Posted by Captain Marceau Renault (Commanding Officer) in Memory: Luna

Posted by Lieutenant Helena Laursen (Helm/Nagivation Officer) in Memory: Luna

Posted by Captain Marceau Renault (Commanding Officer) in Memory: Luna
Posted by… suppressed (1) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Orders came in mid March. Special assignment, 3 months. They were going to Luna. This year they didn’t have to figure out their gear, the list was given to them. They had 2 weeks to get their personal packs ready and get their shuttle ready. Blackjacks were the only squad getting to fly themselves because of Helena. The other squads were getting taken out by 3rd year students.

The shuttle had to be packed and balanced correctly and full maintenance done. Billy wasn’t cleared, but with permission, Helena and Billy did extra sessions and he was cleared to fly with Helena.

The mission: 4th years had been on Luna all year helping to build the biodomes for a new colony city - New Berlin. Now that it was done, the second year’s were going and building the infrastructure. They would be landing at Tranquility Base where Apollo 11 landed almost 200 years before. They would be gone 3 months. Their work evaluated and graded and determine their final scores for the year. Helena couldn’t wait to get there.

Helena

“Marcy! No way! Three months?” Lucy hadn’t been happy about the news. “Lucy… It’s our end of year mission. Just like last year. This one is even safer than last year’s. Just a little longer.” Marceau had argued. “Safer? You’re going to be in space! For three months! How is that safer!” Marceau considered that. “Well, there are no wild animals. No risk of exposure either.”

“No,” said Lucy dryly, “Only suffocating in the vacuum of freaking. Space!” The argument went on like that for a while until Marceau let out a long sigh. “Lucy… What do you think Starfleet is? I will be in space for years at a time. If you can’t deal with that, maybe you should date someone who isn’t in Starfleet.”

To that Lucy began to cry. She hugged him tightly and shook her head, “Marcy, no. Don’t go talking like that. Please. I don’t want to break up with you.” Marceau hugged her back. “Then no more fighting about this. Okay? We’ll celebrate when I get back.” Lucy was reluctant but nodded. “Okay.”

Today, the day they were leaving for the mission, Marceau was nervous. Earth flights were bad enough. He’d barely managed the orbital missions. All the way to the moon though? In a shuttle? He might faint. He was trying not to look too scared while they waited to board the shuttle.

~ Marceau

Helena, Billy, Kenson, and Flenza had been at the shuttle all morning completing the preflight checks and having the instructors going over their work. So when the squad arrived they were all ready to go. Packs were loaded and secured and everyone was boarded and strapped in.

Helena put a hand on Marceau’s shoulder, “This will be great. Smoother than a regular plane. I promise. I’m your pilot. Nothing will go wrong.”

Helena

Marceau nodded but he was still shaking like a leaf. “Let’s hurry up and get it over with.” He smiled at Helena. “You won’t let anything go wrong.” Then he climbed into the shuttle and harnessed himself into his seat, trying not to think too much about it.

~ Marceau

Marceau sat directly behind her, Billy in the seat beside her. =/\=Academy ground control this is Shuttle Nova ready for take off.=/\= the excitement in Helena’s voice was catching, even for Marceau.

=/\=Shuttle Nova you are clear for flight to Luna. Direct flight, increase z-quadrant 30° after exciting orbit. We will be watching.=/\=

Helena and Billy exchanged a grin, =/\=Roger that, Sir. See you in three months.=/\= Billy replied. The comms went quiet and the shuttle hummed and there was the feel of rising like in an elevator for 2 seconds and then out the window the ground became smaller as they rose. Helena turned the shuttle in a slow bank, “Brace for G’s while we break atmosphere.” There was some chatter back and forth between Helena and Billy. Helena reached back and squeezed Marceau’s hand and then the force of their acceleration pushed them all into their seats.

There were no rough patches or shaking of the shuttle or jarring, just the speed. The horizon became bright white and then blue and then vast blackness. The shuttle slowed and the pressure stopped and they floated above the blue white orb of Earth.

Several of the squad commented on how easy the ride had been. None of them had flown up with Helena yet. Billy bragged for several minutes about the work Helena had been doing. Especially since she had all the isolated alone time because of Lucy. Helena broke orbit anglingvthe shuttle up 30° to a higher travel lane. There the instructors could watch her and Billy. Nothing fancy and not a lot of traffic. It took a couple hours at impulse speeds to get there.

Helena