| Keeping It Mum |
| Summary: | Major Tillman briefs Lieutenant Sophronia on what happened during her time on Leonis. |
| Date: | 24 May 2041 AE |
| Related Logs: | Leonis Logs |
| Players: |
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| Map Room |
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| The one object that dominates this room is the one it is named for: the giant plotting table in the center of the room. Bottom-lit like the plot in CIC, this one is twenty feet across and about the same distance wide. The maps, which are rolled and kept in a locker at the side of the room, provide much more detail than most of the charts in CIC and are especially useful in planning tactical operations. Unscaled models of ships are available to be situated on the surface of the table and risers on each side of the room allow for a small audience to watch or be briefed. A single large LCD screen is built into the wall at the far end to display reconnaissance or other supplemental material. |
| Post-Holocaust Day: #86 |
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Bia was under orders not to release Alessandra to anyone, even herself, without alerting Tillman. So before she was allowed out, the XO arrived and took her up with a simple smile. Arm offered with a simple, "Lady Luck" offered from her second in command. He doesn't say much but its apparent he's leading her somewhere when they get to Deck Seven. The escort takes her towards the Map Room which has two Marines standing outside and the red 'Do Not Disturb' light is already on. The Marines throw a salute and Tillman leads her inside. Once in, the hatch is wheeled and locked securely. "Wanna take a seat? Or are you better to stand for now?" Its not a -short- walk from Sickbay.
The walk up to the map room takes a bit longer than it normally might thanks to how slow Alessandra's having to walk, the slow pace due to her having to lean heavily on the XO, her arm linked through his tightly as she seeks balance through using Tillman as a cane. She doesn't speak much, offering only the briefest of responses to what he might have to say or ask of her right up until the time they reach their destination and the door is closed behind them. "I think sitting will be a good idea," she replies casually while looking for a chair, finding one after a brief scan of the room. Patting Clive's arm, she slips away from the Major and makes herself comfortable, fully preparing herself for what is going to be a long meeting, or so she anticipates. "What can I do for you, XO?"
Tillman nods as she settles down in the chair and he slides one over to sit down in front of her. He keeps his voice low and his demeanor seems to shift towards something a little more grave. Definitely serious. "Lieutenant. That note you passed me. I don't know if you remember doing that, but I just looked at it late last night. Had an insane twenty four hours. Do you know what it was that Kulko reported in to me with the contents of that note?"
Allie listens as Tillman begins to speak, his tone unmistakable and easily noticed despite the slight buzz that she feels in her head, the residual side effects of being medicated to the gills up until the time she was released. "I didn't dare to read it," she says in a whisper, "I didn't think I should, sir. Did I…Should I have?" She looks worried, the thought of having frakked up almost painful. It's that worry that causes her to drop her gaze, her head bowing while she looks at her lap, the Major unable to be looked at in his own eyes now.
The Major shakes his head sternly. "Its better than you didn't. I appreciate your discretion with that. Well-played, Lieutenant." He clears his throat and leans forward to put his elbows on his knees as he looks around. Paranoia brings out the most cautious side to people. "Lieutenant Sophronia: Did you see something or multiple somethings on the surface of Leonis? Things that relate directly to this ship and some more dire threats against it? Maybe something on a video?" The XO doesn't get any more serious than he does right now.
"See, that's the funny thing, Major. They…this news crew we met up while we were on a scouting mission. They told Lasher and the others that…" Paranoia seems to be contagious as Lucky's words die on her lips, her expression oddly grim. She nods once, having to rethink how to give answer to that. Not sure what can be safely said, she just lamely whispers, "Yes, sir," her voice wavering.
"Out with it, Lieutenant." Tillman doesn't quite growl it but he's a man on a mission. "I'm not going to tell you what the Jig wrote to me. I want to hear it from you without any kind of influence." He shifts a bit in the chair. "These are some pretty damning claims and I want to know what you have to say about it." The gravity behind all of this is nearly tangible in the air.
"They said Abbot's one of them, I think, sir. I was really in a lot of pain and was given morpha for it so it felt surreal. I…thought they were all trying to pull some cruel joke on me." This is almost akin to tattling on someone as a child and it doesn't set well with the recovering Sophronia at all, that something she's unable to hide. "Sir, if that's true, then I am afraid things are going to progress from bad to worse in no time flat."
The XO's jaw sets and his lips purse hard enough to turn them white and his cheeks red. There's anger building behind those eyes. "But you didn't see any direct evidence of it? I want you be explicitly clear about this. Take your time remembering. And.." Its not so hard any longer to imagine the XO being a Marine. There's an intensity around him that wasn't there ever before. Could have something to do that that cocked and locked FiveseveN on his hip. "He mentioned that you had seen someone who had been killed on Warday. Do you remember anything of the kind?"
Alessandra shakes her head. "No, sir. I was laid out across the room from the others so I couldn't see. But Lasher and Money Shot and Petty Officer Fasi did see it and I don't think they'd lie to me." Of course they wouldn't but if the information is unreliable then their being honest really wouldn't matter, in the end. When the incident of the shooting is brought up Allie sucks in a bit of air between her teeth, her pale face growing ashen to the point of looking unnatural. "Yes, sir. We were trying to leave the city and we ran into someone who eventually tried to flee. I took him as being a looter or some other civilian but Tisiphone recognized him. It was Lieutenant Shaker. I didn't know him but he knew Tisiphone…" Closing her eyes, she continues to keep her head bowed.
Fists ball and release. The anger and outrage is slowly building inside of him and its ready to boil over. He seems on the verge of cursing a streak but holds his temper. After a few moments he relaxes and closes his own eyes, taking a deep breath. "Okay. ..Okay." Tillman almost looks..nervous? "You said these people saw the tape and you believe them. Describe Kulko's disposition. Does he seem rational and controlled? Anything like shaking hands, slurred speech? Irrational behavior? Is -anyone- showing signs of that?"
Alessandra's eyes open and raise finally, seeking to look Clive dead in the face. She nods to the part about her opinion of the video but it's the subject of Kulko that she speaks on, her voice still a bit shaky. "He seemed perfectly fine, in my opinion. At least as fine as a man in his position can be. He's been put under a lot of strain and thrust into a position no one should ever be put in, Major. Yet he's held up well. Better than anyone of us could have expected." This is going somewhere she definitely does not like and she finally finds the ability to do more than just answer questions. "Sir, are you suspecting Lieutenant of being a fleshjob? I want to know if that's what you're doing."
The Major rubs at his forehead as she describes the condition of Kulko. He just nods until she asks him the last question. He stops and looks up to her. "No. Absolutely not." Tillman seems absolutely firm on that. "If he was one of these clones or whatever, you all would never have made it off the planet. Likely you'd all be dead or captured. I'm asking because when I was in the Corps those are symptoms of someone who has hit the end of their psychological rope. We had to watch each other for it when we did forward air controlling. Gets nerve wracking." He breathes a long sigh and leans back in the chair and claps both hands to his face to rub at his eyes. "Okay. Alright." A groan leaves him and he drops his hands. "So. The man commanding this fleet is an enemy agent. The worst part is, there's evidence that points to someone in CIC with detailed operational knowledge working for them. Or is one of them. Godsdamnit, whatever. Shit." He nearly spits the last word as he looks away. "Lieutenant, I hope you understand the full weight of what this means. The gravity of what you have told me implies that I will have to forcibly remove the Admiral from his position. You understand all of that, right?"
"I'm sorry, Clive. I shouldn't have gone there. I was just…if you had thought that he might have been I wanted to try and speak on the Lieutenant's behalf. He's a good man and is why we have survived for as long as we have." Or had. Allie can't say it like that though, refusing to speak about anyone in the past-tense. As Tillman continues she quirks a bit of a smile, not surprised in the least at how he speaks about removing Abbot from his position in Command. "Yes, sir. I do know that. Unfortunately I don't foresee that ending without some kind of…difficulty, to put it nicely. The Cylon don't seem to be the kind to back down easily, after all. He's going to most likely react in a manner that is, at best, defiant and, at worst, violent. You'll have to prepare for either of those reactions." Allie stands and begins to pace, the nervous energy that has built up inside of her making it impossible to sit still now.
"Same damned way a normal person would react to an accusation like that. Wish I had that frakking videotape." He doesn't even look at her when she gets up to pace. "Chain of command dictates that we follow our damned orders, Lieutenant. I do this, it opens the door for more of it. Its an official consent to remove an officer above you because you believe them to be an enemy agent. If we cross this line, then that's it. Everyone is going to know there are enemy agents..clone..things that look just like you and I." The man sighs heavily. "We could have people throwing accusations simply because they don't like a ranking officer. Frak, someone under me could just accuse me of it and scramble a mutiny to take the whole damned ship." Tillman looks like this is probably the worst thing that could have happened. "Alright, look." The XO finally rises from the chair and looks to Allie. "You tell -nobody- about this. If word gets back to another agent, they may try to kill you. We're currently hunting more of them down on the Deck team. I'm going to inform the CAG and Marine CO about it and relay exactly what you told me. They may want to talk."
Alessandra's been in positions where she has been called upon to keep secrets but this combined with the 'you may die if you tell' air to it all has her doubly quick to agree to keep mum. "Of course, sir. Consider me at your disposal as well as at that of the CAG and the Marines' CO." Fidgeting increases by a good ten fold and the pacing starts to be come near-frantic, the speed she crosses the room in making her seem almost whole of body. "Sir, please, if there is anything I can do to help, let me know. I can't sit here and just wait for it all to come to a head without doing something. I…just let me know."
"I'll let them know." The XO reaches into a pocket and removes a pack of cigarettes. "I'll let you know if I need anything but for now, I want you to get better. We need pilots. The Cylons have been ambushing us. They killed or captured two of our Raptor crew yesterday while you were in Sickbay. One of them was the ECO that pulled you all off Leonis, Lieutenant Emerson." He puts the cigarette to his lips and slides the pack back into his pocket. He doesn't look like he wants to think about that any more than he has to. "Just check six, Lieutenant. If you think someone suspects what you know, call me on wireless immediately and I will order a Marine fireteam to your location. We're going to need pilots. Especially senior ones."
"Emerson…frak. I'm sorry to hear that, sir." News of that nature does nothing to brighten the mood, nor does Tillman telling her exactly what it is he needs from her. "I'll try to get back on duty as fast as I can, sir. And remember. I want in on that HALO jump if I can get cleared for it in time." That is something that has been at the front of the pilot's mind since the Major told her about the plans on how they're going to get those still stranded off of Leonis. "And yeah, I'll give you a call, sir. Thanks."
"If you're cleared for it, you'll be on it. I won't over-rule Medical. If you jump and you aren't ready, that fall from one-hundred thousand feet will be your last act. I won't walk you into suicide." Tillman doesn't sound like he's going to budge on the matter. He just throws her a salute. "Welcome back to the fleet, Lieutenant." Its dropped quickly and turns to an offered arm. "I'll escort you if you want to head back to your bunks but I need to meet with the head Marine."
The Major is eyed and then she nods but, instead of returning the salute Allie does one of the most unorthodox things she can do, that being ambushing Clive in a hug if he doesn't keep it from happening. "Don't worry about me, Clive. Take care of yourself." Looking up, it's now that she thinks to salute back, the respect behind it easily seen even if it isn't' exactly what could be considered 'crisp'.