Hello, Where did you come from

Posted on Tue Dec 26th, 2023 @ 8:46am by Lieutenant JG Miraj Derani & Captain Gary Taylor
Edited on on Mon Jan 15th, 2024 @ 7:58am

Mission: Season 6: Episode 4: Memory Lane
Location: HAngar bay
Timeline: MD3 - 10h30
2088 words - 4.2 OF Standard Post Measure

Gary walked with Miraj to the shuttle bay, more to the point to where the ship he had found on an away mission to one of the graveyard ships. "There she is Miraj. Isn't she a beauty?" He asked proudly.

"Beautiful, yes." Miraj slid her hands over the front fusilage lovingly. "Not sure they're a girl. Ships aren't always girls. Especially non-terran ones."

She let her fingers trail along the surface as she headed aft. The ship was almost 60 meters long and the flared end widened out to just over 20 meters. The access was at the rear, and she rocked her palm against a certain spot, and a concealed switch moved in and out, and a near seemless door slid out into a ramp, showing Gary the interior he had seen before.

Miraj didnt wait for him, trotting through the lower level of the ship, and to the stairs towzrds the bowsprit that lead to the upper level. She paused with her foot on tthe stair. "Are we aiming for flight? Or just raiding the databanks?"

Gary smiled at her, "We're going for all of it Miraj. Aiming for flight as well as raiding the databanks. Avalon is having a difficult time translating the language."

that was no surprise, considering it was from an entirely different gallaxy. She waved at a room to starboard of the stairs. "Thats the main computer, I think. Its not engines or lifesupport, at least."

Gary nodded to her, "Let's find out." He suggested as he slid into the captain's seat, leaving the pilot chair for Miraj to occupy. He was a very good pilot but Miraj was exceptional, and it didn't hurt his pride to admit that.

She trailed him slowly towards the cockpit, looking all around, soaking it in. "gunnery stations?" she gestured at two places that were in alcoves just before the cock pit? There were reticules engraved on the panels there. "Scanners possibly."

She finally stepped down into the little bridge area.

"Could be." Gary admitted. As he looked at the alcove and the two places inside it. "They aren't associated with flying the ship at least as far as I can make out."

"Well its sized for people, our size at least." Miraj sank into the pilots seat and kicked off her boots. The panel was dark. and there was no sighn of buttons or a flightstick. Only a small oval divot at the top. She reached forward and rested the tips of her two fingers in the divot.

It started as a slow pulse, like a breath, and then all around bridge area, the panels came up, a deep coloured rainbow of sigils and markings that looked nothing like any language she was familiar with. Finally three balls that appeared to be shifting liquid metals, gold and silver and rose, projected over the panel surface, looking as solid as anything on the holodeck. They formed a triangle, the gold at the apek, furtherst away; the rose and silver to her right and left respectively.

Miraj flexed her fingers. The ship was obviusly made for humanoids, so... she put a fingertip on the top of the rose coloured metal ball, and drew it down slowly. The engines purred, and the whole ship strained, as if trying to rise. She ran her finger back to the top, and it settled.

"Well, thats the throttle. SO where have they hidden the parking brake?"

Gary peered at the cockpit layout and then his own instrument panel. "Right here... I think Miraj." As he pointed at a large button apart from the other gauges and buttons on the instrument panel. "Game for me to try it?"

"Hell, yes!"

Gary smiled like a kid in a candy store as he pressed the button and instantly felt the restraint that was holding the ship in place release.

This time when she stroked the rose ball the ship raised very gently. Miraj reached out to the silver ball, resting her palm on top. It felt warm and solid. She gave it a small twist to starboard, and the ship pivoted on its top/bottom vertices. She wrapped her fingers around the ball and gave her wrist more of a twist, slowly again. The ship listed, turning about the fore/aft axis and the port/starboard one again. "Yaw, pitch and roll. Seems to be working."

She let herself feel the sensations of the ship, but everything felt smooth, no hitches or hiccups or grunts. "So why was it left in a junkyard?"

"Because it was in the shuttle bay of the ship that was left in the junkyard." Gary answered.

Miraj made a doubtful noise. "You don't usually junk working jolly boats. You pass them on, or sell them or something. Or strip them for parts." Her dad never junked the working jolly boats on the ships he rescued. "There's a story there. Permission to take it out?"

"I don't disagree Miraj but I don't know if we'll ever an answer. Maybe they had to evac the ship in a hurry, and they couldn't take this little beauty." Gary answered. He then smiled brightly at her. "I was hoping you would ask that. Permission is given. Let's see what she's got."

Miraj quickly signaled traffic control to open the bay doors as best they could. "You realise, if there's no functioning FTL on this thing, its going to be really embarrassing to have Ely turnaround and come get us."

We aren't going to know what this ship can do sitting here in the shuttle bay." Gary pointed out. We need a test flight. So, let's stop talking and give this beauty a proper test. See what it is capable of."

Miraj let her eyes roam over the strange symbols at the helm. She pushed on the rose ball, but nothing happened. Eternal inertial dampeners were off because they could move, but they were still inside the cargo bay. So the gravity anchor was still in place. Where would she put it? The symbols offered no help. On instinct she squeezed at the silver ball.

There was a sudden and definite change in the in the vibrations running through the ship, and suddenly, Elysium flashed away, and they were left hanging in space, the huge ship a pale blue streak retreating into nothing in less than a blink, even at full impulse.

And with the Elysium gone, the helm control began to flash, a bright, urgent blue.

"Um. this isn't good." Gary remarked as the Elysium streaked past them and was gone. Leaving Miraj and himself in an alien ship that was just floating in space. They were operating the ship on a trial-and-error basis. Which needed to be corrected post haste.

Miraj looked at the flashing. "I think its picking up the border with that Slaver race." On the helm was a ribbon of dark blue, a lighter blue shading the area behind it. A small yellow dot was uncomfortably close to it. Maybe a light month. "i realy wish we could get this place translated."

Gary looked at the flashing. "That would make everything much easier but let's see if we can reason this out. Could the yellow dot be us? The blue being the border to the Slaver's region of space. "He looked over to Miraj to get her opinion.

"The dot's definitely us. What I don't know if the blue means Bad guuys! Run away! or get back over here before the redcoats spot you." Miraj's wrist twitched and they turned so they were running along parallel to the blue line. "Not sure which one I'm hoping for to be honest."

"That's easy Miraj. I'm going with bad guys run away. Let's not tempt fate needlessly. Especially as we are still learning the ship. " Gary answered as he was trying to decipher the controls of the ship even as Miraj had them moving on a parallel course to the border.

"Being the badguys would be way more useful," Miraj said wistfully as they chugged slowly along at what Miraj reckoned had to be about two-thirds impulse. She was getting the feel of the Rose coloured ball, but the gold one was calling to her. "Want to try what is possibly FTL?"

"Maybe." Gary answered diplomatically until his eyes were drawn to the gold colored ball on Miraj's console. "I was hoping you'd get around to that. You had five more minutes then I was going to reach over there and try my luck."

Miraj grinned, and reached for the gold ball. She gave it a moments though, considering, and then pulled it towards her.

And the ship accelerated fast. Marks on the dashboard umped around, and Miraj hoped that they indicated speed and not, for instance, moments till warp core detonation. But the ship under felt well, the slight buzz emanating through her chair was effervescent rather than hiccuping, the controls responsive and light, not sluggish and stubborn.

"Did you bring a tricorder? Do you know how fast we're going." She'd put it at some where around warp 6, based on the length of the streaking stars.

"Did I bring a tricorder?" Gary repeated. "In response to your question, Yes, I did. I was studying the different controls as well as trying to translate the language." He handed her the tricorder. "Here you go. Miraj."

She shook her head. "I've got to keep my hands on the balls." I don't want to stop just yet. Just tell me how far we're going and if there's any hint of anything coming our way?"

Gary resisted making a smart-ass comment and settled for answering Miraj's question. "Second thing first. Nothing coming toward us, area is clear. as to how fast we're going. Can't tell you in kilometers but another 45 seconds should be enough."

"Okay." And on instinct, Miraj twisted the rose coloured ball as hard and fast as she could. The ship lurched and they shot forward, filling the view screen with the long lines of the pale stars. She counted a rough minute, and then twisted the rose coloured ball again, powering back down, before twisting the silver ball once more.

She broke into a grin when the whole ship flipped around its central point, no banking like the federation ships wanted to do. The inertial dampening on this was awesome. She was going to have to get engineering to tear it down and learn its secrets.

"Wow!" Gary exclaimed as Miraj powered the ship down. he was silent for a moment before he finally said. "That was awesome! Definitely faster than our shuttles but not as quiet." He observed. "Don't you agree Miraj?" He continued, "Controls are very responsive as well."

"She's tricksy." Miraj agreed. "Saucy little minx." a stroke of fingers, a twist of the wrist, and they were barrel-rolling back the way they came, the galaxy spinning whilst they felt still. Oh the inertial dampeners on this thing. Better even than Queen Anne's. She was going to fall in love. "I wish I knew your name."

Gary sat and enjoyed the ride. It was like being on your favorite roller coaster. Nothing else was quite like it. He knew they were flying faster than the Federation shuttles but it felt like they were standing still, He was also taking notes as Miraj piloted the ship, in case he needed to fly it. "I think you do know her name Miraj." Gary told her. "It's Saucy Little Minx."

"I suppose it fits until we know what she's really called." Miraj sighed. "or Minx for short. Okay." She gave Gary a sly look. "So, do you know which way Elysium is?"

Gary grinned at her, "Just go back on the same course we came Miraj. Its right where we left her. She hasn't moved."

"Maybe not. But Galactic rotation plus time equals relative moment with regards to all the points you could navigate by." The distances were still microscopic by space standards, and she knew she could back on just time and pitch alone, but not for much longer.

"Miraj head us back the way we came. I figured out the sensors... at least somewhat. The Elysium is still in its position from when we left her." Gary answered.

Miraj sighed. No getting lost in space today. Exploring would have to wait. She twisted her wrist around the silver ball, and with a light pull on the golden one, the Saucy Little Minx turned, and leapt back towards home.