Precious Cargo

[Kent McKillop]

1800
Hallway

Wondering, as always, why he kept agreeing to return to a distant galaxy filled with exotic aliens intent on killing him every time he stepped outside, Doctor Kent McKillop wandered the quiet hallways of the USS Aeneid. The American built and operated warship was on her way back to the Delta Site, on one of her numerous supply runs from Earth that constituted the expedition's only link back to their home world. The cruiser's cargo holds were loaded to capacity with supplies, food stuffs, ammunition and everything else one needed to explore the far-flung corners of the universe. The ship was also carrying personnel, those returning after time on leave such as Kent or those newly assigned to the expedition.

Choosing to avoid the flight suits adorned by those around him, Kent was attired in his trademark gray slacks and white dress shirt, sleeves rolled up just below his elbows and top button undone. While his once hatred of all things military had dissipated over time during this dealing in the Delian galaxy, he still preferred to announce loudly and proudly that he was a civilians, one who didn't belong to 'the man', but rather served him so long as the pay checks came in.

Deep down however, he suspect he'd now be lost back on Earth. Yes, knowledge within his field was still being discovered, but it was small time compared to what he'd seen out in the wider galaxy. Ohh how he'd love to return home armed with his off-world experiences and blow the world of archeology wide open. He'd be anointed an Emeritus Professor at Oxford or Cambridge - he'd have the choice of either - and probably be knighted right there and then. Within his brain was a wider understanding of the ancient world, gathered first hand, then he could have ever possibly imagined.

The hitch of course was the non-disclosure form he'd signed before going. Should be even uttered a word about what he'd seen, Kent has no doubt that the SAS - or even worst - would grab him in his sleep, never to be heard of again.

As such, he was destined to continue to serve the US military, until such times as his services were no longer needed. And if that meant spending 6 weeks in his cramped quarters on a sardine tin hurtling through the galaxy at the speed of light, then so be it.

< Tag Nava! >

[Nava Shiloh]

1800
Hallway

One year ago, Nava would have never believed anyone if they had told her she would be on a spaceship heading to another galaxy. Yet, here she was. The time for wide-eyed wonder had passed, not that she was one to get overly excited about simple things. No, there was a sense of composure that she always seemed to have, especially around this new organization. Mossad was very easy to maneuver through, as far as knowing your place. You get an assignment, you complete the assignment, no questions asked. Granted, she wasn't so "by the book" all the time, and there were plenty of times where she could get away with saying one thing or the other, or she could get by overstepping some of her direct instructions as long as the end was achieved. However, this was a "new ball game" as one of the enlisted soldiers so eloquently put it.

Her English was good, even with her very distinct accent, but many of these little phrases escaped her. Perhaps she took things too literally sometimes, but it was so difficult to tell when the others were being serious or when it was a joke. Especially with the Americans, who made up a majority of this crew and the organization as a whole. Her sarcasm was very straightforward and very clearly sarcastic, almost to the point of being scathing, even if said with a smile. Their humor, though, was just about as hard to reproduce as it was to understand. After a few botched attempts to use some of their little phrases, all resulting in the uniformed men laughing like crows, she stopped trying to frequently.

At the moment, she was returning from the mess hall after having incited another batch of riotous laughter. The amusement wore off very quickly for her and she excused herself, not quite sure where she would go. After a moment of walking the hall and trying not to brush too many shoulders, she arrived at the lift. Decision time. To go up to the offices and laboratories so she could brush up a bit more on the situation at the Delta Site, or to go back to her room...perhaps take a nap? There were a few files in boxes in her current room, so she could try reading those. From the description, they seemed like the perfect thing to put her to sleep. Either way, there was not much more to do on this ship. The gym smelled perpetually like man sweat and there was no firing range to let off some steam. Floating through space with nothing to do.

<Tag KENT!>

[Kent McKillop]

1800
Hallway

Saying very little to those who passed him in the hallway - Kent liked to let those of the rank and file know that he was not their biggest fan - the archaeologist continued forth to his destination. He was coming from the ship's database where he'd been conducting some research on this new Titan threat that the expedition was facing. It seemed that aside from a shared name, their new enemy didn't have much in common with the Titans of Earth mythology. The story went that while occupying central Greece during the 2nd century BC, the Olympians had taken tales of their battles with the Titans from their home galaxy and used them to form a mythology and religion latter adopted by the Greek people. While it was all very interesting reading, McKillop had been yet to find anything that could be of use to the expedition.

Having done his reading for the day, Kent was determined to retire to his quarters. He planned to freshen up a little, head down to the commissary for tea and try to gauge what everyone's plans were for the night. While he tended to avoid keeping military contact, he did quite enjoy joining the late night card games organized by the less honest NCO's. Of the two corps, he certainly preferred the non-officers. While they didn't get paid as much, they seemed more than keen to put their money on the line, and Kent enjoyed taking it from them with great regularity.

He approached a lift, summoning it with a press of a button. Yes, he'd very much like to find a card game tonight. They were often down in the bowels of the ships that didn't agree with his smart attire, but there was little else he could do to occupy his time. With a chime the lift door opened and Kent stepped in, selecting his desired floor.

Now that he thought about it, he was feeling particularly lucky tonight.

< Tag Nava >

[Nava Shiloh]

1800
Hallway

It was not long before someone came along and made the decision for her, much to her relief. Subtly, she looked the man over for a moment, sizing him up. After all, that's how she spent the first several weeks in the Stargate Program, just looking over her new co-workers. It seemed even more vital now since she would be stuck with them in another galaxy for quite some time.

This man seemed to look down on everyone he passed, not so much because of height but perhaps status? He was not dressed in a uniform, so she guessed not military. Perhaps a lead member of a civilian staff? At least, he seemed to carry himself in such a way. Then again, she knew full well that there were many men who seemed to carry themselves as if they ruled the world. All her life she had faced such a thing, only now she was smart enough not to fall for it. It was not right to jump to conclusions about the person, but in some cases, it could save lives. It was nearly a habit by now.

Shifting her eyes back to the elevator door, she could hear the gears and cords working. It was getting closer now. Her arms crossed as she stood there, and she spotted a bit of dirt on the cuff of her long sleeved black shirt. They had given her standard issue BDU's at the SGC, though she would receive her new issue ones as soon as she arrived in the Delian Galaxy. Until then, it was her standard issue black top and a pair of the blue BDU pants with the matching jacket tied hastily around her waist. The corner of the white and blue Israeli flag patch could be seen. Though she didn't quite scream "civilian" the way the man standing next to her did, the fact that her hair was down and that she did indeed have on the slightest bit of makeup definitely seemed to point away from military.

After a moment, the elevator door opened and a half dozen or so people tried to make their way out, three of them carrying some heavy, alien-looking technology out, trying to figure out the best way to maneuver it. Even though she had no idea what her intentions would be for the following bit of time, she still felt a bit impatient as she waited to get into the elevator. After about thirty seconds of fuss, they scrambled off with the technology and she entered the lift.

1802
Elevator 4

Once inside, it seemed to only be her and the other man. Eyeing him once more, she watched which floor he pressed. Ah, the one closer to her room. Following suit, she pressed the floor just below his, the one where her quarters were located. It seemed like the best idea, really. She seemed to have her fill of people for the day. After pushing the button, she took her place a nice distance away from the man and crossed her arms as she looked up at the numbers. Ten floors to go...nine....eight...

Suddenly, everything jolted to a stop and the primary lights went out. The secondary lights came on in a light blue.

"Oy va'avoy," she groaned in Hebrew, pushing the button once more, but it was futile. For the moment it would seem that she was stuck in the elevator with the civilian man.

[Kent McKillop]

1802
Elevator 4

As the lift had descended toward Kent's final destination most of its occupants cleared out, leaving the archaeologist alone were it not for his female companion. He'd caught a gaze of her as some soldiers had struggled to unload a large piece of alien technology from the lift, and her face was not immediately recognizable. McKillop wasn't too surprised by this; he tended to keep to himself on voyages such as this when the military presence was so high. Still, her attired wasn't littered with the usual marks of ranks or piece of deadly equipment that those on Uncle Sam's payroll tended to fetish. There was a strong possibly she herself was also a civilian.

Mental note: Kent should consider getting out more.

Especially if the expedition's new recruits were of this... calibre.

It should hardly have come as a surprise when the lift broke down. The ship was some bizarre hybrid of alien and human technology, not unlike a mechanical Frankenstein. And everyone knew how that tale ended. The ship had been fairly battered during a recent battle with the Titans, and despite having just been repaired it seemed as though all the kinks hadn't been quite ironed out of the system.

Beside him, the women exclaimed in Hebrew. Kent had worked around Israel a number of times in his career, be it on a dig in Egypt in '89 or up in Turkey excavating the Lost City of Troy in '92. He'd travelled through the Jewish state often, and had a slight grasp of their tongue. From his little comprehensive, he deduced that his partner was just as annoyed at the break down as he was.

Extending his hand, Kent swiped his access card and tried a few buttons, testing if it was some sort of security lookdown. Then again, the presence of emergency lighting suggested something much more serious was at play here. "I was under the impression the ship had just been repaired," he said out aloud. "Of course, I have been known to be wrong about these things."

< Tag Nava >

[Nava Shiloh]

1802
Elevator 4

Nava watched as the man also tried to work with the panel, but he was no more successful than she had been. Sighing, she picked up the emergency phone that hung there and put it to her ear. There was no sound, not even the waiting tone. The power must have been fully cut, it would seem. The man called aloud, saying how he thought the ship would have been in better repair than this. Nava rolled her eyes at his show.

"So it would seem," she replied, hanging the phone back on the hook, "But with any luck, this is just a power failure and will be fixed shortly. If not, one of the first places that many will check in such situations is the elevator. Common sense." As she spoke, she seemed to examine the door of the elevator. It wasn't quite like the ones back on earth, where with the right amount of effort, they could open the primary door and see if they were in between floors. No, there would have to be some sort of electrical or mechanical trigger somewhere, probably behind the panel. Moving back over to the panel, she pulled a multi-use knife out from her boot and started working on unscrewing the metal panel. No, she wasn't an electrical engineer, but she knew how to hotwire a car and how to diffuse simple bombs from her training. Elevators couldn't be that much different....right?

As she started working on unscrewing the panel (tedious work with a knife), she glanced over at the man out of the corner of her eye. She was deliberating whether or not to have a conversation with the man. After all, many of her former conversations never quite ended up going as well as she had hoped. What would make this one any different? Either way, perhaps she would have better luck with someone who wasn't a juiced up meathead. "Did you have somewhere you needed to be?"

<Tag Kent!>

[Kent McKillop]

1802
Elevator 4

After failing to resume the lift's progress with a swipe of his key card, Kent resigned himself to the fact that he was stuck. He backed up toward a wall and leaned on it for a moment before lowering himself to the ground. For all intensive purposes he was now stuck inside a tin can inside a much larger tin can that was hurtling though hyperspace. Or way it? Was the power outage limited just to this lift or the entire ship? And what would that mean for their faster-than-light voyage?

The lifts other occupant, the Women Who Had No Name, went to work on the lift's control panel, attacking it with a knife of sorts. If she possessed some qualifications that allowed her to resolve their current dilemma, more power to her. Kent himself knew that he had little to offer, less the control panel was inscribed with ancient Greek text. Thus he elected to remain seated on the elevator's floor, leaning up against the wall.

"Well, common sense would dictate that had we been destined to travel faster than the speed of light, we would have been granted the faculties from birth," he replied dryly. His distaste was not directed to her, more so at the current situation he found himself in. For whatever reason - call it paranoia - he swore this must be happening for a reason. Reaching into his pocket he withdrew a small flask, and took a swig after removing the lid. "Kent McKillop, archaeologist," he said, offering a drink to his companion. "And no, I was just on my way to dinner. Yourself?"

< TAG NAVA! >