Futuristic A Journey Offworld

[ladyaliciaaa]

Before entering the washroom, she threw a look over her shoulder just in time to catch the young man traipse over to their table in the corner. Fantastic timing, V! she was in and out of the room in a matter of seconds, and drying off her hands with a paper towel as she exited. After tossing it in the bin, she hastened her pace toward the trio. "Mind if I squeeze in here?" she regained her place at the table and folded her arms across her chest, "didn't I tell you not to start without me." she shot a look at her crew mates before training her eyes on the man. Verona pulled up an extra chair for the visitor and motioned for him to take a seat. The way he behaved and the way he spoke, she could see he was trying hard to win them over. How adorable.

 

[Sir Horace]

Horace looked curiously at the trio, quite the group he thought. Quite the group.


"Well then" he spoke quickly, his eagerness betraying him. "I suppose I should get straight to the point. My name is Horace Serket, I'm a skilled pilot, been here grounded on this planet for far too long. Now it may be far to presumptuous to assume you don't have a pilot already, but-" He tried another charming smile, "If you don't, you certainly could now"


He stood awkwardly awaiting a response. Definitely came on to strong pal, he thought to himself.

 

[ladyaliciaaa]

By now, Verona had lost track of the countless smiles he'd flashed their way. A charmer she thought, and skilled with words, one who could manipulate others toward his will. He'd be a fitting addition to their crew, they did require a pilot after all. She couldn't seem to keep her gaze from resting on the circular mark on his left hand, there certainly must be a story behind that. His skin was a shade lighter due to the luminous glow being produced from the lights, it was odd to see someone with tanned skin. Most inhabitants were pale as for the majority of their lives had only been introduced to artificial sunlight. Had he not mentioned that he was a Pilot, Verona would never have figured it out. Nowadays, aviators relied on the use of implants to operate their vessels, the man standing in front of them had no signs of grafts or wiring that she could see, revealed anyways.


She wondered what the rest of the crew thought of him.

 

[0135Kelly]

He was confident, very confident, Kelly had examined his body language, his vital signs, even his breathing patterns; he was a very skilled pilot. He was nervous but very confident in his abilities and it excited just thinking about what he could do with a Mid-Class Corvette. She clasped her fingers together on the table and shifted in her seat. "By the way you approached, you need a job." The corners of Kelly's lips rose a fraction of an inch as her hands clasped together a bit tighter. "And we need a Pilot, welcome to the crew."

 

[Sir Horace]

"I-"


Horace was completely taken aback. In fact it's very possible he stood there staring in disbelief at his luck for several moments.


Later when he tells people of his incredible luck in this lone bar he'll say he responded with a witty quip about how they were lucky to have found such a skilled pilot, how with a gracious bow and confidant smile he took the job in a heartbeat and sat down to join his new grew.


Rather than the, "Wait, seriously?"


Followed by a hasty


"Why thank you very much, um, Captain?"


And he'd neglect to mention the rapid blinking throughout

 

[ladyaliciaaa]

Verona was more than a little concerned with the so called pilot, she held up her hand "Woah, hold on one sec, how do we know he ain't some rogue marauder and that the moment he sits in that cockpit. We'll be crashing and burning to the ground." she scoffed, all the while scrutinizing the poor soul. "-an' you don't have anything to prove it." she waved her fingers at his arms and neck, "No cables, ports, confusing wires..nothing." a frown settled on her forehead, and she started turning the ring on her finger back and forth again. It was a tendency of Verona's to start fidgeting with whatever was in her hand, she was worried, and that was what she did to settle her nerves.


It wasn't that she didn't trust the Captains judgement. It was only that her gut feeling was telling her otherwise, growing up, she'd learnt to think twice. Be wary. Keep your word. She was brought up with cautionary tales and rigorous routines.

 

[0135Kelly]

"Miss Verona, calm yourself." Kelly spoke with an even tone, she raised her hand gesturing for her to be seated. "I have already scanned over the poor soul, his vital signs read nervousness, excitement and enthusiasm, on levels akin to a child at....." Kelly stopped to think for a moment. "What's that Earth Holiday people celebrate in December?" She turned to the new Pilot with a raised eyebrow.

 

[tommo020]

"A good old fashion pilot! I trust him more knowing that he will be relying on his own senses!" Tommo was happy with the captain's decision and made no effort to hide this. He stood up, almost jumped up to be fair and boomed "this calls for more drinks! Welcome to the crew!" And gestured to the waitress who rapidly brought new drinks.


"So one important question, do you play cards and do you have a lot of money to lose?"

 

[ladyaliciaaa]

"Hem, shouldn't we introduce ourselves before we do anything else?" the table shook as the young man leaped from his seat, she gripped the surface to cease the drinks from sliding all over the place as the waitress maneuvered the glasses from her hovering tray. She seemed to be warming to the idea of their new Pilot, however if her prediction was accurate, at least she'd be the one to announce 'I told you so!' as they plunged to their deaths of course. "Captain, I believe the holiday you are referring to is Christmas, when the big fat bearded man comes riding in on his one horse sleigh." she mimed stroking an imaginary beard before turning to the fresh recruitment.


"I'm Verona, nice to meet ya'" a pause "-an' sorry if I came off a little too critical, i'm sure you've heard more than enough."

 

[0135Kelly]

"Ah Christmas.... It sounds like a horrifying excuse for a holiday." Kelly rose from the table slowly, taking note not to throw the table over when rising. "And you are correct Miss Verona, I am designation 0135-Kelly, but as I am no longer Military I suppose it's just Kelly now. You can address me as Captain or Kelly." She held out her hand towards the Pilot for him to shake it, a small smile gracing her features as she did so.

 

[Sir Horace]

Horace grins again, less charming, more warm. This rather unusual trio putting him at ease with their antics.


"Captain Kelly, Miss Verona, Sir" Facing each member in turn, It's my pleasure to make your acquaintance.


Noticing the Captains outstretched hand he grabs it enthusiastically with his own. People often told him a firm handshake is respected, all he really cares about is if the person isn't sweating, not something one can practice, fortunately it's cool in here.


"Miss Verona as I believe it were, you are more than forgiven, if I am lucky enough to be piloting your ship, you'll want to be certain I'm a man you can trust"


This uncertainty was more than common in his experience, at he used to get offended, the youthful fool he was, but after every captain asking the critical questions, he more than understands their concern.


"Do you mind if I sit?" He asked, grabbing a stool and doing so anyway. Leaning into the table towards the group, careful not to tip the floating surface, and silently cursing for neither the first nor last time the entrepreneur who at some point in history thought it was a good idea to make everything float.


"So" He began, becoming more comfortable amongst this small group, "Any questions before we get down to business?"

 

[0135Kelly]

Kelly looked the newcomer in the eyes. "What size ship are you most comfortable flying Mister Serket?" Her tone was even as always and she was monitoring his vitals through her piercing glowing blue eyes. "Also, our craft is in need of repairs to a few of its Modules and needs adjustments to its subroutines, would you be able to tell us where we can get these items fitted and if there is a technician nearby to program them?"

 

[Sir Horace]

Horace met the captains gaze, the blue eyes were somewhat off-putting but one can never neglect the importance of eye contact.


"Never been much good behind large scale cruisers and cargo ships, the sort that need a whole crew for the slightest movement, but I've had more than enough experience with small and medium sized vessels. Put me at the helm of something maneuverable and fast and I'll move her like my own limbs."


Horace was getting more comfortable now, if theres one thing he knows, it's ships. Whether he was boasting in his abilities, he could not tell himself. He certainly thought he was this good, and the fact he's still alive must count for something. Or so he liked to think anyway.


"You can sort standard repairs at the dock you put down in, most places will do your simple patch up jobs, system repairs and the like. For anything advanced then you'll want to hire a technician or a mechanic to come sort it out. When I arrived some months ago on The Double Edged Sword first thing we did was make a beeline for the local shipworks so I could show you the way. But, if you're any kind of serious about long term flight or combat, a mechanic is a must have for your crew. The ship goes down out in the black and you're done for. Course if you can't find anyone, automated repair systems or nano-bots will keep worst from coming to worst but nothing replaces human creativity, a robot wouldn't think to tell the crew to hold their breath while it reroutes life support to shielding for a minute to keep everyone alive, or to detonate it's own energy core and harness the blast of power to reboot a dead engine."


Horace smiles at a fond memory, he can't credit the fact he's still alive to his piloting alone.

 

[0135Kelly]

Kelly is quite taken aback by his quick response and his fondness for piloting in all, looks like the Strides have definitely taken on a great asset to the crew. Her eyes left his for a moment, letting all of the information settle in as she made a list of things to pick up before they made liftoff to the next planet. "The Strides has a few external repair subroutines in place, but from previous experience they are..... Dodgy at best." She took out a small blue Holotag with the numbers 342-0B encoded in the exterior. "That's the Quick Strides docking location, it would probably be best if you took a look at the ship before I make any requests, my knowledge on ship maintenance is quite lacking."

 

[Sir Horace]

Horace reached out to take the Holotag, his eyes running over the cool blue display, his concentration illuminated by the soft glow.


"Of course" His head snapping up from the device, "I'm no mechanic, but you don't need to be a doctor to know whats wrong with a person, er, to a degree". That analogy sounded a lot better in his head, regardless he was optimistic about this whole enterprise, and more than a little enthusiastic to take a look at the kind of ship he'll be piloting.


"I'll head over right away, it'll give me more of an idea about the ship too." Horace patted his jacket, searching for something. Fingers closing on a small scrap of paper buried beneath a variety of junk, including a yoyo and the five of clubs. "Here's the Ident Tag for my Comm, probably best we keep in touch." He handed over the scrap, and turned to leave the bar. A spring in the pilots step once more.


"The Quick Strides huh. I got a good feeling about this one"


(Spoken to self as walking away)

 

[ladyaliciaaa]

Sitting for such a long duration had made Verona's joints go stiff, heading out for a fine stretch and long awaited breath of uncontaminated air was but a necessity after being cooped inside a bar that smelt strongly of mint scented smoke and expensive long-lasting perfume.


Her dark eyes cast upward, tracing the faint shadows on the whimsical ceiling scattered with synthetic purple starlight which seemed to gleam and splutter out, the light twisted and danced across the walls. Very much so they seemed to be floating in space, between the stars.


Night had fallen over the planet of Veneir, swamping all with streaks of darkness. Making the neon have the impression of being that much brighter, the streets still bustled with nocturnal life and intoxicated clubbers carousing onto their next party venue, she was eager to be back in 'Quick Strides' where the noise was less insistent or back on Earth when all she would hear at night was the slight rustle of the curtains in the breeze and the crickets chirping in the branches outside her window.

 

[Sir Horace]

342-0B, the bold digits inscribed in their steel plaque, softly glowed with the white light that helped people find their dock. Heart beating rapidly, Horace walked through the heavy automatic door and into the wide hanger. His presence triggered the startling white lights to flicker on, dispelling the darkness that hid from him, well, something he was very happy to see.


"A Corvette class" he whispered to himself. Rapidly double checking the hanger to see if this was the right one. The thought of taking this vessel into the sky filled him with excitement. Not by any means the newest or the fastest but there was no denying the charm or the reliability of the model. He'd flown similar ships, but never a Corvette, they weren't common these days.


After admiring the ship for some time, he quickly got to work inspecting it. He didn't have access to inside the ship but that was unnecessary for the meantime, the hangers usually came equip with simple ship scanning systems that could give him the information he needed.He ran over to one of the squat grey terminals and waved his hand around over it to trigger the soft blue holographic screen. Keying in the commands for his job, beams of green light shot out from the ceiling, running over every inch of the beautiful model as it's details came up on the screen.


"I can see where the damage is" he thought to himself, "Some simple hull repairs, that can be taken care of immediately by the dock personal, for what they want done to the subroutines it would be best to contact a technician but the systems aren't as badly damaged as they thought. The local mechanics could take care of it easy and cheap."


Finally he made a small list of the parts they'll be wanting replaced, or in the case of the Exothermic Translation Port, just be wanting.


"Important to keep the engine running smoothly, better take out the weak links while we're grounded" he thought to himself.

 

[ladyaliciaaa]

After splitting the bill and tipping off the waitress that seemed to be eyeing them down considering the multitude of times they'd pressed for yet another round of drinks, it was more than expected, hence a large sum was transferred to her savings account after much of a negotiation that concluded with an abundance of a pair of eyes on the trio than the quantity they had started with. The defeated and sullen crowd of 3 exited the bar with more than a few drops alcohol in their systems and haggard expressions on their faces they advanced toward where their spacecraft was berthed and where the new pilot stood over an unremarkable and dull colored terminal which although was unremarkable and dull and seemingly easy to function, Verona couldn't ever seem to figure out how they worked nor how to operate them, though she felt like she ought to. It was yet another subject to dismiss with a nonchalant shrug when inquired about, she did still have a lot to learn.


Their discussion as they strode across the wide hangar, involved which planet they'd designate for their next destination and how the waitress's features were exceedingly out of proportion.


Verona yawned, a lengthy yawn that pulled tears from the corners of her eyes by the time she finished. She lifted her hands and rubbed the side of her face, then brought them up to push a stray strand of hair behind her ear.


"Ahoy there, Mr Serket." she waved in greeting before slipping her hands into the pockets of her coat and nearing the man who appeared engrossed in his own thoughts, she was convinced he hadn't even noticed their arrival. The hangar radiated in all it's jade splendor as the ray of light swept down the familiar, run-of-the-mill vessel..well, that was what Verona thought of it anyways; like the saying goes, the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.


"Our upcoming harbor'll be the planet of Scion. It's neighboring Veneir," her eyes darted up to check if the dark haired man was taking heed of all the information that Verona was providing, "'should be a piece of cake for your first flight on Quick Strides--when do ya' think we'll be able to get 'er all patched up and ready to take wing by?" she patted the mass of alloy and carbon fiber to specify the subject of the conversation, as if he didn't know already.

 

[Sir Horace]

"Hm?" Horace had been vaguely aware of the approaching footsteps but he was very engrossed in his work. He had long since finished the list of repairs and parts needed and had been using the advanced scanner to find out what ever else he could about the ship. But the clear and casual voice of one Verona Ravenshade tore him away from an unusually in-depth analysis of the ships internal plumbing systems.


"Scion, Scion... Sure, no problem" he said brightly after a brief pause to think (and/or run over what she said when he wasn't paying attention).


"Neighboring planet, same system, no problem at all. Don't even need an FTL drive for that jump that range. I've already put in an order with the locals to fix up the specifics we need, an hour in the local market to grab the parts we need second hand and by the time we're done, they'll be done and she'll be good to go I reckon."


He reached out to pat the topic of conversation akin to Verona's gesture, however miscalculating the distance he missed the ship, swinging his arm wild to rest on his hip. Acting as if that were his intention.

 

[ladyaliciaaa]

"Great, thanks for sorting the lot out." she beamed with contentment, "-think we could head down to the Bazaar in the morn? I believe all of us'll be a deal livelier after a rest."


Verona bit back a laugh at his comical antic "Y' alright there?" she withdrew from making a big deal of it, in order to lessen the embarrassment for the pilot. Her gaze flitted down to the screen of the slate terminal stationed behind them, she arches a skeptical, curious brow to Horace but says nothing further.


"Do come inside," she pressed her lips together and presented a rectangular, metallic rimmed card from the side pocket of her coat. A flicker of light formed at the base of the rim and upon tapping twice, the holographic screen filled it's borders.


She deftly swiped it down the slot and typed in a code, the doors of the Corvette rose to reveal it's clean, white hallway with pale channels traversing down it's sides which lead to various cabins and recreational rooms. On the left, past the ladder and translucent full-length windows uncovered the cockpit, lit by a rich pearly light built into the floor of the space and in the middle of the room situated a disk-shaped table on which cerulean holograms and HUD displays expended from, ahead of that, was the pilot's seat and control panel. The 4 members of Quick Strides entered the ship, it's interior lighting up with a radiant, silver illumination upon their arrival.


"Go ahead and take a look around, make yourself at home." Verona pointed out the washroom and the separate sleeping quarters. "I suppose you could pick any one of the vacant rooms to stay in, our crew is rather small at the moment. Kelly's probably thinking of recruiting more..possibly an engineer," for now, she'd like to stop fretting over those matters. The only thing that was of importance at the moment was getting some shut-eye.

 

[Sir Horace]

Horace let out a soft whistle. Not a bad ship at all.


The separate rooms were a nice touch to any ship. The camaraderie of sharing quarters with your crew looses it's appeal after a week of the same people taking up your space and sleep.


"Sure, I guess I'll take that room" He said absently, gesturing off at no door in particular, eyes pinned to the cockpit.


"I'm just gonna talk a look around, as you said? Make myself at home..."


Remembering himself Horace spun to face Verona and the crew. "Thank you all again" he said with a grin, "An exciting prospect truly. Working with you all that is, and with such a fine ship".


With that said, Horace turned once more and dashed up into the cockpit, eyes drinking in the surrounding. The controls he'd handle, the seat he'd spend hours sitting in. And with a self satisfying grin, the biological interface cables he'd never use.


This place can be home, he thought, at least until they don't want me.

 

[0135Kelly]

Kelly grumbled loudly from her seat in the galley, nibbling at a piece of dry bread. Her grumbles were few apart and obviously loud enough to be obnoxious. She stopped, giggling quietly at herself and the way she was acting. She had only just woken up from a nap and was attempting to jump-start her brain with a few carbohydrates, but sadly her piece of dried bread was nothing anyone could digest without external force or extreme discipline.


With one final grumble followed by an amused giggle, Kelly shoved her plate across the table, leaning back into her chair defeated. "Ugh, we need a cook."

 

[ladyaliciaaa]

A click and hiss sounded from the container as Verona released the clasp on it's lid. A shimmering flaxen halo irradiated from the cylinder, engraved in the metal was the word 'BLISS' in cold, block letters. The sunlight spilled out from it's confinements and she held it over the robust looking plants, perched on the ledge by the bay window in her dorm, it seeped into the earth in a matter of seconds. Lingering a while longer before fading to nothing.


Her bare feet drifted across the tiled floor, away from the window. The tiles were cool against her skin, she'd tried to sleep but it never came. Only insisted that he was just passing by. The fatigue settled in her bones, turning this way and that and counting up in her head did nothing to ease the weariness that lay upon her shoulders, she could only hope that slumber would come easier tomorrow. She hummed into the darkness, crossing her fingers and laying them atop her stomach and eventually it arrived.


She was awoken by the muted twinkle of laughter dampened by the covers over her head.


Verona drew a comb down the snarls in her hair, that unraveled with each stroke. It was early in the morning, 6:25, and she fancied something solid to consume and a roam in the market to stretch her legs and to walk off the tiredness that remained in the shadows under her eyes and in the edge in her voice. <p><a href="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2015_12/Cabin.jpg.fa1f030782abee035113a40fcd768578.jpg" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="88821" src="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2015_12/Cabin.jpg.fa1f030782abee035113a40fcd768578.jpg" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p>

 

[Sir Horace]

Horace jolted awake, stumbling out of his soft bunk to collapse on the cool, unrelenting tile floor below him.


The "where the hell am I?" Stage didn't last long, the miasma that clouded his memory drew back, detailing the events of yesterday to his startled mind. He rose to his feet, propped up against the steel wall as the ache left his skull and the exhaustion fell away, like flakes of rust to reveal a shining, flight ready hull beneath.


Head cleared he made his way to his-


He didn't have any possessions, he remembered with a start. Of course he didn't, he was previously a freelance between jobs with quite literally nothing to his name.


Horace shrugged at his situation, a roof over his head and a hull surrounding him. A comfortable bed, a heated room, and a reliable source of food. Thats more than he had yesterday.


"Now about that source of food"


The thought carried him out of his quarters, and down the sleek, steel corridors of the Quick Strides

 

[ladyaliciaaa]

Verona assumed her position cross-legged on the deck of the ship, she ran her fingers down the metal bumps on the floor, feeling the rise and fall as they completed each one. "What on Earth were you grumbling 'bout at such an hour in the morning." she directed the question at Kelly, who hung limp on the chair with the plate of bread beside her. "I'll have that if you're not," she reached out to grab the slice of bread, and popped the last of it in her mouth, she swept the fallen crumbs off of her pants and sat back down, and resulted to drumming the ground dejectedly for a minute or so before lifting her chin at the sound of a sliding door coming to a close. A sluggish Horace emerged from the entrance way.


She hummed "Good morning, sleep well did you?" Verona reached into the pocket of her sweatpants, ' I've got somethin' for you," in her hand was the card she'd used to enter Quick Strides "Our contacts are already inputted, so you can reach our COMM's anytime an' you'll be able to access the craft on your own," the password was relayed to the Pilot and Verona held it out for him to receive. "I've got an extra."


She rose to her feet to make conversation easier, she cricked her aching neck before turning back to Horace.


Her mind struggled to grasp the next sentence that was poised on her tongue, she thought for a bit - "Ah! I believe we are to be going to the market, to purchase some parts for the ship and also more essentially, to have Breakfast," Verona proclaimed.