Alpha One - Chris Burton [6]
This was certainly an improvement in cabin design, thought Jake as he examined the cockpit area in closer detail. The cabin was larger. They did away with some of the storage and duplicate instrumentation and she certainly seemed smoother and more alert.
It seemed a little strange that Steve hadn’t commented on the improvements. given that they were so real and that he spent most of the last year talking about them. This Carla issue was preoccupying Steve and this concerned Jake, not least because Steve could sometimes be a little hot headed. Today he was at Steve’s mercy. He would have to watch him closely in the next thirty minutes or so.
The formation rotated eight times on the outward journey, with a different Rapier assuming pole position briefly before making way for another. One hour and seven minutes after the exercise commenced the lead ship rounded the Alpha substation (a permanent scientific research laboratory based close to the Antiro Nebula) and the occupants of each ship began to hand over command of the ship to their opposite number.
Steve had different ideas. He elected not to hand over the controls and decided to take a different approach to rounding the substation than pulling the ship ‘round in a wide arc. He pulled back on the stick and forced the ship into a sharp incline, before accelerating vertically. He allowed the ship to just clear the substation mast before tipping the wings and flying directly past the stations main control center.
The ‘Fly Pass’ spectacle in deep space was one of the most technically challenging moves a jump pilot could face and was also one of the most frightening to the occupants of the object on which the fly pass was conducted. This was strictly forbidden per Night Hawk and Alpha training policies. That he ‘wing tipped’ in order to achieve this just added to his ‘crime’.
As Red 5 finally rejoined the formation, Steve switched command of the Rapier to Jake and uncoupled himself from his seat and his com station and left the cabin without further comment. Jake took command and switched over to auto functionality. He cleared Red 5’s revised command status with the training command, switched on the NAVCOM and locked his Rapier into the formation. He then uncoupled himself and left the cabin in search of Steve. Not that he could have gone far; he was sitting in the cramped cargo hold with his head in his hands.
“What the hell did you do that for?”
“Did what?” replied Steve.
“The ridiculous ‘wing tip and flyby’ stunt you carried out directly in front of Teddy Taylor and his cronies.”
“I wanted to see how much pace she had and whether she would pull that amount of thrust so close to a flat spin.” He continued. “She was fantastic. An absolute beauty, but I guess that I am about to be told off, big time.” he said.
“Absolutely you are, and the fact that you left your station, as have I for that matter, means we are both about to be marched up before the Academy Disciplinary Panel. For God’s sake get back to your station before somebody notices.”
Reluctantly Steve shrugged his shoulders and stood up and they returned to the cockpit and assumed their rightful flight positions.
The remainder of the exercise was uneventful. Two of the Rapiers did fall out of the formation on the return leg, due to temporary alignment glitches and Red 5 was back in pole position as they glided back towards Earth on the seventh Space Way. The Rapier felt good when Jake assumed manual control and he was pleased with his piloting efforts today. if not for his ‘ misjudgment’ in leaving the cockpit to speak to Steve.
Landing was a formality, having cleared the space way and Earth’s shields. The occupants of Red 5 vacated their vessel and headed directly to the hangar command and debrief. The