Officer's Club (Senior Officers*)

[Roger Davis]

He dreamt an old dream, of ragged men in dark uniforms and a citadel long fallen. In his dream, his marines stood with him as they had in life: strong Matthew Horsnby, young Justin Thorpe, Edward Stoerm who had been the wireless operator, Michael Yeltan the Aquarian, Will Henri the platoon sergeant, and Marc Cocles. Roger had known their faces as well as he knew his own once, but the years leech at a man's memories, even those he has vowed never to forget. In the dream they were only shadows, gray wraiths made of mist.

They stood on that ridge line as they had in life. In the distance the great city of Tawa was spread before them. Commanding the ridge was an old fortress that had stood defiant against weeks of bombardment. Its guns still commanded the valley below and threatened the skies above. Waiting for them beyond was a company of separatists with the high mountains of Sagittaron to their backs. And these men were no shadows. The image burned clear in Roger's mind even now.

Months of civil war had devastated their ranks and now this last redoubt stood against the overwhelming might of the Twelve Colonies. Yet here they stood, defiant in the face of ultimate defeat. "Now it ends." Roger spoke softly as he unslung his rifle and chambered a round.

"Ready, Davis?"


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

2000 Hours - October 4th, 2003

"Ready, Davis?"

Roger's awoke with a start as his eyes adjusted to his surroundings. For an instant he was still in the dream and saw the man who had called his name as he once was. In an instant, however, the brain finally turned off his sleep cycle and before his eyes the figure aged to his proper appearance. The thirty year old lieutenant fresh from his residency was replaced by the lieutenant colonel chief medical officer of Hyperion.

Roger grunted as he turned to the clock. It was already 2000 Hours, the start of the First Watch. He hadn't intended to sleep this long and it was fortunate that DePaul had woken him or he would have missed it entirely. "Thanks." he said as he sat up. "I'll be ready in a minute."

Major Davis was quick about erasing all signs of his recent deep sleep: a quick splash of water to the face, a hand through his hair to tame it, and then some last minute uniform adjustments. As he made for the door, he grabbed his pistol belt and began to put it on as he fell in step with Mark out in the corridor.

"Drop in on our guest and then meet the others there?" he suggested. The department heads of the ship had a long standing tradition of weekly (actually sometimes more frequent than that) card games. It was their own little circle of peers above the vast number of junior officers below them and the tip of the pyramid, the CO and XO, directly above them. There they could relax, socialize, and have fun, something that wasn't always appropriate to do with subordinates. Sidney Bainbridge wasn't an official member of the crew or a department head, but he was in the correct rank range and he'd be aboard for quite some time. Common courtesy demanded that he be invited. General interest in his attendance was only increased for one of the Fleet's greatest aces, an agent of the Admiralty, and one of the leaders of the Ophion War Game staff.


*[Senior Officers = LTC Bainbridge, LTC DePaul, MAJ Davis, MAJ Hayashi, CPT Wolfe, CPT Weiss
All six are invited, but do not have to attend.]

[Mark DePaul]

Mark walked briskly down the hall down to Roger's quarters. It was late in the evening, and after a long day of work cooped up in the infirmary, the Chief Medical Officer needed a release. Luckily for him, the somewhat daily Pyramid game with the senior officers was to start soon.

To some dismay and amusement, Mark discovered the XO sleeping.

"Ready Davis?" he spoke up, shaking him gently. He never enjoyed waking people up, at work or otherwise, but he was not about to go invite the newcomer all by himself. Rather suddenly, Major Davis woke, and rubbed his eyes accordingly. He mumbled something about getting ready soon, and that was enough for DePaul.

"Sounds good to me" the doctor replied. "Whatever makes us look good." he added with smirk. While most of the ship would subject themselves to continuos attempts to impress such a distinguished guest (i.e. sucking-up), the doctor could care less. Years of his own experience and efforts earned him Chief Medical officer aboard the Hyperion, and he felt that his rank and position spoke for itself. He was ok with inviting the new person to the pyramid game, not because Bainbridge stood out among the officer elite, but because he was his equal.

DePaul nodded to the door, and the two exited out to the hallways of the ship and made their way over to their guest. "Aveline called. The baby is doing great!" he said beaming, as if indirectly explaining why he was so chipper earlier. "Sooner or later, my brat is going to be best friends with your kids, and hopefully it'll make up for all the money I scored from you in pyramid."

Now more than ever, Mark was excited to join the pyramid table. He finally had something worth sharing.

[Roger Davis]

Roger turned to look as his companion as they walked. "Good?" he asked. "Define Good." Roger was pretty sure Mark was of a like mind with him. As distinguished and hopefully interesting as Bainbridge was, neither of them were going to be drooling over him and kissing his feet. Looking good would involve being the upstanding officers both consistently strove to be rather than doting yesmen ensuring Sidney got the full VIP treatment.

"Oh?" Roger asked at DePaul's update. "When is she due?" Mark and Aveline had been married longer than Roger and Kim. The two were also about five years their seniors too. Yet this would be the DePauls' first child. Suffice to say the couple had difficulties conceiving and were finally starting that family. Roger was certainly happy for them, having known them since back when they were first dating on Caprica.

It was also quite nice that in the midst of his own joy, Mark thought of Roger's family too. He was a good man even if he tacked onto the comment a little dig about taking Roger's money in the game. "Oh, I plan on 'looking good' at Triad tonight." he said. "I've got three growing boys to feed back home, sir. They tend to eat a bit more than little girls in the womb." He smiled and added, "And I don't get that colonel's pay increase like you do."

"But honestly, that's great news." Roger said. "Now we just need to figure out how our kids are going to see each other livin' on different Colonies. I don't know how my Kim is going to feel about driving the kids to a playdate on Libran." he continued to joke. "O' course Aerilon's a fine place to raise a family if you can convince your better half." he gave Mark another smile before turning his attention back down the hallway. He pointed to a door just down the hall and asked, "The Lieutenant Colonel is in 5E, yeah?"

[Mark DePaul]

Mark chuckled, raising his hands in defeat. "Well to be honest she's only a few months pregnant at the moment, but don't fret! Sooner than later, the baby will come. It's what we've wanted, whats another six months?"

DePaul smiled at Roger. Although he wouldn't admit it, he was grateful for his old friend's persistence back when they were learning at the military academy on Caprica. It was Davis who insisted that he be more social, and it was Davis that pushed the shy and awkward up-and-coming doctor towards women. On one rainy night in Caprica City, Mark finally worked up the courage, and chased after Aveline's umbrella when she lost it to the wind. When their eyes met, under the umbrella with the pouring rain all around them, it was then that he knew that she was the one. Since that day, they never looked back, and now here they were, about to have a baby and start a family.

DePaul laughed at the Major's response quip. "It's true..." he said shrugging, "Being a Lieutenant Colonel has its perks. Not just the pay mind you, but the option to boss you around. I'm sure Lt. Colonel Bainbridge would get a kick out of that." Adding a wink, the two continued to walk through the halls towards their guest's quarters.

"True, true... Aerilon is pretty nice... but Libran, psh! Your kids would have a great education if they moved there. Some of the best schools in all of the colonies. With all the money that I'm gonna steal-- I mean borrow from you tonight-- I'll put as a down payment for a new house for you and your family on Libran. Sound good?" he asked with a smile.

The doctor nodded to Roger's question, and the arrived shortly after to finally greet their honored guest.

"Lieutenant Colonel Bainbridge, I assume?" Mark asked, strolling into the room. The two had yet to formally meet, and the doctor felt that proper introductions were at least in order before inviting the man to the semi-daily Pyramid game.

[Roger Davis]

"Six months?" Roger repeated. Of course he knew about the pregnancy but he hadn't exactly been counting off the days like the expecting couple. "Let's hope we're back from patrol by then." he said. "For your sake, I mean." he began to joke. "I missed Alexander's birth while I was on the Valkyrie. I don't think Kim has yet to forgive me." he explained. "And being there in itself is pretty nice, but you know I'm just watching out for you and your marriage long term."

Of course it was all just a joke only laced with bits of the truth. He had indeed missed his middle-child's birth and he was indeed in hot water with the old ball and chain about that. But that was merely a footnote to his personal regret for not being there at that moment to welcome his son into the world. Valkyrie was... unavailable. Top Secret missions that ruined certain careers didn't exactly schedule their activities around the pregnancies of their Lieutenants. The humor would hopefully soften the blow if indeed Mark missed his own child's birth.

At the Lieutenant Colonel comments, Roger sighed. "That's cold." he said. "And to think I was about to let you try out my "Worlds' Best Dad" mug so that you'd be an expert by the time you got your own." He looked over at Mark, "You can forget that now. Rank has destroyed our friendship. You better hope that by the time you've got your little one I'll have gotten my next promotion, otherwise I don't think I can allow my children to associate with yours just on principle."

"And I don't know how I feel about moving to a Colony that doesn't even have an official Capital." he added. "I can understand Aquaria but really..." 2.1 Billion people and no capital despite also being the legal center of the Colonies... didn't really make any sense. "Plus you don't have a professional Pyramid team. Can't have my boys grow up without that." Roger said as he continued to jokingly poke at Mark's homeworld. "Oh, and we'd have to learn that gobbledygook language of yours. Even with a down payment, it doesn't sound all too appealing.: He put his hands up as scales and moved them accordingly as he spoke, "Down payment on a house." The scale moved up. "On no-capital, no-pyramid, and no-Caprican Libran." the scale moved back down. "Land is most likely to be a swamp." Down. "And I'd probably end up dying from skin cancer at 50 due to all the UV radiation." Down again. "When I have the family homestead on beautiful Aerilon with a few hundred acres..." The Aerilon "scale" was high in the air over Libran. He turned to Mark as they reached the door. "So how big of a deposit are we talking? Just what I lose tonight or in the hundreds of games before this too?"


When they finally arrived, Mark and Roger had very different approaches to their introductions. The doctor walked right in like he owned the place. Roger followed him in through the open door but merely stepped to the side once within the room and stood at attention. This was followed by a crisp salute to the Lieutenant Colonel. "Major Davis, sir." Roger said for introductions. As a fellow LTC, DePaul wasn't necessarily held to the same standard as Roger toward Sidney, but it wasn't exactly normal protocol to just stroll in. Roger and Mark had that kind of relationship because they'd known each other for sixteen years and had served on Hyperion together for the last four. They didn't even know Bainbridge beyond reputation.

[Sidney Bainbridge]

Sidney had been on the ship for the last three days now. Today was his first day of not being swamped with administrative tasks. He had all but settled in to pace at this this point and was ready for the war games to come in only a few days. Life aboard the Hyperion was going to be over all fairly slow really, sure a bit of excitement for the two weeks of the war games and catching up with his old friend Tyler but other then that the five months to come were going to be a long period of observing how the commander ran the ship.

Sidney had returned to his shared quarters with Major Hayashi, the ships OOD, where he was sitting drinking a cup of coffee while he ready a book. He had met plenty of people on the ship already but aside from Tyler he didn't know much about anyone. The C.O. and X.O. had consumed most of his time so they were the ones he was getting to know best. Sidney never was the type to reach out and get to know anyone himself, he was all business after all. That didn't mean though that he would shy away from someone else approached him first. He was here not only to evaluate the war games and learn what he could for taking command of his own ship. He was also here to get a feel for the crew and how things ran on the Hyperion for the admiralty.

It just happened to be his luck that someone, or a pair of someones that is, walked in his room. Sidney stood up from his seat as the pair greeted him. One of them introducing himself as Major Davis, the head of the marines on the ship. The other making the assumption that he was Lieutenant Colonel Bainbridge. Sidney had been doing his studies on the ship and her crew. At least those at the top of the food chain and the ones he would be leading with the most so the face of the other matched the picture of someone from the upper leadership of the crew.

Sidney provided a salute back to the Major and reached at hand out the the other who had walked in taking the lead. "You would be correct, Lieutenant Colonel Bainbridge at your service. Pleasure to meet you Major Davis and..."[/color] He paused a moment and ran through the names of people he could remember in his head. "I apologize if I am off on the name and rank but I am guess you must be Lieutenant Colonel DePaul?"[/color] Sidney had only had three days to remember and he had been stuck between the names of Captain Wolfe and Lieutenant Colonel DePaul. "How is th that I can help the two of you tonight?"[/color]

[Mark DePaul]

Mark raised his hands with a smirk, surrendering to barrage of criticism he was receiving on behalf of Libran. He had to admit the Major was right on a few key points, despite the over-exaggeration. It was then that they entered the room and began the formal rounds of introductions.

"No apologies necessary Colonel, especially when you are right. Lieutenant Colonel Depaul, also known as the Chief Medical Officer aboard the Hyperion" he explained with a smile. Following Davis' actions, Mark made sure to thrown in a quick salute as he spoke. "We've all heard great things about you sir. Truly, it's an honor" he added.

Considering that he previously disavowed any acts of "sucking up", DePaul smiled softly to himself, wondering if the Major noticed and was rolling his eyes in that moment. The doctor didn't bother to check though, since he was already preoccupied with the person he just met. While his demeanor seemed a bit informal, his observations were not as lax. Upon entering the room he immediately began an assessment of the Lieutenant Colonel: everything, from posture, speech, reaction to his candor, and his composure as a military man. DePaul's acute attention to detail was both natural and deliberate. After being a doctor for so many years, he knew all too well on how to examine people, whether they were sick or not. As the man named Sidney Bainbridge spoke, he continued his quiet assessment, only breaking concentration at the sound of a rising inflection of his voice; a question was being asked.

"Wha-- ah yes. Well actually sir, we were hoping to help you tonight" Mark responded, smoothly recovering from deep thought. "In my medical, professional opinion, productivity is optimized when conditions are at its best, is it not? Stress-relief sir, is an effective option. Considering that you are among the senior staff aboard this ship and no doubt tasked with a difficult assignment, Major Davis and I feel that its in all of our...interests, to invite you to drink immeasurable amounts of alcohol and...play Triad with us."

Mark wasn't sure how to formally invite someone of his rank and stature, so he attempted to word things carefully as best as he could. He looked to Roger for some support, hoping that his reiteration would convince the Lieutenant Colonel.

[Roger Davis]

Roger dropped his salute when it was returned by the Lieutenant Colonel and then he nodded when his name and rank were repeated in greeting. Despite Mark's lack of introduction, Bainbridge managed to guess his identity presumably from his own research of the ship roster. There weren't all too many senior officers to choose from so it was not too impressive a feat, but considering Bainbridge had just arrived and was busy with war games and admiralty business he couldn't be held to Roger's standard of trying to know nearly everyone down to the custodians. It was a wonder Bainbridge had managed to find any time to look over the records of even the most senior crew.

First impressions did Sidney more justice than any review of a record could. Certainly his past feats and reputation were better conveyed in type, but to be frank Sidney was old. He was four years Mark's senior and about ten years older than Roger. Yet the years apparently had not taken their toll on the man. He did not appear to have grown weak or even a little fat as can be the case even for the most celebrated former aces. Colonel Pritcher for example, strong and sharp as he was, didn't come across as the type of man who could instantly jump back in the cockpit or grab a rifle and head off to assault an enemy position on foot. Bainbridge on the other hand seemed as fit as young Lion, the new transfer to the 'hawks. What was the saying? "Life begins at forty." Well, Bainbridge was walking proof that he was still alive and kicking, and although he was sliding his way up into the command ranks, he was still a very capable fighter.

Roger pushed aside his thoughts on age as Mark tried to articulate their invitation. He started by tiptoeing around things and then practically ended in a trainwreck once he realized he wasn't going anywhere and had to rush to the point. "Alcohol consumption varies from person to person." Roger interjected. First it was the truth, and second it wasn't exactly best to go advertising to a still potentially unknown about how all the senior officers go off and get trashed together. They'd let him figure that out for himself once they got him in the door and he saw how much Wolfe would probably end up downing.

"We hold a game about once a week." Roger said, briefly elaborating. "Senior officers only." He figured that Sidney cut put together for himself the benefits of true social interaction. You might be surrounded by people all day, but as a department head you weren't truly friends with any of them. This get-together was the solution to that problem. "We'd be honored if you'd join us." Despite their earlier talk against hero-worship, not both Roger and Mark had said "honor" to Bainbridge.