Posted by Captain Marceau Renault (Commanding Officer) in side - sim: Boarding the Sojourner

Posted by Commander Heather Grace (Executive Officer/Chief Science Officer) in side - sim: Boarding the Sojourner

Posted by Lieutenant Helena Laursen (Helm/Nagivation Officer) in side - sim: Boarding the Sojourner
Posted by… suppressed (7) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)
Helena grinned, “A promise is a promise. But I can’t have you late. My reputation would never survive delivering a Captain late to his ship. Sit back, we’re going to accelerate to break atmosphere.” Helena brought the shuttle around to circle one more time as she brought the engines to full and then pointed the nose straight up, the increased Gs holding them to the backs of their seats. Moments later the light changed and the shimmer in the outside air turned to clear crisp black dotted by stars. One hand on the yoke she throttled back and aimed for Beta station. “Would you like to make a visual inspection of the exterior of the SS Sojourner before docking, Captain?”

Lt Laursen

Marceau shrugged. “I am not due until the morning, anyway. It would be hard to be late.” He sat back just in time, before feeling pressed back against his seat as they exited the atmosphere. It didn’t take long. Soon he was looking instead at the blackness of space, lit occasionally by a star. He nodded in answer to her question. “A quick view of it, then we’ll dock.”

~ Captain Renault

Laursen lowered the shuttles approach and slipped the shuttle between two pylons. A couple of worker-bee pods broke off and aimed towards them. =C=Beta Station this is Shuttle T-13. Tell your guys to breathe. Cpt. Renault is just doing a visual inspection.=C=

There was static and then, =C=T-13 this is Beta control. Laursen is that you? Don’t you go doing anything to give my crew a heart attack.” Then laughter. “Be advised we have a crew space walking the aft hull.” In the back ‘Did she say Renault?’ Then light foot steps. “Congratulations Renault!=C=

Helena tried to place the voice as she wove between the ship and connecting cables. “Sounds like Flinza.” Flinza was the Cadet Commander the year ahead of them from the Academy.

=C=Docking hatch 9 whenever you’re ready.=C=

Lt Laursen

Marceau nodded. “Tell him I say thanks.” He said, looking out the view window. In front of them was the ship, a massive space ship, in the vague shape of an arrow. It didn’t, to Marceau, look quite like the ancient weapon, but he could see how that was what the designer was going for.

=C=Cpt Renault sends his thanks. T-13 out.=C= Helena glanced at the ship now and then, she’d seen it before and found the design similar to the ‘trucker’ model of the Earth Cargo Ships service, but with warp nacelles one them. But man the test flights had been amazing. She couldn’t wait to get on the bridge and check the systems out.

And yet, his only thought, which came out of his mouth aloud was, “Oui, that is a ship.” His ship, his brain most helpfully reminded him. He almost wanted to pinch himself.

~ Captain Renault

Helena looked over with a grin on her face that only grew at his wide-eyed stare. Marceau was cute sitting there staring at his ship. Helena thought about getting a little too close and almost bumping his ship, but decided that joke could wait till next go round. “Should I pinch you or throw water in your face to make sure you aren’t dreaming?”

Marceau turned to look at her and smiled. “If you pinch me and I wake up back on Titan, I’m going to be very disappointed.”

“Gods forbid. Do not send me back to Titan!” Helena shuddered, she hated those trainings. “Well we can’t have a disappointed and cranky captain, so I shall not do that.”

She turned the pod and banked up and over the top of Sojourner’s hull to give him a look at her from above. SS-Sojourner, NCC-07 written across the hull, she flew close enough Marceau could even see inside the view ports. When he was ready she headed for docking hatch 9.

Lt Laursen

Marceau was looking up with something like awe as she turned the pod around so he could see more of the ship. At last they docked and Marceau unbelted himself, getting ready to go through the airlock. “Ready?”

~ Captain Renault

Helena brought the pod to stand by and heard the shuddering hiss as the airlock tube pressurized as she went through the shut down checklist. “I’ll be right behind you, I have to turn the pod over to Base Control.”

Helena finished the shut down and stood. She grabbed her duffel and backpack and then the clipboard and followed behind him a couple minutes later. She stopping to talk to Flinza and sign over the pod. Flinza walked with her while they talked. Finally he shook his head, “Go. You are more interested in your ships than people, Laursen.” He looked at her and then the bags and shook his head, “Too bad, I’ll miss you.”

Helena raised a brow, “Yeah right. All these other pilots play it safe, you’ll be glad I’m gone.” Helena took off at a job quickly navigating the corridors coming to the airlock for the Sojourner. She stepped up to the Watch Officer, “Lt Laursen, Helena, Pilot and Nav officer for the Sojourner. Reporting.” She held up her badge.

The Sgt checked his manifest, her ID and nodded, “Safe travels Lt. Your CO just boarded. Deck C, port, quarters 10.” Helena made her way through to the docking ring.

Lt Laursen

Marceau was waiting for her inside. “Ready to explore the ship?” He asked. Judging by the absence of his bags, he must have already been to his quarters at least, but he’d left the majority of the ship to explore together. “Meet the crew? We also need to do the formal check in with medical, but that can wait until morning.” In the morning the crew would also be checking in to him and their department heads. It was going to be a busy morning.

~ Captain Renault

He waited. That made Helena inordinately happy. She glanced down at her bags, “I am but I really don’t want to lug these around with me.” She listened as he talked and they made their way along the deck. “We could wait for medical, but they will be slammed tomorrow, and so will you with all the crew coming on board. Plus,” she glanced over at him a huge grin in her face, “you might be captain but I know you, Marceau, you are eager to see what kind of medical facilities are on board.”

Lt Laursen, pilot

“Hopefully they are more put together then the science labs are when I arrived,” Heather said walking up to Marceau and Helena. “Captain, Lieutenant, welcome to the Sojourner. I’m Commander Grace. I apologize for not meeting you when you first arrived Captain, but there was a mix-up in a last minute supply delivery that needed to be sorted out.

Oh it wasn’t just the two of them now. Time to put on the professional officer mask and drop the long time familiarity. She and Marceau were long time friends, but there was a time and place for it. She turned a polite gaze on the Cmdr, standing up a little more towards attention, hampered by the bags.

“Quite alright,” said Marceau in his thick French accent. “Captain Renault, as you are aware. I think I’ve heard about you.” He’d read the files of the crew before boarding. He stuck his hand out for a handshake, offering a friendly smile.

“Lieutenant, if you’d like to take a look around the ship before the morning rush, I’d be happy to show you to your quarters, or we can probably find someone to run your bags down there for you.”

Cmdr. Grace - XO

“Lt Helena Laursen, ships pilot and navigation officer. A pleasure Cmdr Grace.” She held out her hand. “I’m familiar with the ship’s layout and the duty officer at the air lock told me where my berth is.” Of course the XO had things to discuss with Cpt Renault. Helena was still a Lt but that was because she was happy with her position and doing what she loved. She was, however, a seasoned officer and knew how things went. “I can find my way there and meet up with you later, Cpt?”

“Oh, euhm… If you wouldn’t mind her joining us, we were going to quickly tour the ship together.” Marceau smiled at Heather again, “It seems you already know your way, perhaps you could show us around? Then we’ll get to work.”

~ Captain Renault

Helena grinned, oh wasn’t this wonderfully awkward. She stood their waiting to see if she should stay or go.

Lt Laursen, pilot