Breaking rocks - Part 1

Posted on Fri 14th May, 2021 @ 5:26am by Sipov Boros & Ignatius Collins
Edited on on Tue 18th May, 2021 @ 7:30pm

2,412 words; about a 12 minute read

Mission: Waging Peace
Location: Deck 170, Docking Port 99
Timeline: MD 01 2300 Hrs

Standing there looking out the window at the ship, Sipov was in a clean grey pilot's uniform. While he didn't want to be too sharp he also didn't want to show up looking like a complete mess. While he'd intended to go out and do his first mining expedition a handful of days prior, it took longer than anticipated for his piloting certification to be approved by the Federation and the necessary conversions applied, so he couldn't fly the Grace or the Torin as planned. Now however that he'd been cleared and provided a number of what were anticipated to be good mining deposits, it was time to get to work and make some money before the first payment on his ship was due. Before he could do that however he needed a run through from Ignatius as well as any access codes. In truth he was looking forward to getting out and taking it for a spin, hoping to bring in some solid income for his employer.

Checking his PADD, he looked at the time again to make sure he wasn't late. Maybe it was just nerves, maybe he was wanting to fly again, maybe it was the fact he was being entrusted with someone else's ship. Either way, he was antsy to get on the move and see how things went.

The door leading from the umbilical passageway to the lounge hissed open, and Ignatius Collins stepped out. He wore dark gray coveralls that matched his hair in shade and strode toward Sipov with a purposeful step. "Mr. Boros, good to see you! You look like a man who's ready to fly a ship. Come on back with me. I'll take you on the tour. We can get your paperwork finalized, go over the work schedule and so forth, and get you started. Thank you for being willing to meet at this hour."

"Thank you Mr. Collins for not terminating me since my license transfer took as long as it did. I know you're looking to get money in your pocket and waiting on a pilot over something so simple can hurt your bottom line. As a result the time of launch makes no difference to me, the sooner I get out there the sooner we can both get paid. I was fortunate enough to have a few current mining surveys provided that I'll go and check out to hopefully fill up the hold in no time." Sipov was anxious to get his own ship paid off and finally take it out for it's shakedown, as well as test out his management system.

"Can't terminate someone who hadn't been formally hired yet," Ignatius said. "Once the license transferred, then I could hire you--and I'm glad to have you as part of the company." He gestured toward the umbilical, and they both stepped inside and glanced out toward the Edward-class freighter. "As you can see, the Grace is wonderful if you like to walk," Ignatius said wryly. "How are you at maneuvering yourself in zero-g?"

Sipov returned a nod in acknowledgment and followed the other man as he led the way "Zero-g I can handle myself in, it's been a little while since I had to deal with it extensively but it shouldn't take long for me to get used to once more. I'm presuming the ship has gravity limited to certain areas or?"

In his late childhood a number of the smaller craft he'd learned to fly in didn't have any sort of artificial gravity so it was something he quickly became accustomed to, along with the bumps and bruises associated with learning to move in an environment with no set 'up or down'.

(EDITED): "In between the ten cargo bays is a looooong corridor," Ignatius said. "No matter how much I have Purulence pretty it up to make the walls more interesting, it's still a lengthy trip from the primary hull to the engineering section, so I prefer to do it in zero-g if the turbolift is offline. The trip's much faster that way. Purulence thinks I ought to use it as a running track--and she's right--but I'm a lazy cuss and an impatient one when it comes to getting from Point A to Point B. If there's trouble in the engine room it's serious, and I need to be there fast if the lift isn't working--which it won't be in case of a fire. Besides, zero-g is just fun. It makes you feel like you're flying."

"Ah that makes sense. While I don't mind the walking I think the zero-g is a great idea." A fifteen minute walk? How long is this ship? "I'm not much of a runner myself and in the event of an emergency the gravity may not work in there anyways, so it's smart to be prepared. I like the idea." That, and the feeling of weightless flight was something that he found enticing as a pilot. While maybe not all did, he was quite the opposite. Sipov just never had much time to enjoy it in the past on his other jobs.

They reached the end of the umbilical, and the outer airlock door cycled open at their approach. They stepped inside, waited for it to fully close and lock, and then stepped through the inner door, which opened automatically once the outer door was secure. In space it would pressurize, but in the docking bay, connected to the umbilical gangway, there was no need for that.

"This airlock is the one at the base of the primary hull, starboard side," Ignatius said. "We're still moving crew in--I think we've got 72 out of the full complement of 100. The reason I set this meeting so late is that anyone moving in will be asleep for the day, which means you can undock her and get a feel for how she maneuvers."

They were now in a corridor that curved off to the left, with blue walls and direct lighting, instead of the indirect lighting style that Starfleet usually preferred. "I like things to be accessible and easy to repair," Ignatius said as he gestured to the lights. "This is the main crew quarters deck. You'll find most of the crew are anthropoid, Class-M planet types, except for the Hortas, simply because it's more efficient to not have to account for a dozen different environments, the way a Starfleet ship has to."

"Good to hear, the less that can go wrong, the better. After I get a feel for the ship did you want us to return and dock once more or are we clear to proceed with mining?" Sipov did take note about not all crew being onboard but he didn't know if that meant that not all positions had been filled or if they were still waiting on folks to show up. If they didn't leave right away it would give him more time to review the navigational charts and familiarize himself with the bridge.

One thing he did take note of was how simplistic everything seemed to be in terms of the deck so far. That was nice, it was better than guessing where a conduit or access panel was in the event of an emergency and would make it easier for him being new to the ship. So far everything was nice and clean which the Vulcan liked to see. It made him feel like he'd dressed properly for the occasion. "And I'm presuming I'll have standard quarters on this deck or do you keep your pilots in bunks on the bridge in a sleep area just in case?" In the past some of the ships he flew they barely left the bridge for almost a month.

"In bunks on the bridge?" Ignatius shook his head. "Heck, no. We're busy on the bridge. We update scans, track metallurgical analyses that are being done in the lab, keep an eye out for pirates, navigate, communicate--you'd never get any sleep up there. No, pilots have their own quarters on this deck, which is where I'm taking you. Once we get underway, everyone will work as one of three teams, and you'll work four hours on duty, eight hours off, each day. You and I will work the 0800 and 2000 shifts. Your fellow pilots are Pete Langham and Rahel Rubin. Their cabins are right next to yours."

"I like the idea of that, four-hour shifts. If it's okay with you I'll upload the mining deposits that were recommended to me for your folks to look over and decide if there's any merit to them. I think it'll also be a good back check against my source, we'll see if she really is as good as she claimed to be. As for having my own quarters, well, thank you. I've had some nightmare scenarios in the past and this will be the first time in a number of days that I have time to myself. I look forward to meeting the others as well."

Everything Sipov heard so far caused him to crack a smile. The job at first sounded like it was going to be a lot longer shifts in the chair and him possibly being the only pilot on shift when he was. To hear he'd be working with Ignatius and having a chance to get to know the man as well as learn how to pilot a new ship was one of the best things that had happened to him in a while. Sure, he'd managed to buy a ship of his own but along with it came a much larger responsibility of getting everything up and running as well as managing the ship and figuring out how it would be taken care of. Here, he could just fly and learn. And get paid to do it.

"Your mining surveys are very welcome," Ignatius said. "I've done some surveying in this area of space--no point in opening a branch office on 109 otherwise--but my old ship was boarded by pirates before I could complete the survey. I'd heard that this is a reasonably deposit-rich area of space, which is why I came out here, but I thought I'd have to do a lot more surveying. Your information will come in handy."

"I'll make sure it's uploaded then. Are we expecting pirates on this trip? And if so do we have any personal arms on board we can access if needed?" Sipov understood not making arms available in general to the crew, mutinies were successful with less advanced weapons when crews became disenfranchised.

"I don't expect us to run into any, but I've learned not to rely on expectations," Ignatius said. He sighed. "My naïve self wasn't expecting them on my last surveying trip; I'd spent too much time around Earth, where the lanes are well guarded and safe. I thought nothing of checking out asteroids so far afield. The Triangle--this local area of space between the Federation, Romulan and Klingon Empires, is a much more dangerous place. Earlier today I reviewed the starbase's logs of pirate encounters nearby, and the area of space we'll fly in tonight is determined to be clear. One-Oh-Nine monitors local space pretty well. We should be fine, but we are armed, just in case. I'll show you where the weapons locker is."

Ignatius paused at a door. "Here's your cabin. Just about every cabin on the Grace has double bunks, but you and the pilots won't be sharing quarters."

Tapping the console Sipov poked his head inside once the doors opened and let out a slow whistle. "Nice, it's a lot more roomy than where I've been the last few nights. You're too good to me, which you should be careful about. I could get spoiled." He took a step in and set his bag down on a nearby table. He made note about the personal firearms but would wait on determining where they were until Ignatius decided exactly when to show him, he didn't want to seem over eager in finding them. Not that he didn't have a strength advantage over a number of other species as it was.

He must've been hot-racking somewhere, to think this tiny cabin is roomy, Ignatius thought. It had top and bottom bunks, a spacious desk area large enough for two people, hooks for hanging things, and a decent head. Aside from that, it was pretty spartan. "It's not all that fancy," he said. "There are no replicators in the cabins; everyone eats in the crew lounge. Same for the recycler, I'm afraid. Where've you been living?"

"Well, I spent my time so far on the starbase in a tiny room barely big enough for a small bed, a single table with a chair and a small screen over it. The room was free but only a limited time. Otherwise before I got here I mostly slept in cargo bays or some other corner of the ship transporting me. It was a lot cheaper that way. This for me over the last while is luxury sir. Some of my piloting assignments in the past weren't near this glorious either, what with bunking on a part of the bridge or even at times expected to rotate as pilot and co pilot and rest in our chairs just in case. I can't say running cargo and personnel transports in Breen space was always the most alluring job, but it certainly paid the bills." He couldn't wait for his ship to be ready with the final adjustments being made, he could at least sleep there if need be.

Communal areas for sharing meal and disposing of any refuse didn't bother him one bit.

Ignatius nodded. "Once we get done with the ship tour and taking her out for a spin, you're more than welcome to make yourself at home," Ignatius said. "For now, I'll take you up to the bridge so you can get familiar with the pilot's console. Then I hope you'll tell me what Breen space is like. And, by the way, call me Ignatius."

 

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