Prep Work
Prep Work
Summary: Reed gives Rhea the rundown on the upcoming Visser mission.
Date: 76 ACH
Related Logs: Visser Base Raid
Players:
Rhea..Reed..

Main Engineering Genesis - Deck 8

76 ACH 23817 Souls


Main Engineering is staffed by the Chief Engineer and his or her crew. There are enough monitors, flashing lights, back-up generators, consoles and various other areas to man the battlestar and keep it in top form at all times. Storage areas, locked areas, pipes, machinery and tools are all around the area. The desk of the ChEng sits in an area where it is the quietest so work can be done.

Reed has arrived.

Reed enters Main Engineering, looking around for the Brasswatch Engineer, and pointing at her, giving her the evil eye briefly, before looking deeper into Engineering.

Rhea has returned to her lair. Though she's not in her preferred position under a piece of machinery or yanking at the guts of the ship's engines. She's riding a console at the moment, monitoring the environmental controls. Around her, Engineering hums along in its standard beehive-like, ever-busy way. Which makes the ChEng smile.

Reed moves into Engineering, smiling as he sees the ChEng on the console. As he approaches, he looks to see the Environmental systems and smiles, "always good to see a system working well, hmm, Major?"

Rhea was absorbed in the blinking and beeping, so Reed takes her somewhat by surprised. She looks up at him, smirking. "If they're not going to fall all over themselves saluting you, you need to wear a frakking bell. Major." She nods, as to the console. "I was never much of a monitor jockey. Even this feels good, though. All that laying around made me itch."

Reed nods, "No doubt. Getting back to work of any kind is a welcome change." He smirks, then looks to her, "Kind of why I'm here, actually. Got the Op plans, and I need to talk about Engineerings role in it." He doesn't spill more, as he knows this is only semi private, and upcoming Operations of this caliber tend to take some thrashing out.

Rhea groks that, edging away from her console. "Mercer, take over here," she orders a handy ensign crisply. "I take it this goes beyond the relative privacy of my desk. Well. Let's get to it, then." She strides off to find a more secluded spot for them to Ops, going slow so Reed can follow. And because she's rather slow in general right now. Stitches are still kind of tender.

Reed nods, "Yeah, I'm afraid so." He says and moves behind Rhea, following. He tries not to watch her as if he were expecting her to keel over. She's not as hurt as he was after his encounter with Cylon bullets.

You head towards Corridor 8D.
You head towards ChEng's Quarters.

ChEng's Quarters Genesis - Deck 8

76 ACH 23817 Souls


The quarters of the Chief Engineer are a spacious area, with large inset bookshelves holding technical manuals, fiction books and a collection of cheap pulp romance novels. There is a modified work table here set against a wall which holds a collection of tools and usually has something on it halfway finished. A table surrounded by chairs is in the main section of the room. A small personal head is located off the main room through a doorway. A rack and bed is set into a wall, neatly made. In the rear of the quarters is a desk with a locked file cabinet behind it and chairs placed in front of the desk, while behind it is a large leather chair. A computer terminal is on the desk with a number of security protocols on it to prevent unauthorized access.

Rhea strides down the corridor and into her quarters. Yes, her quarters. "Have a seat," she says to Reed, motioning to the table without any further ceremony. She doesn't look prone to keeling, even if she isn't moving at top speed. "Want a drink. There's water. Haven't had a chance to make the coffee yet. Once I spill a few cups on everything, I'll know it's home."

Reed moves in and looks around, smiling, "Oh nice, Rhea." He grins, moving to settle in a chair, and pulls out his handheld computer. "You haven't had time to raid the Hera for furniture, but if you spot something, feel free." He takes in the place approvingly.

Rhea pours a couple glasses of water, one for herself and one for Reed, before she joins him at the table. "I shudder to think what motivated this in Regas' mind. But it keeps me closer to the engines, which is practical enough. Just going to take some getting used to. Still need to put up my photos." But, she's in business-mode now. "Anyway. Let's get to it. Stephanos going to work out for you on this little project, then? I read in the logs you'd spoken with her, though I'm still playing catch-up on the details."

Reed nods, "I did and she is. She's working out how to crack into the Bases OS and get full access to Visser base, as well as getting us past the biometric locks." He pauses, "That's where the catch is in the operation, I believe. In the larger aspects of the Operation, I'm going to need two Engineering teams, more if you can spare them. One is going to be a Computer Team, to get into the Database, and drain it dry of information, downloading the Map itself, and transferring it to the Hera. The other team is going in to loot whatever we are going to need." He pulls a datachip from the handheld. "Visser is an experimental FTL testing facility. This is the general floorplan and description of the facilities therein. It's not exact, and it's not detailed as it could be, but I'm sure there's toys in there you'd like to get your wrenches on."

Rhea leans up and over, to get a better look at the floorplan. There's a spark of anticipation in her hazel eyes, though she tries not to let it show beyond that. 'Experimental FTL facility' is definitely something that tempts her. "Stephanos can act as the primary on the Computer Team well enough. That's her element. I'd prefer to head up the looting myself. Should be off light duty before the week is out, pending Medical's good opinion. Failing that, I'll put the Captain on it." The ever-reliable pseudo-XO of Engineering. Seldom seen. /That's/ how competent he is. "How much time are we going to have in there?"

Reed nods, "That's fine, the Database Hub has a six person interface where we can pull the information from. It's going to take some time to download everything to portable computer units. The Map is BIG." He stresses that. "And Stephanos can head up the team, but I'm going to need her on the initial enterance into the Base." He frowns, "That's the catch. The way it looks now, she's not going to be able to get past the Biometric locks, and will need have that bypassed by.." He sighs, "A member of the Command Staff of Project StarSeed. Who all their Biometrics are imprinted on facility interlock. the PAS had Visser Commnad Staff imprinted, and Visser has PAS staff."

Rhea looks up at Reed. Eyebrows arching a notch. She smirks. "I'm assuming you can pop the hood with your fingerprint or somesuch? Or will this require some sort of ritual sacrifice to the Secret Squirrels?"

Reed lifts his right hand, "Whole hand scan. It takes a full Biometric scan to log in." Ooo the GOOD bioscan. "Which means, I'm going in with the Marine Insertion team." He says that flatly. "Stephanos can hold back, but I'd like her with us in some regard to crack the Operating system using my login from the other side of the Biometric lockouts."

Rhea nods to that. "Understood, Major. Stephanos is yours to command in this endeavor as you need her. She's a decent field officer. Came to me from the Pandora, after it was blown frak-sideways and back. Actually earned her jig pip from the way she dealt with that mess. She'll keep her head if things get hot. You expecting any resistance?"

Reed smirks, "Not expecting any, no." He pauses. They both know that means very little. "Still, I can't really answer how much time we'll have there, because I don't know. Plan is, I open the Biometrics, Stephanos cracks the Base, then I open the docking bay, and the Hera docks. We then open the hard connections and the Engineers pour from the Hera into the base and start grabbing anything not bolted down, and knowing your people, several things that are. Genesis flies high cover for us with the Air wing keeping a weather eye."

Rhea smirks at the 'anything bolted down' bit. Nodding again. "That's why the good lords gave us screwdrivers." She comments not on whatever expectation there might be of trouble going in. She knows nothing is certain these days. "I'll tell my people to be ready to get in, load up and get out fast. I'm assuming we won't have time to linger. Planning to nuke the base after we go?" She tries not to allow too much regret into her voice as she asks the question.

Reed nods, "Visser has it's own self destruct capabilities. Just like the PAS did actually. Not that I used the conventional methods, but we're not planning on getting creative with the destruction. We set it and leave. No chances with having the Map being taken by the Cylons."

Rhea nods to that. "Very prudent. At least we'll be able to salvage the data. The scope of what you lot were working on still astounds me. I'm gratified it's surviving, in some form." A thoughtful look comes to her face. She glances up at Reed, then down at the plans again. Lips pursed into that slim, thoughtful frown she wears when she's turning something over in her head.

Reed looks at the plans, and nods, "It was supposed to be a new golden age." He says quietly. "Now it's remains are our best hope for survival. At least I think it is. It's going to be a hard journey, but this might give us what we need to make it. It's a big galaxy, and we can't traverse it without resources, and we could easily simply run out of fuel or materials, unless we could plan a route that we could stop from time to time and get what we need to keep going."

"Brave new world…" Rhea murmurs. A half-smile tugging at her lips. Though she's still more thoughtful than anything else. "Quill and I were talking. Awhile ago. After the PAS transversed itself out of this plane of existence." Hazel eyes lift, to regard Reed. "I've been wondering who built that damn thing, anyway. Designed it. The engineering behind it was way beyond the cutting edge. And you're no engineer. Don't suppose it matters much now…"

Reed grunts, "There were a lot of people. Most of them were on Picon, Caprica, Fleet HQ, or elsewhere. You're right I'm no engineer. I'm a Terraformer. And this, the FFTL, I know even less about how it works."

"It's a tricksome theory," Rhea says, frown returning to her lips as she turns it over in her head. "I'd say it was more problematic than jumping something like PAS, actually. I was always taught it took a certain amount of mass to handle hyperlight travel. Within acceptable risk specs, at least. The power channeled through a jump is incredible. I wonder how they worked out keeping it from blowing these little probes out of existence…?" She trails off, shrugging. She can ponder the theoreticals of it later. "Anyhow. I've always been of a more practical bent. If it works, it works."

Reed nods, "And it works. Visser made the Map, the PAS was the ship technologies. Visser.. was shut down for funding reasons. There were those who were against the project. Wouldn't work they said. Visser funding was channeled to the PAS project after the Map was mostly completed, something about Nebulae interferance and inability to work out some problems with Mapping the Galactic core. But the PAS was supposed to get our funding back, and in a big way. Breaking the record for the largest vessel jumped was going to shove a sock into the mouthes of those who said we couldn't do it. PAS was going to quietly work on Terraforming tech while the funding went back into Visser so they could work out problems like the ones they had, and eventually.. I suppose someone was going to get it into their heads to peek into Cylon Space, eventually."

"Well, military spending wasn't a priority. Even on a research project like this. Most thought we were staring down another forty years of peace…" Rhea trails off, snorting softly. "Anyhow. I'm sure the budgets for this thing were terrifying to behold, mind-bending as the concept is."

Reed nods, "Oh yeah, definately. But we were going to get more. We did it. We had the payday. The PAS was proof positive that this wasn't a pipe dream." He shakes his head, "Everything was going according to plan."

"Yeah. We all had plans," Rhea says simply. "No going back, though." She sips her water. "Well, we can build a new plan out of it, at least. I think that's what most really need right now. Hope there's something more than inertia and oblivion out there for us."

Reed nods, "And that's what I'm looking at here." He looks at the plans for the base. "A plan. Hope. Goal, something to work towards. I mean, we have these people, and ships, and some resources, but this.. can bring them together to survive. A new home." He smirks, "Other options are.. not as good."

"I don't believe we can go back to the colonies. You can't grow crops in irradiated soil, or drink contaminated water. Maybe we could scratch out a living for a few years, in the mountains, on daily radiation meds. If the Cylons didn't just find us and nuke us again. No. Not a pleasant idea." Rhea shrugs. "A new home. Wherever it might be. Space is a big place, even if you've got it mapped."

Reed nods, then he sighs out, "And Regas couldn't give people hope with a handbook and two week seminar."

Rhea gets a wry laugh out of that. Though she looks half-sorry for doing it. "He's trying. Too hard, in some cases. There's not a handbook for anything anyone's going through right now."

Reed nods, "I know. We need him strong, and he's strong. He can keep us together. But together to do what?" He taps the handheld, "I think this is the answer to that question."

"I've served under a lot of commanders. Good and bad. Tarik is one of the better ones. My opinion of him did take a hit recently but…that's small stuff to sweat. I expect he and I'll have to have it out a little to get back on an even keel. But, it'll keep." Rhea speaks no more on it. "Anything else, Major? I've got enough to start briefing and preparing my people. I'll make sure they don't get too excited at the technology that'll be on display. They can drool on the machines once they're safely looted."

Reed nods, "Well, I'm always looking for a good ChEng." He says, smirking, as he looks to her. "Might be a little tight on space so we'll have to share quarters." His smirk grows, then he clears his throat, "Okay, seriously. Umm." He looks at the map, "Yeah, the Engineering teams will be with the Marines for security purposes, but, really, shouldn't be in the way."

Rhea snorts at that. "I think not. I like to keep my life safely compartmentalized. Sleeping with your CO is just asking for a world of hurt all around." She smirks, nodding as to the Marines. "Might even get them to help with the heavy-lifting. Provided they don't damage anything technical. I'll instruct my people to go in with their sidearms, as well. Anything else? I should be getting back to Engineering fairly soon. Those consoles don't jockey themselves." She winks.

Reed shakes his head, "Nope, that's it." He smiles, "Yeah, you're right." He takes his handheld, and leaves the datachip, "Map of the base and manifest, such as it is should let you plan your strategy."

Rhea takes the chip, depositing it by her personal computer. She can review it later. She's not going to cart the thing back to the more public venue of Engineering. "I'll cobble something together. Speaking of cobbling. My crews should be dispatching to the Hera during the next work shift. We've finally got our hands free. Well, free as they ever are these days. We'll get those refits knocked out for you."

Reed rises, nodding, "Excellent. Thank you, I really appreciate it. with luck they'll be able to get the higher priority work done for the Op."

"I'll make sure they've got their priorities straight." Rhea stands as well. Gingerly. The motion of sitting and standing still make her grunt. "No thanks required. It's the job. Sorry I had to back-burner it on you. We'll have it knocked out in a week, tops."

Reed nods, "Great. And don't apoligize about the back burnering. I know you've been up to your nose in work more important than my carpets." He smirks. "On another subject, I still have your outfit from yesterday. We really are a couple, you're accumulating clothes at my place." He smirks, "They're clean and waiting for the next time they're needed in my quarters." He seems pleased about this.

"Damn right we are," Rhea says simply, lips crooking into a smile. "If you're not careful, I'll even keep a spare toothbrush there. Anyway. Thanks again, for last night." She leaves it at that, pushing her chair in, ready to head out. "I'll see you later. You'll have to drop by again sometime. When I'm off-duty."

Reed grins, "Absolutely. And don't thank me. Waking up with you in my arms made my whole day." He chuckles. "Okay, back to work." He slides his handheld away. "Love you, Major."

"Love you back," Rhea says. She lets him out her door, and off to whatever it is he does with himself when she's not around. Then she returns to the engine room lair.

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