Flight Deck Friendship

Posted on Wed Mar 3rd, 2021 @ 6:01am by Commander Raiden Kosugi & Captain Callisi Verra

Mission: A New Legacy
Location: Flight Deck
3294 words - 6.6 OF Standard Post Measure

Raiden decided that there was to be more exploration of the USS Arcadia, and consulted the deck listings and what there was on this great vessel. There was something that caught his interest. There was a starfighter wing. He recalled briefly seeing a rather interesting vessel, it was sleek, black and if you blinked it would seem to disappear from sight. Raiden had barely caught sight of it, before he was well engaged in the battle with the pirates, flanking them, in order to bring them down.

Raiden made his way to where the starfighter wing were being kept, stopping in at the observation room which overlooked the bay. He thrilled at the sight, giving a deep sigh of satisfaction. Those were a beautiful sight to see. Oh he really would love to get a closer look at them In some aspect making some comparison to the P-51 Mustang and the Kawasaki Ki-61. Did they handle just as well as the historical planes he'd piloted?

Not finding any satisfaction by just looking at them from a far distance, Raiden decided to go get a closer look. He went down to where the doors were, that led to the starfighter wings bay.

His walk through the fighter bay floor would bring him to a mild debriefing between the element lead and her wing. Quick and to the point, good work out there, yadda yadda, restock and be flight ready. The element leader herself, much like her craft of choice, was unlike anything on Starfleet's record.

Long legs. Long ears, a puff of a spade tail, the only thing that marred her form was a black eyepatch over her right eye. Once the debrief was complete, the aforementioned Daughter of Ts'usu turned towards Raiden and gave a nod, "Welcome to the nest. I'm Veera, what brings you down here?"

Raiden had listened to the briefing, the chatter familiar as his uncle had allowed him to sit in on several briefings. Good memories. He also had noted the unusual being that was head of the fighter squad. A naturally warm smile revealed itself. Attractive, the patch over the eye gave her a rather classic rakish appearance but it was also flattering.

"I'm Raiden, been exploring the Arcadia. I was just newly transferred to the ship as helm. I got curious and wanted to see the fighters a bit closer than just a quick glimpse from the helm of the Gladiator." he responded. "Forgive my disturbance."

"Well, welcome to the flight deck." she offered. Now that the two were face to face, that eyepatch held a bit more mystery. Above, and below, was evidence of a scar, large enough to not heal properly. Under the cover of the eyepatch itself there was a soft blue dot of light, following her own perspective perfectly. As for her remaining eye, it was a soft blue. Almost too soft, as her eye didn't reflect light the way other eyes would. It appeared flat, matte in a world of glossy canvas.

Windows to the soul indeed.

"You're disturbing nothing. Merely the end of a routine. I can't fault curiosity, though. We'd be at home looking down without it." she offered, "Feel free to follow me." and she started moving through the bays. At each she'd stop to mention the name, or the class, of the fighter in question. Griffons. Powerful and majestic, and well named.

"The prize of the Arcadia is my personal fighter. A mark one Blink Fighter craft. Aeronautic superiority, sensor stealth, inertial nullifier, and the blink drive make her THE force to contend with if the enemy wants to get a foothold in our control space." and she motioned to the sleek craft. Alien in design, but a mind that understood aerodynamics. Smooth, sleek, and even still on the tarmac she looked ready to pounce. The Griffons were tactical, but this... this was predatory.

Raiden followed after Veera admiring what she pointed out and nodding in appreciation of their form and make up. When they got to her pride and joy, his jaw dropped open as Raiden gave out a low whistle at the pure artistry of the craft. "That is a masterpiece, sheer beauty." He stepped closer then stopped and looked at Veera. "Would it be alright if I touch your craft?" his voice having a reverent tone and awe.

She gave a thought, then a nod, "I have to tend to it anyway, so now is the best time." she motioned to the craft. As he roamed around, she kept pace. "In atmosphere, she'll cruise at Mach two, while her top speed is double that. Out of atmo, I can bring the blink drive online, and then the battlefield belongs to me." a pause, "She lacks the capacity to achieve warp speed. No Blink fighter can. So, at least back in the Ts'usugi Navy, the battlecry was pretty standard. Victory, or death."

She gave a giggle, brushing some of her hair out from her face, "I much prefer things here in the Federation. They're regimented, but far less terminal."

Raiden ran his hands along the surface of the fighter, as he listened to her. "Exquisite." he said, appreciatively, then looked at Veera, " I've not heard of the Ts'usugi Navy, definitely an unknown to me. It sounds like where you are from it is, a strict lifestyle? Almost like Samurai? Death before Dishonor?"

She gave a nod, "A lot of attention and focus is placed on discipline, performance, and appearance." she looked away for a moment at the end. "We are the Sons and Daughters of Ts'usu, we are the front line against the night, against the enemies of the Three Dawn Accord." she recited, wearing a soft smile. A ghost of a smile, really. "Death before dishonor, though we make allowances for redemption. You're no good against the enemy if you die, after all." a smirk. "But I like you're summary better. Quick and to the point. Do no disservice, court no dishonor. Live free of shame or regret, and find your place in paradise."

She turned her attention fully to him at this point. "And, thank you. She's a marvel, though I hear that the next generation of fighter is a two seater." she shook her head gently, "I know, it opens the doors to more pilots, allowing two to do the role of one. Pilot, navigator, gunner, now it's no longer all on the shoulder's of one Ts'usugi." she then motioned to her cockpit. Single occupancy.

"I earned my Red. You'll understand that I'm not too keen on sharing it." she offered, no loss of pride in her tone.

"Oh I most certainly do understand, not wanting to share. and I wouldn't even dream of asking either. You and your Blink fighter are as one. To take it away from you, would be like if someone takes away another piece of you. You have a rare precious item. The bond you have with the fighter, is like a woodcarver with his own tools, if someone were to just come and use them, it diminishes the very essence." he said with a rather serious gaze. "Also where a warrior and his or her own weapon they have trained with and become bonded with said weapon, taking away is a travesty."

"Two seater fighters, almost sounds like an old Earth program, Top Gun." he added.

She gave a nod, "It's to increase the potential pool of candidates. Not everyone can fly a Blink fighter solo, but a lot of pilots can if the workload is split. More pilots means more protection against our enemies, certainly. Though, now that I'm saying it out loud... if it took two pilots to beat me at my own career, then I could live with that." a pause, "I'd issue a rematch, of course." Callisi commented, idly following Raiden as the pair essentially orbited her fighter craft. When they got to the engine array in the back, she motioned to the three distinct engine types. "Hydrogen burn for atmo, impulse for exoatmo, and then the blink drive for quick hops." a pause, "No pun intended. I understand my people exactly resemble creatures known as Rabbits."

"Top Gun, you say? I do like the sound of that." she gave a soft smirk.

"I do have an old movie with that title, Top Gun based on the program. And I wouldn't blame you for calling for a rematch. If you think about it, if it happened, just the fact of it could take two to beat you. Wouldn't say much for their skill. One on one would make for a better challenge. Take for instance in World War 2 history they came out with some rather fine aircraft. One of which I definitely love flying, is a P-51 Mustang. Single pilot, one airplane. My uncle had restored one and I had helped." Raiden replied, as he looked at the engine with great appreciation.

"One pilot, one ship, one empire. That's how I was raised." she admitted, her pride showing again in her tone. "I'm all for help, but if they want my Red, they have to earn it twice." a nod, and that was that. She was silent for a while, "Thank you. If nothing else, thank you for coming. Company is nice, like minded company even more so. As far as I'm concerned, you're always welcome." she paused, "So, which department are you from? Perhaps I can sing your praises in return?"

Raiden smiled, "I'm Helmsman for the Arcadia. And thank you for that, for saying I'm always welcome. Hopefully I don't wear the welcome out. I will take you up on coming down here though, when not on duty." Giving one more glance at the beautiful Blink fighter. "And when you have some time, I'd like to invite you to watch the old Earth movie Top Gun and show you the plane I was talking about. I've got a holo program that I use to keep my mechanic skills up to par as well as my piloting skills. One can never be lazy when it comes to flying."

She gave a nod, "You're always welcome. Respectful and knowledgeable. Hard to find both outside of the lifestyle." she offered, "As for the movie, let's find a spot where our schedules line up." she offered with a nod. "Did you have any questions? About the craft, I mean." a pause, "Or, I suppose it's only fair, if you have questions of me?" she did open the can of worms, asking about him.

"That would be great, and hopefully our schedules do line up to watch the movie. Any questions, well do you have family, and how did you join up with this ship? Do you have some friends on the ship?" Raiden trying to not hit her with a barrage of questions.

"I do have family, back home on Ts'usu. Well not ON Ts'usu, we live on the moons of our home. It's a story, and I'll share it with you someday. Maybe after the movie." she offered, a mention of a second meet up before the first had even happened. "I was part of the original crew of the previous ship, and when the transfer over to the Arcadia occured, Hawkins asked for me specifically. Having not accepted any other posting yet, I accepted his offer to be element lead."

Her whole posture drooped a little bit, "And, as for friends, I have a few but... maybe not as many as I should. I have ... concerns reaching out to people." she brushed some of her hair out of her face, a good measure to break eye contact for just long enough to help ease the moment.

Raiden reached out to place a comforting hand to her shoulder but paused, since he didn't know the customs of Verra. " I wanted to place a hand on your shoulder for a comforting moment, but, I don't know if that is allowed from where you are from. It takes time to get to know people, and if they will accept you as who you are. I don't know if others have looked at you as, something as a novelty, or are just outright rude. I don't care what a person is like on the outside, I only care about what is inside here." moving his hand back to touch his chest over his heart."

"We place a high value on contact." she started. "Higher than most other societies. Gestures and such can have deeper meaning to a Son or Daughter of Ts'usu." she paused, "But, I feel your intent to be genuine so, I'd allow it." she offered, letting go of the tension in her shoulders she didn't even know she had, as she indicated her left shoulder for just a moment. After but a moment, she brought her hand to hover over her chest, round about exactly in the middle. "I'm guessing you're motioning to your heart. Ours are in the center, under the thickest bones of our cage." she offered a slight smile, just a ghost of a smile at the notion. "And, thank you. Your words are kind, and well meant."

Raiden smiled and gently placed his hand on her shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze then withdrew his hand. "You are welcome, and yes I was motioning to my heart, as it lies here." Placing his hand to where it resided. "I probably should be going, and thank you for the honor of letting me see your, fighter, I do believe your name for your blink fighter as Red?"

Callisi offered a soft smile at their moment, and then at his question she simply shook her head. "You're very welcome. Feel free to visit anytime. As for the rest.. Earning my Red meant I was element lead. Red Bishop. Red Lancer. Red means you're the lead. My fighter's name is the Mangle. As for her pilot, my call sign," she turned to face him fully, actually bringing her eye patch into the conversation, as it were. "is Dead Eye."

"Dead Eye, as in you are rather good at dealing with the enemies you face. Not missing a shot you make. Nice call name. I've not got one as of yet, though the Captain said it could either be Sparkles or Thor. Haven't got a clue which I will be stuck with." Raiden gave a shrug before continuing on. "Red means you're the lead. Okay got it." giving a nod. "Besides flying what sort of interests do you have when on your off time?"

She offered a smirk and a short lived giggle. Oh it felt nice. "Thank you. I wish it were any of those reasons, though I am due to re-up my marksmanship training, so perhaps more the latter soon enough. No, the name was given to me due to my, well, my dead eye. But, you knew that, and were being kind. I appreciate that."

"I like watching movies, try to take in the culture of wherever I'm at. Though, Earth cinema has this... trend... of movies where people become robots, or robots disguise themselves as people." she paused, "I do *not* appreciate those movies." she was pretty firm on that fact. "But, that singular topic aside, I do enjoy Earth cinema and literature. I can't read as much as I used to but I can still appreciate it. I have caught whatever infection Earth spreads about enjoying shopping, but I prefer to do it through online markets rather than in person. As much as I might appreciate attention, eventually attention leads to questions."

"Though, there was that dress that Hayter made me wear when I lost our bet." she mused, "I don't think *anyone* even noticed my eyepatch. May have to consider it." she smirked, then returned to the here and now. "I'm not much of a collector, but have my flight jacket with my ops patches. I... I don't really have much else. I guess being a pilot is a full time job and a full time hobby." a pause, but the gloom of the moment passed. "And yourself?"

Raiden raised an eyebrow at the real reason why she got the name Dead Eye. "Uh actually I didn't think of that at all, I was thinking of your skill. That is just rude to nickname someone for a missing eye." he frowned at that, it truly irritated him. He calmed himself, letting the frown slip away. "Oh I know what movies you are speaking of. They are.. okay. I guess I like the other sorts of movies that don't have that in them. I do watch movies, I do read, I do like to keep in practice with my martial arts, and also do woodworking, I fish and love to swim. Another thing I love to do is fly old style planes, both on Earth and on the holodeck. I even make sure my skills in mechanics on the old planes is still up to par. And see about skills in making certain the runabouts and shuttles are in good repair."

She gave a low nod, "Then, I doubly appreciate it, and apologize. I'm used to it being the first thing anyone sees, and at least back in the Imperial Navy they can be quite rude in regards to things outside the norm." a pause, to give the sentiment time to florish. "You're quite the talent. I don't have the patience for fishing, and the only time I hit the gym is to keep in shape. The only real mechanics I know are to maintain the fighter, and even now I'm going to have to make a crash course for a support team so they can keep up with Ts'usugi hardware."

His eyes widening at her remark about the crash course on the Ts'usugi hardware. Raiden responded, "Sounds to me like you are going be rather busy. I'd like to learn of the hardware, but, it will have to be sometime after I am familiar with the ebb and flow of the Arcadia. And only if it is allowable. I may not have the clearance to do so." And that is what did come to Raiden's mind, it may be more of a need to know procedure.

"I like staying busy. Downtime is nice, though. A drink with a friend and such." a pause, and a smirk, "Do you drink? Cause I consider you a friend. Not that you... need to drink to be my friend."

Raiden chuckled, " I do drink from time to time and its okay, I'd like be your friend whether I drank or not. And am honored to be considered as such. I'd be willing to just sit and drink tea, while you drank something else." he reached out his hand towards Verra, "Hello, friend" giving a lopsided grin.

She offers a soft smile, and took his hand. "Hello friend." she offered. "Tea. I've tried coffee, and found it lacking. Everything else, though, is fine."

Raiden nodded, "Then, there will not be coffee." shaking her hand. His hand was strong, but gentle when he shook it. Calloused but not rough, and it was warm instead of cold. "Well, I best be getting going." Moving to release Verra's hand. "Definitely, a pleasure to have met you."

Her hand had a gentle feel, there was a softness there but there was also a grip. Nothing surprising or fantastic, but just beyond what one would expect from such a soft frame. "A pleasure indeed. Feel free to stop by anytime." she offered, before letting his hand go as well.

With a nod, Raiden left, pausing just once to look at his new found friend before stepping though the doors.