| The Gee Test |
| Summary: | Cidra flies Andrea out to test how the recovering pilot is handling gee forces. |
| Date: | 17 March 2042 AE |
| Related Logs: | none |
| Players: |
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| Space |
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| Cold outside, no kind of atmosphere |
| Post-Holocaust Day: #384 |
Despite the reapperance of the triple-hashed Raiders, with basestar support in tow, a few days ago the last several CAPs were quiet. Enough that the CAG is taking the opportunity to settle some other business. Cidra's Raptor departs Cerberus not to join the patrol, but for some testing of a physical nature, with Andrea as a passenger in her co-pilot's seat. «Cerberus, Toast. I am clear of flight deck and commencing exercise now. I shall keep out of the of our regular patrol.»
Andrea is visibly excited as she straps herself into the co-pilot's seat on the Raptor. It is her first time out of the dock since her last accident, and after weeks and weeks of rehab, she is more than ready to take a final gee test. She grins through her helmet as Cidra takes the bird out of the normal patrol. "Man, I have been waiting for this… seems like forever, now."
"A head injury is nothing to take lightly, Hosedown," Cidra says. "You are fortunate you are doing so well with rehabilitation. Still, your reports from Medical are positive. But there is only so much one can test in a simulator. Hold on." And with that, she starts accelerating out of her leisurely cruising speed. Gradually at first, but her pace is picking up. "How does it feel? The head, of course. And see the battlestar from space again."
"The paint job is better on the outside. All the weapon scorches add so much character." Hosedown grins. She is loving the feel of the gees on her. "Oh, Gods, I've missed this. Hades, this is hot." She glances over at Cid, nervously. "Err, not like I was before the surgery, though. Just… uh, you know. The old; 'I really love fast birds' thing. Can't wait to get back in my Viper."
"We shall let Medical be the judge of how you take this. Speak up if you feel any discomfort. No good shall come of putting a pilot back on the line before they are prepared," Cidra says, picking up speed, though it's the change in her course that adds pressure to the ship. An arcing upward trajectory that takes them over the 'top' of the battlestar. She can't help but grin. "Like nothing else in the worlds, is it? Flying. I do not feel more…right than when in the cockpit, I admit it true."
"Caution is Medical's job, but this is fantastic. Give me all you got, Toast… all the gees you can squeeze out of the bus. I want 'em all. I promise to tell you if I pass out." Another grin. "Only thing that would be better is to finish this with a CAP and then going to get drunk at Pete's. I have to have a ton of vouchers saved up by now."
"We all are rich in vouchers at present," Cidra says, a note of amusement in her tone. "I may use a few myself after Condition Two is dropped. It cannot come too soon, pray to gods. Accelerating further. Tell me how it feels. Be precise. The g-forces in a Raptor do not punish one quite so much as a Viper. Larger cabin, spreads out the pressure, not to mention less pure force on the body." Faster and faster she goes, getting clear of Cerberus now, and carefully out of the path of the CAP so she can push the bus with little chance of collision.
"It feels…" Andrea considers her words. "It feels like a lover settling down on top of me in bed, that beautiful pressure, slightly harder to breathe, and yet it makes me gasp…" She grins. "Hard turns, give me some hard turns…"
"Are you quite certain Doctor Adair fixed your cranial difficulties?" Cidra asks. With a hint of concern, dry as the comment is. "Steady as she goes, Hosedown. No need to get over-excited. I am going into a dive now." And she does just that, her Raptor abruptly leveling and angling down. "Watch your head." Not merely an idle statement.
"That had me jumping anything male in sight…" Andrea says, dismissively. "Flying… flying has ALWAYS been like this, for me. Started out being attracted to a Viper Jock who tried to pick me up when he was on R+R, but then he described the flight experience, and I had to do it. When I finally got that chance…" she shakes her head. "I never looked back. All solid so far, Boss… ahh, nice dive." She looks over at Cidra. "What got you into flying, sir? It's not like that for you?"
"When I was a young woman, I strove to be a priestess of Athena. But I did not, despite all my prayers, all the time in ritual, feel as if I was *touched* by the gods. As if they spoke to me. As my time at the Kobol Colleges drew near an end I felt increasingly…unsettled about my life. I had become friends with some of the R-O-T-C students on campus. The idea of service in that manner…and I shall admit, of seeing places among the stars, beyond my Gemenon…it called to me. Seemed more *real* than the work done in seminary. And to fly…to Athena, the owl is sacred. A bird with strong, heavy wings, sharp eyes, piercing talons but ones that can enclose friends to safety as well as catch prey…a Raptor seemed the embodiment of the goddess. And when I flew…" Cidra levels out of her downward angle sharply, increasingly her speed again as she powers straight fore. "…the gods have to this day not touched my mind but here, in the pilot's seat…" She lets out a long breath. "It is as close to rapture as I come."
Andrea chuckles. "The priests back home despaired of me, though one said I might have had a shot as an Aphrodite Courtesan." Her smile widens as Toast punches it. "Yeah… yeah, that's nice. I've always been a bit of an adrenaline junkie." She looks over. "You'd have made a good priestess, likely, but I'm glad you're with us, instead."
Cidra lets out a short 'Heh.' "I would make a poor priestess." The remark isn't really explained, but she sounds quite sure of it. "I am where I belong, for better or worse." She does not sound like she's sure which side it lands on, but she does sound sure of the 'where I belong' part. The Raptor swings abruptly starboard in a hard turn. Hard for a bus, that is. They can't pivot so sharp and pretty as a Viper. "That should be enough to see how you respond. Have Medical examine you promptly when we are back onboard. And we shall see when we can get your properly back on the flight line."
"The sooner, the better. I've been a good girl, so Medical won't be giving me any grief just so they can remind us we're in charge. Oh, and when we get a chance, I got Poppy to agree to let me dye her hair… she wants black. Just so you don't think I tricked her into it, or anything."
Cidra's head actually turns to look and blink at Andrea. "Black?" A pause, as it seems she takes a moment to picture this. The faintest of smiles comes to her lips. "Ah. I think it would become her. Skeeter…" That last to the uncharacteristically quiet ECO in her backseat. "…taking her back down." A moment later she reports through her wireless, «Cerberus, Toast. Bringing Harrier Six-Seven-O back in for docking.»
Andrea is visibly excited as they go through the landing, her eyes almost locked on the hatch to the stairs. Onwards to medical! She grins. "Thanks for taking the time, sir. We should be nearly ready to go, now. I'll be back on the line in no time!"
"All things in their time, Lieutenant," Cidra says rather obliquely. Not ready to make any bets on the pilot's health, for her part, though she does smile, oh-so slightly, as her Raptor descends the elevators. Doors open and Toast gets to her post-flight. "Dismissed." A pause. "I enjoyed flying with you."
"Likewise, sir. Sometime, you should stow away in my Viper. Tight fit, but we'd get to know each other better." Unclipping herself, she heads for the door.