Young Writers Society

Chapter 1



[font="Courier New"]The Navigator 9000 specifications (page 1)
--------------------------------------------------

Specialty: fighter/scout shuttle

Class: 9.6

Weapons: - Fore and aft lasers class 8
- Fore stun lasers class 10
- Aft explosive deployment class 5 – 9

Maneuverability: Class 10 at speeds above 300 kilometers
per hour
Class 8 at speeds above 250 and below 300 kilometers per hour
Class 10 at speeds below 250 kph

Speed: Up to 700 kilometers per hour
Can be modified for subspace travel, though not for periods
above 30 hours.

Capacity: 5 humanoids
Up to 700 kilograms
----------------------------------

Runs on lithium and plasma[/font]



Shereth’s eyes ran over the information one more time before she leaned back in her chair and sighed. This like most Sarainian documents was extremely straight forward, failing to add the fancy sounding words that Human’s tended to do when they were trying to make a product more appealing. But it also failed to acknowledge some of the ship’s finer points, since it was Human-make.

Shereth leaned back in towards the screen, tapping one of the lit squares set in the table in front of her. More information about the Navigator filled the screen.

Benjuan walked over in silence, Shereth still staring at the screen intently.

“What is this?” Benjuan asked after glancing at the information, slight puzzlement in his voice.

“It’s a new ship the captain wanted me to look in to,” Shereth answered him without shifting her focus.

Benjaun shook his head. “This is your vacation, Reth.”

“Yes it is.”

“Can’t they let you relax?”

“I’ve been relaxing for two weeks.”

“And has this been hanging over your head all this time?”

“Actually the captain just asked me to do it last night.”

“Uh-huh. You’re going back tomorrow, aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

“And he couldn’t wait a day? He had to ask you to take care of it while you were on your vacation?”

Shereth turned to face him. “Ben.”

“What?”

“He’s my captain. And all he did was make a request. It was not an order.”

“I see.” He was quiet for a moment. “You’re a horrible liar.”

She smiled a little. “Don’t I know it.”

“Well, I hope that you’re almost done.”

“Why?”

“Mom and Dad want to talk to you.”

“Am I supposed to come to them, or are they coming to me?”

“Shereth,” her mother, Dairine’s voice drifted in. “Where are you.”

“They’re coming to you,” Benjuan whispered.

“Thanks,” she murmured back. And then called to her parents. “I’m in here.”

Benjuan left the room as Dairine and Shereth’s father, Arimis entered.

“Good morning,” Darine said, bending to hug her daughter. “I was hoping you would be up early again this morning.”

“I always am,” Shereth replied, cheerfully.

Arimis smiled. “We were wondering if you would look at something.”

“What?”

Her father reached forward and pressed a few of the lit squares in response. The information on the Navigator disappeared and another document sprang up.


[font="Courier New"]
Shereth Vien Endrel


Born on Omega 9 on 8.7.3140 (August 7, 3140)

Admitted to Rwendren’s Academy of Space Exploration on
8.31.3152 (August 31, 3152) after completing the pilot and command courses

Graduated from the Academy on 6.1.3158 (June 1, 3158)

Served onboard the M.S. Draco from 6.30.3158 to 5.1.3160
(June 30, 3158 to May 1, 3160)

Enhancements:

Agility: +30%*
Aging Rate: -15%*
Bone Strength: +50%*
Endurance: +65%*
Immune System proficiency: +55%*
Memory: +45%*
Reflexes: +20%*
Recovery speed: +75%*
Strength: +25%*
Taste Buds: -99%*
Vision, Distance: +40%*
Vision, Night: +55%*

*as compared to the average Human

Enhancements also include standard Sarainian mechanical modules that allow for:
- Recharging instead of sleeping
- Downloading electronic information directly into the brain
- Creating a link between the brain and other mechanical appliances
[/font]

Shereth was quiet for a moment after reading through the information. “What is this?”

“It’s a resume,” Arimis said. “Your resume.”

Shereth scanned the information again. It was a typical Sarainian resume. Just plain facts on the major events in the person’s life followed by a list of the genetic enhancements made to the person before they were born.

“Why did you make me a resume?” She asked quietly, her eyes still focused on the screen.

Dairine looked at her daughter, quickly noting how tightly her jaw was clenched. “Reth, please calm down.”

Shereth snapped around to face them. “Why did you do this?”

“We would like you to get a new job.”

“What?”

“You’re almost never at home. You’re almost always so far away that you couldn’t come home if we needed you. You’re sister is growing up, without really having a sister.”

“Don’t bring Leoenya into this. You know this isn’t about her.”

“Reth. Please calm down.”

“I notice you didn’t put down that my emotions are still completely intact.” She waved towards the screen.

“No…” Arimis said. “We didn’t think that that would—“

“You want me to get a Sarainian job.”

“Yes, Reth. You’re working on a Human ship, trying to keep it a secret that you’re Sarainian. You should be proud of what you are.

“Dad, who said I wasn’t? I just like to avoid trouble as much as possible. You do know that it was the Sarainian over-stated pride and under-stated compassion that made the reputation that keeps me from telling my crew what I am, right?”

“Shereth,” Dairine placed a hand on her daughter’s shoulder in a vain attempt to calm her down. “Please. We are just making a suggestion. You’re brother would never do this. Benjuan wouldn’t—“

“I’m not Ben, Mom! I’m me.”

“Reth. We are just trying to help you.”

“I’m happy where I am. I like serving on the Draco. I’m sorry I’m not home more. But I’m home as much as I can be. If you wanted me to be just like everyone else on this planet and do everything they do, then you never should have let me go to Rwendren’s Academy and you shouldn’t have deviated from the usual genetic enhancements.” Shereth looked back and forth between them. “I’m sorry.” She got up and left.


[center]* * *[/center]


Leoenya stepped out onto the porch, closing the front door behind her. Shereth was on her left, sitting in a hanging wooden bench swing, staring out towards the horizon. She walked over and sat down next to her sister, rocking the swing a little. Shereth didn’t say anything and for a little while Leoenya didn’t either.

“Something’s wrong, isn’t it?” Leoenya said looking at Shereth intently.

Shereth glanced over at her, almost smiling, but quickly faced forward again. “Yeah.”

“What?” No answer. “Why don’t you tell me?”

Shereth was quiet for a moment more. “I just talked to Mom and Dad. They want me to get a new job.”

“Are you going to?”

“No.”

“O-kay. So, what’s wrong?”

“I want to do what they say.”

“So get a new job.”

“But I also want to stay on the Draco.”

Leoenya bit her lip. “This is one of those mad/sad things again, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“Well, explain it one more time.”

“I’m mad at Mom and Dad for even suggesting something like this. And I’m mad at myself for being mad at them. And I’m sad because—“

“Wait. You’re mad at yourself? Don’t you have to be schizophrenic to do that?”

Shereth sighed. “If that’s true, there’s a lot more schizophrenic people than we think.”

“Leo.” Benjuan opened the front door and looked out. “There you are. Mom and Dad want to see you.”

“Alright. Maybe you can deal with her. She’s being emotional again,” Leoenya said, standing up and slipping past him into the house.

Benjuan laughed silently, shaking his head as he closed the door.

“So,” he said, sitting down next to Shereth. “I heard what they said.”

Shereth sighed. “They just don’t get it. They don’t understand that I can’t just get up and leave. I’ve lived on the same ship with this crew for nearly two years. They’re my friends.”

“That’s the trouble with having emotions.”

“No. That’s the trouble with having emotions when everyone around you doesn’t.”

“Reth. You don’t have to try to explain it to me. I understand. I’m like you, remember?”

“Not exactly, Ben. You only have part of your emotions. I have it all.”

“That’s right. And it’s my fault, right? I mean, if something hadn’t gone wrong with me, then Mom and Dad would have never seen what having a child with emotions was like, right?”

“No. It’s not your fault.”

“So it’s Mom and Dad’s. They told the doctors at the hospital to leave your emotions alone.”

“I’m not trying to blame anyone, Ben. It doesn’t do any good.”

“Neither does sitting on a porch, feeling sorry for yourself.”

She looked over at him, smiling a little.

“Reth. Mom and Dad aren’t going to be mad at you. That would be too emotional. Everything’s going to be fine.”

“Thanks, Ben. But you know it’s not that easy.”

“Yes I do. And that’s why I’m going to stop sitting out here, trying to convince you to stop being emotional since it’s in your genetics.”

Benjuan got up and walked back into the house, leaving Shereth to think and smile about what he has said.

I really liked this. The dialogue is great and keeps moving the story forward. To add to that, you really bring the characters alive and you make what seems like a totally alien situation to be very real (especially since the situation is something that a lot of people can relate to).

The only thing I can suggest is to add more "He said", "she said", lines because it was a bit confusing as to who was speaking at times. Beyond that, there were very few, very minor problems that I had with this story.

What I really liked, though, was how the reader gets a feel for the tone of the characters even though you actually never say something like "Shereth said sarcastically." And even though there is very little description, I never missed it; that is, I didn't notice until I was looking at the story a second time.

A great read! Also, thank you for finally livening up the sci-fi forum!

i agree with brain, just place a he/she said every here and there to keep the reader on track. you have a way of drawing a reader into the story with the subtle differences in references to humans to the larger ones once you introduce reth as nonhuman. also what Brain said about feeling the tone of the characters without descriptions. bravo

Thanks to both of you. I'll think about the things you said, and work on the first chapter. Thanks for the comments. It's nice to hear that people are enjoying this.





Chapter 2



The M.S. Draco loomed into view through the shuttle’s wide windshield.

“There she is,” the shuttle pilot said to Shereth. “Nine decks of pure ship. She’s small, but she’s no land-pod. Class nine point nine. Class ten weapons. Class 10 maneuverability at speeds up to seven-fifty kph. And the Draco is fully capable of subspace travel.” The man smiled. “She’s not something you want to mess with.”

Shereth smiled as well. “You don’t say.”

He nodded. “You ever been on the Draco before?”

“Yes.”

“Well, you’re real lucky she’s still here. If their Senior Pilot had been here on time, they’d have left an hour ago. She’s about 4 hours late from what I hear.”

Shereth glanced at the clock on the shuttle’s helm. “Five.”

“Ah, so you’ve heard about this?”

“Not really.”

“Well, her name is Lieutenant Endrel or something like that. She’s supposed to be one heck of a pilot, I guess that’s the only reason they haven’t left her behind.”

“My understanding was that they weren’t shoving off until the day after tomorrow.”

The pilot laughed. “That’s not the rumor going around.”

“And you believe rumors?”

“They tend to be true around this port, Miss. I’m guessing that you don’t put much stock in them, though.”

“No.” She turned away, gazing at the side of the Draco as the shuttle swung past it, towards the docking port.

“They say Captain Ryden is hoping mad about it. She’ll be lucky if she gets her job renewed when her contract is up.”

Shereth bit her lip to keep from laughing as the shuttle pilot continued to fill her in on the current rumors on this Lieutenant Endrel. Slowly, still talking, he backed the shuttle into the docking port and opened the hatch to the Draco. Shereth got up, slinging the strap of her duffel over her shoulder.

“Oh, wait! Sign this before you go!” He held out a thick clipboard and a pen to her. “Need it for the records, you know,” he continued as she took it from him. “Otherwise I’ll be in a load of trouble and that Lieutenant won’t be the only one looking for a job at this here port.”

Shereth signed it quickly and gave it back to the pilot, watching his face as he read the name.

“Shereth Endrel?” He asked weakly, looking up at her.

“Lieutenant Shereth Endrel,” She said smiling. “Thanks for the lift.” She walked out, shaking her head and smiling.

“Good morning, Lieutenant,” a man greeted her from where he stood behind one of the stations. “A little late aren’t we?”

“Yes, Commander.” She fished her badge out a pocket on the inside of her jacket and handed it to him.

“The Captain pretty angry. I would go straight to the bridge, if I were you.” He took it and slid it over one of the surfaces in front of him. The machinery beeped twice and he handed the badge back to her.

“That’s exactly what I intend to do.” She turned and began to walk down the corridor.

“Oh,” he said and she turned back. “It’s good to have you back, Reth.”

She smiled. “Good to be back, Warin.”

Shereth continued on.


* * *


On the bridge, Captain Ryden stood at the command. Crewmembers came and went around him, working at the stations and preparing the ship for another six months on duty in space.

An officer stopped next to the Captain, handing him an electronic pad. “The latest stats, Captain.”

“How are we doing?” Ryden asked, clicking through several pages of data.

“We’re right on schedule, Sir. We’re still waiting for the rest of our lithium supply to come in, but we had expected a delay.”

“Good. Are all our crewmembers coming back from shore leave on time?”

“Most of them.”

“I don’t suppose or Senior Pilot is back?”

“Yes, she is.” Shereth said, coming in just in time to hear his last comment. She stopped in front of the Captain, straightening her back and saluting. “Lieutenant Endrel reporting for duty, Sir.”

“Acknowledged. And it’s about time.”

Shereth’s mouth twitched as she tried not to smile.

“You’re dissmissed,” the Captain said to the other man. The officer left and Shereth and Ryden walked off the bridge.

“You’re late,” he said as they continued on down the corridor.

“Yes, Sir.”

“Care to explain?”

“The shuttle was slow.”

“I thought you usually drove.”

“I do. But the driver was new. He wouldn’t let me.”

Ryden smiled. “I see. Well it’s good practice. I expect you’ll be letting someone drive for you a lot in the near future.”

“I’m sorry?”

“Well, with the new pilot coming in…”

“New pilot?”

“You did ask that we hire another fully-qualified pilot.”

Shereth smiled.

“His name is Adrian Nemenk. He gradutated from the academy last year, not exactly at the top of his class, but his resume looked promising. He should be coming onboard within the next hour.

“But on to other things. Did you look at the Navigator 9000?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“And?”

“It looks good. The major flaw seems to be it’s unstable maneuverability at certain speeds. But I think that that might be able to be fixed. But I want a test flight before I say for certain that we should get it.”

“Good. You can do that tomorrow.”

Shereth stopped and turned to the Captain. “But the information you sent me said that test flights had to be arranged at least two days in advance.”

“That’s right and like I said, the ship will be here tomorrow.”

“How did you know…”

“Lieutenant. You always want to fly new ships.”

She smiled.

“Now. We’re having a meeting in the conference room for the senior officers. I expect the Senior Pilot to be in uniform by then.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Shereth Endrel?” He asked weakly, looking up at her.

“That’s right and like I said, the ship will be here tomorrow.”

good lines, i love a sense of humor.

Shereth continued on.

this doesn't seem necessary. just me, tho.

*smiles* thanks. Humor just seems to sneak into my writing. Not that I try to keep it out.


Chapter 3



The officers sat around the table, listening and answering the questions of Captain Ryden.

“Commander Emmanry, are all crew members accounted for?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Lieutenant Endar, has the lithium come in yet?”

“Yes, Sir, right after our extremely late pilot came back.” He shot Shereth a glance, who glared good-naturedly.

“Is there anything else that needs to be discussed?” Ryden asked, looking around.

No one said anything.

“Good. Then we should be shoving off the day after tomorrow at O-nine hundred hours. But before you all go, we do have some new recruits.

One of the men to Shereth’s left, laughed. “Don’t you think that this crew is getting big enough that we don’t need to welcome crewmembers individually?”

“Lieutenant Hunter, as I recall, you complimented me on taking the time to see you personally when you first came onboard.”

“That was six years ago, Sir. Begging your pardon, but a lot has changed since then.”

Ryden smiled. “This hasn’t.” He tapped a key on the table in front of him. “Come in, Miss Leienen.”

The door slid open and a young woman stepped through. Her blonde hair was pulled back from her face in a half ponytail. She was already dressed in the black and gray uniform of the Draco’s crew.

Ryden stepped forward and shook her hand. “Welcome to the Draco.”

“Thank you, Sir.”

“This is the Senior Crew,” he said gesturing to those gathered around the table. “Lieutenant Leonardo Endar, our Chief Engineer. Lieutenant Dewana Kevion, our Head Physician, who you’ve met before.” Both officers inclined their heads in greeting at the mention of their name. “Lieutenant Sean Hunter, our Weapons Specialist. Commander Warin Emmanry, our Security Officer. And Lieutenant Shereth Endrel, our Senior Pilot."

“Nice to meet you.”

“This is Mirra Lienen. She’ll be joining our medical staff,” the Captain said to the officers and then turned back to Mirra. “If you ever have a problem or a question, these are the people to come to.”

“Thank you, Sir.”

“You’re dismissed.”

She walked out and a man bounded in.

“Captain Ryden!” He said shaking the Captain’s hand enthusiastically. His head shook a little, and his hair flopped forward, revealing pointed ears. “It’s a real pleasure to be here! Temen Sembrac, chef extroidinare, at your service.”

Ryden smiled a little. “Welcome, Mr. Sembrac. Allow me to introduce our Senior Crew.” He quickly ran through the names of the others gathered there.

“Very nice to meet you,” Temen said. “Now I was told on the way in that you’ve never had a cook serve on this ship before, but I must have heard wrong.”

“No, Mr. Sembrac, you heard correctly.”

“Temen. Call me Temen, Sir. And I must say you’re all in for a real treat. I’ve never let down a customer yet. Of course, I’ve never worked on a military ship before either, but that shouldn’t make much of a difference.”

“Thank you, Temen. You’re dismissed.

“Thank you, Captain.” Temen bounded out again.

“Well so much for the Mess Hall being a quiet place to work,” Lieutenant Hunter said.

“You can say that again,” Lieutenant Kevion agreed. They all laughed and shook their heads.

The Captain tapped a button on the table again. “Come in Mr. Nemenk.”

The door opened again and another man walked through. He was slightly younger than Temen, and much more subdued.

“Welcome to the Draco,” Ryden said, shaking his hand. “This is our Senior Crew. Lieutenant Leo—“

“Leonardo Endar, Chief Engineer,” Adrian finished for the Captain. “Lieutenant Dewana Kevion, Head Physician. Lieutenant Sean Hunter, Weapons Specialist. Commander Warin Emmanry, Security Officer. Lieutenant Shereth Endrel, Senior Pilot.” He said each name quickly and precisely, making no mistakes in either title or rank. “And you’re Captain Denric Ryden. I’ve done my research, Sir.”

“I can see that,” Ryden replied. “Welcome onboard.”

“Thank you, Sir.”

“Dismissed.” Adrian turned sharply and left.

Shereth bit her lip to keep from laughing. “This ship is getting very, interesting, isn’t it?”

Laughter spread across the room.

“Dismissed,” the Captain said, trying to keep a straight face.

The officers filed out of the room, each going their own way so that Shereth ended up walking down the corridor alone.

“Lieutenant Endrel!” Temen said running up from behind. “A word if you please!” She turned and waited for him to catch up before continuing on.

“Yes, Mr. Sembrac?”

“Temen. Call me Temen. I wondered if you might be interesting in a drink or something.”

“Why?”

“Well you’ve been here for two years. I thought that you might have some pointers on how to do things around here.”

“There are others that have served on the Draco longer.”

“Well, you’re also the youngest. The younger the human, the more energetic they seem to be, and the more like my kind. At least in my experience. So what do you say?”

“I’ll have to take a rain check, Temen. I have a date with the VR deck.”

“VR deck?”

“The Virtual Reality deck.”

“The Draco has one of those?"

She nodded. “Each week, you get two hours on it. I have two weeks of time saved up and I plan on using it before I get too busy. I’ll see you some other time, maybe?”

Temen smiled brightly. “Some other time. Thank you, Lieutenant.”

“Reth,” she called to him as he started to turn away. “Call me, Reth.”

He grinned. “Reth.

Shereth turned and entered a lift, pressing the button for deck seven. The lift dropped several levels and then opened its doors again.

To Shereth’s left there was a door with a data screen next to it. She walked over and quickly keyed in:

[tt]Open program Endrel9R[/tt]

The screen blanked.

[tt]Opening. . . .[/tt]

It blanked again and then filled the screen with the specifications of the program.

[tt]Activate[/tt]

The doors next to the screen opened at Shereth’s last command. She stepped through and found herself in a world of green. Green trees and open spaces of green grass. A little ways off a few houses could be seen and a few feet in front of her there was a broad paved path.

The doors slid shut behind her as she took in a deep breath.

Spaced along the paved path there were red benches. Leaning against the first was a set of roller blades. Shereth stepped forward eagerly and, sitting down on the bench, she picked up the roller blades. She strapped them on and a small computer appeared next to her on the bench.

[tt]Activate Audio program?[/tt]

[tt]Yes[/tt], she typed.

[tt]Specify program.[/tt]

[tt]Endrel25delta[/tt]

Immediately music began to play, coming from no place in particular, but centering around her.

Shereth stood up, bobbing her head to the heavy drumbeat. Getting on the path, she began to pick up speed. She took the rubberband out of her hair and the wind whipped it out behind her. The music picked up and so did her speed. She smiled and followed the path as it twisted around and brought her back to the bench and the computer. She stopped briefly to type a single command: Insert Obstacles, and then took off again. Jumping and rolling over the obstacles that the program had randomly placed in her path, grinning victoriously as she cleared each one.

Suddenly, someone came out in the middle of the path. She swerved and came back around to face the intruder.

“Hello,” Shereth said, breathing heavily.

Mirra Lienen’s eyes were wide. “What are you doing?”

“Skating.”

“Isn’t that a bit dangerous for you to be doing?”

Shereth smiled a little. “Dangerous?” She looked over at the next obstacle, a high rail running down hill that was meant to be slid down. “Nah.”

Mirra blinked at the response and Shereth laughed.

“What did you need?” She asked, still smiling.

“Lieutenant Kevion asked me to bring you back to the sick bay.”

“Can’t even give me one day’s peace, can she?” Shereth shook her head.

“Lieutenant, it’s standard policy to give a crewmember a physical when she gets back from shore leave.”

“I know. Tell her that I’ll be there soon.” Shereth skated off, taking pleasure in the gasp that she heard behind her as she slid down the rail.

Chapter 4



“Come on, Endar,” Shereth said. “You can’t be tired yet!”

“You want to bet?” He shot back.

They skated around a bend in the path and slowed to a stop as they neared the bench.

Lieutenant Endar flopped down, leaning back and breathing hard. Shereth sat down and began unbuckling her roller blades.

“I don’t care what you say. I’m never doing this again.”

She smiled. “Yes, you will. You know you will.”

“I don’t know why I even bother trying to keep up with you. I’m too old for this.”

“You’re only twenty-eight.”

“Twenty-eight? Is that how old I am? I feel eighty?”

Shereth laughed, placing her roller blades beside the bench and pulling the computer beside her on the bench onto her lap.

[tt]Open exit doors[/tt]

The doors slid open on command, revealing the gray walls of the corridor.

“Come help an old man,” Lieutenant Endar said, standing up. She shook her head, but allowed him to put his arm around her shoulders for support. Together they walked out.

“Okay, that’s enough help,” he said as the door slid shut behind them and dropped his arm down to his side.

They entered the lift and Shereth pressed the button for deck 4. A moment later the doors opened again and they stepped out.

“So how was your shore leave?” Endar asked.

“It was pretty good. Yours?”

“Um… good.”

“I never heard, where did you end up going?”

“The beach. I got sunburned in a day and decided to come back to the Draco.”

“One day?”

“Hey… it was only two days early.”

She laughed. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Endar,” she said when they came to the doors to her courters, preparing to go inside.

“Wait.” She turned around sharply as he bent to remove one of the conduit covers on along the floor. Inside there were a large bundle of wires and a small stack of electronic pads. He took out the pads and replaced the cover.

“Are you allowed to do that?” She asked as he stood back up.

“There’s no rule against it.” He smiled and the turned his attention to the pads in his hands. He handed the top one to Shereth. “Here’s the flight plan. It’s all been plotted out, but the Captain wants you to run over it, just to make sure.” He handed her the next one. “Here’s my opinion on the modifications that you want to make to the Navigator 9000.” He handed her a third pad. “And this a message sent by someone from Starlight Incorporated about the Navigator 9000 test flight. And who knows why that was routed through engineering.”

She smiled. “Thanks Endar. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Bye.” He walked off and she ducked inside her room.

how did i not ralise you had updated? lol

“The Draco has one of those.

did you want a question marck and end quotiations here? this was all i noticed on grammar type stuff, and the rest lookes good! have anymore, by chance? fast yet slow pace, and this keeps drawing me in not that i mind:)

Aye, that's what I meant.

And I'll have more up within the next few days.

Shereth looked towards the shower for a moment and then sat down at her desk to get a little work done first, flipping up the screen of her computer.

[tt]Search for new messages[/tt], she typed.

[tt]Searching…

Searching…

4 new messages found

Display[/tt], she commanded.

The screen blanked and then filled again

[tt]SENDER SUBJECT DATE
1) CM. W. Emmanry Piloting Security 5.14.3160
2) Benjuan Endrel Back on Duty 5.16.3160
3) Temen Sembrac Rain Check 5.16.3160
4) Adrian Nemenk Navigator 9000 5.16.3160
[/tt]
Shereth glanced through the subject headers and the opened message 4.

[tt]TO: Lt. Shereth Endrel
FROM: Adrian Nemenk
DATE: 5.16.3160
MESSAGE: I have been informed that you will be taking a test flight of the new Navigator 9000 tomorrow. As Secondary Pilot, I would like to request to come as well. Please notify me as to whether or not this would be acceptable at your earliest convience.[/tt]

Shereth leaned forward, preparing to send a reply.

Cri-kee.

She turned towards the door. “Come in.”

Lieutenant Kevion stepped through, a medic’s scanner in her hand.

“Good evening, Reth.” The door slid shut behind her.

“Good evening.”

“I don’t suppose you remember being asked to come down to sickbay.”

“Vaguely.”

“And why didn’t you?”

“I was busy.”

“Don’t tell me you’ve been on the VR deck for the past five hours.”

“Six.”

Lieutenant Kevion rolled her eyes. “Stand up.”

Shereth got to her feet obligingly, spreading her arms out at shoulder height. Lieutenant Kevion ran the scanner stepped behind her and ran the scanner along Shereth’s arms and back.

“I guess I have to remind you again that it is mandatory that you report to Sickbay after going on shore leave or an away mission. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to this time.”

Shereth smiled a little. “I’m fine.”

Kevion taped a few keys on the scanner and sighed. “You’re right. Except for an excess amount of sweat, you’re in perfect health.”

“Thank you. And I was about to take a shower.”

“Good. Then I guess we’re finished.” She stepped towards the door.

“Good-bye, Dewana.”

“Good-bye Shereth.”

[center]Chapter 5[/center]


The Navigator 9000 swung about and entered the shuttle bay with ease. Shereth watched the sleek bluish-gray ship through the bay doors, studying it’s every facet. Gray-silver panels formed a roughly conical shape, broken only be sheets of glass that revealed the cockpit. Short wings extended on either side. The metal was tinted with blue, giving it a dream-like quality under the bright lights of the shuttle bay. A pilot’s dream.

“Good morning, Lieutenant,” Captain Ryden said, coming up behind Shereth. “Early as usual.”

Shereth smiled slightly, not taking her eyes of the Navigator. “When a new ship is involved no pilot can be too early.”

“Of course not. But would you rather admire it, or fly it?”

“Fly it, Sir. But I’ll still waiting for someone.”

“Who?”

“Adrian Nemenk, Captain. He asked if he might come along, and I gave him permission.”

“Really? Don’t you think it’s a little above his rank to ask?”

“Yes. But I’d like to see him fly before we get underway. This seemed to be the perfect opportunity.”

A moment later, Adrian joined them and they entered the shuttle bay. A man in his mid-forties stepped out of the Navigator to greet them.

“Good morning, Captain. My name is Fyren Carsok,” he said.

“Good morning. Welcome aboard,” Ryden returned.

“Why thank you, Captain.”

“Please. Call me Ryden.”

“Very well… Ryden.”

The Captain smiled and then gestured towards the other two with him. “This is Shereth Endrel and Adrian Nemenk.”

“Nice to meet you.” Fyren bowed slightly towards each of them.

Adrian looked up at the Navigator, running his eyes along it in an appraising manner. “The blue in the metal, that comes from the erontrin, correct?”

“Yes, Sir. We collect the ore straight from Gamma Prime.”

“Gamma Prime?”

“Yes, Sir. It’s the only place that we can be assured of its quality.”

Adrian ran his eyes along the ship once more. “Very nice.”

“Thank you, Sir. Now, if you’ll come inside.” Fyren turned and led the other three into the Navigator. He tapped a key on a control panel by the door and the loading ramp pulled up and locked into place.

“As you can see,” Fyren gestured around him at the ship’s controls, “our technology is completely up to date. Every device onboard has been checked and double checked to make sure that it works properly.”

“Those are high claims,” Adrian said. “But how does it fly?”

Fyren shrugged, a bare hint of a smile playing across his face. “See for yourself.” He pulled the pilot’s chair around in preparation for Adrian to sit in it. Adrian looked over at Shereth, who nodded, and then sat down.

“Now,” Fyren leaned over the controls beside Adrian. “There are a few things you should know about the Navigator.” He continued on, explaining some of the controls that were specialized to this particular ship. But Adrian didn’t seem to be listening. Shereth did though, making mental note so that she would be prepared when it came her turn.

“You understand?”

Adrian smirked. “Yes, Sir.” He leaned forward and keyed in the ignition sequence. The ship pulled forward and then jerked to a stop sending Shereth’s shoulder into the wall.

“Apparently not,” she muttered quietly, standing straight again. The Captain heard her and while he didn’t laugh, a glint showed in his eyes.

“Sorry,” Adrian said, quickly changing his course heading and pulling out into the open. He brought the small craft around and sent it hurtling along the length of the Draco. Four times he circled around the larger ship, barrel rolling and other small stunts as he went. He made several small errors, but that was to be expected when dealing with a new ship and Shereth brushed them away without a second thought.

After a few minutes, Adrian pulled the Navigator to a stop and surrendered the seat to Shereth. She sat down, gladly resting her fingers on the controls.

“Mr. Carsok, do you know the space around here?” She asked, starting the Navigator up at a slow pace.

“Reasonably well, why?”

“Tell me,” she smiled and turned to face him, “do you have anything to chase around here?”

“Chase?” Adrian asked, surprised.

Fyren smiled back. “I think I know what you’re looking for.” A few well-placed taps on a control panel and a new heading appeared on the console in front of her. She sped up and followed the course Fyren had supplied her with.

hehe nice, Dusky. Just one question, is everything in dialogue?

Love the last few lines. Anything to chase, so funny.

*laughs and shrugs* I am a dialouge person.

Fifteen minutes later a cloud sprang up. It was almost impossible to see until they were right on top of it and from the outside it seemed docile and harmless.

But Shereth grinned as the inside of the anomaly appeared before her. Jets of air forced the gases into vertical pillars that sprang up and disappeared in seconds.

“Was this what you wanted?”

Shereth nodded. “Exactly."

She pulled the ship into a hard right as a pillar reared up in front of them. In just a moment they were in the thick of things, dashing in and out among the pillars recklessly. Each command that Shereth entered at the helm (when entered correctly), resulted in a smooth turn from the Navigator.

Shereth wanted to throw her head back and laugh, but dared not take her eyes off the read-outs. This was what she loved about piloting: the speed, the movement, and the feel of the ship reacting under her touch.

All too soon, Ryden tapped her shoulder. “I think it’s time to return to the Draco, Lieutenant,” he whispered.

“Yes, Sir.” She pulled the ship about and headed out of the cloud, back towards the ship.

“Well, Ryden?” Fyren asked as they filed out into the shuttle bay. “Will you be taking the Navigator?”

“Give us a minute please.” The Captain drew Adrian and Shereth away. “Endrel?”

“It’s a good piece of machine. It needs work in some places. But…” she looked over her shoulder at the ship. “it’s a good piece of machine.”

Ryden smiled. “What about you Nemenk?”

“I completely agree.”

“Then it’s settled.” He gestured for Fyren to come over. “How soon can we have it?”

Fyren smiled. “In about forty-five minutes, if you’ll let me borrow one of your engineers.”

“I’m afraid we’re a little short on them right now. We’re preparing to shove off, you see…”

“I understand, Captain.”

“Well, I could do it,” Shereth told him. “I have a level two engineering classification. Would that be enough?”

“Should be.”

“Then you get started on that, and I’ll see you when you’re done,” Ryden said. He and Adrian left while Shereth and Fyren went back aboard the Navigator.

Shereth bent down to open one of the storage compartments and pulled out the engineering kit inside.

“That’s some Senior Pilot you’ve got,” Fyren said behind her.

“Excuse me?”

“Adrian Nemenk. He’s a bit…” Fyren trailed off, looking for a word.

“Cocky?” Shereth offered.

“Yes. But most Senior Pilots are.”

Shereth smiled and shook her head.

“How long have you had to deal with him?”

“A day.”

“Oh. So you’re new here.”

“No. He is.” Shereth tried not to laugh at Fyren’s expression of complete surprise. “Mr. Nemenk is not the Senior Pilot. I am.”

“I— I’m sorry. I—“

“Don’t worry about it. It doesn’t really matter.”

Fyren tapped a key at the helm and one of the panels on the underside of the console detached and clattered to the floor, revealing a mass of wiring. Still smiling, Shereth lay down, edged herself under the console, and began her work.

yay! more ok, just a few things...or just one... lol

Shereth nodded. “Exactly.

You need " after the period...

I think this flows really well, espically when you don't use all dialogue. can't wait to read more!