"How'd it go?" Omega whispered as he watched the Councilors leave the briefing room and head for the lift.
"To be honest, I don't know." Apollo sighed and picked up his headset. "Right now, I don't think I care."
"You will later," Omega predicted.
"Yes, I probably will," Apollo agreed as he looked out of the main view port, refusing to look at the departing Councilors. When he heard the lift doors close he finally turned around. "Did you get a hold of Shadrick yet?"
"He's supervising the spot patching on the fracture. He's asked us not to try any maneuvering until they're done. Then we should be able to do some minimal maneuvering."
"Oh, no problem. I just hope he told the Cylons. How long is this going to take?" Apollo asked, still piqued from his Council encounter.
"About another four centars," Omega calmly replied, not at all bothered by Apollo's mood.
"We may not have that long. Any word on Starbuck and Boomer's patrol?"
"Not yet. I've been monitoring - wait" Omega put his hand to his earpiece and turned up the volume. "Yes, Blue Squadron is back in communication range. Jolly's reporting they found Starbuck and Boomer." Omega activated the speaker control sending the com traffic to the command station's speakers.
"....uck's Viper is a bit worse for the wear. He'll need help landing..."
"No, I won't! I'm perfectly able to land. The damage is only skin deep."
"You've got a Tylium leak, for Kobol's sake!"
"No, I don't! I have an *unknown* clear, liquid leak. It's probably just coolant. No problem."
Apollo turned on the mike on his head set. "Starbuck, what did you do to your Viper this time?"
"Nothing serious, Apollo, you know me. I just like to add to the excitement."
"He's had his left delta wing torn off and is sporting a possible Tylium leak from his under carriage."
"*Coolant!* I've checked my fuel levels; there is no fuel leak. It's coolant, already."
"Starbuck, let's not take any chances. Omega, activate the Landing..." Apollo started to say but was quickly cut off by Starbuck.
"Apollo! I've never needed to use the Landing Arm since the academy, and I sure don't need it now. Boomer's just being his normal paranoid self. My ship is fine, I promise. I'm taking her in. Trust me on this one, will you?"
Apollo sighed. How many times had he heard this banter before, when Starbuck returned with a damaged Viper? Only then, he knew, if the damage was serious enough, the bridge personnel wouldn't let Starbuck bring his Viper in by himself. Apollo had been able to let Starbuck argue the issue on his own, without becoming a target in the lieutenant's angry sights. But now, he couldn't relent. "Sorry Starbuck...."
"I can land! It's safe!" Starbuck persisted.
"Lieutenant! If you won't voluntarily take assistance, then consider it an order. I'm not risking our newly repaired landing bay just because you're willing to gamble on this."
"Yes, sir!" came the stony response.
"Starbuck..." Apollo sighed.
"You're ruining my perfect record, you know." Starbuck grumbled, but Apollo could hear the reluctant smile in his voice.
"Perfect, record? As if!" Apollo chuckled, as he watch Starbuck's Viper approach the Landing Arm. The Viper slowed to a stop, as the large mechanical arm firmly grasped it around the midsection in its scissor-like claw. Then slowly the arm retracted back down the rigging set into the ceiling of the landing bay. It would then hold the damaged Viper up off the deck until a support tripod could be set into place.
Apollo knew Starbuck hated the Landing Arm in an almost phobic kind of way. He'd had to use one once, back at the academy, and ended up almost crushed to death. The controllers were just cadets, themselves, and had exerted too much pressure on Starbuck's Viper, crushing the ship in the large metal claw. Starbuck had managed to avoid any serious injury, but it had taken the deck crew almost a centar to pull his crushed Viper into the bay, and then cut him out of it.
Apollo watched as Starbuck's Viper was gently set down on a foamed tripod and exhaled in relief.
Omega chucked at him. "I see you're going to have to get used to this side of Starbuck's more entertaining landings."
"To be honest, I don't know." Apollo sighed and picked up his headset. "Right now, I don't think I care."
"You will later," Omega predicted.
"Yes, I probably will," Apollo agreed as he looked out of the main view port, refusing to look at the departing Councilors. When he heard the lift doors close he finally turned around. "Did you get a hold of Shadrick yet?"
"He's supervising the spot patching on the fracture. He's asked us not to try any maneuvering until they're done. Then we should be able to do some minimal maneuvering."
"Oh, no problem. I just hope he told the Cylons. How long is this going to take?" Apollo asked, still piqued from his Council encounter.
"About another four centars," Omega calmly replied, not at all bothered by Apollo's mood.
"We may not have that long. Any word on Starbuck and Boomer's patrol?"
"Not yet. I've been monitoring - wait" Omega put his hand to his earpiece and turned up the volume. "Yes, Blue Squadron is back in communication range. Jolly's reporting they found Starbuck and Boomer." Omega activated the speaker control sending the com traffic to the command station's speakers.
"....uck's Viper is a bit worse for the wear. He'll need help landing..."
"No, I won't! I'm perfectly able to land. The damage is only skin deep."
"You've got a Tylium leak, for Kobol's sake!"
"No, I don't! I have an *unknown* clear, liquid leak. It's probably just coolant. No problem."
Apollo turned on the mike on his head set. "Starbuck, what did you do to your Viper this time?"
"Nothing serious, Apollo, you know me. I just like to add to the excitement."
"He's had his left delta wing torn off and is sporting a possible Tylium leak from his under carriage."
"*Coolant!* I've checked my fuel levels; there is no fuel leak. It's coolant, already."
"Starbuck, let's not take any chances. Omega, activate the Landing..." Apollo started to say but was quickly cut off by Starbuck.
"Apollo! I've never needed to use the Landing Arm since the academy, and I sure don't need it now. Boomer's just being his normal paranoid self. My ship is fine, I promise. I'm taking her in. Trust me on this one, will you?"
Apollo sighed. How many times had he heard this banter before, when Starbuck returned with a damaged Viper? Only then, he knew, if the damage was serious enough, the bridge personnel wouldn't let Starbuck bring his Viper in by himself. Apollo had been able to let Starbuck argue the issue on his own, without becoming a target in the lieutenant's angry sights. But now, he couldn't relent. "Sorry Starbuck...."
"I can land! It's safe!" Starbuck persisted.
"Lieutenant! If you won't voluntarily take assistance, then consider it an order. I'm not risking our newly repaired landing bay just because you're willing to gamble on this."
"Yes, sir!" came the stony response.
"Starbuck..." Apollo sighed.
"You're ruining my perfect record, you know." Starbuck grumbled, but Apollo could hear the reluctant smile in his voice.
"Perfect, record? As if!" Apollo chuckled, as he watch Starbuck's Viper approach the Landing Arm. The Viper slowed to a stop, as the large mechanical arm firmly grasped it around the midsection in its scissor-like claw. Then slowly the arm retracted back down the rigging set into the ceiling of the landing bay. It would then hold the damaged Viper up off the deck until a support tripod could be set into place.
Apollo knew Starbuck hated the Landing Arm in an almost phobic kind of way. He'd had to use one once, back at the academy, and ended up almost crushed to death. The controllers were just cadets, themselves, and had exerted too much pressure on Starbuck's Viper, crushing the ship in the large metal claw. Starbuck had managed to avoid any serious injury, but it had taken the deck crew almost a centar to pull his crushed Viper into the bay, and then cut him out of it.
Apollo watched as Starbuck's Viper was gently set down on a foamed tripod and exhaled in relief.
Omega chucked at him. "I see you're going to have to get used to this side of Starbuck's more entertaining landings."