Open Skies

Posted on Wed Jun 24th, 2020 @ 3:44am by Ignatius & Raven Mattel & Terrekal
Edited on on Fri Jul 10th, 2020 @ 5:59pm

Mission: The Evils Within

A Mission Post by Ignatius & Raven Mattel & Terrekal
Mission: The Evils Within
Location: Deck 15 - Shuttle Bay
Timeline:

ON:
[During "On a Wing and a Prayer"]

Raven Mattel and Ignatius were struggling to run down the corridor carrying their hastily packed luggage, as the crew around them were preparing for the Pandora's landing onto Hesiod Green. The ship had gone into the ultra-rare Blue Alert, which had added an air of excitement and urgency to their preparations. The two civilians were sprinting as fast as they could while trying to avoid crashing into any officers, made difficult as the crew were also moving at a frantic pace. The luggage they carried was clearly just a jumble of thrown-together items; Raven bringing an extra suitcase full of wigs and make-up, while ignatius had a small bag just for sunglasses.

"Is that all he told you?" Raven complained; her make-up slightly smeared and wig astray. "An off-world mission for an undetermined amount of time?"

Ignatius sighed while slightly out of breath, "Yes. The Captain wants us to set up a base camp on Hesiod Blue and look after Lieutenant Boucher's fighter pilots as they patrol the region. We'll provide meals, clean up, manage supplies, maintain morale. Lieutenant Boucher will be in charge, though."

"But he doesn't know for how long?" Raven asked, as she stepped aside to let a red-shirt run past.

"No." Ignatius said firmly.

"Days?" Raven persisted. "Weeks?! .... MONTHS?!"

"Unlikely to be months, Raven." Ignatius replied testily. "But we are going out with a shuttle of supplies to set up camp, including a solar-powered replicator, tents, and enough equipment to last the duration. We will be fine."

"But why us?" Raven groaned as the two reached the Shuttle Bay and entered. "Shouldn't an officer be doing this?"

"In case you haven't noticed, they're all a little busy." Ignatius said, nodding to the array of people zooming about the area. The Valkyrie fighters were launching from their specialised hangers, which was an impressive display of star-fighter speed and efficiency - for anyone else but Ignatius and Raven, who viewed the operation with quiet disinterest. They continued on towards their shuttle being prepared by the docking crew.

"Then let's ask Terrekal to come along!" Raven said as the noise from the fighters died down. "He'll be great company."

The question surprised Ignatius; though he had heard of the Fesarian trader who had joined their motley crew from Paradise Outpost, the clothier hadn't met him as yet. He was incredulous that Raven had become acquainted with the man, and enough so that she'd want to invite him to join them on Hesiod Blue. Terrekal had arrived during a time of deep suspicion and paranoia onboard the Pandora and there remained an abject distrust of anything related to the Outpost amongst the crew. Ignatius wasn't one to judge others by their origins, but he was also very careful about those he associated with.

"I don't think he's got clearance to join a mission." Ignatius frowned. The two stopped in front of the shuttle and put down their belongings, the crew continued their work without pause. Supplies were being hastily added to the vessel while an Ops officer was calling out for the equipment as required.

"So?" Raven smirked, giving a shrug. "As you said, look around. Everyone's too busy; they won't even notice! And it's not like Little Caesar's will be operating much during the mission, so we'll be putting Terrekal to good use. If we can be asked to contribute to ship operations, so can he. The Captain will admire our forward-thinking and resourcefulness."

"I really don't think so - " The clothier started but was quickly interrupted.

"You and I are supposed to run this camp, right?" Raven continued, her mind clearly made up and her arguments only just building. "And I assume the fighter patrols will be constantly running, 24 hours a day? That's day and night. Two people providing 24 hour service means 12 hour shifts... Each! Now I'm happy to help the Captain when they're desperate, but that's just insane!" She shrugged, convinced, "With a third person, we can have a rotating roster of 8 hour shifts and spread the work-load out. We'll all get enough sleep, enough rest, and the camp will be constantly covered."

"Raven..." Ignatius started to sigh. "It's still risky to ask someone we don't really know."

"He can't go anywhere!" Raven immediately replied, "He'll be stuck planet-side with us, in the arse-end of the Inconnu Expanse, surrounded by Starfighter pilots. Where's the risk?"

Ignatius didn't have an answer for this, he merely pretended to be more interested in watching the crew work. Raven had made a valid point and while Ignatius did want to help his old friend and Captain, the logic of having three people manning the camp made far better sense. He had hoped this would only be a short assignment, but the sight of the equipment being loaded into the shuttle was a sign that their stay on Hesiod Blue may be quite extensive. Having another person to help out would ensure the fighters were completely taken care of at all times.

Feeling she was close to victory, Raven leaned over and in a patronising tone added, "And to be honest, Ignatius. I've heard all of your stories. And your jokes. The time you dressed Madam Somebody for Some Big Event. When you dined with Ambassador Who Cares of Frack Knows Where. I want to talk to someone new. You and I have been rolling around this ship together for a long time, just you and I, we're due for a little change from the usual."

Ignatius clutched at his chest with faux shock and mock indignation, "Are you breaking up with me?"

Raven let out a loud laugh, "On the contrary. I'm trying to stop us from becoming.... boring."

"The horror!" Ignatius gasped, before giving a slight smile. "Very well. Invite him along, but he needs to hurry! We'll be launching soon."

"On it!" Raven replied as she retrieved a PADD from inside her mess of wigs and started typing out a message.

In his quarters, away from all the hubbub and craziness, Terrekal continued reading a funny Earth novel he'd found in the ship's computer called "Breakfast of Champions." The title had caught his eye and he couldn't help but be curious. He'd been interested in Earth culture since his friend and occasional lover, Lt. Mindo, had told him about some of it. Terrekal was enjoying the book a lot. It seemed to be written for people who knew nothing about Earth, and even had illustrations for some things he may otherwise have never heard of, including certain dirty Earth slang terms.

Then a small notification showed up on top of the screen. A new message from Raven! Terrekal immediately tapped the notification and brought up the message. Raven's note included the equivalent of a request, though from Raven it looked more like an order, to join her and the tailor in the Cargo Bay for some urgent assignment and to pack a bag. Excited, Terrekal grabbed a change of clothes and some various items, many of them bottled liquid, and stuffed them into a bag and headed out the door.

After spending the next five minutes making his way to the nearest turbolift while trying not to be trampled, Terrekal arrived in the cargo bay with an excited expression on his face. He began looking around the crowded bay, trying to find some lavish wig sticking above the rabble.

Terrekal found Raven standing by a shuttle alongside the flamboyant tailor. Terrekal had met Ignatius a couple times, but had gotten a rather frosty response from the man. Ever since Terrekal had joined the USS Pandora he'd found quite a few people unwilling to interact with him. That was, until some lowly crewman made a snide remark about him in front of several other customers of Little Caesar's. Raven had stepped forward and, to understate the situation, gave the man a few "choice words." After that, people seemed to warm up to him. Raven was very popular and respected among the arcade's many customers. Terrekal found her to be very loyal to her friends, and he considered it an honor to be one of them. Terrekal had been on board for less than a month, and getting used to traveling with so many unknown faces had been difficult.

"Hello Raven, Ignatius," he said. The bag he held was nearly twice his size, but he seemed to be handling it OK. "I read your message, Raven, but I don't really understand exactly what it is we're doing."

"Greetings, Mr. Terrekal," Ignatius said with a dip of his head.

"Honey!" Raven beamed as she turned to see their guest. "I'm so glad you made it!"

"Only just." One of the Deck officers commented as she approached, "Is this your luggage, sir?"

"Yes it is," said Terrekal. "But wait a minute..." He reached into his bag and pulled out two leg braces, the same kind Mindo wore on duty. "Your Mr. Mindo gave me these." He attached the apparatus to his legs and activated them, hovering up to Raven's height. "Here you go," he said, handing the officer his bag.

Without saying any more, the officer took hold of Terrekal's bag and ran with it into the storage compartment of the shuttle. "You're launching in two minutes, Base Team. Best get inside or this bird's flying without you!" She shouted before turning back to close up the remaining open hatches. The rest of the crew started to vacate the area in anticipation of the launch.

"Customer service in the Fleet has really gone down hill." Ignatius commented before dropping his sunglasses off his head and over his eyes, as he strutted onto the shuttle.

Raven moved to put her arm through Terrekal's, "We're going on an adventure." She explained as they boarded. "Tropical planet on a completely deserted island with nothing but sun, sand, and fly-boys to look at. It'll be a hoot!"

"Sun, sand, and eye candy?!" Terrekal said with raised eyebrows. "Count me in!"

Raven let out a strong laugh, "My goodness I do admire you Fesarians."

Once the group were inside the shuttle, Ignatius sat down in the pilot's chair. Not quite knowing what to do, Raven took one of the passenger chairs, away from all the consoles and important looking buttons. She leaned back into it and crossed her legs, taking a moment to fix the hair and make-up she had hurriedly put on in her quarters before rushing here.

Being a pilot himself, Terrekal hopped into the co-pilot's seat next to Ignatius, giving him a grin. "I believe you humans call this seat 'shotgun.'"

"A quaint phrase." Ignatius commented dryly, "For those with a penchant for violence."

Just then, a voice came over the comms and into the cabin, causing Ignatius to sit up straight. He was taking on the role of de-facto leader of this expedition - for the civilian contingent at least - and was trying his hardest to impress the Starfleet crew. Of course, he also felt wholly like a fish out of water, and his concentration also came from not wanting to ruin this mission and let down the Pandora.

"Shuttle. Your launch and travel to Hesiod Blue will be automated by the Pandora." The officer announced, her tone still lacking in patience. "The computer has been programmed to get you there safely and we've calculated no evident risks for your journey. You should not at any time attempt to pilot the shuttle yourselves, unless under instruction from the Pandora. Is that clear?"

"Yes." The flamboyant trio replied. Ignatius turned and gave an eye-roll to Terrekal, then Raven behind them. Even if he was taking this more seriously, he had a limit to how much he would be condescended to by the officers.

"That means you do not press any of the flight control panels. Is that clear?" The tone continued.

"Yes." They replied again.

She persisted, "Tell me, Base Team. What buttons do you press?"

"None." Raven called out, clearly just as exasperated. "It's like they don't trust us with their ship!" She murmured to Terrekal as she leaned forward into the cockpit.

Terrekal patted her hand gently. "Now dear, be a courteous guest. We don't want to anger those hunky fly boys do we?"

Raven gave a sly smile, "Good thinking."

Ignatius scoffed, however, and pointedly replied, "Ma'am, we heard you the first time. We may not be officers but we're not about to go joy-riding in this craft either. We will let the computer do the work."

"Very well." The officer remarked, though clearly she still unhappy. "You will be launching in thirty seconds. Sit back and enjoy the ride."

Before the comms could shut off, Raven, who could never quite help herself, called out, "Ooh! What does this button do?!"

"Those are forward thrusters," said Terrekal. "We don't need a button to do that."

"Pity." She smirked, relaxing back into her chair again. "Would have loved to've given those officers something to panic over."

Shortly after, the shuttle powered up and the computer acknowledged the automatic program that had been activated. They lifted off the ground of the Shuttle Bay and gently drifted towards the open doorway. The shuttle drifted out through the force field and made some distance away from the Pandora before gently turning around 90 degrees. The dark, swirling green skies of Hesiod Green passed by the front window as they turned, before the unmistakable blue orb that was Hesiod Blue came before them in the distance.

"Remarkable." Ignatius commented, peering out the forward window to marvel at the planets. "For the longest time, I had never left Earth. Now look at where we are."

Raven nodded, then said to Terrekal, "You must have seen quite a few sights, Mr. Terrekal?"

"Yes," Terrekal said, admiring the beautiful greenery that was Hesiod Green. "But few as beautiful as this."

"It's a wonder no one has colonised this region." Ignatius commented, as the forward thrusters kicked into gear and they left the Pandora behind. Soon Hesiod Green became a distant orb and they were approaching Blue with gentle speed. The Valkyrie fighters were buzzing around the area, in careful precision as lead by Lieutenant Boucher.

"I suppose we're like the unconventional Swiss Family Robinson." Raven joked, "Though only if I can play Bertie."

Terrekal smiled. "I heard a story once, about a group of children trapped on a tropical island all by themselves. They all went crazy. Hopefully our fly boys and Lieutenant Boucher can handle such potential madness."

"Let's hope so." Ignatius remarked, "I'm not about to babysit a bit of bunch of half-crazed pilots with jungle fever."

[During "Onwards"]

It didn't take long for the shuttle to cross the distance between the two planets. There was a slight rumbling throughout the cabin as the shuttle began to enter the orbit of Hesiod Blue. The trip was far more pleasant for them than the Pandora's journey into Hesiod Green. It wasn't long before the craft had pierced through the atmosphere and was sailing, peacefully across the open blue skies. There was nothing below them except large sandy beaches and sparkling oceans; the weather was comfortably warm with a light breeze. Raven read all of this from the panel in front of her.

"Seems absolutely darling, darlings." She cooed. "A girl could get used to these working conditions."

The shuttle continued its descent onto the planet and soon came to settle at the peak of a large continent. The ocean was not too far away and the long, flat shape of the ground made for a perfect landing strip for the Valkyries. Nearby was a grove of tall palm-like trees and a fresh water lake, providing the shelter and resources required for their settlement.

"The computer has analysed the region and believes this is the best location for base camp." Ignatius said, pointing to the grove in front of them. "We'll need to set up the solar panels on the east side to make the best use of the sun, which will mean trudging up that sand dune. But it'll be worth it."

Raven stood and began to collect her bags. "Can we at least set up a beverage tent first? All of this rushing about has given me a headache."

Ignatius frowned and looked between Raven and Terrekal, "I just want to get everything set up first. Is that okay? There'll be plenty of time to rest later today."

"At least the climate is nice," Terrekal remarked. "I could get used to this place."

"Work first." Ignatius declared, having clearly decided. He stood from his seat as well and started gathering up supply bags. "Analysis says we have approximately five and a half hours of full sun light left. We should have base camp set up by then."

"Aye, aye, Captain!" Raven suddenly shouted, giving Ignatius a salute with a firm, level hand brought rigidly to her forehead. She elbowed Terrekal to join in.

Terrekal jumped at Raven's elbow as he had been looking at a cute young Ensign unload a storage pack. He went rigid and turned back to Ignatius. "Uh, yes, whatever she said," he remarked, then saluted the same way Raven was.

Ignatius didn't even hide his exasperation, "Keep it up and you [two] may just get your wish..." He started to walk past them both, adding, "When I decide to abandon you here permanently."

Terrekal's eyes widened. "That's everything I've ever wanted... I'll take him too," he said, pointing at the Ensign.

Raven laughed heartily as the two followed Ignatius out of the shuttle and onto Hesiod Blue.

OFF