Bring 'em home pt.6 (an excerpt)

*Another excerpt from my BSG simm. Sorry for the delay on updates - been a busy month.

Davin's voice lept to his throat when Jami pulled the revolver from its holster, but hung there in the same hoarse trap that had plagued him on the ride back to the ship. His body froze, as did the other men beside him, when fire erupted from the barrel. Having been a career pilot, Davin wasn't accustom to seeing men get shot. The gun's discharge was much louder in the enclosed space, a thunderclap that demanded the attention of people several decks away. Solace turned just in time to meet the deadly projectiles, his body rocking backward with every hit. As his back jumped twice or three times, blood shot forward in long thin streams. Davin's eyes doubled, and knowing that he was weak from exhaustion, all he could do was turn to the beast at his side. That man was accustom to gun shots. That man was accustom to violence. That man was already moving.

Baul was Abadox at that moment. Only intense situations made him thus and he was always left wondering exactly what had happened. This proved no different. The surroundings were suddenly foreign, everyone speaking in echoes. They were running around in a panic it seemed. At least they were alive and that brought a sense of ease to him, but still something brought on his heightened sense of things and the slow motion event occurring around him.

Looking about, he saw a body on the floor. In the other direction was his admiral seemingly shoved hard into a nearby console. His hand hurt as though slapping a blunt and metallic object. A pinch entered his mind and he traced the source of that pinch to his left arm to which he eyed and saw a small hole, quickly spilling his own blood.

Slowly turning his head back to the right, he saw several bodies moving in on a girl. He had seen her many times and once several consecutive times as he floated by. No names came to him just yet, but he started to realize someone had just been shot, and not only himself. The bullet he took was apparently meant for someone else.

He looked again at his hurting hand and used it to try closing up the small hole in his arm. The situation had apparently calmed enough that he no longer needed to act. A climax was reached and resolution had set in, thus allowing him to regain himself and figure out what had just happened.

All in all, he was simply standing there. Diodorus had descended to the floor after a massive palm sent him away. Solace’s fall was caused by a bullet from Jami’s gun which had come to rest against a wall on the far side of CIC. And Jami was being pulled to the floor by several marines. Baul, as he was recognizing his surroundings, was also recalling the past few seconds.

Davin stood frozen as the marines cuffed Jami, writhing on the floor like some sort of villainous snake. Solace has been shot. He looked to one side of CIC and the other as the officers stood with blank stares. No one was sure what had just happened, or how to handle it. Davin looked at Dio, who was standing from where Baul shoved him. His eyes were wide and vacant. His uniform was still out of place from the shove. Baul stood near the marnies, slowly becoming more aware of his surroundings. Solace has been shot. Davin's mind raced. He was exhausted and near his limit, and this new occurance was close to pushing him over that edge. He felt himself slipping, then he heard a voice that had been missing for a while. His father spoke to him alone. "They need orders. They need their XO, and that's you now. Step up soldier."

Then he was back, and the tunnels that his hearing and vision were traveling down disappeared. He felt as if he'd awoken from a nap. He looked at the marines, who were slowly raising the writhing form of the previous tactical officer. "GET HER TO THE BRIG UNHARMED! MOVE!" Davin looked to the communications station, where a enlisted man he didn't know was staring listlessly. "Get me the med bay immediately." By the time Davin reached the plot table, the enlisted man pointed toward him. He lifted the receiver quickly, eying Solace's wheezing body and it's slowly spreading pool of blood. Dio was kneeling slowly beside him - the blank stare dominant again. Davin pressed the receiver to his ear. "This is the XO." You sure about that? "I need a medical team to CIC NOW! We have an officer down." Davin slammed the receiver and walked to Dio's side.

"Admiral?"

The man didn't recognize the call. His face was as blank and frozen as a picture of it would've been.

"ADMIRAL!"

The man remained still and silent, and Davin finally grabbed him by the shoulders, forcing him to stand. Dio looked surprised, but still didn't answer. Against his better judgment, Davin took two handfuls of his uniform and pulled Dio close. His arms were trembling with exhaustion. His voice was a hiss, barely audible above the buzz in the room. "Get it together soldier. Your men need you." He gave a final shake, and finally the eyes returned to a normal state.

*Baul's five paragraphs near the beginning are the work of Brad Linton.