Squadron Check-In

Posted on 23 Apr 2023 @ 1:54pm by Commodore Harvey Geisler & Lieutenant Michael Kenmore

1,153 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Milk Run
Timeline: Mission Day 2 at 0800

Michael spent yesterday in the Squadron Administration Center going over all of the information for the ship that pertained to the squadron. The Valkyries were certainly not new to him, but the uprated Akira-Class was. She was smaller than the last Hawk, according to the ship's history, and that meant a smaller squadron with less people. It'd sure be easier than helping manage two or three squadrons on Starbase.

Today found him actually on the Flight Deck; walking through and checking on the morning start-ups. According to the schedule, the pilots should've been starting their morning flight briefing for this specific escort duty. Half were supposed to fly Alpha shift and the other half, Beta shift. If nothing went wrong. John stopped at one of the fighters and picked up a PADD laying on a nearby tool chest. So far, the maintenance schedule seemed to be right on target.

There were few things more satisfying to being a Captain than stepping out onto the Flight Deck during his inspection tour. Having served aboard two Akiras afforded Harvey some unique vantage points, including the ability to compare and contrast. The older Akira had a turbolift that deposited directly into the middle of the Flight Deck. This ship had a more secure antechamber that allowed for safer interactions and security before stepping out onto the deck. Harvey stood for a moment in the turbolift, taking in the busy site of personnel shuffling back and forth. Of the just under 500 souls on the Black Hawk, the Flight Deck featured the highest concentration of personnel during any given time, and that was evident even in this antechamber.

Harvey stepped out of the lift, through the hustle and bustle, and entered the Flight Deck. This area seemed to be busier than the antechamber, and rightfully so. None of the fighters were deployed at the moment, and everyone seemed to be taking the opportunity to check over their fighters in what Harvey assumed to be pre-launch checks. It did not take him long to track down the deputy commander, who was looking over a padd near his own fighter.

"Morning, Lieutenant," Harvey greeted, approaching the pilot.

"Morning...," Michael paused as he turned around, padd still in hand, "...Captain. Welcome to the Flight Deck, Sir. What can I do for you this morning?"

Harvey took a moment to relish in the man's momentary pause. In all of Harvey's years of command, his daily inspection tour was a habit for him, but very few aboard this starship knew about that. "I like to check in on my departments at the start of each day," he explained. "You'll get used to it. How's the squadron settling into their new berth?"

"Not a bad idea," he remarked. "They seem to be settling in okay for the most part, Sir. From comparing the previous and current manifests, there seems to be a lot of new starfighter pilots. I guess they wouldn't have much to compare it to. But the ones that came over from the Century-class are having a few problems getting used to the 'confined spaces' as they call it. I tell them that they picked the wrong the job if confined spaces is an issue. Usually after about a minute, it sinks in. Then they laugh and go on about their business. I just hope their reaction time is better in the cockpit...." After which, Michael smiled.

The Captain chuckled, catching each of Michael's hints. "Most people might think it's odd, but in many ways, I'm happy to be back in an Akira. The Century was a good girl. Sleek, graceful... versatile." Harvey paused to take a good look at the flight deck, taking in the new sight. "The Akira though... she's got teeth. She's a fighter, just like the little birds in her nest."

Harvey looked back to Michael. "Though, if you've got concerns about those little birds, we definitely need to address that."

"Um, no, not really, Sir. Smaller ship, confined spaces...they're fighter pilots. Their whole job is to be in a confined space. It just took a little bit to sink in for them, slow mental reaction time. Though, I have yet to see any of them in action," said Michael. "Sorry about the joke, Captain." He put the PADD down.

The Captain waved a hand, dismissing the thought. "No need to apologize, Lieutenant. Sometimes, that's just how things happen. Just have your pilots prove that I've got nothing to worry about and you won't have a lick of pressure from me." He chuckled, looking across the bay at an array of fighters. "Of course, once you prove yourself, you may find your team called upon for just about every situation we run into."

"Oh I'll put them through their paces, Captain. They'll prove to me that they deserve to be here and in the pilot's seat," said John. "Sir, I'm hoping to be involved in just about every situation. All due respect to my old bosses at the Starbase, but I didn't get out much."

Harvey chuckled, looking back to Kenmore finally. "That'll all change here on the Black Hawk. In fact, throughout this convoy mission, your pilots will be put to the test. At warp, your birds will need to stay in the nest. We've got a fair amount of waypoints on this mission, and I'll need birds in the air whenever we arrive at those. I don't want to show our full strength lest we give any onlookers a reason to make their run. I was thinking two birds for each waypoint with more on standby." He paused to let Kenmore process and offer his thoughts.

John nodded. "I can make up a rotation easy enough for that. How long will we be at warp between the waypoints so I can have everyone on schedule?"

The Captain answered quickly, the information still fresh in his mind, "We're looking at four to five days total in transit, and fourteen waypoints. The Oberths need a good 15-25 minutes to rest their coils before initiating another start. I'll make sure you get a copy of the flight plan as it'll have more details. There's a couple jumps that will only be an hour or two in length."

John nodded. "Sounds good, Sir. We'll be ready for some quick-turns in and out. And have the others on standby if needed."

"Excellent," Harvey said with a nod. "Well, Mister Kenmore, I shall leave you and the squadron to it. Make sure the XO gets a copy of your plan for this mission."

"Aye, Sir," said Michael. "I'll make sure to get that to him before the end of the shift today. Nice meeting you, Captain."

Harvey merely smiled and added, "It's an honor to have you on board, Lieutenant. As you were." With that, the Captain turned and departed the flight deck, leaving the squadron to tend to their duties.

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