Posted by Lieutenant Helena Laursen (Helm/Nagivation Officer) in Memory: End of First Year Training Mission

Posted by Captain Marceau Renault (Commanding Officer) in Memory: End of First Year Training Mission

Posted by Lieutenant Helena Laursen (Helm/Nagivation Officer) in Memory: End of First Year Training Mission
Posted by… suppressed (6) by the Post Ghost! 👻
April arrived and with it, squad assignments. For the size of their class that meant 13 people to a squad. Helena and Marceau had been put on a team together. She knew the other pilot as well. They were a mix of every department, at least two, security science, medical, linguists, pilots, engineers. They all had specialties. They had about two weeks of classes before their first training mission and there was a lot of speculation. They were given packs and told what they needed. Between classes they had to figure out where to get most of the supplies and who had access to get it. It was a puzzle that they had to solve. Everyone’s pack would be checked for the required equipment. Points would be taken for poorly organized or incomplete packs. Helena was excited to get off the Academy grounds and breathe after the turmoil of returning to campus. Not everyone was so eager…

Helena

Marceau was on the ‘not so eager’ side. Since he was medical, he’d been able to avoid confronting the Flying Problem. First year medical was about studying and learning what is typically in different kinds of med kits, what is typically in a sickbay, and then more typical first year medical student stuff. He’d had no need to go up yet. He was glad he’d been placed with Helena. It was at least a little comforting to know that maybe she could be his pilot. But he was still very worried about it.

He’d mentioned it to Lucy, and she had been surprisingly unhelpful (surprisingly to him, anyway). She’d said maybe he should just stay home, tell them he can’t do it. He couldn’t do that.

He was working with the other medical cadet to prepare their medkits so he didn’t have to think about flying up. Then, when those were finished, and what Marceau thought was well organized, he checked the list and with the other cadets in the squad for anything else medical had to get or anything else he could help prepare.

~ Marceau

Helena looked over the equipment list with the other pilot. They started out by going to the hanger bay and trying to requisition a transport plane. The Senior cadet shook her head and laughed. “Sorry, you can’t have that.” Helena and Billy knew it was a long shot, but they tried. But what could they get? The engineers would get tool kits…but the transports some times required special tools that weren’t in a basic tool kit, so they got that. Then on a whim, “Can we get a PaDD with the schematics for the different transports available to first year cadets?” Helena was the only first year that had tested out into higher level classes so she figured that nothing would be ranked for higher level flight training. The senior grinned, “Yes, you can.” It took her a few minutes but then passed the PaDD over.

It occurred to Helena the next day during their security class there was something else she could probably get. She went and talked to one of the science officer, Yvette, in the squad. They went to the quarter master to get navigational equipment. Compass, star charts, binoculars, etc. Helena also asked for star charts, a sextant (because why not) and maps. They were given a basic map of the area, without a lot of detail. Remembering the day before, Helena changed her request to specifics: Planimetric Maps, Topographic Maps, Thematic, Navigation Charts, and Cadastral Maps and Plans. The quartermaster nodded with slight twinkle to his eye. “Very good cadet.”

They all met in Kenneth’s room. It was pretty packed with all 13 of them in there. But they went over their packs to make sure everyone had the basics that were required. Then Helena and Billy learned when they had gone to ask for a plane. “The more specific we are, the more ‘out of the box’ the more things we can get. I don’t think we should go over board. We don’t want our packs so heavy we can’t carry them, but it might get us an edge. Like these maps.” She spread the topographical map out, “Now we know where we’re going. There’s no place names here, but we could do an inquiry with the computer and see if we can get more detail? It’s all about being prepared right?”

Helena

Marceau and one of the science cadets in their crew and the science cadet said, “If we can figure out where it is, we’ll know what kind of natural resources we might have around us. Both good and bad.” Marceau opened his medical kit, “We have basic medical kits with different bandages, a medical tricorder, some weak meds, and a few other things.” He glanced at the other med cadet, “There isn’t many ‘out of the box’ things we are cleared to use as year one medical cadets but eh…” Marceau chuckled nervously, “Hopefully we won’t need it anyway.”

~ Marceau

The other medical cadet tapped his chin, “What about after bite sticks, calamine lotion. If Kenson can figure out where this is we can ask for specific anti-venoms for what we might come across?”

Marceau nodded, “We will ask tomorrow.”

Kenneth was one of their engineers, “Billy, let me see that tool kit they gave you for the shuttles. We only need the specialized pieces. It will lighten the weight.” Emilio the other engineer snapped his fingers. “We can exchange some of our tools too. Instead of a whole set of ratchets we could ask for adjustable ones.”

Kenson shook his head, “I think I can do it, pin point the location, but I need the lab computers. Yvette, you want to help me?” She nodded and stood up. “Let’s go now. It should be quiet and if we go tonight maybe we won’t tip off the other teams.”

Helena

By the next day, the medical kit had calamine lotion, after bug bite things, and some other typical remedies that might come in handy. The engineers had been able to swap some of their gear and overall they were feeling pretty prepared. When they next met the first question was, “Do we have the location?”

~ Marceau

Kenson grinned, “It took awhile. The topography helped and we…” He went on for several minutes about the technical stuff he had to do and across referencing, until most of the group was glass eyed. Not that they weren’t eager to know how he did it, but he was starting to speed up and lost about half the group in the jargon.

Yvette slapped his arm. “Yes you’re a genius. Tell them already.”

Kenson grinned, “Sorry. The Black Hills. Yes as in Mount Rushmore, but the Northside and spreading west toward Idaho. We won’t be near the monument. Plenty of shade and water there. But plenty of natural dangers too.” Yvette passed out a list, animals, plants to watch out for, weather and temp conditions, as well as potential natural hazards like rock slides.” Days are warm, nights are chilly. Do we have fire starters? And pack layers for clothing. We’ll have our uniforms which are pretty good, but it won’t hurt to have extra.” He looked at Marceau “Any advice from medical?”

Helena

“Bring water. That area is dry… Not as dry during this part of the year but dehydration is not something to mess around with. We will also add sun lotion to the medical kit. Dry and hot means sun burns which also don’t help dehydration.” Marceau said. “There are, if I am right, some poisonous snakes in the area. I’m not sure about wildlife…” He looked to science, and then to the other medical cadet in case he forgot anything.

~ Marceau

Akela, the other medical cadet, added, “Shoes, good broken in shoes, but not old. You can get new ones from the quartermaster, but it will tear your feet up. But you don’t want ones that the soles are so worn they don’t grip. We’ll be near mountains and might have to hike. Gloves for those of you with delicate hands. Not winter gloves, but work or climbing gloves. Quartermaster should have those as well.” She tapped her chin. “OH. Socks. You do not want loose socks that move around in your boots, you’ll get blisters. Not only painful but if they break could get infected.”

Jones who was an avid outdoorsman, “Hats. Get a hat to shade your face. If bright sunlight bothers you, sunglasses. Also on top of poisonous snakes, there are spiders, also ticks. Ticks are awful and are in the woods. You need to check yourself every day.”

“Marceau we need to check and make sure we have tweezers at least incase we need to remove one. Sample cases too because we’ll have to have the tick checked if anyone gets bit. Also if you have known allergies or take medication regularly you need to let Marceau and I know. What about an emergency epinephrine pen, Marceau? In case anyone has an allergic reaction to something we aren’t aware of?”

Marceau nodded. “Epinephrine pens are standard in med kits. We have two in there.”

Helena in the mean time was talking to Jones. Then looked at Yvette, “Do we have water testing kits and purification tabs? Wait did anyone ask about ration packs? Or are going to attempt to forge and hunt?”

Helena

“We’ll starve if I’m doing the hunting. Better pack ration packs.” Someone said and Marceau agreed. Staking eating on their ability to forge and hunt in a dryer environment would not be a good idea.

~ Marceau