Just Pilot Things, Part 1

Posted on Tue Mar 4th, 2025 @ 8:55am by Teevs Dosivi & Captain Addison 'Rico' Leyton

Mission: Season 6 - 5.5 - Day to Day
Location: Space
Timeline: After S6 E5
2852 words - 5.7 OF Standard Post Measure

Teevs was in and out of the Spheia with a datapad in hand as he did his pre-flight inspections. He finally got approval to test the repairs he had made to the little cargo ship, as long as he brought someone from the Elysium with him. He understood their caution, something about making sure the test wouldn't damage the Elysium in any way, but at least he got to choose who he wanted to join him, and a pilot seemed like the right choice. Immediately, his mind went to Rico, a fellow pilot, and he was pleased when she accepted his invitation. Hopping up on top of the ship, he inspected the repairs made to the port wing, because the last thing he wanted was unstable flight.

Addison walked into the shuttlebay, wearing her black flight suit. She made her way to the cargo ship Spheia as she watched Teevs climb onto the wing. He was an interesting man and she literally jumped at the chance to get to learn more about his ship. She felt honored that he had chosen her to work with out of all the other pilots aboard. She gave a friendly wave as she approached. "Hey Teevs!"

Looking down over the wing, Teevs smiled at Rico and waved. "Hello! I am just doing some pre-flight inspections, if you wish to join me."

"Of course! Where are you at in your inspection?" she asked before climbing onto the wing next to Teevs.

"Making sure the wing was properly repaired." Tilting the datapad in his hand toward her, the screen showed a diagram of the wing in its damaged state, faintly overlying what the wing should look like. To the right of the image was a bunch of text, with a mix of Federation Standard and Lonian, and judging by the Federation Standard, it was a list of the repairs made and where to verify. "When our vessels first met, my ship got damaged by some debris that impacted the impulse engines. The main engine compartment is in the ship itself, but some of the conduits to the impulse node on the wing were severed. It's not worth flying if those conduits aren't intact." Teevs gave a little smile at his own humor before pointing to a piece of hull plating. "Help me detach that plating?"

Addison had looked at the design on the PaDD. It was similar to the Tertiary Impulse design commonly used back home. She nodded at Teevs' request. "Sure," she replied, kneeling down as she searched for the plate release, hoping Teevs' ship had hull plating release clamps. "So, why choose me specifically to help you?"

Typing on the datapad, Teevs sent a signal to the ship to release the section of hull plating before setting the datapad to the side and kneeling. He pointed out the clamps that helped push the plating up, allowing them to grab it. "You're a pilot," he answered simply, signalling to her to lift the plating. It detached from the ship with a series of clicks, and they shimmied it over to the side before carefully setting it down. "I figured if things don't go as planned, someone who can adapt to the, what's the word... nuances, I believe, of a sensitive ship is a copilot worth having."

'Oh, that was neat,' she thought at Teevs unlocking the hull plating with the data pad. She was used to manual releases--Gryphons had no such luxuries. "Ah, gotcha,* she replied to his reasoning though there were many pilots aboard. "So, your ship is sensitive? I thought cargo haulers were as rugged as they come," she replied as she helped Teevs set the plating aside.

For a brief moment, Teevs recalled a similar conversation he had with Saphse when they first purchased the ship. It made him pause for just a second. Was it really that long ago? "Normally, yes, but the previous owner made some modifications to it so it could more easily navigate asteroid fields," he explained, kneeling down next to the exposed innards of the wing. Handing her the datapad, he used one hand for support and leaned in slightly, inspecting the conduits. "Each thrust chamber is controlled independently, which allows for some incredibly fast turns. It's unique and rather impressive for a ship of its size, but it's also highly sensitive, which is why not many ships are built like this. I've usually only seen this kind of design in shuttle racers or in ore mining, something that requires such a level of precision."

"That's a hell of a setup," Addison commented appreciatively. "The Gryphons have Scott Class Four Type E Impulse engines. Those engines work under a similar principle but have a much lower thrust to weight ratio compared to the Spheia. They have a plasma intercooler built in to help with durability during prolonged sublight maneuvers."

"Oh, fascinating." The engineer in him was intrigued by their vessels as much as they were in his, however he understood why it was so difficult for him to learn more. He wasn't in their ranks, so he didn't have the clearance. "In addition, the Spheia's controls aren't quite console-driven. There's a sphere set into the console that is used to steer. The sphere is calibrated to the pilot's hand, so even the slightest twitch is translated into movement. That's fairly common in Lonian vessels." Pausing for a few seconds, Teevs finished his inspection, nodding in approval. "I'm checking these conduits and some of the anchor points," he explained, pointing out what he was looking for. "It looks good to me. Probably even better than when I first got the ship."

"That type of control requires a very steady hand, I'd imagine," she commented as the idea fascinated her. She would love to see it in person. "And I must say, you're a heck of an engineer to have improved your ship on your own," she said as she watched him check each conduit. "Has your daughter ever flown the Spheia?"

"A very steady hand indeed." A smile crept onto Teevs' face at the compliment. As one to pride himself on his independence, it was rewarding to see those efforts pay off. "Thank you, though your engineers also deserve such praise. I wouldn't have thought to use more flessible conduit here." Doing one last inspection, he nodded to himself before gesturing to the hull plating, and the two put it back into place, the plating giving a light click as it settled into the fittings. "Kerilia has flown a couple of times, and she loves it. I wouldn't be surprised if she wanted to be a pilot once she reaches maturity. We've calibrated the ship to her hand, because flying without calibration is challenging and she is still just a child." Giving her a small grin, he added, "you can try it if you're up for the challenge."

"You know the way to a woman's heart," she grinned back. "Or you're a terrible tease," she chuckled. The opportunity to fly something completely new was exciting to her.

The compliment sent a brief flutter through Teevs' chest, and he found himself staring at her for a couple seconds before remembered that he was staring. Looking down, he awkwardly checked the datapad again. "Just need to check the underside of the wing, and then it should be ready to test fly." Moving closer to one of the thrust chambers, he slid down off the wing, crouching into the landing to avoid injury, before looking back up toward the wing in case Rico needed a hand.

Addison paused as she thought about the awkward silence that had hung in the air after her compliment before she followed Teevs' movements as she slid off the wing, dropping to the deck, using her hand to brace herself. Had she imagined the moment? She shrugged it off as she stood. "What are you checking for?"

Being the shorter of the two, Teevs had no problem walking under the wing, but he knew that Rico, like many of the crew he had worked with, would have to duck. "I just need to make sure there's no remaining damage to the warp stabilator plate. If there is, well... we only go to warp once." On the underside of one of the thrust chambers, there was another section of hull that he removed, but this one was smaller, no larger than the datapad he'd been carrying around. "The impulse drive was fine, but the warp drive has been acting up, and one of your engineers discovered that the stabilator was snapped in half." He pulled a light out of his pocket and, sticking it in his teeth, reached in and felt around for the piece of metal, nodding to himself when he felt a single piece of metal instead of multiple fragments. Satisfied, he removed his hand to hold the light, in case she wanted a peek inside. "It was annoying to repair, because this entire thrust chamber had to be dismantled." He then chuckled. "I've rebuilt several things in my life, but never part of a propulsion system. It would have taken me months without your people."

Addison looked up to where Teevs pointed the light, which she had to move close to him in order to get a good look though it was still hard to see. "I'm just glad we could help you and your daughter," she commented before turning from the access panel to Teevs. "And not to mention you've been a tremendous help to us." She knelt down to pick up the panel covering and hand it to Teevs.

The Lonian offered a smile as he accepted the panel covering, pocketing the flashlight to put the cover back into place. After hearing the solid click of reattachment, he looked back at the datapad and tapped on it. "Well, those were all of the checks. Everything looks fine to me, I see no reason to keep it grounded."

"That's great," Addison returned the smile.

After months of repair work, he could finally do a real test of the repairs. He had used the ship during shore leave with Kerilia, Andrinn, and Japha, but it was mostly atmospheric thrusters so it didn't effectively test everything, especially strain on the new metal parts. Excited to not only fly the ship but also give his co-pilot a chance to experience the Spheia, Teevs led the way to the aft part of the ship. The ramp had been lowered, waiting for them, and Teevs strolled in, waiting for Addison to enter before lifting the ramp.

Addison followed after Teevs soon, meeting him on the ramp as they entered the Spheia.

The room they were in was the aft storage bay, containing several crates in neat rows on either side. All of them had labels: some with ELYSIUM across the front, indicating that the massive vessel could search in those for supplies; others had PERSONAL to indicate Teevs' or Kerilia's items; and a couple had TRADE on them as reminders that their contents could be traded.

Teevs led the way to the front of the ship, his smile growing when he passed through that familiar pressure wall that subtly stood guard at the door's threshold. While initially a strange feeling, passing through the ship's idle warp bubble now became a a feeling of comfort for him. It felt like home. The next room was a communal space, with six doors leading to small personal quarters. One door had Kerilia's name next to it, and another had Teevs' name, though it looked like there was room for a second placard underneath. Teevs continued through this space to the last section of the ship, which resembled a layout one might expect in a standard Starfleet shuttle. Workstations lined the left and right walls, and just ahead were two chairs.

Walking up to one of the chairs, he turned it a little to offer it to her. "I'd like to do a few maneuvers to test stability and wing strength first, if that's alright?" Upon closer inspection of the consoles, the only thing sticking out of the otherwise flat touchscreen surface was a small black dome, large enough for a hand to spread across it. Faint wear marks across the sleek surface gave away the years of use. The small screen in the top-middle of the console between the seats showed teal lines outlining the spacious shuttlebay. A couple of indicators suggested that auxiliary power was already on, and it was waiting for a startup procedure.

Addison nodded. "I completely understand,". She took the offered seat as she turned her attention to the controls layout as she waited for Teevs to initiate the start up. She had an idea about a few of the controls but majority of them, she had no clue about.

With a grin, Teevs hurried to his own seat, putting his seat harness on. "The ship has inertial dampeners, but I'd recommend the harness, just in case." He didn't usually wear it, but they were going to stress test the repairs, and the inertial dampeners wouldn't be able to fully compensate on the fast turns. Typing on the console, he watched the text everywhere gain extra glyphs underneath that were hopefully the correct translation in Federation Standard. "I hope those translated correctly. If you press that button --the one with the spiral-shape next to it, yeah-- you can see the flight plan."

"Ah, That helps a lot. Thank you," she smiled as she fastened her harness. She then brought up the flight plan, taking in the headings and waypoints.

A couple days ago, he provided the Elysium with an expected flight path in case something went wrong. It was a simple set of maneuvers near a planet they were passing, then a jump to warp that put them ahead of the Elysium's heading by a dozen light years, then post-warp maneuvers before returning to dock once the Elysium caught up. They'd be within sensor range for most of the time, and Teevs configured the ship to emit a repeating beacon for the few minutes that they would be out of sensor range. It might have been overkill, but he would feel terrible if something happened.

"Well, at least the Elysium will be able to constantly keep track of us," she joked, finishing taking in the flight plan. "Ready to power the engines?"

Teevs nodded, glad she seemed to approve of the plan. "Alright, disembark procedure for a starship..." Tapping on the console, he pulled up a list of steps, the translation algorithm working to provide a copy of the instructions in Federation Standard as well. As he did the Spheia's startup procedure, he contacted the Elysium to verify that he could leave for the test run. Once he got the all-clear and the bay doors opened, Teevs gently put his hand on the black dome, his four fingers spreading out to cover it. There was a subtle tremor at the same time, and the small vessel did a faint wobble as his hand settled into position. "Nice and easy..." he said to himself, using his right hand to manage thruster power by slowly sliding his fingers up a light bar, similar to what one would expect on a transporter console. A hum changed in pitch as the thrusters came to life, and soon enough the vessel was off the ground and through the shuttlebay barrier.

The plunge into the dark abyss of space, peppered only with stars and the nearby system, sent a thrill through Teevs' body, and for a second he almost forgot about the test run. Making space between the two vessels, Teevs eventually turned his ship around to see the Elysium in its entirety. "I forget just how large your vessel is," he breathed, not hiding his awe at the impressive feat of engineering.

Addison smiled at Teevs' reaction. "She's certainly big, I was lucky to be assigned to her," she said as she looked at the Elysium. It was home to so many--an Island of hope in the vast ocean of space. She only hoped they would return home. Yet, would Teevs stay? She had grown to enjoy his company but she was sure he would stay behind. She looked over the systems readout. "All systems are in the green and looks like we can go to warp at your discretion."

"Good," Teevs responded with a nod. "First, some test maneuvers to make sure we will be ok at warp." Between them was an outline of the ship, with indicators in various places, the diagram Addison likely pulled that information from. "A few quick turns, then some turbulence in the planet's upper atmosphere should do it." He was unable to keep the cheeky grin from sliding across his lips as he said, "hold on."

"Let's see what you got,* Addison teased, as she braced herself by placing her hands on the edge of the console.

TBC