Marvelous Morning (Open)

[karen4]

"Yoohoo!" June called brightly, peering through the flight-deck door. Beyond the blue glow of the consoles, the room was dark, and in that darkness it appeared as though no-one was inside. Then again, considering the fact that it was fairly early--maybe five AM standard time--the others would doubtlessly turn up within the next couple of hours. But what was she to do until then?

Stepping inside, she decided to examine the controls she'd be working with until she was either rotated through onto another ship, or they wrapped up this mission; whichever happened first. And both were entirely possible, as she wasn't the head pilot on this ship. She was merely a co-pilot here. It was a first for her, but her uncle Alistair had assured her that it would be a good learning experience.

The controls were top of the line, new cutting-edge technology. Or at least, so she'd been told. Looking at the consoles as she strolled calmly toward the pilot's seat convinced her that this was true. The Illia SR2 had been a wonderful girl, but the Venia topped her in so many ways that it almost made June's head spin. In fact, it appeared to top essentially every ship the young helmsman had ever served on.

Putting the Venia through her paces would be exhilarating; and quite possibly the highlight of June's career. Then again, that was assuming she'd be allowed to. The captain might put the boot in attempting something like that when the ship's mission was so important, and she knew better than to disregard her superiors. Unfortunately, she'd learned that one the hard way.

Coming to what she could only assume was the co-pilot's seat (as she'd never had to use one before), she fell into the padded leather with a content sigh, and crossing her legs she reached forward to caress the console in front of her. A smile curled her lips when the console bleeped to life, asking for the authorization code. She entered it without preamble, and her smile turned into a grin at the familiar stats screen.

"Oh baby, it is good to be home."

[Michael Clarke]

Michael heard a loud proclamation from his office, causing him to lose concentration on the materials before him(he still needed to finalize a few more arrangements for the crew and make sure that when they get on Galacia the ship wouldn't be defenseless. Someone had to think about these things. He was also occupied with Hollie. Maybe take her back home.). It sounded like a girl...very bright voice. He walked outside of his office to see his newest approval, Junsui, staring in awe at the ships stat screens, her rear end placed quite comfortably in the co-pilots chair. That's where she would be for most of her time here. He knew she came highly recommended, but he knew what it was like to be twenty years old: impulsive, high energy, high temperment, not able to make good decisions under pressure. However, he also knew that she was different: kid was piloting one of the most advanced ships in the galaxy when she was sixteen. Maybe he could get her one on one for a few training exercises...but whatever the case, he was glad to have her here. The kid was going to be a welcome ray of light on a sometimes darkened morale.
"I see you've found your post." Michael gave her a smile, walking up to the chair and placing an amiable hand on the girls shoulder, continuing:
"You came highly recommended, Junsui. I'm happy to have you here. Name's Michael Clarke, if you didn't get the crew roster in your initial briefing. Did you need any help getting adjusted? The ship is almost the size of a small planet, and I know how hard it is to get lost on this thing."

[karen4]

The Venia was very well set up, June noted happily. Luke obviously had a very specific way to run his ship, and though there were a couple things she'd doubtlessly have to chat with him about, most of it was to her liking. Tapping away at the monitor, she explored the networking curiously. It was always a thrill to examine a vessel's controls, and as she hadn't had the chance to in what seemed like ages, it made it all the more enjoyable.

A voice rose up behind her then, and June glanced away from the console to look at the man who belonged to the hand that had come to rest on her shoulder. If she'd been standing, she was fairly sure he'd be at least a foot taller than her, his good posture accentuating his advantage. Judging by his grip, he'd worked controls before--perhaps a former pilot?--and yet he had a kind expression as he looked down at her. This could only be the ship's captain, Michael Clark.

Greeting her by name, he went on to introduced himself and confirmed her assumption. "Nice to meet you, sir. It's always nice when someone makes you feel welcome." His next comment made her smile. "The Venia's no tugboat, that's for sure. But I haven't managed to get lost as of yet, so that's a plus." Spinning around to face him properly, indicated that he should sit as well, if he were so inclined. "However, it wouldn't hurt to know how things are run around here. Anything I should know?"

[Michael Clarke]

"Well, it isn't that hard. I'm sure most of the things they gave you on your way here covered most of the operating systems that the Venia has onboard. I do warn you though: there were a few things the Alliance didn't cover with you when you signed up for this. They probably told you that we were on a recon assignment. I'm here to tell you that we're hunting for terrorists who have seriously messed the galaxy up with space rifts. We're all a little on edge and some of us have been hit hard by the group we're chasing. Just keep your head on straight and you'll do fine." Michael's expression lightened quite a bit as he continued:
"Now that I've sufficiently given you a detailed briefing on what's really going on, I also need to ask you: why are you here? Did you sign up for the thrill of flying? Or was there something else?" His question was a bit of a test, to see where Junsui's mind was really at. He was looking for an answer along the lines of "I'm here to kick tail, sir.", but if he got something more than that, he would be happy. Most young pilots wanted to go out and kill the first thing they see. He knew that from firsthand experience.

[karen4]

Terrorists, huh? June felt her eyebrows shoot up, though she wasn't sure why what the captain had said surprised her so much. She'd had a feeling that the men who'd recruited her were holding out on something. And who hadn't heard about the anomalies and rifts occurring left and right? Hell, she'd been considering heading for Delta Prime until she'd heard about the rift that had hit one of their capital cities. That had effectively put an end to her traveling plans.

"Thrill of flying?" June scoffed, shaking her head. "I could have volunteered to serve on a shipment shuttle if that were the case, and simply deliver goods from planet to planet. No, what I wanted--what I still want--is to test myself. I want to see how efficient I am under duress, or when I'm frightened for not only my own life but the lives of the crew. More than anything, I want to do what I can to help. If I can do that by flying, then it's the best of both worlds, right?"

She wasn't sure if that was quite the answer he'd been looking for, but it was true, nonetheless.

[Michael Clarke]

"Testing yourself is one thing, Junsui, but don't get carried away. You've got lives on this ship to protect, and I don't need you trying to see if you can 'really' pull up at a two hundred and twenty degree angle while evading a starfighter. But you have the right idea, kid. Keep it up." He gave her one more smile before turning around, beginning to walk back to his office. He hesitated for a moment, as if something was convicting him to stay on deck. The captain then realized what he had wanted to tell the girl ever since he approved her for the job. He called out:
"Junsui, come to my office for a moment please."

The captain had already projected a galaxy map that came up from his desk, the map pulsing with lively activity from stars and planets that surrounded the Venia. There were a few dots on the map that had no register, as if they were planted there manually. What he intended to show Junsui was something that he was shown on his first mission into galactic space. It may help her.