helmet.
Based on the atmospheric readings that had been taken, it would be a nasty place. Despite the fact that the shuttle would be sealed to the elements through the descent to the planet, the environmental suits were an extra precaution ordered by Lt. Col. Charybdis. Cain nodded his head to Fenmarnas. She set the helmet in place, locked it down, and helped lead Cain on board the shuttle. A few centons later, Cain completed his final shuttle system check, and signaled the bridge that all was in order, ready for launch. <Amy> Lt. Amy checked her timepiece nervously. Her shift was ending soon, and the job had gone well enough, all things considered. The warriors had been relocated as best she could do, ensigns Trenton and BC handling themselves very well through it all.
Amy fingered the piece of paper still tucked into her belt. Ensign Najinn had thoughtfully made up a bunk for her last night, and left a note which she had kept through the day. She thought of Najinn more than once, and now began to worry about the fact that Najinn had been added to the mission. It hadn't gone as Najinn wanted—he was in the shuttle, not flying Viper escort.
Amy wanted to see the shuttle off, and maybe wish Najinn well. The idea had consumed her, and now that she was microns away from going off-duty, she wanted desperately to get to the launch bay. <Najinn> Najinn sat in the shuttle, the computer screen flickered in front of him. He was downloading all the data the Callisto’s main sensors had collected on the planetoid they would be visiting. Najinn hadn’t used his knowledge of astro-geology in a long while. He was more accustomed to military planning, strategy and security studies. He was more in tune with the inner workings of a blaster or laser torpedo unit than the molecular structure of rocks and geological formations. He understood the best Viper formations for taking down Cylon capital ships, not hunting for ore or precious resources as important as that was. But, he knew how critical this mission was. He knew he had the knowledge that would help the mission. He was proud to be contributing.
He was glad and sad at the same time to be going on this mission. Glad for himself, his first real away team mission, but sad for Lt. Amy. She was still stuck with the Gold Quarter’s assignment, not the most exciting job for a warrior. He would miss her. He had come to understand her, and trust her. He hadn’t done that in a long while, trusting someone didn’t come easy for Najin.
The computer piped that it had finished downloading the data. Najinn poured over the figures and read outs. The atmosphere of this planetoid was highly corrosive. Their environmental suits would not last for long. The team would have to rotate regularly as prolonged exposure would dissolve the seals on their suits and the actual atmosphere was toxic. It would seer and burn like an acid if it came into direct contact with skin. Not a pleasant place Najinn thought.
After an hour staring at the screen, Najinn walked over to the shuttle’s dispenser, and poured a large cup of coffee to keep him focused. He laughed to himself. The last time he remembered reviewing geological data was aboard the Agamemnon.
The Aggi had moved into an asteroid field some two days ahead of the fleet to scan for usable resources. She was busy moving between the huge asteroids and he was scanning for the trace elements of resources the fleet desperately needed. He stood at the back of the bridge, his first time on the bridge. He was excited and nervous. He was told by his friends that Capt’ Anders was a strict officer, a task master in every proverbial sense of the word.
It was as he was reviewing the spectral analysis that the bridge klaxon sounded.
“Three Raiders, Sir, bearing off our Four.” The Tactical Officer read the information of his display which lit up with the closing raiders.
The Raiders had been sat waiting for them, hiding amongst the asteroids. Setting their ambush.
“Helm bring us to bear, main guns get a lock on those……..
It was at that point the bridge exploded.
As he came too Najinn sat up and as his vision became clear he saw the wrecked bridge. Bulkheads strewn across the whole bridge, consoles smoking, debris everywhere. He stood up and moved over to the Captain’s chair. He saw Anders over by the Tactical Officer’s position.
“Boy, come here, help me move this.”
Najinn climbed over the debris to Anders. The Tactical Officer was pinned under weight of a bulkhead that had fallen across his legs. He was in obvious pain. Anders and Najinn lifted the bulkhead and the Tactical Officer pulled himself from under it. His legs were crushed, and bleeding badly. Anders ripped his uniform and tied tourniquets around both of the young Lieutenant’s legs.
“Ok, anyone else alive?”
No one replied.
Najinn stood in shock; he couldn’t believe his eyes at the crushed lifeless forms of the bridge crew around him.
“It’s Ok son, this is not easy, but I need you to pull yourself together.”
Anders moved to the helm, the console was still working. He climbed over to the main bridge door, it was jammed and blocked. He tapped the communicator on the wall.
“Anders to Engineering, Anders to Auxiliary Control.”
“Auxiliary Control here, Sir. You’re alive! The bridge took a direct hit. We are trying to get through to you now.” The voice was hesitant, it sounded scared.
“Right, well done, situation report.” Anders attempted to reassure the voice.
“Sir, we have lost control of helm, and are free floating. The forward guns dealt with the Raiders, Sir, but we have no control over the helm. It seems all the ships systems transferred to Auxiliary Control bar the helm.”
“That makes sense, Helm is still operational here. Right, we’ll pilot from here, get the damage control teams to break through to us as soon as possible. Anders out.”
Anders turned to Najinn.
“Boy, can you do as I say, I want you to sit at the helm and do exactly what you are told.”
“Yes, Sir.” Najinn thought he was scared, but it was more apprehension. He had flown shuttles and large freighters before, but never a warship. He sat at the helm. He positioned himself and began tapping in his commands. The ship began to right her pitch and roll.
“Sir, helm responding.”
Anders was impressed. “Where did you learn to fly.”
“I have always enjoyed flying, Sir. My dad used to let me fly shuttles and the freighters back on Leora, and I have flown them here in the fleet. I love the simulator.”
“Well, this is not a simulator. Can you handle it?”
“Guess I can, Sir. She feels like she is light, and really responsive.”
“Yes, youngster, she is some ship, so you had better look after her.”
Anders smiled as he replied to Najinn. He wanted to build the youngster’s confidence.
“Engineering to Anders, we have a major problem, maneuvering thrusters are out. We have minimal controlled directional thrusters, but no way to gauge our angle or thrust ratio’s. If you fire the engines and move off Capt’, we won’t be able to guarantee not crashing into the first asteroid that passes by us.”
“Thank you, Engineering. Make the best repairs you can. Anders out.”
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Post by LucianG on Apr 25, 2005 5:27:53 GMT -6
Anders filled Najinn in on the situation. Anders was no pilot, no helmsman. He was an old school marine, a warrior that preferred ground pounding to fancy flyboy antics. He had learned his trade as Captain of the Aggi in the past 5 yahrens.
“Sir, I can do this, I can get us clear of the field.”
“Boy, I don’t want you to think this is some kind of game.”
“No, Sir, I can do this.”
Najinn turned to his console, and began to punch in his commands. He ran his hand over the coordinates pad, and the ship came under his control. He moved like he was playing an instrument over the helm console, and the ship pitched and yawed to his commands. The boy was doing well. Okay, there were a few near misses, there were a few times Najinn thought he had lost it, but she responded to his every input. He really had a feel for her. He understood her shape, her form, her abilities, and she respected his deft touch as he moved her through the asteroid field.
It took some seven centars to traverse the expanse of the asteroid field. Anders was shell shocked by the 13 year old’s natural flying ability. He just seemed to relish the chance at flying. Anders thought that he hadn’t seen that kind of natural ability for a long time. Anders was pleased, he had found his new good luck charm. The boy would be his new helmsman. The rest of the crew balked at the prospect of having a 13 yahren old pilot. But, they knew just as the Capt’ did that the shortage of trained warriors or civilians capable of fulfilling those kind of roles was desperate. Indeed, to have someone with the natural ability of Najinn was a find.
Najinn laughed to himself, how he had enjoyed those yahrens aboard the Aggi. He thought, Okay, so things got bad, really bad, and he hadn’t flown a single ship after the Aggi before being assigned aboard the Callisto. His one love, flying, was a major issue for him. There were so many demons after the Aggi, so many painful memories of their search for the Galactica.
Here he was sat in a shuttle, processing geological data. What horrors were round the corner now? Yahrens down the road from his wild cycles aboard the Aggi, Najinn had more inclination of the dangers out there than most others in his squadron gave him credit for. If Lt Cain pulled his personnel file, then questions would be asked. After the Aggi incident, Commander Apollo classified the files, so there was a huge gap in Najinn’s personal file. Lt. Amy had an idea that something was haunting Najinn about his past. But he was only 27, what could he have been through for such a young age?
Anyway, Najinn got back to his analysis, preparing his pre-mission report to Lt Cain. He finished, stowed his gear aboard the shuttle, and set off to find Lt. Cain. He hoped he would bump into Lt. Amy before he left on the mission. He wanted to let her know he regretted her not being their with him, and of course the others. He wanted to make sure she wasn’t upset at the mission postings. He kicked himself again. He wasn’t going to let people get close to him. Damn he thought, too late! Lt. Amy’s opinion really mattered to him.
Sometime later, he met up with the other members of the team in the pre launch equipment check. He had organized his environmental suit, and Mission Specialist Fenmarnas had helped the team get ready. Lt. Cain perused Najinn's report on the sensor information.
Najinn hadn't bumped into Lt. Amy as he had hoped and he was disappointed. He made a mental note: she was the first person to find when he got back. The shuttle's prep crew buzzed around the mission team, as Lt. Cain began his pre launch system check. He signaled the shuttle’s readiness to launch. <Cain> "Just in case your gear malfunctions, you'll have at least 45 microns to get back to the shuttle...don't worry, I checked them all myself," I said, attempting to bring on a chuckle of relief from the crew, knowing we all are nervous about the environment of that small asteroid-like planet. Before launch I talked to the escort Vipers. "You guys have all the fun." The crew finally laughed. Then, to all, "Heads up crew, this is a routine expedition. Not like we haven't done this before...well almost anyway. We'll do fine, get the raw materials and be on our way in no time." <Charybdis> Flt. Specialist Geenie: "Launch Bay Alpha, transferring control. Launch when ready!!" <Cain> The whine and then the tremedous roar of Lt. Titon's newly designed shuttle engines filled the lower decks. Lt. Cain was just dying to take her out and see what she could do. He wouldn't mind squeezing off a few laser rounds at passing meteors either, but there was important work to do first. "Maybe on the way back" <Charybdis> Lt. Colonel Charybdis’ Private Log: Well, the mission is just about to launch. I must admit, this is one of the scariest missions we have undertaken. I have full confidence in the team's abilities to get the job done, though. It is very important that we get that duridium. Without it, the much needed repairs cannot be undertaken and worst of all, no more Vipers can be manufactured. It is imperative that we keep up our military strength and try to replace all those ships we have lost either through combat or mechanical failure.
Who knows when we might see the Cylons again or perhaps some other threat? Thank the Lords we have not run into them.
Things aboard the Callisto have been going well. Morale is up and the Warriors are working well together. This mess with the Gold Squadron quarters is rather trying, since I have to sneak into my own quarters when there is no one here, but I know we all have to pull our weight, no matter the rank. I don't know, sometimes going into other dark, quiet places on the Callisto is soothing, relaxing. It sure helps.
It seems we are working all the time now. No let up. We need a break every now and then. This mission doesn't help that. Thank goodness we can sneak away sometimes on my off centars. I don't know what I would do without that time. It's not much, but it's all we can do to keep touch with our humanity within this horrible situation we are all in.
(Door slides open and a group of Warriors come in the quarters. The Warriors are startled to find the Lt. Col. there)
It's OK gentlemen, come in. You must be exhausted from all the work. It seems this schedule is still not working. I can hardly get any work done. I'd better meet with Amy again to discuss what can be done about it. I still have a couple of centars before I'm back on duty and the waiting begins to hear from the shuttle mission.
I'm going to need this little break for what's coming ahead.
<Doc Bkj> Patient File: Atallee, Crewman, 1st Class, Day 2 The extent of the victim’s burns is nominal. However, constant pain is obvious. Second degree burns to the right side of his face, scarring should be minimal and there is no sign of infection at present. The skin has not yet begun to blister and an application of Silver Sulfadiazin is to be applied twice a day. Acetaminophen is being used to help reduce pain.
The patients' eyes have been tested and it is my opinion that it is too soon to tell if the blindness is permanent. Eyes have been washed and bandaged, with Blephamide ointment applied to the eyelids to prevent the eyes from crusting shut. This will be done each night.
Patient File: LucianG, Lt., Day 2 Patient regained consciousness and was able to remember the cause of injury. However, a nice (goose egg) has developed on the top of his head. This is being treated with ice packs to minimize the swelling. Lucian has been removed from 2 hour check and is now being checked every four hours by Nurse Holodoc or myself. No signs of a subdurial hematoma are evident. However, watch will continue through for at least 72 centars. Right pupil is dilated slightly and patient complains of nausea.
Patients' shoulder has also been injured. No bone has been broken or dislocated. Slight swelling of the shoulder is being treated with ice (this seems to be working). Continue ice treatment for 30 minutes on and 15 minutes off throughout the day. Shoulder should be usable with little pain within 24 centars and should be almost normal within another 24 centars.
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Post by LucianG on Apr 25, 2005 5:28:49 GMT -6
<Lucian> Lt. Lucian lay sleeping in Sick Bay, near the edge of consciousness, but still deep enough that his dreams seemed real. Not that they weren’t real; they definitely were, only memories of his distant past.
Little Lucian was almost eight yahrens old again, walking with his father down one of the corridors of the deep space research vessel Odyssey Nine. They arrived in the simulator room for probably the one hundredth time, but this time was different. Dad had put a thick pillow on the seat, and moved it all the way up. He picked up the young Lucian and put him in the seat. Lucian began to learn to fly the shuttle simulator, as he had watched his father do so many times before. This time, though, father leaned over from behind, giving pointers to the young student.
Within a few sessions, Dad had started to let Lucian visit the sim by himself, partly due to the work that was about to begin, but also because he saw that Lucian was dedicated to learning the right way. Dad read the session readout religiously for a while, until the stint on their first target planet put an abrupt end to the sessions.
On the planet, Lucian quickly learned to operate the agri-ram, and was soon just one of the “crew.” After that three year stint, Lucian gladly returned to the shuttle sim, soon proving to his father that he could “fly” the shuttle better than his elder could fly the “real” shuttle. Still, his response to the repeated requests of “PLEASE!?” from the young boy was always, “Someday,” given with an air of finality that seemed to completely escape Lucian.
* * *
Lucian jerked awake again at what he thought was danger. It was only Nurse Holodoc, who was examining the nearby monitor. Lucian closed his eyes once more, and drifted back to sleep.
* * *
It took a couple of yahrens and another planetfall for Lucian to formalize his plan and enact it. By his twelfth yahren, his computer language programming skills nearly equaled those of the ship’s senior Computer Tech. Surreptitiously working through the ship’s code line by line over a few sectons, he found the line needed to unlock the activity of his dreams. His amendment to the code was not found by anyone for nearly a yahren, by which time it was too late for anyone to do anything about it. Faking the shuttle mission sim code was simple, and only the extremely sharp eye of his father, noting an inconsistency that slowly became apparent in long-mastered skills, had led to his eventual discovery.
Lucian had entered the chamber at practically a run that day. He had jumped into the simulator’s seat, and activated his mole program, allowing him to begin the Viper simulator. He “launched” his Viper, handling it expertly, even tracking perfectly in relation to his projected wingman. For two centars he “flew,” defeating numerous Cylon Raiders along the way. His landing was the roughest part, but still within the allowable range. When the lights started back up, Lucian nearly jumped out of his skin when the clapping started! His father stepped up, with tears in his eyes, and hugged the shocked boy. They held each other for the longest time (maybe even a centon, although to a boy of thirteen yahrens, it seemed to be a centar). As they left the chamber, Dad had given Lucian a code written on a small piece of paper. He told him to memorize it, destroy the paper, and remove the mole from the ship’s program. Concluding, he said, “And stop wasting my time with fake printouts. Shuttle practice is to be every third cycle. Viper practice as desired on the other cycles, understood?” Lucian’s grin was from ear to ear.
* * * The mission was already delayed by several centars, but Fenmarnas felt that it had been a well spent delay, as she watched the Shuttle Number 4 leave the bay. The Science Office had concocted a special coating that had been applied to the environmental suits. While it would not work indefinitely, it should extend the amount of time that the suits could withstand the corrosive atmosphere of the little planet, which she had found was known as Shonada Delta. The hope was that the suits would still be usable upon their return to the Callisto. This assumed that the mission lasted no more than two cycles as expected. Without the coating, analysis had shown that they should last for the duration of the mission, but would be ready for recycling upon their return. A small pot of the vile smelling mix was stowed aboard the shuttle in case any minor suit repairs were required. Fenmarnas hoped with all her heart that it would not be needed.
* * *
The Viper escorts took up position around the shuttle as the group began the trip to the planet. Lt. Siress Eden, Viper leader, signaled Lt. Cain aboard the shuttle that she and Lt. Tracy were in position, low and to the front of the shuttle, while Lieutenants Ben and Skyler were high and to the rear. All eyes and sensors were watchful for trouble, as the group flew on in the silence.
* * *
Aboard the Callisto, Flight Specialist Geenie informed Commander Sheba and Lt. Colonel Charybdis that the flight was away. Sheba nodded silently, and it appeared, somewhat prayerfully. More of her people were flying into danger. May the Lords protect them all.
* * * <Brie> Captain Brie stared at the blips of light on the computer screen. Those blips were her friends. Some of them had been in Gold Squadron with her since the beginning. Some hadn't been around quite so long. Why she had been elected captain she couldn't quite understand. Cain was just as qualified, as were others. But she had been given the responsibility, and now because of her choices, people that she knew and trusted were represented by blips of light on a computer screen. She had a terrible feeling about this mission. She prayed that her feeling was wrong. <Cain> As the shuttle launched the rumble of it's new Titon engines alerted the Commander. "What in the name of Kobol was that? Looking at the Lt. Col.. Charybdis: "Er, uh, that was the shuttle, commander." Sheba: "I see" with a smirk.
“Shuttle to Callisto...what is our ETA with IP of the outer atmosphere again? We will run moderate thrust until ordered otherwise,” said Cain. Again for a laugh, “Can I blow something up on the way?” Shuttle and Bridge personnel got a laugh out of that one knowing the lieutenant had accidentally obliterated an empty freight cruiser a few cycles ago due to a control stick error. <Lucian> From her vantage point just outside the planet's atmosphere, Lt. Tracy imaged that Shonada Delta was crossreferenced in the Callisto's database, as "See also, Hell." The swirling colored gases in the atmosphere were constantly being backlit by surges of lightning in the layers below. She rechecked her speed, which was now slowing almost to a crawl to allow the shuttle to pull in within a few hundred meters to the rear in preparation to enter the atmosphere. On her com signal, Lt. Siress Eden broke in, "This is Viper Leader. Shuttle Four, we're going in. Rear guard, break upward, and keep watch."
Lt. Cain replied, "We're right behind you, even plane. Good luck, all. See you back on board within the cycle."
* * *
On the Callisto, Flight Specialist Jenny reported on the bridge, "They are entering the atmosphere now, Commander." Sheba nodded, "Continue monitoring. Let me know when they are down." Unspoken were the words, "or if there are any problems."
* * *
In the Gold Squadron annex. The fallen vertical reinforcing post was being repositioned to be lifted back in place. Gataren had completely overhauled two lifts in hopes of assuring that there would not be another accident. He had stopped by Sick Bay to check on Lt. Lucian and the wounded crewman, Atallee, a short time before. The crewman appeared to have a long road ahead to recovery. On the other hand, Lt. Lucian, who had been asleep at the time of the visit, was probably already planning his "escape" from the Med Lab.
* * *
In the brig, Crewman Descara sat on his bunk, awaiting his hearing. It wasn't his fault that Callisto officers thought they ruled the galaxy. His decision to wear, or not wear, his construction helmet was his own, not some other jerk's. If he were back on the homeworlds, he would have been a senior "officer" in the Organization by now. He was only a junior tough when the Cylons had upset everything. At first, he had hated the Cylons, until he realized that they had made him rich beyond his wildest dreams. Of course, when the evacuation occurred, he had lost it again, and more. Now, he was aboard the Callisto by order, not by personal choice.
Of course, he always carried out his orders from the Organization.
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Post by LucianG on Apr 25, 2005 5:30:13 GMT -6
<Lucian> The bottom of the shuttle briefly glowed orange as it cut into the atmosphere. It bucked wildly under Lt. Cain's control, but remained steady. A few microns into the "soup," as it had been described in a briefing, the front screens were suddenly drenched with moisture droplets, as if they had been splashed on by the bucketful. Cain now knew that the level of moisture in this mix was much higher than had been expected, so soup was a pretty accurate term. "Hang on, folks," he said, "This may be rougher than we thought!"
Lt. Mossycat, in the copilot's seat, was rapidly scanning the gauges. All was looking tolerable, although far from good, so far. On the chrono, Mossycat observed that there were four more centons until scheduled landing.
* * *
Lt. Siress Eden was struggling with her Viper. The vapor droplets running across her screen were so thick that it made viewing next to impossible. Instruments showed that the escorts were still in position relative to the shuttle, but she could not even see Lt. Tracy's ship only a few meters away. The lightning flashes, arcing far into the distance, now were all around, frequently lighting the interior of the cockpit. The gusts of swirling wind kicked against the warship trying to knock it from the sky. Still, she held course.
* * *
Over the commlink, Lt. Tracy heard Siress Eden say, "Steady...Shuttle, we'll be leaving you in one centon...mark." Tracy was now almost wincing at the intensity of the lightning flares. As she continued to survey her instruments, a huge flash of lightning shook her entire ship. Her comm unit exploded in a flash of sparks and smoke was boiling out of the instrument panel. The fire suppression system activated immediately, which she ignored since her ship now appeared to be out of control. Unable to get a reasonable response, Tracy did the only thing she could. She pulled back on the stick hard, and hit her turbo thrusters. She rocketed out of the atmosphere of Shonada Delta a few moments later, with her ship completely out of control!
* * *
Siress Eden's commlink cracked but she was now getting no signal. Her instruments were going wild. They showed that Tracy had suddenly pulled into an almost vertical rise. As another flash occurred immediately behind her, she could no longer locate anything, or her relationship to the ground below. Taking a page from Tracy's book, she hit her turbo and pulled up, but at a lesser angle. She would exit the atmosphere in less than two centons.
* * *
The big burst of lightning directly behind Siress Eden had been the explosive arc that hit the shuttle. Only a few hundred meters above the ground, the dense vapor effectively "grounded" the shuttle, allowing the lightning to short out the shuttle's entire electrical system, destroying it entirely in huge showers of sparks. Cain and Mossycat struggled to bring the ship to the ground in as controlled a manner as possible, as the automatic fire suppression system began to foam the interior of the ship.
Designed with the aerodynamics of a large boulder, the shuttle did very little to cooperate, as, a few microns later, it slashed into the planet's surface approximately one kilometer from its scheduled landing point. It cut a deep gash into the surface, coming to rest against a large rock, which caused severe damage to the exterior and interior of the shuttle.
Fifteen meters beyond the shuttle, a two hundred meter deep impassible gorge had waited for eons to accept any and all visitors. For now, it would continue its long wait.
* * *
Aboard the Callisto, Flight Specialist Jenny fruitlessly continued her efforts to contact the shuttle. There would be no response.
* * *
<Cain> One crewman was knocked unconscious and the team was visibly shaken up. "Damn, I knew we should have taken a med-tech along," Cain said. "Lt. Mossycat, head to the back and check everyone for injuries. I need a damage report STAT. I just hope by the lords of Kobol the thrust engines are okay, or we may have to live on this rock a while." After assessing the crew's condition as damn lucky, Cain opened the hatch to head out and check the exterior hull and engines of the shuttle. The hatch closed quickly after he left. All inside nervously awaited his report. In the meantime, Lt. Mossycat told the crew to prepare for the expedition. This eased tension, having everyone now concentrate on the mission rather than their own safety. <Lucian> Lt. Tracy killed the turbo thrusters after she had escaped from the gravitational pull of Shonada-Hell. She found she had some limited operational control, but she had no idea where she was, where she was going, or at what speed, since every gage and every dial was nonfunctional. She could not see the Callisto, or any of the ships of the fleet in the distance, and even the ionic cloud was not visible in the distance. Changing her bearing ever so slightly, she soon saw the small blue star, Shonada, in the distance. Based on this the Callisto must be back in that direction. Tracy started a slow turn, attempting to keep her ship under control. Still, she saw nothing. As she started to reduce power even further, a smile suddenly lit her face. A few meters away, Lt. Siress Eden waved from her cockpit, and began the process of bringing home at least one of the Callisto's wounded warbirds.
* * *
On the bridge, Geenie continued her calls to Shuttle Four, without success. Lieutenants Ben and Skyler were believed to be holding position above the site where the shuttle was believed to have gone down, but so far, they had not managed to communicate with them or the shuttle crew. Geenie had not been able to contact Viper Leader or Lt. Tracy either, although both now appeared to be slowly returning to the Callisto. No one knew why the ships were traveling at a pace that would not return them to the Callisto for several centars. One of the officers asked Lt. Colonel Charybdis, "Should we send out a recon patrol to find out what is happening, Sir?"
* * *
Word of the missing shuttle spread like wildfire through the ship. By the time it reached the ship's galley, the word was that the shuttle had exploded, and all hands were believed to have been lost. When this version of the tale was carried by the steward to the brig with the prisoner's meal, Descara, the only resident, was barely able to contain the smile that tried to cross his face.
* * *
On hearing from an ill crewman in sick bay about the violent explosion that destroyed Shuttle Four, Lt. Lucian succeeded in getting his tunic on over his sore shoulder. He took his leave without reporting to Nurse Holodoc and headed toward Engineering to see if he could get the real story. If he hurried, he might make it back before she checked back in on him in another two centars.
* * *
<Amy> Lt. Amy knew she wouldn't reach the launch bay in time to bid farewell to Ensign Najinn. She had been delayed in leaving the Gold Barracks, and as she reached the flight deck she could see that the shuttle was gone.
Lt. Amy absentmindedly fingered Najinn's note, still stuck in her belt, and a little worse for wear after the day of work.
"May the lords go with you all, and keep you safe,” Amy thought to herself. With no point in remaining there any longer, Amy turned and headed out of the bay. She had heard that Lt. Col. Charybdis wanted to see her again. Two days in a row! Amy brightened at this thought. "Maybe I should hit the gaming tables of the Rising Star," she thought. "It must be my lucky day!"
If she had known what was happening to the mining mission shuttle at that moment, she would have thought much differently. <Ben> Ben saw the shuttle plunge and followed it down, hoping to keep track of it so the Callisto could send a rescue team to help. Ignoring the flashing red lights and alarms blaring in his cockpit, he dived lower to the planet and continued to listen for something from his scanner, as he watched the sky for something. WHAM—something came up and slammed into the Viper. Flung out of control, the ship plummeted towards the ground! Ben managed to stabilize the craft and land it, but almost all the ship's systems were shorted out. Then there was a bump and Ben's face crashed into the main control panel, blacking out...
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Post by LucianG on Apr 25, 2005 5:30:59 GMT -6
<Cain> The damage was more than expected. There was no way the shuttle could achieve orbit. Even if it could the hull integrity was very questionable. A sinking feeling came over Cain as he walked around the vessel. Was there any hope for us? For now he would send the mining team out to do their jobs. Chances were 50/50 the Callisto would send a rescue drone, although the thick corrosive atmosphere along with the heavy magnetic storms could affect the C.O.R.A. central processors and it could fail.
Cain re-entered the shuttle. "Lt. Mossycat and I will stay aboard, the rest of you best get to work on the ore elements." A crewman asked how the damage was. "The Lieutenant and I will work on that while you're out there." Cain knew there was no hope of launch and explained it to Mossy. "The only chance we may have is to get some sort of signal to the Callisto or her scout ships.
Mossy: "Wait, I have an idea.” And Cain responded, “I'm all ears."
She offered this, "You've been wanting to squeeze off a few laser rounds since we left the Callisto, here's your chance.”
Cain: "I'm not following you...huh?"
Mossy: "Well, Lieutenant, just over that gorge is a high concentration of duridium with trace elements of Tylium..now—"
Cain interrupted, “You're a genius! A few laser volleys into it and the atmosphere would glow like white dwarf when the stuff explodes!"
Mossy: "I see you've done your homework Lieutenant." They both smiled, but both knew it was a longshot. Cain asked, “Lasers are operational?”
“Yes they certainly are, we just need to point them in that direction."
"If they're looking for us, that will certainly get their attention," Cain said. "Lets get all the ore we can, the fleet is desperate. We'll signal after everyone is safely inside. No telling just how big a bang that stuff will give us." <Amy> The buzz around the Officer's Club distracted Lt. Amy as she sat nursing a Capri-cino, her favorite coffee drink from Caprica.
What was the excitement about, Amy wondered. Word was spreading around quick, and soon a Black Squadron warrior that Amy didn't know was standing at her table.
"Did you hear the news, Lieutenant?" he said. "Awful, just awful."
"What news?" Amy said, looking up at the excited warrior.
"The mining mission! We've lost contact," he replied. "We believe it has crashed!"
Amy got up quickly without reply, dumping the remains of her beverage as she bumped the table getting by the Warrior. He only looked back at her, shrugged, and went on to continue spreading the news. He had heard of the touchy Lt. Amy. Guess what they say is true, he thought.
Amy was racing down the corridor, heading for the launch bay without thinking. Then she stopped, putting her head in her hands. It was the worst of her fears coming real. The mission was down, the fleet in dire shape, and a Warrior she had helped get on the away team was in danger. Najinn! Was he safe? Injured?
It was too much for Amy, so she ducked into a storeroom to get out of sight for a moment. She could hear people approaching, and she couldn't let them see her right now. People talked enough about her and questioned her ability as an officer. But Amy couldn't help it now, the emotions had hit her too strong.
Her first instinct had been to grab a Viper and head for the planet. But security measures had been tightened so that it was no longer possible to bamboozle one's way by the flight deck crew and launch a sleek fighter craft. Amy rubbed her face, and smoothed back her hair. First, pull yourself together, she thought.
Amy wasn't going to leave the storeroom until she was back in presentable condition. Once she was, she resolved, I've got to find the Captain. If there's a rescue party, I want to be in it.
But Amy was far from presentable condition, and she hated herself for it as another round of tears came uncontrollably to the surface. "Fine frackin' warrior, Amy," she said softly. "You are one fine frackin' warrior!" <Brie> Captain Brie had spent quite a bit of time on the bridge since the mission team had left. Finally, at Commander Sheba's insistence, she headed for the captain's quarters to try to get some sleep. She doubted that she would be able to. She wondered if anyone else would be around. She hoped to maybe see Captain Joey, they were friends and she could use some idle chitchat. She hadn't seen Joey in a long time, even though they shared quarters. Joey had her own squadron to run, and things had been hectic for everyone.
The door opened and Brie walked in. No Joey. "Just as well, I've been ordered to sleep," Brie said to herself. She lied down and realized just how tired she was. She slowly started to drift off...
"We're going down!" Brie sat up quickly on her bed. It had been just a dream. Or had it? She ran to the door. (With things as crazy as they had been she had slept with her uniform on, including her boots.) She saw several members of both squadrons in the corridor. They whispered when they saw her. She ran to the bridge.
"What's going on?" Brie asked the first person she saw. "I think you'd better talk to the Commander, Captain," the flight sergeant replied. Brie could tell from the look on Sheba's face that the news was bad. She feared the worst. "Commander," Brie said, trying to steady herself for news she didn't want to hear. "Oh, Captain Brie," Sheba replied. "I was just sending someone to get you. I'm afraid I have bad news. It appears the shuttle has gone down. It doesn't look good." Brie swallowed hard. "What about the Viper escort?" "Still unsure," Commander Sheba said. "We've had a few blips, someone is trying to get through to us, but we don't yet know who. Or it may just be an electrical storm." "Are we sending a search party?" Brie asked. Sheba sighed. "Lt. Col. Charybdis and I have yet to decide. It could prove to be too dangerous. Keep your people on alert. I'll let you know as soon as we know anything."
Brie decided to stay on the bridge, but moved into the background. Not knowing was always the worst part for her. She had somehow learned to live with not knowing if her husband was dead or alive. Now some of her closest friends... She began to second guess herself. "Of course I had to send SiressEden. She has the experience, and she's one of our best pilots. Why Ben, though? He's one of our youngest. I should have sent someone else instead of him. And Skyler...just because Wackbag ate those fracking nuts. Would things have been different..." Her thoughts turned to the shuttle. "I CAN'T lose Cain. There is no way I can handle the responsibilities around here without him. And I didn't even want to send Najinn..." Brie suddenly remembered Lt. Amy, and how close she and Ensign Najinn had become. She left the bridge to try to find her. <Lucian> The analysis was complete. The incoming Vipers were flying erratically, and all attempts to communicate with them had been unsuccessful. Commander Sheba received the news, and like the seasoned veteran that she was, began making the important calls that could affect everyone aboard.
"Black Squadron's Viper patrol is to launch immediately and rendezvous with the incoming ships. I want information on whether our pilots are alive, any visible damage, how much control they have over their ships, and if communication can be established, what happened down there on Shonada Delta. All information is to be reported as soon as possible. We have to know what we are dealing with."
Commander Sheba continued, "Landing Bay Alpha is to prepare for emergency landings. We must bring those pilots and Vipers in safely. Depending on our report from our recon patrol—who is flying this mission, anyway? If we can't land them, it may be necessary to eject the cockpits, and pick them up by rescue shuttle. Prepare a rescue shuttle immediately and place it on standby."
"Also, those Vipers may be badly damaged, but we can fix one a whole lot easier than building a new one," especially with our current lack of duridium, she thought to herself. "Have a shuttle prepared for salvage operations."
"Feed all the information we have on this situation to Science and to Engineering. I want analyses and recommendations on the situation on that planet, and how we bring our people home. If that planet is as grim as we believe, they don't have a lot of time."
She paused for a moment to look at a readout. "What is the status of our Viper patrol above the planet? How many are there, and why haven't we heard from them? Punch that communication through, even if you have to boost the power level to do it!"
An explosion of activity on the bridge and in other parts of the ship followed. The crew of the Callisto had a mission: to save their shipmates.
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