Moving Day [Pacifica/Open]

[Jason Dumont]

[Hyperion Hangar Deck, 29 September 2003, 0700 Hours]

"Alright Tigers, Welcome to your new home." Jason looked around as his viper was hauled from the lift. The Hyperion's deck was a rush of activity in preparation for the entire squadron of vipers now being shuttled down from the flight deck. It was good to see the crew was prepared.

Jason had to check himself, as he began looking for the familiar faces from Galactica. He looked for Tyrol for a whole minute before remembering. This was a new home, a new start, a new day for Lt. Dumont.

As he mused, and thought of Galactica, he opened the canopy and, after allowing the crew to undo the metal ring around his neck, climbed from his viper, and down the ladder. His feet touched the deck, and he felt the heavy weight of being out of the air press down around him. He wished he could fly all the time, being on the ground made him feel so claustrophobic.

As he turned from his viper, he found himself face to face with a woman with dark hair, who was of medium height and slender build. He couldn't deny that she was very attractive, even with the grease smeared from her nose to her forehead. Glancing at her duty uniform, he assessed her rank.

"Morning Chief" He said, with a pleasant smile. Returning the customary salute. "Lt. Jason Dumont, White Tiger Squadron reporting. Thank you for the welcome."

[Pacifica Alexander]

Pacifica had been running her crew ragged as Senior Chief Hoffman was about doing his business. She was in charge while he was gone and the deck was going to be in tip top shape for when the new White Tiger Squadron arrived. They had ships coming and going all morning and she had already been there for five hours, two hours before he shift started. She was always ahead of the curve when she could be. If it meant staying late the night before for four hours and coming in two ours early so be it.

When she got the word that the Tigers were landing. "Bring um in and well get them settled. Clear the deck' She said in a loud tone, not over powering but very loud and powerful from the small framed woman. As they came down she searched the ships for the one listing the name of the squad leader on the side of it and walked over as it came down. When the lift got low enough she stood up on to it and stood to the side of where the pilot would come down out of it.

He looked around for a moment before coming face to face with her. he face didn't have a frown or smile on it just a straight, professional face. her stance was slightly bladed leaving her left side slightly forward. A strand or two of hair hanging down the right side of her face just in front of her eye. She hadn't noticed it of course. Crisply she saluted him and greeted him "Chief petty officer Pacifica Alexander, good to have you aboard sir." She stated to him before he greeted her.

"We'll have your vipers offloaded form the rack and on the line in a few minute. I have a crew standing by to give them a full inspection." The inspection was more then standard but this was her flight pod and she had her own standards. Pacifica ran a tight ship on her flight pod and she was going to make sure there were no accidents on it. "Senior Chief Hoffman was not able to make it to greet you to the ship but I will be more then happy to assist in any way i can."

[Jason Dumont]

"Good to be aboard." Jason nodded as the details were relayed to him. He looked around briefly before continuing. "Thank you for all the work you have put into this, I understand it can't be easy to absorb a whole squadron out of the blue. I appreciate it, as do my pilots."

As she apologized for the Senior NCO's absence, he waved it off. "No need for apologies Chief Alexander, I'm sure Tyro-" He paused, correcting himself. "I'm sure HOFFMAN has much more important things to do."

His attention was drawn by the hair that had fallen across her eye. She didn't seem to notice it. Jason wondered if it was a high level of professionalism at work. Someone so committed that she wouldn't move to brush hair from her eyes while talking to an officer? That seemed a little far fetched.

At that moment, a noise from the other side of the deck drew her attention. In the brief moment in which her head was turned, Jason caught a glimpse of some small scars on the side of her face, level with her eye. On impulse, he spoke. "You have some hair in your eye Chief" He said, before continuing.

"Meaning no disrespect, but.... you're blind... aren't you."

[Pacifica Alexander]

There was a crash from across the deck and Pacifica's head turned to see what was going on. "Specialist get that messed cleaned up now" She quipped back to the noise. She wanted their appearance to be spotless and this was not the way to start it off. She wanted the new squadron to think of them as competent and they were but this was not helping to give that impression.

What happened next though was the biggest mistake she had made in a long time. The words that came from his mouth, not the ones about the hair but what followed, hit her like a meg-lev running her down. She could not believe it at all, the sheer failure on her part to keep her cover. The audacity of him to even ask such a question. He was not wrong but she could not believe he would have caught on to it, or had the guts to ask someone that.

he was more then willing to be frank and forward a trait no so different then herself really. She had fought her ass off to keep in the service after that infamous day in her life and her she was she had slipped. Her face did not change one little bit. She reached up and pulled the hair back from her face and quickly sunk it back in with the rest in a bobby-pin in her hair.

She turned to face him her eyes focused in on his. having had vision in her right eye before it still tracked with the other like it should even if it did not aid her vision at all. "No sir if i were blind I would have been discharged from the service." She started with a clam and collected voice. "We have been a little overwhelmed with getting the ship set up over the last few days. I apologies for allowing my appearance to slip. It wont happen again sir."

"What the frak was that Pacifica, how did you let yourself make that mistake.' She hated herself at that exact moment. it had been eight years since the Rebellion and she lost her vision, maybe even longer and this was the first time she had slipped up and let anyone know. Her hand again brused through her hair and she turned her stance so that he was unable to see that side of her face as she 'checked' her hair. "If there is nothing else sir, I have nineteen other vipers to attend to."

'Gods please let him be done with me so I can get out of her.' she thought to herself. She was tough but he had picked out her weakness and shown it to her, right there like it was nothing. She couldn't figure out if she wanted to scream or cry at that moment but either way her face showed no signs of any of it, she was professional to the bitter end.

[Jason Dumont]

Jason had frakked up big time, and he knew it.

"That's not something you just ASK someone." He thought, kicking himself. He was usually much more tactful. "Gods, she was just being polite and I had to go blow it."

"That'll be all Chief. Thank you." He said, in response to her query about getting back to work. He was about to apologize, but his attention was drawn by the arrival of one of his pilots.

"Hey Boss" The young pilot, an ensign, callsign Springer said. Coming up and patting Jason on the back. "Glad to see you made it here in one piece."

It was as he turned to address his pilot, that he caught sight of a tall man walking towards him. The captain approached, and both Jason and Springer snapped off crisp salutes. "Morning Sir."

[Chris Wilson]

Chris had spent the whole leave time here on the Hyperion and gotten a lot of work done over that time. He did take some time for himself but it was mostly business. Today he wanted to do a full inspection of his squads vipers with the help of the chief. She was a great chief willing to help out at every turn, but gods forbid you ever be foolish enough to touch her vipers with out permission. She had a fire about her that would take on any man that crossed her.

As Chris entered he saw a new pilot on the deck, He had heard about the new squad arrival today but didn't expect to see them here yet. Chris figured it was as good a time as any to introduce himself, more importantly though Pacifica was there with him at that moment so he could kill two birds with one stone this way. She had only been on the ship for a short while but more then long enough for Chris to have learned that you do not mess with her deck, no one messes with her deck.


As Chris closed the gap the lieutenant he returned the salute to him. "Lieutenant." He paused and looked over to the chief. "Chief if you have a second I will catch you when I am done talking to the lieutenant." He didn't want to hold her up from her busy schedule. He respected the deck crew more then most groups on the ship really.

"Welcome to the Hyperion Lieutenant, I see you met the chief, one hell of a crew chief there." He started off with great praise for her. They had taken good care of the Shadowhawks. "I'm charged with leading the ShadowHawks squad. If you or your squad mates need anything to help get settled in let me know and I will do what I can to help." Chris was more then willing to be friendly, he would have his time for pranks later.

[Jason Dumont]

[[This is a REALLY short post, and I'm sorry. ]

"Thank you sir." Jason replied, in response to the pleasant greeting. He liked the look of this Captain, who had yet to tell him his name. He WAS worried, however that this "conversation" that was to be had with the deck chief might involve his hasty words. He hoped to get a chance to apologize soon.

"By the way, you didn't give me your name." He smiled, looking at the superior, then he remembered something. "Oh, by the way, can you get someone to show us where we're bunking? They didn't put my room number on the itinerary.... some hotel, right?." A couple of his pilots who had joined them laughed.

"No rush, I just want to get the boys some shut eye. We left Galactica right after a long training mission. They need some rest."