Shakedown Cruise, Part 1 (Episode 1)

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Re: Shakedown Cruise, Part 1 (Episode 1)

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"It's okay, I'm a fast reader" Julius replies.
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Re: Shakedown Cruise, Part 1 (Episode 1)

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Scott flips through his manual and then packs it away. It looked just like the one he had back on the ship. Well, he had no more questions. He just wanted to get out there. Beyond the stars. Space. The Final Frontier.
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Re: Shakedown Cruise, Part 1 (Episode 1)

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"Well, I think this concludes the briefing," said Commodore Becker. As everyone began to file out of the room, he said, "Commander Castle, a question. Do you plan to fly Pegasus yourself, or will Lieutenant Steele be piloting her?" Seeing Castle's bemused look, he smiled and continued, "You see, there's a pool... I'm just curious who won. Of course, I didn't bet."

Castle knew why there was so much interest. He had gotten excellent marks at pilot school, but Steele had almost four times his experience at the helm... and all eyes would be on the launch. Was he confident enough to fly her himself? Or maybe letting Steele do it showed more professionalism? Either way, it seemed that someone would be drawing conclusions from it...
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Re: Shakedown Cruise, Part 1 (Episode 1)

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Steele was just about to leave the room when he heard Becker's question. "Oh, great", he thought. "Way to poke the hornet's nest. The the last thing we need is everyone watching for a power struggle." Steele didn't carry any animosity towards Castle. If someone thought Castle was the man for the job, then he was the man for the job. It was no different than being back on the football field. You did what the coach told you...period.

Steele paused in the doorway and turned back "Commodore, sir, with all due respect, I don't think that is being fair to Commander Castle. The last thing we need on a mission like this is to have the captain second-guessing himself. Taking a new ship on its maiden voyage is nerve-wracking enough without adding extra 'static'. Commander Castle was assigned command of the Pegasus and I have no doubt that he will do an excellent job." Looking around at the rest of the crew he continued, "I am sure that we all feel the same way."
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Re: Shakedown Cruise, Part 1 (Episode 1)

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"Ugh, men! If only suffrage had come a century earlier! I would love to see the look on the Commodore's face if everyone loses their bet." Amanda thinks.
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Re: Shakedown Cruise, Part 1 (Episode 1)

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Scott gets a cheshire cat grin on his face and whispers to Amanda, "Yeah, wouldn't it be a riot if you or I were at the controls when we launched."
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Re: Shakedown Cruise -- The Christening of the Pegasus

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"Fair enough, Lieutenant," replied Commodore Becker. "I know none of you have ever participated in a christening, so Sergeant Miller will give you a quick briefing on that subject. The christening is at eleven, launch at noon, so I'd recommend you all grab an early lunch."

I see no reason to delay this any longer, so here we go.

Admiral Aldrin led the way out the Bay 3 airlock, followed by the chaplain in his distinctive black spacesuit. The helmet collar of the chaplain's suit was painted white in imitation of a civilian minister's clothing. Commodore Becker exited next, followed by Commander Castle and his crew.

Admiral Aldrin ordered the participants to attention, and then the chaplain began his prayer:

"Gracious and Eternal God, we gather today to christen this ship. On this day we recognize that she is meant to go to the stars and carry out her mission to protect our Alliance, our people and our world. As the earliest Sailors rightly feared the dangers of the high seas and so invoked a divine blessing, we here today acknowledge the dangers of space, and we ask your blessing upon all who will voyage within this ship.

"And so we are gathered here in your presence, Gracious God, to give thanks for those who have built this ship as well as for those who will fly her into space. Grant, we pray, that this ship will travel among the stars in safety. We pray this in your holy name. Amen."

After a brief moment of silence, the Admiral stepped forward and laid his hand on the nose of the ship. "In the name of the Solar Alliance, I christen this ship Pegasus. May her crew serve with courage, honor, and distinction."

A man wearing Staff Sergeant's stripes on his spacesuit moved forward then, ascending the long gangplank in three smooth gliding leaps, and opened the outer airlock hatch as ceremoniously as possible. Admiral Aldrin ascended and entered the hatch, followed by Commodore Becker. As soon as they cycled through, Commander Castle and Lieutenant Steele entered, and in the same fashion Lieutenants Grimm and Scott boarded. Ibrahim ul-Finn was obliged to enter by himself.

Inside, the Admiral and Commodore had removed their helmets. Knowing their parts in the proceedings, Castle and Steele took their places on the bridge facing the superior officers. Owing to the limited space aboard the ship, Grimm and Finn waited just outside the bridge hatch. Scott, having no part left to play in the ceremony and important work needing his attention, moved directly to the reactor room, removed his suit there, grabbed his clipboard and pencil and began his preflight engine warmup procedure.

On the bridge, Admiral Aldrin handed a piece of paper to Castle. "Lieutenant Commander Julius Castle, I hereby transfer command of the Pegasus to you."

Castle saluted the Admiral, then accepted the paper and shook the Admiral's extended hand. "Thank you, sir," he said. Holding up the paper, he read aloud, "SAS Pegasus SR 1409 is hereby ordered into service under the command of Lieutenant Commander Julius Castle, and ordered to begin immediately the mission designated SR 1409 stroke 1. Order issued this day, July 24th, 1969." He turned with an almost audible snap and handed the order to Lieutenant Steele. Steele in turn handed him the ship's logbook, and Castle made a notation therein and signed his name.

"Congratulations, Julius," said the Admiral, clapping Castle on the shoulder and causing his signature to be a bit sloppy. "Leave as soon as you are ready, and Godspeed." With that, the Admiral and Commodore resumed their helmets and left the ship.

Captain Castle and his crew stowed their spacesuits, then the Captain and his First Officer took their seats at the helm.

I'll need to know whether Captain Castle will be piloting, or if he will delegate the launch to his First Officer. Per my previous comments, I'll write their actions so you'll have a guide for any later occasion when you need to launch. Also need to know where Grimm and Finn want to be during the launch; note that there are two free chairs on the bridge, one at the navigation computer and the other at the auxiliary engineering console. Remember that the chairs have locking swivels; someone flying in either of those seats would usually face the seat forward for launch. Scott will be in the reactor room for the launch, monitoring the performance of all the ship's systems from his wall consoles there.

This is also an appropriate place for any commentary your characters want to make. Remember that the launch is the end of the episode, so if you want some, um, last words, now is the time.
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Re: Shakedown Cruise, Part 1 (Episode 1)

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Lando Scott completes his engine start checklist and opens the valves and flips the breakers needed to unsafe the engines and allow them to start. The rest is in the hands of the captain and pilot. When all is done and there is nothing left but to wait, he opens the 1MC channel that broadcasts shipwide, and since the channel is open to the operations office, to the main station as well.

"While we complete the final steps before take-off I have a quote I would like to read from Anne Morrow Lindbergh's beautifully written book, North to the Orient."
“For Sayonara, literally translated, 'Since it must be so,' of all the good-bys I have heard is the most beautiful. Unlike the Auf Wiedershens and Au revoirs, it does not try to cheat itself by any bravado 'Till we meet again,' any sedative to postpone the pain of separation. It does not evade the issue like the sturdy blinking Farewell. Farewell is a father's good-by. It is - 'Go out in the world and do well, my son.' It is encouragement and admonition. It is hope and faith. But it passes over the significance of the moment; of parting it says nothing. It hides its emotion. It says too little. While Good-by ('God be with you') and Adios say too much. They try to bridge the distance, almost to deny it. Good-by is a prayer, a ringing cry. 'You must not go - I cannot bear to have you go! But you shall not go alone, unwatched. God will be with you. God's hand will over you' and even - underneath, hidden, but it is there, incorrigible - 'I will be with you; I will watch you - always.' It is a mother's good-by. But Sayonara says neither too much nor too little. It is a simple acceptance of fact. All understanding of life lies in its limits. All emotion, smoldering, is banked up behind it. But it says nothing. It is really the unspoken good-by, the pressure of a hand, 'Sayonara.”
"Thank you for allowing me this opportunity to serve all of humankind.

Sayonara."
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Re: Shakedown Cruise, Part 1 (Episode 1)

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"Lieutenant Scott," came the Admiral's voice over the radio, "very poetic, but should the urge ever move you again, resist it. Keep the channel clear."
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Re: Shakedown Cruise, Part 1 (Episode 1)

Post by Hywaywolf »

Making sure the communications channel is most definitely no longer broadcasting, Scott says to his engines, "Don't mind that old goat. He's just got his tighty whities in a bunch because he is staying here and we are going out. Out to the glorious beyond. You just keeping humming along with that perfect pitch and I'll keep on being poetic and we'll sail the stars and come back home again. And he can just sit back here with his clear channel."

Scott polishes a bit of brass that had been smudged in the start up procedures and adds a bit of lagging cloth and insulation tape to a section of a steam pipe's insulation that look slightly ruffled. He whistles as he moves about the engine room, happy with his work.
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