ataraxion | 005 | video | space training part two

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005 | video | space training part two

Hello, Tranquility. [ Carolyn looks a little rougher this jump, with a healing gash on her temple and uneven hair. Still, she's giving the camera a slight smile. ] This is Carolyn Fry.

Some of you may recall that Ellen Ripley and I were holding space training classes. I understand people are still recovering from our most recent event, but I'm going to continue with them this month. A recording of the last session and any future sessions can be found in the following link. [ Here. ] If you can't show up for any reason, I'd strongly suggest looking these over.

This session will be held in the shuttle bay, like last time, and focus on using the decontamination chambers, getting in and out of a space suit correctly, and a review on shuttles. This is open to everyone and I highly recommend going if you've never been to space before. Some of us have, and we know what we're doing. If you have any questions now, feel free to ask. If you have any suggestions for things to cover in the future, I'll take those, too.

[ She pauses, then switches gears. ]

On a personal note, I'm looking for someone who can cut my hair. ... Thanks.

[ And the feed switches off. ]

((ooc: Probably not going to put up a log for this session of space training since people are still backtagging the jump and the SH plot, unless a lot of people want me to. Feel free to handwave that your character showed up though!))

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[ She could get used to being the one hovering behind the pilot's seat instead of the one sitting in it and being hovered over. There's an essence of power there, of control, and she'd be lying if she said that she didn't like the feeling. There's been too little control over her own life lately.

Casey fucks up and she shifts her weight, hovers over him a little more. ] Do it again. You need to know this.

[ And if he thinks she won't make him repeat it until he gets it right, he's got another thing coming. ]

[ So bossy.

He likes it.

Casey gives her a look somewhere between appreciative and sullen and powers everything back down, flicks everything on the board back to off, and stands to start the procedure from scratch. Power up, systems check, sit down, systems check, flight procedure, airlock door closed, everything right down to the moment where he'd ask the flight operator to clear him for take off, black box recording.

Still smoother this time, but he might have overlooked something. None the less, believing he's done pretty well, he gives her a smug look over his shoulder. ]

How's that?

[ She's not sure how to take that initial look but she does roll her eyes at the smug one. Calm down, Casey. ]

Better.

[ It's not hard to admit it. She doesn't want to tell him he did a terrible fucking job when he didn't. Still, he did overlook at least one or two things. ]

Again. Walk me through it this time, outloud. What you're doing and why. [ That way she can correct him. ]

If you like.

[ Off everything goes again, heading back through the panels, back to standing up, giving Carolyn just the briefest appraising look before he sets back to work again. ]

Basic start up procedure. Bring on internal power, turn on the main computer, automatic systems, external power. Can't do anything without that. [ The engines hummed to life. ] Then check all unnecessary components are turned off. These are the key systems unrelated to the flight and complicated sciencey stuff, same as you'd get in a passenger jet: headlights, emergency systems, safeties, auto-pilot. Communication with the docking clamp, with the shuttle bay door. Check all the internal electronics are functioning correctly, then do a final sweep. [ He tapped each in turn. The standing up bit he'd more or less perfected. Flight was trickier. He settled into the pilot's seat again. ]

Now for the business end. Engine temperature, coolant levels, emergency engine cooling, fuel levels, fuel temperature, engine jettison protocol, hydraulic responses all a-ok in the thrusters, engines clear of debris and working properly. Maneuverability comes last, this is all about making sure everything's working first. Get any of this bit wrong, and everyone's dead; even a good emergency system won't save you from a shoddy system's check.

Next comes the sciencey stuff. [ The bits he always fumbles over. Some make sense, because he's flown planes. Others...not so much. ] Internal pressure monitor, emergency decompression, emergency forcefields, hull-sealant [ At this point he kicked the metal canister under his seat. ] Oxygen levels, emergency oxygen supply [ A tap of his hand against the panel in his seat beside him. ] Internal gravity, though I sure as hell think I'd know if it was working by now, uh...what do you call it? Deflectors, to stop space dust ripping us to pieces.

[ He thinks that's it. Now the maneuverability checks. ]

Final engine check. Black box on. Giroscope at level, plotting and course of the Tranquility recorded, bay cleared, containment-- [ Once again every bay door on the shuttle slid closed, and a hiss and a change in atmosphere announced everything was sealed tight. ] Check pressure and oxygen levels again, containment stable. All engines in systems check mode. Heat main engine, reverse thrusters - 1, 2, landing thrusters - 1, 2, 3, 4, port thrusters, bow, amidships, stern, starboard thrusters, bow, amidships, stern. [ He checked the last off with his fingers, rather than doing them. ] All engines to green, radio for permission, release clamps, check cargo bay doors are open, check for traffic, proceed with takeoff.

[Pause. ]

Damn. I forgot to check in my rear view mirror, didn't I?

Edited 2012-10-15 22:22 (UTC)

[ Carolyn can't help it. She laughs, head ducking down. ]

Make sure you check your hull integrity while you're checking your internal pressure -- and at the end there, make sure your passengers and the rest of your crew are ready to go.

[ Still, she claps her hand on his shoulder, squeezes. ]

But you did well.

[ Casey tilts his head back, leaning into his seat slightly and looking up at her. ]

Right. Common human decency, my greatest failing. I'm not supposed to give that whole air hostess 'here are your emergency exits' spiel, am I? Cause I'd look terrible in a skirt.

You're not that bad. [ Compared to... Riddick. ] Just tell them to sit down and strap in and keep their hands away from the doors.

[ Though she tilts her head. ] I'd be more worried about the top than the skirt.

[ He rolls his shoulders back slightly, primping. ]

Who says I need to wear the top?

What, you'd wear the skirt and not the top?

Fashion is about defying the boundaries of sense, or something like that.

That sounds about right. I prefer practical. [ Like that surprises anyone. ]

It is practical. They'd have a hard time not paying attention to a shirtless guy in a skirt. Wouldn't miss a word.

[ He is not wearing a skirt. Quietly he reaches down, powering the engines back down to tick-over. ]

I forgot one other thing. Making sure my co-pilot's in their seat.

What if they're blind?

[ They'd have to find one for him anyway.

Carolyn raises her eyebrow slightly, but she'll play along. ]

Want to go again?

No, I'd rather cede the chair to the better pilot. See how it's really done.

[ He finished tidying up the board, stands and flicks off the others, so that it goes dark in the cabin, emergency lights only, and moves over into the co-pilot's seat. ]

[ She's not sure if he's trying to make up for earlier or if he actually means it, but she'll go ahead and take her turn.

And she does. She says everything outloud, mindful of the fact that there are still things he needs to remember, that she'll be trying to teach a bunch of people with even less of an idea about how this works than Casey soon. She's done this hundreds of times, even if these shuttles are different than the sort of spacecraft she's used to back home. It's seamless -- this is her craft, her skill, her job, her life. She's dedicated so much of her time on the ship to memorizing these shuttles, and it shows in the way she talks about each step ("this one is a little slower to warm up when checking for navigation, we'll have to check that out -- shuttle four, she does it practically instantly").

When Carolyn's done, she turns in her chair, grinning at him. She's not going to fly today, but she likes doing this much anyway. ] Did I miss anything?

[ It's nice to see her doing something she actually enjoys. It's like seeing a different woman to the one he'd been in the nightmare with, and he can't help but smile slightly at her, and shakes his head when she catches him at it. ]

Nothing. But then I expected nothing less than perfection.

You're going to make me blush.

[ But she's pleased, reclining back into her chair for a moment before sitting up to shut everything back down. ]

Maybe that was the plan.

[ But Casey is helping, standing up and shutting off the baseline systems, his eyes on his work rather than Carolyn. ]

Nobody asks for my help with things like this. I'm not much of a people person.

[ She glances at him for a moment, trying to judge the comment. ]

Well, it's not that easy to do.

[ And continuing with work... ]

Technically, I didn't ask.

[ He grins into his shoulder, clicking off the last switches so that the engines whir to a halt, and throwing the cockpit into final darkness, just the emergency lights to make sure they don't trip over anything. ]

Technically. Which means I can technically still ditch you while you drill these newbies into shape. Don't think I haven't thought about it.

You could. But I'd be pissed.

[ But hey, maybe that's what he wants. ]

[ His eyes flicker up to her as though he's really considering it, but the low light barely shows the gesture, and he pats her on her shoulder just a moment later. ]

I guess I could stick around this once.

[ "This once". Yeah, they'll see. ]

Come on, let's head back out there.

Sure thing, boss.

[ But he follows none the less, hands in his pockets. And he might even stick around and help. ]

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005 | video | space training part two

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