KG6 - Rig For Flight - [Sharpe/Norris]

[Dave K.]

The bridge of the King George VI hummed with activity ahead of breaking orbit. Brigadier Bernard Sharpe--"Bernie" to what few friends he had outside of the military--stood in the center of it all, hands on his hips, surveying the crew at their work. They had only been training together for two months, but the quality of his people were showing through. He shook his head. For the last ten years he had led no more than six in small teams on focused missions. Now he had a crew of hundreds, plus dozens of pilots. And now he was bringing aboard more people, though they would technically report to Col. Carter for the time being. 

"Something the matter, sir?" Sergeant Major Anna Norris quirked a smile and--out of sight of the crew--poked him in the ribs.

"Just the weight of command, or some rubbish like that," he said, pitching his voice low for her.

"Rubbish indeed." She poked him again and, for nine thousandth time, he didn't flinch. 

"Are our guests aboard?" 

"Major Shepard is bringing the last of them up now aboard the shuttle. Sparse crowd it'll be." 

"I'll take what I can get," he replied, and offered her the smallest of smiles. "Other than you, me, and the Colonel, there's hardly anyone aboard with actual offworld experience." 

"And you think that's necessary," she said. She could ask questions without asking them, and sometimes answer the questions for herself. Such was the bond they had formed over the last ten years of working together.

"Leave it to a bootneck to think we could take on the galaxy on our own."

Anna shrugged and turned to head off the bridge again, then looked back, blue eyes flashing. "Well, we could." An elegant flick of the wrist seemed to gather in the entire bridge, and he could not help but smile in response.

He looked back to the main screen as she left, and the crew started to settle into their positions. Most of them seemed to be looking anywhere else very intently. He put his war face back on, and settled into the Captain's chair. Earth rolled by below.

"Major Shepard is back aboard, sir," one of his deck officers--Naik--said from her station on the left--port--side of the bridge.

"Very well," he replied. "Alert Colonel Carter and let's rig this bird for flight."



Brig. Bernard Sharpe
Commanding Officer
HMS King George VI 

SgtMaj. Anna Norris
Ship Sergeant Major
HMS King George VI

[Hilary Doda]

[[OOC question: are we tagging KG6 for this mission, or keeping old/new
team designations?]]

Alyssa shoved the last bobby pin home and stared at herself in the tiny
mirror. Staff Sergeant Howard stared back at her, hair slicked back and
tied, uniform collar pressed and turned just so, the silver chain of her
tags resting against her throat. The transformation back was complete.
Her jeans, Aidan's shirt, her heels; she wadded them up into the little
locker and smalled the door closed.

God knew how long it would be before she got to wear them again, or even
what the hell was going on now. The last time she'd been evacced- She
closed her eyes against the rush of memory, the dark hallways of Alpha,
the smell of ozone, the ever-present sound of spindly metal legs
tick-tick-ticking on concrete...

The sounds around her shifted, the engines changing. She opened her eyes.

She was standing in the locker room of the King George, her hastily
requisitioned uniform rolled up once at the sleeves (not regulation, but
then, neither was wearing them so long that they fell over her hands,
and she really couldn't help being short).

She was on a ship, not back on Alpha. There were no drones.

Alyssa breathed out. She left the locker room and headed down the long
hallway. A familiar face would be good right about now-

Not that one, necessarily, but she'd take it. Alyssa swatted Buzz
lightly on the back of his stupid head. "Malone? Who'd you piss off to
get this detail?"

[open tag! Figured I'd get Alyssa officially ready to roll. :) Feel free
to interrupt!]

SSGt Alyssa Howard
Missile and Space Systems Electronics Specialist
Temporary Assignment: King George VI