Carpathia IV: Episode 244 - Waves
Ready Room, NCCS Shadowdancer-A
Aire picked up the planning with Ryuu since his first officer was temporarily out of commission. A fact that annoyed him, but he did his best to hide it and push through. The more work that could be done immediately, the better. It wouldn't be enough to have a plan in place. No, contingencies were also needed and the more information he had by the time Admiral Zhang called for a check-in, the better. Before the discussion could commence, Ryuu adopted his human form and took one of his own uniforms out of Aire's closet.
Aire: We left off trying to decide who we should ask on the away team. For security, the question is Trex or Shep.
Ryuu: They both have their strengths, but I think Shep's strengths are more suited to this mission. Trex is great on the tech side, but Shep is what you need for planetary experience and quick threat assessment.
Aire: My thoughts as well. I'll put him at the top of the list.
Aire tapped at his console monitor, shuffling the away team roster around while Ryuu waited patiently. Aire was about to solicit more input when the maintenance hatch over his desk creaked open. A voice echoed from within.
Joust: Captain...
Aire: Come down, Joust.
Finally, Joust's head materialized in the darkness. With a pull and a flip, dropped out of the hatch and into the empty chair next to Ryuu. Aire took a glance at the ceiling before turning his attention to Joust.
Aire: You'll close that hatch when we're done here.
Joust: Yes, Captain.
Aire: Is Sassinesa still here? I expected that he would come down with you.
Joust: He left, Captain. I told him everything we know and he seemed to relax a bit, which helped me relax too. Ryuu, he agrees with your assessment, that Aionaptara is very dangerous, but that he is reaching out. We should meet him. As much as I hate to say it, I should go.
Aire: I shall put you on the list, then. Commander, I am willing to overlook this incident if everything goes smoothly from here on out. I don't have much help to give nor do I suppose counselling would help in this case. Honestly, I'm a little terrified myself, but we have to keep it together for the sake of the crew.
Joust: I agree, Captain.
Aire: Ryuu, you should probably go too. He is expecting dragons, after all. Besides, you will surely be able to notice details that we will not.
Ryuu: This is important, so I'll be a part of anything you need me to be.
A beep from Aire's console, and he checked his monitor.
Aire: It's Admiral Zhang. I'll put her on the table.
After a few button presses, Admiral Zhang's tiny, doll-sized form materialized on the table.
Aire: Greetings, Admiral. I will go to the chair behind you so that you can see all of us.
Aire rose and wheeled his chair around to the other side of the desk, between Joust and Ryuu, while Admiral Zhang turned 180 degrees to see all of them.
Admiral Zhang: Glad you're here too, Ryuu. I sent a message to Kuro and I expect to hear from her shortly. I'm aboard the Furious Spectre now and we've just left Polaris. What's your status?
Aire: Cruising at Q8. We've put together our away team list to scout the planet. Next, we need to decide what to do if Aionaptara comes to us when we get there. Also, Sassinesa paid us a visit. He is, to put it mildly, not keen on meeting Aionaptara.
Admiral Zhang: Very interesting. Did he have anything prescient to share?
Aire: He might show up again. He mostly talked with Commander Joust.
Joust: Mostly confirming what Ryuu already told us.
Admiral Zhang: Let's all get settled in, then. There is much to discuss and many contingencies for which to plan.
Virtual Zhang pulled herself up a tiny chair and had a seat. Aire, on the other hand, stood, and addressed Ryuu and Joust.
Aire: Commander, fill in Admiral Zhang on anything else Sassinesa said while I fix some drinks.
Joust: Thank you, Captain. Pineapple juice for me.
Ryuu: Same, Captain.
Aire: Right, I'll be back with those.
Aire headed to the bar on the other side of the ready room while Joust and Ryuu spoke with Admiral Zhang.
Bridge, NCCS Shadowdancer-A, 2 days later
Up, down. Left, right. Up, down. Left, right. For the better part of the day, so far. It was not a good day on the Shadowdancer for anyone prone to seasickness. Teek navigated the gravitational eddies like they were waves on an ocean, and the Shadowdancer heaved and plunged like an ocean liner in a hurricane. Teek rode up each wave at a 45 degree angle until it breached the top and, on the ride down, started a 90-degree turn to catch the next one. This kept the Shadowdancer going in a relatively straight line, though in a zigzag pattern.
Normally, the motions of a starship wouldn't affect anyone but those most sensitive to motion sickness—the inertial dampeners took care of that—but now, anyone spending too much time gazing out of the windows, watching the stars lazily going up and down with each wave might start feeling a little queasy. Even Amenaru, often inclined to gaze out of the windows while on duty, was glued to his console.
Aire: How's it going so far, Teek?
Teek: Almost through. A couple more hours. This would be easier if the Shadowdancer's bow wasn't shaped like an overturned spoon.
Aire watched Teek for another minute and while he kept the Shadowdancer on its jagged course, he could see that his hands and arms were getting wobbly.
Aire: Teek, you've been at this for hours. Mikado, you've been watching. I want you to take over helm.
Mikado didn't respond right away, but did a double take between Aire and Teek.
Mikado: Oh, yes, Captain! I can do that.
Teek: I'll slow down and you can take over when we crest a wave.
Mikado rushed to the helm and stood next to Teek's chair in eager anticipation. Teek cut throttle and let the Shadowdancer drift to the wave crest and rapidly unbuckled his seatbelt. With a nod to Mikado, he swivelled his chair around and jumped out. Mikado slipped in fast enough that even the cushion could barely react to Teek's missing weight. He grabbed the yoke and throttled back to previous speed.
Teek: Thank you, Captain. I was starting to get tired.
Aire: Go rest. I want you ready if and when we go to the surface of the planet. Time to Aion's planet?
Phobos: 11 hours, 44 minutes, assuming there are no surprises after we're through these eddies.
Aire: 11 hours, Ensign.
Teek: Yes, Captain!
Teek gave his hands a shake as he made his way to the lift.
Aire: Joust, fix a rotation so that everyone's rested when we get there.
Joust: Will do, Captain.
Aire: Ryuu, I was just thinking. Should we send out some sort of greeting to Aionaptara to let him know we got his message?
Ryuu: He knows. I'm certain of that. In fact, I'm pretty sure at least some of these gravitational eddies are part of an early warning system. This set that we're going through right now are too regular to be natural. He may have other means of watching us. He's not the type to use any sort of communications equipment like we do. If he wants to talk right now, he'll come here.
Aire: I just wish there was something we could do.
Ryuu: One does not send a "howdy do" to a demigod like Aionaptara. At best, he'll ignore you. At worst, he'll get irritated. We'll be able to figure out what to do next when we reach the planet. We are on his turf playing his game and he has all the cards. We have nothing.
Joust: Captain, sometimes the hardest thing to do is nothing, even when it's the right thing to do. Many games have been lost for a player thinking that they must do something.
Aire yawned and though he did his best to hide it, both Joust and Ryuu noticed.
Ryuu: Captain, you need rest too. Off you go! I know what to look out for.
Aire looked to and fro between Ryuu and Joust, both of whom glared back at him. Lacking the energy to make an argument about it, he stood and stretched, but he wasn't happy about it.
Aire: Fine. Commander, you have the bridge. Let me know if anything happens.
Aire plodded around the security console and to the lift doors.
Commissioned art in this episode from:
AvareonArt
Zelbunnii
Less_End
Thatwildmary
Colourbrand
Falke2009
