The Need For Speed

Posted on Sat Sep 23rd, 2017 @ 11:42pm by Commander Jacob Bannerman & Petty Officer 3rd Class Leo Carpenter
Edited on on Wed Sep 12th, 2018 @ 6:58pm

Mission: My Place In This Universe
Location: Shuttle Bay
Timeline: 2388/08/14 1500 (August 14 2388 1500)

Loud rock music echoed through the shuttle bay as Leo lay out full stretch on a gurney underneath one of the shuttles. A panel door hung open and he sang loudly to himself as he reached up inside of it, fitting a new relay. So engrossed was he in the song and the work that he didn't even realise that he wasn't alone.

Jake Bannerman was good at sneaking up on people. Strike that, he was an expert. His years with 31 had taught him that and much more. Much, much more. He missed it. In fact, he missed it so much it hurt. But he knew that he couldn't ever go back unless he wanted to face certain death.

And so he found himself here. On Sapientia. Part of this petty little place full of petty little people who didn't have a clue what evil really lurked out there in the galaxy. Inside his head he sighed. He was frustrated beyond belief and he hadn't even been able to release any of that tension with a little rough and tumble between the sheets. Apparently the women here weren't as easy as he was used to. So there was only one thing for it. He was going to have to fly his frustrations away.

Approaching Leo's outstretched legs without a word, he gently kicked at his shin.

Leo let out a yelp of surprise and went to sit up. A loud clang rang out as his head impacted on the open panel door. A loud "Ow!" followed by a groan ensued before he quickly pulled himself out from under the shuttle.

Sighing with relief as he saw Jake standing there, Leo rubbed at his head and said "Damnit Commander! What'd you go and do that for?"

Jake chuckled and said "Sorry...just wanted to ask if the fighter is flight ready." He held out a hand to help Leo up and added "I feel the need for speed."

"Yeah she's ready." Leo nodded referring to Jake's own bird, "Worked on her all day yesterday...I even think I've managed to get a bit more out of her but you'll have to tell me what you think when you get back."

"Sure thing." Jake nodded as he turned to walk over to his ship. He held up a hand as he walked and added "And sorry about your head."

"Yeah right." Leo mumbled as he rubbed at his head once more then lay back down to get back to work.

Approaching his fighter, Jake walked up to her and ran a hand almost reverently over her chassis. "What do you say girl? You up to breaking your speed record?" He grinned and hauled himself up into the cockpit, locking the canopy in place, putting on his helmet and strapping himself in. He ran a quick pre-flight diagnostic and was pleased to see that Leo had done a pretty good job with the old girl.

Firing up the engine he wasted no time throttling her up and taking off, the ship hurtling out of the hangar much faster than regulations permitted. Pulling up hard, he turned her skyward until she was vertical and with a yell of excitement thundered upwards to exit the atmosphere.

As the sky turned from turquoise, to violet then indigo and black, Jake pushed the engines to screaming point. With the atmosphere far behind him he banked left and headed towards the planet's largest moon, the nose of the ship pointing straight at it as he tapped a few buttons to get even more from the ageing ship. Closer and closer the moon loomed until it filled his view. Red warning lights began to pulse across the console before him, the red alert sounding shrilly within the cockpit but still he gunned it onwards. The proximity sensors began to flash, the noise of the alerts getting annoying to the point where Jake barked "Computer silence alarms!"

Pushing and pushing the ship began to protest by groaning in response to the incessant speed but Jake was ignorant of it intent on pushing the ship and the circumstances to the limit. Holding his nerve he stayed his course, at ninety degrees to the moon. He could actually see the features on its surface as the ship began to judder as if it feared the imminent impact that would surely come.

A thrill coursed through Jake as he waited for the right moment. Just a little bit further. One, two, three....

With less than a kilometre until he would impact the surface, he pulled up, another huge groan emanating from the ship as the change in direction assaulted it with sheer forces but the nimble little ship began to turn nonetheless even though the force of the turn caused it to roll. But Bannerman relentlessly held on to control and just metres from the surface, the ship banked away back into space leaving Jake letting out a loud "WooHoo!" as he gloried in the excitement of cheating death and the fact that the exercise has caused him to feel something at last.

Barrel rolling the vessel as he ascended again, his heart rate began to settle back to normal and he turned back for the planet just as one of the consoles blew, knocking out the navigation sensors. Swearing under his breath, he looked on with concern as the panel began to smoke. Maybe the old girl was getting too ancient to cope with the demands of such reckless flying.

With no navigation sensors, Jake relied on the visual clues to get him back home flying blind as he tried to locate the Academy.

*****Ten minutes later********

The fighter settled down gently on the deck and Jake popped open the canopy to climb out, coughing as he did so. Billows of acrid smoke escaped around him from the smoking console.

Looking up from his work, Leo shook his head in disbelief. "Jeez boss what the hell did you do to her?"

Jake sauntered over to Leo and suppressed the coughing fit he was having "She uh...had a bit of trouble keeping up with me." he tossed Leo his helmet and walked past him, "Still, at least it gives you something to do tonight huh?" he winked before heading for the exit in search of alcohol. Lots and lots of alcohol.

Leo watched Jake leave and sighed then grabbed a fire extinguisher. Climbing into the cockpit he quenched the burgeoning fire and then turned to the computer controls to pull up the ships data log to see exactly what Jake had been up to.

His jaw dropped and he blinked a few times. How in the heck was Bannerman still alive? "Now there's a man with issues." he mumbled before getting to work.