| Pizza Delivery - CIC |
| Summary: | Lovely day for an ambush. The CIC log of the day's events. |
| Date: | 16 Apr 2041 AE |
| Related Logs: | Pizza Delivery - Air Wing |
| Players: |
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| Gun Systems Control Room (PriGuns) |
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| Located immediately overhead of the CIC, this room is usually darkened but for the soft glow of blue overhead lights. Lining the bulkheads are floor-to-ceiling control panels that give read outs on gun status and ammunition levels. Control centers for the separate gun systems are clearly labeled in white over top of each designated station. In the center of the room is a small digital astral plot and a DRADIS readout that feeds directly from CIC. A handheld phone links directly to the main hub below and the whole room is manned twenty-four hours a day. |
| Post-Holocaust Day: #49 |
Just another day in PriGuns - the backup CIC. With the jump computers back up and running and repairs still on-going on Deck Seven, Tillman seems to finally have found a flow with this cramped space. A gunnery plot table has become his makeshift desk for astral nav charts and dealing with reports he might normally have in the other room. He's back to his blues, though, after a week or so in greens. Probably had to get them drycleaned - perks of the job or something. The DRADIS display overhead whirrs quietly while the Executive Officer signs off on some repair reports.
Another day in CiC, indeed. Ambrose is currently examining the DRADIS system intently, as befits her newly gained position. There's really nothing going on, but alertness tends to pay off. "Almost wish I had a book… Well, silence is better than nukes ready."
"Psh." Tillman doesn't even look up from his paperwork at the moment. "You think we get paid to do awesome and exciting things like read? Damn. I wish." The XO scribbles his signature across the bottom of a piece of paper and sets it aside to reveal another. "I knew a guy on the Aegean, though, that spent the down time on duty reading technical manuals. He had finished cross-quals in almost everything in CIC within two years. When I left he wanted to try and become a Watch Officer. Problem was, he was enlisted." The guy shakes his head.
"Puts a damper on that sort of thing, yeah." Amb shrugs her shoulders very slowly, examining the console intently. "And, well. If I could read on duty, I wouldn't notice if we got nuked, so probably for the best." Yes, she's joking, at least judging by her tone. "Business as usual, I suppose. I was reading electronic engineering books behind my desk on Picon once in awhile. Either way, I suppose…"
"No fear. You'd get some warning." Till man gestures to a blue and yellow rotation light on the wall next to a bell. "That thing goes batshit nuts when it detects nuclear payloads beyond what we have on board." He looks back to the paper and scans it over. "Oh yeah? What'd you do on Picon, Crewman?"
"After I got drummed out of Flight School for inheriting one too many lousy genes from my mom-" Amb gestures to her glasses with a shrug- "I ended up filing requisitions in a small office for a couple of the captains. Nothing especially important, to be perfectly honest, sir." Amb is smiling faintly as she works. Which is to say, stands in one location staring at an empty DRADIS, for the most part.
Tillman nods and looks up to the woman. "I hate flying. Like, I don't have a personal problem with it or pilots. The concept is pretty awesome. I just never got cozy with the concept. I like havin' a little more protecting me from the vacuum than a canopy and an EVA suit." His hand slides across another signature and he sets the last paper aside, reaching for his mug of coffee. "Ever consider gettin' corrective surgery?"
[TAC3] (from "Amazon" Tucana) Lt JG Hippolyta 'Amazon' Greene's voice rings out over the wireless, through the requisite static and channel distortion. "All Points, Amazon. We're taking it /nice and easy./" Her voice sounds a little distant, but so far this CAP is uneventful. "Thanks to our valiant escorts out here."
[TAC3] (from "Lucky" Alessandra) There's a slight sigh from Lucky that accidentally sounds over the comms but it's quickly covered up by a clearing of her throat, her expression a bit sheepish behind the visor of her helmet. "Nice and easy. Can't tell you how good that sounds to me, Amazon," she gets out once her embarrassment passes.
[TAC3] "Splash" Malone listens to the comms for a few moments, before speaking. "That's never a bad thing. Been too much excitement, lately."
[TAC3] "Flasher" Marko says, " From your lips, to the Gods' ears, Splash."
[TAC3] (from "Amazon" Tucana) The other woman barks a rough laugh. "Ha. Lucky, I know /exactly/ what you mean. Don't I know it. This bird is loaded for bear."
[TAC3] (from "Lucky" Alessandra) "Gods, since when have these harnesses been so tight," Lucky asks, this being one of those questions posed to no one yet everyone all at the same time. "Frakking thing's cutting me hard around the chest." Of course she's still banaged so perhaps it's because of that that the flight harness doesn't fight right instead of something having changed.
[TAC3] "Lucky" Alessandra says, "Uh…fit right. That's what I mean."
[TAC3] "Splash" Malone says, "Let's hope they're listening then, Flasher."
[TAC3] (from "Amazon" Tucana) Greene's voice starts lilting a bit in a weak chuckle. "If you're worried, Lieutenant, I can recommend a month-long crash diet. It just leaves you feeling…hollow inside."
[TAC3] "Splash" Malone says, "If there's much of inside left, that is."
All's quiet again (for now) in the CIC. Tillman is sipping at a mug of coffee and a cigarette smolders nearby in an ashtray. He's leaned over the table and going over a few reports when it happens: The DRADIS beeps to indicate a new contact. Before the war this would have been common. Not anymore. Its a moment before the XO realizes it. He drops the pen and his head lifts to look at the screen. "Oh- SHIT." Tillman's hand reaches for the Alert button as he barks orders. "Start the jump clock! Let the battlegroup know we are getting out of here right now and get that damned CAP on the flight deck, pronto!"
[TAC3] (from "Amazon" Tucana) Amazon suddenly cuts across the sleepy com channel. "Cerberus, Amazon. Uhh.. We've got a contact. Unknown configuration. Frakking /huge/. Wait one on that!"
[TAC3] "Flasher" Marko says, "Cerberus, Flasher, Cylon Basestar just jumped in at one one four carom two one six."
<Intercom> Attention! Action Stations! Set Condition One throughout the ship.
[TAC3] (from "Splash" Malone) "Frak! The big ugly one's come to dinner," comes the words from Malone. Waiting for the orders now, as he looks over at the big ugly enemy.
Amb is at her console, reading the results in question as the battle group rouses to readiness. Batten down and keep an eye on what's incoming… She's tense, probably because it's her first live combat on the CiC. "Reading a base star inbound, bearing one one four by two one six…" Busy as it is, there's a lot of repetition to go.
[TAC3] "CerbTac" Tillman says, "Basline Flight, Cerberus. Back to the barn. We're ge-" Tillman's voice cuts off for a second. "Belay that order. Standby.""
As Tillman is talking on the radio a Specialist from Comms pipes up: "Sir! Corsair is reporting FTL Spool failure. They're attempting to restart. They estimate five minutes to jump." The XO stares at the woman and looks back to Ambrosine. "Crewman. Begin recording everything electronic coming off that ship for later analysis! Is it firing or launching raiders, yet?" His eyes focus back towards Nav. "Stop the jump! Looks like we're going to have to go toe to toe." He reaches for the intercom once more.
[TAC3] (from "Lucky" Alessandra) There's a cough and a barely concealed 'frak' mingled in with it when the XO tells them to wait, Lucky's shock at being told to stay out there with the Basestar that's in the vicinity. "Someone's been smoking something funny. Must've broken into the stash of herbal offerings in the Chapel."
[Intercom] Tillman says, "This is the XO! All pilots to your aircraft. This is a scramble order. Damage Control teams standby at your stations. Out."
[Into the Wireless] Tillman says, "Baseline Flight, Cerberus. Corsair is having FTL problems. We are scrambling all Vipers. Expect friendly company in about ninety seconds to two minutes. Prepare for engagement."
"Negative, sir. Looks like they're holding off for the moment." Amb is diligent and focused, and she's making certain nothing is missed. Not a lot of movement, except her fingers across the console. "…That can't last."
[TAC3] "Lucky" Alessandra says, "Roger, Command. Hopefully things will still be calm in two minutes."
Tillman looks back to Ambrosine and blinks. "They-" Then the radio call comes in to confirm it. "What the hell? Why aren't the Cylons engaging?" Its not really directed at anyone. He just looks back up to the DRADIS screen overhead.
"Frak if I know, sir. I was about ready to run diag." Amb just stares at her console, scanning through the readouts. "Maybe they're planning something special."
[TAC3] (from "Amazon" Tucana) Amazon responds tightly. "CIC, Amazon. Copy that. Falling back as an EW picket. Do we have permission to go weapons free?" Hey, somebody is putting /missiles/ on these things lately.
[Into the Wireless] Tillman says, "Negative. Baseline is weapons tight. Let's see what this thing is doing first."
[TAC3] "Lucky" Alessandra says, ""Frak…" Lucky blurts out when she notices some of the flashing off in the distance, it being an all too familiar sight. "Looks like we'll be picking off missiles like…" Her voice drops as she falls silent, no longer cluttering the comms with her random commentary."
Kulko has arrived.
Tillman clicks off the mic from comms and looks to Ambrosine. "Yeah, you hope not. We've got about four and a half minutes before we can even consider jumping. I don't think I want to see any surprises."
Kulko hurries through the hatch, still buttoning his duty blues, and makes straight for Tillman's makeshift desk. "What's the word, boss?" he queries with his quick salute.
[TAC3] "Shiv" Sitka says, "Flight, this is Shiv. Alert vipers will be airborne in approximately one minute. What's your status out there?"
[TAC3] "Lucky" Alessandra says, "Shiv, this is Lucky. We're doing fine but Flasher just announced that the Basestar's firing upon the Anchorage in case you didn't hear that."
[TAC3] "Flasher" Marko says, " Cerberus, Flasher. They're targeting the Anchorage, big time, too. Multiple missiles being fired. No, repeat, no nukes as of yet, though."
The XO looks to Kulko briefly on his approach. He's about to speak up when the radio calls come in. He grabs the radio up.
"Base star just opened fire on the Anchorage. One- no, two salvos!" Amb is watching her DRADIS like a hawk, tensing as the call goes out. The readouts continue.
[Into the Wireless] Tillman says, "I didn't hear that, either, Baseline! How heavy is the fire on the station and are they targeting anything at the battlegroup yet?"
[TAC3] (from "Amazon" Tucana) Amazon echoes. "This is Amazon. Negative on Radiological. Negative on battlegroup fire, either. I'm seeing — Oh Gods, that's a /lot/ of ordinance. They're approximately, three-zero-eight carom one-five. Just sitting half behind the station. That thing's just opening up on it. It's like we're not even here."
Tillman doesn't look happy about the pilots. He clenches his jaw and nods to Ambrosine. "Crewman, commence electronic warfare operations." His head turns back to Kulko: "Basestar just jumped in. We tried to jump but Corsair had an FTL reset. It'll be five minutes or so before they can get out of here. Sunuvabitch just sat there staring at us for a few seconds like it didn't know what it was doing. You heard the scramble order..And-" The report rolls in from Amazon and he takes up the radio once more.
[TAC3] "Shiv" Sitka says, "Copy, Lucky. Cerberus, what are our orders?"
[Into the Wireless] Tillman says, "Copy your report, Baseline. Attention all Colonial forces: You are weapons free. Repeat, weapons free. If the missiled Raptors are scrambled, you are ordered to engage. Praetorian is probably going to have to maneuver to get a shot around the station."
Kulko takes a look at the DRADIS for a moment to get his bearings, then back to Tillman. "Just the one basestar? Let's take it the frak out."
"Commencing electronic countermeasure ops," Amb responds, and suddenly her fingers are a flurry of motion across the console. Much to be done, of course. "Battlegroup is still not taking any fire. What are they thinking?"
[TAC3] "Queenie" McQueen says, "This is Queenie. Uh, I got a problem. Godsdamn tube is /stuck/. We're getting a repair crew on it, but…"
[TAC3] (from "Amazon" Tucana) Hippolyta responds, "This is Amazon. Copy, that. Flasher, let's go weapons hot." Sounds like somebody woke her up. "Let's show them what happens when you frak up somebody's house."
[TAC3] (from "Shiv" Sitka) The tail end of a shaky exhale might be heard over the radio, followed by, "All right, you heard the man. Lucky and Splash, take forward escort on our raptor. Spanner, you're with me. Queenie.. do you have an ETA?"
Tillman glances to Kulko. "They weren't engaging. I wasn't going to order the first shot when every second we aren't shooting at each other is munitions conserved and lives saved. Especially when we need it to buy time to jump." He keeps his calm with his voice low, and reaches for the cigarette still smolding in the nearby ashtray. "Doesn't matter what they are thinking right now. We can worry about it later. Their mistake. If they take out that station it will free-up the Praetorian to get a clear shot at them. Then? Then their canner asses are toast."
[TAC3] "Queenie" McQueen sighs. "Long enough, Shiv. Looks like there's still some ambient damage from the boarding. They're gettin' the tube fixed now but if they don't, we'll vent this big girl into space."
[TAC3] "Shiv" Sitka says, "Copy that, Queenie. Keep us updated, and find a different bird and tube if you have to."
[TAC3] (from "Lucky" Alessandra) There's a wince and a growl as Allie begins to throttle her Viper forward a bit faster, doing so putting pressure against her chest when she's pushed against the seat. "Frakkers." With Shiv taking the role of flight lead she waits for his orders, her intention being to bring her fighter closer to the others, grouping up ith them.
[TAC3] "Shiv" Sitka says, "All points, let's, uh.. stay in formation, but hang back a little. Give the Praetorian time to get into position and take some heat. Weapons hot and hold."
Kulko looks intently at the readout, then reaches into his pocket for his own smokes. He doesn't light them - rather, he shakes out four, and positions them on the tabletop as if they were the capital ships. "Shouldn't we line up the main guns?"
Tillman nods. "Aye. Good thinking. Give the orders, Ensign." It probably should have occured to Tillman, you know, being in PriGuns and all. But he seems a little distracted with the radio. And a little angry. He picks it up once more.
[Into the Wireless] Tillman says, "Negative, Baseline! Negative! You are ordered to engage without delay! We aren't waiting for that basestar to turn its weapons systems on us!"
Amb is just monitoring transmissions. Firefight is pretty clearly displayed on the DRADIS and nothing has changed, apparently. "What are they thinking out there …? So far, no raiders. Or any frakking rads either, thank the Gods."
[TAC3] (from "Lucky" Alessandra) "Oh what the…" Coughing again, Lucky looks out her cockpit and towards that of Sitka, her expression incredulous. "Guess we get to put our names on the frakking thing's dance card first, Captain. Shall we?"
Kulko nods quickly, gathering the cigarettes into a neat little pile. "Aye, sir." He looks to the upper tier, such as it is. "Helm, come about to three zero eight carom one five, all ahead full. Weapons, prepare firing solution but weapons /hold/." One of the cigarettes is finally picked up and lit.
[TAC3] "Spanner" Rojas says, "Shiv, Spanner. M'guns suddenly seem awful dinky. Want I should get out and try punchin' it?"
[TAC3] (from "Shiv" Sitka) There's a second's hesitation from the lead viper, like he might argue with the order that's come down from on high. Then, "Acknowledged, Cerberus. All points, combat spread, weapons free! Let's try a slash and dash, and give a prayer to whatever gods you haven't pissed off lately.
[TAC3] (from "Amazon" Tucana) Amazon says, firmly and tonelessly, "This is it, then. This is for the Invictus, you sons of bitches." My, /somebody/ has an axe to grind.
[TAC3] (from "Spanner" Rojas) Spanner sounds a little… agitated at Shiv's order. "Captain, that'd be NONE OF THEM." A breath. "Also, I got your six." Cough.
[TAC3] "Splash" Malone says, "Will be an awfully short prayer, I suspect."
"Doesn't matter what they are thinking, Crewman. They're concentrating their fire on the Anchorage and not us. I'm not going to pass up an opportunity to scratch one basestar." Tillman is deadly serious, eyes focused on the DRADIS. "Ensign, begin main battery fire when you are ready."
[TAC3] "Shiv" Sitka says, "How's that launch tube coming, Queenie? We need you out here tout suite."
[Into the Wireless] Tillman says, "Baseline, be advised. Main battery guns are coming on-line. Maintain a clear lane of fire."
[TAC3] "Flasher" Marko says, "New DRADIS contact, Cylon Raiders are launching from the Basestar, repeat, Basestar is launching Raiders. This dance just got a hell of a lot more interesting."
[TAC3] "Queenie" McQueen says, with no shortage of exasperation in his tone, "Shiv, Queenie. Um, you ever heard the phrase 'Get out and push?' Because that's what we're doin'. I'm shifting. Might as well strap this piece of shit to a damned wagon for all it's worth. ETA in three, five at the most."
[Into the Wireless] Tillman says, "Corsair, Cerberus. Prepare a flak ring along Plot One-One-Five. Hold fire until we have incoming. Out."
[TAC3] "Shiv" Sitka says, "Uh, copy.. copy that, Flasher. Fall back and give us some EM coverage, could you? Vipers, engage the raiders first, and make sure to give our capital ships a clear line of sight."
[TAC3] "Shiv" Sitka says, "Got it, Queenie. Just do the best you can. We'll see you out here soon."
"Looks like they're fighting back. Trying to clog the firing lanes… Raider wing bearing three five two carom one eight three." Amb raps her fingers against the console a couple times while she watches her display.
[TAC3] "Spanner" Rojas says, "Copy that, Shiv. Which d'you want, ten on th'left, or the ten on th'right?"
"Weapons, you are free to engage as soon as you're in range. Ready on point defense batteries." Kulko's eyes stay glued to the readouts, as if willing the ship forward faster. "Boss," he says a little quieter. "Do we want Corsair's mains targeting the hostile as well? Or is she more useful for point defense?"
[TAC3] (from "Amazon" Tucana) Corsair's commanding officer is patched in. "Cerberus, this is Corsair-Actual. We copy. Moving twenty-plus port, three-plus yaw. We'll bring her into position. Baiting the trap.
[TAC3] "Shiv" Sitka says, "Let's go with door number one, Spanner. Break left with me."
"They can clog all they like. When we open up with two-hundred millimeter anti-ship guns they'll get the message." Tillman seems like he might even grump about it, lifting the cigarette to his lips and taking a short drag. "Flak batteries only. Their big guns firing mess with their DRADIS system and I want that thing slaved with their flak cannons against raiders and incoming missiles."
[TAC3] (from "Lucky" Alessandra) Allie looks to make sure Splash is on her six before doing anything like pick a target for them to pair off on. "Alright, Splash, let's try to follow Shiv's lead as much as we're able to. Pick the same target if we're able to and for frak's sake, please sound off if you get something on your ass, eh?" She picks their first target, trying to keep her eye out for the one that is the most strategically sound to shoot at.
[Into the Wireless] Tillman says, "Copy, Corsair. - Baseline, get those missile armed Raptors in there. Hit that basestar before it decides we look tempting."
[TAC3] (from "Splash" Malone) "Will do, Lucky. Let's hope that callsign of yours is true, shall we?" Malone says, a bit lightly, before he growls loudly. "Why do these frakkers always hit me? Someone tell me that?"
[TAC3] "Shiv" Sitka says, "We're dealing with some- *there's a grunt, and the sound of engines being firewalled* -ders at the moment, Cerberus. Trying to break through, but we're taking a lot of heat."
[TAC3] "Skids" Covington says, "Shiv, Skids. Somebody order the spicy wings?"
[TAC3] "Shiv" Sitka says, "Hey, nice of you to join us, Skids. You can fly with Val, until Queenie gets his technical issue sorted out."
[TAC3] "Spanner" Rojas says, "You made a friend, Shiv! …Ohshit, so did I."
[TAC3] (from "Shiv" Sitka) There's a muttered curse over the comms. Then, "Cerberus, this is Shiv. That station's coming apart fast."
[TAC3] "Shiv" Sitka says, "You sure did, Spanner. Try to line him up for me, would you?"
[Into the Wireless] Tillman says, "Understood." The XO sounds impatient. "Any Raptors with rocket packs, end around and engage as soon as you are within range!"
[TAC3] "Flasher" Marko says, "tac3 Splash one Raider. Repeat, splash one raider."
[TAC3] "Amazon" Tucana says, "Cerberus, Amazon. We should be within range in one. There's some flak there, but, uhh, can see part of its center. Raptor Flight, we're going to let the Vipers punch a hole, drop our payload, and get the /frak/ back."
[TAC3] (from "Skids" Covington) Skids' southern lilt crawls across these here comms, "Shiv, Skids. Shovin' my hand in Val's back pocket. Stuck like gum to a tacky high heel shoe." There's a brief pause, then, "Eat that, shit for brains." Then another even shorter pause, "Oh, not you, y'all. Talkin' to my unfor-tu-nate opp-o-sition's right wing. Got a little twitterpated, ain't take my finger off the button."
[TAC3] (from "Lucky" Alessandra) There's the sound of pinging although it's faint, it barely able to be heard over the communications and the fact that it happens from outside of her Viper as it's hit. "Crap…" she starts to say only to woot when she sees that their target's space dust. "Great shooting, Splash…" Chewing her lower lip, she finds herself yet again being flown towards, this time by two bogies. "Go for the one on the right…" she calls out while doing that herself, trying to hit the frakker in the cockpit.
[TAC3] (from "Shiv" Sitka) There's no whoop, no congratulations over the comms from Shiv. He's far too intent on not getting shot to pieces, at the moment. "Keep 'em coming, vipers. Raptors, spread out a little, a wider field might give us better interference."
[TAC3] "Queenie" McQueen calls out frantically. "This is Queenie. Looks like the hamster ran fast enough in his cage to get this thing moving. Launching in Five."
[TAC3] "Shiv" Sitka says, "Copy that, Queenie. Skids'll fly your wing once you get out here."
[TAC3] "Splash" Malone says, "To be honest, it was probably about time that I actually hit something, I guess. On to the next one."
[TAC3] "Skids" Covington says, "Pleasure t'hear your voice again, Queenie. Keepin' a spot warm for ya."
[TAC3] "Jugs" Quinn says, "Hey, boys and girls, Jugs here… Just got around a few of these buggers, got you all in my sights. Who needs some hard hitting back up?"
Kulko looks away from the readouts up to Ambrosine at her ECM station. "Mister Peters. See if you can't plug the holes in the Raptor's ECM fields with some brute force jamming." He smiles wryly. "We got big ole' antennae, might as well put 'em to use. And it ain't like /we/ can hide, exactly."
[TAC3] "Shiv" Sitka says, "Jugs, you're sure a sight for sore eyes. We're trying to clear some space for you to punch through and get a few shots off at that basestar. If you could drop back and give us some EM coverage for now, that'd be great."
"Yes, sir," Amber responds with a grin. Seems she was waiting, and she executes her orders with gusto. "Only take a moment."
[TAC3] "Jugs" Quinn says, "Got Skeeter with me and she's already on it, Shiv. Good to see you too."
[TAC3] (from "Spanner" Rojas) There's a burst of profanity from Spanner's comms. "Cawkgarglin'tincan! Watch where y'flyin'!" Raiders: Even sunday drivers are preferable.
[TAC3] "Queenie" McQueen answers, "Copy that. Oh, how gracious."
[TAC3] "Queenie" McQueen ends that with a little laugh.
[TAC3] "Click" Daphne says, "Click to flight lead. Gods, I…" She trails off for a second. "Coming in on vector two seven bravo to crash your party. There's no shortage of cake."
Tillman looks like he's about ready to put his fist through the radio. "Why the frak is it that when I say I want every missile armed Raptor to engage, -that- Captain feels he can better employ Raptors to jam rather than kill the enemy?" he mutters under his breath. "Ensign. Remind me that I will need to have some words with the CAG as soon as this is resolved." He balls his fists at his side.
[TAC3] (from "Skeeter" McCoy) It's not Bootstrap who chrips a reply; he's still not cleared for flight. No, the voice that comes over the comms is the rather bubbly, somewhat tinny, decidedly female voice of one Daisy "Skeeter" McCoy, which, by the by, always kinda sounds like she's inhaled some helium. "Got 'em in my sights. Snack time."
"Like Virgon all over again, sir," Kulko affirms, lowering his voice so as not to carry across faux-CIC. "Suppose you're not keen on repeatin' yourself?" He flicks some ash into the ashtray, glancing to see if they are yet in weapons range. Nope.
[TAC3] "Shiv" Sitka says, "Acknowledged, Click. Take Spanner's wing; I'm going to run a little interference."
"Mmm." No comment from Ambrose, apparently, as she's now got adjustments and movements to make to keep her ops moving. Plenty to do… No time for chat.
"Oh, I'm going to repeat every bit of it to the CAG." Tillman's jaw tenses and relaxes like he's chewing on the idea. He listens to the radio chatter, still watching DRADIS.
[TAC3] "Skids" Covington says, "Queenie, sound off if ya got a bead on the overzealous fella keeps starin' at my ass."
"Meant more, y'know," Kulko pauses to blow smoke up at the DRADIS console. "Now, so we can focus fire on that tin can. Or maybe we oughtta wait till the Station goes south, open fire all at once?"
[TAC3] "Flasher" Marko says, "tac3 New DRADIS contacts, two additional Cylon raiders launching from basestar, repeat, two more Cylon Raiders coming in from two one two carom one four eight."
[TAC3] "Skids" Covington says, "I see somebody's taken an int'rest in you, Queen. Adjustin' to say howdy."
[TAC3] "Queenie" McQueen says, mildly, "Copy that, Skids. If you insist."
Tillman is about to answer when the blue and yellow light on the wall lights up and begins rotating. The alarm bell next to it prattles loudly and makes the XO nearly jump. His head flips to it. "Radiological Alarm!"
[Intercom] Tillman says, "All hands, brace for impact!"
[Into the Wireless] Tillman says, "Corsair, Cerberus. Radiological alarms! Open fire. You are Red and Free."
"Guess someone's noticed we joined the party," Kulko quips as he grasps the edge of the table. "Weapons, time till firing solution?"
[TAC3] "Shiv" Sitka says, "Cerb.. Cerberus, Flight. We're still trying to punch a hole through this mess, but it's like a godsdamned sewage leak. Jugs, I don't suppose you're carrying any swallows on one of your buses? This is ridiculous.."
"I see another wing of radars inbound, bearing two one four carom one six one." That's Amb for you. The countermeasures continue, nukes or no. Obviously. "Looks like they're throwing everything they have at us."
[TAC3] "Click" Daphne says, "Copy. Spanner, Click. I'm here. Whatcha got?"
[TAC3] "Flasher" Marko says, "New DRADIS contacts! Two more Raiders launching from the Basestar. Cerberus, Flasher,Vipers keep knocking them down, but the Cylons keep lanching more fighters. They are serious about keeping us away from that Basestar."
[TAC3] (from "Skeeter" McCoy) Skeeter relays, "Looks like the Cylons are breakin' out the radiological bug spray."
[TAC3] "Jugs" Quinn says, "Well, we'll throw the hard stuff right back at them. Keep your heads down, boys and girls…"
The Gunnery Captain lifts his head with the question and nods to Kulko. "Just coming into range now, Ensign. Guns ready in six..five..four..three.." he counts down. Tillman braces himself against the table. "Thank you, Crewman. Strap yourself into the chair if you've got a seatbelt." The XO still looks fairly mad. It even comes across in his voice. His eyes appear as if they might use lasers to bore holes right through the DRADIS screen.
[TAC3] "Spanner" Rojas says, "Oh, EW! That jus' ain't ri-… Click, Spanner. Let's see if'n we can't give Quinn a lil' cover. Toasters are fiesty today!"
[TAC3] "Shiv" Sitka says, "Jugs, you've got two bogeys on your tail. Repeat, two bogeys."
[TAC3] "Queenie" McQueen howls a laugh. Madman. "Skids, Queenie. I think your new friend is broken!"
[TAC3] "Jugs" Quinn says, "Well frak. Trying to shake them, just got the big boy out…"
"Frak yeah," Kulko punctuates the response with a pound of his fist on the plotting table. "Let's take that ugly piece of crap outta the sky."
[TAC3] "Flasher" Marko says, " Radiological Alarm! Cerberus, Flasher, you've got five, repeat zero-five nukes inbound!"
[Into the Wireless] Tillman says, "Baseline, be advised. Main battery anti-ship cannons are opening up. Maintain clear lanes. Flak batteries are operating on full-auto."
"Five radiological devices inbound… Frak." Now, that's enough to wake /anyone/ up. Amb is working up a storm. And sweating, just a little.
[TAC3] (from "Shiv" Sitka) Shiv's voice crackles over the comms, "Copy that, Cerberus. Uh.." There's a pause, which the roar of his viper's engines fills in. "I'm going to see if I can take any of them-" His transmission cuts off abruptly.
Tillman hears the radio call and looks to Kulko. "Let's hope they can beat down some of those odds." He looks down to one of Kulko's cigarettes and just takes one, lighting it with a hand. Might as well go out with a cigarette between your lips. "And hope that the shipbuilders didn't cock up the armor plating."
[TAC3] "Skids" Covington says, "Shiv, Skids. Don't play coy, sugar. You ok?"
[TAC3] (from "Amazon" Tucana) Amazon snaps quickly. "Cerberus, Amazon. Baseline payload away. Estimating impact in — twenty seconds or less. That station's going down, and — shit!! Shiv. We got an SAR beacon. Requesting permission to attempt a pickup."
Kulko is already braced for impact. If anything, he unbraces a little bit to finish out that cigarette and stab it into the ashtray. Cause nobody should face nuclear warheads without nicotine. It's just uncivilized. "Aye, sir. Not as bad as the electrical wiring. Or the FTL." His eyes narrow and he looks up, as if at the voice on the radio. "SAR beacon from the station? We cleared everyone outta there…"
Ambrosine has disconnected.
[TAC3] (from "Spanner" Rojas) Spanner is now what most people would call… Delicate. "WHAT. THE. SHIT. Those tins are carryin' SSMs! Click, Keep your distance!"
[TAC3] "Jugs" Quinn says, "Yes, Amazon, permission granted. Go get Shiv back for us in one piece, okay? Someone try to cover her ass…"
Tillman dangles the cigarette between his lips, the end flopping as he speaks. He keeps his voice low. "Might be a good time for a prayer if you're religious." Yep, there's sweat beading on his brow. And its not necessarily from the elevated temperature inside the room. Those eyes never leave the screen, though.
[TAC3] "Click" Daphne says, "Copy, Spanner. Distance is good." She chuckles nervously, as though becoming slightly (more) unglued.
[Into the Wireless] Tillman says, "Praetorian, Cerberus. Open fire as soon as you have a clear shot. ..We have five nukes inbound. …If we go off the air, take command, Actual."
[TAC3] (from "Queenie" McQueen) Again, Queenie howls as he fires off on a Raider. "That's it, dog. Bow before your master. This time we're going to put you /down/ like we should have the last time!" There's more silence as his viper breaks off. "I'm engaging this nuke."
"Lords of Kobol and I been havin' a fallin' out of late, sir," Kulko says, quietly again, as Tillman gives the order. "Ain't we sposed to have enough armor to withstand nuclear impacts?'
"Yep. We can handle one. Probably two if they are spaced out. Three? If we're lucky and the fires don't spread to the Tylium tanks in Engineering or the flight pods. Four nukes?" Tillman doesn't answer. He just takes a drag off the cigarette. The ash lightly flakes off as the Major breathes.
[TAC3] (from "Amazon" Tucana) Another voice on the tac channel. "Cerberus, this is Praetorian-Actual. Excellent timing, Major! We are in position in ten seconds. Main fire control is primed and ready."
"Right," Kulko replies simply. "Remind me to bring another bottle down to the Viper jocks if they take those things out."
Tillman glances to Kulko. He keeps his voice quite low. "If that Captain had followed his orders and had those Raptors engage when I told him to, rather than posting them to jamming, we wouldn't be facing five nukes. If anyone dies, I'm placing it on the Wing. I'm not about to reward them for doing their jobs." Yep, he's still mad.
"Ain't Jugs flyin' out there with her squadron?" Kulko queries, breaking eye contact to look for her Raptor on DRADIS. "How come Shiv's givin' the orders?"
The whole ship shudders with the volleys from the batteries on the back of the ship. This close to them, the low frequency thundering passes through the metal easily. The Gun Captain looks up towards Kulko. "Ensign, main guns are connecting. We're showing a seventy-eight percent hit ratio." Meanwhile on DRADIS, the Praetorian disappears beneath a hail of new contacts - outbound missiles. She's unloading a substantial amount of fire from her magazines against the basestar.
"Yeah. She is." Tillman isn't going to comment about his concerns on -that one- either way. "Shiv was first to the fight with rank, so he took control. Current command resides with Captain Quinn since Shiv lost his Viper."
[TAC3] "Click" Daphne says, "Spanner, Click. Good guess. Good guess. We'll chew me out when we land."
[TAC3] (from "Skids" Covington) Skids' voice comes over the comms, "Queenie, where in the h—" And then it cuts out. The reason is shortly obvious.
[TAC3] "Jugs" Quinn says, "Frak, Jugs here…got another one ejecting… I'll take this SAR. Someone watch my back if you have a second. OTherwise, I'll just have to duck pretty damn fast. Skids, if you can hear me, we're comin' for ya!"
[TAC3] (from "Spanner" Rojas) Spanner deadpans. "Nice work, Queenie. Y'killed your wingman."
"What a total clusterfrak," Kulko restates the obvious, folding his arms as he studies the DRADIS. "What if we execute a short-distance jump? Bounce to the other side of the basestar? It'd buy us some time, and we're already spun up."
Tillman shakes his head, heads still braced against the table. "Because if we have to jump out of the area, we wouldn't be able to recover our aircrews in time. It works when the dogfights are in spread locations, but not like this. All we can really do is hope the Corsair's and our own flak batteries do their jobs." That cigarette's ashable area is approaching granny standards.
[TAC3] "Queenie" McQueen grumbles. "Frak. Splash. Cerberus, Queenie. I count four warheads down. I count — " and then he hears Covington. "MOTHER OF FRAKKING GODS. All of them. I'm going to get this piece of pig shit." He sighs, almost sounding off-comm. "Sorry, Skids. Sorry." Of course, this doesn't stop him from snapping off a rejoinder to the other Viper pilot who obviously points out his blunder. "Maybe you'd like chunks of this nuke rammed square up your ass, yeh? Ever think of /that/?"
[Into the Wireless] Tillman says, "Copy, Queenie. Keep it up. Get the fifth one as soon as you can."
Kulko picks up the last two cigarettes, lights them both, and hands one Tillman's way. Subtle. "Four down," he echoes the transmission. "That's some godsdamned good news." He takes the cigarette with him towards the ECM station, hovering, and trying to get a readout on the Basestar's status.
[TAC3] "Lucky" Alessandra says, "Got it. Cerberus, this is Lucky. We got those missiles taken care of. Going to try to clean up the rest of this frakking mess and hopefully we'll be able to get everyone home in one piece, relatively."
[TAC3] "Jugs" Quinn says, "Skids! Can you hear me? You awake! Grab the frak on!"
There's some pumped fists and nods to members here of PriGuns at the radio call announcing the destruction of the nukes. "Yes it is, Mister Kulko." Tillman waves off the cigarette and gestures to a woman behind him to take it. She does and Tillman looks back towards the Ensign. "Status report, Ensign." Its not a request.
[Into the Wireless] Tillman says, "Good work, Baseline. Keep it up."
[TAC3] "Queenie" McQueen says, "Hold still. Almost there."
[TAC3] "Skids" Covington says, "Pilot without a plane is confused as a cow on astroturf. Thanks for the pickup, sugar."
[TAC3] "Lucky" Alessandra says, "Pushing her Viper to the limit, Lucky gets back into the furball eventually. "What are we looking at now, Flight?""
[TAC3] "Jugs" Quinn says, "They call me Jugs out here… though Sugar is infinitely kinder a name. maybe I'll switch call signs… And no issue, Skids. Glad to see you in one piece."
[TAC3] (from "Queenie" McQueen) Queenie sighs. "She aboard? I owe you, Skids. Sorry about that. Nukes make me nervous. I'll let you shoot me in the back later."
[TAC3] (from "Skids" Covington) Once again, Skids replies to Quinn, "How 'bout we settle on sugar Jugs jus' for today. Man, that was a close call." And then there's a bit of a lengthy pause, before a slightly less enthusiastic Skids notes, "Queenie, I shoot a man, he's facin' me an' armed. You got any booze, I'ma hafta go ahead an' lay claim, cuz that was so ugly, its mama'd take it ever' damn where just so's she ain't gotta kiss it goodbye."
[TAC3] (from "Skeeter" McCoy) Skeeter's tinny, helium-like voice says, "Only sugar out here is in here. Cylons are provin' they can catch more horseflies with vinegar than sugar, though."
<FS3> Kulko rolls Signals Analysis: Good Success.
Kulko reaches over the ECM tech and adjusts a couple minor things. He smiles as the results start to come back. "Major, /sir/. Enemy basestar at thirty percent structural integrity. She's comin' apart at the seams, sir."
[TAC3] "Amazon" Tucana says, "All points, Amazon. That thing's getting..We're killing it. We're KILLING IT!!!"
[TAC3] (from "Amazon" Tucana) Amazon howls with some sort of bloodthirsty delight here.
[TAC3] (from "Lucky" Alessandra) With a low groan Lucky's voice comes out over the comms, "Thank the gods." She sounds like she's either hurting or isn't feeling exactly too hot right now.
[TAC3] "Jugs" Quinn says, "Fraaaak that's a purty sight."
"Outstanding!" Tillman almost sneers with that smile. "Kulko, get a damage report in person from the department heads and report back to me after you get it. I want to know about any casualties we sustain." He looks to the Ensign before lifting his eyes back to the DRADIS display and radio chatter.
[TAC3] (from "Spanner" Rojas) Spanner's voice finally comes over the channel, still lacking in any major emotion. "Jugs, Spanner. Immediate AO clear of Raiders. Got your six all the way home."
[TAC3] (from "Skeeter" McCoy) "Mmm-hmm. BBQ Cylon. My favorite," Skeeter agrees.
[TAC3] "Queenie" McQueen chuckles. "Well. I'll be sure to remain unarmed. And look at that! BOOM, you ugly sack of shit, go back to your daddy!"
[Into the Wireless] Tillman says, "Attention all aircrew: Return to Battlestar immediately. Combat landings approved. We are starting the jump clock. You have three minutes. ..Good fight, pilots."
Kulko snaps off a quick salute and makes for the hatch. "On it, sir. Good hunting tonight."
Kulko has disconnected.
[TAC3] "Click" Daphne exhales. "Thanks, Queen."
[TAC3] "Flasher" Marko says, "Cerberus, Flasher, we've got one wounded aboard, requesting med crews on deck for Captian Sitka."
[TAC3] "Queenie" McQueen says, "Click, Queen. Don't mention it."
[Into the Wireless] Tillman says, "Copy. Medical will be standing by."
[Intercom] Tillman says, "Medical Crews to the Port Hangar Deck. Wounded incoming."
[TAC3] "Amazon" Tucana says, "CIC, Amazon. All ships aboard."
[TAC3] "Flasher" Marko says, " CIC, Flasher, Harrier 303 signing off."
[Into the Wireless] Tillman says, "Copy that, Amazon. - Praetorian and Corsair: Commence jump prep and set your clocks to thirty seconds. Cross-check and confirm jump coordinates. Have a nice day. Cerberus, out."