First flight

"It's blue," Avis said as she looked at the cargo tug sitting in the bay.

"Huh?" Kanoa turned wondering what she was talking about. "Oh that. We have no red paint."

"So it's lying," she said waving her hand at the large letters that declared "Red 17" in cobalt blue.

"No, the pod's designation is actually Red 17," Kanoa said as he went to climb into it. "It's just not in red."

"Someone might get confused though," Avis said as she went to follow him.

"Do you really think so? You read it and it says red." Kano gave a sigh and settled himself into one of the seats.

"But, you look at it and it's blue," Avis said as she took her seat. She looked at the controls in front of her and glanced at Kanoa. "You're in the co-pilot's seat right now."

"I know, I want to see you take the reins first," Kanoa started to strap himself in and whispered under his voice. Once he was done he reached into his shirt and pulled out an amulet of curving lines which he kissed.

"So what do I do now," Avis asked holding her hands over the buttons and switches before her.

"Didn't you learn anything, first you start the pod then you get permission to leave."

Avis gave a nod and took a deep breath as she looked over the controls. Her fingers ran across the steering mechanism a moment before her right hand took hold of it. Her left hand deftly pressing buttons and flipping switches causing a purr to come forth. She hesitated a moment in the star-up sequence, at which point Kanoa leaned forward, ready to fix anything that went wrong, but Avis was able to remember where she was fast enough.

"This is Red 17 requesting permission to take off," Avis said into the mic of her head piece. She glanced at Kanoa with narrowed eyes, but kept her comment to herself.

"Acknowledged, stand by... You're clear for departure through bay one." came the somewhat static filled reply, a text and icon guidance display popped up on the HUD a moment later, indicating the instructions visually.

Avis took the controls in her hands and steered the craft forward and out of the main ship, her knuckles quickly becoming white. She managed to get out without incident, but found her breath shallow in her chest.

"Relax," Kanoa said, there was an edge of amusement to his voice. "Looking at you and I'd say this was your first time actually behind the controls."

"Actually, sir," she said as she took a deep breath. "This isn't my first time."

An audio queue sounded from the controls, and a text display verified they were now on independent guidance, as they cleared landing space navigation assistance.

Kanoa nods to the consoles exclamation, "Now, bring us up to standard maneuvering velocity, and we shall see how you handle the controls."

With a shudder and a low whine of the throttle for the main drive the craft began to accelerate, the vector thrust displays light up as the pod's drive quickly pushes the ship into motion along its X-axis. The gauges begin reading a mere 10 meters a second, and quickly rise, as the gauges reach 100, the gauge expands by a factor of 10 displaying a much higher velocity potential. The navigation screen increases dramatically in scope, zooming out rapidly as the pod accelerated, showing Red Phoenix, the ship they had just departed from, and overlaying sensor data. Several other vessels began to appear on the display in relation to the pod as the system attempted to display the most relevant position data for the velocity the ship was traveling at.

As the nav-screen zoomed out a transport vessel became highlighted, its "Friend or Foe" data appeared on screen beside it and its icon turned warm yellow and began to fluctuate, demanding attention. Avis noted it but didn't seem particularly concerned given its distance, which also appeared shortly thereafter, decrementing faster as the velocity gauge crept over the 450 mark on the X-axis. Kanoa however gave a nearly inaudible prayer, then turned questioning look to Avis as the nav-screen's pulsing icon began to turn from a fluctuating glow to a rapid blinking growing brighter and harsher, an audible warning broke in before Kanoa could speak the words, "Caution, collision danger. Alter course."

Kanoa noted, "We should change course soon."

As though it were an afterthought, Avis realized that, as the velocity crept past 500 and climbed towards 600, still accelerating, the navigation computer wasn't holding anything back. Avis rotated the vessel on its Z and Y axis given the transports dimensions ahead and did little to affect main drive thrust, angling approximately 45 degrees. The craft approached 600 on the X axis, relative to space, and began to accelerate past 10, then through 50 as the craft drew ever closer, the computer's tone growing sharper in alarm, the distance closing to only a few hundred meters, at approximately 100 meters the tone silenced itself, and the pod drew past the other vessel, with a handful of meters to spare, taking a long arc past the vessel

Kanoa glared at Avis as the danger passed, obviously not pleased, "This is a flight evaluation in a pod, not a demonstration of advanced strike craft maneuvering!" he barked.

"I was in control the whole time," Avis replied. "Or did you not notice that we didn't crash?"

The comm unit chimed in momentarily, with an insistent beeping. The navigation screen in turn flashed white around the transport's icon to alert that it was the source of the transmission, it was the Hatsune.

Avis slapped the control almost immediately, "Red 17, acknowledging signal."

"Red 17, experiencing navigational faults?" came the rather monotone reply, obviously through a translation system, a low quality one at that, any tone or implication of the words would be lost, but it was clear to any observer that the one speaking was not pleased.

"Negative, navigation systems are functioning properly." Avis replied, while Kanoa glared in response.

"Explain erratic flight path." Came the immediate, yet still monotone response.

Kanoa cut in, "Pilot error, new recruit, I will correct it quickly, thank you for your concern." The tone more for Avis' benefit, than the Hatsune's captain, because of the likelihood of the reverse translation not supporting the implication.

"Quickly fix the pilot error," came the last message from the Hatsune's captain before the channel was closed, on the navigation screen the white highlight around the ship disappeared.

As the comm channel cut off, Avis spoke up in protest, "There was NO error!"

Kanoa looked at her, gave a slight sigh as he crossed his arms over his chest, "There is a reason Joal-je frowns upon impatience." He turned to the controls and waved a hand over them. "You are responsible not just for yourself but for those riding with you and those around you as a pilot, if you cannot handled that responsibility then I suggest you find yourself a different line of work."

"I am up to it," Avis said. "Though I have been shanghaied into this job I have the training to do it."

"Training only takes a person so far," Kanoa said flatly. "But seeing as you feel you are up to the task you may take us back. However I order you to do so under 300 meters a second."

By now, the ship had traveled several kilometers past the location of the incident, still traveling at high velocity, well into the 700 range. Avis turned the ship around on its relative Z axis, orienting the ship a few degrees off of a perfect opposite to its angle of momentum. It took well over a minute to decelerate, then finally return to a course directed towards the Red Phoenix.

After a much longer wait, traveling at roughly 300 meters a second, they began another set of deceleration maneuvers, this time using standard breaking thrusters, which faced forward, rather than the pod's main drive.

"Red Phoenix Flight Control, Red 17 requesting landing clearance..." Avis brought up the comm once again to address the landing bay's controller.

After a short delay, control responded, "Acknowledged, the bay is clear. ... Please observe standard velocity restrictions within the landing area. Taxi to lift one." The flight controller obviously had been observing the flight patterns of all nearby traffic, including the near impact.

Avis brought the pod down into the landing bay at only a handful of meters a second, slowing to less than one as the pod approached the elevator, then stopped as its magnetic struts extended to latch onto the lift platform. When the lock had been confirmed, the lift began moving down and the doors above it closed when the pod cleared the gap, another set of doors locked above them as they began to enter a pressurized area and the pod was brought into the maintenance and storage bay below the landing deck itself. After a few moments, the flight technicians on duty gave the vessel a once over, then cleared them for vacancy when the pod had been taxied the rest of the way into a docking sleeve out of the way.

“Go to your quarters, Ms. Ra,” Kanoa said as they came out of the pod. “I have evaluated you as a potential pilot and now I must discuss your future with Captain Bran.”

“I failed, didn't I?” Avis said. She stood at attention in front of him in the hanger.

“No, you flew and you survived,” Kanoa said. “How ever you are not what I would call a good pilot, you are reckless and impatient. You treated that flight like a simulation, like no one could get hurt even if you failed.”

“It's because I'm a woman, isn't it?” Avis said as if Kanoa hadn't said a word. “You don't think a woman can fly, do you? That earlier woman, she was chased off not for hitting on you, but for breathing in you cock pit.”

“It's not because you are a woman,” Kanoa said. “What gave you that idea anyway?”

“I read up on Farlans,” Avis said. "Just like you said I should. I found out that you're people are worse that mine when it comes to separation of sexes.”

“Well I am not like them,” Kanoa said. “I am not basing this off what you were born with, but by what I saw just now.”

“The evidence speaks otherwise,” Avis said. “First chasing off the other woman co-pilot and then this.”

“Do not presume to know what motivates me,” Kanoa said. “You know nothing of my history as I know nothing of yours.” He turned to walk away from the younger pilot, scowling as if he had taken a mouthful of foul fruit. He stopped a looked over his shoulder as he heard footsteps behind him. He saw Avis was on the move, following him actually it seemed, but Kanoa decided not to let it get to him, not yet anyway. It wasn't until the lift passed the level where the newest of recruits were living did Kanoa react to her presence and asked her if she was lost.

“No,” she answered with her hands folded behind her back. “I have to speak to Captain Bran as well.”

"You're not going to change his mind,” Kanoa said.

“You seem confident that he will listen exclusively to you,” Avis said. Neither of them looked at the other, but were content to stare at their own patch of wall for the ride.

“No, we've been working together for nearly a decade now, we know each other and we know what we are able to tolerate,” Kanoa said. “It's also very dangerous when the pilot and the co-pilot are unable to cooperate.”

“Just because the same rules of the civilized world don't apply here doesn't mean you can get everything you want,” Avis said. “You are not going to turn me away just because I am a woman.”

“You still think this is over your uterus,” Kanoa said. “And you think the world is fair.” He turned to face her now. “Let me tell you something, life is not fair, I bear scars from the injustice of this world.”

“You think you're the only one that has suffered?” Avis demanded. “I lost my daughter and and year of my life to show for it.”

Kanoa did not reply, but his jaw did tighten. Thankfully the lift door open just then. “I refuse.” He turned away and walked down the corridor, his boots echoing loudly as he strode away from her.

“Refuse what?” The look of triumph Avis had vanished into confusion; she had to move quickly to catch up.

“To play 'one-up' with you,” Kanoa said as he came to a stop. He touched the chime button to one of the doors and waited.

“Who is there,” came the reply over the door's comm.

“Kanoa,” he said with a press of the button to reply. “I am done evaluating Recruit Ra and am here to report how it went.” The door swished open and Amalric was standing just behind it in a silken tunic and matching slacks.

“Is Recruit Ra here to add to the report?” Amalric said as he looked over to her.

“I am here to make sure Kanoa give a fair account of what happened,” she said as she stood to attention.

“Rest assured that he will give an fair and accurate account, now return to your bunk Recruit Ra,” Amalric said.

“But he won't,” Avis said. “He is--” She was cut off by Amalric's raised hand.

“Trust me, Kanoa will not be unfair in his report, now don't make me order you to return to your bunk.” Avis looked at him and the effort to keep from saying anything further was obvious. She nodded and turned away after an extended moment. Amalric motioned for Kanoa to enter.

“Sir, I would like to give you my full and undiluted opinion,” Kanoa said once the door was closed behind him.

“Good, that is what you are here for,” Amalric said as he walked over to one of the chairs in the room. From here it was obvious the space was part of a suite, though all the fancy decorations had long been removed leaving only the scarred wallpapering to show the luxury that once resided here.

“She has all the confidence of an over educated green horn,” Kanoa said. "I doubt she has ever been in a real world situation before this and that her training did not focus on piloting as much as I would prefer.”

“Can she even fly?” Amalric asked.

“Yes, she can fly; I would not trust it if I had a choice. Her confidence is the kind that kills people, deaths I do not wish for, deaths I would not even wish upon my enemies. Considering we will be on mission in a remote system I suggest you find me a different co-pilot, one that knows what they are doing.”

“I will see what I can do,” Amalric said. “But there is a shortage of anyone with any sort of flight training, you may have to make do with what you have. Do you think you could break her of this lethal confidence?”

“I do not think she will be very well broken by me,” Kanoa said. “She feels her sex is clouding my judgment.”

"That is one of the more ridiculous things I have ever hard, but it does explain her earlier behavior." Amalric nodded. "She will learn, I hope, that most judgment here is passed based on merit and little else."