Posted by Lieutenant Commander Alexander Stewart (Chief Armory Officer) in Side Sim- Lunar Lounge- Discoveries and Enlightenments

Posted by Commander Natalia Ivanka Petrenkov (Executive Officer/Chief Science Officer) in Side Sim- Lunar Lounge- Discoveries and Enlightenments

Posted by Commander Natalia Ivanka Petrenkov (Executive Officer/Chief Science Officer) in Side Sim- Lunar Lounge- Discoveries and Enlightenments
Posted by… suppressed (11) by the Post Ghost! 👻

“Ah thank ye, Commanderr.” Stewart said with his Scottish brogue. He approached the table and set down his tray before sliding into the seat. Picking up his coffee he took a good slug before looking at the others around the table. “It is a pleasurre to finally meet ye, Commander. How are ye finding the ship so farr?” He asked as he broke his bun in half and using his fork to put some shephards pie onto his bun before taking a bite.

~Lt. Commander Alexander Stewart CAO

Natalia smiled at Alexander. She had made the time to look through the files of the senior staff, Alexander’s had been lengthy and impressive.
“And you Commander.” She replied taking a bite of her lasagne.
“She’s a fine ship and my first ship assignment. The waiting list has been...... long to say the least. Have you been onboard long Commander?”

Helena entered the lounge moving toward the beverage dispenser. She only wanted hot water as she had brought her own tea - turmeric. Grey or Marceau would have her head and her commission which was why she wasn’t telling. Unless it got worse. Could it be stress? She didn’t think so.

She removed the cup and made her way to the small table where the chef kept sugar and honey and such for coffee and tea. She gently submerged the teabag in the water and then added a drop of honey.

While her tea steeped, Helena glanced around. It was busier than normal this time of night, but she was glad to see the small gathering engaging with each other.

Lt. Laursen, Helm/Navigation Officer

Natalia saw movement out of the corner of her eye and glanced around. She noticed Lt Laursen and beckoned her over.
“Ahh, Leftenant, please come and join us.” She stated with a smile, opting to use the British version of the rank.

Commander Natalia Petrenkov XO/CSO

Helena picked up her cup and made her way carefully around the tables. She grabbed a chair, spinning it backwards before sitting down. She crossed her arms over the back of the seat, letting her cup hang from her finger. “Thank you, Commander.” She took a sip of the steaming drink, “What has everyone out at this hour?”

Lt. Laursen, Helm/Navigation Officer

Natalia smiled and nodded.
“You’re welcome. I’ve just come off my shift. Thought I’d get a bite to eat and get to know some people. I’ve not been on the ship long, I was a last minute transfer. I@m still adjusting.” She stated.
“What brings you to the lounge this late?” She asked.

Helena held up her tea cup. “I was in the mood for tea. My mom sends me this blend that a local man in our town makes. A small taste of home.”

“Hullo, Lieutenant.” Stewart said in greeting between bites of his pie. “This herre Shepharrd’s pie is braw!”

~Lt. Commander Alexander Stewart CAO

Helena grinned, “Hello Cmdr. How is your ensign doing? He figure everything out yet?”

Natalia tried to hide a smile at Alexander’s tone, his accent was certainly refreshing.
“Alexander, I noticed you were in the navy? What was that like?” She asked tucking in to her jacket potato.

Commander Natalia Petrenkov CSO/XO

“Ahhh, serrving on the waterr is like nothing else. Unless it is like serrving in space. That Ah canna say yet as Ah havenna been out herre long enough yet. Ah miss the waterr and the wind. They be like rreal entities, doncha know.”

~Lt. Commander Alexander Stewart CAO

“I don’t know about water, but the wind I can attest to the truth of. It’s like a living thing, and if you don’t woo it just right it can get jealous,” Helena laughed.

Lt. Laursen, Helm/Navigation Officer

“Exactly!” Stewart said pointing his fork toward Helena, a large smile breaking out. “She be a jealous mistress. Wherre did ye make frriends with the wind, Lieutenant?”

~Lt. Commander Alexander Stewart CAO

Helena laughed, “When I was 9 on board a Cessna. I’ve been flying ever since.”

Lt. Laursen, Helm/Navigation Officer

“Ahh, that ‘tis a wee aircraft. Ye would have been verra familiarr with the wind.”

~Lt. Commander Alexander Stewart CAO

Natalia had been listening intently, tucking in to her potato.
“It must be more exciting? There’s lots more to explore on a Starship.” She chipped in.

Commander Natalia Petrenkov CSO/XO

“Oh aye,aye. It’s one thing Ah be looking verra much to do.” He chuckled in a self deprecating way. “‘Tis one the rreasons the Admirral finally talked meh out of rretirrement.”

~Lt. Commander Alexander Stewart CAO

“The exploration is great, and I love flying, but flying in space is very different from flying planet side,” Helena mused as she sipped at her tea.

Lt. Laursen, Helm/Navigation Officer

Natalia raised an eyebrow.
“Oh? In what way is it different?” She asked.

Commander Natalia Petrenkov CSO/XO

“No cross currents of air, we stay aloft, there is no fighting gravity unless we get too close in orbit,” Helena said. “Now an ion storm or asteroid field changes all that, but for the most part, space flying is more automated. In a plane you use landmarks to chart your course, or you can. Can’t fly with sight alone in space. Landmarks are too far away to see.”

Lt. Laursen, Helm/Navigation Officer

“Do ye not use the starrs as ‘landmarrks’ perr say?”
Stewart asked.

~Lt. Commander Alexander Stewart CAO

Natalia nodded as she ate, she would have thought the same.
“I’d have thought you could use constellations? To some extent at least anyway?” She asked interested to hear the answer.

Commander Natalia Petrenkov CSO/XO

Helena nodded, “Of course, but it’s not quite the same as it is from planet side. That’s how the nav computer works. You use the positions of the stars to chart, but they are so far away, that you can’t really use them for precise navigation. It’s more a general direction. For instance, on Earth if you are facing north and look up at Polaris and you want to travel south east, you turn and aim for the constellation Orion. Have you ever noticed the constellations look different from space? On Earth we can see the whole ‘picture’ but in space we see how truly far away from each other those stars are. So what do I aim for? The belt? Which star on the belt? It takes me along the z-axis and not just along the y-axis. So using the stars might get me closer, but close could be thousands of lightyears off the mark. Not every object in space is illuminated by the stars and some can not be seen with the naked eye. So navigating around those can be tricky because we have to rely on sensors. And sometimes our sensors don’t pick those things up. We don’t even know they are there until we hit them.”

Lt. Laursen, Helm/Navigation Officer

“How do ye navigate then?” Stewart asked curiously as he finished his tea and set his cup down.

~Lt. Commander Alexander Stewart CAO

“With the computer,” Helena grinned. “Without the nav computer it would take us a very long time to figure out how to get somewhere. That’s why I say space flight is different from flying on Earth. On Earth you can use your senses alone to fly, in space…well, you can, but I would not recommend it.”

Lt. Laursen, Helm/Navigation Officer

“Ahh, that does make total sense.” Stewart said with a rueful smile at himself.

~Lt. Commander Alexander Stewart CAO

Natalia nodded.
“Indeed it does make complete sense. I’m personally more interested in alien lifeforms myself. But that was an enlightening insight Lieutenant!” Natalia stated with a smile.

Commander Natalia Petrenkov CSO/XO

“So what made the two of you choose to venture into space?” Helena asked and then lifted her mug to take a drink of her tea.

Lt. Laursen, Helm/Navigation Officer

Stewart snorted, “An Admirral’s prromises ferr meh.”

~Lt. Commander Alexander Stewart CAO

Natalia raised an eyebrow at that intrigued.
“Oh? Do tell?” Turning to Helena she stated.

“Ah was enjoying meh rretirrement, minding meh own and the Admirral called and said he had a ship that needed meh. It was meh inclination to turrn him down then surrprrising to meh Ah felt that old sense of curriosity and adventurre.” He shrugged in a self deprecating way. “Ah decide maybe Ah wasna too old.”

“I was always fascinated by space, I’ve always wanted to learn new things and explore. Collect stories. That’s partly why I love Xeno-biology, utterly fascinating.” She looked animated as she spoke, her eyes began to almost sparkle.

Commander Natalia Petrenkov CSO/XO

“Xeno-biology…what exactly does that entail?” Stewart asked curiously.

That’s what she heard from most people. Helena thought that was a necessity for anyone who was going to enter space. She turned her attention politely to Stewart as he answered Petrenkov’s question.

Lt. Laursen, Helm/Navigation Officer
<bump for Krys :)
Sorry missed this in my last pass through:)

~Lt. Commander Alexander Stewart CAO

“Xeno-biology is the study of alien lifeforms. So you can fully understand my excitement of being in space.” She replied and her eyes gleamed.
“It must have felt nice, being asked specifically to come back out of retirement by an Admiral?” She asked.

Commander Natalia Petrenkov CSO/XO