Second Life

Posted on Sun Apr 12th, 2020 @ 4:26pm by Captain Remas McDonald & Lieutenant Commander Shadi Zatra

1,239 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: S2:1: Good Will Gunboat Tour
Location: Canopus Station Repair Gantry
Timeline: MD1: 1230

“Canopus Repair Gantry Control to Traveller, prepare for transit to launch corridor.”

The bridge was silent, as well it should be for such a moment. Suspended in the glass sphere of the HoloBridge, as though floating in bare space on an island of command consoles and chairs, it was still something to get used to. Around them the bridge crew could see the repair gantry’s teams retreating back into their bays, their work skiff’s and mech’s now out of work.

With a shudder the repair gantry began to move sideways, transiting along a circular track within the Canopus Station space dock. It was slow going, but it was only the last hundred meters.

Remas sat in the captain's chair, with helm before him, and weapons and engineering to either side. This was the way a man was meant to captain a ship, with his bare eyes to witness the splendour of all things.

“Now is the time to speak up if there are gremlins in our fine ship,” Remas said, reaching out to a holo display beside his chair. “Engineering, Tactical, and Helm…give me a go, no go for launch.”

It was a good moment, at least for Gaz, as he stood behind his console, fiddling with what needed to be fiddled with and leaving out that which didn't. Gaz looked up, barely moving his head as their captain asked whether they were ready to launch. "Just doing the final checks now, cap'n. 75 Quantum Torpedoes and 80 Photon Torpedoes all aboard, ready n' willing for use, as are the weapons." Gaz swiped away a notification on his console - a confirmation that all those under him were ready. "Tactical gives it the go-ahead, cap."

"Engineering reports good and tasty," a holographic Shadi said from her perch in Engineering.

"Repair Gantry Control, traversal complete. Releasing docking clamps in three...two...one...release."

With a shudder, the supports holding the Traveller in place moved back into the gantry. Around the spherical holo presence the world bobbed as the starships station-keeping thrusters arrested the small amount of drift. Ahead of them, massive and open to the void, the Spacedock Door's blinked their running lights invitingly.

"Traveller Actual to Canopus Station Control, requesting permission to leave dock," Remas said to the air. To the side of the bridge, a holo pane opened, revealing the crowded control centre of Canopus Station Control. A smiling tech looked out at them from her station within the core of the gargantuan facility.

"Request granted. Proceed on thrusters on a vertical track until you've cleared the gantry, and then abide by port speed until you've cleared the space doors and passed the outer marker. Fair wind and good fortune."

Remas paused at that, and turned to look at the holo screen. The young man in Station Op's looked the part of a Starfleet Officer, but in one forelock of hair was a tiny silver bead. A good luck totem, for a Rish.

"May prosperous winds bring the stars to you as well," Remas said with a nod, speaking the counter to the old Rish saying. "Helm, you heard the man. Take us up, and then take us out."

Her voice slightly more animated than had been on past launches, Jolani replied, "As you wish, Captain." She looked at the stars on the holo screen and gave a small smile. This was truly flying! To be amongst the stars. Her once more delicate hands still nimbly floated across the controls and caused the Traveller to rise. "Thrusters are engaged. Clearing dock." Once the dock was cleared she replied, "Once we pass the outer marker, are there orders, Captain?"

"Take us to full impulse on a course out of the gravity well of Tangerine Dream. Let's stretch out her legs with the new thrust vectoring manifolds," Remas smiled as the space doors passed them by, and they were out. Behind them was Canopus Station, and the dusty orb of the moon Carpathia and all its promises. He turned to Gaz. "Have you had a chance to practise using the Buckler shield system and the new point defence array?"

"Just stretch?" Jolani asked with some disappointment. "Full impulse, Captain." It was a smooth transition. The jump was not noticeable other than by the stars "moving faster."

Gaz raised a brow, "That, cap'n, I have not had the pleasure." He gave a small smile, somewhat trying to quell the knowledge that this was going to be the perfect opportunity for such testing.

Remas nodded, tapping a few commands into his seat controls. Before Gaz a holographic representation of the Traveller appeared, simplified into a soapstone model of the starship. Around it, a bubble of scaled plates began to appear.

"I had cause to practise with the system before its early R&D days back at Utopia," Remas said as the bubble began to reorganising, the scales layering atop own another to form a during disc directly ahead of the model. "The plates can be moved manually, or set to face against a specific threat. Of course that can leave every other avenue open to attack. A quick hand, and a keen eye are required to use the system at its full capability."

"Aye, Captain. And those I have," Jolani replied proudly but not boastfully. She accepted her superior flying abilities as fact and expected everyone else around her to do the same.

Gaz nodded, certainly spotting that the shield had its advantages. And its disadvantages. "Sounds like its a last resort." He replied, pointing at the model. He looked over at Jolani. "Looks like I'd be turning to your expertise then, if it so comes down to it."

Jolani just nodded, accepting the fact and enjoying the views before her, as she flew.

Remas chuckled and nodded.

"Shadi, bring power to the Quantium Slipstream Drive. We'll plug in the coordinates to Casstauil, should be a short 40 light-year hop for the QSD. Enough to wear it in," Remas asked of his chief engineer.

In the interim, Shadi had come up from Main Engineering in order to watch the first jump from the Bridge.

"Warp core is hot and steaming," Shadi reported on her way from the turbolift to an auxiliary console. "Once I reroute Engineering controls, the QSsssD will be in fighting shape." The Saurian swivelled into the seat and indulged a half spin while the console authorized her login credentials. Once the settings came up, Shadi dragged her talon across the QSD activation command.
"QSD is now online!" she declared with triumphant airs.

"Set in our course for Casstauil," Remas commanded. The holobridge shifted colour slightly, the back half of the pill-shaped volume they were flying within becoming a ghostly frosted glass. A single bright star ahead of them became circled in hash marks, identifying it as the star of the Casstauil system at a distance of over 23 light-years. "It's on the far side of Myriad Space, so this should be interesting at least from a reconnaissance point of view."

It would also be a test of the Wayfarer class battlecruiser. Before the Traveller had put a toe into the raging waters of Messier 4, and had come out much the worse for wear on the other side. Now they would be going into the deep end of the pool.

"Let's be about it."

 

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