Passing The Torch
WHO: Callie Morgan, Tra Mitchel WHERE: Squadron CO Office, Avalon WHEN: Evening Y02/12/07, Y2001 Flashback
It was over. The term as a Squadron Commander on Avalon was at an end after tending her transfer request to a ground assignment on Aerilon for personal reasons. She had not divulged those reasons but it was necessary to move on from Avalon, a place that held much good memories to follow a different path. There was only one last task left, the clearing out of her desk in her office. She was finding it more difficult than expected, packing her belongings into boxes, her memories into boxes.
Tra had left the Admiral’s office almost an hour ago, but he still hadn’t ended up anywhere. Getting the promotion to captain and the CO slot in the squadron was a shock, considering his record, but it wasn’t the most surprising part. That would have to be Callgirl’s transfer request. He hadn’t expected that. She always seemed to love being the CO, not that he made it easy on her. Looking up Tra found that he had made his way to the CO’s office.
Reaching up Tra knocked on the door and waited, unsure what he would say.
“Come in” Without thinking, without looking up, Callie invited the person into her office, soon to be ex-office. She was going to miss it, having that sort of authority, not that she was a power hungry person. Her hands busily worked on packing things.
Opening the door Tra walked in. Callie was busy packing her life on the Avalon into a few boxes. It was the routine of every officer in the fleet. Travel light and don’t get attached to anything. Still, seeing her go was almost unreal. She was the Death Angel’s. Maybe that was what was eating away at him.
“Can I ask you a question?” He said without thinking.
Seeing Achilles, the thorn in her side enter her office, she barely acknowledged him and instead continued to pack up her life into small boxes. Callie never travelled heavy. It was one thing she regretted after recent events, not having weight in her personal life. “Achilles, make it quick. I’ve got a bird to catch on the hanger.”
Fear. It was a new feeling for him. Not that he hadn’t been scared before, but that was from pulling out of one problem in his life or another. From crashing his Viper to being falling down drunk he had felt scared from time to time. The fear he felt now had nothing to do with dying and everything to do with failing.
“The Admiral called me into his office an hour ago. I got promoted to captain and he moved me into the Death Angel’s CO slot. What I wanted to know is how you did it? I mean, I know I was a frak up and you had to put up with me for too long, but how did you run the squadron like you did, without thinking just doing it?” Tra asked, his normal bravado absent from his voice.
It was surprising, not only the news that Achilles had been given her slot as CO of the Death Angel’s but also how promptly the old man replaced her. It had only been a day or two at tops since her request was tendered. She had paused in her packing and stared into space thinking about the question. How had she done this job? “It was my job.” There was no big secret to how she had survived the hardship of the role; it was trial and error really.
He thought about what she said. Her job. He had watched her do her job while he had kicked back and got in one mess after another. It seemed that she was born to her job more than she had just done it “I’m not sure why I came here. I didn’t expect a tearful farewell at the Raptor’s side, that’s for sure” He said with a small smile “But I did want you to know a few things. I have never served under a better commanding officer in my life. And I regret the way a served under you. I’m a mess; I know that better than anyone. The only place I have ever been any good is in the cockpit, but now I have to do more. I should have been doing that all along.”
Callie sighed, turning to face him. “Achilles.” She was ready to rip into him like she had done so many times before in this office but that wasn’t her job anymore. The dark haired woman stood silent for a moment and then smirked, shaking her head. “Do you remember the first day you walked into my office, this office?”
Tra smiled at the thought. “Gods yes. I thought you were going to kill me. Not that I wouldn’t have done the same. I still can’t believe that I made it passed the first few days on the Avalon.” Tra said thinking back to the day he had reported in.
Y2001 Flashback
Achilles sat in the back of the Raptor as it landed on the Deck of the Avalon. The party for the Galactica had lasted into the early morning and he was still more than a bit hung-over. As the door opened Achilles hopped out of the Raptor and onto the deck. Looking at his watch he saw that he was a half an hour late for reporting in to his new CO, but how bad could it be? Achilles last CO was on his last year of service and he really didn’t care what his men did from one day to the next. Just so long as he had a full flight in the air at any given time.
Reaching the CO’s office Tra set his bags down and got ready. The only thing that was going through his mind was that as soon as his CO saw how hot he was in a Viper his being late would be forgotten. Knocking on the door he waited.
Callie was reluctant in having showboats in her squadron but even she had to admit, seeing this Achilles record and having his previous CO sugar coat how good a pilot the Lieutenant was, she could not say no. Major Mackenzie was also keen for her to fill her slots ASAP. She was nothing if not a stickler for discipline and punctuality when it came to her pilots and glancing at her watch, he was late. Not a good start for a nugget on her deck.
Finally the door received a steady knock and Callie looked up from behind her desk, “Come in!” It was barked like an order because she knew who was behind that hatch, her newest recruit.
Tra opened the door and saw his new commanding officer for the first time. Dark hair dark eyes and a great body. This is going to be great duty he thought as he crossed the room. As he did he saw the pictures of her in Vipers, uniform and on deck. Something in the back of Achilles mind screamed for him to behave himself , but Tra rarely if ever listened to that voice.
“Lt. Tra Mitchel reporting for duty ma’am. The pride of the Galactica is now all yours.” Tra said with a smile.
Two eyes burned holes in her newest addition as he entered, late and bragged about himself in a cocky manner which was totally uninteresting to Callie. She sat and observed him for a moment and then leaned forward, “Pride? You think I give a frak about what you did on Galactica or any other Battlestar?!” Callie kept her cold stare fixed on him as she got to her feet and started to stroll around her desk towards him. “This is Avalon, I expect my pilots to act professionally which means; they don’t turn up late to meet their new CO. Black mark one, good start nugget. Black mark two, they don’t report for duty looking like something the cat dragged in. Ever heard of a shower? Black mark three, they don’t come in smelling of scotch, really bad move.”
Callie came to a stop a few feet away. “You want to explain before I throw your frakking ass in the brig nugget?” She restrained herself from beating a fellow officer despite the urge to knock some sense into him.
Tra’s eye said more than he ever could. He couldn’t believe what was going on. This woman had ripped into him like he was a raw recruit. Worse even. Straightening his back he tried to breathe less so he would allow less of the smell of the party out into the room. Looking down with his eyes he only now saw that his uniform was not looking its best. He guessed that sleeping in it was not the best idea after all.
“The party for the Galactica went a bit late Ma’am. Everyone was toasting the old girl and captain Follett. He was getting out of the service. One thing led to another and, well you know. It was a fighter pilot’s party.” Tra said, still thinking that most pilots were like him.
“Listen to me nugget; I do not give a frak if you were partying with the gods themselves. When I ask for you to report to me at 1030 hours I expect you to report on time. I don’t know how things were run on Galactica but on Avalon, we run a tight ship. Get your head out your ass and start acting like a frakking officer or I swear to the gods I will ship your ass into the most remote duty post possible.” Callie retorted at him. She did not care for explanations or excuses.
Tra didn’t like being called nugget after his few years in the service, but she was the boss. His mind raced for the right answer. This was like a dogfight and he was on the side that was getting frakked up. He didn’t like the way this was going, but he would go with it.
“Yes Ma’am. I’ll do that right now.” Tra said resolving to wear her down until she was like his last CO.
“You’ll do what; get your head out your ass, act like a frakking officer or both?” Callie believed he was making fun, probing to see if she would take the bait or not.
Tra fought the urge to smile. She was a smart one, but he was sure he would win the battle in the long run. He had been here before after all. His old CO had tried the hard assed routine when he had reported in. After a few months he had let up. At last the words came to him. “Both ma’am. Head out of my ass and I will start acting like an officer” He said.
“Good to know fly-boy. Now grab your gear and find a rack and stay there. I don’t want to see, hear or smell you anywhere else for the next day. If I do, I swear you’ll regret it. Now move!” Callie did not want Major Mackenzie or worse the old man, Burk finding out about Lieutenant Mitchel’s poor appearance as it would represent badly on her squadron.
Tra saluted and turned, quickly walking out of the door. Once the door was closed Tra picked up his bags. It seems that his time on Avalon wouldn’t be as easy as he had hoped.
Callie remembered that day like it was yesterday. She shrugged off that feeling and started boxing things again, trying not to prolong this. “Achilles, you were a major pain in the ass back then, still are but this squadron is my baby and I want you to look after it, you hear?” It was more out of sentiment than anything else. She had good pilots, now they were Achilles to command.
Tra sighed. The person that had reported in to Callie wasn’t the same man he was now. Not that he wasn’t a frak up still; it was just that he couldn’t allow himself to be a frak up anymore. “Yes ma’am. I’ll pull my head out of my ass and start acting like an officer.” Tra said with a smile. “And thank you for everything. I’ll do my best to make sure the Death Angels remain the best squadron in the fleet.” Tra said.
“You’ll need to keep that head of yours out your ass.” Callie stopped her packing, strolled around her desk very much the same as she did when they first met and paused for a moment and then offered her hand, “Congratulations, Captain Achilles.”
Tra took the hand and shook it firmly. It was the way things should have started, not ended. He would remember that in the future. “Thank you. I will. Good luck in your new duty station, where ever that is. I know that you will turn it into the best. Believe it or not, you taught me quite a bit about being an officer. I won’t forget it.”
After shaking hands, accepting his gratitude, Callie stood for a moment and remembered what she was leaving, the people, the ship, the excitement but it was nevertheless necessary. She nodded to Achilles and started back towards her boxing duties and then paused, turning around and pointing a finger, “One more thing. My bird, I don’t want you flying it.” Callie loved her viper, it was her baby, her wings and she did not like the idea of anyone else flying it apart from her.
Tra smiled broadly. “You don’t have to worry about that. I have a new Viper in the flight-bay waiting for me. I believe that a chief on the deck owes me a favour. I’ll bet that I could get your bird to your next duty station, or close to it. I may have to bend a few regs, but I’m sure that I can reconcile that with my new found love of duty.”
“No. She was made for a Battlestar and belongs on deck. You just keep the frakking nuggets away from my bird you got it?” Callie barked, probably her final order to her former subordinate.
Tra saluted smartly. “Yes Ma’am. Only the best will fly her. Next to me that is” Tra said. “Good hunting Callgirl.” He said as he turned and walked out of the office. Once out he looked back at the hatch. It was the end of an era, and hopefully the beginning of one
Callie watched him salute for the last time and then leave. She stared at that hatch for a moment and chuckled softly, “Keep that head out your ass Achilles.” It was time for a change, Glenrock, Aerilon was the place to find a new beginning. Callgirl went to work on finishing her packing before that date with her flight off Avalon left without her.