#127 An Equal Love

Posted on Sat Jan 7th, 2023 @ 10:02pm by Warrant Officer Shannon Money {Meji} & Captain Alesha Rivers

Mission: BUGS OH NO!!
Location: shuttle bay 2
Timeline: current

ON:

After going through Sickbay for her onboarding physical, getting permission from Corporal Barnes, Shannon Money had been told she could take the rest of the day off. She had organized the teams and got them rolling, and was the last to need her physical. Now, completed, and wanting to see what kind of craft this behemoth of a starship held within, Shannon Money made her way to the various shuttle bays. She saw all the same old, same old when it came to Starfleet small craft.

However, that changed when she entered shuttle bay 2. There before her were fighters she had never seen before, expecting to see Peregrine fighters not, well, whatever these were. The fighters were sleek and streamlined and obviously built for space and atmospheric operations. She could see the dual phase cannons, one mounted on each side of the fuselage just beneath, and slightly forward of the cockpit. Hot damn, the ships were a sight to behold. They all sat quiet, no one attending to them, except for one. There was a person bent at the waist with their torso and head within the cockpit of one ship, the legs straight and the waist leaning against the edge of the open canopy. Adjusting her equipment belt on her hips and her tac holsters for knife and pistol, Shannon decided to approach. "Excuse me," she said as she approached the port wing front, below the displayed butt in the air. Having not been heard the first time she said it a little louder with a pleasant tone. "Excuse me."

Alesha hearing someone call out dropped from her fighter and turned to see who had spoken to her bruising a strand of hair behind her ear that had fallen out. "I'm Captain Rivers how can I help you?" as she leaned against her fighter.

Money gave a nod of respect to the woman. "Pardon the interruption, Captain. I couldn't see your rank. As for what you can do for me, Sir, just answer a simple question." Her eyes looked at the fighter with longing in her gaze before they returned to the officer in front of her. "What kind of fighters are these? I've never seen them before."

"Vipers, a gift from my home planet, they're wicked fast. This one is mine," Alesha said patting her fighter. "She's got a few added surprises that Starfleet can't have but my home world can. And I'm Alesha, I don't stand on formality unless the need for it comes."

"Shit! I'm sorry, Alesha. I didn't give my name. Shannon Money." She shook hands with the officer. "Vipers, huh?" After another run of looking the fighter up and down and moving to stand next to the Captain as she did so, she turned her head and looked over, hands on hips atop her tac belt. "Fitting name. Those phase cannons look like a good set of fangs." Shannon gave a grin.

" Welcome Shannone, these Vipers are State of the art, each one carries six, fully charged and loaded. Phasers and shields. This one will cloak and fire cloaked. It was a gift from my dad, those other ones a gift from my planet's government. Climb aboard, the computer is in my language but your welcome to take a look. Do you fly?" Alesha asked stepping away from her fighter and activating the ladder.

"Yes, Sir, I do," said Shannon, going around to the other side of the fuselage to climb up that set of foot slots to look inside. Everything was tight and right, the console able to be reinitiated for each pilot's personal preference. A stick for flight as well as thumb triggers for missiles, when they were loaded. The stick actually had a trigger for the phase cannons which one could lock in place until they needed it for firing. Money gave a whistle of appreciation. "Damn. I'd love to fly one. Got any slots available?" She asked that while giving a laugh, meaning it but not meaning it since the answer was probably no.

"I might, I have one hot dog who doesn't think I deserve this position because I'm not a Starfleet graduate.I'm about to ground him and toss is sorry ass back to the major. Just remember those other Vipers won't have the ability to cloak or fire cloaked. This is the only one that can, what are you certified to fly?" Alesha asked.

"Anything with an engine, Alesha," stated Money, giving a smile with a sparkle in her eye. "I grew up on a freighter my family owned. So, as par for the course, I learned how to fly just about everything. Give me a minute, in any craft, and I can usually figure out what is what and how to operate it." Shannon had heard the part about the lack of schooling. "Pilot's don't need to be Academy graduates. Has the guy never heard of warrant officers?"

"That I'm not sure of, but he does think that I don't deserve this posting, but before I'll let you fly one of these I'll need to see your scores in the simulator. I should also tell you Doctor Long and Lieutenant Herculoid are also cleared to fly this fighter. If you pass the test in the simulator I'll put you in a fighter and sent Edwards back to the major. But I've never been to Starfleet, my dad was and I've studied his books and I'm learning." Alesha said "I'm also sure that the commodore, Commander Green and General Long won't have me here if they didn't think I could cut it. My call sign is Firefly."

Money gave a laugh. "Firefly. I like it. I might choose huckleberry, like a Doc Holliday thing. 'I'll be your huckleberry' just before I blast your hull plating." Another laugh. "Sorry, I get all giddy around small craft, especially fighters. As for all your extra goodies, I'm fine without them. Just becoming one with my machine will be enough, Captain." Money had used her rank instead of name to show respect. To show her that not everyone dissed her for lack of Academy. "My flight scores are in my file. I showed off a bit while in Basic, that not every grunt was a ground pounder only. It got me noticed and they had me qualify for small craft piloting. There are details there that are classified, but I am Starfleet qualified." Just talking as if this would become a reality had Shannon anxious excited. Like Alesha herself, she could slot and then put in the simulator and flight time when she could. To work her arse off to get up to speed with the CAG (Commander Aerospace Group).

"Let's get you set up with a simulator when your free and I'll look at your file as well. I've fought on the ground, taken hits and I've been shot down and I'm not afraid. My file is there for anyone to look at as well. Firefly was a name my dad gave me. It's on the canopy for my fighter, I think I'm the only one with a call sign. I got the name Firefly when I was thirteen," Alesha commented.

Shannon was listening while looking around inside the cockpit. Room behind the seat for her rifle and a pack with limited survival gear. "So, we both grew up around flying. Nice." She did not want to move things around in Alesha's cockpit, seeing as how this was HER fighter, not Shannon's. But, it looked as if there was a storage compartment behind the seat if one slid the seat forward, giving enough space for more gear or even another person. These Vipers were next level, for sure.

"I learned to fly sitting on my dad's lap in a shuttle. Once everything with you is set I do have a couple of fighters that are not being used. You can pick one and I'll get engineering on it," Alesha said "Climb in and have a seat, the toggle switch on the right of the console will turn the systems on, they're in my language but it will give you and idea of what these babies will do."

Money gave her a grin. "This is your seat, Alesha. Just like sitting on another person's Harley, you just don't do it. Mind if I crack open one of the unused ones and sit in that? I'm sure they're programmed to present Fed Standard to the pilot at the touch of a key."

"That's fine, they're ready too just need to get the systems online, charged and flight checked. There are three sitting behind this one, take your pick," Alesha said "Should we pull this off you'll need your own alarm code so no one else can use it. My codes are known to three people."

"We'll pull this off," Shannon assured her companion as she moved towards the three unused fighters. With her eyes she did the eenie-meenie-mynee-mo, and her eyes came to rest on the first one in line behind Alesha's. Letting the Captain access it for her, Money climbed in and sat after the canopy had opened. With the canopy open she could activate the console, and searching with her eyes, Shannon located the initial starter, pressing it. The panel lit up, in Fed Standard, so Money began to tap keys and check systems while she spoke. "This is great. The console is set up so user-friendly. This is where I want to be, Captain. My grunt position can be put on hold, and then switched to secondary for when we have downtime for flights. If the ship CO and XO approve, of course."

"I'll read your file, send then a report and we'll go from there, in the meantime I'll get crews working on this one for you. I'm sure the commodore and the commander will be fine with this. I do require my pilots to do some training with the marines just to keep ground skills up," Alesha said "Do you have any questions for me?"

Shannon climbed out of the cockpit. "Not at the moment. Thank you for the tour and the chance to see all this. I love being a marine, don't get me wrong. But, flying is right up there alongside. If I can do both, so much the better. But, I've taken up too much of your time already so I'll leave you to your maintenance. Also, it was a pleasure to meet you, Alesha." She gave a friendly smile.

Alesha smiled as well "Your not taking up any of my time, I love to show off the fighters. I'll get crews on this one just in case. Stop by anytime, I'm either here, my office, my quarters or working out."

Money said she would do that, then turned and hopped down off the maintenance step ladder to the deck. Giving a final lazy salute-wave to the Captain Shannon walked out of shuttle bay 2, her step full of pep. Sure, doing this would piss off some people, namely marine country she was sure, but it offered her a chance to do both. A soldier and a pilot. She almost hopped in the air and clicked her heels as she went.

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