"That I did."  Heller said, nodding to the CAG, not bothering to conceal the look of supreme annoyance on his face.  So far, the acting XO hadn't arrived, yet.  "Read these."<br/><br/>Jacob handed over the sheaf of papers, hard-copies of the messages from the comm-drone, and let her read over them.  Heller, himself, kept analyzing the facts in his head, and came up with only one clonclusion, and it wasn't a good conclusion at all.  Finally, he noticed that the Marine came in, looking a bit worse for wear.<br/><br/>"Since you're the acting XO, I'll give you a choice."  Heller said, addressing Corvin.  "If you prefer, I can go ahead and assign you to the engine spaces.  You can either do that, or I can have an XO.  It's your choice."<br/><br/>Jacob Heller let the words sink in, letting both officers note the absense of 'acting'.  He waited for another minute, before continuing.<br/><br/>"You see, XO, we're now at war."  Heller said simply.  "That's the reason for the Condition Two setting on the ship.  So, you'll understand when I say that twenty minutes responding to a summons is unacceptable, yes?"<br/><br/>Before the marine could answer, Heller continued.<br/><br/>"I need both of you at your top form."  He said, solemnly.  "Two weeks ago, the Cylons launched an all-out nuclear attack against the Colonies.  From what I can gather, the fleet was destroyed, including Admiral Nagalla's flag.  I hate to say it, but we are probably all that's left of humanity."<br/><br/>Heller let the words sink in, awaiting the reaction from his officers.