The deck was busier than usual, thanks to Francis, three deckhands were busy at work disassembling the nose-less Nyx, occasionally pausing to argue about bolts or tools or sports. A couple of technicians were pouring over a trolley, with several sheets of numbers and ship schematics.
"Francis!" Zoey called from the walkway above, "Who the frak are all those people?"
"Uh, I hired help" Francis shrugged,
"This is my project, Francis, if it becomes a Colonial R&D project, I'll lose it" Zoey descended the metal staircase at the edge of the hanger,
"Relax, these are... interns, one could say"
"Interns? What exactly do you mean by that?"
"Those three over there" Francis pointed to the three deckhands on the Nyx, "Martinez, Henderson and Peters" Each of the deckhands saluted upon hearing their name. "They're training to be Colonial mechanics, getting to know Colonial tech will be good experience for them, it's unpaid work, but it benefits them in the long run"
"And what about those two?" Zoey nodded towards the two technicians, crossing her arms,
"Miranda Kovachs and Tim Daniels" Francis lead Zoey towards the two, "Kovachs and Daniels are aerospace engineers, graduates from Cambridge, with honours. They'll need experience too"
"I'm managing just fine by myself, Francis, I want them gone"
"With all due respect, um, sir" Daniels raised a hand, meekly, "I estimate you'll finished this project alone, by May"
"Yeah, so?"
"Next May, that is, in fourteen months time. Maybe" Daniels handed Zoey a set of revised schematics.
"We've cut down that ETA down to a month" Kovachs spoke this time, "Your knowledge of this ship and it's systems are admirable, but we think that with our help, finishing this project will become a reality"
"We had a saying, in my dormitory on Cambridge, "The cohesion derived from two minds in concert trumps the mournful solo of solitude"" Daniel smiled,
"It means that two minds are greater than one" Zoey explained to Francis, who was looking rather confused.
"I believe that I- well, Tim and I have solved the problem that you were having in your designs with fitting a functioning RCS, you needn't try to factor in inert gasses like the Nyx afterall"
"Show me" Zoey extended a hand and Kovachs provided a neatly organised file.
"I've come up with a formula for a highly specific impulse hypergolic fuel mixture, it's better suited to the Chimaera's maneuverability"
"So? Can they stay?" Francis held a hopeful face,
"Fine, but this is my project, I have the final say"
"Agreed, I'll let the knuckle-draggers know" Francis beckoned to the deckhands on the Nyx.
"Okay, how are those D22s looking?" Zoey called to Francis, she was sitting comfortably in the cockpit of the Chimaera.
"Uh, nearly done, just give us a minute" Francis sounded distant, his voice echoed from the ship's rear.
The Chimaera was lacking most of it's outer plating, even it's fins had been disconnected for now. The Colonial D22 engines were suspended from the ceiling, preventing the Chimaera from taking the weight.
Francis, Henderson and Martinez had worked the last three hours to connect all the power couplings, and safely connect the fuel tank to the ignition sequence.
"Okay, it's ready" Henderson nodded and stepped back, admiring her last couplings.
"Yeah, we're good here" Francis confirmed,
"Step back, goggles on gentlemen" Zoey flicked a couple of switches to her left, "Pressure, in the green..."
"She's going to blow the rig" Daniels moaned, reading his charts.
"Connections look solid..."
"No, she's not" Kovachs rebuked, "I re-calibrated the voltage myself"
"Ignition in... 5... 4..."
"I hope for all our sake that you did it correctly" Daniels spoke, receiving a scowl from Kovachs.
"3... 2... 1... " Zoey pressed her thumb firmly on the ignition button on her dashboard, the Chimaera's new engines roared into life.
The ship's supports held it in place, while the engines functioned comfortably in standby.
Francis cheered and high-fived Martinez, while Henderson giggled and hugged her friend Kovachs. Daniels merely signed, relieved.
"Good job team!" Zoey smiled and caressed the top of the dashboard gently with her palm, "Shutting her down"
The Chimaera's new engines hummed slightly and slowly quietened.
Barrier Gate Station, Coronado System
West-Side Dive Bar
Frost rolled the bottle in his right hand, reading the label from left to right. There was a picture of a rather proud looking Rheinland man, holding a scythe in one hand, and a giant bottle of something in the other, he wasn't wearing anything at all, except his hat.
"Simon Wenzer's South Stuttgart White Whiskey" The top part of the label read, in big green and gold letters. "The finest cask strength malt whiskey this side of the walker nebula!"
He gently placed the bottle back on the bar, watching the small remainder of liquid level off and settle.
"Most people drink that stuff" Zoey spoke from over his shoulder, "As oppose to just staring at it, that is"
Frost turned to face her, beckoning her to the seat next to him, revealing a small, half filled whiskey glass behind his left palm, "Har har"
"Hello Frost, sorry to disturb you off duty, but it's been hard to locate you on duty these last few days"
"That's alright, I don't mind the company, I booked some R&R"
"I need to ask you a favour, the Chimaera is coming along great, no real set backs, I have all the major materials I need, I even have a team of trainees assigned to help me for a while"
"So what's the problem?"
"In a couple of days, I'm going to need to test fly it, I need to live test it our there" Zoey indicated towards a small porthole on the side of the bar, "The problem is, I can't fly with Colonial IFFs, and I need clearance to take off or I'll be shot out of the sky"
"You want me to sign off on more paperwork?" Frost emptied his glass, wincing a little at the strong, chemical taste of the whiskey.
"Hmmf", grunted Frost as the whiskey left the back of his throat. Pouring himself his... third, fourth? and another, which he slid over to Sakura.
"Oh no, I'd rather not drink this early, still work to be done" she protested.
He cast a sidelong glance towards her, "Do I need to make this an order, nugget? Ask around, I don't often share my 'good spirits'. Now as for-" he stopped as Sakura slammed back the whole nip with hardly a blink. With a smile and a nod of approval, the Senior Officer continued "As for the test flight, I will personally be watching. You say you're good in a Chimaera, prove it. Of course, I'll make sure the Gemini and defence grid don't blast you." Pouring the remnants of the bottle into his glass, he waved Sakura off.
"Thank you sir, I appreciate it" she answered, standing up and making for the door she came in. "I'll get the ship prepped and ready for the end of the week."
Calling over his shoulder as she left the bar, "Oh, and consider this your flight officer test. Might as well get that kid following you around, Francis, done at the same time."
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