Test Flight

Posted on Friday 5 May 2017 @ 18:32 by Captain Melody Jones & Commander Save'ena (Sav) Tillatix

Mission: The Perez Nebula
Location: Transporter room 2, Main Shuttlebay
Timeline: 239405.05
2310 words - 4.6 OF Standard Post Measure

ON:

Ensign Brooks was on transporter duty for the graveyard shift. It was coming up to her break. It had been a long shift and she was bored. Suddenly the comm system beeped and she answered "Transporter room 2, Brooks here."

"This is the bridge, prepare for emergency transport. We've got 2 fighter shuttles in distress, they are loosing power. Co-ordinates are being transferred to you"

Brooks leapt into action working the controls. The shuttles were at the edge of transporter range. She hit her comm badge "Transporter room 2 to engineering. I need more power to the targeting sensors."

A voice came back "Standby transporter room."

Brooks was getting slightly concerned. Something was interfering with their patterns. She worked the console frantically, trying to compensate.

Another voice came over the Comm system, a female voice. "Don't mean to rush you Merlin, but now would be a good time...."

Although the voice was calm , there was a suitable urgency behind it.

Brooks was finally ready "Standby........ Energizing!"

The transport cycle started as Brooks monitored the process. Suddenly an alarm sounded and a massive power surge shot through the pattern buffer. Off to one side, one of the auxiliary panels blew out in a shower of sparks. Brooks looked slightly panicked "What the hell was that???"

The transport cycle didn't seem affected and two people started to materialize on the transporter pad. Brooks let out a sight of relief.


++++++++++ 1 Hour earlier +++++++++++++

Melody was waiting for Save'ena in the main shuttle bay. She had managed to get some flight time in the new fighter shuttles for the two of them. It was the small hours of the morning, the best time to fly as fewer people were awake and you could get away with some more daring maneuvers. As executive Officer, Melody had seen that medical had cleared Save'ena for active flight again and was sure she was itching to get back in the cockpit......... And what better way than to test the new fighter out.

Melody adjusted her flight suit. She wanted to look nice for Sav. She broke out into a broad smile as the doors opened and Sav walked in.

Sav was now wearing one of the more figure fitting flight suits. Another addition was the flight crew had gotten her a custom tailored flight suite complete with tail membrane. Of course, she still had her life support belt around her waist, for just in case. She was still on light duty, and there were still some sudden ants, traces of pains, and buzzing from the last dredges of the toxins in her body, but physically she was doing so much better than just a short while ago. She would take about six months to be to full health, physically. Mentally was an entire other challenge, that might well take years, or never be complete in her lifetime.

She came into the bay and her dogged expression turned to a smile and joy at seeing Melody. "Hey, Girrl, what brings you to a place like this?..." Sav saw the new fighter and changed direction towards it, "OOOoooo.... pretty."

Melody walked over to her side "I know. Are you ready to give this beauty a test flight. And I mean the shuttle....." she said as she opened her arms to embrace her.

Sav churred at the double meaning of Melody's words. "Hard decision, that one." She touched a control panel and found no one monitoring the fighter drop bay. It seemed that Melody's stalker was never around in the early hours, either asleep or on watch. She nodded to Melody, "Bay's safe. Have you talked to Scarlet yet?"

Melody sighed "I've not seen Scarlet as yet to talk to him but when we get back I intent to do just that, ok?"

Sav nodded while churring and replied, "Please let me know, discreetly."

She moved from the control panel and over to Melody to give a hug, and a quick kiss. She sighed, "I really missed your brushing this morning as you hurried out... but now I can see why." The brushing by Melody all over Sav's body was actually a physical therapy for her, ordered by Dr. Galeraz Zephyr. It helped to press her skin and glands to release toxins to be cleaned up, as well as for Sav to feel and continually relearn to how it truly felt to be touched, and touch. Sav glanced at the fighters, "We have permission?"

Melody nodded. "Of course we have permission. One of the perks of bring the first officer. I'm sorry i missed this morning. How about when we're finished here is make it up to you?" She gave her a kiss, then gestured to the fighter shuttles "So which one do you fancy?"

Sav gave Melody an extra squeezing hug, then jogged over to the fighter indicated. "Alright, I have Rook 3. Who are you, Roguish One?"

"Sounds good to me Sweetie." as Melody headed for her fighter.

Sav climbed in and performed a systems check. She touched the panel to perform a deeper check. She caught a niggly, as though something not right, but, as she was not right, she chalked it up to her own body instead of anything wrong with the Fighter. After all, everything was double and triple checked, as it was the XO and CAG going out flying, right?

Sav hit the comm, =/\= XO, CAG, circuit 5. Everything checks out green here, Girrl. Ready to take these birds on their paces?=/\=

=/\= Copy that Rook 3, I've got a green board also. Let's punch it!=/\=

Melody hit the throttle and the two craft shot of the hanger. once outside the ship, the craft lined up in formation.

=/\= Rook 3, Roguish one. What do you want to do first?=/\=

=/\= Roguish One, Rook 3, let's thread the needle around the nacelle struts first, just to get a feel of the fighters and to give the sensor crews a moment of stark terror. If not, well, how about any nearby objects to play chicken with?=/\=

A wicked grin formed on Melody's face. =/\=Copy that Rook 3. There are some small asteroids nearby we can blow up as well. =/\= She pulled the fighter up hard and headed straight for the gap between the saucer section on the nacelle pylon on the starboard side.

Within her fighter, Sav's muzzle swept into a large grin as she heard and saw Melody's response. She immersed herself into the fighter and it dipped down slightly as it accelerated for the Merlin. It rolled as it came upwards to shoot the gap between the port nacelle pylon and the saucer. Sav was going to enjoy a dance of fighters with Melody and show the sensor team why Melody and she were the best pilots on board.

Melody flew slight down. Then pulled back, round the underside of the secondary hull and up the gap on the port side. She then headed away from the Merlin toward a small group of asteroids that she had spotted on sensors.

With her fighter, Sav mirrored Melody's maneuver, albeit a little closer and tighter to the Merlin. She twirled-flipped her fighter to go from behind, under, and then up beside Melody. She looked over and grinned, then put some distance between them to allow for maneuvers when they started blasting asteroids.

Flying directly for the first, Melody waited till the last minute with her proximity aroma going off to pull a stomach churning left turn.

Sav was enjoying herself. This was the first time in a long time she was not feeling the tugs, pains, and feeling blood seeping from her because of the mesh she USED to, used to, carry inside of her. She forewent any modicum of hanging back and let all her skills hang loose. Fully one with the fighter, she zoomed in cadence with Melody towards the first asteroid, then turned right and down, encircling the asteroid just inches above the surface to let Melody get some space before them as she took up wing position.

A much smaller rock appeared directly in Melody's flight path. =/\= A little target practice Rook 3. Fire in the hole=/\= as she locked on to the rock with her forward phasers and vaporized it.

Sav churred as she returned, =/\= A little target practice it is... check out mah moves..=/\= Sav now zoomed over further to the right of Melody and targeted a meteorite herself. Well, except, her HUD showed multiple targets. She blasted that one and as her phaser's lanced through it, she was already rolling and firing again. Another rock vaporized during her shift, turn, and flip. Her craft skidded past a third that she blasted as soon as it was in front of her. She now accelerated and side shifted/skidded once more to come up towards Melody, except, during the turn, she blasted a fourth. The beams of destructive energy were all performed one after another, each finding a target, even with the fighter doing 'evasive' maneuvers. Sav rolled towards Melody to align her craft with Melody's once more.

Both craft fell back into formation. =/\= Very nice Rook 3. Is it my turn now?=/\=

Melody was just about to demonstrate why she almost got kicked off the academy flying team when both crafts engines stalled and they came to a jarring halt, like they had hit a sand bar. Melody looked round confused "What the hell......?"

=/\=Rook 3, Roguish one. My engines have stalled. Main power is being drained and the reserve. What's your condition?=/\=

Sav felt the jar from some field passing over the craft. It had come out of nowhere, had not been on the sensors, but now was playing havoc with her fighter. She left the tumultuous circuits of her fighter and hit her comm. While it was also going haywire, there was the hard coded emergency channel that was designed to always work and she hit it, =/\= Roguish One, Rook 3, same here. Systems rebooting and trying to get back to stable state. Everything is doing the funky chicken, and not by choice.=/\=

Melody checked her readouts but they were giving some wild readings. =/\=My sensors have gone haywire. I can't compensate for the power loss. My evac transporter is off-line. I'm dead in space. In about 4 minutes my life support is going to fail. I think we better call for help.=/\=

Sav slapped her forehead. She had not thought to check Melody for a life support belt. She had hers on, and so would be good for the next 8 hours for rescue, but that would not help Melody. =/\= Copy that. I have on my life support belt. You go first, just in case.=/\=

Melody patched her emergency power into her comm system to boost the output =/\=Merlin, this is Commander Jones. Lieutenant Tillatix and I have run into some trouble out here. We are loosing power and life support. Requesting an emergency beam out.=/\=

=/\=This is the Merlin. You're on the edge of transporter range. Standby.=/\=

=/\=Rook 3, Rougish one. Don't worry Sweetie, we're getting out of here.=/\=

=/\= Roguish One, Rook 3, not to worry, I'll be fine for a while. While both would be nice, you're the important one as you don't have your backup life support belt with you. If nothing else works, you first. I can wait.=/\=

Minutes seemed to pass. Her main power suddenly died and her life support started to falter. Melody keyed her comm system again =/\=Don't mean to rush you Merlin, but now would be a good time....=/\=

Another voice came back =/\=Standby........ Energizing!=/\=

Melody braced herself as she felt the transporter kick in.

Sav heard the term 'Energizing' and flicked off her life support belt. She felt the transporter effect, but, it was weird, not quite right. Then again, all the times before had been with the Toluene poisoning rampant in her system. This was her first time with just trace amounts left, so, maybe this was how it always felt?

======== Transporter room 2 =================

The transporter cycle evened to take longer than usual. Halfway though, Melody felt a really weird sensation that was most defiantly not normal. However, the Merlin transporter room appeared before her. She let out a sigh of relief but she still didn't feel normal. There was a strange weight behind her and she felt a lot warmer. She was about to speak to thank the transporter operator. Her furry nosed itched and her whiskers were............ WAIT A MINUTE! Whiskers???????

The room started to spin as she suddenly felt dizzy. Her vision started to blur as she collapsed to the floor in a heap.

Brooks ran from behind the console to the transporter pad, keying her comm badge "Transporter room two to sickbay. We need medial assistance. Lieutenant Tillatix has collapsed."

Sav stood there, blinking, trying to get her bearings. The light was a lot dimmer than normal, sounds and smells were muffled, and she couldn't feel her tail weight in helping to keep her balanced. That was when she realized that the Transporter Officer was running towards her and Melody, as well as what she said. Sav took an unsteady step forward and said, "You mean Commander... " Sav, in looking beside her, noticed herself on the floor, "Jones?" She glanced at her un-furred hand as her other hand came up to her flat face cheek. She now fell to her knees, "What is going on?"

Brooks looked up at the other person on the pad. "Commander Jones, are you all right?" then answering her own question "Obviously not." She hit her comm badge again "Sickbay this is transporter room two. Commander Jones also requires medical attention."

Sav was confused, not feeling right, woozy, and she looked over at Brooks and said, her body showing signs of shock, "Commander Jones? No.. I... I... what is going on?"

OFF:

Lieutenant Commander Melody Jones
Executive Officer
USS Merlin

Lieutenant Save'ena Tillatix
CAG / Uroboros Squadron Leader
USS Merlin