|M| {Stellar by Starlight} |1x1| Alura x J'Von |
Shessy cap slung low over her eyes, banded ponytail swaying down her back like a coppery chain, the new navigational officer of the E.I.T.C.S.S. Stellar shrugged deeper into her flight jacket as she stomped up the gangplank. Her eyes roamed over the assembled officers and pilots from under her brim: the engineering, security, medical, and other units flanking the central dais alongside newscasters and various other guests that had been allowed aboard for the christening of the first luxury starliner to be commissioned by the East Intergalactic Trade Confederacy shifted around as the salt-and-pepper-haired Rear Admiral addressed them. Smirking faintly at the attempt at rigid formality the officers lined up behind him presented, she lifted her chin in greeting though she imagined beyond the lights that illuminated the stage it was hard for them to see much of anything. The Eights were hardly known for their strict adherence to rules and order, but she appreciated the symmetry of their efforts with the new leaf they were turning today.
A few heads swiveled towards her as she neared the speaker, but one look at the golden badge emblazoned across the back of her jacket was enough for security detail to stand down and let her pass. Gripping her beat up ditty bag, she manoeuvred from the straight entry ramp towards the side of the platform raised just for this event. Forty would lose his ever-loving mind when he spotted her, but he would forgive. It had been some time from her last stop over on Earth and she had had some things to wrap up. She'd also be damned if she'd give a second she wasn't getting paid for to anyone: Confederacy not excepted. There was symmetry in that, too, here among the privateers, pirates, and free-trade guilds that composed the East Intergalactic Trade Confederacy. Tripping up the steps in her dusty boots, she removed her cap and peeled away her jacket before smoothing her hair quickly. Dropping her bag behind her feet as she gained the dais, she adopted the parade rest stance alongside the other officers assembled.
True to form she could feel Forty's dark eyes on her from his place behind the Commander's right shoulder. The fellow Captain and trusted second of Admiral Cork, he had an easy sense of humour reined in by his sense of duty and 'situational appropriateness' as he called it. He was also something of a brotherly figure, and the one who had both vouched for her and convinced her to join this mission. Something about helping the Trade Confederacy and future-facing... something... Forty was a true believer in the inalienable rights and freedoms that the Confederacy represented and had gone on for a while; but since there was little likelihood the massive ship would encounter difficulties in transit, it had been a monumental task to bring his red-haired friend around to the idea. He had finally won her over by promising a tandem far-system run after his current commission expired if she signed on with him. She'd hear about her tardiness in detail later, sure as pulsars pulsed, but it was unlikely that he was truly surprised.
Boom Boom, the tall blond weapons officer at her 9, flickered his eyes down at the shorter woman and smirked faintly despite his attempt to hold his composure. He looked like he might say something, but the stillness filling the hangar when the Commander's voice stopped caught his ear and they both directed their eyes and full attention to Read Admiral Cork as he extended his arm to indicate the new nav officer. She squared her shoulders and actually attempted to look respectable now that she stood in dress uniform alongside her new peers. Well, mostly respectable. The dusty boots below her trousers were a smidge less polished than their mates across the stage.
"For this journey we have brought aboard veteran members of the East Intergalactic Trade Confederacy to help ensure the success of our maiden voyage. Captain Daisy Morant will be joining with us in her capacity as a navigations and control systems expert. She has a long tenure of service to the Confederacy and has worked for a number of the trade guilds in this capacity. Her distinguished record along with her deep knowledge will serve us well as we make history on this voyage."
A round of polite applause echoed, quickly quieted by a raised hand from Admiral Cork. His hand waved past her to Boom Boom.
"While we expect this to be a smooth trip, we have also enlisted one of the Confederacy's top Gamma Class weapons experts. Lieutenant Commander Jackson Halloway joined the East Intergalactic Trade Confederacy after a decorated tenure with the United Council Space Academy and after serving as one of the youngest officers aboard the United Council Star Ship Romulus. He has contributed notable improvements in both shielding and offensive array technology to Typhon Types like the Romulus."
Now that her moment in the spotlight had passed, Daisy maintained her stance as the familiar butterflies circled her stomach. As Rear Admiral Cork moved on to touch on the qualifications of his officers for this mission, she wondered again if she had made the right choice. Her last solo flight had been a rocky one and a bit of relaxation on the luxury starliner might be just what she needed.
"Just smooth sailing," Forty had promised. Maybe he was on to something.
The heat and light filling the hangar made it hard to see much beyond colourful shapes surrounding the dais. The daylight and city beyond the hangar doors drew her eyes as she became absorbed in her thoughts and the impression of the crowd in front of her. All too soon Cork had finished introductions and ended his speech to cheers and applause that echoed in the large space.
There were three directives for the Stellar's maiden voyage. First, they were to deliver the paying customers brought aboard the prior day and stowed in the Stasis Bay to the colonised world of Delphinus XIII into the waiting arms and accolades of the population there. No doubt a big celebration would welcome the end of their long journey similar to what they would receive when the starliner completed its course back to Earth - better known to offworlders as Primaterra.
The return trip, however, would be the real purpose of the East Intergalactic Trade Confederacy's newest grand venture. Some colonised planets like Delphinus X were heavily fortified and experimenting with new advances in android and cloning technologies. Instead of human passengers, their second task would involve the Stasis Bay being filled with clone-sicles and one of the aft holds would be cleared for a small army of state-of-the-art androids and drones. If the Federation received word of such precious cargo, they might need every bit of Boom Boom's expertise to defend themselves. Speaking of whom, their weapons officer would be useful in inspecting and updating the Confederacy's facilities on the colony world. It was unusual to take such a large craft on a long-haul cruise without a security convoy, but the officers list read like a Who's Who of former pilots who had earned their wings and commissions against some of the stiffest competition in the known universe. While most of their detractors and some of their allies saw the relatively young Confederation as a jury-rigged assembly of missfits, that same internal friction made for the perfect tumbler to sort out the gems from the rough. Rear Admiral Cork was no exception, which was the reason he was lovingly and laughingly referred to by his crew as "Papa" Cork for the combination of his valuance of loyalty and his adoration of limelight - to say nothing of his slow but blistering temper. No one would dare call him such a thing to his face, but for some inexplicable reason, the Admiral was not altogether impressed with the name he knew was slung about the mess when he was not present. Still, perhaps the lack of the usual defensive convoy was for show. It would no doubt bolster the reputation of the East Intergalactic Trade Confederacy amongst its more militant peers, as well as the Admiral's.
Third and finally, the Stellar was to retrieve both horticultural samples and an award-winning terraformer from Delphinus XIII. They had been experimenting with cultivating extraterrestrial plant life alongside those from Earth and were due to make an appearance to report their findings directly to a symposium with representatives from all of the major governmental, military, and trade alliances on Primaterra. It was an unusual distinction, as non-native life was typically banned from being imported to the home world. It was an effort to keep it as pure as possible, barring restorative actions to clean up some of the pollution and general degradation that had occurred before interstellar travel had become possible. Now, with stasis technology, it was possible to suspend life far outside the bounds of a "natural" life that an Earth-bound human might experience. Those who flew among the stars were a breed apart, outliving those land-bound of their kind easily. Luxury liners had become a way to taste what stasis could offer and travel hundreds of years to deposit colonists at a fresh new adventure where they and their children would carry on the race.
The East Intergalactic Trade Confederacy was coming into its own. Such ambitious plans would no doubt result in a great deal of increased profile amongst the other factions. If they could complete it without any security issues it might also mean that the Federation's long monopoly of United Council contracts was at an end. Ah, but maybe that was Forty's enthusiasm clouding her pragmatism. Daisy believed in the ideals of the Confederacy, but she also believed in the ability of humans to cock up even the best intentions and prefered to do her part while keeping to herself.
As the last of the civilian gathering disembarked and the hangar crew began to clear away the trappings of the briefing, the butterflies fluttering against her ribcage swirled again. It had been quite a while since she had found herself on a proper ship instead of her little skyboat. The Horus was hangared on earth awaiting her return and she could already feel the itch of being hemmed in on all sides. It wasn't so much the space that she minded. She was used to small spaces. It was the feel of other people crawling everywhere around her that slithered under her skin. A warm hand on her shoulder snapped her abruptly out of her thoughts and she turned to look up into the annoyed eyes of Captain Timothy "Forty" Fortenbrae.
"Eheh, Forty," she turned to face him with the duffle she had collected from the stage before shuffling off to the side of the hangar and out of the way in one hand and the other gripping the back of her neck while she spun around for an explanation, "Lots of traffic on the Eastbound."
He rolled his eyes and gripped her in a hug. It was an old joke between them, as the only thing further East of the city was ocean.
"At this point I'm beginning to think you'll actually die if you arrive anywhere on time."
"So unkind. I arrived precisely on time, thank you."
"You know the Admiral runs fast."
"I don't think I've seen the Admiral run at all."
Closing his eyes, Forty made a pained sound which elicited a broad grin from the woman. She tucked her cap into her duffle and shifted the flight jacket further onto it since it had slipped some in the process of being bear hugged by the Admiral's second in command. Boom Boom walked up behind the shorter man and touched his elbow lightly, grinning also. They had met after Forty had taken the younger man under his wing and though they seldom saw each other Boom Boom and Daisy were on good terms.
"You should've known better, Forty," the weapons expert said.
"Yes, Forty, you should've known," mimicked the navigations expert with a disappointed wag of the head.
Hooking his thick arms around both of their heads - a feat considering the disparity in height - he jokingly led them a few paces towards the hangar door as if he would throw them out from it. As he did so a chain slipped from his collar and a small square holographic pendant fell out. When she saw it, Daisy tucked it back safely into his uniform and straightened his collar. At this point in the preparations, the crew would be inspecting every detail of the ship in preparation for departure. No doubt there was less than a bell left before the Medical Guild's stasis engineers and medical team would begin to put the officers under for the journey. Traditionally the ship's Master, Captain's Mate, and Captain's Crozier were the last to go under before the ship's final lockdown commenced and auto-pilot began. By that time, the Medical Guild representatives would be well away. The Stellar would soon be ready to depart. Daisy blew out a breath anxiously.
"We should get to the officer's mess and see what we are working with for the haul," Boom Boom said as he gestured to the corridor that would take them to the lift bank and the living quarters.
Shaped much like oblong oval Primaterra cruise ships that were greatly advanced versions of historic marine vessels of the same kind, the Stellar had four circular rings at angles around its mass. Two rotated above slightly angled to port and starboard, while two rotated below angled to bow and stern. The angles helped provide an extra layer of protection to the ship were it to encounter an attack or even a bad meteor shower. The rotation in addition to the spin of the central portion of the ship helped maintain gravity aboard the vessel. In such situations civilians and crew would retreat to the central body of the ship where it would be safest. The main cargo holds and hangars; officer and crew living quarters, mess halls; medical, stasis, engineering and maintenance bays; and primary ship systems were housed in this six-decker alongside the more universal amenities. Those amenities would remain closed while those onboard slept in stasis with the exception of the greenhouse, which could be strolled between watches when the crew was once more active. They would be in stasis for the majority of the flight to Delphinus XIII, barring any trouble. The officers and a few select members of the crew would wake two weeks before the rest of the crew. Commercial guests would awake a month later and be awake for a month or two before arrival at the colony planet.
In the starboard "clover leaf" of the ships' extensions were luxury accommodations for those dripping with enough credits to afford them - though why they would bother for a cruise in which they would only enjoy a month or so at best, was a mystery to most of the crew. In the port clover leaf were accommodations for the rest of the guests, quite impressive but without the spaciousness and decadence of the forward apartments. Below the decker, the forward extension had been outfitted with a laboratory and smaller greenhouses to accommodate the livestock and flora that would be measured in-flight for study as well as largely left behind on Delphinus XIII to test in the colony's environment just as some of their extraterrestrial counterparts would be returned to Primaterra for the same. In the aft extension circled the floating entertainment district of sorts. It had been modeled after some of the well known pleasure fleets, though it lacked some of the more questionable offerings. It was arguably one of the most autonomous spaces in the ship as it was entirely staffed by androids and robots. Even Daisy had to admit it might be worth a gander.
As she walked after Boom Boom with an arm around Forty's waist and his arm slung over her shoulders, she considered how strange it was that they would be asleep for most of the amazing journey. Solo flyers lacked the in depth knowledge and skill that proper stasis required. Enhanced crystaldrive technology and better quality fuel cells allowed smaller craft like the Horus to skip between the stars without the need for it by and large. She could move further in months than most larger vessels could do in hundreds of years. That's how incredibly far apart the technology was for the different ships' classes. Still, the tech was as risky for her little skyboat, as she affectionately thought of it, as other parts of solo deep-space endeavours. When the drives worked it was brilliant, but a lot could go wrong and most pilots like Daisy didn't live through their first journey - let alone make more. It was a point of pride to survive, but there was a certain stigma to the lot in some circles also. She looked at the gold wings peeking out from the folds of her jacket thoughtfully. It was a good life if you liked your space; but the isolation probably did nothing to assuage worries that pilots like her really did have a loose grasp on sanity.
The stasis processing marking the beginning of the Stellar's journey went off without a hitch and officers, crew, and cargo - including commercial customers - were all stowed away safely. Auto-pilot engaged and the launch was a roaring success, just as the newscasters reported. The voyage was underway with arrival at Delphinus XIII scheduled in 368 years. They would spend a month's leave on the surface before taking on a medical stasis team stationed on the colonised planet for the return voyage and go under again for the 62 years it would take to reach Delphinus X. Their pickup complete and a thorough evaluation of the ship and the flora and fauna being transported, a round of maintenance as needed, and they would all be put back for one last time until they neared Primaterra once more. Hardly aged they would return to an Earth almost 400 years removed from the one they had left behind them.
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