Flight of the Valkyrie

Posted on 23 Jun 2016 @ 11:54pm by Commander Terry Walsh & Ensign Kelly Khan

7,715 words; about a 39 minute read

Mission: Risky Business
Location: Holodeck/Flight Deck
Timeline: MD 1

Kelly's conversation with "Sunbeam" Kilmartin had left her thoughtful and as soon as she finished her next duty shift, she headed to the holodeck. "Computer, list all programs for the Valkyrie fighters."

The computer pulled up two training holo-programs and she went to select one, but the computer beeped. "Authorization for Valkyrie One requires Lieutenant Commander Walsh's authorization."

Kelly tried picking the second one and was told the same thing. With a grunt, she ended her request and headed for the flight deck. "Who puts locks on holoprograms?" she muttered as she took the turbolift down to the flight deck to look for the tall, cute Commander of the Black Knights.

Before she exited the turbolift, she checked her duty uniform, then went in search of the big bald guy.

Terry was down on the deck performing a standard walkthrough inspection. Things were going well it seemed; regular maintenance was being done on the Valkyries and the crew that had been through the virus looked like they were adjusting well. That was really the main reason for his being down there. He stopped at the Valkyrie that he normally flew. Panels were open and parts were scattered on the decking. He looked at the Crewman that turned to him and nodded, indicating that they should continue working. He had his back to the bay doors as he watched the enlisted crew repair his fighter.

Kelly hadn't been on the flight deck for more than a minute when she found the man she was looking for and with his back towards her, she couldn't help but notice his firm backside. Then she frowned. I have Quinn now, she reminded herself. "Excuse me, Commander Walsh?" She asked as she approached him. "Do you have a moment, Sir?"

Terry turned around to see a young brunette standing near. “Cadet,” he said noticing her duty uniform. He thought he remembered her from somewhere, but…then it hit him. “Oh, Cadet Khan isn’t it? We met way back before all of this,” he said, gesturing to the flight deck around him. “Sure, I have a moment. I have a few of them, depending on what you need.” He looked down at the young Cadet and smiled, albeit weakly.

"Yes, Sir," Kelly said. "Cadet Senior Grade Kelly Khan. I had spoken to Lieutenant Kilmartin the other day and he mentioned training for the Valkyrie fighters and holodeck simulations. I just came from there, but the computer informed me that it required your authorization to access it. Is there any special requirements that I have to meet in order to use the program, Commander?"

Terry would be glad to answer her question, but he had one of his own first. "And Lieutenant Kilmartin never set you up with a training schedule or access to the squadron's training simulator after he mentioned it to you?" That was something that he was going to have mark down. One didn't offer training and holodeck simulations and simply leave it up to the individual to take care of it, especially a Cadet.

"No, Sir," Kelly said. "He just told me to get some flight time in a Valkyrie on the holodeck and he'd take me out on a run," she told him honestly.

"Take you out..." Terry ran his head over his bald head as he oft did at times like this. "Does he even realize the Valkyrie is a single-seat fighter? Never mind. "Tell you what Cadet, I'll personally handle your training, right now, and setting up the schedule. Besides, I remember telling you something like I'd help when and where I can. Now, I can. So, to answer your question, the only special requirement you need is me."

"Yes, Sir," Kelly said. "He said he'd be my wingman. I pointed out that the Valkyrie is single-person, also. I appreciate anything you can do to assist me, Commander."

Terry sighed deeply. Things had been getting complicated since he'd been released from Sickbay. "Wingman, huh. Well, good luck with that. For now, let's concentrate on getting you up to speed in the holodeck. C'mon, Cadet Khan." Terry turned towards the flight deck doors. "Tell me what you do know about our fine starfighter."

Kelly walked beside of him. "I know it's a one-man fighter that was introduced near the end of the Dominion War and is a single-person fighter. It's highly maneuverable in combat with a cruising speed of warp two and a maximum speed of warp four that can be pushed to warp four point five for thirty minutes. It has grid and distance-projected shields. It has three Type VII phaser banks, and a complement of eight torpedoes." Yes, she had done her homework on them well before she had gone to the holodeck, but she felt as if she were missing something.

Terry smiled and nodded. "Very good," he said. "But it's not all buttons and screens and phasers and shields, Miss Khan. You know what the first rule of flying is? Love. You've gotta love flying. It's gotta be your passion. It has to be the only thing in the galaxy that you want to do. You can have all the Academy textbook information on Earth, but if you don't love flying...find another job."

Kelly had to laugh. "Commander, there's only one thing I love more than flying and that's chocolate. I was in Nova Squad at the Academy and graduated at the top of my Flight class in all areas, Sir. It's my dream to be a test pilot for the newest ships of the line one day and I take every opportunity to learn from those who have the experience. You're a great pilot, Sir, and I want to learn from you, from Lieutenant Kilmartin and anyone else who has serious time at the helm."

Terry chuckled. It felt good...maybe he would try laughing later. "Well, you've got the first rule down," he said. As they neared the bay doors, they slid open. "Also, thank you for your compliment. So, we'll begin with Phase One, that's the initial flight training programs and familiarization with the fighter. Phase Two, depending on how you do, could be some combat simulations. How does that sound?"

"That sounds perfect, Commander," Kelly said. "I also have a favor to request of you, Sir."

That caught him off guard. So much so that Terry stopped and looked down at Kelly. "Okay, go ahead," said.

"I don't want to be coddled, Sir," Kelly said. "If I make an error, I want to know that I made an error, how I did it and what not to do the next time, Commander. I learn from my mistakes, but I've had an instructor previously who kept telling me that it was okay and that I would learn. I don't want there to be a next time. I want to learn the first time, the right way. I can take criticism."

Terry listened and nodded. “Sometimes mistakes are okay for someone who’s flying…but only behind the helm of a starship. If you make a mistake out there in a fighter, there may not even be a next time. Point is, in a starship there’s a lot more between you and space than there is in a fighter. Many times, if not all the time, you do not get a second chance. You must get it right the first time. That’s how I train. So you don’t have to worry, Cadet. There is no way I’m going to coddle you when it comes to flying a Valkyrie. Because not only is your life on the line, but…but that of your wingman was well.”

"I understand completely, Sir," she said. "I got used to flying shuttles and runabouts when I was in Nova Squad and we did some pretty dangerous maneuvers at times. They were authorized by Instructors, but the split second timing that some of them required us to be on top of things from second to second. There was no room for error. Is that what it's like in a fighter?"

They began walking again to the turbolift at the end of the corridor. “Maybe a little more so. Shuttles and runabouts are pretty maneuverable. But fighters are more so. They're designed for one thing and thing only, combat." He thought back to the last battle they had fought. "When the squadron had to attack that other Starfleet ship some time back, it was pretty intense." He grinned. "Miss Khan, there's nothing like the thrill of making a run close to a ship's ventral side, firing phasers and unloading micro-torpedos along the way. Then rolling and looping back to make a second run. All the while, trying not to clip the ship or its shields and her dodge phaser fire when you exit."

Kelly shivered, but it wasn't in fear of what he had described. Adrenaline spiked her system and she could only imagine what it would be like to be flying one of the amazing fighters. "That must be quite a rush," she said as she rode her own rush. "I had the choice of taking fighter training or starship, but I've always wanted to the biggest and the best. Not that fighters aren't the best, Commander," she said quickly.

Terry smiled. “I understand, Cadet. But, yeah, it's quite the rush. The brief time that I was this ship's Assistant Flight Control Officer, I found that I missed the fighters. I flew for the Starfleet Marines when I first joined. Coming over to the Fleet and large starships was a bit of a change. But then I when the Black Knights came back aboard and the Captain handed commanded of them over to me along with a promotion. I had a break in service, though, and I found that I really did miss being out there."

Kelly listened quietly and smiled. "Out where you're the one in charge and making the decisions without anyone to tell you what maneuvers to do or how to execute a plan of attack. I understand. The closest I've ever came to that was in holodeck simulations. One.." she laughed. "I called the program the Kick Aft and I was a test pilot Commander. I was doing maneuvers to the song I Like to Move It from a really old Earth cartoon. It was beautiful."

They walked up to the turbolift and Terry entered. "Exactly," he said. "It's just you, the fighter, and space. Sometimes on training flights, I take a bit of time to just relax out there. There's no noise...nothing. It's a great time to just think. Heh, probably due for a training flight soon."

"I admire officers like you, Commander," Kelly said as she walked in with him. "You make the choices that others don't and act on the spur of the moment without worrying about the next second until it arrives. That has to require a special kind of person in order to accomplish that."

Terry announced their destination and continued. "A special kind of person with an insane amount of training and some combat experience," he said. "Whether you fly starships, shuttles, runabouts, or fighters, you'll eventually get there, Cadet. It just takes time. So other than Lieutenant Kilmartin mentioning it, what made you want to train on the Valkyrie?"

"Honestly, Sir, I just went to meet him because I heard of him when I was at Academy and heard all the stories and legends and wanted to meet the real man," Kelly said. "He wasn't what I thought he'd be, but I guess stories make everyone better than the reality."

Terry smirked a bit. "That they do. But I've never heard any of these stories and legends. And I'd prefer not to." He smiled down at Kelly as the lift doors opened. Terry gestured for Kelly to exit and said, "I hope there aren't any stories going around the Cadet quarters about my piloting skills," he said, grinning. "I'd hate for these training sessions to be a let down."

"None that I've heard, Sir," Kelly said as she exited the turbolift. "Although if you would prefer, I could start some." She grinned from ear to ear. "They'd be jealous to know I was getting private lessons from the squadron commander."

Terry laughed. The chuckle earlier felt good, but the laugh felt better. "I don't like to spread rumors, but I can't stop you from talking about your experience now can I? Or calm any desire to make your friends jealous." He laughed again. Terry could only imagine what an uproar it would cause among the Flight Control Cadets. "But if I start getting requests from everybody and his brother down there, I might just have to assign some of them to the other pilots. I don't think I could handle too many private lessons."

She liked the sound of his laughter and smiled. "As far as I know, I'm the only Flight Cadet, Commander," she said. "I'm also Engineering and Command. I put a lot on my plate when I was at the Academy, but I don't like to limit myself. Still, I won't tell any of the others if you don't want me to."

He smiled at her thoughtfulness. Huh, I hope she never loses that, he thought to himself. "It doesn't matter to me whether you say anything or not." That kind of personality aspect will help her out a lot in Command. "And never limit yourself, Miss Khan. In any aspect of your life." Then he thought about that for a second. "Well, almost any aspect. There are some things where limits are needed. Like chocolate," he said, remembering her statement from earlier. "Too much chocolate won't help a person get into a Valkyrie easily. Though, you could still sit at a helm. Their chairs swivel."

Kelly laughed. "There's no such thing as too much chocolate, Commander," she said. "Especially not when I swim, practice two forms of martial arts, run and everything else. I don't give myself a chance to gain weight. I got a chance to do some vectorboarding and kayaking when we were at Yolvanda II, also, but that doesn't come every day. I wouldn't dream of just sitting around doing nothing, though. I'd go stir crazy."

"From your apparent love of all things active, I bet you would, Cadet." They rounded a bend and weren't too far away from the holodeck. "It sounds like you enjoyed shore leave, then. I trust you weren't' one of the ones who caught that nasty virus." He remembered seeing people on cots in Sickbay and wondered if the entire ship hadn't come down with it.

"From what I heard, everyone caught it," Kelly said. "Some of us just weren't showing the symptoms and that's scary. My roommate, Elisha Cherno had it and then she had an allergic reaction to the cure on top of it. She was accusing her boyfriend and brother of plotting to kill her while she was still in sickbay. I didn't show any symptoms, but I didn't turn the shot down went they gave them to everyone on the ship. I hope you managed to escape the worst of it, Sir."

That little gem, he hadn't heard about. "You're right, that's pretty scary, having it but not knowing it. Unfortunately, I had it and boy did everyone know it. I didn't escape the worst of it, Cadet Khan. Your roommate, as terrible as it is, had it a bit easier than some. She didn't get to the hallucinations."

"I'd heard that there were a few incidents in Sickbay," Kelly said. "But being a cadet, no one tells me what's going on unless I need to know. It's weird. I'm serving on a ship, but I'm not really an officer yet. It's an in-between state from Cadet to Ensign when we go on our shakedown cruise but it feels like we're just making another milk run that's just a bit more dangerous than normal. I feel like we should be more informed so we can make the right choices that will shape us as officers."

"I can see your point," said Terry. "You want all of the information so you can make the right decisions. Let me tell you something that my mom used to tell me when I was younger. My dad would sometimes say 'Because I said so' after he told me something. There was this one time when I didn't accept it. I wanted an answer and a reason. My dad took me out to his shop and told me to pick up one of his large bags. I told him that it was too heavy and I couldn't lift it. He asked me what kind of a dad would he be if told me to lug his work bag around. Then he explained to me that some knowledge is like his work bag, too heavy for young boy to carry around. So I needed to trust him to carry it for me until I was old and strong enough. It's the same way with that in-between state from Cadet to Ensign. Some things are just a bit too much for a Cadet to bear and they have to trust the senior officers to shoulder it until they're ready. I hope that made some semblance of sense. My mom tells it better."

"It makes sense, but I'm not asking for everything, Commander," Kelly said. "I'm just looking for some answers instead of being told to let the senior officers handle things. We're in a very real situation with the Consortium according to all the scuttlebutt that's been flying around. Commander del Rosario and Lieutenant Bast were Consortium and we have entire ships out there against us and I just wish that I knew something which could put my mind at ease. I probably sound like I'm whining, but in Command school, they taught us to question and think, but I can think and I'm not allowed to question. It doesn't give me answers that I need to solve problems."

"No, you don't sound like you're whining. You sound like you're speaking your mind," said Terry. "And yes, this is a very real situation. That part of the scuttlebutt is true." Terry realized that they were now standing outside the holodeck entrance. "We'll continue inside. Just a minute." He turned to the console on the wall and entered a series of numbers and letters. "This is where I come for rest and thinking sometimes. My dad had an old hunting cabin in the Rocky Mountains back on Earth. Not too far from there is a cold mountain stream where he built some benches. I recreated it the best I could." Then he looked down at the Cadet. "Uh, if you don't mind to continue our current conversation, that is. And in an odd place with an old jarhead fighter pilot."

"I just hope that you don't think I'm speaking out of turn, Commander," Kelly said. "I'm just trying to do my part and that requires understanding what my part is. I don't mind, Sir." Sure, she had wanted to do a simulation in a Valkyrie fighter, but he was giving her knowledge and wasn't talking to her like she was just a kid.

"Not with me, Cadet. I'm probably one of the most laid back senior officers on this ship and wouldn't think twice about this." The computer beeped that the program was ready. Terry had set it up so that they would be near the stream at the log benches his dad had made. "We'll get to the reason for this trip to the holodeck in a bit. Sometimes a classroom can look a lot different that what the Academy has." The doors to the holodeck slid open and Terry stepped in.

Kelly stepped in after him and looked around as she heard the stream and saw the benches made out of logs. "This is beautiful, Sir," she said as she took in the scenery. "I can see why you'd want to come here. When I was on Earth, my Papa had a cabin in the Three Sisters Mountains that was something like this."

Terry was happy to hear that the Cadet could possibly relax a bit here as he always had. And still did. "Your Papa sounds like a good man if he liked the outdoors this much. Have a seat," he said pointing to one of the benches. "What do you see your part being in all of this?" he asked. She had brought it up a moment ago and he was wondering. "Where do you see yourself fitting into this ship, into this very real situation?"

"I'm just a Flight Control Cadet, Sir," Kelly said as she went to take a seat. "I haven't even been given a chance to do anything else other than sit on the bridge during Gamma Shift. Not that I don't get experience for that, but nothing has happened which would require any skills beyond making sure that the ship holds its position."

"I know your position and rank," he said. "And you're not just anything. Your Nova Squad at the Academy and have voluntarily put a lot on your plate with Engineering and Command on top of Flight. That's not just a Flight Control Cadet. That's someone who has set her goals high and is not afraid to do what it takes to reach them. So what's up with this 'I haven't even been given a chance' attitude? That doesn't sound the girl that told me about her accomplishments at the Academy. So what if they haven't given you a chance? Find that Kelly Khan that steps up to plate and makes 'em want to give you a chance."

"Well, I did get a chance to talk to Captain Geisler in the War Memorial," Kelly said. "It was pretty enlightening and he didn't act like I was a nobody cadet. I appreciate you taking the time to talk to me like this, Sir."

“Hey,” he answered, “I’m not taking time, I’m investing time. Captain Geisler is a good man and I’m sure that the time he invested in you was well spent, too. You Cadets are the next generation of Starfleet officers; you should have people investing their time in you. And not just your instructors that earn credits to do it, but people who voluntarily do it. Anyway, you said that in Command school, they teach you to question and think, but here, you can think and not question. I can’t give you certain things for obvious reasons, you know, classifications and Command information and stuff, but go ahead…ask away.”

Now that she had the opportunity to ask questions, she found that her mind went blank, but struggled to find an intro to the billion questions that her brain had been teaming with only moments before. "What's the most important thing that you've learned as both a pilot and an officer, Sir?" she started, wishing she had a PADD to write this important information down.

Terry sat back on the bench, but not too far so as not to fall off. “The most important thing I’ve learned as a pilot...” He sighed. “Trust your wingman. Because you two will be counting on each other in combat. He’ll have your back and you’ll have his. Trust him to do what’s right and never second guess yourself or your wingman. As far as being an officer, the most important thing I’ve learned is that you need to take care of your subordinates. Don’t let anyone walk all over them. Stand up for them and stand behind them. But don’t necessarily be their friends all the time. As a result, they’ll take any needed correction better. Or so it’s happened with me. Respect is not demanded or commanded, respect is earned. Earn theirs.”

Kelly listened and nodded. It was a lot of what she had heard in Command school, but to hear it from a seasoned pilot and officer meant a lot more to her. "You know, Commander, while I may have heard that when I was at the Academy, it means a lot more to hear it from you. I realize that the Instructors are qualified and have the experience to teach us, but it's different somehow to hear it from someone serving on a ship. Does that sound wrong, Sir?"

Terry chuckled. “No, it doesn’t, Cadet. It doesn’t sound wrong at all. They have everything necessary to teach you, but you learn it in the classroom. A starship isn’t a classroom like at the Academy. Hearing it said here, in the practical application arena, can sometimes carry more weight because you actually get to see and sometimes experience it. Speaking of classrooms, are you ready for Phase One of your Valkyrie flight training?”

Kelly looked around the rustic scenery and back at him. "Where would we take off from?" she asked him, only half joking. For all she knew, there could be a landing strip behind the cabin and an elaborate control room inside the cabin. Everything was possible in a holodeck.

Terry smirked as he looked at the Cadet. "You, Miss Khan, have a good sense of humor." Then he laughed again. "Not too many people know about this program of mine or that under that meadow out there," he pointed south of the cabin, "is an underground flight deck with holographic replicas of ancient aerospace craft from Earth and Vulcan's history. It's pretty cool. And since they're holographic replicas...they all work."

"Ohhh," Kelly said with a twinkle in her eyes. "Were you Intelligence before you became a fighter pilot?" she asked him. "Secret bases and cleverly hidden ancient aerospace craft. I bet one of these trees is the flight tower." She looked around and spotted a really big tree. "That one. Am I right?" She pointed at the tree she suspected.

"Nope," said Terry. "That's the early warning system. That one," he said pointing to a huge Colorado Blue Spruce a few kilometers up the mountain, "that's the flight tower. And that shed over there is a pilot's ready room where I keep all the gear. And that little building over there, well, that one really is what it is."

"Clever," she said with a sage nod. "I never would have guessed that the building was just a building. It's a very effective way of keeping the secrets safe from the enemy. How did you ever come up with such devious methods?"

Terry chuckled. "Well apparently not devious enough, little miss. Maybe I don't keep secrets from the enemy in that building that's just a building." Then he paused. "You know, I could put the enemy in there, though. After all, it might be pretty hard to climb out of the deep hole. Dad wanted his cabin in the mountains as rustic as possible. Notice the bucket where carried water from this fresh mountain stream?" Terry tried to hid a grin, but it wasn't working.

Kelly laughed. "Remind me to never go looking around the flight deck too much, Commander," she said. "I don't want to trip something and end up trying to breathe vacuum. I want to fly in space, sure, but I want to have a spacecraft of some type around me at the time."

Terry started laughing. "Okay...don't go looking around the flight deck too much. Consider yourself reminded, Cadet." He laughed more before he continued. "Speaking of flying...Computer end program and initialize Valkyrie One flight training. Authorization, Walsh-four-seven-alpha-tengo-zero." The rustic mountain scene faded and was replaced by a random, nondescript flight deck and two of Starfleet's finest fighters, the Valkyrie. "Are you ready?"

She looked around when the scenario changed and the Valkyrie appeared before them. "I am," she said as she stood up and got excited.

Terry watched her and remembered the excitement he had. "Alright, I've seen you do a walk-around and pre-flight on shuttle. Let's see you do it on a Valkyrie." Terry stood back and watched.

"Yes, Sir," Kelly said as she began to move around it and do the obvious inspection on it, but she was certain that she may miss something. When it came time to open the cockpit, she looked at him for permission.

Terry shook his head. "Almost," he said. "Do it again, but this time don't forget to run your eyes over the ECM packages and sensor pallets in addition to the external weapons. She's more than a knife in the dark."

'Understood, Commander," Kelly said, this time going over the ECM, sensor pallets and everything else twice before she stood back. "She looks to be in fighting trim, Sir."

"Good job, Cadet. Hit the cockpit next," he said. "What is going to be the first thing you do when you get in?" he asked. Kelly had been doing a good job so far. She did her walk-around again and was more thorough, which pleased him. She wanted this bad enough that she was willing to make sure she did right the first time.

"Check that all panels and access points are secured, Sir," Kelly said and proceeded to do so.

"Excellent," he replied. "Cadet Khan, you're doing good. You must've had some pretty good instructors at the Academy."

"Yes, Sir," Kelly said. "Nova Squad isn't for everyone." The last was a bit of a boast, but she had earned it. Next, she opened the cockpit, she began a basic diagnostics on all systems as she brought them online. Next, she did engine checks, flight control checks, checked the inertial dampeners and structural integrity field, did a simulated communications check with Flight Ops. After that, she did a sensor diagnostic, navigation and astrogation system checks, defensive equipment check, and weapons system checks, ticking each one off on a checklist as she did so.

Terry nodded his head and watched her as she completed everything. "Alright, give me a couple minutes to do mine. In the meantime, the wall over there has a unit on it with a basic flight suit and helmet. Suit up." Terry went to do his pre-flight inspection before going to suit up himself. "Once we're ready," he called out, "we'll fire them up and go over some basic flight maneuvers and fighter handling. Though, I think that won't take too long, Cadet, especially since you already know your way around a shuttlecraft."

Kelly went over and opened the unit, then pulled out the flight suit and pulled it on over her uniform, then checked the helmet out before she put it on. "There's always something new to learn, Commander, and I'm not going to assume that I know anything about a Valkyrie until you say that I do."

Terry peeped around the fighter and said, "Keep that teachable attitude, Cadet. Even after you earn rank and start being promoted to new and different positions, keep that attitude." Terry finished pre-flight and walked over to the unit on his wall and suited up. "But you bring to mind a point I need to make. Valkyries are much more maneuverable than shuttlecraft. They're more sensitive to your controls because they need to be. If you couldn't move fast and in a direction that you need to immediately, what good would they be in combat?" He walked over to climb into cockpit.

"Understood, Commander," Kelly said as she waited for him to give the go ahead to get in the fighters. "A lighter touch and a quicker mind to handle effectively."

"You got it," he said. He had his hand on the rail of the steps. "Okay, Cadet Khan, are you ready to rock n' roll?" It was something that he and Mark Shelby used to say to each other before they headed out on a mission. And he swore that he would keep it going.

"As the song says," Kelly said with a jaunty salute. "For those about to rock, we salute you."

Terry grinned widely and returned Kelly's jaunty salute. He climbed up into his fighter and said, "Alright then, let's hit it." Terry took a seat and closed the canopy. He activated his communications just as he normally would. "Commander Walsh to Flight Deck Ops, ready to proceed with Valkyrie training flight."

The computer responded with a male voice over the comm system, "Clearance granted, Commander. Happy hunting."

Terry smiled and opened the comm to Kelly's fighter. "Valkyrie One to Valkyrie Two, I don't believe you've mentioned a call sign yet."

Kelly got in her Valkyrie and fired it up. "Valkyrie Two to Valkyrie One, call sign is Conga. What's yours, Sir?"

"Copy that, Conga," said Terry. "Mine is Rocco. Now that we've been cleared, let's head out." Terry's fingers danced across the controls as his fight fighter lifted a couple of meters off the deck. He headed for the open bay doors and glanced back to see if Conga was following.

Kelly brought her Valkyrie up off the deck, her fingers dancing lightly on the controls. He's right she thought. These things are a lot faster to react than shuttles and runabouts She forced herself to not try any hot shot moves that she had done in Nova Squad. "Acknowledged, Rocco. Lead the way."

Terry led the way out of the simulated flight deck and into space. He gunned the engines a bit to get away from the ship. "Alright Conga, form up."

Kelly followed him out and admired the sleek little fighter's responsiveness and desire to take off like a shuttle never would. She lined up on his right and gave an experimental wing wave, then fought to get lined back up when it wanted to veer off like a race horse before she pulled back. "Sorry about that Rocco. She's a bit touchy."

Terry dipped his wing in response and then chuckled. “No problem, Conga. She takes a while to get used to, believe me. It took these gorilla mitts a while to learn the finesse needed to make her go where you want and when you want. At first, she’ll be a bit touchy; she’ll want to run off without you. But you have to reign her in, show her who’s boss by letting her know that you know what you’re doing. Take control of her, Conga. Tell her you’re in charge. Know what I mean?”

"Affirmative, Rocco," Kelly responded as she focused her mind on the controls and thought ahead to what she wanted to do while she familiarized herself with the controls more. She needed to anticipate and react instead of acting and thinking that she had time to adjust. The Valkyrie definitely wasn't a shuttle or a runabout and she didn't want to embarrass herself in front of the handsome Squadron Commander.

“I think starting with some basic maneuvers would be best,” said Terry. “That’ll give you a chance to familiarize yourself with the controls a bit more.” He brought his fighter around to bear on the holographic representation of the Akira class ship. “The starship will be our target. We’ll start with some attack patterns. Show me attack pattern Beta-Two followed by Beta-Four.” Terry was going to hold back for the first several turns and observe.

"Roger, Rocco," Kelly said as she veered off and approached the ship until she was within 90,000 kilometers, then jinked the Valkyrie to starboard of the target, dove beneath it and emerged on its port ventral side, firing as she went. "Wow...this thing handles like a ...like a I don't know what!"

She whipped back around and climbed steeply before veering to port of the ship, then quickly dove back down, firing at it again as she went. "Woohoo!"

Terry couldn’t help but grin. She sounded like she was enjoying her first bout in a Valkyrie very much. “Great job, Conga. Now, let me see you execute attack pattern Kappa-Zero-One-Zero.”

Kelly beamed in the cockpit of her Valkyrie when she heard his praise. "Thank you, Rocco," she said, feeling more confident as she started to arc down and and around the ship on its port side when she overcompensated and sent the fighter into a spin that caused it to begin rolling in space. "Oh crappppppp!" she called as she fought to pull out, which made it worse.

Terry had been watching the entire thing go down. Then he heard Conga on the comm. “Conga! Reduce your angle of attack!” he called out as he headed towards the Cadet’s spinning Valkyrie. “Reduce it, then smoothly apply maximum power to increase your airspeed and minimize your loss of altitude! You can do this!” Terry had pulled his fighter in near hers, but not close enough to get caught in her tailspin or clipped by her. There were program safety protocols that he could enact in the holodeck, but he wanted to see her pull out of it herself. Out in the black, there were no program safety protocols.

She fought to reduce her angle of attack and then applied full power and shot straight ahead...which was directly at the ship she had been attacking a moment before. She quickly initiated an Omega maneuver and jinked to starboard and dove steeply from one end of it to another before she cleared it. "I...I'm sorry, Commander," Kelly said. "I thought I had it...I don't know what went wrong."

Terry pulled away from Kelly as she came out of her spin. Once she had missed the ship and leveled off, he came up beside her. “Don’t apologize, Cadet. Learn from it. That’s what we’re doing here, learning. We’ll move back to our original positions and you’re going to try that maneuver again.” He didn’t particularly like this part of teaching, being strict, but it had to be done.

"Yes, Sir," Kelly said and once more brought the Valkyrie around, but this time she didn't overcompensate as she arced down and and around the ship on it's port side, firing as she went. "Woohoo! I mean, is that better, Rocco?" she asked as she pulled out and around to form up on his wing again.

Terry nodded. "You got it, Conga. Much better," he said. "So, in going through it again, did you figure out what you did wrong the first time?" This a was a learning experience for her, after all.

"Yes, Sir...Rocco," she said. "I overcompensated when I went into the arc to come around and instead of decreasing the thrust and leveling out, I increased the thrust and sent myself into a roll."

“Very good,” he said. “Remember that, because if it happens in combat, the enemy will take advantage of your situation. Now, unfortunately, we don’t have the luxury of zooming around a dead starship in combat. We have to execute while dodging fire and aiming at a moving starship. So…computer, initiate full battle sequence of the Akira class on my mark.” The computer beeped its compliance and stood by. “Conga, I want you to go through the first one again, attack pattern Beta-Two followed by Beta-Four. But this time, it’ll be more challenging. You up for it?”

"Honestly, Sir, I feel that I should get more practice with maneuvering and getting the feel of her before I go into combat," Kelly said honestly.

“Alright then,” said Terry. “Computer, remove my last order.” It beeped as it stopped the last order that Terry gave it. “One of the first trainees I’ve met that didn’t want to start shooting things right off the bat. I usually let them do it just once so that they can ‘see what they’re missing’ and realize that they need some more work. But you’ve got a good head on your shoulders,” he said into the comm system. “I could give you some more maneuvers to work on or we could go free-style so you could get the feel of her more.”

"You're also used to fighter pilots, Rocco," Kelly said. "I appreciate everything you're doing for me. I really want to learn as much as you're willing to teach me, Sir."

“Okay Conga,” said Terry, “form up and follow me.” Terry began flying away from the starship towards open space. “Can you tell me the difference between combat in open space and combat around planets and suns?”

Kelly followed him and lined up on his wing. "The difference would be there is a gravitational pull when entering combat around celestial bodies versus none when in open space, Rocco," she said easily.

“Exactly,” said Terry. “So next, I want you to experience the difference in how the Valkyrie responds when maneuvering in a planet’s orbit. Computer, generate Earth at the appropriate distance for our fighters to just be entering a standard orbit.” When the planet appeared, Terry felt his fighter pull a bit in its direction. He took note of his control panels and made the necessary adjustments for a standard orbit. “Computer, generate a Romulan Warbird in standard orbit, facing us.” The Warbird shimmered into existence. “Now, Conga, execute attack pattern Beta-Two followed by Beta-Four.”

Kelly checked the sensors and saw the gravitational pull was nine point eight meters per second squared and compensated as the Romulan Warbird shimmered into being. "Roger that, Rocco," she said as she closed to within ninety-thousand kilometers of it before she jinked to starboard of the target, then dove beneath it to emerge on its port ventral side, firing as she went.

Not stopping as she poured on extra speed in compensation for the gravimetric pull, she climbed the Valkyrie steeply, veered to starboard, then quickly dove back down, firing at the Warbird before she leveled out. Of course, she was used to gravitational pull on shuttles and runabouts, but the Valkyrie seemed to almost ignore it and compensated nicely.

"Well done, Conga," he replied. "Could you feel the difference in how she handled?" From his viewpoint, it looked like she did well enough. But he wanted to hear it from her.

"I did," Kelly said. "It was nine point eight meters per second squared, but the Valkyrie handled it like a champ. It may be different with a bigger world that has a higher gravity, but she sliced through it like it was nothing after I added a bit more speed, Rocco. The Valkyrie is a class act, Sir." She whipped it back around and formed up on his wing again.

“Yes she is,” he said. “Now having this experience with orbit dynamics in mind, let me ask you a question. Tactically speaking, how would this knowledge benefit you if you were chasing some enemies through a solar system at full speed, but not warp?”

"I'd lure them into the gravitonic pull of a planet and use it against them while I compensated," Kelly responded immediately.

“That’s right,” said Terry. “And you could also estimate possible trajectories between planets and direct your other fighters to intercept. There are lots of possibilities, lots of options. And that’s why you need to be quick on your feet as a starfighter pilot. But just remember, once you get back to the helm on Gamma shift, the Black Hawk won’t maneuver like a Valkyrie. Don’t go breaking off a nacelle trying to bank her.”

Kelly laughed. "I took Engineering as my secondary at Academy, Rocco," she said. "I know they sandbag. Cadet Mackie confirmed it because he didn't have a choice. Still, the Structural Integrity Fields can withstand more than the Engineers let on."

Terry chuckled a bit. "I always wondered about that. Still, though, no hard banking young lady," he said with the sound of humor in voice.

"Only if it's absolutely called for, Sir," Kelly said earnestly. "I know what they can and can't take and don't plan to push it unless it's an absolute emergency, in which case it odds are good that will be the least of our worries."

"This is true," said Terry. He checked the time on the fighter and wondered if it was accurate. "You know, I think we may be nearing the end of our training session, Conga. Is there anything else you'd like to know? I don't want to leave you with questions about anything you've learned."

"Well, there is one thing, Sir," Kelly said. "Will we be able to do this again sometime?"

"Of course," he said. "I'll put together a regular training schedule for you and run it through the Chief Flight Officer. In the meantime, if there's anything I can help you with, let me know. You've done well, Cadet Khan. Just remember and learn from your mistakes."

"Always, Commander," she said. "I really appreciate everything you've said and done for me, Sir. It means a lot. I won't repeat the same mistakes the next time and I'm eager to learn more."

"Well I look forward to it. Oh, be ready...when we end the program, we'll be sitting down on the floor," said Terry. "Just didn't want you to get caught off guard." Terry ordered the computer to end the program without saving it. The Valkyries and space vanished and Terry found himself sitting in the floor next to Kelly. "Well, good session, Conga, er, Cadet." He stood and reached down a hand to help her up...if she wanted.

Kelly braced herself and then she was on the floor, but quickly put an arm back on the holodeck floor to keep from falling backwards. She looked up at him and accepted his hand to get up with his assistance. "Thank you, Commander," she said. "I loved it and I'm looking forward to the next session of....Rocco and Conga in space!"

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