MD #326: And briefly pie
MD #326: And briefly pie
Summary: Lt. Wynn & co. meet with Gen. Frazier & co. Pie is had. An understanding is reached.
Date: Wed 28/Feb/2018 (OOC Date)
Related Logs: http://battlestarorion.wikidot.com/calumet-tank-depot http://battlestarorion.wikidot.com/calumet-comms-tower
Adeliza Palermo Emily 
Calumet
On Planet
Sat 15/Sep/2049 (IC Date)

Getting the Calumet once again takes awhile. There's the cruiser to wormhole to the area, then the Raptor has to jump them close and then past the Skath cruiser in orbit at Calumet. The Raptor team knows the score and the plan and after about three hours from leaving the Orion in orbit over Ostia, they finally put skids down on the surface of Calumet.

Before leaving last time General Frasier had requested that, on return, the Raptor should land and park under a grove of trees and then still drape camouflage over it. Once they all land, the late Spring air is festively warm for the early evening. Insects can be heard chirping and buzzing, along with birds, in this high mountain valley. At 7500' feet above Colonial standard sea level, the air is thin but the lack of oxygen subtly brings out the vibrence of color with the blues and golds of the sunset, mixing with the intensely dense red and green borealis affect in the ionosphere.

The town is just down the valley about half of a mile and considering how close the Raptor was, its very likely the town's people heard those turbine engines roaring and then winding down. Whether they send anyone up to meet them is another question. Last time the Marines were being followed by armed men the whole way in.

Once again Adeliza has donned unmarked Colonial gear, forgoing the insignia that marks her as ranking officer and tactical. Even though the people they are meeting know who they are, or, at least, who she is, she's chosen to approach the same way as before, dressed the same as before. Having landed where they were instructed and followed said instructions should clue in their hosts that they are most likely from Orion, but she also has her tags outside of her clothes this time, and asked the others to do the same. She wears a sidearm, and has her usual tablet and clipboard in a satchel at her other side. She chooses an easy pace, not lagging, but not too aggressive, either. She'll let the locals get their fill of looking and send word ahead to General Frasier that they have arrived.

Bringing up the rear of the party, Palermo is dressed in the same fashion that the LT is, but is both visibly armed and every inch of a marine as she follows in Wynn's wake. She makes a point of meeting the eyes of those who are bold enough to be attempting to do the same, and keeps an eye on the rest of the team every step of the way.

Emily has technically been to an 'alien' planet before, but thats one being settled by Colonials. This is her first time to a planet to meet people who are purportedly very ancient relatives of her own, and this is very exciting. The colors in the sky grab almost all of her attention for the first five minutes after securing the area. She's never seen anything like that and the grin on her face is plastered there. "Its a wonder anyone on this world would ever fight when they would have such beauty in the skies overhead," she whispered to the others before moving off. Yeah, time to get srs. Cough. Clear throat. She's stripped off what she was supposed to and has enough experience in her gear to wear it comfortably, even with the sunglasses.

The team knows fairly well that they are being followed before they are even halfway to the town. A few guys that look like farmers but have long guns underneath their overshirts. They fall in to each side of the Marines and Adeliza, walking them right down the same path that Adeliza would remember before. The cobblestone road and the square is one that Palermo would definitely remember from the party the last time they were all here. There was the band playing on a raised platform and the dancing and free-flowing alcohol was legendary. The market stalls are still there, but the mood is decidedly more militaristic. There's an AFV hidden under a copse of trees, bushes tied in tight with a net over it, barrel aimed right up the primary approach route. Most of the men and women standing around on the street are in civilian clothes but most of them are armed, confirmable with only a cursory glance.

The alehouse is where they are escorted to again and lead inside without being disarmed. Everyone is suddenly watching them carefully when the Colonials enter, most people stopping their eating and conversations over dinner. The low beams of the ancient construction are so massive that it distracts from looking around due to the potential danger of racking your head into one, but the feeling is deceptive and there is really no danger to it. The place probably has the smell baked in, too. Wood stain, hearth smoke, ales, wines, and rich food. General Frasier, thankfully, is already here and sitting with a few other men in uniform and sharing dinner and a few laughs. When they see the Colonials approach, they too stow their conversation.

With her lack of height, banging her head on anything isn't much of a concern, though she gives a brief glance back to the Beanpole to see if she needs to duck at all. One hand tucks her hair behind her ear as she faces front again. Since they are not stopped or asked to hand over their weapons this time, once Adeliza has General Frazier's attention she approaches him. Giving the higher ranking officer a salute, she also nods her to him. "General Frasier. Sir. Hope you are well." She waits for the other three to come closer, and then introduces them, "Sergeant Palermo, Corporal Freeman and Private Benning, all three Marines stationed on Battlestar Osiris with us. Sergeant, step forward, please." She pats at her satchel as she looks back to the General. "If you've a free moment or two, we have some intel to share with you, sir."

Ever mindful of the clearance necessary to avoid rapping her head on any of the beams that are deceptively not quite where they appear, Palermo is navigating the room with apparent care and equal ease and she steps forward once Wynn indicates for her to do so. "General," is voiced first and paired with a somber nod, "sirs," aimed at the other uniform clad individuals seated around the table.

Emily isn't exactly jumpy, but the guys walking beside them? Not expected and that does sort of weird her out. She obviously wants to talk to them, but she keeps her yap shut. More than one or two people has probably noticed that the Marine doesn't walk like the rest, too. It isn't easy for her to blend in. Pretty Not-Princess can't unlearn how she spent the last decade. But seeing the town of Kolvenya does get her to smile again. Its cute! ..And has an armored vehicle. Yes, that does endear the town to her even more. Emily seems quite happy with everything until they get into the alehouse and everyone is staring. Luckily that IS something she's used to from her last life and roundly ignoring it doesn't phase her except for the smile drifting away. "Sir." The less speaking she does, the less likely anyone is going to pick up on the aristocrat past.

Frasier and his group look at the group of Orion crew and assess. Its been a bit of time, but for them, it probably has not seemed like very long. The two escorts move around, one staying by the door and the other behind the group. Meanwhile Frasier gives a slow nod after his long look. "You're lucky. I just finished dinner. I was about to enjoy a very fine piece of pie with a glass of wine." You Orion folks are interrupting, being the unspoken words. "I could easily tell you that business is closed for the day but now I'm sure you folks are going to tell me you flew all this way to get here. Up hill, both ways. So I won't send you packin." He looks to his staff and gestures for them to continue before he rises from the seat, leaving them to enjoy their desserts in peace. He steps around the table with his glass of wine and gestures for a free table for them to sit or gather at as he approaches. "Everyone in this place is military or close enough to it that I'm not going to worry about what's said. So go ahead and speak your mind, but in about ten seconds Marjorie is going to walk over here and ask you if you want pie, so have your answer ready." Anyone looking at him can see a large, broad-shouldered woman with dusky skintones approaching.

Adeliza considers the broad-shouldered woman, but she reaches down and pulls out her tablet. "I apologize for interrupting your dessert, sir," she replies. "Sergeant Palermo was present at both missions that we have recorded here, sir, so I've brought her to give first hand account and narration of what you are about to see." She holds up the tablet, unlocking the video that was edited together from the cam feeds of the different Marines present on the missions. She lets the General have the tablet, and, same as before, anything else he might try to look at besides the video would be security locked. Then she steps away to the side so that Palermo can come a little closer and do her bit.

Palermo happens to be a perfectly healthy marine and, keeping that in mind, her quietly voiced, "Pie?" is said in a sort of reverent tone of voice. She even aims a look at the LT and managed, through sheer effort of will, to avoid the puppy-dog-eyes. Somehow. Once the tablet is on the table, however, Palermo straightens ever so subtly and gives the general her full attention as she voices the after action reports of both engagements that the marines have successfully run on planet. An expert at this, she knows to keep her remarks terse, to the point, On-point every step of the way, keeping pace with the footage and falling silent only when the footage is concluded.

Emily wants pie. Emily even whispers a requested permission for pie. But she knows better than to just wildly order food while on duty. She does NOT know better than to order food from a strange planet, though these people are human and they eat the food and drink the water. Emily does stand off to the side, though, and keep a watch on Pal and Adeliza, since they don't have eyes in the back of their heads.

While Palermo talks, Frasier listens to both Palermo and the sound on the video. Once again, he seems adept enough with the pad that he must have used something like this before. There's no outward sign of tech like this from their brief visit, but the planet was not exactly backwards before the Skath invaded, either. Once the pie is delivered, he sits at the table and eats and drinks while he watches. Marjorie brings out pie and a sweet, white desert wine to pair it with. Its a baked fruit pie that tastes a little like apples, but with something that could be called a peach cobbler. Its not a fruit they recognize. Its no surprise they eat it regularly.

Once the whole thing is done, Frasier hands the pad back to Adeliza and sips his wine. The plate has been long pushed away and he rises to sit on the edge of the table, facing the Orion crew. "It seems you like to get shot at by large-caliber ordnance, Sergeant Palermo. I heard some of the radio chatter. Sounded like you had some interesting people with you. I recognized one of the accents." Emily's, no doubt. The Skath elevate and teach people systemically to behave and speak a certain way in their royal courts. Frasier isn't going to push the point, though. At least not yet. "Not sure how I feel about that, but the actions speak well enough for themselves. So you took down a large DF beacon site and a tank laager. The 1088th, I think it was? If that was it, you made some people very happy." There is the sense that compliments from this man come at a high price. His voice is low and methodical in the same way that a 6-ton laser guided bomb would be. So when he looks back to Adeliza, there is a high gravity there. "Lieutenant, you delivered. I'm willing to concede that you all may actually be from the Orion. If you aren't, and this is real, then you're my kind of trouble-makers. So you all were here last time and interested in bringing some heavy effort here to Calumet and finishing what you started. You think you can do that without the Arpay?"

It's difficult, but Adeliza manages to not roll her eyes up to the back of her head when she first tastes the fresh pie. As a child grown on an agricultural world that's been raised on fresh fruit and vegetables, it's heaven and home all rolled into one. But, she manages to not inhale it, and savors it as Palermo gives the report over the video. At the mention of the noticeable accent, she raises one eyebrow, but doesn't comment.

When she finally pushes the plate away and they begin to talke again, she gives a nod of acknowledging his compliment. At his question, her lips quirk up to one side. "We /are/ doing it, sir," she replies. "We may not have the Arpay themselves, but we have their technology. They may be gone, but they aren't forgotten, not as long as we remember and use what they gave us."

"Well, Sir, getting shot at by large caliber ordinance is just part and parcel of the job," Palermo remarks with a small glimpse of a grin on her face, "and yes, sir. I do indeed have some interesting people counted among my marines. Each and every one of them is well trained and is a marine first, last, and always." This said, and only getting to pick up her piece of pie once she's done the briefing. "Very good pie, sir," because it IS good pie and the marine does have manners. "The Arpay weren't just a People, General. They were a promise. A promise that they fulfilled, from first to last. And we honor their memory by continuing to do the same."

Emily puts her rifle on the table for ready access, but damned if she isn't going to destroy that pie. And drink the wine. Because drinking wine is what you normally do with meals, in her experience. The stem is plucked easily and she enjoys the mini-feast like it was the mess on Orion. The mention of the accent gets a cough from her and she rises from the table, taking the rifle back up, and standing off and away.

The General looks to Adeliza and then to Palermo. Then Emily as she moves away, and once more back to the elder of the women. "The Arpay said a lot of things, made some good efforts, but I'm afraid Calumet's experience with them was very brief and did not include a whole lot of follow-through. Whether or not that is the fault of what happened half a galaxy away or not isn't my concern. To be frank, I don't care half a whit if you liked them or hated them. All I know is that they had heavy firepower and the numbers to make the Skath turn around and take notice." His arms cross as he looks over to Adeliza, "You are landing. I didn't invite you to do that. I am not saying I oppose it, but do you all plan to land on this planet with or without my permission?" 'Is this an invasion we have no say in?' is what he seems to be digging at.

Adeliza had been lingering, trying to keep that last bite on her plate as long as she could, but she finally finishes it. "Delicious pie," she agrees with Palermo. She looks over to Emily, and nods to the seat the woman vacated, indicating it's safe to sit. She pushes her plate away slowly, her eyes on it and then she looks up to General Frasier. "We hit targets that you requested, sir," she tells him easily, without any defensive tone in the words. "You drew the lines on the map, and we follow your lines. We made the offer, we gave the proof we're for real, but we are waiting for an invitation to land, sir." She gives a little smile. "This is your planet, and always will be. That's what we're here to see happen."

Finishing her piece of pie, and only taking a small sip of the wine before returning it to the table with a small grimace of regret, Palermo takes a casual step back that allows her a better view of the room at large not just a few of the officers at the table. It's a small thing, but a deliberate thing, and she's moved so she's backing up the LT both physically and visually. She's armed but she's clasped her hands behind her back, parade rest, respecting the men and women in this room enough to convey that she's on the job and respecting them to be on the job as well. While the officers are talking, she's calmly observing the room and letting those in the room do the same.

The General waits for Adeliza's response before giving any sort of sign of life. Those eyes stare at her own. The reply does seem to satisfy him, though. "Alright. I'll take that." He uncrosses his arms and reaches for the glass of wine, taking a big sip before saying anything further. "I'm not the President or King or whatever of the free people on this planet. We don't have one. The Skath killed the last four so we don't bother anymore. I am, however, second in command for our organized military operations. You've got permission to land whatever you need to in my sector, which is this whole continent. But I want a coordinated effort and I need a way to work with you all. And if I say you all need to do something, I damned well expect it to be done. I don't know where you've been or what you've done in your own lives, but these are our own people behind enemy lines. I've got no problem killing someone who wants to support the Skath but I'll give everyone else a chance at freedom first. Understood?"

Adeliza doesn't drop her eyes from the General, counting on the honesty of what she's told him to show in her steady gaze. "We will have a liaison for you within a week, sir," she replies with a nod. "We are prepared to land whatever you need in your sector, General. Providing of course, it is within our power to do so." She leans back and takes a sip from her wine, which she hasn't really touched, yet, as the pie took center stage. "We have… risked much to save even a few of our own from behind Skath lines, sir, and will continue to do so. Sometimes, people are not as lost to the Skath as we think, but it is not easy bringing them back." She sets her glass down. "That being said," and her voice takes on a steelier tone, tinged with a hint of disgust, "loyalists of their own, free, accord, are worse than Skath themselves, and no, we have no issues eliminating them along with their chosen allies, sir."

Emily hears the conversation and there's visible discomfort there. She can't talk about what happened to her or her friend. And everyone here in this room would probably kill her without much of a thought if she spoke up too loudly and there were brash actions. The gun is held a little tighter, trying to keep cool. Someone wants to get out of here.

General Frasier notes Emily's discomfort and stares at her for several seconds, even if she won't look at him. "Yes, we have a very low tolerance for anyone associated with the Skath or those who actively attempt to legitimize the royal," he practically spits that word, "families. We burrrrn those motherfuckers at a stake." He looks back to Adeliza. "Your people are your problem, you just keep them in line on my planet. Make sure certain people are kept out of sight if there's any chance of confusion."

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