The Centre
OCTOBER 26, 3303
SYSTEM: ALTAIR
STAR CLASS: A (BLUE-WHITE)
STATION: SOLO ORBITER
Ch 1: Departure
*BEEEP* *BEEEP* *BEEEP* *BEE-* CLICK.
"Ruby, come on up to the bridge, we've gotta start pre-flight checks." Said a voice over the PA. "Fine, I'll be right there" said a groggy voice. Ruby Rose, Commander of the Darkwing, a Faulcon-DeLacy Anaconda, rose from her bed and within minutes was dressed. Today, unlike most days, would mark the start of a long journey, one she had made twice before. Ruby made her way to the bridge of her ship, making sure the passenger compartments were in good order before she went up.
This was no ordinary sortie, she would be ferrying a high-end passenger for the very first time to the centre of the Milky Way Galaxy, a supermassive black hole called Sagittarius A located 25,999 Light Years from Sol. She had flown passengers before to as far as Betelgeuse and Eta Carinae, but never as far as this. *BZZT* "Yang, is all the cargo she requested loaded on board yet?" Ruby said into the console on her wrist. *BEEP* "Yup, every ounce. She should be thankful we have the money lying around to make all these purchases, I don't think Solo would have let us if we didn't tell them who it was for" said Yang-Xiao-Long, Ruby's sister and first officer.
Arriving on the bridge, Ruby looked around. In the middle was the Commander's chair, along with all the flight controls, to her right, Yang was already doing her systems checks, and to her left, an empty console, open for a passenger to get a close look on how the ship operates. The Darkwing was no ordinary Anaconda, this one was one of the few to be adorned with the symbols and rank of Elite with the Pilot's Federation in Exploration, thus it had become a local celebrity in Altair. Ruby and Yang were almost always working because of this, running cargo here, and data there, blowing up pirates and wrecking people who tried to kill new pilots because they were vulnerable.
"Morning sleepy-head" Yang said with a chuckle. "Morning, sorry I'm up so late, all this work is getting to me I think." said Ruby. "We're almost done. Anyway, pre-flight." said Yang. The pair went straight to work, listing off and checking the systems they would need for take-off. Suddenly, a message came in saying that their passenger was ready to board.
"Go say hi, I've got this" said Yang. Ruby proceeded down to the loading arm that was attached to the ship's starboard. She opened the door to reveal a young woman clad all in white, with long white hair that looked like it was made of the purest diamond. "Greetings ma'am, welcome aboard the Darkwing. I'm Commander Ruby Rose, pleasure to meet you." Ruby said with a cheerful, but authoritative tone. "Good day, I am Weiss Schnee of the Sirius Corporation, a pleasure. I trust you have everything I requested for the trip for these next two weeks" Weiss said politely. "Yes ma'am, loaded up. Let me show you to your room, then we'd love to have you on the bridge for takeoff and first jump." Ruby said. "It'd be an honour to be on the Darkwing's bridge, I've been looking forward to being on this ship for ages." Weiss said excitedly.
Opening Weiss' room, the two stepped inside to find an immaculate area. A full master bedroom, large living space with the most extravagant fixings, bathroom with full tub, and shower and any shampoo or soap anyone could dream of. "Please make yourself at home, feel free to use as much hot or cold water as you need, our recyclers are state-of-the-art. There is a holo-chamber down the hall near my quarters that Yang and I use for hand-to-hand training as well and firearm training, if that is your kind of thing. Otherwise, enjoy your stay here, we'll be departing in roughly ten minutes, please follow me." said Ruby. Weiss followed close behind, looking at all the awards, and accolades the ship and her crew had earned. Going by a large hangar, Weiss saw two large rovers and a small fighter, the latter of which looked to be scratched up badly. She decided not to pry and continued to follow the Commander up to the bridge.
On the bridge, there were many consoles lit up, and a light vibration began all over the ship. "Ah, you must be Weiss. The name's Yang, I'm the FO on this marvellous vessel" Yang said cheerfully. "A pleasure. Where do you want me?" asked Weiss. "Left seat, strap yourself in, and don't touch anything on the consoles" ordered Ruby. "Okay, no need to be rude" scoffed Weiss. Ruby glared at her, "Ma'am you are indeed our esteemed guest, but this is my bridge, you can call it my own little universe. Up here, my word is law, if I say "jump", you say "how high". When you are down in your quarters, your wish is our command, you are free to do as you please everywhere BUT here, are we clear?" asked Ruby, never failing to look Weiss directly in the eyes. "Crystal." said Weiss.
"Okay, let's move." said Yang.
"Solo Orbiter, this is the Darkwing requesting VFR out of station exiting toward galactic core. Route is plotted, and all systems are go." Ruby said into her headset. "Darkwing, clear for takeoff. VFR to galactic core. Follow the greens on your way out. Good Luck" said the voiced over the intercom. "Yang, go for APU start. Activate all primary systems, and arm thrusters." Weiss watched as the two rapidly pressed button after button, and she could feel the vibrations get louder and louder. "APU start confirmed, life support and primaries online, thrusters ready to go." Yang barked. "Go for engine start" Ruby barked in return. Suddenly, the vibrations came to a head as a large jolt forward, and a noise unlike any she had ever heard. Feeling the ship push upward, she saw the "ground" get farther and farther away. 15-foot jets of ionised gas pushed the Anaconda up off the landing pad, Ruby pushed the throttle forward, and the ship began to move forward. The sheer power of the engines astonished Weiss, in just under thirty seconds, a ship long as a football field was out in open space. "Activate fuel scoop sensors, and prep for Frame Shift. It's the first of the day so it'll be a little rocky." Ruby ordered. Ruby and Yang buckled themselves in, and Ruby began rolling, pitching and yawing the ship toward their vector, the system LHS 3356. Weiss looked awestruck at the power, but also the gracefulness of the massive ship. "Weiss, if you would, press the red button on your right-hand console there. That will initiate the FSD sequence" said Ruby. Weiss did as she was told, and the ship's Frame Shift Drive began to whirr. Soon enough a countdown was heard from the ship's onboard computer, and the universe became a tunnel. Weiss saw brilliant stars, gas clouds and above all else, the star they were approaching. "Weiss, we scoop almost every star, saves time refuelling" Ruby said just as the ship rapidly decelerated, to reveal a brilliant red M Class Red Dwarf Star.
"Head back down and make yourself comfortable, we've got a loooong way to go yet" said Ruby. Weiss made her way down to her quarters, and proceeded to get the room set up, arranging her belongings, and some of the cargo the crew had purchased for her stay. She decided that it would be a good idea to lie down, saving her energy for the trip to come.
On the bridge, the crew were hard at work, already 250 LY down the road. "So, Ruby, what do you think of Weiss? Not as annoying as other Sirius idiots we've had on board, eh?" said Yang. "No, she's nice. if she stays out of the way, we'll get her to the centre." Ruby said coldly. "Yeesh, what's up with you?" asked Yang. "I'm just exhausted, Yang. I've been flying for weeks now, and I'm tired. The last thing I need now is for her to complain that we aren't doing enough or something, I might have to send her out the airlock." complained Ruby. "Relax, kiddo, you're tired, I get it, but this is what we signed up for. Tell you what, let me take the reins for a while. Don't worry, I won't scratch her up too much" Yang said with a wink. Ruby retreated to her quarters as Yang took the pilot's seat.
On the way down, Weiss shot her a worried glance. "Is everything okay, Commander?" asked Weiss. "Yes, don't worry. If you have any requests, forward them up to Yang, I'm going to rest for a while" said Ruby tiredly. Weiss watched as Ruby entered her room and disappeared behind the door.
Author's Note: It has been a VERY long time since I've written anything besides essays. I'm currently in College for Aviation Management in Canada, so uploads will be scarce. If you enjoyed this, and want me to make more chapters for it, let me know.
See you starside, D4RKSIDE.