Pilot Acclimation

Posted on Mon Feb 17th, 2020 @ 9:32am by

Mission: MISSION 0 - History Speaks
Location: Shuttlebay
1522 words - 3 OF Standard Post Measure

Jessica waited for a group of Starfleet Officers and cadets to gather for their Shuttlecraft Certifications. Amount them was eight flight cadets, fresh from the academy. She waited, sitting on a crate, for all of them to show up.

"Alright, shut your mouths and listen up. My name is Lieutenant Commander Jessica Vaii. I'm the one signing the PADD that certifies you to fly any of this ship's shuttlecraft. Normally I train fighter pilots, my CO told me to train you gold-shirts, red-shirts; goddesses help you, and you egg-head teal shirts that go on and on about some fascinating fungus you've found planetside goddesses knows where. For the love of the holy rings, do not bring it back onboard this ship's shuttlecraft. I won't be signing off on you if I'm under the mind control of some goddesses-awful parasite one of you brought back." The group chuckled.

Ludmilla laughed, too, there was just something alluring about watching her doing her thing. Though, she was going to be pissed if someone got her girlfriend possessed by some magic mushroom, ~This is she still really just my girlfriend? Or has it progressed to something more?~

"Now, you know who you are." Jessica mentioned. "Time for you to learn who I am. There's people out there who say I'm one of the finest pilot in the Federation. I don't give a damn what they think. I train pilots my way." She noted. "Normally, I'm going to run you guys through a checklist and make sure you can plot a course. I'll do that, and you can be on your way. I wouldn't want to distract the science personnel from their precious experiments. But if you want to learn how to fly a shuttlecraft through a type five plasma storm. I really suggest you hang out after the teal-shirts and gold-shirts decide they cannot hack it and go back to their experiments. Because if you can put up with me, you'll learn much from me."

~That is so hot, I'm totally throwing her down when we get home.~ Milla thought, unconsciously licking her lips, though she planned on being one of the gold shirts still there to fly through the plasma storm.

"Alright, Listen carefully." Jess noted. "When you fly and space, you're not flying. You're actually falling. Our ships don't fly, we fall. We fall around sources of gravity." Jess noted. "Orbits and trajectories are just controlled falling therefore we just fall with style, just like ol Buzz Lightyear said. He's a real smart toy astronaut, and I'd give him a fighter if he asked for it. Don't know about you guys yet." More chuckles were heard.

~She's getting even cuter.~ Milla smiled as Jessica continued her training lecture. As wrapped up as she was in her lover's charms, she was still paying close attention, not about to lose her life by thinking about a woman she had waiting at home for her.

Jess gave a controlled smirk at Milla. "So if you can learn how to get there with just a simple low powered thrust. You're already half-way to wherever we're going. If you thrust forward, you're changing your pro-grade velocity. But if you do a one-eighty. You're changing your retrograde velocity. Most trainees don't get orbital mechanics, so the first time they're in a shuttle, they plot a course that degrades their orbital velocity and sends them into the atmo." Jess noted. "Remember that when you pilot manually. Just because you point towards a planet, dose not mean you're going there."

Still saying nothing, Milla paid close attention to Jessica's instructions, she really was there to learn to fly and learn well.

"Alright people, now we move onto the certifications." Jess walked towards six Type 7 Shuttlecraft lined up. "Now these shuttlecraft have been configured for the certifications. You're going to be teamed up with two per shuttle, we're going to go through basic shuttle maneuvers and some of the advanced stuff. Now somewhere out there is a Simulated Cardassian Hideki Patrol Vessel. One of you is going to have an unexpected visitor to deal with, and all of you are going to have to come to that shuttle's aid." Jess noted. "Once all of you finish the basic maneuvers course, I'll send the Hideki out to thresh. This is to teach you that things can and will go to hell at a moment's notice." Jessica grabbed her flight helmet and turned towards her Valkyrie. "Board your assigned shuttles."

Milla looked at the board, finding her assigned shuttle and getting to it double fast; she'd decided earlier that she was not going to let their be any impressions that she was getting any special treatment or didn't have to work as hard as the others.

Jess climbed into her Valkyrie and began to power up. "Alright, power up your shuttles, and follow me out of the bay, maintain a one hundred meter distance as we launch." Jess mentioned. "And use the launch autopilot. You don't want to hear the story of the cadet that launched from the USS Franklin at full impulse and sheared off a warp pylon."

Milla began to power up her shuttle, going over the checklist she'd already been reading up on, knowing this test was coming. She turned to her co-pilot and nodded to him, "Ready to engage the launch autopilot?"

"Sure." The little blonde across the way nodded nervously; she didn't know why she was here, she was a counseling cadet!

"Okay, launching in three... two... one!" Milla counted down, breaking into a broad grin as she realized they were now spaceborne, ~This is awesome, I know now why Jess loves it so much.~

"I heard a nervous voice somewhere." Jessica noted. She then checked the coms logs. "Junior Cadet Marianna Neils. Are you afraid?"

"No, Commander Vaii." Marianna lied, she was terrified, but wasn't about to tell that woman she was, being far more intimidated by the instructor than the flight itself.

"That's good, but the only thing we need fear is fear itself. It is good to know fear. Fear keeps you alive. But I can say this. Right next to you is another cadet. Her life is in your hands, and vice verse. It will be this way throughout your career, I suggest you get used to it. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am." Marianna replied, turning to face the other girl, Milla something or other, they'd never met before, "I'll try to keep her alive."

The training was routine, Jess took the trainees through all the basic flight maneuvers. At some point she decided to activate the program while several of the shuttle students were almost done with their basic flight training.

The simulated Hideki suddenly appeared on their sensors and made a beeline for the closest shuttle near Mila's location. Now was time for the real training.

"And here it comes." Milla said, "Okay, get ready for evasive maneuvers, I'll get weapons online."

"Cadet Brett, fighting this thing is only one part of the battle. Did you signal for help, or are you going to die alone." Jessica advised.

Reaching over to the console she turned on the emergency beacon, "Beacon activated." She informed, glad that Jessica wasn't taking it easy on her, ~Hope this goes well.~

"Excellent tactical move, Cadet." The Hideki began opening fire on one of the trainee's shuttles. Mila's was the closest at hand.

"Okay, Marianna, slip us to starboard." Milla said, watching the blasts of the Hideki's disruptors fly harmlessly by, "Now back to port!" As Marianna moved them in the direction that she would call 'right' Milla opened fire on the Hideki with forward phasers, "Now, drop ninety degrees and take us to maximum impulse!"

"Are you sure about that?" Marianna asked, it seemed so dangerous...

"Totally." Milla said, full of confidence, as she loaded a micro-torpedo into the forward battery, setting it for a timed explosion.

As Marianna slipped them to starboard, Milla fired, sending the micro-torpedo at the Hideki, "Come on, baby, hit it hard..."

Other shuttles bore onto the Hideki and it broke off the attack. Jumping into warp. There could have been some casualties from this ambush. But all together, lives were saved. "Congratulations, you all passed." Jess noted. "Unless anyone's willing to go after the Hideki. Then you've all failed. So what is there to learn from this?"

"That we need live pilots instead of dead heroes, Commander?" Milla offered, hoping it was the right answer.

Jess nodded. "You're smart, Cadet. Don't let that go to your head. You've all passed because you're alive. Starfleet needs Starfleet Officers. Dead heroes aren't useful to anyone. Get used to living the hard life, cuz you're in this woman's starfleet for good. Now, show me a good landing. I want those shuttlepods lined up in the main bay... right to the line." She smiled. One more lesson to teach the team about teamwork. They'd all have to coordinate their landings to give Jess what she wanted."

"Right." Milla nodded, knowing Jessica wanted to see a perfect run of landings now, "Everybody on my mark, let's go home."