IC: So Say We All

0700 Caprica Standard Time

The Colonial Ship Meleager floats in the black of deep space, the star of Helios Alpha a cubit-sized spot in the far distance. Closer, the bulk of asteroids of the Erebos Belt loom dark in the near distance. Three Viper fighters, a Mark VII and two Mark VI's fly in formation over the Escortstar and bank gracefully around on a new trajectory towards the nearby rocks. A Raptor flashes into being as it comes out of FTL and lines up on a landing approach to the ship.

Inside, it's still early in the ship's day. The faint hum of the vessel's powerful engines rumbles through the corridors as Old Mel holds it's position. Throughout the ship, the Alpha shift is rising and preparing for duty while the Constellation shift looks forward to some rack time and relaxation. The corridors are still quiet, sparsely populated on the Constellation shift due to the almost skeleton status of the crew alottment to the Escortstar. Even this early in the day, there's a Triad game starting up in the Pilot Break Room.


The incoming Raptor, flown by LT Carson "Trip" Feng, swings into a closing course with the Escortstar. Meleager, this is Raptor Two Zero Four, inbound with our new Marine Lieutenant. Requesting clearance to land.

Welcome back, Raptor Two Zero Four. You are clear on Lane Three, and please welcome Lieutenant Fuller on behalf of the Major. The voice over the wireless from Meleager is staticky, but easily understood.

LT Harvey "Jax" Larsen, the ECO, smiles over at the marine from his station. "Looks like they're expecting you, Third."

Trip only answers Meleager's comm officer as the Raptor soars into the ship's landing bay, Copy, Meleager.


The flight of Vipers, led by Karim "Riptide" Marx in the Mark VII Viper followed by a pair of cadets in Mark VI a4's , streaks towards the nearby asteroids. The order of the day is a round of missile target practice, with each of the cadets' fighters loaded with 20 practice-grade ballistic missiles. The two cadets, Vanessa "Killer" Killian, and Alana "Artemis" Gorgo, are two of the more promising pilot trainees in this batch out of Echidna. In the last three months since their assignment to the Meleager, nearly everyone on the ship has learned that they are also fierce rivals in and out of the cockpit.

As the fighters begin to slip in among the rocks, transponder codes light up on their navigation screens. This area of the Erebos Belt is used often for pilot training, and many rocks have been marked for various purposes, from navigation exercises to target practice.

Alright, Nuggets, pay attention. You know the drill out here. Your targets have been marked by transponders, and each rock is less than 10 meters on it's longest axis. Fire one missile per pass, each pass to begin no less than one kilometer from the target. Scoring is by number of hits and shortest time to completion. To make things interesting, Vector says that the winner flies a Mark VII the next time out of the launch tubes. Artemis, you take target Logo. Killer, you have Meteor. Begin sixty seconds from my mark... Mark!

Killian's almost musical laugh lilts over the wireless, Better get on your game, Artemis. I'm gonig to whip you so bad you'll wish you'd stayed in the Raptors.

Sampson sat forward and nodded. "That could be good or bad," the Cadet officer admitted with a wry grin, "It could also mean nothing at all. I suppose I'll have to wait and see what it will bring. How long have you two been with Meleager?"

It wasn't going to hurt him to know Raptor crews, especially since marines depended on them for insertion and extraction.

Cadet Lieutenant Alana 'Artemis' Gorgo's ship begins to dance among the rocks. With a beaming smile, she disengaged the safety on her simulation weapons. She was truly most at peace in the cockpit of a Viper, and after having to build up mandatory flight time in the Raptors, she was relishing every moment. Her smile quickly disappears as she receives the message over the wireless.

The only way you'd beat me, Killer, is if I was still in the raptor. With others, Artemis' banter was jovial, with Cadet Lieutenant Vanessa Killian, it was always business. Ever since Basic Flight, they had marked themselves as two of the most natural pilots of their class, and also shared a deep rivalry. Artemis admitted to herself during her more self reflective monets that it may be because they were too alike, but they seemed to butt heads whenever they had to acknowledge each other. It didn't help that Killian was Tauron, and had their trademark stubbornness; something that Artemis herself inherited from her mother's side. While Artemis was slightly better on the stick, Killer had the better shot. Fortunately for her, that advantage was marginalised today as they were using missiles.

Killer's laugh echoes through the static of the wireless., I could beat you with a crippled micro-shuttle and a slingshot made on Gemenon, Artemis.

Knock it off, you nuggets, Riptide breaks in, Cut the chatter and get to work. Exercise begins... now! The lieutenant's viper climbs and then rolls, giving him an upside down overhead view of the action.

(OOC: First, make a piloting roll, Agility+Piloting+Talent. If you beat a 19 Difficulty, apply a +1 step to your Heavy Weapons skill in the next step. Second, roll a complex action with Alertness+Heavy Weapons, with a target number of 55. Remember to account for botches. Whoever makes it to 55 with the least number of rolls will win.)



Meanwhile, in the Raptor, Jax answers Fuller. "We've been on Meleager for just over three months. Before that, we flew together out of Triton for over two years." Even as he talks, both men continue to work their controls, the pilot flying the Raptor like an extension of himself while the ECO manages all the rest, neither man needing to speak to function together like a well-oiled machine.

It was well known among the 24th that although they brought out the worst in their personalities, when flying head-to-head against each other, Killer and Artemis always showed the apex of their skill; many cadet records have been broken and many cubits have been won and lost in wagers on their competitions. Today would be no different.

Artemis switched off her wireless link to Killer; a breach of protocol, but she didn't need to hear her whilst she was concentrating. Almost immediately, everything seemed to fall into place during her run. Even she marvelled a little at the tightness of her control as she seemed to find optimal lines to each target, waiting to get a hard lock before firing. Feeling a little cocky, she even shot a few missiles dumb, yet they seemed to still find their correct prey. She kept one eye on the chronometer; and it was looking like she was going to get a damn good time.

Agility (d10) + Pilot/Viper (d10) + Talents(d12+d4) (d) (Dogfighter (d4), Talented/Viper Pilot (d6), Opponent's Rival (d6):
Dice Roll: 1d10 1d10 1d12 1d4t
d10 Results: 1
d10 Results: 5
d12 Results: 11
d4 Results: 2
Sum Total: 19
These dice were omitted, altered, or moved: d10 d10 d12 d4t
Original Dice: d10 d10 d12 d4t

Forgot to put the one before each dice...

Roll 1, Alertness (d8) + Heavy Weapons (d6):
Dice Roll: 1d8 1d6t
d8 Results: 3
d6 Results: 2
Sum Total: 5

Forgot to add one step bonus, will add it twice to next roll then do it as normal.

After Roll 2:
Dice Roll: 1d8+5 1d10t
d8 Results: 4 (Total = 9)
d10 Results: 2
Sum Total: 11

After Roll 3:
Dice Roll: 1d8+11 1d8t
d8 Results: 3 (Total = 14)
d8 Results: 7
Sum Total: 21

After Roll 4:
Dice Roll: 1d8+21 1d8t
d8 Results: 2 (Total = 23)
d8 Results: 7
Sum Total: 30

After Roll 5:
Dice Roll: 1d8+30 1d8t
d8 Results: 1 (Total = 31)
d8 Results: 4
Sum Total: 35

After Roll 6:
Dice Roll: 1d8+35 1d8t
d8 Results: 6 (Total = 41)
d8 Results: 1
Sum Total: 42

After Roll 7:
Dice Roll: 1d8+42 1d8t
d8 Results: 7 (Total = 49)
d8 Results: 2
Sum Total: 51

After Roll 8:
Dice Roll: 1d8+51 1d8t
d8 Results: 7 (Total = 58)
d8 Results: 6
Sum Total: 64

The new Marine Lieutenant nodded. It was good to see men who worked so well together, as the raptor crews had to do. It wasn't as glamorous a role as the stick jocks, but in many ways neither was being a Marine. Solomon had an appreciation for the men and women who meant the difference between life and death for him and his team - once he had a team at any rate.

"Three months is time enough to learn all the scuttlebutt. Can you boys give me the skinny on who and what to avoid? Having a heads up in advance would put me in your debt twice."

The sleek forms of the Vipers dart through the asteroids, lining up again and again on their targets, each pilot straining for speed and accuracy, and both doing very well. As Riptide watches from above, it is clear the two women are closely matched, though Artemis begins to pull ahead according to the computerized scoring system displaying on his central screen. The new CNP, among other things, was a great tool for this kind of scoring application.


Meanwhile, Raptor 204 touches gently to the deck. As the landing platform slips under the deck, and the Raptor begins the short trip through the conveyors to the Hanger Deck, Jax answers, "There's the usual grumbling and griping below decks in the ratings and deckhands, but that's everywhere. Your Marines might get mixed up in some of that, but I bet Sergeant Burke will handle it before you ever notice. For you, the only real worry is the XO, Captain Fenq. He can be a real fraking hardcase, sometimes."

Doors ahead of the Raptor open onto the Hanger Deck, and the small craft trundles out into the open space. The area is bustling with deckhands and work crews in duty orange or blue uniforms. Off to one side, a cluster of cadets in flight suits are being lectured by a senior pilot. Standing out amidst the crowd is a single figure in black, standing at parade rest and looking expectantly towards the Raptor.

"Looks like the Sergeant is expecting you, Third," Jax grins.

Lieutenant Fuller nodded. He was curious as to how this first meeting would go, though in the back of his mind a seed of worry concerning the XO began to form. Solomon pushed that aside and moved to the hatch.

"Thanks gentlemen," he said as he pulled his kit together, "For the lift and the scuttlebutt. I owe you a beer."

The Marine moved across the tarmac and approached the NCO. "Sergeant Burke?" he queried as he came to a near stop in front of the man.

The rugged older man snaps a sharp salute to the Lieutenant. "Ser, welcome aboard." A gesture indicates a nearby hatch out of the hanger deck. "The men are 'ssembled an' waiting yer inspection, ser. Unless you want t' stow yer gear first, that is." His accent is thickly Aerelon, and he looks stout but tough. The Distinquished Service Order medal on his breast backs up that assessment. A huge, non-standard sidearm rests in a massive holster at his hip.

Burke leads Fuller through the hatch and down a corridor that feels cramped, but not crowded. In fact, there is little traffic in the corridor, probably due to the nearly half-crew the Meleager is functioning with.

Sampson returned the salute crisp and sharp. This was the first sign of what was to come, he figured.

"Thank you. Can you do a young green Marine a favor though? You've chewed more dirt than I ever will Sergeant so when it's just you and me, we can dispense with the saluting. I should be saluting you for your service. When you think I've earned your respect, you can salute if you want, but for now I'm more interested in learning to be a good Marine and a good leader. So unless we're with the men or other crew, it's entirely at your discretion." Sampson told the grizzled man in front of him.

As they walked he considered the options before him. "My gear can wait, I'll see the men now. What can you tell me about the men we have SSGT Burke?"