| Return from Rally Point (The Arpay Shipside) |
| Summary: | The Orion crew, with the help of the Arpay, slip through a wormhole and jump back to the Colonial Fleet at Picon. And what a beautiful site it is, as the CFD suddenly begins to spew forth their defenses in preparation to attack the unknown ship… |
| Date: | 14/01/2017 (OOC Date) |
| Related Logs: | Leap of Faith, then One Way Ticket, then Welcome to Arpay, and After Arpay Decon, and [http://battlestarorion.wikidot.com/arpay-intel]. |
     |
| Arpay Ship |
| Desc of Room |
| Tue Aug 01 13:03:59 2006 |
The crew returning to Picon was put on a transport and flown off the station. They head directly for what passes as the Arpay version of a pocket carrier - which is roughly the size of a Colonial Heavy Cruiser. Except more guns and missiles than a heavy cruiser. Once aboard, they are all lead towards the CIC/Bridge and allowed to get comfortable. The room is functional and very no-nonsense, everything having a place, but it isn't nearly as cramped or busy as a Colonial ship. With so much automation, the bridge crew is cut down to roughly eight people on stationkeeping and watch. The Captain introduces himself as Commander Kellum Daromo, but gestures to Chapman as being the mission lead.. since he's basically just carting around Chapman's Carrier Strike Wing. Valloy and Jimenez are there to join them as well.
Ten seconds… Five… Two. One. The wormhole seems to condense down suddenly and then split at the end like a flower opening. The ship pops out the other side without even a bump or a sound. On the screen they can all see roughly half of the Colonial Fleet and they are in orbit over Picon. Its a little too far to make out details, but there are the unmistakable shapes of the Orion and the Baker Bay visible against the glowing surface of Picon.
"Holy shit," Chapman chuckles. "Looks like you weren't kidding, Lieutenant Pratt." There's a casual doubletap to his chest in salute.
"Captain, we've got multiple contacts of unknown designation directly head, range is roughly two hundred miles." The voice from the radar operator is casual. "Tracking, targeting, and point defense. Smaller fighter-sized objects moving within the fleet. Classify fleet as Sierra One."
"Thank you," Daromo tells him. "Lieutenant Pratt, at your leisure."
<FS3> Pratt rolls Alertness: Good Success.
The parting was celebratory but still, Lleu was sorry that he'd probably never see some of those people he'd made good friends with ever again. There were definitely some arm clasps, back slapping, and more than a few smiles with some joking from at least Ynyr, who's really going to miss the guys and gals he'd been training with the past weeks. The VR recordings and the photos kind of choke him up, but Lleu tries hard not let it. The parting momentos are gladly accepted with thanks, and parting good wishes in their coming endevours. When that's done, the Marine Sergeant boards with the rest of his team to assemble up in the CIC to await their jump, or series of jumps. It'll be a tense few minutes for the Orion crew. And then they go … so smoothly, not like the scary jump coming out! Not at all.
There they are; Picon and some of the Colonial Fleet. A very welcome sight. Lleufer lets out a breath he hardly relized he was holding and makes his hands let go of the seat back he had been gripping hard. A shared glance with Bennett before he says very low, "A very welcome home view." That is murmured in Colonial.
Pratt lets the breath go he didn't realize he was holding when the view resolves and even at a distance, the design of a Mercury-Class Battlestar and a Superdreadnought can be made out. First, he lifts his voice to the Commander, "Those are ours, Commander." He breathes, "Oh frak me sideways, I have never been so happy to see a godsdamned warship. So before someone yanks a nuke key…" He reaches up to finger the earpiece and presses what he remembers to be the transmit button, starting to open his mouth, then catching himself and changing to Colonial, "Oh, right…"
A single tear rolls down the medic's cheek. She watches the scene unfold, hands clasped tightly in her lap. Home.
[Into the Wireless] Pratt says, "To any receiving CDF forces, this is Lt. Edison Pratt, of the Battlestar Orion. This craft is friendly, /do not open fire/. *hesitates* Please. This has been a really long trip and it would suck to get killed by friendly fire right at the end."
Being spat back out into familiar space is well… somewhat anticlimatic, and surprising as anything at the same time. Tabi blinks as suddenly there's Picon, and what looks like the Fleet. She breathes a soft sight and keeps tugging on her ponytail, twisting the very ends between her fingers. "It is," She murmers her agreement to Lleu, though admittedly it takes her a few moments to flip her brain over from Arpay to Colonial Standard again. "A very welcome sight." Though she doesn't sound as excited as maybe some might be feeling. A troubled expression on her face, a hint of worry. She blinks it away and straightens her shoulders.
Chapman, Valloy, and Jimenez all move forward a bit to speak quietly to each other as they look at the screen. Valloy is busy pointing at Picon and remarking at the crater where Perkinston used to be. The Captain, meanwhile, looks to Navigation casually, "Lieutenant, lets not be flashy about this. I want our course track ten degrees under their lowest ship and twenty degrees fore. Avoid CBDR. Bring us along that course at ten percent and do it smartly, please." The LT nods and goes to work on his touchscreen.
Sergeant Ynyr puts an arm around Angelis's shoulders for just a moment to give her a comforting squeeze and slips back into Arpay so not to be rude to those around the, his baritone kept low, "I was a little worried things might have gone to the shitter while we were gone. It's a beautiful sight." A light shoulder pat and he lets the Lance Corporal have her space. Lleu then quiets to listen and watch what is unfolding.
Pratt casts his eyes down at the deck as he hears a semi-familiar voice, aaaaat least until Elias says they've been gone five days. He blinks and looks up sharply then over at each of the Colonials that are on THIS ship, and mutters, '..the frak?' but shakes his head slightly to reorder himself and keys the mic again..
[Into the Wireless] Pratt says, "Ah. Orion, Pratt. Response is One Niner Five. Yes, sir. All of us, save for the skeleton crew that remained on the Erol, are here on this new craft, along with our…friends who gave us a lift. I'm sorry, did you say /five days/?"
Angelis hesitates, then leans into the half hug and when he releases her, she straightens up again and nods, her brain flipping back to Arpay a little easier this time, "It is beautiful." Tabi bites her lip then pulls in another breath. Clearly trying not to cry now. She blinks rapidly, and then stops, stiffening slightly as she hears Pratt saying something about five days. "Five days?" She throws a confused look to the others.
"I don't think we quite realized just how far from home we were," Miri murmurs to those nearby.
Miri lets out a whoop, then sheepishly looks down at the hands folded in her lap.
"Captain, Sierra One in whole is at high alert. Long range optics confirm gun systems are aimed our direction. …They are launching fighters." The radar operator is doing a good job of keeping his chill.
The Captain nods. "Very well. Thank you. We'll maintain course and speed."
Pratt looks up at the Commander, something clicking about how THEY were initially addressed when the Raptor first jumped into Arpay space, and offers, "Commander, our Admiral requests that you maintain this course and hold at thirty five of our miles. They are sending some Raptors for us - same craft as the one you ran into us in." He pauses for a moment, then eyes Jimenez and Valloy, "If you are willing, this would be a good time to come with and start that dialogue, sirs." Miri gets a glance and the faintest of smiles, reaching out to give the woman's shoulder a squeeze.
[Into the Wireless] Pratt says, "Orion Actual, Pratt. understood sir. I'm not sure the Commander can respond to you directly, but I will make sure he understands. The ship is called the Weller Hill, under the command of a Commander Daromo."
Miri has never been so excited to get strapped into a Raptor. She reaches up to pat Pratt's hand on her shoulder, face breaking into a widening grin.
Lleufer is being pretty quiet right now. The Marine is standing with the other two Marines, Miri and Angelis, and yet Ynyr is probably not far from Major St. Clair, either. He is content to be silent and watching with a faint smile on the good, right side of his mouth. The Fleet is Lleu's family now so it really is a home coming.
Daromo nods once to Pratt, appreciating the translation. "Thank you, Lieutenant. We will be sure to maintain that. Once aboard please let your people know we do not speak Colonial and will need a translator or someone willing to have a razar scan done to learn Arpay." Much like they all did. "We will maintain this posture unless there is enemy contact. We will attempt to mirror the actions of your fleet." Once th exchange is finished, Valloy, Chapman, and Jimenez seem to agree with Pratt. "That's the hope. At the very least we need to send Jimenez to speak with your medical professionals. We are ready to go whenever you are, Jimenez will just need to get some transport cases from her cabin." They have their own cabins. Valloy seems quite professional about all this. "I would like to request that we remain armed as a courtesy, but we understand these are different customs. We will not like it at all, but we will abide if we must."
Angelis shifts restlessly from one foot to the other, fingers still tangling in the end of her ponytail, tugging lightly. She too is quiet, but Miri's whoop gets a slight grin.
Pratt lets the rest of his breath go in a heavy puff as Jameson responds. Instead, he nods at Valloy, "I can't say that I can speak for the Admiral in that regard, sir, but I appreciate the willingness to work with it if we get there and they want to request such. Our enemy used stealth tactics to appear as people we trusted, then get in close and use their weapons to assassinate important people, so in our society, an armed stranger is regarded with wariness. I believe us vouching for you will help mitigate that." he pauses and glances at the others before adding, "If you're ready to go then, sirs, I think all of us would be very grateful if we could head to your hangar bay? I'm happy to help carry your cases."
"Happily will lend a hand," the corpsman chimes in. Miri sits forward in her seat eagerly.