Tired of listening to the bangs of the machines, the curses of the workers, and the electric whine of the forklifts, Rebecca retreated to the sanctity of the shuttle, where she squeezed herself into the confines of the pilot’s seat. She understood the need to keep the cockpits small for maximum cargo capacity, but she failed to see why they had to make everything such a tight fit.
Placing her hands behind her head, Rebecca leaned back and relaxed. Music flowed out of speakers located overhead courtesy of her ePersonal plugged into the main control panel. Glancing at her small electronic device, it provided another reminder of the cheap asses that ran the company. They couldn’t even fork over a few credits to include a built-in player as part of the shuttle’s features.
The music that filled the cockpit came from her personally purchased selection, and she had heard them so many times now that they were mainly background noise. Rebecca decided that her first priority upon returning to Rapatine would be to update her music selection. A soft melody began to play, and Rebecca closed her eyes to enjoy the sweet trancelike tones.
“Load’s out…”
Rebecca startled, and before the speaker could even finish his sentence, she yelled out, “Don’t be sneaking up on me like that unless you want my boot print implanted on your backside!”
Turning, she found Eric, the ground crew supervisor, smiling at her. Even though she liked Eric, and always enjoyed talking with him, Rebecca hated being startled. Reaching forward, she lowered the volume on the ePersonal.
Eric laughed as he crawled into the copilot’s seat next to her. Rebecca noticed him glancing at her feet. She suspected he was checking to see if she even wore boots. Looking down herself, Rebecca could see the sandal straps that crisscrossed the top of her feet. They weren’t regulation footwear, however, but she did find them comfortable.
“Sorry, I didn’t know you were so sensitive,” Eric said as he settled back into the padded seat.
“Go to hell,” Rebecca replied. She gave him her best nasty look, or what she hoped was a nasty look.
Ignoring her attempts to chastise him, Eric went on to say, “Anyway, we’ll begin loading the two extra stamping machines that aren’t needed anymore. We should have you out of here in about twenty minutes.” He glanced out the side window in what Rebecca took as his validating the machines were going to be loaded soon. Looking at her, he asked, “So, what plans are you conjuring up for when we get back to Rap?”
“Nothing really since I haven’t decided what I want to do yet. My contract will be up after this run, so I may look around to see what else is out there. I like being on the Privateer, but it might be interesting to pick up a job that would keep me closer to civilization, or as civilized as the Rapatine station can be. These long setups really screw up one’s love life.” Rebecca smiled at the thought of how wonderful it would be to stay in one place for a change.
“Yeah, I hear ya. I have two more tours on my contract before I can start looking around again. I’m not sure what else I would want to do, though. This job isn’t too bad, and the pay is okay. Being out on these setups, I’ve stockpiled a good number of credits. The way I figure it, if I did this for another ten years I would have enough to retire on; especially if I stayed over at one of the outposts. You can always find something to do to earn a little extra spending credit when you need them.”
The shuttle shook as the first stamping machine went into the bay. That was followed by the steady whine of the rollers moving it forward. When a crewman stepped into the bay, Rebecca looked over her shoulder and yelled out, “Hey! Make sure those straps are tight this time! I don’t want those bastards shifting on me while I’m fighting that wind out there. The last load you meatballs put in here shifted all over the place before I got back to the ship. The supply officer chewed my ass off when he saw it.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll double-check them before you leave,” Eric assured her.
Turning back around, Rebecca tried to recall their conversation. Finally remembering, she said, “Yes, having the opportunity to build credits is a major benefit of this job, but after a while you realize that it isn’t worth it when you don’t have anyone with whom to share.”
Eric looked out the window, and said, “They’re about done, so I had better go take a look at what’s going on back there.” Eric struggled out of the seat and shimmied his way out of the cockpit. Looking back over his shoulder, he added, “It’s a good thing I’m not fat.”
“Yeah, tell me about it.”
After Eric left, Rebecca straightened in her seat. It wasn’t long before she heard the second load go into the storage bay. Her thoughts wandered until she heard the rear hatch lowering. Getting up, she worked her way back into the bay where she double-checked the straps on each of the large machines, as well as the tie-downs on the smaller items that had also been loaded.
She took notice of how the items were placed to make sure the weight was evenly distributed. Satisfied with the load, she headed for the rear hatch, where she checked the seal—a common safety measure just in case something had gotten caught between the hatch and the seal. Discovering a vacuum leak after exiting the atmosphere was not a pleasant event, and Rebecca never intended to let that happen to her.
Eric stuck his head into the side hatch opening. “Here’s the inventory list.”
“Thanks,” Rebecca said, stepping forward to take the eRecorder from him. She could now validate what was listed against what was actually in the bay of her shuttle. Satisfied with the accuracy of the inventory, she plugged the device into a receiver slot by the hatch. After only a few seconds of data transfer, the unit beeped. She gave the recorder back to him. With the inventory list now safely loaded into the shuttle’s computer, Rebecca would let the supply folks on the ship worry about where everything went when the equipment was offloaded again.
“Oh, by the way,” Eric said, “Commander Launtra said to tell you that he would be returning with you. He said not to bother with the jump-seat because he’ll use the copilot seat. We’re just about ready to push you back out.”
Nodding her understanding, Rebecca was glad that the Commander was willing to squeeze into the copilot’s seat. Even though the jump-seat rotated down into the floor, and was easy to set upright, she just didn’t feel like messing with it.
Returning to the pilot seat, she turned off the music. She reached out and activated the dash control that presented the pre-flight checklist on the built-in screen. Running down the list, she touched the screen next to each item in the queue to check it off as completed.
Slipping the headgear on, she adjusted the single earpiece, so it fit comfortably into one ear, and then slid the small microphone along her cheek until it rested close to her mouth. She checked that off the list.
Feeling a slight shutter, she looked back to see the Commander coming on board. When he activated the panel to close the hatch, Rebecca watched to make sure it properly sealed. She turned to the status board, where she could see the rear hatch indicator already shining a bright green. The indicator light for the side hatch switched from red to green, indicating it had closed and locked. Satisfied, she marked that off the list, too.
“Hello, Commander, all set to go?” Rebecca asked when he squeezed forward and took his seat.
“Yep. You can take off as soon as you are ready.”
Rebecca gave Bill a quick look as he pulled the two straps of the seat’s harness into position over his shoulders and connected them in front of his chest. When she heard the distinctive click of the two sections coming together, she said, “Thank you for buckling up, Commander. You would be surprised how many people I have to remind to do that.”
“It’s only common courtesy, Lieutenant,” Bill responded.
Rebecca smiled to herself. She liked the Commander’s easy-going attitude. Whatever had transpired between him and Tyrone had not impacted his current mood. Glancing out the side window of the cockpit, she could see Eric standing by with his communicator in ha
nd. Giving the checklist a final review, she verified it was complete.
Reaching forward, she tapped the transmission icon for the comm unit, and said, “Shuttle three standing by for departure.”
Eric gave her the thumbs up signal indicating that he heard her. He nodded to someone out of her line of sight, and the shuttle began to rise. She then noticed Eric putting on his breathing apparatus just before the two large doors of the warehouse slowly opened, creating a whirlwind of debris as the high winds whipped into the building. The shuttle swung, and they exited the warehouse stern first.
Looking into the nearly empty warehouse as the shuttle exited, she knew that one day that building would be full of raw material ready for transport up to a freighter and onto wherever the company dictated for processing and resale. The Privateer would be long gone by then, she knew, but she could still envision it in her mind.
Her eyes shifted to the forklift that was controlling the sled as the shuttle continued to back out of the warehouse. The driver was intently studying each side of the shuttle in what she took as his insuring they would clear both sides of the warehouse doors. Then, as the shuttle cleared the building, the forklift disappeared into a cloud of dust.
“You sure picked a nice day for traveling,” Bill said. “Are you positive you can get this flying boxcar off the ground?”
“Don’t insult my ship, Commander. Unless you’ve learned to fly, this is the only way you’ll be getting back to the Privateer,” Rebecca responded. She turned, giving him a smile, so he would know she was just kidding.
“My apologies, Lieutenant, I’m sure this is the best shuttle in the entire fleet,” Bill said, returning the smile.
Rebecca entered a few commands that brought up the tactical view on the dash screen. Though she couldn’t visually see outside, the screen brought her surroundings to life. As the ground crew swung the shuttle right, the tactical view reflected the movement. The warehouse was now displayed on her left.
The shuttle shimmied slightly as the lift set the craft back into its skids. Although she couldn’t hear it, she could envision the clamps letting go of the skids that kept it securely mounted in the sled. Rebecca worked the controls at her fingertips to fire off the upper jets to keep the shuttle steady. She then waited patiently for the “all clear” to come across her headpiece. She appreciated that Bill had gone silent, as she didn’t need the distraction of a conversation.
“Shuttle three, you are cleared for liftoff.”
“Shuttle three, affirmative. Stand clear for shuttle liftoff,” Rebecca responded.
Grabbing the T-shaped throttle handle, Rebecca used her thumb and small finger to press the two end buttons in at the same time. Both overhead propulsion units fired off; their steady hum clearly heard and felt over the wind that continued to howl around her like a possessed demon.
Bringing the shuttle off the ground by pressing down on the rotator disk with her left hand, she fought the wind to keep it straight with rapid movements of her wrist. The multiple propulsion jets constantly fired in conjunction with her hand and the rotation of the disk, making it sound like she was a duck caught between trigger happy hunters, but it kept her shuttle from being whipped around by the strong winds. As the shuttle rose higher, it shook violently from the wind fighting a battle against the jets. Pushing the back of the disk down with the back of her palm tilted the nose of the shuttle skyward.
Without looking at him, Rebecca said, “Hang onto your hat, Commander. Here we go!”
Giving the tactical view a final peek, to be sure the wind hadn’t managed to point them directly at the warehouse, and being satisfied, she rammed the throttle forward all the way to the stops. The powerful thrust from the two propulsion units shot the shuttle skyward. The force of the rapid acceleration pushed Rebecca deep into the cushions of her seat.
The windshield cleared for only a briefest of moments, as the shuttle shot above the wind strewn dust and dirt before entering the low cloud cover. The shuttle bucked and shook from the turbulence as the clouds tried to eject them before finally shooting free out the top. The shuttle experienced a moment of stability before encountering the light atmosphere that surrounded the planet. As much as the clouds seemed to want them out, the atmosphere now seemed to be trying to keep them from leaving. Rebecca felt like the planet was in a constant tug-a-war with her in trying to decide whether to keep her in or toss her out.
Finally pushing free, the shuttle smoothed out into a nice comfortable ride in the wide-open expanse of space. Pulling the throttle all the way back to cut the propulsion output, Rebecca let the shuttle’s momentum take them the rest of the way to the ship.
“Nice take-off. When you make the next trip would you pick up my spine? I think I left it back on the surface,” Bill said while chuckling at his attempted humor.
Rebecca chuckled, too. She liked Bill and his causal way of keeping everyone around him at ease. Unlike Commander Bresee, who always seemed to run around with a constant wedgy of a sour mood, Bill had a way of making everyone comfortable in his presence. Given her choice, Rebecca would choose Bill to fly with her anytime.
“I’ll have you home in a few moments, Commander. Thank you for flying shuttle express. If you have the guts, we’ll haul your butts.”
“Cute, Lieutenant.”
Their fast approach to the ship prevented Rebecca from continuing the conversation. Pushing the control disk forward, she fired the front jets to bleed off speed. Tilting the disk left swung the shuttle parallel with the ship as she headed toward the stern.
“Privateer, this is inbound shuttle three requesting permission to board and land,” Rebecca said, after pressing the transmission icon with her right index finger.
Static played back into her ear for several seconds before she received a reply. “Shuttle three, this is the Privateer. You are cleared to land in shuttle bay two, repeat, shuttle bay two. Use entry lane four, repeat, entry lane four; acknowledge.”
“Privateer, this is shuttle three, acknowledging entry using lane four in shuttle bay two. Expected arrival in three minutes.”
“Shuttle three, Privateer, acknowledging arrival in three minutes. Shuttle bay doors are being opened now.”
Reaching out, Rebecca hit the transmission icon to kill her mic. Activating the forward jets again, she bled off more speed. Gracefully looping the shuttle around, she cleared the stern of the Privateer and kept her momentum heading toward the ship.
Bleeding off nearly all the shuttle’s remaining speed, she slowly approached the outer bay doors. She now focused on the lighted panel above the inner doors. It glowed red as she entered, changed to yellow as she near the inner doors, and then changed to green to indicate she had cleared the outer doors. She let the shuttle settle to the deck. The rear doors closed behind her, and then after a few moments, the inner doors slid open. Putting the shuttled into motion again, she entered the bay, swung the shuttle sideways, and slowly lowered it to the deck. Looking out the portal on Bill’s side, she could see the inner bay doors already closing.
“You’re good to go, Commander,” Rebecca said.
“Thanks for the lift, Lieutenant,” Bill said at the same time he unbuckled himself from the safety harness.
“My pleasure, Commander.”
Bill disappeared behind her as he headed for the shuttle’s side hatch. Rebecca released the hatch lock and began focusing on her shutdown procedures. Out the cockpit windshield she could see the bay crew already heading toward her shuttle to offload the items she hauled back.
Shaking her left hand, she tried to work the sting out of her wrist. The constant, heavy use of her left hand on the jet controls took their toll on her during this mission. Rebecca was not sure her wrist could take too many more trips down to that planet before she ended up having to ground herself. The din on that planet seemed never ending, so every trip tasked the very limits of her stamina.
Having made up the shuttle schedule already, her trip had transferred down the last
of the sheeting, and only two more trips were needed to drop off the last of the supplies and spare parts while bringing up the last of the equipment and ground crew. She had assigned other pilots for that task which would occur in a few hours, and she was thankful for it all to end.
Rebecca could hear Bill laughing as he talked with one of the bay crew. It reminded her of how much she liked and respected him. Finally done with the shutdown procedures, which left the console in front of her dark, she exited the shuttle and headed out of the bay in the direction of the mess hall to get a glass of iced tea. Behind her, she could hear the whir of an electric motor from one of the forklifts in use. It died away when the bay hatch slid closed.
Chapter Seven
The computer-generated alarm awoke Commander Bill Launtra out of his slumber. Opening his eyes, the cabin lights were a dim glow that would slowly increase at a steady rate as his eyes adjusted to it. Even though he knew the alarm was set for seven, he glanced at the status screen on the wall opposite his bed to confirm it. The display showed: 7AM Rapatine.
“I’m awake,” Bill said aloud.
The alarm went silent. Tossing the blanket and top sheet aside, he swung his legs over the bed and stood. Stretching, he tried to bring life back into his tired body and mind. He was now paying the price for allowing Sharon to unload her duties onto him. At the last minute, she dumped onto him the need to compile all the departmental reports that took up a good part of the nighttime hours. It was after three before he managed to climb into bed.
It was the XO’s responsibility to review and compile those reports, but she had tasked him with it. If Bill hadn’t known better, he would have suspected she did it out of spite. He suspected what really happened was that she forgot to do them until it was almost too late and tasked him with it. Her excuse had been that it was good practice for him to do the reports, and to learn to do them under pressure. Shaking his head, Bill knew that was just a big crock.
The Chance Encounter: The Linda Eccles Series - Book One Page 4