Race to the top

Posted on Friday 3 November 2023 @ 07:04 by Captain Melody Jones & Ensign Tridi

Mission: The Search
Location: Starfleet Academy (Luna Annex)
Timeline: 8 Months ago
3286 words - 6.6 OF Standard Post Measure

ON:

The sun rose on the Luna surface, illuminating the Starfleet Academy flight school training annex. The Earth shining like a blue marble in the blackness of space could be seen from the hanger bay where Captain Rodgers stood waiting for Cadet Tridi.

The final semester was almost over and Captain Rodgers was conducting the final qualification flights for this year's graduates and Cadet Tridi was the last Cadet on his list. So far, he had been very impressed with his practical flight knowledge, although his theoretical work still needed some work, especially when it came to faster than light propulsion.

Cadet Tridi watched the large display monitor in the Ready Room of the Starfleet Academy Luna Annex eagerly as today was his last day of formal training before becoming a Starfleet Officer. After all the training that he had undertaken, the young Jyracan was looking forward to not having to attend classes and to formally be part of Starfleet. He knew that he really shouldn't be here though. His early days at the Academy had been less than stellar and he knew that most of his instructors had taken pity on him through the years he was here. If they hadn't the truth was that he wouldn't be here today and he'd be lost somewhere within the territory of the Federation and, worse yet, unable to return home.

Tridi's homeworld, Jyrac, was not a member of the Federation and had no intentions of ever venturing beyond their own world. The fact that he was even here was because of his mother's wish for him to have a better life and her tenacity to defend progress, even in the face of the government, even in the face of her own husband. When Tridi and his mother had successfully built the warp powered flyer the government came for them. He watched as his mother was killed by his father's order and he watched as the soldiers came for him too. Without any other choice, he launched the flyer and engaged its engine, but it was already almost too late. The flyer was not designed for the speeds it was breaching and started to break up. If it hadn't been for the intervention of the nearby Starship Excelsior he'd be dead and he knew it.

Still, he hoped that his people would look at the research notes of his mother and change their mind about the future. About joining the interstellar community. His people deserved a place among the stars and not to go extinct as the probes of the Excelsior suggested they were at risk for. If his studies were correct though he knew that his people were already past the tipping point. Their resources were almost depleted, the population was surging more than their planet could handle, and his warp jump in the atmosphere of the planet hadn't done their environment any favours. Really, it was possible that they were already extinct.

He hoped not though. Despite the short-sightedness of the Jyracan government, not everyone on the world was beyond saving. He hoped that his family were still alive. While he had little hope for his father due to the criminal execution of his mother, he hoped that his brothers and sisters were ok. His mother deserved a legacy other than him. He owed her that and he hoped that the galaxy never forgot her.

Glancing up at the display he saw that his name had become highlighted in green. That was it, that meant that it was showtime for him. Rising to his feet the green furred alien took a deep breath to centre himself and stepped out into the shuttlebay. His future would be decided in a few minutes and he hoped it was for the best.



Upon hearing footsteps coming toward him, Captain Rodgers looked up from his PADD. "Ahh, good morning Cadet. I hope you're well rested. This will be your final practical flight exam before graduation. Now despite the.... "He passed as he tried to encourage the young pilot "Difficulties you've had with the warp theory, your flying capabilities are very good and you've scored very highly in that area.

Today we'll be using this Runabout here." He indicated to the craft nearby. "Once we've done a walkaround safety check the test consists of taking a short warp hop out to Jupiter and then heading toward Saturn via Titan. Since Starfleet has been unable to discourage pilots from attempting "Titan's turn", the Acadamy decided to include it as part of advanced pilot training. Any questions?"

Tridi was familiar with the Titan's Turn maneuver. It was one of the more dangerous manoeuvres that a pilot could be called upon to complete within the Sol System, so much so that he was surprised it had become a standard part of the training process. Performed by Starfleet pilots on the Jovian Run, Titan's Turn had the pilot set course towards Titan at flank speed and then graze the moon's atmosphere before turning sharply. If you did it correctly you would whip around the moon at .7 C.

"Strange that such a dangerous manoeuvre is now used for training purposes," the Jyracan pointed out.

Captain Rodgers sighed. At first, he had not been overly happy with including this manoeuvre in Cadet training, but having performed the manoeuvre himself many times during his time as a shuttle pilot, he realised it would have been a touch hypocritical of him....

"After a review, the Acadamy board decided to include it in training as it turns out, many pilots have been performing this manoeuvre for many years. Even though Starfleet tried to dissuade them, pilots continued. Eventually, the academy decided to take the mentality that if you can't stop them, you might as well train them. As you pointed out, it is a dangerous manoeuvre and some pilots have been caught out by it."

He made some brief notes on his PADD before starting a timer. "Shall we begin Cadet?"

"Fascinating," escaped the furry green alien's lips as he considered the implications of Starfleet Academy approving such a risky training regimen. Having borrowed the vernacular of the great Ambassador Spock, the Cadet nodded politely to Captain Rodgers in agreement that he was ready to begin the examination.

"I'm ready if you are," motioning toward the runabout, Cadet Tridi invited, "After you, Captain."

Captain Rodgers watched as the Cadet went through the safety inspection and preflight check then through the starup routine. He made the appropriate notes on his PADD and nodded with satisfaction.

"Very good Cadet. All by the numbers. Now then, take us to Jupiter please. Course and speed are at your discretion but please remember you are being graded on navigational proficiency, fuel consumption and also creativity and ingenuity. You are also being timed."

If Tridi was anything he was an organizer, driven to create and enforce order in his duties. Knowing full well that everything in Starfleet was a process, he knew that order needed to be maintained, "Course is laid in for Jupiter, Captain; however, if we're going to maintain a true Starfleet feeling for this test, it would be at your discretion to identify the speed of this trip." He knew that this reminder could backfire, but it was a truth that he would be given instructions from any Captain with whom he served.

From the Co-pilots seat, Captain Rodgers turned to him and raised an eyebrow. "You know Cadet, I do believe you're the first one to ask me such a question. Normally all you cadets can't wait to hit the warp drive after being stuck at impulse speeds for so long. The faster the better."

He paused and smiled as he remembered one cadet in particular. He then continued "Had it not occurred to you that in order to make Captain you might have to know how fast you need to get somewhere? You know the capabilities of the vessel, the distance we need to cover, and may I remind you that you are being timed and graded so please.... Proceed to Jupiter Cadet."

"Yes, Captain," he said as he adjusted the controls of the Runabout. "Part of the test, I'm sure, relates to the law of the land. I hit the Warp Drive, I fail immediately because we can't warp from this point in the solar system due to Starfleet protocols." He wondered, inwardly, just how many people failed the test today because they engaged the Warp Engines as Captain Rodgers had said.

Pressing controls on the panel, "Course engaged at Full Impulse power, unless you are overriding the policy to complete the Warp hop you mentioned earlier?"

Captain Rodgers sighed. “Cadet. At full impulse, we’ll be at Jupiter in about an hour. At Warp 2 we’ll be there in 5 minutes so warp 2 if you please cadet.” He made a notes on his PADD. “I can see you're still going to need to read up on the use of warp drive inside a star system.”

"Understood, Captain," the Jyracan's furry finger's raced over the control interface of the runabout. Accessing the menu options on the Navigational Reference System, the Cadet selected the first navigation point that had been loaded and engaged the Warp Drive System as directed. As his fingers hovered next to the options, the Manual Flight Operations control looked appealing to him for a moment, but only for a moment. With his history, he was trying to do things more by the book than the risk taking his mother had instilled in him. If they hadn't taken the risk he wouldn't be here today, but his mother would also still be alive. For a time anyway. His homeworld was on the brink of devastation and the government didn't care. They were contented to live as they were, even if it killed them.

Glancing at the chronometer, Tridi commented, "Still plenty of time on the clock for the test."

Rodgers nodded as the stars streaked past the front windows. He continued to monitor their position. After a few more minutes they were approaching Jupiter. “Bring us out of warp Cadet and begin planning your route towards Saturn.”

"Acknowledged," the Cadet answered as he adjusted the flight controls gingerly, before inputting a manual sequence. The runabout slid out of warp and immediately entered into a modified loop manoeuvre that Tridi had programmed in to maximize the inertia of their trip, giving them a slight boost of speed as they proceeded toward Saturn. Resetting the controls, Tridi restored the inertial dampeners to normal operation. "On course to Saturn as requested, Captain."

Captain Rodgers allowed himself to sit back in his chair and relax. The trip back to Saturn would take them a little over 30 minutes. He entered a few more notes on his PADD. "So far Cadet, you're doing quite adequately. Now Starfleet rules and regulations are there for a good reason but as your career progresses you'll learn that it's not always possible to play things safe."

He smiled to himself, remembering one cadet in particular. "I'm going to tell you a story of one cadet who actually managed to frighten her Vulcan flight instructor."

"Oh?" Tridi looked over at the Captain with surprise at the comment about a Vulcan flight instructor having been frightened. "I am very curious to hear that story." This actually helped his plans for this trip. As he looked at the Captain, he adjusted the settings on the Impulse relays to increase their speed slightly. Normally the trip to Saturn would take 28.37 minutes from this point. After transferring power to the impulse capacitance cells the runabout would arrive now in about 25 minutes.

Rodgers smiled. "This cadet was sponsored by the Captain of the USS Thunderchild after she bypassed the security lockouts and stole a shuttlecraft in an attempt to run away. She even managed to exceed the maximum speed on the shuttle by 2 tenths of a warp factor' She eventually turned around and came back and returned to the ship. She and the Captain talked and agreed that the Acadamy was the place for her when she was old enough.
Even at the Academy, she was always pushing the limits of what the craft could do. Several of the instructors were reluctant to go out on training flights with her. She ended up in front of the Acadamy Superintendant a few times but she also graduated with the highest grade in navigation, subspace mechanics and warp field theory. She gained a reputation as the Girl going at warp nine with her hair on fire."

Adjusting settings to relay a little additional energy from the capacitance cells, the Jyracan glanced over at Captain Rodgers as the story was shared. Typing on the panel, "Interesting story, Captain. I am curious, she graduated from the Academy but where is she now?" Glancing down he saw that the adaptation he'd uploaded had increased their engine speed even further, making their arrival in 15 minutes. He couldn't push any further lest he'd start to impact the relativistic effects and even cause some potential time travel risks.

“She’s now captain of the USS Merlin” he replied with a look that was a mixture of disbelief and respect. “Never thought I’d see the day. She still holds the Academy record for the Jovian run. One of the best pilots I’ve ever seen, even if she as a little reckless at times, she somehow managed to make it work. She even managed to take Titan's turn at .8c”

He then quickly added, “Not something I want you to try and duplicate, thank you Cadet.”

Tridi typed on the keyboard and the supplemental monitor beneath the viewport, "Don't worry, Captain, my plan is to simply pass without giving you too much of a belly ache. Still though, have to ask, how did she avoid the relativistic effects of reaching .8c?" It was true that .7c and .8c weren't far off from one another, but he knew how to avoid the relativistic effects of .7c and not .8c. With their arrival in mere moments he wanted to be prepared for any eventuality.

Captain Rodgers sighed. "Cadet, when you're brushing the atmosphere of a planet, a 0.1 difference in light speed value can mean the difference between life and death if your navigational vectors are not spot on and you need nerves of steel to hold the correct approach attitude and calculate all the required variables. A little more respect for lightspeed please if you don't mind. Don't let all the modern technology lull you into a false sense of security. She can be an unforgiving mistress."

A broad smile grew on his face, a truly alien looking smile that was beautifully disturbing, "That's one thing that I'm well aware of, Captain." His thoughts returned to the flyer that he had built with his mother and used to escape from the surface of his homeworld. The feelings of horror and dread that he felt as he watched his mother be killed for constructing the flyer in the first place. The compounded feelings of dread when the craft started to break apart. If not for the Excelsior, he wouldn't be here today.

His thoughts had remained on his melancholy a bit longer than he'd anticipated. The runabout's navigational reference beeped rapidly as he approached the navigation point that he'd preprogrammed, "Dropping out of warp."

Titan now came into view with The immense planet of Saturn in the background. Captain Rodgers made a few more notes on his PADD. "Very good Cadet. You may commence your turn."

Tridi didn't have to be told twice, but he was a little surprised that Captain Rodgers didn't have any comments about their earlier than anticipated arrival. He'd file that away, personally, for later as he initiated the navigational protocols. Taking the impulse engines to flank speed, the runabout immediately responded as he'd hoped. Typing on the keyboard, the Cadet input the specialized navigational points that he'd preprogrammed prior to their departure, bringing the runabout up to faster speeds than were meant to be broached on this manoeuvre. Typing quickly, he adjusted the engine manifolds as they approached the upper atmosphere to allow for an additional speed burst to occur.

Sliding his fingers over the controls, the runabout grazed the atmosphere, "Any words of wisdom as we finish this part?"

“You have to trust yourself and your own judgment.” Rodger’s replied keeping a practiced eye on the readouts. “I’ve always found flying to be more art than science. Listen to your ship. How it’s responding. You have to find that balance between not rushing and making mistakes yet not falling behind and losing control. It’s a fine line between confidence and recklessness but never hesitate.”

"Ever known a pilot to hesitate?" It was more a rhetorical question than a genuine one. The Cadet's furry fingers slid over the thruster controls as the flight vectors loaded. He knew that the maneuver involved accelerating directly towards Titan, and brushing against the atmosphere only to turn the ship away from Titan soon after to whip around the moon. "Atmosphere in five seconds," he announced as she runabout descended toward the moon. He watched the chronometers and sensor inputs closely, waiting for the optimal moment to initiate his turn. Pressing the control he closed his eyes and felt the ship start to turn.

"Unfortunately, yes. Some Cadets who started the pilot program washed out after the 1st training flight. Others ended up re writing the rule book. We get all sorts of applications. Keep an eye on your vector." he added casually.

The vibrations of the craft increased slightly as their speed did, the surface of Titan whipping past them in a blur. Suddenly they were looking at empty space again and the vibrations reduced back to normal levels.

Captain Rodgers made a final comment on his PADD. "A satisfactory turn Cadet. Overall, very good. You'll be pleased to know you've passed. Please lay in a course back to the Luna base.

The Jyracan Cadet nodded, "Laying in navigation point one." Typing on the control keyboard, Tridi brought up the propulsion settings and initiated a low Warp jump to return to the outpost. "So, I have to ask, why didn't you comment on our earlier arrival? I thought that might have gotten some attention."

Rodgers thought for a moment. "Cadet, you performed.... adequately and I made a note of your manoeuvres accordingly. If you want to impress, now that comes in the form of either precision or astonishment. If you think you're the first cadet to think of that little manoeuvre near Saturn then I'm afraid I'm going to have to disappoint you. It was creative and well executed but hardly original. If you put us into orbit around Titan at the exact altitude and coordinates to begin the turn without pause, now that would have been impressive. True flair and originality is something that comes from within.
As I said earlier I've always thought of flying as more an art than science. Take that Cadet I was talking about earlier. The things she could get a shuttlecraft to do... It was like they were dancing. Pilot and craft in perfect synch. You might learn a thing or two from her. Don't be disheartened Cadet. You performed well but.... there's room for improvement."

"I understand, Sir," the Cadet answered as he adjusted the course. "I had merely thought our earlier arrival would have met that criteria. No matter though," he identified as he checked the flight readout. "We will arrive back at Luna in seven point two minutes."

OFF:

Captain Steve Rodgers
Academy Trainer
npc Jones

Cadet Tridi
Flight Control Trainee