MD #257: Bonds of Brotherhood
Bonds of Brotherhood
Summary: In the hours before the marines head to Picon, Palermo talks with Emily and Atticus about what it is to be marines
Date: 21/12/2017
Related Logs: None
Adeliza Atticus Emily Palermo 
Mess Hall - Deck 3 - Battlestar Orion
The Crew Mess on the battlestar is one of the larger rooms meant for occupation. The room is far longer than it is wide with the classic stainless steel tables that can be seen anywhere else on the ship, standard to all navy ships. Most of the chairs match, their padding on the seats worn down after several years. Towards the rear of the room is the food prep area and serving lines. During the time in between meals the Mess will serve midrats, or 'mid-shift rations', such as sandwiches and drinks. Coffee pots are left to run at all hours to keep people going as needed.
08/07/2049

Unlike most of the people in the mess tucking into their scrambled eggs and toast, Lt. Wynn seems to have the slightly frazzled, mussed hair of someone on their way /to/ bed, instead of coming out of it. She's unbuttoned her blues to signify she's finally off duty, and she waits her turn in line with her tray in front of her. Her right hand reaches up and tucks her hair behind her right ear, then it smoothes her hair away from her left eye and back, but not taking it all the way to the ear. Her chest heaves as she lets a sigh out of her nose and looks around to seek something more interesting than the platters of food she hasn't quite reached.

Atticus is in the early stages of Basic, that time when sleep is a fond memory, and multiple digit mile runs are a thing before breakfast. He's hit the head to shower but is now sat quietly at a table on his own, eating what mostly consists of a plate full of protein. He's on water, rather than coffee, although that seems to be a personal choice, and has something that vague resembles a banana for when he's finished his meat mountain.

Most of the Marines are excitedly chatting amongst themselves, as is normal before a major landing. Its been awhile since they have been let off the leash to go sew mayhem across the landscape. Emily is carrying a tray piled high with food (for someone her comparable size) and a mug mug of coffee. She's in her duty greens with her hair tied into a very neat braid. Her amble takes her over towards the rest of the Marines who seem welcoming enough. But she stops at seeing Atticus and lifts her chin. Yep, Emi certainly remembers that enforced isolation. There's a smile towards Adeliza before she changes her vector and moves over to sit across from Atticus. "Are you coming with us today?" is asked very neatly, taking her napkin to fold it. Recruits don't get to choose who sits down with them! Hee!

Adeliza's gaze catches on Emily as she moves through the ranks with her tray, and she tucks her hair again as she steps forward. She almost starts to look away when she's caught by the young Marine, but since there's a smile sent her way, she returns it. One more step forward, and she's requesting her own protein pile, though it's quite a bit smaller than those on the plates of Atticus and Emily. She also takes a dollop of porridge in a bowl, although it probably could stand on its own and doesn't show much chance of running into other food. She takes care of that, though, pouring a little hot water from the tea station in it, along with some of the sweetener there. When she turns, Emily's already sitting across from Atticus, and she grins to herself. The rest of the Hall is filling fast, so turns her steps towards that table which seems to be one of the few remaining with space.

Atticus glances up as Emily arrives, flashing her a brief smile as he shovels his breakfast down. "I don't know," he confesses after a swallowing a mouthful, "Gunny Knox hasn't given us our timetable for the day yet, some said I might be going though, for local knowledge." Cos you know, he isn't far enough along on his training to go under other circumstances. "I take it you are? Back to the same village again isn't it? Pull out as many of them as we can?" Adeliza's arrival is greeted with a polite nod, of the sort you give to officers who stop by, but he's not entirely sure he has anything to say to her, so he go with more food instead.

Emily takes up the fork and digs into her eggs. She still eats like a Lady, but with a touch more enthusiasm. No longer a snail's pace. "It is not our old lands, but it is more of a, ah, social? Social knowledge? Social terrain? I feel as if the Colonials have a word or term for it but I cannot think of the phrasing." Even understanding there is a word for it? Huge. It's a nice leap. The razer has helped Emi in ways she cannot even fathom. "Aye, yes I am going back. Despite my failures, I was assured that they were not failures." Atticus knows darn well that she was scared that day. He could see it in her eyes and face. That was deep fear. There's a little of it there still, but no surprise. People don't completely lose who they have been for a decade with six weeks of instruction. "King Easton's men are coming." Looking over to Adeliza, she smiles a little more for the officer. "Sir. I never thought I would be joining a battle party to battle another kingdom, bringing my own weapon. …Are you well? You look tired."

Liza settles her tray not too far away from the two new Marines, but not quite on top of them, either, with a nod for Atticus. She takes a half spoonful of her porridge to test, then a larger bite. She stirs it a little more then takes a bite of toast. She looks up when she hears the 'sir' and nods, giving a bit of a smile as she finishes her bite and swallows. She washes it down with some iced tea before she answers. "I don't imagine you did," she replies, not unkindly, still with a bit of a smile. "I am well, thank you, Benning. I'm coming off Third Watch in CiC. And, with the maneuvers being planned, the past couple days I haven't really slept through to when I'd like." She shrugs, lifting her hand with a palm half up gesture of 'what are you gonna do', and separates a bite of eggs from the pile to fork up.

One thing missing from Atticus' plate is eggs, since he found out they're a powdered substitute he's just not eating them as much. Taking a mouthful of water ti wet his throat he nods to Emily, "closer to our old lands then theirs though." He means the colonials, and it's not a dismissive 'they', merely descriptive. "It may depend on if they think having you will sufficiently cover them, or if they want another perspective." He doesn't know, though Liza might, what with being Intel, so he glances over to her and tilts his head to silently as if she has any insight. Then, back to Emily, "I was part of Gunny Ynyr's training team down on Ostia a few days ago though, so that perhaps bodes well."

Emily dips her head to Adeliza, a deferment of respect. "If you had told me six months ago that I would be sailing among the stars today, wearing men's clothes, fighting to free my people from the Skath? …I do believe I would have likely counted you daft and had Atticus lock you up. This has been an unexpected path, and a liberating one, sir. I'm still trying to fit in and I still have troubles, but I am speaking to my father and a counselor about it all." She sips at her mug and washes down some of the food with it. "I heard that the Skath were not difficult to sweep from our way before going down?" She then looks ot Atticus, eating more from her potatoes and eggs. "Mm. I agree. I admit that I struggle with the idea of who the Colonies belong to anymore. I understand our allegiance but.. we are from the Colonies. But we are not." At least it applies that way in her own mind. "Oh I doubt my knowledge will be sufficient. If the other Marines wish lessons on etiquette or horseback riding or some lovely crochet designs, I'll be happy to show. It has been years since I was allowed to venture without close escort to guide me." Which means probably not after her arrival at the castle ten years ago.

"Or it could be she may recognize someone trying to slip in as a spy or such," Adeliza offers with a shrug. "Or something else." She smiles to Atticus and takes another bite of porridge. She can't help a little chuckle at Emily's summation of the circumstances she finds herself in, and tugs at a wisp of hair on the left that's trying to become part of her meal along with the porridge. "If you had told me six months ago that I would be a senior Junior Tactical Officer next in line to command the Orion, I would have sent you to see Dr. Stone to see if you hit your head too hard in training," she tells Emily. "Although it is not as drastic a difference for me as it is for you, many of us end up places we never thought we would be. You seem to be thriving, though, and your new life looks good on you."

Atticus watches Adeliza as the Intel officer gets paged and has to cut her breakfast short. Then, turning back to Emily he smiles faintly, "they're not a man's clothing, they're yours." It's a small point, but apparently he feels the need to highlight it. "I picked up the swords from last week by the way, so if you want to learn then there are actual weapons to use beyond the basic stages. I suspect it'll have to wait Gunny Knox has finished with me though. I doubt I'll have time" or energy "before then."

"I suppose spotting spies is possible, though I am unfamiliar with King David. I only know that he is not a kind man. If his people are forming rebellion to his rule, then it is little surprise. Sadly I can see the reason for his actions." Though Emily does not exactly look like she supports them. The sound of her voice is more lament than anything else. To Atticus, she continues eating and shrugs. "Yes, but I am wearing pants. Have you ever seen a woman of any noble standing wearing pants? She would be burned at the stake for that sort of heresy now, though I recall when it was more tolerated. Perhaps they are Witches Pants. I admit, though, they are comfortable." She looks down, running a hand over her hip. To the subject of wasters, she nods a few times, "Please. I would love to. After having nearly been beheaded by one, I would like to learn them."

"Are any of the Kings kind men?" Atticus asks, almost philosophically, "given what they do, and how they rule?" It's too early in the day for deeper thought than that though, and he follows it by piling more food into his mouth. "Come talk to me once my six weeks are up," he replies to Emily, "then I think we'll have more of an idea on how schedules will work. I want to keep in practice though, and that's easier with others to practice with. It would be a shame to lose the years of work that went into it." Not to mention the options that open up if marines can at least 'look' comfortable carrying a sword now they have looted militia gear.

Emily looks down at her food, thinking about that angle. It is still kinda ealy o put too much thought into that. The kid lacks a lot of the normal logical and critical thinking skills that so many kids used to be taught. Now its mostly relegated to the boys. "I don't know. I guess that would really.. I. I suppose I do not know. They could be by comparison to others. But these people would never see a King as a good thing, not if backed by the Skath. I think that I could try and see the goodness in a ruling family, though." She knows that part of that is where she came from. Is it a bad thing? Good thing? Tough to tell. She may not even have those answers for herself. "Aye you've spent too long learning those skills. And if we must ever go somewhere and pretend to be royalty, it would not do to have a Knight who has forgotten his bladework. Do you still have the blade Mother and Father presented to you?" Probably the one he was captured with.

Fresh from a PT run through the bowels, decks, stairs and hatch combings if the ship, Sgt. Palermo enters the mess alongside a handful of equally sweaty marines. The dark haired marine is currently taking flak for coming in last, by a few measly strides, and is giving as much as she's getting while she queues up for a cup of coffee.

Atticus nods once to Emily, it was indeed the blade he was carrying on that fateful night. As a blade he really likes the weighting, and how it handles, but there is a slight taint on it now given it's history. It's still very definitely the one he's going to keep using though. "I am glad we didn't try that ploy last week," he notes as he eats, "it wa briefly suggested, wellm that I might pretend to be a knight, and I'd've done it if required, but the very idea was deeply unsettling."

Emily looks over to see Palermo and gives her a small wave. Emily has opted to not sit with the rest of the Marines today, before a mission. Nope, she's parked with Atticus and talking to him. A bit of camaraderie perhaps. "That ploy may be required or needed eventually. You may not be comfortable with it but it may need to work. As much as I may yearn for certain things, others not so much. Attempting to be a piece of property for me would be very difficult now. I have learned to learn. I will not be silenced. Though perhaps I could pass for a young Queen, then." She flashes a daring smile for juuust a moment. "I will stick by you though. We made promises. I surrendered at that home to prevent further harm to you and your men. I believe it was the most important thing I might have ever done, sadly."

Cup of coffee now in hand, Renee moseys to the chow line long enough to heap her plate with enough calories to fuel a small nuclear reactor before pausing at the end of the line to skim a look around the room. She casually elbows another marine, careful not to slosh he coffee in her mug, then sets course for the table where Emily and Recruit Ommanney are seated. Overhearing Emily's last words as she sets her tray down, "Correction, one of the. . to date. Not the only and absolutely not the first or last."

Atticus is clearly listening to Emily as Pal approaches, but he does glance up as she announces her arrival, and gives the sergeant a respectful nod and a quick, "Sergeant," in greeting. The rest of his words are for Emily though. "It may be necessary, and I'll do it if it is, but the mere thought of it made my skin crawl. If there hadn't been a queue for the showers I might have spent all day in there scrubbing."

Emily looks over to Palermo and shrugs. "Up to that point. I do not know what choices await me. I am still trying to get comfortable with having choices. They have never been something I truly had for a very long time." She finishes off the rest of her food and looks to Atticus, washing it down with coffee. "I wish I could understand the depths of how this has all affected you. I do not like to see you struggle through this alone. But I do hope Sergeant Knox will help you guide yourself through this darkness. You know that I will not leave you behind to languish on your own."

"Ommanney," comes Renee's reply paired with a nod as she takes a seat. Food is moved around on her plate before she snags the pepper shaker. A generous amount of pepper is spread over everything, except into her coffee, and Renee sets the shaker down near her tray. Close at hand, just in case. "The bonds of brotherhood, and we use that term as gender neutral, that bind us together as marines is something I think both of you need to experience to really believe in. Neither of you are alone," she gestures with the tip of her fork between herself and both young marines as she speaks. "You may not believe it, on the surface, but most of us come from broken or fractured families or histories. Even before the fall of the colonies, life was far from perfect. "

"I think it'll just take time," Atticus replies to Emily, "which isn't something I really have much of at the moment, given the schedule, but that too shall pass." He's ahead of some of his fellow trainees at the moment, as long runs and such are things he's used to, but he knows there'll be other areas where he'll fall behind, and wants to focus on those when they appear, before wallowing in self-pity. That can come later. He's nearly done with his food, but asks Palermo, "are you going downworld later? Emily here is, try not to let her get you in trouble will you? She's not used to being out on her own, might get distracted by those hulking mill workers…."

Emily looks over to Palermo. This is a term she's heard before, and the theme is familiar. "I understand, Sergeant. I'm still growing into the idea. Full belief in it will come in time, for me. Until then, I can extend the idea to Atticus. We've bound our fates to each other so it would be dishonorable to abandon him now. I owe him too much, even if he tells me that I owe him nothing." Hmph. Men. Holding that posture, she slips her attention back to Atticus and nods along until the idea of mill workers. She looks a touch indignant and blushes, "I would.. not be.. there are things I.. you." Emily gives a sudden, haughty huff. Nope, going to stop herself there.

A single brow is subtly arched, joined a moment later by its equally arched companion as a fine gleam of amusement lights her dark eyes. "I am," is confirmed in that distinctly Caprican accent, a sidelong glance aimed at Emily then ever so casually at Atticus. "Mmhmmmmph," is mused. "A bit of healthy distraction might be good for her. Good cardiovascular exercise is key to overall health." This said with a mostly serious mein before she exhales softly, "Blessed are those who have not seen yet believe, blessed also are those who have seen and retain faith and hope. Some . . well no. Most things you have to experience to know. To believe. To trust. Once a Marine, always a Marine. Where and who you come from, and why? It doesn't define you unless you allow it to."

Atticus smirks at Emily's reaction, that's good enough for him, a fine way to end his free time. Pilling everything back onto his tray he pushes his chair back and rises to stand. "Sergeant," he offers first to Pal, then "Benning" to Emily. "I will try and catch you before you go, either way, but for now I have to be attentive for two hours on regulations and the UCMJ. If I don't see you before you go though, good luck, and stay safe."

Emily looks over at Palermo and sputters a bit. "I am.. what? No. I mean, not that I would not. Or could not. I am healthy! ..Are you, wait, is there an implication I should.. oh." Palermo is suggesting exercise. Ahem. She clams up suddenly and looks at her empty tray, unsure if she should even say anything else. When Atticus stands to leave, she watches him and gives him faux needles for saying what he did! Bah! Still some love there, though. "Good day."

Nodding to Ommanney, "Eyes and ears, Ommanney, use both and ask questions." Advice given, and good wished received in advance, Renee remains quiet, and amused, as the young marines say their farewells. Only when Ommanney is gone will she needle Emily. Much entertainment!

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