Go hard, Go fast

Posted on Tue Dec 6th, 2022 @ 3:33am by Commander Rosa Coy

Mission: New Horizons
Location: Starbase Haven
Timeline: Current- Ish

She was used to short and late nights. They came with the symbiote. Before joining she was often up at the ass-crack of dawn, but not now. Now she was lucky if she got six hours of good sleep or was up by noon. But then, she didn't feel she needed it. The drinking and the bedding often left her energized and alert the next day.

This day she planned to put that energy to good use by breaking in her team. They had yet met her and it was likely the Liberty would be shipping out before long so, now was the only chance she had to see what she was working with.

Having just left Dysi's place, she made her way back to the Liberty and to her quarters where she donned a new uniform with a new pair of panties. She then contacted the flight deck Commander and had him provide a regular schedule and radio all three flight crew teams. This wasn't a carrier, she knew that, but when it came to defending your ship, they had to act as though they were the last and best line of defense.

Less than a half an hour later she entered the flight deck and approached the tower Commander. He was Bolian, a deep azure color. They were known for taking direction and being efficient. She walked up, PADD in hand. "Lieutenant Commander Stouffie I presume?"

"Yes ma'am. How may I help you?"

"Commander Coy. I've reviewed your schedule and I am pleased with what I've seen so far. I'm probably going to shake up the personnel a bit but nothing too crazy. I see there is a loading and offloading gap of a half an hour, how quickly can your crew get fifteen flyers ready to go?"

He eyed her quizzically, "Five-ten minutes, just say the word."

"The word is given. You're on the clock Commander." She then looked out of the tower window at the flight crew milling around. A couple of them had just arrived. They weren't suited up and several of them looked like they had just woken up. "Well this should be interesting." She said to herself before double checking her PADD and then heading down the stairs to the flight deck.

Her job here was simple, let them know who to take orders from. On her PADD was a list of fifteen names, three groups of five, her three squads. She approached and did a quick count in her head, some were missing. She stopped short of a line that was between herself and the pilots. “Liberty flight crews, fall in line front and center.”

A few, who seemed eager to please, jumped to and ran to the line. A few more, stood and walked forward until they were where they were told to be. The remainder him-hawed up to the line as if they didn’t care and weren’t ready to oblige just yet. There were twelve out of fifteen present. She clenched her jaws, “Where are your fellow support crew?”

When no one offered details, she nodded, “Alright, we’ll do this the hard way.” She looked at her PADD, then back to the pilots, “You now have five minutes to find your missing teammates and get suited up and ready to fly. Any person not in their craft when the timer expires will get left behind when the Liberty leaves port. Do I make myself clear?”

“Ma’am!” was the single spoken word response.

“Fallout. The clock is ticking. Move move move.” She watched as they scrambled into the locker rooms, audibly grumbling. This was Coy’s first time on this side of the playing field and she remembered what it was like when the shoe had been on the other foot. That didn’t mean she was going to show them mercy, quite the contrary in fact.

Stouffie walked up and handed her a helmet and pointed her in the direction of the mother bird. “Thank you.” She said, and then walked over and climbed up and into the bird. As she sat down into the craft, an old familiar feeling came soaring back. Of all of her previous hosts, Rosa was the only one who had been a pilot. Blaze and Handzon had flown larger, slower craft, but were never pilots.

She slipped the helmet over her head, then proceeded in her preflight checks. Once ready, she monitored the time and watched as one by one they came running out of the locker room and boarded their craft. Somewhere along the way they had gained their three lost companions. They looked like they had been dragged from their beds kicking and screaming. One may have been hungover. She sympathized.

Not a minute later, the time went off. She quickly indicated which pilots were ready for flight and which ones were still struggling. The PADD had them listed by squad and by name, not that it mattered because she was about to flip the script as she que’d up the mic. “Good morning ladies and gentlemen. Allow me to start by saying, in an impromptu firefight, every single one of you would have failed to defend the ship and would likely be dead now. That said, mount up and follow me out.”

There was no response as she closed the channel and contacted the tower control. “Flight tower, this is Spread Eagle ready for departure, waiting on all clear.”

“Spread Eagle, your path is clear, all traffic is holding for your departure. Give them hell Commander.” It was a moniker given to her at the academy, something she wanted to change but once given, it stuck.

She lifted off the deck, moved out of her holding position, turned and pushed forward out of the bay and then cleared the ship before turning around and waiting. While she waited for the others, she checked the system for the asteroid belt and plotted a course. She then turned off the squad designations and numbered the sub fighters one through fifteen in no particular order.

As they approached, the three squads flew together in their groups in a loose formation, but clearly together out of habit. They came to a stop just beyond and she spoke, “If you will each check your indicators, you will notice I’ve turned off your squadron huds. Many of you have flown with your teammates for years and have earned a place where you can work beside the person next to you. That’s admirable. That also ends today.”

She allowed a moment of grumbling and complaining over the open comm system before talking over them. “I am your Commander now, and in my eyes you have proven nothing except that you will turn up late and grumble when given orders. While others have let you fly fast and loose, my expectations are simple. Go hard, go fast, and obey the orders of your superior. Whether that is me or someone else, I need to know you will do what is right when it matters. Am I clear?”

There was hesitation as they replied. “Ma’am.”

“I’m not sure I heard you. I said, am I clear?”

This time there was a definitive, “Ma’am!”

“Good. Now, I have charted a medium difficulty course through the belt and back. You will fly in the groups I designate, while I monitor. Now,” She checked her data PADD for a name. “Bleaarg is it?”

“It’s Blearge actually, ma’am.”

“My apologies. Names will get easier. Now, take point. Followed by fighters 2-5. The way is yours.”

Blearge sounded shaky as he dished out commands, “Fighters, standard five finger formation, Commander please take the rear. Three quarter impulse on my mark, 3, 2, 1… and mark.” As he spoke the fighters all maneuvered into position and launched as instructed. Coy watched as fighter 3 hesitated slightly which caused some delay on behalf of fighter 5 who was just off her wing. She didn’t say anything yet, just took notes.

It took a moment but Blearge noticed, “3 and five, you launched late, increase speed to match.”

Impressed, Coy relaxed a bit and waited. Their flight would take them a few minutes to reach the belt where the next phase of her challenge would begin. So far, things were working well.

TBC