MD #181: An Alliance
An Alliance
Summary: Captain Matthias Erol of ship Mother comes to the Orion for a visit with the XO and the JTACCO.
Date: 16/10/2017 (OOC Date)
Related Logs: The log we found the Norton in with the tanker from Mother
Adeliza Petra Errol 
Ward Room
The Ward Room's centerpiece is a finely crafted oak table built into a rectangle with sweeping curves towards each corner, matching chairs lining it like a ring. The far end of the room are the flags of each of the Twelve Colonies, the Colonial flag at the left end and the Fleet's flag at the right to flank. At the other end is a countertop built into the wall that has fresh coffee brewed in a pot, and another for ice water, when Command Staff is present.
Mon April 23 18:51:06 2049 (IC Date)

It's just another day on the Orion, now floating around serenely in uncharted space without a care in the world except maybe that weird threat from an alien civilization a few days ago and the loss of the two sets of Raptor crew. That was pretty horrible. Following relatively standard security measures when one is the last battlestar around, a shuttle from Mother met a Raptor at pre-determined coordinates. The shuttle crew handed over the Captain with a human security escort. They piled into the Raptor, and ended up being met in the Orion hangar by an escort with low key MPs. They are lead up to the Ward Room where the MPs stay, but the escort leaves to alert the XO that their guest is waiting for him.

The Captain's security escort informs him that, "I'm going to go see if I can make them blink," them being the MPs of course. The Captain gives out a half-stifles chuckle and mosies over to the coffee service to start helping himself. "Don't mind if I dooo," he says in a sing song voice. He's wearing some kind of uniform. It's got light blue accents and looks kind of smart, but more like something a cruise Captain would wear instead of the serious dark colors that the fleet blues have. His hair is kind of at a shaggy length, tucked behind his ears where it sticks out in a few directions as it will.

Greys? Petra has them somewhere, but he'll be damned if he can get them together on short notice, so that means cleanly pressed blues so he and Liza don't end up looking TOO terribly pretentious. Its a momentary stop in CIC to relay to the Watch Commander as to where they will both be just in case all hell breaks loose, but otherwise they will be engaged. Stopping out in the corridor for a moment to check with Adeliza with a raised brow, he murmurs, "Well, this should be interesting. If you have questions, ask them, but make sure you don't volunteer any information you don't absolutely have to. Until we have something settled, this could go a number of ways. Shall we?" There's a wry smirk, and he leans in to open the hatch and step through, holding it open for the Lieutenant as he clears his throat, "Captain. My apologies for making you wait. My Tactical Officer, Lieutenant Adeliza Wynn. I'm Commander Marcus Petra."

Adeliza breathes a sigh of relief that they don't have to wear their greys. Inwardly, that is. She pauses in the corridor, and looks up to Petra, her tablet and clipboard in their usual place, hanging at her left side with her fingers curled under the edge. Her right hand steals up to tuck her hair back, and she gives a single nod. "Clear, sir." She follows him and then stands at almost attention to his side, and gives a nod to the man in the cruise suit. "Captain," she greets as well.

"It was only long enough for me to help myself. Perfect." But the Captain only turns halfway to bob an eyebrow at the two entering the room. He's too busy doing last minute doctoring to his coffee. It's apparently very important. He finally turns and looks as if he might offer a hand to shake, but quickly reaches up to rake his fingers through his hair as if smoothing it out a little. "Nice to meet you both, finally. Captain Matthias Erol. Ship Mother. The last we exchanged anything beyond coordinates and protocols, I believe some sort of invitation was on the table? I thought it would be better if we met first, get to know each other, throw down a few drinks, get matching tattoos we'll regret in the morning," he says with a half smirk. "May I?" he gestures to the chair nearest to him.

Petra rolls his shoulder a little, deliberately eyeing the ink that trails past the end of his sleeve on the back of his hand, and in an amused voice, he adds, "I might still have room for more regret." He nods affirmatively at the suggestion of a seat, and sidesteps enough to let Liza grab a chair, before stepping forward to offer the Captain a hand and drop into a chair himself, "We weren't entirely sure we were going to hear from you again. Fortunately you caught us before we became harder to find. I take it you and your people have had some time to consider, and there are a few million questions to ask about things? What can we help clear up for you and yours?"

For the moment, Adeliza is content to play the seen and not heard of command, the corner of her lips turning up in a little smirk at the turn of phrase regarding tattoos. She takes the seat left for her, standing in front of it and setting her tablet on the table, and then her clipboard next to it, with the notepad turned to a fresh, clean, sheet of paper. She waits for the two men to sit, and coordinates her action to theirs.

"Good. Make sure you don't use it up before we have the chance." The Captain gives a soft chuckle before slipping into one of the seats with little formality. "Yes. We had a few things we had to deal with. Spring cleaning. The usual chores that keep things going. Hit us during a massive restocking period." That might explain the tanker syphoning off the Norton. "And that. Yes. Your offer would be a huge adjustment for us, logistically and culturally. We rely heavily on trade and trade alliances to keep our old girl running. It's the lifeblood of supporting a ship so large and has served us well over the years. We have serious concerns of becoming a unsustainable burden on your fleet if we were to join it unconditionally. Also, we have more than a few people who are not Colonial in origin. With our trading practices along the way, we've let people off that have wanted to settle in places, and brought others on, especially those that compliment existing skillsets on our ship." He sips idily on his coffee as if this were just another day in the office, a permanent laissez faire air about him, but the content seems to portray that he knows his ship, or his people. "There's a concern that certain markets might be disrupted by Colonial fleet practices and that this will destabilize us systemically. There's also a concern that this will destabilize our culture, our way of life and identity as a people. But there are real desires by many to sew back old lost connections. We believe that you have a lot to offer us and that we have a lot to offer you though, which is why I'm here."

Petra sinks back into his chair for the time being while he listens to Erol, shooting a glance over at Liza a couple of times just to check on her reaction to what the man is saying. He hesitates for a few moments before offering, "We're not particularly interested in trying to exert control or any sort of disruption over anyone's life or their situation. If you and yours want to go on their merry but are open to one of our fleet visiting from time to time to offer trade and business to your people, I'm sure we can find a way to make that work. If you're interested in being a little more involved, we're interested in discussing the matter. One thing we'd have to be clear on is that any of your people or crafts that join our fleet even temporarily will need to do so with the understanding that we are, unfortunately, drawing a big target on ourselves. If the Skath find out where we are, we're going to be back in a large, heavy running battle, and while any craft and personnel in the battlegroup when something happens will be protected along with everything else, it comes with the inherent risk of being with a military group. It SOUNDS like you've been doing a pretty good job of flying a low profile, and that's to be commended. We might even be able to learn a few lessons from you, and I'd love to trade maps with your tactical people, if you're open to that idea - it would help my Intelligence folks that are working on solutions." There, he pauses to glance at Adeliza, while still asking the Captain, "In just the same manner, any of our people paying you a visit, we would expect to abide my your conditions, provided we know them ahead of time. Working together can only benefit us both."

The Lieutenant leans forward on her elbows, listening to the Captain talk about other places, and people from other places, being left off and picked up. The idea that there may be other worlds out there that aren't Skath, and are people she's never heard of or met has her interest and curiosity piqued. It's something that she brings into check when Petra mentions the maps, and slides her arms back to rest her palms against the edge of the table. She agrees to Petra's suggestion of people being expected to abide by conditions with a single nod of her head. "Disruption draws attention. Something we want as little as you do, I would surmise."

Monkey nods thoughtfully as he listens to the XO, his eyes somewhat distant, not focusing on anything in particular as he mulls it over. "My ship and berthing ships as we call them," a careful dodge of the word fleet and all the military connotations that would come with from a Colonial cultural past, "All fly under a single banner. There might be one or two that would willfully break off from that, but it's already to be expected." It's clear that the Captain has already thoroughly vetted the possibilities with his people. He came for business. "If we join, my people will consider it an alliance. To break the alliance and the terms of it would be considered cecessation. To do so during a critical time and without a smooth exit is considered a form of mutiny," the Captain explains. "The target aspect is something we've considered. There are a few who think aligning with the kid with the big guns paints a target on your back no matter what. We would certainly welcome you and your people on our boat and if my memory serves, I don't think any of your people will have trouble abiding by our laws. I believe our codes are much more lax than the military, but I'm sure we could provide you the information you need on that score. As for sharing techniques and pertinant charts, of course, pending indivual approval and review." Captain Erol leans back in his seat, resting the coffee cup on his stomach momentarily while holding it with both hands. He nods again and looks to Adeliza, then Petra. "I believe we can enter into an alliance yes. Is there any concerns you have?"

Erol nods thoughtfully as he listens to the XO, his eyes somewhat distant, not focusing on anything in particular as he mulls it over. "My ship and berthing ships as we call them," a careful dodge of the word fleet and all the military connotations that would come with from a Colonial cultural past, "All fly under a single banner. There might be one or two that would willfully break off from that, but it's already to be expected." It's clear that the Captain has already thoroughly vetted the possibilities with his people. He came for business. "If we join, my people will consider it an alliance. To break the alliance and the terms of it would be considered cecessation. To do so during a critical time and without a smooth exit is considered a form of mutiny," the Captain explains. "The target aspect is something we've considered. There are a few who think aligning with the kid with the big guns paints a target on your back no matter what. We would certainly welcome you and your people on our boat and if my memory serves, I don't think any of your people will have trouble abiding by our laws. I believe our codes are much more lax than the military, but I'm sure we could provide you the information you need on that score. As for sharing techniques and pertinant charts, of course, pending indivual approval and review." Captain Erol leans back in his seat, resting the coffee cup on his stomach momentarily while holding it with both hands. He nods again and looks to Adeliza, then Petra. "I believe we can enter into an alliance yes. Is there any concerns you have?"

Petra purses his lips for a moment, listening to Liza's comment and then Erol's response to things. He simply nods once, "We can work out the details. I think the most critical items would be conduct for any ships of your group that are with us when something dangerous happens - Mostly along the lines of if we suddenly send comms they need to cut and run, we will need them to do that immediately, since that will probably only happen when we have incoming hostile company. If any of our people misbehave in your company, we'd appreciate a heads up so we can deal with them. I expect professional behavior out of anyone under my command, which is pretty much everyone here on every ship except for the Admiral, and if SHE goes nuts on one of your ships, well…get pictures for me." A faint smirk touches his face, but he clears his throat softly and murmurs, "But perhaps to make an offer to show you and your people our interest, I'm sure there are some things in high demand and low supply with your people. If you can get us a list, even if we don't have any to speak of in our reserves, we have been on an exploratory mission ever since we parted company last…we find what you are looking for, we'll do our best to bring it back, or at least mark where it is so you can send your own people for it. Fair enough?"

Adeliza's hand reaches up to tuck her hair behind her ear, and she leans back a little, folding her hands together loosely on her stomach. She blinks once when he mentions an alliance, and glances to Petra. She clears her throat, and listens, and snorts out a chuckle at the mention of getting pictures of the Admiral going nuts, and gives Petra a second look of amused surprise. She pulls her lower lip into her mouth, then lets it go slowly as the Commander makes his offer.

"We're pretty good at cutting and running in all sorts of horrible situations," the Captain says with a little roll of his eyes and an almost smile as if maybe some of them could have been avoided or maybe they had their embarrassing growing pains already. "We can commit to that. Hades we /want/ to commit to that. We aren't really bringing any firepower to this table. Last thing I'd want to be is a big juicy target the fleet can't protect and then end up causing the loss of something like half the fighting forces. Please. No thank you," he says as if gladly offloading a burden that was never his to begin with. "Of course, we will let you know of anything like that. I don't think we can become experts in Colonial military regulations, but the major stuff or anything in particular you'd like us to make sure of, of course. All these things take a little cooperation to make sure we're aligned in how it all shakes out. Oh, we would also like to do so in exchange, and at some point I'd like us to host a little get together for your crew. Everyone's gotta let loose a little once in awhile, and this will be something to celebrate. We'll figure out the details," he says flourishing on hand from his cup to nothing in particular. "I think at that shindig we should be able to get you some pictures. I'll even get someone to bind together a little album," he chuckles gruffly. "Fair enough. We will announce broadly beyond leadership after the exchange of goods occurs. That would make it binding."

Petra nods slightly, "Send one of your people back to work with the Lieutenant here and we can iron out things, like specific places to catch each other that aren't going to be easy for the Skath or others to exploit. We have a settlement now for some of our people that I'm /sure/ would love to send you business as well. Lieutenant, I'm sure you can iron out a protocol to handle that, a system of verifying who new arrivals are even if its a ship we've never seen before, and so on?" He shoots a questioning glance back at Adeliza at that, before adding, "Other than that, a party will probably be very welcome for my crew, so certainly. Work it out with the Lieutenant and I and the Admiral will broadcast it to our own folks."

There's a moment where Adeliza just looks back and forth between the two men. It was as easy as that? They have an alliance already? She can't help the little 'hm' deep in her throat so it's barely heard. She quirks a half smirk to welcome the idea of a party, while having a healthy bit of wariness on just how rousing such a party will be. Then, she's suddenly being given a job, and she tucks her hair behind her ear. "Of course, sir. I'm sure I can invent a few Arpay code haikus," she tells him, and shifts her materials on the table in front of her. "I will look forward to working things out with your contact, Captain."

"Brilliant. We'll start ironing out the details then. Sooner we get it done, sooner we can all grab a drink together." They have booze apparently. Enough for the crew. It's like mana from some heaven. His lips twist upwards as he momentarily thinks on the ease of the agreement, but more so about the excuse to celebrate. "If that's all then, could I maybe get a restricted tour of this old beauty?" Yes, it's old now. He pushes up and finishes off his coffee.

Petra grins at the comments about Arpay haikus, and Erol's about 'old beauty'. He first nods at Adeliza, "Seeing as how the Lieutenant is most likely going to be the one on Watch when one of your ships show up, she's probably the best one to work that out anyway. As for a tour, well, if we haven't put you to sleep yet, I'm sure we can arrange a walk around technology that was state of the art about forty years ago. We do an amazing job of keeping it polished up though." With that and a grin, the Commander slowly rises to his feet and straightens up, "I think the Orion was the last of the original run of Mercury Class Battlestars before the second Cylon war broke out. Its certainly the last one still intact. Just, rather heavily modified with Arpay technology now."

Adeliza nods in confirmation of her position on Watch, giving the Captain a little smile. When he starts to rise, she neatly stacks the tablet and notepad that ended up not being used, and then stands by the time he's finished rising to his feet. Tucking her hair behind her ear, she lowers it to curl her fingers underneath the tablet and clipboard with both hands so that it hangs in front of her instead of to the side as she sidesteps away from her chair.

"We've all been influenced by Arpay technology since then, a little bit yeah?" Captain Erol nods. "Whoever walks me around it should be nice to play the game of guessing what's original and what was in her facelift. A treat. It would be a real treat." He tosses his cup in the trash as they make their way out to rejoin the MPs and the Captain's person. "No luck," they report back to the Captain.

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