Chapter 8
Everyone assembles on the bridge to prepare for pull-out. Technically, Doc doesn't need to be there, but pretty much anyone would rather be there than anywhere else. At 17:45 precisely, Brigit summoned the conference table, and everyone turns their chairs to face each other around the table. The entire table is one big display and currently displayed on it is each persons pull out checklist.
In front of Brigit is a captain's view, which summarized all the other checklists. Even though everyone knows what to do, and even though Brigit can see the output of the lists, they still follow protocol and go around the table telling everyone if they are ready. Brigit turns to Cali first.
"Cali, how goes the ship's supplies and cargo?" Brigit asks.
"Supplies both ship, and," she turns to Doc, who nods, "provisions are satisfactory. Cargo is locked down and," she smiles to Rory before turning back to Brigit, "double-checked to make sure it's ready for transport."
Brigit nods and turns to Adair, "Is our course set and checked?"
"I have programmed the Transition Drive with the course, and it is ready to go. However, I must update the astrogation parameters when we get closer to Transition. The ship is ready once." Adair answers.
Brigit asks Doc, "How goes food provisions? I know you did some shopping today."
Doc answers, "Very well. We'll be eating quite nicely for the first few weeks, and after that, I'll have prepared extras to hold some good stuff for longer. In other words, yes, we're set." He smiles around at everyone.
Brigit looks back to Cali, "How is security? Is there anything for us to consider and prepare for?"
Cali takes a moment to both think and look at her checklist before responding. "Well, we're as secure as the CG makes any ship. However, I made some purchases today that should make us a little more secure. Though I will need Adair's expertise and possibly Rory as well to finish putting it together and deploying it."
"Nicely done. And last but not least, how're the engines and systems?"
Rory gives the captain one of her trademark affable smiles. "Well cap, the systems are up to snuff, and the engines, well they are ready and raring to go. I warmed the sail generators up, and Adair has plotted the course," She smiles over to Adair, "The ship is ready twice." She almost forgot the customary words and tacks them on to the end.
Brigit closes her eyes for a moment, taking it in before looking down at her display. "Seeing the board all green, I declare the ship is ready thrice. And with the positive auspiciousness of three, we are ready for pull-out. Everyone to stations."
The last is somewhat redundant because they are all there. Brigit lowers the table and spins her chair around. Everyone else turnes their chairs to their respective stations. Doc, having nothing to do, set about changing his display to see the rear of the ship so he can see where they are going..
Brigit sets the display for the navigation detail, "Computer, front view-port primary screen. Clock attached to the top of the frame. Systems in the bottom right quadrant." The AI responds instantly, and they are all looking forward at the scarred surface of the station with a clock displayed at the top, which read 17:58:23. The systems display is on the bottom right and shows the significant systems and the lock mechanism with the station. Everything is green.
"Adair, please notify the station that we are pulling out momentarily at our scheduled departure of 18:00," Brigit commands.
"Yes, captain, transmitting now." A moment later, they respond, "Response received, cleared for departure, and safe travels."
"Thank them for me, and when you've finished," she glances up at the clock, watching it tick towards 18:00:00. As soon as it does, which isn't long after she started talking, she continues, "disengage the station lock and take us back slowly."
"Yes, captain, disengage and safely make way. Disengaging now." The indicator in the bottom right of the main viewpoint turns red and then green as the lock disengages and they are floating free on their own power. "Making way"
They all feel the ship move slightly before the artificial gravity compensates, and then they can only tell they are departing by the diminishing size of the station as the thrusters carry them back. Doc watches the rear-view, even though he knows Adair would have checked the surrounding space before moving. Indeed, the area is clear, and the orbital would have warned them of any small craft while also warning any of those crafts away. He can't help but feel awed by the vastness of black that they are heading into. In that moment he is glad that his main job is just keeping everyone fed.
Brigit looks at the clock, seeing it tick towards 18:20. She notes the size of the orbital and commands the AI to add distance and vectors to the screen. Then, confirming that they are where they are supposed to be, she speaks aloud to the bridge, "Okay, maneuver for sails."
"Yes, captain, maneuvering for sails." And with that, the forward thrusters ease off, rotational thrusters kick in, and the ship starts spinning away, positioning itself facing to the edge of space. After a moment, Adair notes, "Ready for sails, Captain."
"Thank you, Adair. Rory, are the sails still ready, nothing around that might interfere with deploying them?"
"Aye aye, Cap, that they are," Rory responds, and Brigit cringes a little but smiles a small smile, knowing Rory is only teasing her. "Okay then, deploy sails. Let's get going, shall we?"
"Sails deploying... now," Rory says, and they can all see the representation of the sails on the bottom right of the screen glow and expand. Doc activates a side view-screen and looks out even though he knows he won't see them. It still amazes him.
"Sails deployed, holding steady, speed increasing, Cap," Rory states.
"Thank you, Rory. Computer, view-port off, display planned and actual trajectory only, please." The screen changes, the clock and systems disappear, and the whole thing is just a small indicator of the ship with a dotted line for the plotted path and a solid line showing the projected path. They almost precisely match up.
"Well done on that astrogation pathing, Adair. All right, everyone, secure from navigation detail, first section has the watch."
Adair, who is first mate would usually relay that to the rest of the crew through the ship's speakers, instead looking around and seeing everyone - except Rory who is connected to the bridge already - is there, just smiles and says, "What she said."
Brigit stands and turns, addressing them all, clearly ad-libbing from a script. She feels weird about reading it as she knows the crew knows what to do, but the protocols required the reading, "Okay, so here are the sections. It's kind of tight since it's just the five of us, but the way we're going to do it is two pairs of two. Doc, you're not in it because you'll be up at specific times to feed us all." She nods slightly to him before returning her look to the others. "You'll find the schedule on your tablets, but essentially it's a primary/secondary configuration. The primary will be awake and monitoring the ship at all times during their shift. You don't have to be here as you can connect your tablet to the console and go wherever on the ship. You will get an automated pop-up randomly that displays the current status of ship systems and course with a button to acknowledge it. Failure to ack the pop-up will notify and wake your secondary. You do not want to do this, especially if it's me." Her mouth upturns slightly as they all cringe thinking of her creative punishments. "We will experiment with twelve-hour shifts and see how that goes. I'll be primary first, and Adair will be secondary. Adair, you'll want to go get some sleep.
"Okay, dismissed everyone, good job." As everyone stands and makes their way to and then down the ladder, she turns and orders the AI to put the trajectory in the corner and turn on the view-port again. She stands there for a fair amount of time, just marveling at the stars as they move through them.