| Last Minute Replacement |
| Summary: | Damon walks into an emotional conversation between Atreus and Zosime on the hangar floor; Oberlin brings disappointing news. |
| Date: | 13 Mar 2041 AE |
| Related Logs: | Tug of War, The Test Of Gold |
| Players: |
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| Hangar Deck - Port - Midship - Battlestar Cerberus |
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| The single largest rooms on the Cerberus are the hangar decks. Each flight pod consists of two stacked landing bays with adjoined decks and hangars, which along with computer-assisted landings results in a faster Viper recovery rate. Mirror images of each other, these two huge areas are located on the flight pods. The inboard sides of the deck, closest to the ship's main hull, are lined with parking and maintenance bays for Vipers and Raptors based aboard the battlestar. The outboard side of the deck contains the launch tubes used by the Vipers for standard deployment. Huge blast doors seal the deck into four sections, each one containing an elevator that leads up to the flight deck directly overhead. The fore-most section contains an elevator system that leads towards Aerospace Fabrication. |
| Condition Level: 2 - Danger Close (Post Holocaust Day: #15) |
The deck is a busy place no matter the time of day it is. Teams of techs work around the ships that need repairs done. Atreus is just coming out of his office, a clipboard in one hand and a pen in the other. He begins making the rounds, checking to be sure that unused tools are put away, hoses coiled and clipped… All safety precautions that should be taken are being taken.
One of those people making sure that all safety precautions are taken care of is Zosime. Hands dirty from one thing or another, the PO currently is making sure that one of the long refueling hoses is being put away properly. Taking care to inspect for leakage or tears, the blonde woman is only satisfied when it's coiled away properly, out of the way. Wiping the back of her dirty hand across her forehead, she nods at Atreus as he passes by with a general greeting, "Chief."
Atreus glances over, watching for a moment or two as the coiling is taken care of. He smiles a little, nodding, "Zosime." When the hose has been checked, he nods, "Thanks. Good job." Turning, he sidesteps a crew rolling a cart toward the storage area, "Have you had time to talk to Damon, Zosime? I am sending a team on a salvage run tomorrow. I'd like it if you would go. I have a list of things we'll need to try and collect."
With a smile, Zosime nods at the compliment from the Chief. "Thanks, Chief." It's always nice to hear that you're doing a good job. Sidestepping the same crew, she steps toward the side of Atreus and watches them roll by before returning her attention back to him just in time to hear his question. "No, actually, I haven't yet. I'd be glad to go, if you'll think I'd be useful there. Where's the salvage?"
Atreus nods. He is standing with Zosime near one of the raptors being worked on. Atreus' clipboard is turned out and it contains a checklist of things to check. Safety precautions and so on. "Thanks. Yeah, I'd like you to go. Though you and Damon should talk first." Turning the clipboard toward him, he begins to flip through the pages until he finds what he is looking for, "Ah, here it is." Taking a page from the clipboard, he offers it to the woman, "Here. This is a list of what we need most. But, honestly? Anything you can get will be helpful."
Zosime takes the page from Atreus, already looking over it while he's explaining. "I'll make sure I find him. It's just been such a mess lately." Quite an understatement considering what has happened so far. Putting the list safely in her pocket, she nods. "I'll see what I can do, Chief." She looks about the deck at the suggestion that everything will be useful, the implication of that sort of hanging there. "Do you really think it's all gone?" Most of the cities, the planets, the people.
Off-duty Damon is on the Deck again. Wearing his fatigues instead of the usual jumpsuit, he prowls about the hangar bay floor, catching a few minutes of conversation with his crew here and there - sometimes with others as well. To those who know the roster, it looks like he's mainly touching base with those that he's planned to accompany him for the salvage mission tomorrow. He's recovered a lot since the nuclear holocaust and doesn't look as tired and weighed-down as he did the days immediately following that incident. In fact, he's regained a lot of the infectious joviality he displayed before. Catching sight of the Chief and Zosime, he starts making his way over to them.
Atreus presses his lips together at the question. The look is… distressed. Finally, he nods once, "Yeah. Everything is gone." He lifts a hand to briefly touch the woman's shoulder, "The new XO had a briefing the other day. The toasters got each colony. Pretty much simultaniously. That's why we need everything. If we can't salvage the parts, we'll have to make 'em. And I'm not sure what we'll use for raw materials. So. Yeah. Functional ships, or nearly. Engine parts. Paneling. Everything." As he lists things, he motions to his own checklist. A copy of hers. Flipping it over, he continues, "Medical supplies and equipment. Food. Water. Cigarettes… Oh. Seeds and soil, if we happen to get frakin' lucky." The Chief, it seems, is looking ahead. "And…? Any parts of those Godsbedamned toasters. We'll need to examine them. See if we can make anything that cuts through their armor." When Damon comes into sight, Atreus looks up and lifts a wave, "Yo. Have you met Zosime here, yet?"
Each colony. Simultaneously. The words hit Zosime each time with a finality that's breathtaking. "B-but…" Her face pales. "Not…not all of them, right? There's nothing…there's some places where…where there's to hit." Places like Aerilon, where there's no real big cities or military outposts. Even the hand on her shoulder isn't much of a comfort. However, she's on duty and the Chief is still talking. Despite his words, she still has hope about the fate of her family. She takes a deep breath and realizes he's still talking around the swear. Shaken out of it, she pulls out her list again and hopes that what he said was just what was there and nothing else. "Y-you want to bring Cylon parts aboard? They can't…you know…move after they've been chopped up, can they?" The approach of Damon is met with a smile and a nod.
Damon raises a hand in a little wave. More of a handflop, actually. "Aye, Chief, I know Zosime," he answers with a grin and a nod to the woman in question. "We actually worked together before - I mean, before Cerberus." He hasn't overheard much of their conversation, coming in late - and most of the words are drowned out in work and other ambient conversation, anyway. "I've disseminated the rosters for the mission tomorrow, and everyone who's been listed has acknowledged. Only one unable to make it - PO3 Solomon's apparently been requisitioned for some other project." He glances to Zosime, and a little lightbulb starts to flicker behind his eyes.
Atreus nods to Zosime, "Everywhere, Z. I am sorry." Flipping another paper on his clipboard, Atreus takes it off and passes it to the other man. "Here is a list of what we need. Look it over, if you would." He nods, then tilts his head toward the woman, "I've asked Zosime to join the party in Solomon's place." Shifting a bit, he smiles at the other man, though it is strained.
Clomping up the staircase is the duty-greens-clad form of Lieutenant Oberlin, slipping through the hatch and hefting some official-looking paperwork. He invades the deck like some kind of back-alley derivative would invade the veins of a morpha junkie. He does stop to look both ways before crossing the deck's surface though. Presumably to avoid being involved in or causing some grevious accident. He blinks as he glances about.
Everywhere. Zosime blinks quite rapidly a couple of times in the opportunity that Atreus affords her by handing the paper of the clipboard over to Damon. As surreptitiously as possible, she wipes her sleeve across her eyes as if trying to clean something out of them. When she's done, she gives Damon a smile that still looks sad. "That was a lifetime ago," she affirms, but with everything that's happened, a lifetime ago may have only been the past two weeks. "I was coming to talk to you about it, actually." Still involved in the conversation and distracted, the blonde doesn't notice Oberlin stepping onto the deck. With all the commotion and people, it's understandable.
Damon accepts the clipboard from Atreus and starts flipping through it quickly, taking a cursory glance at each page. His lips twist in a quirk for a moment, and then he flips back to the first page and hands it back. "Got it," he says simply, answering both points with the two simple words. "Then my timing's perfect. I'm glad to have you," he says to Zosime with a smile. If he saw the eye-wiping bit after handing back the clipboard, well, he ain't sayin' nothin'. "I'm sure the Chief's already told you what all's going down, but I'll send you the full tasking order just as a matter of course. Just - be ready for anything. Last salvage mission I went along on - with Engineering - we ran into Cylons." His tone of voice is gentle; he doesn't want to try to scare her, just warn her that anything and everything is possible. He, too, misses Oberlin, having his back to the man, since it's the same direction from which he himself just came a couple minutes ago.
Atreus does not comment on the eye-swipe, though he did notice it. Might be because he knows the cause. Instead, he pretends oblivion and accepts the clipboard back from Damon, "Thanks. Wish I could go with you all, but I can't." He sounds honestly irritated by that, "I have to stick around here and make sure you all have someplace to come home to." Sidling a glance to Zosime to see if she is okay, he also notices Oberline. Lifting his chin to point the officer out to the others, he calls, "Lieutenant." Then, in proper military fashion, the man comes to attention and salutes.
"Eh." And again, Oberlin stops dead in his tracks after taking a few more hasty steps towards the gang. Atreus in particular, probably acknowledging the salute. His bleary eyes blink a bit as he salutes back, not too cripsly. "Chief. Petty Officer." He adds to Damon. And then Zosime as well. "Petty Officer," after getting a good look at Zosime, craning his head. Probably out of unfamiliarity. This done, he edges closer and thrusts that folder in Atreus' direction. "Sorry to be the bearer of disappointment, but here are the underwhelming results. Plus your…software." The last word seems to be loaded with something nebulously negative.
Grateful not to have her emotion commented upon while on duty, Zosime nods once in understanding as she listens to the man's short debriefing. "He just gave me the list." She gestures with the hand that still is holding it to punctuate her statement. "I'll be ready." Though the thought of facing the Cylons does scare her, but she also knows they need the supplies. So, out she will go into the wilderness. Cylons be damned. With a small smirk, she adds with a ghost of her old humor, "If you'd like, Chief, we'll scuff things up on our way out to make sure you've got your hands full." If she were going to continue joking, it's interrupted by the acknowledgment of Oberlin. Like Arteus, she snaps into attention and salutes him as he approaches. At his greeting, she crisply replies, "Sir."
"Sir." Damon snaps around and fires off a salute when he sees the Chief's hand come up. His eyes move from Oberlin's face down to the folder, up to Atreus, then back across to the LT. No comment is made yet again. Andreas Damon, holding his tongue? What are the worlds coming to? Oh, right, nuclear holocaust. "If you want, I'll be on the deck tomorrow at least a good hour before we take off," he says to Zosime. "Unfortunately, I gotta tie up some loose ends right now. Sir, Chief, Zo." He gives them each a nod in turn, then heads off continuing in the direction he was going before.
Atreus accepts the folder with a deep sigh of disappointment and frustration, "Right. Thanks, LT. Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something in relation to this. Something that just doesn't sit right." He flips his clipboard up and places the folder carefully beneath some of the pages. Flipping through papers, he finds what he is looking for and offers it to the Intel officer, "What do you make of this?" Turning, he lifts a wave to Damon, "Don't forget to get some rest!" Turning to Zosime, he shakes his head, "Do me a favor and remind him that sleep is a good idea, please? When you see him next? I think he forgets from time to time." Looking back to Oberlin, he falls silent.
Almost out of obligation, Oberlin returns the salutes from both Petty Officers, watching Damon shuffle off before turning back towards the two remaining, Zosime first and then Atreus. Accepting the folder, he doesn't immediately comment, flipping it open and holding his breath for a a minute or so, scanning the writing with his eyes. "Well frak-a-doodle," He taps his foot against the deck with a large, loud 'THUMP' "DOO. How about we just wipe this bloated piece of shit vanity project for Admiral Puffypants' buddy from every trace of existence and start fresh with a locked-down, contained platform?" He says, sourly. No other way to say something like that. His brow furrows in frustration. "I don't like 'great system downtimings.' Notice that the cap ships were unaffected?" He finally falls silent and clears his throat, suddenly adopting a more abashed look. "Sorry. By the way."
It is one of those moments when the universe seems vaguely out of whack. The frustrations of the last few days, the horrors and sorrow, are banished in a split second and Atreus begins to laugh. The sound is warm and rich, though low and relaxed. A hand is lifted and he claps Oberlin on the shoulder, "Exactly my feeling about this, sir. Exactly. Thank you for that." Inhaling, he drops his hand again and shakes his head, "The CAP ships have the old system still. Nothing to remove." More soberly, then he taps his thigh with one finger, "I don't like it. I don't trust it. The man makes me twitchy and I can't put my finger on why. Other than that his requests eat time like crazy and we don't really have it to spare."
Not sure what Atreus or the Lieutenant are talking about, Zosime focuses her attention on the departing Damon. "Thanks, I'll take you up on that." To the Chief, she shakes her head. "I'll try, Chief, but not only does he outrank me, I don't think it'd do any good." He has a mind of his own. The tirade from Oberlin gets a wide eyed sort of stare, especially since she has no idea what he's talking about and what it has to do with. The laughter from Artreus also unnerves her. "I should go check on that Raptor," she gestures with a free hand back at the Raptor behind them. It seems the proper thing to do to leave the two to talk.
"General levity is one of the services I provide. That and indiscriminately-spread misery, Chief." Oberlin says in smooth response to Atreus, having only blinked at the laughter but there's a slight curl of his lips which could register as a smile depending on what angle one observed him from. "I haven't had a chance with, well, — everything. But I'll have to have a little sit-down. And I don't trust him either. Some private-sector monkey throwing his own feces at our systems with a shocking lack of oversight? Even assuming that he /does/ mean well, as I have no real reason to think otherwise, it rubs me the wrong way too." That almost-smile flickers as he turns to Zosime. "This isn't a secret back-room discussion, P.O. I have no objections. Also, occasionally I think there's some kind of regulation specifically addressing a member of the Fleet giving firm advice to a superior officer who's running him or herself ragged. Just as an FYI. Don't mind me butting in."
Atreus chuckles again, though he shakes his head a little, then turns to Zosime. "Sorry, Z. Sorry. No, there's a contractor… VP of the software firm that provided the CNP code for the birds. He had us upgrade, then downgrade, then upgrade the software prior to the war games. Turns out there was a problem with the software and every bird that failed that day was running his newest code. So now, he wants us to completely eliminate the CNP code from the birds. Entirely. It's…" He sighs, eyes drifting over to the raptors and vipers, then back, "It's a pain in the frakin' ass is what it is." Looking back to Zosime, then to Oberlin, he nods, "There is. And, I did ask you to do it, so you're covered if he kicks up a fuss. Not that I think he will."
As the conversation continues, Zosime doesn't outwardly show that she feels like she's totally out of her depth listening to the talk. Instead, before she said something stupid, she thought she'd get out of it with her dignity intact. Even with the short explanation from Atreus, she blinks. She certainly understands the scope of what's being said, but parts of it are still over her head. "Every one?" She has to repeat as that doesn't even seem remotely possible to do on such short notice. The suggestion by Oberlin, then enforced by Atreus makes the PO's cheeks redden just slightly. "Oh, I know that, sir. But I also know Damon some. And me reminding him to sleep sometime isn't going to be as effective as just slipping him something into his coffee and tossing him into the Berth. Which, of course, I will." She pauses and adds quickly, "Remind him! That is. Not drug him. Though, if you want me to, Chief, I'll do that, too."
"You should have seen our XO, Pilas, on the Ilium." Oberlin observes, drily, first and foremost. "We used to call him 'Piles.' Smelly, abrasive, he knew roughly 10 ethnic slurs for every member of every Colony including his own and would use them as easily as breathing. Finally, one day, I managed to work up the nerve to tell him he was pissing everybody off. In more diplomatic terms than you might think." There's a pause. "He eased up on /me./" Another pause. "Somehow, I don't think this is even relevant. Um. Right." He flashes the PO a thin smile and turns to address the Chief. "Well, I guess I have my work cut out for me. I'd better stop by the tool room and get a bucket of water, an arc welder and some chicken wire and head on down to the brig. Do we /have/ chicken wire?" He clears his throat and continues. "So, I'll be taking my leave. Good evening."
And with that, he turns to go.
Atreus shakes his head at the information, "Oddly, it is relevant, but not in the way you might think. Chicken wire? Yeah, and if we don't, we can make some." He waves, then frowns at something. By the time it is formulated, Oberlin is gone and he turns back to Zosime, "Yeah. All of them. Every one. Here." Offering her the clipboard, he flips to the relevant page. "Tell me if you can make sense of this. Other than the request to remove the CNP, that is…"
[Intercom] Gabrieli says, "Attention damage control, this is Captain Gabrieli. Emergency team to executive officer's quarters."
The exit of Oberlin is taken with about as much curiosity as his arrival did. The man certainly has a way with words that she hadn't heard before. "H-he's interesting," she comments to Atreus as she takes the clipboard from him. Scanning the proper page, she frowns in concentration as she attempts to decipher it. It takes a few re-reads. "I don't know, Chief. It looks like it's saying that the code allows someone else to rewrite it? It also looks like Kiryl needs more sleep than Damos do—-" Then the intercom sounds. Zosime straightens as she listens and then looks to Atreus before she grabs her gear and goes running.