Taking Her Out for a Spin

Posted on Thu May 10th, 2012 @ 11:49am by Captain Tobias Naros & Lieutenant JG Miranda Blackfur
Edited on on Sat May 19th, 2012 @ 5:41pm

Mission: Episode 1.0 - "Enduring Legacy"
Location: Main Shuttlebay, USS Yorktown
Timeline: Mission Day 07, 1348 Hours

ON: [[Main Shuttlebay, USS Yorktown, Mission Day 07, 1348 Hours]]

Miranda had just finished re-certifying all the shuttle pilots that were going to teach and work with the rest of the crew in getting their certifications up to date. She was in her office, having moved it to the Shuttle Flight control secondary office, with a view of the shuttles in the cavernous hangerbay for the shuttles. Several were sitting on the ready launch pad for usage. Maintenance crews and new pilots were busy around the rest of the other shuttles in their storage parking slots. It was an active place and Miranda enjoyed watching the activity as she updated the crew's records.

"Knock, knock," Tobias said as he rapped lightly on the door frame. He had not been at all surprised to learn the lieutenant had chosen the secondary flight deck office as her primary work area. Every department was given both office and work space according to their need and it was up to the department head to determine how best to use the facilities allocated to their department. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything," he continued with a small smile, "but if you have a moment..."

Miranda looked up from her work, seeing it was the Captain, "What brings you down to the working end of the ship," she asked, though she could make an educated guess why he was there. She finished up the data entry as motioned him a seat.

"I believe it was your suggestion we verify my current flight certifications before leaving port," Tobias replied, taking a few steps forward so that he could rest his hands on the back of the chair she had offered him, "unless you would rather I come back later."

"Perfect timing," she said, standing up and rifling through a bunch of pre-prepared PADDs before quickly pulling an unmarked one from the stack. "Right this way," she continued, coming around the desk and moving to the exit to lead the Captain out of shuttle flight control into the hanger proper. "We'll be using that shuttle." She pointed to the one on the shuttle launch pad, a newer type 11 shuttle that was slowly replacing the older, but versatile, Danube long range runabout. "I hope you're familiar with the systems."

"Certainly do," Tobias said as he surveyed the shuttle before them, "Type 11 shuttlecraft designed with versatility for long-range assignments in support of Starfleet vessels and facilities which may not always be capable of supporting runabouts."

It was obvious she wasn't going to cut any slack even though he outranked her by a long-shot. The PADD in her hand was already on and open to the her checklist for the Re-Certification Process. With a flick of her tail, the yellow warning lights turned on and rotating to alert everyone of a departing shuttle. "After you, Captain."

Tobias slowly made his way across the shuttlebay toward the waiting shuttle. Even as he approached, his gaze swept back and forth over the craft in search of anything which might have appeared out of the ordinary. The El-Aurian proceeded around the bow of the small vessel in continuance of his assessment before finally making his way up the boarding ramp and into the shuttle.

[[Cape Henry]]

The Cape Henry's interior was based heavily on the proven design of the older Danube-class runabouts which had been in service since the late 2360's. Improvements in processing and interface capabilities allowed for a greater variety of tasks to be performed using the shuttle's more compact spaceframe which meant less resource expenditure overall. After making their way through the aft section and into the forward compartment, a few short strides brought Tobias directly behind the pilot's seat into which he lowered himself slowly. The console interface before him began to light up the moment his hands contacted with the surface. "Initiating pre-flight check sequence," he announced for the benefit of the lieutenant as he began walking through the basic preparations for flight operations.

Miranda watched him perform the exterior check and followed him inside, taking the co-pilot seat where she had a good view of everything, checking off each step as the Captain did them. She relaxed in her seat, openly studying him, appraising him by his looks and confident manner in which he displayed. She knew the Type 11 was in excellent condition as she pre-flighted it herself before moving the shuttle to the ready launch pad, but it was good not to miss this step. A lot of previous officers failed to do the step and ended up in trouble. "Proceed to the next step. A quick flight to the edge of the Aldani system at warp 5 and return to the Yorktown," she told him after he finished the pre-flight.

"Yes, ma'am," Tobias said with a wry smile. There was a comforting hum as the shuttle's systems were brought to full power in preparation for departure. Structural integrity fields, navigational systems, and engine intermix were all operating within accepted parameters.

The big bay doors opened, exposing the vastness of space beyond the rear of the ship and a few other ships maneuvering around the station. Still plenty of room for maneuvers. Being an Evaluator was tough on her as she wanted to be in the prime seat of the senior pilot, but it needed to be done according to Fleet regulation and this was probably as big a treat for the Captain, being under the gun of an Evaluator and getting away from ship responsibilities, as it was a treat for her also to get away from the ship.

=^= Cape Henry, this is flight operations control =^= a voice said over the shuttle's comm system =^= You are cleared for departure. Please proceed away from the station before beginning any flight assessment maneuvers. =^=

"Flight operations control, this is the Cape Henry," Tobias replied, "message received and understood." The El-Aurian's hands danced across the lighted surface of his console, causing the shuttle to rise gently into the air before slipping through the atmospheric forcefield and into the open space beyond.

OFF

A Joint Mission Post by:

Captain Tobias Naros
Commanding Officer
USS Yorktown

and

Lieutenant JG Miranda Blackfur
Chief Flight Officer
USS Yorktown