With extraction now inbound, Nova could settle down for the moment until the evac aircraft got close. Well, comparatively speaking - in the middle of this sand storm, however, she had to keep herself alert for trouble. Picking up her rife once again, she got up into a crouch and began to wait out the storm, trying to ignore the sand that was being driven against her face and cheekbones.

She couldn't tell how long she had been there, but as she cast her psionic senses wide to try and supplement her reduced visibility, she thought she detected a pinprick of a presence in the back of her mind. Where, though, she was not certain. Calming herself, she tightened her grip on her rifle, carefully listening to this unknown's surface thoughts as she waited.

[i]You've got me dead to rights,[/i] she thought to herself as her finger hovered above her C-20A's trigger guard. [i]And yet you're not firing at me. Why?[/i]

One wrong move on either of their parts and this tense situation would diverge into a firefight that Nova was neither keen on getting into, or would not want to fight in the middle of this storm ...

[hr]
[center][h1]PER ARDUA AD ASTRA[/h1][/center]
[center][img]https://s3.amazonaws.com/gs-geo-images/4fc54585-c90d-4025-b71a-d10ef1d4fb00_l.jpg[/img][/center]

[b]Battlestar 'Lysander'
In geo-synchronous orbit of the Array
31 days since 'arrival' from Scorpio

Ship's Time - 1037hrs[/b]

On the far orbit of the Array, a ship - far more clunkier in appearance compared to the dagger-like form of the Empire's Star Destroyers - hovered above the eastern orbit of the Array. Here and there, once can make out the blue-white sparks of arc welders as crewmen in EVA suits continued to make repairs to clearly-damaged sections of the ship, while arrow-like fighters buzzed around the ship on their assigned C.A.P.s.

[hider=CTN Stephanie Cunningham][center][img]http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/babylon5/images/f/fc/StephanieEckland01.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20080513212028[/img]
[i]A 'close-as' reference of Captain S. Cunningham's appearance[/i][/center][/hider]

Onboard and in the comparatively crammed bulkheads that made up Captain Stephanie Cunningham's office, she was in the middle of a meeting with her XO (MAJ Silas Paulson). The latter - a wiry man within his 40s - was rattling off a list from a clipboard containing more and more bad news for the morning.  

"We've hove to for damage inspection for Decks 6, 18 and 19 ..." he droned. "But we estimate that complete repairs to external armour would not be ready for another three days. We're also in the middle of scrubbing our systems for any signs of a possible Cylon virus-"

"Just-" Cunningham held up a hand to stop Paulson. "Just leave the information on my desk, Major. I'll go over it myself. What's the status of Base Alpha?"

Paulson placed the clipboard onto his CO's desk. "The one in the rainforest? Well, we've established communications from groundside and Colonel Verran assure me his men have established a safe perimeter around the structure we had recon'd earlier. However, beyond that, exploration of the surrounding area is slow; vegetation is thick in some areas to the point where ground and aerial recon is nearly impossible. Verran is requesting reinforcements to bolster security in the area, but with our limited Marine compliment on-board, I just don't see how he's going to be able to get what he needs."

Cunningham nodded, glancing down as she began to flick through her XO's report. "And our fighters?"

"Red and Green Squadrons are on CAP rotation as we speak. LT Grant and his boys and girls are on station until 1200 hrs. LT Ash and her squadron are on Alert 4 standby status in case [i]'Lysander'[/i] gets jumped."

Stephanie looked up at Paulson, a slight smile on her face, as she nodded to the Major. "Thank you, Major. That'll be all for now."

Paulson nodded to Cunningham and, with a brisk "Ma'am." about-turned and exited Cunningham's office. The captain waited until he was outside and the vault-like door clanged shut, before she dropped her demeanor and put her forehead into a hand. 

"What a frakking mess." she muttered, returning her attention to the report.