| A New Teacher |
| Summary: | Cidra tasks Alessandra with helping train the new pilots. |
| Date: | 30 Sep 2041 AE |
| Related Logs: | Making It Happen for Heavy Raider sims foo |
| Players: |
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| Flight Simulation |
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| A training room specifically dedicated to honing aerial skills, this area is equipped with several flight simulator pods that allow the pilots to practice maneuvers and tactics without being in a real live plane. The Viper-pods are installed on one side of the room with a little space between them, an attempt to provide a realistic feel for close-range wing training, while a smaller number of Raptor sim-pods are installed on the opposite side of the room from the Vipers. A central computer terminal and overhead display screen sits at the head of the room, where one can input exercises and data to be run in the sims, scroll through score records, and control the training modules. |
| Post-Holocaust Day: #216 |
While Cidra hasn't been, precisely, difficult to catch lately, the woman's time has been very…structured in terms of her duty hours. She flies her CAPs, oversees training, engages in the various bureaucracy of running the Air Wing, but on her off hours she's kept to herself. This has been generally true since their return from Sagittaron, though it's become more pronounced since Sitka's murder. She's spent a great deal of time holed up in her office. Rumor has it she's been sleeping there, or in chapel, as she's spending fewer nights in the berthings themselves. But, she sees to her duties without fail. One of those was to call for a meet with LT Sophronia in the simulators today. She said it had to do with training. That is all she said preliminarily. Toast is early, as she's wont to be, up at the main control console. Fiddling with the settings.
Alessandra's pretty much on time, herself, dressed in her duty blues and hair pulled into a tight bun, everything in place including a calm she has pulled about herself. "Major," she greets Cidra with once she's inside the room, her eyes drifting from simulator to simulator before settling upon the CAG herself. "Nice to see you." Whether or not she has heard any rumors as to the whereabouts of the woman she is speaking to is left unspoken upon, Allie either having heard them and tactfully not bringing them up or the rumors having missed her entirely.
Cidra is in her flight suit, for her part. She generally is when in the sims. It's not required. Theoretically, one can run the exercises as well in their sweats as anything else. But the CAG is one for 'realism' in the faux-ships. "Ah. Lucky." Cidra straightens up, doing a few last key-clicks to save whatever it is she was working on. Then she strides out from behind the console to meet the lieutenant properly. "I thank your for your promptness. I shall not take up too much of your time but there is…much to settle." So she cuts right to it. "Ibrahim told me you had an interest in flight instruction."
Alessandra's face tightens some when the Captain is brought up, her expression going tense. "Yes, sir. I did indeed. It was something the Captain had offered to help me with but…well, yeah." Looking down, she adds after a moment, "He must've been busy, I guess." Shaking her head, she looks back up into the Major's eyes and asks warily, "Is that what this is about, sir?" With the fight having happened not that long ago, Allie's still expecting the other shoe to drop.
"Ibrahim's death has left a rather sizeable hole in our training program, particularly where our Viper pilots are concerned," Cidra says. If another shoe about the fight is going to drop, there's no sign it'll be dropped today. Indeed, no one involved in that incident has been reprimanded or had it made mention of beyond to talking to they got in the brig. "I know you are not fully certified. But, who is these days? You have a great deal of experience and are among our senior remaining Viper pilots. I was hoping you would lend me a hand in our training of your fellows."
"It is understandable. Loss of a higher ranking officer or someone in a supervising position makes for quite a gap." Allie learned that from when Captain Laskaris was killed, an event that left quite a large hole in the squadron until the replacement was named. She then nods and manages a small smile. "Of course, sir. I do have to confess to being a bit leery of being placed in such a role as I know at least one person within the squadron still harbors ill feelings about me but if you think I'll do well I'll try my very hardest…" Not sure how to conclude that she simply lets it hang there.
Cidra snorts, dismissive. "Plenty in the Wing do not particularly like me. They do not have to, to serve me well. I have told you before, Lucky, and I say it again now. You respect the rank, you respect the wings. The rest, you earn yourself. For good or ill. I do not care how popular you are. Do you think yourself up for this in terms of your skill in the cockpit and as a prospective teacher?"
Alessandra nods. "I know, sir. It's just something I find difficult to let go sometimes. Not that I expect to be crowned queen of the frakking ball but it'd just be nice to be able to let that go." Taking a minute, she mulls over that, now. Does she find herself up for the job? "Yes, sir. I do." The short answer lacks nothing in conviction, Allie putting everything she has into it.
"Best way to move past something is just to have it out within the one you hold it with," Cidra says. "However that may be. Off-duty, of course. And do see nothing important gets broken." The barest hint of a smirk. "I have found the most…difficult of relationships tend to run the deepest, if one can get past their pride enough to lay it all out." She shrugs. "Well, that is neither here nor there. Work it out as you shall." The answer gets a genuine smile. "Excellent. You shall be working with our Nuggets, of course, but I would like you to assist your more junior pilots with training exercises as well. Particularly now. Papa…" A pause, and clearing of her throat. "That is. Lieutenant Colonel Baer, CAG of the Areion, is interested in running some joint training drills while we occupy fairly quiet space. As am I. And I would very much like to show him what we are made of."
"Yes sir. No more shoving people's faces into tables," Alie says, her own semi-joke punctuated with a chuckle. "I will get a sim rotation posted for the nuggets and offer to help the others if they need it, sir." The mention of the drills with the pilots from the other ship has her blinking a bit in surprise, that being something she wasn't expecting for some reason. "I'll make sure we're up to par and then some, Major."
Cidra may curve the faintest hint of a smile at that. She may. It's subtle and, as always with her, hard to pin down precisely what she's thinking at a given moment. "Your first proper assignment is one Mister Alexis Devlin. He's one of our more advanced Nuggets. Should be able to commission him within a week or so, if he gets through the condensed OCS. Shiv got his flight quals up to serviceable but he still needs some work on his gunnery. Spend some intensive sim time with him. Also, take him out for a CAP rotation when you are next up. As I did say, he can fly decently at this point and I would trust him out there with one such as yourself. Just make sure he R-T-Bs promptly if the Cylons do appear."
"I know him. Met him not that long ago. Has a thing with Bubbles, it seems." Chewing her lower lip, she watches Cidra before giving an abrupt nod of understanding. "Of course, sir. If anything happens I'll be sure he returns home. No showboating or anything like that." That's a lesson she learned herself and is more than happy to pass on to the rookies.
"Yes, that would be him," Cidra affirms with a nod, after the 'has a thing with Bubbles' identifier. "Excellent. Take him out in space, put him through his paces, be sure he respects the importance of clear eyes and steady hands on CAP. Beyond the Nuggets, I would like you to coordinate with Sweet Pea - that is, Lieutenant Leyla Aydin - on some joint drills our Raptors and Vipers can run in the sims. Play with the new programming. See if you can come up with something…punishing. Money Shot and Flasher have done some fairly impressive work reprogramming our machines with what we have learned of our enemy since the initial attacks. Have you played with the new programs? They are quiet challenging. In addition to using the data we have gathered on the Cylons' improvements, one can actually use the programming to 'play' a Raider. That part is still largely guesswork but I have tried it a few times myself and it is most…interesting. To see even a glimpse of the other side."
Alessandra shakes her head. "I haven't had a chance to get in the sims much, let alone do much tinkering with the new programming, I am afraid." The idea of flying as a Raider has Allie's brow darting up as well as a bit of a grin to cock one side of her mouth up in a bit of a lopsided angle. "That does sound interesting, Major. Whose idea was that?" Widening her stance, Allie places her hands behind her back, her fingers interlaced.
"As I did say, the programming on that end is imperfect. It likely does not really approximate the 'feel' of a Raider. But it uses the same programming as the auto-Raiders and gives our pilots experience flying against an opponent that can think and adapt more than the computers shall ever allow for." A short nod. "The whole thing is quite ingenious, actually. Lieutenant Trask tasked out the initial upgrade assignment but, as I did say, it was Lieutenant Scaurus and Lieutenant Apostolos that came up with the details. I believe the bit about the Raiders was their own idea."
Alessandra nods. "Well, I'll put it through its paces, see what comes out of it, sir. I'll see if I notice anything that could use improving upon and pass it along and let the others see if it's something they can tweak or not."
"Excellent. I shall leave you to it," Cidra says, stepping past Alessandra. She expects the lieutenant to remain in the sims, apparently, to start in on the pace-putting. "Clear eyes and steady hands, Lucky."
Alessandra looks over her shoulder towards the hatch when the Major makes with her goodbyes, her eyes narrowed some in thought. "Of course, sir. And thank you." Waiting till the CAG has exited the room, Allie watches Cidra curiously before turning to cue up a scenario for her to practice with.