Arriving on board Avalon
Kit stowed in lockers after bunks assigned, weapons locker inspected and equipment checked. Suits issued, tried on and tested. Briefings with another two officers, one about the basestar, the other on the older class of battlestar they would be entering through. It was four hours after they'd arrived on the Avalon and John's team were as primed and ready as possible.

Time for chow.

"Now I know we're back," Spider grunted as they started eating. "Chow 'asn't changed."

"Better 'n a smack in the jaw with a whore's handbag," Avalanche rumbled, the food dwarfed in his hands.

"And you would know just what that's like now, wouldn't you, Avalanche?" Spike jibed, elbowing the huge man. Of all of them Avalanche would be the least likely to have been near Babylonia and the delights on offer at 'Five'.

John laughed quietly, pleased to see them all falling back into place with each other as if little had changed in the three years that'd passed. He still had concerns on the younger two, but Spider was keeping a special eye on them, one had been with him on the last ship he'd been assigned to.

He glanced around, nose twitching a little as he sniffed. He had noticed it as soon as they'd stepped aboard the shuttle bringing them across, the smells that only existed on a military ship. When they'd disembarked in the hangar, the shuttle having been towed directly there instead of being unloaded in the open, general area of the landing decks, it had been almost an assault on his nose. He'd inhaled deeply, bedding the smells into his memory again.

"'sup, boss?" Spider noticed his attention was elsewhere and looked around to see if he could figure out what John was looking at, or for.

"Nuthin', just, you know... " He sniffed quietly. "... settling in." Spider heard the quiet noise and saw the twitch of John's nose and grinned. "'s alright then," he murmured, "now I know we're back." He'd been with John for most of their careers and knew the man's habits and senses probably as well as John did himself. Maybe even better. "S' long as that snout o' yours is on the job? Job's good."

"Yeah, all we need is a frakkin' nose in those suits," John reminded him with a smirk. "Can't be much use otherwise."

"Don't worry, boss, reckon it'll work jus' fine even inside!"

John returned the grin and shook his head, their quiet exchange something no-one else had heard, the two men falling into companionable silence as the rest of the team continued their meal.