AWD #100: Event - Transporting The Prisoners
Transporting the Prisoners
Summary: Ceres, Knox and Naomi are transported awaiting Tribunal. Something goes very wrong along the way.
Date: 17/April/2013 (OOC Date)
Related Logs: Knox, Ceres and Naomi getting arrested.
Ceres Evans Fischer Knox Maia Naomi Stone 
Hangar Bay
Desc of Room
AWD #100

With a small fireteam leading the shambling prisoners through a round-about and little used side entrance to the Deck, they all walk out and several of the crew turn to watch. The Raptors are set close to the entrance on elevators to take them up to the flight deck, the walkaround already complete and the engines are running. Each one knows that they won't be seeing each other again until after the tribunals are over. A lot of the work in the surrounding area stops while people turn and stare.

Ceres is the last to come along the group of three, keeping Naomi between them and all wearing those beautiful orange jumpers and shackled. There is indignation spreading across her face as Redux's jaw tightens with the stares. "We will see each other soon," she promises Naomi softly and and then looks forward to their lead, Knox. Her dark hair in a plain braid, she blows at her banks to keep them from her eyes.

Knox shuffles out towards the Raptors, meeting eyes. The guy is pretty obviously not happy, evidenced by the frown on his face. Bright orange and in cuffs, he moves in silence until they approach the Raptors and he turns to Stone. "Guns, can we have a moment? The other two and I? You can watch and listen, no harm. Just want to have a few words. Can we get that, Sergeant?"

Maia has already been at her Raptor as soon as she heard she was piloting one of the Cylons to Picon. Pre-flight is done, everything checked out thoroughly. Now she's in her flight suit and her helmet is in hand, her sidearm in place with the safety on. The least known of the three would be her passenger so she was already wary and on alert, in the pilots seat just waiting to do her part of the transfer.

They permitted Naomi an elastic for her hair, but that is the only thing she other than the clothes granted to her by the military. She looks up briefly at Ceres and Knox, giving a little nod to Ceres' promise. Her eyes keep to the floor otherwise. She wants to be elsewhere, and once she's settled in, she can be.

Evans licks his lips and mutters to Fischer as he watches Knox and his escorts head for the raptor he and Fischer have been assigned to, "Corporal, I shuttled around a lot of VIPs while I was at Fleet command, but never had one in leg irons. Though, I gotta tell ya, some of em shoulda been. At least this isn't gonna be a boring trip…just keep em pointed away from m'console. Don't need any Nosy Nelly eyes reading what I'm feeding the FTL."

Keeping a careful watch for now, Fischer glances to Evans for a few moments as he hears those words. "I'll make sure nobody's reading your screen, sir," he replies with a nod as he looks back to the prisoners, rather carefully. "It'll be good to get this trip taken care of, though." Shrugging momentarily to himself.

Stone is following along on the side. Nodding to Knox's question. "Sure. Though keep seperated. No getting close." He offers and does seem a bit apologetic to Knox. Though protocol needs to be held. "No touching. Talk so all can hear." He says and keeps an eye on them. Gesturing for Fischer and the others as well to keep a close eye.

Knox request brings Ceres close, but not touching as she listens to Stone. A glance to the other two similarily shackled and outfitted as her. She glances back towards the corridor they came from and frowns some, giving the orange jumpsuit a ruffle at her hip. She looks expectantly at Knox then, waiting as he seems to have something to say.

Through the canopy, Maia watches the prisoners approaching. When the forward progress is halted for a moment, she lifts her brows, wondering why the break from protocol was allowed. Almost rising to go find out, she realizes it's not really her place, but she watches body movements of the three, a frown marring her forehead. Sure, she was all pro-Knox, but the other two she hadn't had time to know and they concern her. The movement at her hip, the glance back at the corridor.. Again, she starts to rise, this time completing the action, walking towards the open doorway. "What's the holdup? They shouldn't be communicating until after the tribunal."

Knox nods to Stone. "Was hoping to give 'em a hug, but I hear you Sergeant. Thanks." He stops by the Raptors and looks over to the two women. "No matter what happens, hold your heads high and keep your tempers in check. If someone tries to provoke you, just take it. If someone hits or abuses you, report it to your sponsors. Ceres, you're a Captain in the Colonial Fleet. Nobody can take that away from you. Behave as a Captain should. Naomi? Just be yourself and try to refrain from touching people." He flickers a smile. "Remember the people you fought with and what they would want from you, okay? We'll all see each other again." To Ceres, he turns a smile. "I lo-" he turns as Maia calls out and he turns his eyes down. There's another solemn nod to the other two. He takes a long breath and turns to move for his Raptor and be helped up onto the wing and inside.

Evans frowns a little as he watches the procession stop and conversation go on. Lifting his voice a bit so the pilot can hear, "Frak if I know, Jailbait. Gunnery Sergeant isn't lifting his firearm at them, so whatever they're doing isn't pissing him off." Fingers tap in rapid impatient fashion against the edge of his console, "I better not be hearing a 'Wait, I gotta go to the bathroom' once they get on the bus, damnit."

Ceres listens, glancing to Naomi at the mention of her not touching people. There is a twitch of a smile but Redux lifts her gaze quickly when Knox starts to say he loves her. His eyes drop and she lets out a breath, glancing to Centerfold, holding her eyes on the pilot a long moment. She frowns a little at her and then watches Knox walk to his Raptor. She holds where she is a second and looks to Naomi, "They won't box you. Just tell them what you told me." That said, she turns, heading for her own Raptor, the first in line for the elevator and with the help of the marine assigned to her, she climbs up inside.

"Cooper." Naomi says, "I know you said I have to earn it, but you're my brother and I love you. Ceres - you never for a moment thought I was anything but your sister. Thank you. You'll both - " she's cut off as she's tugged away, looking behind her at them frantically as she's loaded up into the raptor.

Nodding a little bit as he hears what's being said now, Fischer still keeps careful watch as he does, expression stony for the moment. As Knox moves over to the Raptor, he moves in position to move with the prisoner there, helping him up onto the wing and inside now. "Welcome aboard," he comments, as he makes sure to get Knox placed so he won't be looking at the ECO's console now.

Though she may sympathize with their own predicament, Maia understands that under extreme circumstances even humans can fall to the pressure and freak out a little. Self preservation for her crew and herself is greater than her sympathy so when they make the break she nods once, pleased they had broken they farewell party she nods to Naomi. "Just sit back and enjoy the ride, I won't let anything happen to you under my watch," she tries to reassure her. "I'm sorry it's come to this.." Turning, she heads back to her seat, slipping her helmet on, waiting on Gunny to give the okay with the door being closed.

"Go on." Comes Stone's words after the brief talk. Seeing to that they all head on. His eyes always watching they movements. The small body gestures and the facial expressions. His own neutral. Seeing to that everyone goes on correctly before moving in behind Naomi. He will make sure that all others are ready for take off before actually going inside the raptor though. Once everything is assured he will head in to be able to nod to Maia and keep an eye on Naomi.

Cooper looks to Naomi as she says it, being helped up. He kisses his hand then waves it towards her, then again to Ceres. The skinjob ducks inside the Raptor and settles in the seat next to the ECO station so he can't see any of the screens. He looks out the door to someone on the catwalk above and he mouths something, eyes then turning down as the door closes. Coop looks defeated already now that he's by himself, leaning forward and closing his eyes as he deflates. "Thanks, Corporal."

Evans rises from his chair when Knox approaches the bird, giving Fischer time and plenty of room to secure Knox' seating, before leaning in to grab the hatch and pull it closed, "Jailbait, hatch secure, we have good seal and ready for departure if Marine Corps is go with the prisoner." He drops back into his chair, eyeing Knox for a moment before giving the man a smile, "Welcome to Con Air. Our apologies, there won't be a lunch service on this flight, but we do have our own brand of in flight entertainment. Hum a few bars and I'll sing along - or wait. I bet you like techno, right?" Not that he's expecting an answer, as the pilot's affirmative response already has his attention drifting to the console.

Shuffled up in the Raptor, Ceres barely has a chance to capture the motion that Knox makes for her. There is a moment as she tries to call to him, pushing back against the hand of the marine assigned to her. Her dark brows furrow, "Coo…!" but its muffled as she pushed in and then she takes to her seat, her jaw tightening as she remains silent, lifting her arms so they can buckle her in. Her dark braid swings forward, sliding over her shoulder and against her cheek as she waits to jump.

"My name is Dr. Naomi Tamsin." the Littlest Skinjob says to those who she shares a raptor with. "I'd like to know who I'm riding with, if it isn't too much trouble. I don't do well with a lack of stimulus, so any of you willing to talk to me, I'd be thankful for it." She smiles very faintly. "Unless of course, there's an in-flight magazine or movie." Whistling in the dark as she settles in for the ride, and tries not to show her terror.

As Stone gives the okay, Maia waits her turn, she's third in line, last. Hearing Naomi, she glances back briefly, but mostly keeps a lookout through the canopy, her com up and ready, her ECO already doing their thing. "Nice to formally meet you, Doctor Tamsin. I'm Lieutenant JG Maia Kane." Her words aren't clipped, there's a measure of sympathy there in them, but she doesn't allow more than that. Duty first and delivering them safely was what her orders were. "Gunny, she's all buckled in?"

Moving for his own seat close by, where he can keep a careful eye on Knox for the moment, Fischer keeps his weapon ready in case Knox should decide to do anything now. "Now let's keep this nice and easy, shall we? No stupid actions." A brief grin is offered as he hears the part about Evans singing along. "See, that's our secret weapon here."

"Gunnery Sergeant Colt Stone." Comes Stone's offer with a brief smile. Securing Naomi as he does. Fastening and all of such to keep her in place. "All ready." He offers and moves back to secure himself and be ready.

The Raptors all lift up their elevators at the same time and are cleared for an immediate outbound. The three jumps back are without a hitch. The lead pilot in Ceres' Raptor transmits her chosen coordinates to the other ECO's and they're executed. The final jump brings them into atmo and towards a long descent down towards a narrow valley that will eventually lead them up the normal approach vectors to Anvil. Its early morning here and the sun is just starting to come up on a warm summer morning. Each Raptor leaves a long contrail in its wake as they descend through the cooler air at high altitude and line up on the valley. DRADIS seems clear, no contacts.

Knox doesn't give a reply to Evans. He doesn't even look at the man. The only person he bothers to give a look to is Fischer and the gun. "Really? If I was going to cause problems, I would've done that a long time ago. Just please keep your finger off the trigger and the safety on. I don't want to be shot due to turbulence." Its all said quietly and he looks back down to the floor, falling silent once more.

Most of Ceres' crew is silent for the duration, the marine watching her closely but the crew itself seem to be glancing at her occasionally. The pilot even offers a faint smile. A sigh and the woman rubs at her face, trying to avoid the chain in between her cuffs. As they begin to descend, she adjusts to sit back in her seat to avoid slamming her head or anything into the hull with the shudder from the entrance. She begins to pray softly as the impending arrival is nearly due.

Evans's fingers dance over the controls as the Raptor pulls out of the last of the series of jumps it takes to get to Picon, easily drawling into his status, "Jailbait we are clear of jump and on position, DRADIS is coming back up and clear, we are good to follow Con Air 1 all the way to ANVIL." He shoots a wink at Fischer after Knox' comment and murmurs, "Don't sweat it, Corporal. If I was heading to a trial I already knew the outcome of, I'd be pretty cranky too. Besides, if this goes half as well as most of my flights on Picon? I should be getting an AA launch warning right about….now." He quirks a brow and eyes his panel, as if he actually expects the warning to go off.

"Gunnery Sergeant Colt Stone, has anyone ever told you that you have an improbably muscular abdomen? Lieutenant Maia Kane, don't you think the Gunny has an improbable abdomen?" Seriously. Naomi will chatter her head off the whole way there, trying to keep her fear at bay and her mind stimulated.

"I know," Fishcer admits as he hears Knox, offering the man a brief smile now. "And for what it's worth, I'm sorry things got to this." Nodding a bit to Evans as well, he keeps himself ready to fire in the unlikely event it should be needed, but not so there might be any accidental shots fired.

Just as soon as the coordinates are given, Maia and her own Raptor make the jump over as well. The sunrise has her catching her breath but she doesn't linger over it as long as she would like. Instead, a smile plays across her lips at the chatter from Naomi. "I suppose he must, I think I have heard other pilots speaking of his legendary abs, Doctor. If it's easier you can drop the Lieutenant and the JG and just call me Maia, ma'am." The descent is long enough and she keeps it slow and steady. "I hope your tribunal goes well for you. With the Colonel batting for you guys, it should go good."

Stone chuckles and shrugs. "LAtely, I have." Keeping his main focus on Naomi, though with a brief glance to Maia. To soon looking at Naomi. "I'll be fine, doc." He offers to her. Knowing how it can feel like being a prisoner. Smiling at Maia's words as well.

Nope, there's no warnings. Sorry Evans. The Raptors descend down into the valley and the ride is a bit bumpy for a few seconds as they pass through the wind coming off the mountains. The calmer air down low provides for a much smoother flight. They cruise down to 400 feet and run northbound up the valley. No, there are no warnings. Even as the stream of 30mm tracers rise up from the valley floor, there's no indications on anyone's panels, not even that in the lead Raptor. The rounds impact across the front of the Raptor and across the long axis of the bird. Parts of aircraft skin and canopy explode away from the lead Raptor, showering the Raptors behind with bits of it all when it prangs off their airframes. The port engine and tail shears off in the airstream and back towards the others behind them. The starboard engine is already belching flame and black smoke. It begins a slow, arcing descent towards the valley floor where the gunfire came from, more of it suddenly arcing up but passing behind the lead Raptor this time. The pilot fights for control and manages to keep the bird upright, pulling the nose high as it drops. Any aircrew knows the alarms sounding in the radio when she calls over it, the warnings for engine fires, oil pressure, and transmission failures. Its disturbing for the subtle terror in how calm and collected its said.

"Raptor Five-oh-five, we are going down."

And nobody is ejecting.

As the first tracer fire hits her Raptor, Ceres jerks to the side, cracking her her temple against the seat and then lifts her hands to try to stop herself from additional movement. But before she can reaction, her breath is sucked away by the roof being pulled off over top of her and the wind rushing in around. As they start to careen down, she is thrown at an angle against the straps of her belt, letting out a sound of surprise and trying to lower her hands. She can't get the latch undone but at this point, she shouldn't. No one else is ejecting, no one is ….GOD! Ceres notes how they all remain…with her. Little time to think as she braces her feet to the ground and pins herself back into her seat.

Knox just sits there, unable to hear the radio calls. He just stares at the floor, withdrawn. Evans isn't risen-to, either. He just sits in silence, ignoring the sound of Raptor bits pranging off the canopy glass.

"What's that?" Naomi perks in her seat, despite her restraints. "What was that? What's going on?" She strains to try to see through the raptor's front window panels.

At first Maia doesn't see it with the fiery sunrise so prominent in the canopy, the teasing banter in her own Raptor enough to have lightened her earlier mood marginally. The smoke trail is her first indication and she yells into the com, "Why aren't you ejecting?!" Frak! Helpless, she watches, unable to look away. Gods! "Gunny, talk to her. Tell her all about them abs." Distract her, her voice really insinuates, no need for panic in this one too. Her hands are shaking now, she practically barks commands to her ECO. Safe to land?

"What the…" Fischer begins at the sound of raptor bits hitting the Raptor. Looking around for a few moments, he grimaces a bit. "What the frak just happened?" Attention back to Knox, after a few moments now.

Evans swears under his breath when the lead raptor is hit, "Jailbait, get us the frak out of here! Land us or Im spooling FTL back up, pick one!" He takes a second to key over the broadcast and squawks, "ANVIL approach this is Orion Raptor five twenty two we are under fire. Repeat we are under heavy fire at approximate location…" He takes a second to rattle off their coordinates before adding, "Five oh five has taken damage and is going down!" Then almost without taking a breath, he hisses at Fischer and Knox, "Corporal, Mr. Knox, hang onto something tight and check your underwear."

Stone looks ahead as something happens. Looking out and soon turns back to Naomi. "Stay calm, Turbulence. I'm not sure what is going on. Just. Try and stay calm." He tells her and smiles. Though it is forced. "We'll get through it fine. Tell me something more about yourself." He tries to keep the calm.

The small, four-wheeled gun system on the ground fires another burst and shreds the tail of the Raptor, right at the source of the flames. Four hundred feet just really is not far to descend, either.

"Not leaving them, Maia. Five-oh-five, going in," the pilot repeats quietly, alarms still blaring through the transmission. Then, just before impact, "Chuck!-" the pilot yells to her backseater. The transmission never completes. The Raptor plows into the ground in the middle of the river valley, nose-up. The rear end catches the soil and pancakes the front end down hard, turning the whole front end into a plow. It must it something hard just beneath the surface because it stops suddenly and rolls ass over nose once and then settles back down on its belly. Flame and smoke pour from the rear end and down the side in a lake as fuel leaks from the tanks. That anti-air gun sits less than a hundred yards away, its guns resting down and aimed at the crashed Raptor. The Centurions emerge from the treeline nearby and begin their march towards the Raptor.

Knox knows something is up as soon as people start issuing orders in the Raptor. He looks over at Fischer and then to Evans, then back out front to see the remnants of the smoke trail. He knows that's Ceres' Raptor. Cooper slowly rises from his seat and just stares out the front, not moving from his spot just yet. His expression pales and he swallows, not paying any attention to anything else at the moment.

Naomi snaps, "Don't lie to me." to Stone with a flash of anger and there's Maia asking about ejecting, and Naomi strains forward in her seat, so hard that one of the buckles on the raptor seat actually pops. Yes, it can withstand intense g-force, and her chains remain on her legs and feet, but Naomi pops with a negligent, audible pop up near one of the shoulders like it was a piece of velcro. "What's going on?! Whose Raptor has been hit!?"

The jarring landing is painful, her left elbow slamming into her seat and bringing a numbness. The right side of her harness is jerked hard and nearly chokes her before its ripped away and left in shreds. Ceres lets out scream of pain as her shoulder gives some with the pull of the restraint. The deafening sound of the crash is made up of crunching metal and squealing as the Raptor slams into the earth. She's still dazed, confused when it all comes to an end and its just the sound of the marine not far from her groaning and what seems like a fire. Pushing past the cloud of pain, she blots it out and pushes it to the back of her mind with her internal will. The cuffs at her hands are looked at and she strains, stretching her wrists apart til they give, leaving find red lines where they nearly sliced her skin apart. Slipping out of the one half of her restraint, she looks over to the marine, still buckled in but injured, the ECO is still moving and with a decision, she slides down towards the ECO console and its operator. The sound of Centurions finally breaks its way through her ringing ears and she reaches for the com, scrambling. "This is Redux, we have incoming Centurions. We lost the pilot…" she thinks, "ECO, myself and the corporal are still alive…." But through the smoke she can see them, the red lights moving back and forth. A chill runs down her spine and she reaches for the gun the marine lost, checking its rounds and hitting the safety off as she puts herself between the incoming infantry and the ECO. She leaves the coms open, the sound crackling over the airwaves as she aims and takes her first shot at the incoming. She barely does any damage and there is a gritting of her teeth.

"Naomi! Knox!" Another shot goes off as the viewport of the centurion shatters. "I love you…." Another shot. "Tell Augustus I will see him again." More shots and then there is a another as the ECO joins in. Ceres beings to pray as she shoots.

"Heavenly father grant me the strength…the wisdom and above all…a measure of acceptance…"

But the prayer ends with the a sudden thunderous return fire that screeches across the coms and then there is silence before a brilliant explosion lights up the crash site and the Raptor is blown apart. The BOOM is audible even to those in their Raptors as the cloud of smoke rises, angry flames licking at the earth and the gun that goes up in another explosion, smaller.

No.. Maia isn't landing there. The voice over the com is heard and before she even has time to reply, she hears the final transmission. Wanting to rip the com off and slam it around, she forces herself to remain calm. The frakkin' Cylon is on planet now, she gets a brand new shiny body. The same can't be said for the Marine, the Pilot or the ECO. Anger floods her and she has to force herself to breathe, it's all she can do not to fling curses at every existing Cylon beginning with the one on her Raptor. "Redux. Her Raptor went down. SIT DOWN! She'll be fine! It's her crew that's gone forever. She's probably already downloading into a new body. Gunny you have your orders, you shoot to kill if she fails to comply." Playing no games, she is already trying to get out of the general area. Then she hears the boom.. Frak. Slamming her fist down on her own leg, she has never felt so helpless!

Evans can't see what's going on on the ground from his back seat, but his pilot does turn the middle Raptor evasive. The idea that the anti-aircraft fire stops when five oh five hits is not lost on the ECO though, "ANVIL approach, five oh five is down at (such n such) coordinates, we need a heavy bird and SAR on site, expedite, remaining Raptors are completely defensive. Repeat, we have survivors at the crash site with incoming Centurions…" He trails off when Ceres utters her prayar across the comms and Raptor five oh five blinks off of DRADIS permanently, one of the few times the man is actually speechless, muttering to himself, "Frak. Frak. Jailbait, pedal to the floor before we're next!"

Nodding a little bit as he hears Evans, Fischer starts reaching for something to hold on to, when he sees Knox start getting to his feet. "Get back into your seat," he says, preparing to get out of his own seat as well now. "Serg… Knox!" Moving forward now in an attempt to push the man back in his seat. "Look, I'm sorry, but there's nothing we can do…" Sounding quite sincere as well now.

"I didn't lie. I said turbulence, and there is. I also said that we are fine, and we are." Stone tells her and looks out before looking back to her. "Stay calm. There is nothing you can do right now. We will see what is going on. You need to stay calm." He tells her and keeps a bit of distance. "If you do something then we can't help." Turning to MAia. "Can we get closer?" He asks, but as he does there is the explosion. Gritting his teeth. "Sit." He tells NAomi. "Get us to safety. Land if you need to. If they keep shooting that is." He calls. Still making sure that Naomi obeys, while giving the orders to the others.

Knox watches the explosion, never hearing the radio call. But he could see a Centurion reacting to something. He feels the shove from Fischer but its like trying to shove a brick wall. The Marine bows his head after a moment, whispering, "Frak you, Corporal. Like you give a shit. Don't forget to point your gun at me before I do something crazy like frakking stand up to watch my sister die." He steps back and sits back into the seat, lifting his eyes to the sky above. "Good luck, baby sister. Kill 'em all." Its spoken with the same low whisper of a prayer. He tilts his head back forward, eyes closed as he wipes at his eye.

"You think it's as simple as that?" Naomi hisses at Maia, though her eyes dart to Stone, and his gun. No, she doesn't strain further. "Nevermind the trauma of the download in the first place, if they review her memories before allowing her to complete resurrection they will box her! Living death! And if she resurrects and infects her line, they may box all of her! Did you hear the prayer she was making? We only offer that prayer when we think we're going to die for good, forever!" To Stone, "Do you have family, Gunnery Sergeant? I just watched my sister die. Do you think I'm really fine?!" She's shaking in her seat, but she's no longer busting her restraints like they're made of tissue and cotton candy. In fact, her knees come up to her chest, regardless of the weight of the chains, and she curls into a ball as she ducks her head like a little trundlebug.

Arguing with a Cylon makes little sense to her, but argue she does, but only when she's sure they're safely away from enemy fire. "Wait a minute.. Are you telling me that they can review her memories? Like where Orion is or…" Piraeus. Frak.. FRAK! "NO!" Maia snaps, "I didn't know because Knox didn't tell me that part. The only thing I know about your kind is what he has told me. How does she know she was dying forever? How would she know that?" Forcing herself to calm down she takes a few deep breaths and when she speaks again, she's more reasonable. "I'm sorry you lost your sister. We also lost a Pilot. An ECO, a Marine. And they definitely do not have a chance of downloading anywhere. I liked Ceres, I tried to side with her when I could and protect her and your kind. Be mad at the right enemy, Doctor. Be mad at your species. We didn't do this."

"If I didn't give a shit, I'd have used the weapon." Fischer whispers to Knox in return, keeping his hand on the man's shoulder for a while longer. "You guys helped me get whatever little family I had left safely off this rock. I won't forget that." Letting go of the shoulder now, he moves to seat himself again as well. "I'm truly sorry for what just happened." Glancing around for a few moments as he seats himself again.

Stone nods to Naomi. "Each marine is my sibling. And yes. I know of at least one of mine dying. As several marines. The only one I know is alive got shot as well. I know how it is. But there is nothing you can do. So stay calm." He tells her. "Can you get us away?" He asks Maia. Keeping his eyes on Naomi though. "I saw several of those I've spent a long time with. Fellow marines. More or less brothers. Begging for their lives while imprisoned. So I do understand. Though all you can do is keep strong." He tells her. "Do it for them if none else." Nodding to Maia's words as well. Making himself ready in case something happens. "Be ready if we take fire." Holding on as well.

Evans glances over at Fischer, and then Knox, "Both of you sit your asses down in Jailbait's airframe while she tries to keep us from joining your godsdamned sister and our fellow crew and marines, unless you forgot about the three other people that just died in that aircraft. Sit. Your asses. Down." When Fischer does so before he even finishes, Evans manages a glare at Knox before turning his attention back to his console, readying what countermeasures the limited bird has just in case the gun that exploded wasn't the only piece of equipment out there.

"I am sitting, sir," Knox nearly spits at Evans. "And no, sir, I didn't forget about the other people in the bird, sir. So unless you have any other brilliant observations sir, please leave me the hell alone." A pause. "Sir." Coop looks to the pilot, then to Fischer and then back to the floor. He's done. Cuffed hands lift to run through nonexistent hair and he shudders, not moving again after that.

"No, you just put us in these raptors to take us to our deaths anyway. How kind of you." grits Naomi through her teeth. Her gaze settles on Stone, lifting her chin up to her kneecaps. "You'd know if I wasn't calm." With that, she tucks her head down again and stays like that.

"You're mistaken, Doctor. I didn't do anything to you," Maia's voice is deadly calm, she doesn't look back at Stone or Naomi either one. "I am following orders and I fully intend to continue following them through to completion. If you have some sort of threat, please finish it, I'd hate to leave it open ended on exactly what you would do once not calm when I write my testimonial for the tribunal." Her own is an empty threat, she knows it, figures the good doctor knows it too, but it makes her feel better to say it anyway. "Also, if you would like to file a complaint against me for treatment of yourself while in my Raptor, feel free to do so, I have more important things to worry about, like keeping us all alive."

"Look, let's all just get safely down where we're supposed to be now," Fischer offers a bit quietly, before he goes silent again now. Just keeping an eye on Knox for now, he keeps quiet, and ready now.

"We're trying to keep your ass alive. Else we could have had you shot on ORion already. Instead of risking our own lives. So stop your witty comments." Stone tells Naomi. "I got a mission. So trust me. I will fulfill it. Or die trying. So keep yourself ready." NOdding to what Maia offers. "Indeed. Let's focus on the main issue, for now."

Evans growls a little under his breath at Knox' tone, but instead calls up to the pilot, "Centerfold's bird seems okay, looks like the explosion took out the AA gun. Five minutes to ANVIL approach." His fingers are pressing down so hard on the edge of the console that his knuckles have almost turned white from the bloodloss, while his eyes are *glued* to the display and DRADIS, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Or, well, they land.

Knox doesn't say a damned thing the whole ride back. He just sits there, leaned forward, and wipes at his eyes every couple of minutes. Once at Anvil, he's transferred out to the Marine MPs at the command post and escorted back to the cells. He walks in a daze, not really looking at anything in particular. The man ends his journey in a rocky cell which is mostly a dead-end mineshaft about ten feet deep with iron bars to hold him inside. There's a bucket in the corner and a small bedroll for him. Welcome to Picon. He just walks into the cell after his shackles are off and stands there staring at the bucket.

Not intending to take long, Maia leaves her Raptor and goes where she was told she would find Knox. Not able to stay long, she hurries her steps until she's there, looking inside the new cell. Her expression changes from stoicism to dismay, her words falter, unuttered at first. Scuffing her boot on the ground, she tries to find the words. "I'm sorry." The words she finds are impotent, useless, but it's all she has. "Gods.. I'm sorry, Knox."

Knox slowly turns and looks over at Maia. Its not hard to see in his eyes that he's been crying. Badass JTAC, skinjob, he's just like anyone else. His eyes fall eventually and he moves to sit on the bedroll. "Thanks, sir. Doesn't matter, though. She's gone." The man leans back against the rock wall and closes his eyes.

Maia had expected anger, preferred it actually. The tears are like a punch in the gut. How betrayed he must feel, by everyone he'd fought for. "I thought we were beyond the whole.. sir thing." More pointless words, a filler, frivolous words to fill a silence she doesn't know how to fill. When he sits on the bedroll, she sits on the ground by the bars, holding a bar with one hand. "Can she come back? Can you see her with your.. power?" That's mostly what she had come to ask.

"She could. But she won't, sir. Not anytime soon." Cooper stares at the ceiling. He wipes at his eye and just breathes for a few moments. "No, I can't see her like that. All I have are my memories. Maybe one day, if Orion survives, I'll see her again. It probably won't be anytime soon, though. If ever." His gaze falls and he stares at his lap. It was probably easier to see him in the cell with the other two where he had to be the strong one. Here? Along? He looks like any other person who had just watched that event unfold and lost someone so important to him.

Remembering the vision he had shown her before, the love he had felt, she had felt through him, for Ceres must make it almost unbearable for him. Leaning her forehead against the bar, Maia looks down also, unable to bear looking at him like that. He had been so strong and so positive before for the others. "I'm sorry I didn't let you have your farewells, back on Orion." Guilt, like a heavy weight, settles on her chest. Unable to offer him more than that, she doesn't. She can't.

"Its…" Not alright. But he doesn't say that. "You were doing your job, sir. It doesn't matter, though. All we can do is pray that she can infect her line like we planned." Eyes close and he sits there in silence for a few long moments. "Did the pilot say anything? What happened?" Coop wasn't on the radio.

No, it's not alright and Maia knows it. "The pilot said she wasn't leaving them.. she was going in then she said Chuck, but was cut off, I don't know what else she was going to say." Her words are of little comfort she knows, especially what she is going to tell him now. "Ceres said she loves you and the Doctor and to tell Augustus she will see him again. And she prayed.. for strength and wisdom and a measure of acceptance. I hope she got it.. I hope you all find it. Some measure of acceptance from someone."

Coop listens to all this in silence. After she finishes, the sounds of Anvil's population echo around the tunnels and down the dark, damp mineshaft. The man sits there with his head bent forward, letting all that settle. "I don't think we will, sir." Find acceptance. "Not here on Picon. We've got a chance at the battlegroup, but I don't think we do here." He wets his lips, taking a long breath and staring back at the wall on the other side of the cell. "That's a prayer we issue and utter when we are preparing to possibly face permanent death or those of our people have done-so. Its a prayer to my people's God to forgive us and give us a place. We don't really have one here on this plane." A few moments pass. "I love you, too, baby sister."

"The tribunal is doing this all wrong. It was an issue for Orion, it should have stayed there, none of this should have ever happened. Was it the new JAG that put this into effect? Is it her fault?" Maia has no idea how it all came about to begin with, why it was so sudden. Lifting her head now she looks back at the former and hopefully soon to be Marine. Hearing what Naomi said confirmed by him only increases the hurt she feels for him. she withdraws her hand and wraps her arms around herself unable to rid herself of the chill that comes from within. "If I could be on the Tribunal, I would. All I can do is know that my name is in the lottery and hope it gets chosen. I would never find you guilty of anything. I can write a letter on your behalf though, and I will do that but I don't know what to say because all I know is what you have told me and have given to me with that image. It's definitely not something I should share on your behalf. People are afraid of what they don't understand."

"Nobody is to blame for this, sir," he says quietly. "It just is what it is. I brought of the legal problems I might be facing. This is my fault. Ceres is dead because I was worried about protecting her. Eight weeks old and she was thrown back to the jackals by those frakking mindless shit-tins." Coop looks like a smaller person in here. The dark of being underground does him no favors. "Don't worry about a letter or testifying or anything else, el-tee. The truth about what I've done is probably going to come out from Petra. At that point, it won't make a difference what anyone else says, I don't think. We'll see whose minds are made up at that point, sir."

Remaining there in front of the cell for a long moment, Maia watches him, arms still wrapped around herself, noting the differences in him. From the library, to the cell, to here, losing his sister, alone and scared. "I don't know how you can face so much, go through all you have and still find the will to continue. If there was anything in all the Colonies that would have made you become one of them, I think you would have surpassed that long ago." Standing, she wipes off her flight suit. "I should get back, still on duty, but.. For what it's worth, I believe in you." Lifting her shoulders, she knows it's not enough. "I hope to see you back on Orion again, if you can stand us still. We once had that talk about inhumane and now the cell they put you in.. well it's us doing it. I should go…"

"Sir, I have the will to continue because when I die, I want to die for good. I want a place with you all on P. I have no interest with my own. For all the inhumanity that humanity is capable of, humanity didn't just nuke the hell out of the twelve colonies and waste so many beautiful beings. I'd love to watch my people burn in a lake of fire for what they've done to you all, to me, to Ceres, and to Naomi." Knox doesn't turn to look as she rises. "If there is anything that makes me hate my people more than anything, its what happened today. This is, without a doubt, the single worst day of my life." He lifts a hand to wave to her and leans over to lay on the bedroll. "Get home safe, sir. Fight the good fight, Lieutenant."

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