The Death Note
The Death Note
Summary: Conversation on the Pandora, Ramiro reads a death note and then hits the showers.
Date: 29 ACH
Related Logs: None
Players:
Alister..Rue..Warwick..Skip..Bell..Ramiro..

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Launch Deck Pandora - Launch Deck
28 ACH 6735 Souls


The docking bay of the Assaultstar Pandora can hold atleast three raptors and a couple shuttles. This is separate from the Hangar Bay which holds the viper squadron.
This area also holds the launch deck elevators, where smaller craft are moved to and from the depressurized landing deck, and the launch tubes where the Vipers are loaded into for launch from the ship.
----< Condition Three - Duty Area >----—-

Presumably there are medics waiting for the injured evacuees, before the raptor carrying them even touches down on the flight deck. Amidst the bustle of pilots unloading from their ships, a medical team is on its way to clear the wounded to sickbay.

"Hound… you're damned lucky. Look at those holes," Rue says, finally speaking up as she eyes the man's poor viper.

"What she said." Alister replies in a half-grunt, giving the battered viper the same look he'd give a brick that just flew coast-to-coast.

Stepping into the area, grim faced, Ramiro still hasn't showered since arriving so his face is a mess of frustration and face paint. Sitting down on a crate, he fishes an unopened letter out of his pocket and stares at it quietly.

Warwick shrugs a bit, glancing back to the Charon. "See, never leave home without something that brings a bit extra luck," he remarks. Looking a bit more shaken than he sounds, though. Taking out something from a pocket of his flight suit, he studies the object a bit absently.

"Just glad we got off Leonis together," the CAG says, rubbing a hand down her face as she eyes the Viper-In-Question one last time and then strides over towards the com.

"What she said. …Again." Alister adds, sitting up from his prone place on the floor next to his own Viper, then using the ladder as extra incentive to stand up without worrying too much. "I need a coffee. And a shower."

Running a hand through his greasy hair due to warfare and lack of a stable shower for a week, Ramiro sighs and starts to open the letter. Frowning as if it is made out of something foul, he slides the letter out of the envelope.

"Got it easy there, don't you?" Warwick remarks lightly to Alister, shaking his head a bit more. The object in his hand seems to be a machine head from an electric guitar. He glances over at Ramiro for a few moments, but doesn't say anything

Bell made it off Leonis alive and reasonably well. Though, like her fellow Marines, she's distinctly in need of a shower. She's sitting on her pack of gear, waiting to jump.

"You get to take jabs at me when you come home without being hit by one fighter. Let alone two, Hound." Alister grumbles, promptly attempting to remove the aching in his eyeballs with a thumb and forefinger massage. "Not my fault you can't fly." He's joking. Mostly. God someone get him a drink. Wait, nevermind. He'll get it himself.

Letting out a sigh as he unfolds the letter, Ramiro reads it over with a grim look on his face. His eyes scan from left to right, and the letter is fairly short. Swallowing, he lowers his head and runs a hand through his hair again. "Frak…" He says, folding up the letter and putting it away.

Warwick shakes his head at Alister's words, "I probably learned to fly the same place you learned to shoot." The comment is sent lightly after the retreating man. He then looks over in Ramiro's direction. "Trouble?" he asks, a bit quietly.

Once the wireless call is finished, Rue let's out a deep breath and puts a hand on the wall to steady herself. "Not today. Maybe next time." Turning from the wall, she draws herself and scans her gaze down the length of the docking bay.

Bell watches Ramiro and his letter folding. She says nothing, as if hesitant to interrupt him. But she watches. She also can't help but watch Rue, but that's probably more general goggling at a close-up CAG.

Rue finds herself staring back at Bell. "Private. How are you?" Pause. "Considering, I mean…"

Ramiro closes up the pocket with the letter and looks around to the sound of Warwick's voice. "Lakis' letter." He says, standing and grabbing his backpack. Turning his head to see Bell, he offers her a sad smile before kneeling down to do a final check of his gear.

Warwick nods a bit, "Not good news, I guess?" he offers. Glancing over at Rue and Bell, for a few moments, then back to Ramiro again.

"Me, sir?" Bell blinks at being spoken to by the Major. Unnerved. "Umm…fine. I guess. I didn't get, like, shot or anything." She blinks at Rue a few more times. In case further response is required. Though Ramiro's words back her turn her head from the CAG. "Oh…" She trails off. Expression growing somber. "I didn't know she left a letter or anything."

"Yes, you," Rue says, the faintest smile spreading across her lips before disappearing again. She looks from Bell to Ramiro to the letter. "Who left what letter?"

"Lakis." Ramiro replies, speaking matter of factly, his back to them as he goes through his gear still. Rolling up his ghillie suit, he pauses and holds up one of Lakis' dog tags for them to see, over his shoulder. He then puts it into his pocket after emphasizing the point. "She gave it to me for a reason."

Skip steps out from wherever he's been since they got back aboard, frowning a bit to himself. "She gave you a letter?" he asks, hearing the conversation.

Bell relaxes a little when Rue's command-level attention shifts elsewhere. Her focus still on Ramiro. "Because you were leading her team…?" It's a guess. She trails off at the implication. Practical measure to take, but a major bummer.

"AWOL?" Rue asks quietly, hands held behind her back. She asks, since it hasn't been.

Warwick shrugs a bit as he listens, starting to head off the deck and find a place he can get a little rest until they get back to the Genesis.

"She hopped off the transport and forcefully MIA'd herself." Ramiro replies, standing and moving to lean against a crate with his arms folding. He lowers his brow and stares at the floor quietly. "What's Major Desusa's status? I have to find him."

"Frak…" Bell murmurs softly. As to Lakis. She doesn't seem to know what else to say to it. Not in front of the brassy folk, at least. She chews her lower lip. "That planet's a graveyard. The toasters wrecked it all. She'll just die down there…"

"He's probably on his way to the CIC, if medical has cleared him," Rue notes, though she makes eye contact when she says this to Ramiro. "Unless it's urgent, it can probably wait til we're safely back with the fleet. I'd suggest grabbing food, a shower and then a bunk, or any combination of the three. It's been a busy 24 hours, Corporal." Then she swings her gaze on Bell again, CAGGaze. "They /tried/ to wreck it. There's a difference. And given the situation… a Marine on Leonis. I wouldn't bet against her."

Skip nods a little as he listens. Keeping silent for the moment. Like he often does.

Ramiro looks up, looking from Bell to Rue as he rubs the week's worth of stubble on his face. Glancing to Skip, he flattens his lips and nods slowly. "She'll be fine." He says with a bitter shake of his head. Leaning down, he grabs his backpack and turns, heading towards where the showers are.

Bell is cowed by the Cag-Gaze. She straightens her shoulders a notch. As if she half-expects to be shot by lasers from Rue's eyes. "Yes, Sir," she says. She tries to sound like she believes it. She rather fails. Eyes follow Ramiro back to the showers, and she goes back to quietly huddling by her pack.

Rue softens her gaze on Bell and turns away, starting to walk down the line of Vipers. "Never count a Marine out, Private."

Bell nods to Rue, not trusting herself to speak again. She stands, idly sniffing. Time to hit the showers, definitely.

Skip nods as he hears Ramiro's words, "She will," he replies quietly. Turning to look around for a couple of moments, he seems to be about to say something, but holds it back, just listening to the others for now.

Ramiro nods over his shoulder to Rue and Skip before proceeding up the ramp and further towards the inner of the ship.

-=============================================================================-
Marine Berthing Pandora - Personnel Deck
28 ACH 6735 Souls


Home of the Magnificent Bastards.

Up to regs and toothbrush scrubbed clean, this berthing is for the Marine personnel. Every bunk is rated to bounce cubit coins off of up to 100 cubit denominations and every footlocker lock gleams with the attention given to it.
----< Condition Three - Duty Area >----—-

A few minutes ahead of Bell, Ramiro's managed to find the marine berthings. Two backpacks on the cot beside him, he's got a towel, soap, and shaving kit beside him. His back to the door, he pulls off his tanktop and lays it on the cot.

It's awhile before Bell joins Ramiro in the berthings. She detoured to Head with the intent to scrap as much of Leonis off her as she could. Though her clothes are still in field condition, she's covered in the grime of the planet. She strides in, running her fingers through her short, blonde hair. "Hey," she offers to Ramiro softly.

"Hey…" Ramiro replies back at her, giving her his best smile despite the moment. There's pain in there, but he tries not to show it. Scratching his face, he picks up his showering materials and moves in after her. The sound of the shower kicks on, he keeps talking to her. "How are you holding up, Bell?"

"Hey…" Ramiro replies back at her, giving her his best smile despite the moment. There's pain in there, but he tries not to show it. Scratching his face, he picks up his showering materials and moves in after her. The showering stalls are separated, but close enough that someone could stand at the edge of the door to have a conversation. The sound of the shower kicks on, he keeps talking to her. "How are you holding up, Bell?"

Bell lingers in her stall, water off, leaning against the wall as she talks to Ramiro. "Okay, I guess. Better than most." She's quiet a beat, unsure if she wants to say more, but she can't help but probe a little. "Did she really think she was going to make it down there?" Lakis' name isn't mentioned but there's no one else she could be talking about.

Talking to Bell from behind the curtain of his own stall, Ramiro plants an arm against the tile and looks to the drain. Letting the water bead off of him in shades dyed by the dirt, paint, and blood on him, he shakes his head. It takes him a moment to realize that she couldn't see it. "No…she didn't expect to come home." He says, closing his eyes. "She doesn't expect a rescue."

Bell nods, silent for another beat. Thinking on that. Deeper thoughts than usually churn through her blonde brain. "I keep wondering if I would've done any different. If it'd been Canceron we'd landed on. Maybe she just wanted to be home…"

Taking the soap, his voice echoes from his stall. "I'd rather you didn't." He says with a little chuckle. "No…this was different with her, Daphne. Different from Cox, too. She wanted to go out fighting, but wanted to get away." He says with a little mystery. "I don't know if I'm at liberty to say what's in the letter until Desusa sees it."

"I won't ask, then," Bell says. From her tone, she's unsure she really wants to know, anyhow. Another long pause. "It…there wasn't anything you could've done about it, Dane. You know that, right? It was her choice."

"I know." Ramiro replies, a bit of warmth returning to his voice. "I'm just…" He pauses. "…I've never lost a person under my command before. I know it was her choice but I wish she would have talked to me before she handed me the dogtag. You know?" He pauses. "I want to survive this. I want to endure this, and it just pisses me the frak off that she'd do that." He says, pausing to wash his face off. "I'm not going to become bitter, or jaded. I just don't understand why she'd do that."

I don't understand, either," Bell admits. "Maybe it all got to her. The whole…toasters murdering practically the entire human race, thing." It is a bummer. "Maybe Major Rue was right. She knows Leonis. Maybe she'll eek it out down there. She *is* a Marine." She *tries* to sound like she believes that. And sort of fails. But she tries.

[Intercom] Attention all hands, prepare for hyperlight jump.

"On some level I think that Lakis is happy where she's at." Ramiro replies. Hearing the intercom, he kneels to one knee in the shower and braces his hands in the corners. He doesn't stop taking. "I think she's gonna be fine, girl, just fine." He smiles. "I'm going to be fine too, I just told Major Gaelan I'd bring my whole team back. I'm worried about that look in his eye."

Bell braces herself against the wall. She's a ground-pounder. Not terribly fond of jumps. "At least she's home, I guess," she murmurs. Less sure Lakis will be fine. But she's not about to wreck the illusion. "Major Gaelan'll understand. Lakis wasn't the only casualty. It's war…" Something she still doesn't understand the enormity of, from her tone. But it involves people dying. She's got that much.

[Intercom] Jumping in 3. 2. 1. JUMP!

"Personally? I hate war." Ramiro says with a bit of brightness to his voice. He lurches as the ship jumps. Once it settles, he rises again and grabs the shampoo. Stretching his muscular arms, he speaks louder to cover the humming noise of FTL travel. "You planning on taking any leave when we get back, Daphne?"

"If I can get it," Bell says firmly. "If Major Gaelan's fair, he'll give every Marine who went to Leonis a week's vacation." Though she sounds doubtful that'll happen. Then, suddenly, something occurs to her. "Hey. You wanted to go to the Carina, didn't you?" She'd half-forgotten about it.

"If you still want to…yeah." Ramiro replies, looking to the floor as he washes the shampoo out of his hair. "I'll admit, I didn't expect you to come to the ritual. I was afraid it would change your opinion of me, if any. I mean, not in the sense that I'm ashamed of what I believe in, but it was…" He pauses, trying to find the right word. "…intense."

"It was kind of weird," Bell agrees. "Though the priest was way weirder than you. Do you *really* think she was talking to Apollo?" She sounds skeptical. And half-nervous it might actually be true.

"Here's what I can tell you." Ramiro pauses, taking a few moments to enjoy the head from the shower. "I've never heard anything like that before in my life, but my mother taught me how to interpret the tongues of Kobol. I swear to you, everything I said in there was a translation. I didn't do anything but repeat what I heard." He pauses. "I believe Apollo was talking through her. There's things I can't understand and I don't think I ever will. What happened there is one of them."

"I'm not even sure I want to understand it," Bell says. "Some of the things she said weren't exactly comforting. But then, some of the stories don't make the gods out to be exactly kind." She clears her throat. Switching to other weird territory. "Oh. I've been meaning to ask. When you asked me to go to the Carina with you…was that, like, a date?"

Ramiro smiles a little to himself, under the water. Breathing out slowly, he's thankful to be led to less terrifying conversation. "When I asked, yeah it was." He pauses. "I'm still okay if it is." He pauses for a long moment. "Would you like it to be?"

"Riiiiight…" Bell mutters. Drawing the word out. "That's what I figured. I thought it was when I said I'd go. And…yeah. I guess I did kind of like the idea. I don't know, though." She straightens up from her leaning against the wall. "Now I don't know, though. I mean, I do know. And I probably shouldn't. Like, *date* you, I mean."

Ramiro nods to himself as she speaks, keeping an ear out of the shower. "That's fine. I mean…I understand." Dane replies, shrugging to himself as if he's talking with her. "Don't get weird around me though, okay? I read somewhere that asking once is fair game." He replies.

"No, no, no, you totally don't understand!" Bell protests firmly. As firmly as one can in her soprano squeak, anyway. "It's *so* not you. It's totally me!" She means it, too. "I think you're a *totally* nice guy. And you're hot. It's just…look. I know what people think of me. I'm not exactly off a Marine recruiting poster."

"You say that like I should go ask Gars on a date." Ramiro replies, flashing a little charm into the conversation. For comfort's sake, he leaves his shower on as he talks to her. It's warm, something Leonis wasn't. "Daphne, if you don't want to go I'm not going to be offended. I could care less if you're off the marine recruiting poster. I don't even know what other people think about you. I like ye. Seemed a good enough reason to ask you out." He then desides to turn off his shower, wrapping his lower body in the towel after drying off quickly inside of his stall. "…and for the record? You did frakkin great in the field."

"Eww! No! Don't be gross!" Bell squeaks, at the idea of Ramiro coupling with Gars. "But…thanks. For saying that about me in the field. And for asking me. Dane, it's really *not* you. If we were back on Canceron, in like a bar or something, I would *totally* jump you in a minute. I swear to gods. But we're not. You mentioned Gars. That's, like, totally a good example. I have enough of a problem getting everybody here to take me seriously. Hooking up with one of the guys from the squad wouldn't exactly help. See what I'm saying?"

"I completely understand." Ramiro replies, flashing a little smile that she can't see as he steps out of the shower. In a towel, he moves away from the stalls to get quickly changed into his offduty clothes. "I never really thought about that, to be honest, Daphne. I see your point."

Bell peeks briefly out of the shower. Though she jerks her attention back into her stall as Ramiro changes. She can pretend to give him some privacy, at least. For a long moment, she's quiet. Leaning against the wall again. Arms crossed. Finally she says, randomly, "You want to hear why I joined the Marines?" It's a subject she's somewhat evasive about. Though most ask at some point. She /is/ an odd fit in the Corps.

Leaving his tank top off, Ramiro steps over towards a basin and prepares to brush his teeth. "You told me once, back on the Obs deck, that you did it because you didn't want to do dance, and the recruiter was in the mall." He smiles, looking towards her stall for the moment. He suddenly realizes that's a bad idea. Looking forward, he pauses. "You know…if you ask me, all that fear about being respected as a fellow troop's all in your head." He says and then starts to brush his teeth.

"Yeah. That's not the real reason," Bell says. "You think I'd let recruiters interrupt shoe shopping? You *so* don't know women." She snorts. "Maybe. It's getting better now, I think, that I've worked with people longer. But I know I'm not exactly what a lot of Marines think a soldier should be. Not just Gars. He's not even that bad. I think Major Gaelan had, like, a brain spasm when I first got here. Though he's too much of a pro to be mean about it."

"Yeah but you're all full of surprises, Daphne." Ramiro says after spitting and rinsing his mouth. He starts to collect his things. He takes his eyes to the floor for the moment, shrugging as he talks. "You've been on just as many if not more combat drops than I have. You hold your own. Look at it this from this angle." He pauses. "Guys like Gaelan and Gars are carved out of stone, practically manufactured for the job. There you are, hot cheerleader girl groundpoundin and keepin up? Frak, girl, you've matched the rest of us every step of the way, and anyone who says otherwise is liable to eat a fist. You're a part of the crew."

Bell smiles. "Thanks." It's said softly, but it clearly means a lot to her. "I try. I really do. If I frak up out there, it's one of the other guys who pays for it, and I don't want to let the team down." She sighs. "This wasn't supposed to be me, though. I mean, I'm here in somebody else's place. I'm just trying to be the Marine she would've been. And she would've *totally* kicked ass."

"She'd be proud of you, Bell." Ramiro replies, stretching his arms over his shoulders with a yawn. He debates shaving, but his bones ache. He goes quiet and smiles, reflecting a little bit. "You haven't let us down once, and you'll find out that when you falter we'll not only not take it against you, but we'll get through it as a team. Just like high school."

Bell sniffs at that. "Nah, Dane. This is *nothing* like high school. Which is good. I was sort of useless back then. I mean, like a lot of people in high school are useless. I just…wasn't really going anywhere, y'know? And nobody really expected me to. My parents, my sisters, my friends…*nobody* took me seriously."

Dane goes quiet again, brushing his hands through his lightly damp hair. Looking down in the metal basin he can slightly see his reflection, rubbing at the seven days' growth on his face. "So you're scared to Hades of wrecking what you've put together so far…."

"Yeah, I guess a little bit," Bell admits, coming out of her stall. She gets a comb and starts running it through her short blonde hair. "And it would be kind of weird, being in a foxhole with some guy you were frakking? And can you imagine if you, like, broke up with them? Awk-*ward*." She combs some more. "We can still be friends, though, right? I like you. And I don't think I've had that many *real* friends. Jolie…she was the one I was talking about. The one who was *supposed* to be here. She was my best friend in high school. She was the only person who ever thought I could do more than giggle or high-kick."

Ramiro smiles out of the corner of his mouth, looking forward to give her some privacy. "Oh hey, yeah, we can totally be friends, nothing awkward at all to be had." Ramiro replies with a shrug. "It's like I said, asking once is fair game. Asking twice would be awkward." He chuckles, running a hand through his hair as he decides to shave after he sleeps. Yawning heavily, he shakes his head a little and fails at counting his number of hours awake. "Friends is very good."

"Good," Bell says. Smiling. She likes that. Then, just as randomly, she blurts, "She was in a car accident. My friend. The one I was talking about. At the end of junior year. I mean, she lived. One of the girls with her didn't. But she couldn't walk anymore. Jolie always wanted to join the Marines…so I kind of, did it for her. Not like I had anything better to do."

Ramiro goes quiet again, taking a few breaths of air to decide how to reply. He rises from the basin and leans his back against in, folding his arms. A moment of that philosophical clarity hits him. "If she were here, right now, what do you think she'd say to you?"

"She'd probably tell me to break the nose of any frakker who thought I couldn't do this job," Bell says with a little smile. "That's how we got to be friends. I broke her nose." The memory makes her grin widen. She shrugs. "It's a girl thing. You kind of had to be there."

Grinning broadly, Ramiro glances at her for a moment before looking forward again. "Oh cm'on. If breaking noses were a girl thing I'd never have made it through high school." He replies, running both of his hands over his face, he slides them up over and through his hair. "Just make sure I'm there the next time then that someone says you can't hack this. I'd get a hell of a kick out of watching you knock some idiot out." He chuckles. "Sounds like she's a pretty good friend."

"She was the best," Bell says softly. And rather sadly. She's probably dead now. She nods to Ramiro. "Oh, totally. I've been working on my Caprican Four-Limb Boxing, actually. I hope they have another one of those tournament thingies. Kicking ass when it doesn't risk anybody getting killed is pretty fun."

"Sounds like a plan." Ramiro replies, nodding softly. He grins suddenly, lighting a fire under the spirit of competition as he throws his towel into the bin and pulls his tanktop on. Grabbing his small mess kit, he starts walking to exit the showers. "I box a little myself. Think you can kick my ass?" He taunts as he passes her.

"Oh, don't screw with me, Ramiro," Bell says playfully, air-kicking. Almost over her head. She might be able to break her own nose with her foot, if she put her mind to it. "My mom made me take ballet for ten years. Those bitches don't play." She heads out of the showers as well. The bunks are tempting just now. "I *so* can't wait to be back. I never thought the berthings on Genny would be luxurious, but after Leonis, they don't seem half-bad."

Half dropping onto his bunk, Ramiro plants his arms behind his head and closes his eyes. He looks over to Bell and extends a fist for her to pound hers against. "Hey…" He pauses. "We're goin home."

Bell fist-bumps Ramiro, in proper dude fashion. She smiles. Dropping into her own bunk. "Home. Yeah…"

"Let's get some sleep then." He says turning onto his back and closing his eyes. Yawning, he bites at the yawn like a wolf and closes his eyes. "I've got reports to write, too…" He says, almost liking the sound of that.

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