Prepping and Planning

Posted on Sat Jan 25th, 2020 @ 8:38pm by Warrant Officer Koh Ottasu & Warrant Officer Callisi Veera

Mission: Dead Moon
Location: Flight Deck

Lucy walked out onto the flight deck, looking around. She'd just received word from the Captain that the fighters may be needed soon, and she wanted to make sure everything was in tip-top shape before heading out. She walked over to her craft, hopping up into the cockpit, and started running a full diagnostic on the craft. She looked over at the other members of her Flight and smiled, seeing that they were doing the same. "So, what do you think we're gonna be doing this time then?" She called across to Koh and Callisi.

Koh and Callisi climbed up to sit in their respective cockpits, going through the pre-launch checklist in their heads. Click here, toggle there, check there, tap there, it all seemed very routine just by watching them. "Probably have us secure the area, watch for hostiles. The usual." Koh spoke up.

"Either that, or sensor buoy detail." Callisi added as she finished up her checklist. The last thing to do was to reach under their seats and find a thick, collar-like piece of equipment, more like the collar to a shirt.. just without the shirt. Once they had those on, they sat and waited for the sign.

"So, remember, out there is gonna be hell to navigate through, so watch each others backs out there. If anyone gets into trouble out there I wanna know before it becomes a rescue op, clear?" She asked over the flights commlink.

"Understood." came the voice of Callisi. First to respond, she was still fidgeting in her cockpit, eager to get out into the black. Oddly enough, for those who never met her or spoke with her at length, she wore an eyepatch. Still wore the eyepatch, even while in the pit and ready to go. Koh didn't give her any lip for it, though.

He gave a nod right after her, "Understood. We do the job, we come home safe. Perfect grade." he commented, and Callisi followed with what was probably the proper response to the cadence. "Ten marks."

"And now we wait." Lucy said, mainly to herself. They had to wait for the clearance to fly from the bridge, and then from flight control. They also had to wait for actual firm orders to come down. Lucy didn't like playing the waiting game. It usually made her nerves go haywire, something about sitting and having to mull over things that she couldn't change, or do anything about.

"Seems the waiting game is universal." Koh started. Callisi spoke up next, "I hate waiting." and she fidgeted a little more in her seat.

"A short wait isn't that terrible. It's when it gets to be a long wait that you start going twitch crazy. You feel it in your ears, then your feet, then..."

"She doesn't have our ears." Callisi said, now with a giggle.

"I heard that you pair." Lucy answered jokingly. "So, any plans for when we get back onboard?" She asked. "I'm thinking a nice relaxing bath, with maybe a nice cup of white hot chocolate, topped with marshmallows." She fantasized.

"I happen to have a lovely partner I can curl up with." Koh said with a smirk.

"And I'm going to open up some of my ice cream reserve and watch a movie." Callisi offered. "Something scary." she concluded with a smirk. Koh had a smirk on his face. "Scary like that human classic, the Terminator?"

"What's it about?" she asked. Koh smirked, "Oh, just a robot that looks like a per--"

"No."

"Ah, Terminator's not that scary. Now Human Centipede, that's a scary movie!" Lucy answered. "But then again I don't really do scary movies, i'm more of a music and romance chick." She said.

"It's... not that it's scary. It..." Callisi squirmed a little in her cockpit. Koh picked up the slack for his wingman. "She's not a fan of the actor." a pause, "The one in the lead role."

Thankful for the quick switch, Callisi gave a nod, "Now, romance and such, no thanks. Keep it. I'll take an action film anyday."

"Nothing wrong with a bit of Arnie! Love the muscles, ohh and that accent! To die for." She gushed.

"I found his accent hard to follow." she admitted. Callisi might not have seen many films with the Austrian bodybuilder superstar in them, but she knew what movies she didn't like in them. "Just that.... that Terminator film... hits a little... well, close to home."

Lucy nodded awkwardly. “Ok so favourite movie then?” She asked.

"Oh that's easy. Hero of Sword." Koh started. "It's a cultural piece. Story's older than the stars. Fated hero, oppressive evil, magic sword. All the elements of a good time. There's a part in there I always love to see. The hero has to cross the open plains to deliver a message to help defeat the evil overlord... but, it's the middle of the day. If he crosses in front of the castle, he'll be picked off by archers."

"Oh, I remember this part. That's the part where...?" Callisi called up, and Koh could be HEARD nodding. "Yeah, he gets on his strider and orders all the healing balms to be applied to the mount. Then he orders his oracle, 'When next do we have the dusk?' and his oracle tells him in two hours, there'll be an eclipse."

"That... that kinda happens a lot back home." Callisi explained.

"So he's got two hours. His strider is dressed in black, and so is he. Nothing shines, nothing gleaming... and then there's this line of nighttime. The eclipse is coming, and he brings his strider to a full gallop. Boom, he's running, and the darkness overtakes him. He blends in fully with the night. He's just gone... the archers can't see him, and he's running with the eclipse. Here comes the dawn, hot on his heels, and he's just going full tilt. His strider's exhausted, but all the healing balms are keeping it alive. The dawn comes, but it's alright, cause he's already across."

"Best part of the film." Koh said with a goofy grin. Callisi gave a giggle, "Someone suggested Watership Down to me, because it had rabbits in it. I punched them in the face halfway through." she admitted. "My favorite movie is 'A Day as Emperor. It's a piece from home about someone who looks exactly like the Emperor. The guards are fooled, the advisors are fooled, and the Emperor himself... it was a man back then... welcomes in his doppleganger, to take the day off himself and just be a commoner. They both learn a lot about the lifestyle of the other, and when they trade back their lives, they do so with dignity and a lesson learned." she smiled softly.

"What about you?" Koh offered to keep the conversation going. "Favorite film..."

"Hmmm...Probably Zombieland. Love a good Zombie Comedy movie. Shaun of the Dead, another good one." She smiled. "So, how much longer do you reckon it'll be till we get told to fly out?" She asked the others.

"We don't have zombie movies back home. With a lot of the space constraints in Ts'usugi colonies and cities we don't bury our dead, they get cremated. Only the exceptionally wealthy, or the Emperor themself, gets an actual burial." Callisi pointed out. "So, a movie about the dead coming back to life would be... awkward."

Koh agreed, "As for our launch time, I don't know how you do things here in the Fleet, but back home if you don't sortie in fifteen minutes, you don't sortie." he pointed out.

"At least, that's the expression." Callisi corrected.

Lucy looked at the clock in her cockpits Head up Display. “2 more minutes or we don’t sortie then.” She chuckled.

Koh sat and waited for a call either way. Callisi had no choice BUT to wait, but she couldn't really sit still. "Waiting really IS the worst." she commented.

Two minutes would come and go. "Might as well call up and get an update to the situation." Callisi offered.

Lucy nodded again. She activated the fighters com link. “Lieutenant Graydon to Bridge, just wondering if you have any update for us?” She asked.

The response came back from the Bridge, "Graydon this is the Bridge. Message from Captain Laurens. Negative on deploy. Repeat, negative on deploy. We are too close to the Charybdis Sector. Stand down."

Koh kicked his feet over the edge of his Blink Fighter. "Well, I guess we have our answer. Go on and punch out. Dead Eye and I can handle the after action."