Posted by Captain Arialla Bovar (Captain) in Post SIM: CO and XO

Posted by Commander Jean Francios Millet (XO) in Post SIM: CO and XO

Posted by Captain Arialla Bovar (Captain) in Post SIM: CO and XO

Jean-Francois found the kitchen and made some nice ham and cheese sandwiches and looked at the time and saw that he had enough time to make some desserts. He made some Macarons and powdered covered Benoits. It took an hour but it was worth it. “I hope she didn’t run out on me.” He thought to himself. He packed the food in nice containers and had a container that would keep the pastries warm for several hours. He stopped by his room and grabbed a bottle of wine from his families estate and put it all in a bag along with a corkscrew. He finally met up with her at the transporter. “Pardon me Captain. It took longer than I thought but I have food here for us and a very nice 80 year old bottle of Bordeaux.” He motioned with his free hand. “Shall we?”

Jean-Francios, XO

He had mentioned going to get ready for their picnic and had him meet her in 40 minutes at the transporter room. She had been about to give up when he came thru the door with apologies. She raised an eyebrow and shook her head. “I almost gave up, you know… I’m starving now.” She laughed and nodded as they were ported to the surface.

The transporters weren’t used often for people. Most of the crew were scheduled on and off surface on a shuttle rotation. As they materialized, she couldn’t help but whistle in appreciation at the view. The XO’s coordinates to the Transporter Chief had dropped them on a grassy spot just shy of a rocky outcrop overlooking a huge valley that disappeared into the sea in the distance. “This is nice, I’ll grant you that.” She laughed and looked at him. “It gets you off the hook for being late. Just this once,” she laughed and moved to the rocky landing to glance at the scenery.

Captain Arialla Bovar
Commanding Officer

He smiled. “Well good. Here have a Macaroon and I will pour you some wine.” He opened the heated tray and handed it to her. Steam rising out and she could smell the savory of the rich French pastry. He then opened the bottle of wine and let it air out for a moment before pouring it in to the glasses and handed one to her. He raised the other one up to her. “To us, our friendship, our ship and our missions together.”

Jean-Francios, XO

She took a bite of the pastry as he poured the wine. “It’s good…” taking the glass, she toasted back. “Hear, hear..” she took a sip and nodded. “Ok, you win. Definitely better than I would have chosen.” She laughed and looked around. “You know, I could sit here all day and work.”

Ari
CO

“Merci! I made the pastries. My mom used to make the Macaroons in the morning for us before school. She would do it and not the chef. She used an old family recipe, which in turn I used for us.” He took a sip of the wine and savored it. “Of course I would pick a better wine. No one can come close to my knowledge of wines on the ship. But you are not going to work! This place is for relaxation only, No? We can go down to the beach and walk in the water and look for seashells or something but no one is going to work. Take this time Madam Captain to relish and take pleasure in something as beautiful as this. For when you are stuck in space and can’t go anywhere and are having a bad time, you can look back on this and smile and unwind about the good things. Not everything has to be about facts and science. Just take in the beauty and drink it up like I am right now.” He said directly looking into her eyes.

Jean-Francios, XO

His gaze was almost unnerving. As if he was seeing into her in places even she wasn’t aware of. She turned away to look over the cliff. “Not everything I do it work. I have a project, passion really. And this would be the perfect place to get a clear head without the constant hum of the ship.” She finished the macroon and took a cleansing sip of the wine. “I am working on how to use the sling shot principle to move a ship from one point to another, over great distance, without warp capability.”

She turned to face him, but her eyes wouldn’t lock on his for long before looking at his sweater or something past him. “We use it close to earth, around the moon or sun, to shoot us into space. So why can’t we use it to move crippled ships in an escape plan? Or perhaps used to move a ship thru a field where using warp would be deadly?” She glanced up into the sky. “I believe there are whole corridors in every sector that are capable of sustained sling shot travel.”

She bit her lip and looked down at him. A blush rising on her cheeks. “Sorry, I get a little carried away.”

Ari

He let out a sigh and sat his wine down. “I get you are passionate about this but the simple fact is that Earth used this method of travel to gain more momentum. If you apply more force to an already structurally weakened ship you would tear it apart. Simple physics really. But for a healthy ship it can be done but it takes longer. To get to the Mars the Americans used that and it took 10 months of space travel for the satellite to arrive there. If you want to move something out fast and without fuel, then you will need another plan.” He hated to burst her bubble but was just speaking out. “Now if you know of a way then I am all ears.”

Jean-Francios, XO

She dropped her smile and lowered her glass. “I have taken structural integrity into account. This is something to help move a ship a greater distance than directional thrusters alone. To remove them from hazardous or deadly areas. Or move them thru an area they need to get to the other side of without much power.” She crossed her arms, the intimidating affect lost because of the half full glass still in one hand. “She I have already proven it around two points of anchor at 90% success consistantly. It’s the third and fourth, or more, points that I work on.” She turned to face over the cliff once more. It would work, she knew it would. Maybe she hadn’t thought of everything but that’s why it was a hobby and a passion. “It will take time, but apparently, I have plenty.” She fell silent and finished the second half of her wine in a single long draw.

Ari
CO

“Well I am very glad to hear that. My apologies Madam Captain for my misinformation. I am glad to hear that I will help you in any way I can if you so desire. I hope you like the wine. It is from my families winery.”

Jean, XO

Her back was still to him as she stared at the sun. It had started it decent. In about an hour, it would he cracking over the horizon. She was silent a few moments longer before turning and moving back to the picnic basket on the grass. “Apology accepted,” she said, but something had changed in her. The fire and passion of a moment ago was replaced by the stoic, no nonsense Captain he had met a little over an hour ago. “We should eat. I’m starving.” She set her glass on the grass and allowed him the pleasure of unpacking his surprises. “And the wine is amazing, honest. I haven’t had its smoothness in quite a few years. Definitely pleasurable, to be sure.”

Ari
CO

“I am glad and I am very sorry if I ruined your evening just now.” Noticing her tone and demeanor. He unpacked the sandwiched and the rest of the Macaroons and powdered beniots and handed he some on a plate. “The wine is an art form in itself. A lot of passion went into it to refine it just like your idea of sling shots.”

Jean, XO

She waved off his apology. “My apologies to you. I get fired and passionate about the project. And you aren’t the first to speak concerns that I am wasting my time. But what I have come up with, even on a simulation level, is more than any current space ship has been able to do. And, if I can make it work, any station with directional thrusters may be able to benefit from it as well. But as you said, I have things I need to work out. So I will. And if you like, I’m happy to share with you as I do. Never hurts to have a naysayer around when discovery is being born.”

She took a bite of the sandwich and it relaxed her. “I didn’t realize how hungry I am… thank you.”

Ari
CO

“Merci. I understand you now, at least at this moment. I will not be around to be a naysayer, but a reasonable voice. Direction and speed in space is easy to achieve. Once you are going in that direction then nothing will stop you unless you change course or hit something. Hollywood as it all wrong. You just need to get the ship in the orbit of said astral body and fire the thrusters to maintain orbit. Then once that is done you can turn them off to save and conserve fuel. When you need to sling shot, then turn them on again and give enough thrust to break orbit and you will be going faster than normal. Once you are on course, tuen them back off and repeat at the different checkpoints that you want. You can very easily trace the galaxy with one tank of fuel. When you are nearing your destination then you fire up the thrusters again but in reverse to slow yourself down. Kind of like a ship trying to dock. Does that help?”

He was hungry himself and ate a couple sandwiches while watching the beautiful landscape.

Jean, XO

She smiled but it wasn’t quite as bright. “A bit more complicated than that… but yes. That’s the premise. Just have to have the right bodies to whip around at the right time.” She had been working on it for a couple years. Her own resources and science peers were intrigued enough to look at her progress on occasion. But not intrigued enough to help.

She ate her sandwich and pulled another out. “So what do you do in space without vineyards to look over and occupy your time?” She looked at him and her brows rose in curiosity. “And try to seduce your Captain’s into eating instead of skipping meals?” This time her smile was sincere and genuine and bright once more.

Ari
CO

Her smile and laughed. “Well you need it. I am an Archaeologist. Xenoarchaeology to be precise. What did you do before you became a Captain?”
He had another Macaroon.

Jean-Francois

She nodded. “Sounds like we need to get you plenty of things to dig up then. Hate for you to get bored on the ship.” She finished her sandwich. “Scientist, actually. I have a fascination with pretty much anything we can’t explain.” She laughed and shook her head. “Our last mission… a set of seven dwarf stars. And I just had to check them out. Got us in a heapin’ ton of trouble with immortal races, prison planets and black hole supported spheres. You have your work cut out as my Second, I will tell you now. I look out for the crew, I am not that reckless. But sometimes I want to get just that last two inches closer.” She smiled and glanced at the setting sun, her hand brushing hair from her face as the breeze tossed it like a child playing with paper.

“Wow! That was a lot.”

She glanced sideways at him and smirked. “And no more ‘methane gas flowers’ to distract me,” she looked away but the smile remained. “That’s not nice to do to your new Captain.”

Ari
CO

“If you say so Madam Captain.” Looking at the beauty of the sunset and the beauty of the woman next to him he couldn’t help himself. He stood up and started singing in French and it sounded just like this: https://youtu.be/E7zgNye6HTE

Jean-Francois, XO