Taking Wing

Posted on Thu Dec 10th, 2020 @ 4:31pm by Commodore Keiben Haistro & Lieutenant Commander Melanie D’BrooNi- Haistro

2,184 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Episode 2 - Echoes Of An Empire
Location: Deck 2 - Holodeck 2
Timeline: Mission Day 2 @ 1030 Hours

The holodeck doors loomed before Keiben, he had taken to waiting at a table in what the crew had come to know as The Café. Sometime had passed and Mel still had not reappeared from the holodeck, she had ignored the chime, or possibly had not heard it given the fact he suspected she was in a shuttle piloting simulation. He had taken the time to cast his eye around this new addition to the ship and it was perfectly placed. A small alcove with a rear facing window that was too small for another suit of quarters but to big for a storage room of some sort. Turning it into a small food area near the two holodecks was a genius idea.

He drained the now cold tea in one swift motion and placed it back in the replicator for recycling before moving over to the holodeck doors.
"Computer open holodeck doors, authorisation Haistro Echo zero zero seven".

The doors parted with the heavy mechanical hiss and the inside of the holodeck was indeed a shuttle simulation. He had managed to enter unheard by the looks of it so he decided to observe Mel's technique and see if he could offer any suggestions once she had attempted this landing.

The safeties were of course on so despite a slightly startling view of ground coming closer and closer, nothing happened once the nose of the shuttle touched it. Nothing got hurt or even shaken. Only Mel’s pride.

“You supposed to put it down over yonder not smash it you great wazzock ….”

Every time this occurred all her host personas were flashing the same memory up. Ian teaching her to fly on their honeymoon. That had been a simulator too.

“You know I did get better, I’m just a little dusty. And stop flashing up Ian,” she said out loud.

There was now laughter. Lots of it. Dancing around her head.

“I will have you know I can deliver Gorn octuplets, have removed Phrogian stink sacs with my bare hands in an emergency situation, which is no mean feat to get off you and stopped the plague in Horzlet VII,” she said frustrated. “I can fly a shuttle.”

“But why are you so bothered? You can take a flight person he said or you can put it on autopilot,” It was Jarods voice now. One of the quieter ones. The sweetest of her hosts.

“I don’t know,” the trill muttered. “But I am going to land this thing. Computer reset simulation,”

The shuttle reset around Mel and the still unobserved Keiben. He debated allowing another attempt to happen before he stepped in but he knew that would only frustrate the Doctor even more.

"Room for a co-pilot?" he asked as he moved forward, hands up in a placating manner. "I come in peace so please don't phaser me down. I'm not sure how I would explain that to the Admiral!"

Mel jumped. Actually, she nearly fell off the chair.

“Oh, by the pools of the ancient ones … where did you come from?”

“How much did you see?” she added suddenly flushing a deep red colour.

"I rang the chime about half an hour ago... twice. I then went and sat in the Café while I waited for you... Since you didn't emerge I decided to come in and check on you... I've seen you land the shuttle just this once".

He slipped down into the seat next to hers, his hands still up in the 'I Surrender' pose but sporting something of a playful grin. "Need a hand?"

Mel looked at the doors. She hadn't heard the chimes. He had been sat out there half an hour. She felt bad.

"Well clearly I do as we both know I didn't land the shuttle," she honestly. "I have crashed it 6 times now. I used to be able to fly these things."

"You or one of the other you's?" Keiben asked wondering if he needed to remind her that each host was a new set of variables. Mel could simply not have the knack for flying no matter what skill the previous hosts brought to the party. But then something hit him, what if Mel had been able to pilot, could he have just insulted her without even realising.

"I mean no disrespect... You know I still can't remember what each of your previous hosts was or did or is... The pronouns still confuse me as well!"

"Me," she put her hand to her heart. "I could fly. Two of the others could. One well he was pretty much your typical fly boy," she smiled. "I don't want to call on his experience." He was teasing her, she decided.

"Does it wigg you out seeing me have conversations with them in my head?" she asked. "They just have names. Personalities still there, not fully a consciousness but close all compiled by D'BrooNi ... but I'm dominant. They advise. They tease sometimes .... alot of the time actually.

Leiko thinks you have nice arms by the way. Altur thinks you need a shave.

When did this start anyway?" she indicated the facial hair. Not quite a beard. What was the term ... D'BrooNi provided. "Designer stubble."

"It doesn't wigg me out" emphasising the one word he thought meant hair piece. He assumed it was some human expression she had picked up over the years. "Don't forget I can literally have a conversation with someone in my own head... I'd be in no position to make a comment".

His smile warmed, moving away from the playful one as he reflexively brought his hand up to rub his stubble. He quite liked it and had been so busy since the attack that he simply had not had time to shave. Instead he had started keeping it trimmed and well groomed. "As for this, well I'm thinking about growing a beard... I just got used to it in the last few weeks!"

There was a little more laughter in her head. Followed by a quick tally. "4 of them think that's a good idea, 3 don't," she giggled. Leiko wanted to run her hand over his chin but Mel didn't move. After his reaction in sickbay the other day that was probably not wise even if it was tempting.

"Okay ......" she shut down the host talk. Mentally realising that he had got more out of her then than she had actually ever shared with him. She rarely shared any of his hosts information.

"What am I doing wrong?" she asked. "Co pilot."

"Short answer, you keep crashing. Long answer, lets see you in action and I can guide you down as best I can, I will point out that I'm no piloting genius though. You'd want to speak to our resident Cardassian for that!"

He got himself comfortable, having sensed something from Mel in one of the few moments that she could be sensed through the gaggle of the other hosts. He let it go though as it was a passing thought.

"I'll talk you down... " he waved his hand before him as he sat back to see how she handled the controls.

“Okay,” Mel said suddenly feeling nervous. “Breaking standard orbit, all heat, pressure calibrations are normal. I’m going to aim for that land mass just there,” she said with a wry smile. It was pretty big. She couldn’t miss that.

"Could we avoid the term 'AIM... It implies certain death!" he shifted uncomftably in his seat having to remind himself it was only a simulation.

“Is he buckled in?” asked Kaal suddenly.

“Shut up flyboy,” Mel said with a small grin. “He wants me to take you on a joy ride,” she admitted to Keiben. “Not today I’m afraid. I'm not recreating the academy run. We have no tequila anyway …..”

"I'm glad" he was already gripping the seat unable to miss the rate at which she was accelerating.

“Calibrating flight path,” she said her fingers flying over the computer controls, the model path appearing on the monitor in front. Putting my foot on the gas so to speak and keeping that dot right in that circle there,” she told him.

"How about we angle the nose up as you hit the atmosphere and allow the drag to slow us down somewhat?" He suggested, not sure if he had gone a touch white.

“You look frightened Keiben. Am I really that fast?” she asked. “And scary?”

Keiben nodded, the blood draining from his face turning him the same colour as a freshly pressed white linen sheet.

She pulled up the nose trying to be gentle. “So its speed perception where I’m going wrong?” she mused.

The friction between the high speed shuttle and the simulated atmosphere began its reaction, the lick of flame pluming from the shuttles underbelly and immediately Keiben could feel the shuttle being slowed.

"Standby with the RCS Thrusters to level us out once we pass into thermosphere layer of the planets atmosphere" he directed, letting go of the seat and the rush of blood back into his knuckles flushing his skin back to the usual flesh colour.

“Standing by,” Mel said casting a glance at him in concern. She had no idea she was apparently a speed freak. She didn’t remember ever flying fast. To be fair Ian had usually flown if they ever had a situation requiring a shuttle. Maybe Kaal was impacting on her a little she mused.

But the idea that she was causing him to be terrified wasn’t sitting well with her.

Unfortunately, that was the wrong thing to do as casting her eyes on Keiben meant her attention was suddenly off another dial or was it dials? and some of the atmospheric conditions no longer as calibrated for meant that the shuttle started spinning in mid-air.

Mel not having buckled her seatbelt lurched forward and then violently to the side flying off her seat and landing ceremoniously half over the knees of her Captain despite the safeties being in place.

The ship then plummeted into a nose drive the speed creeping up again.

"Computer, freeze program!" Keiben called out over the din of the screeching hull plating, the searing flame licking at the hull and windows and the rush of the air and wind as it whipped around the careening shuttle and then suddenly nothing, the pull of gravity ceased and the instance it did cease he was on his feet helping Mel back to hers.

"Are you ok?"

Mel shut her eyes feeling the Keiben pull her back to her feet. She needed quiet.

Every single one of her hosts complied shying back into the pit of her mind. If he was sensing her now, he would cut through and completely find just her.

She found herself just pulling herself into him, arms snaking round his stomach, her head burying into his chest as she weighed things up. What could she say? I couldn’t save everyone and now I can’t even fly a shuttle?

That she was supposed to be the source of strength to everyone, yet she was failing there too. Even her own daughter.

That everything had changed, and nothing seems to make sense like before? Even him. He had always been in a friend box. Neatly tied up and now there was wrapping falling around to something possibly beyond on her part ..

She pulled back, surprised to see damp spots on his top where there had been some tears.

She wiped her eyes and straightened up. Every part of her screaming to just run away. That it was too grey and confusing right now. “I wasted your time. I’m sorry. I will just take the flight person with me. Thank you ….”

"Mel, wait", he could sense her crystal clear for the first time in all the time he had known her, he could feel her desire and how she was fighting that down, she could feel her fears about how she felt she had let everyone down, all of it came tumbling at him in one go. He caught her arm as she tried to escape and stopped her from going. "You didn't let anyone down, not the crew, not me, not your daughter and certainly not yourself... Non of us could have been ready for what happened!"

He pulled her back to him, wrapping his arms around her as two friends would when one was hurting. He knew his words would make next to no impact on her but he had to have voiced them or he would have been negligent as her commanding officer but more importantly as her friend.
"I know we don't have a Counsellor on board but please find someone you can talk too... I am always here for you, Tam as well".

"I don't want to talk," Mel said simply. Instead she pulled him towards her and kissed him surprising herself at a sudden boldness. And none of it was coming from hosts nudging her.

END

 

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