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Inspection
© 2020 by Walter Reimer
Thumbnail art by
ahro
The rat was seated alone, studying something on his padd as she walked into the dining area. “Good morning, Boss,” Jax said. He eyed the mare. “Sleep well?” he asked.
Meredith’s ears were flat against her skull and her eyes were closed partway. “Not really,” she understated as she dropped a teacube into her mug, followed it up with two sweeteners and added hot water.
“Everything all right?”
She shrugged as she stirred the contents of her mug. “First night aboard a new ship. I always have trouble sleeping.” Every ship has its little sounds and vibrations, and the A Quiet Life was no exception. It always took her a day or two to get fully acclimated. “No problems – what?” she asked, looking at him over the rim of her mug as his ears twitched.
Jax gave his usual lopsided smile. “I would have thought Fuji gave you a short night.”
The mare chuckled. “He’s in hi – ahh, his own quarters,” she finished the yawn-interrupted sentence and took a deep drink of her tea. “We don’t sleep together all the time, you know. We don’t,” she repeated as Jax smirked. She took a seat across the table from him. “So, what’s on the schedule today?” she asked.
“As if you don’t know.” The ship’s day shift helmsfur (and de facto Executive Officer) smiled again and regarded his padd. “We’ll be having a rep from the construction team coming aboard in about an hour to go with us on Captain’s Inspection, and she’ll stay with us for at least the first shakedown cruise.”
“Good. I’ll get some breakfast,” and she raised an arm and sniffed, “and I’ll see if my shower works. I’ll be at the lock in an hour.”
“Okay, Captain,” Jax chuckled as she stood up and started looking through the dining area’s pantry for something to eat. She selected a breakfast sandwich and after heating it up she got her tea and headed back to her quarters.
She had unpacked and stowed away all of her things before going to bed the previous night, and she propped up her padd and accessed the news while she ate her breakfast. The Colonial Government had announced a trade agreement with the Empire, and the Confederacy was condemning all of the Colonies for being “traitors to their species and their descendants.” Meredith snorted at that; the Core generally looked down on the Colonials anyway, but the conflict was helping bring the full depth of their animus into the open.
It wasn’t a pretty sight, either.
The war news was predictable; the Empire’s Information Ministry was saying that two Confed fleets had been enveloped and destroyed, and the Confed was denying it. Their rhetoric toward the Kashlani was, like that toward the Colonies, becoming increasingly violent.
After a while, she accessed an entertainment channel, and as the soft music started playing she finished her meal, shed her jumpsuit and headed for the shower.
She had finished toweling off her mane and tail when the intercom chimed. “Captain?” Jax said. “Traffic Control reports a shuttle inbound. Docking in under twenty.”
“Got it. Thanks, Jax.” She ran a brush through her tangles and studied herself in the mirror. The mare snorted at what she saw and resolved to make a spa appointment when her leave began – and maybe another just before the vacation ended. She pulled on underwear and a jumpsuit, pulled her tail through the rear gusset and zipped the garment up, slipped her folded padd into a pocket and headed for the airlock.
Jax was on the bridge with his engineers; she would have to play welcoming party. A small display set above the lock controls showed the shuttle on approach to the airlock. Nothing much to do but wait.
Meredith glanced down at her hooves, and decided that the spa appointment would include a farrier treatment. She trimmed her hooves herself most of the time, of course, but nothing beat a professional’s touch.
The shuttle maneuvered into position and a slight vibration ran through the ship as the airlocks mated and sealed tightly. The display showed that the pressures and gravity were equalized before the green light indicated that it was safe to open the door. Meredith entered the access code and the inner and outer doors slid open.
A slim mink in a company jumpsuit stepped across the threshold. “Captain d’Estcourt?”
“Yes, that’s me.”
The mustelid smiled and extended a paw. “Kucherova Salli. I’m from the Construction Bureau.” The two femmes shook paws. “I’ll be here the entire day as we put the, ah, A Quiet Life through its paces.” She and Meredith started down the corridor. “Has your crew had the time to look over all the specs and simulations?”
“Yes, on the trip here. The files that the company sent helped a lot,” Meredith said, “but nothing beats actually having your paws on things.”
“Very true.” A paw gestured at the walls. “White’s a good start, but a lot of crews want that changed. We’ll discuss it and alter the color to suit while your crew’s on leave.” The minkess cocked her head. “Thought about where you’ll want to go?”
Meredith grinned. “I have a few ideas, but first things first.”
“Absolutely. Where do you want to start, Captain?”
She’d had time to think things over. “The engines.”
The A Quiet Life had most of its habitable areas forward – bridge, crew quarters, dining area, etc.; the other two areas under life support were the central spine, with the cargo handling stations, and the reactor controls at the stern. While largely automated, the reactors and other elements of the ship’s propulsion system were designed to be accessed for maintenance or repairs.
A couple members of the engineering and cargo staff looked up and waved as Meredith and Kucherova entered the reactor compartment. “Everything going all right?’ the mare asked.
“Yeah, Boss,” one of the cargo handlers replied. “Just getting familiar with the controls.”
The minkess gave her a curious look and Meredith remarked, “We’re a small crew. Everyone knows everyone’s job, just in case.”
“That’s a good philosophy,” Kucherova said. “The hyperdrive was designed and built by Hudie, rated for fifteen years before any significant upgrade.”
“Field emitters?”
“Triply redundant. I know that you had issues with the artigrav on your old ship; the network here is double redundancy.”
“That’s great to know. Reactor safety?”
“Fusion reactors can be shut down in less than thirty seconds. The hyperdrive reactor and antimatter storage can be ejected in less than ten.” Kucherova smiled as the golden palomino mare whistled. “Shall we move forward?”
Most of the central part of the ship was empty space, crisscrossed with support beams that bore lights and rails for the handling arms. “Hi, Boss,” Christina George said as the mare and the mink entered the control area. The Hereford cow looked very pleased with herself.
“Hi Christina,” Meredith said. “Everything looking okay?”
A happy nod. “The manipulators have better control, which will come in very useful with the increased volume. Shakedown protocols call for us to load up with dummy cargo pods on the second trip to make sure that everything works well.”
“Good.” She turned to Kucherova. “I think we should get up to the Bridge; I want to see this beast fly.”
© 2020 by Walter Reimer
Thumbnail art by
ahroThe rat was seated alone, studying something on his padd as she walked into the dining area. “Good morning, Boss,” Jax said. He eyed the mare. “Sleep well?” he asked.
Meredith’s ears were flat against her skull and her eyes were closed partway. “Not really,” she understated as she dropped a teacube into her mug, followed it up with two sweeteners and added hot water.
“Everything all right?”
She shrugged as she stirred the contents of her mug. “First night aboard a new ship. I always have trouble sleeping.” Every ship has its little sounds and vibrations, and the A Quiet Life was no exception. It always took her a day or two to get fully acclimated. “No problems – what?” she asked, looking at him over the rim of her mug as his ears twitched.
Jax gave his usual lopsided smile. “I would have thought Fuji gave you a short night.”
The mare chuckled. “He’s in hi – ahh, his own quarters,” she finished the yawn-interrupted sentence and took a deep drink of her tea. “We don’t sleep together all the time, you know. We don’t,” she repeated as Jax smirked. She took a seat across the table from him. “So, what’s on the schedule today?” she asked.
“As if you don’t know.” The ship’s day shift helmsfur (and de facto Executive Officer) smiled again and regarded his padd. “We’ll be having a rep from the construction team coming aboard in about an hour to go with us on Captain’s Inspection, and she’ll stay with us for at least the first shakedown cruise.”
“Good. I’ll get some breakfast,” and she raised an arm and sniffed, “and I’ll see if my shower works. I’ll be at the lock in an hour.”
“Okay, Captain,” Jax chuckled as she stood up and started looking through the dining area’s pantry for something to eat. She selected a breakfast sandwich and after heating it up she got her tea and headed back to her quarters.
She had unpacked and stowed away all of her things before going to bed the previous night, and she propped up her padd and accessed the news while she ate her breakfast. The Colonial Government had announced a trade agreement with the Empire, and the Confederacy was condemning all of the Colonies for being “traitors to their species and their descendants.” Meredith snorted at that; the Core generally looked down on the Colonials anyway, but the conflict was helping bring the full depth of their animus into the open.
It wasn’t a pretty sight, either.
The war news was predictable; the Empire’s Information Ministry was saying that two Confed fleets had been enveloped and destroyed, and the Confed was denying it. Their rhetoric toward the Kashlani was, like that toward the Colonies, becoming increasingly violent.
After a while, she accessed an entertainment channel, and as the soft music started playing she finished her meal, shed her jumpsuit and headed for the shower.
She had finished toweling off her mane and tail when the intercom chimed. “Captain?” Jax said. “Traffic Control reports a shuttle inbound. Docking in under twenty.”
“Got it. Thanks, Jax.” She ran a brush through her tangles and studied herself in the mirror. The mare snorted at what she saw and resolved to make a spa appointment when her leave began – and maybe another just before the vacation ended. She pulled on underwear and a jumpsuit, pulled her tail through the rear gusset and zipped the garment up, slipped her folded padd into a pocket and headed for the airlock.
Jax was on the bridge with his engineers; she would have to play welcoming party. A small display set above the lock controls showed the shuttle on approach to the airlock. Nothing much to do but wait.
Meredith glanced down at her hooves, and decided that the spa appointment would include a farrier treatment. She trimmed her hooves herself most of the time, of course, but nothing beat a professional’s touch.
The shuttle maneuvered into position and a slight vibration ran through the ship as the airlocks mated and sealed tightly. The display showed that the pressures and gravity were equalized before the green light indicated that it was safe to open the door. Meredith entered the access code and the inner and outer doors slid open.
A slim mink in a company jumpsuit stepped across the threshold. “Captain d’Estcourt?”
“Yes, that’s me.”
The mustelid smiled and extended a paw. “Kucherova Salli. I’m from the Construction Bureau.” The two femmes shook paws. “I’ll be here the entire day as we put the, ah, A Quiet Life through its paces.” She and Meredith started down the corridor. “Has your crew had the time to look over all the specs and simulations?”
“Yes, on the trip here. The files that the company sent helped a lot,” Meredith said, “but nothing beats actually having your paws on things.”
“Very true.” A paw gestured at the walls. “White’s a good start, but a lot of crews want that changed. We’ll discuss it and alter the color to suit while your crew’s on leave.” The minkess cocked her head. “Thought about where you’ll want to go?”
Meredith grinned. “I have a few ideas, but first things first.”
“Absolutely. Where do you want to start, Captain?”
She’d had time to think things over. “The engines.”
The A Quiet Life had most of its habitable areas forward – bridge, crew quarters, dining area, etc.; the other two areas under life support were the central spine, with the cargo handling stations, and the reactor controls at the stern. While largely automated, the reactors and other elements of the ship’s propulsion system were designed to be accessed for maintenance or repairs.
A couple members of the engineering and cargo staff looked up and waved as Meredith and Kucherova entered the reactor compartment. “Everything going all right?’ the mare asked.
“Yeah, Boss,” one of the cargo handlers replied. “Just getting familiar with the controls.”
The minkess gave her a curious look and Meredith remarked, “We’re a small crew. Everyone knows everyone’s job, just in case.”
“That’s a good philosophy,” Kucherova said. “The hyperdrive was designed and built by Hudie, rated for fifteen years before any significant upgrade.”
“Field emitters?”
“Triply redundant. I know that you had issues with the artigrav on your old ship; the network here is double redundancy.”
“That’s great to know. Reactor safety?”
“Fusion reactors can be shut down in less than thirty seconds. The hyperdrive reactor and antimatter storage can be ejected in less than ten.” Kucherova smiled as the golden palomino mare whistled. “Shall we move forward?”
Most of the central part of the ship was empty space, crisscrossed with support beams that bore lights and rails for the handling arms. “Hi, Boss,” Christina George said as the mare and the mink entered the control area. The Hereford cow looked very pleased with herself.
“Hi Christina,” Meredith said. “Everything looking okay?”
A happy nod. “The manipulators have better control, which will come in very useful with the increased volume. Shakedown protocols call for us to load up with dummy cargo pods on the second trip to make sure that everything works well.”
“Good.” She turned to Kucherova. “I think we should get up to the Bridge; I want to see this beast fly.”
Category Story / General Furry Art
Species Horse
Size 71 x 120px
File Size 44.4 kB
Heh, test driving a car, I told the guy selling it to strap his ass in firmly. Then I surprised him with what 'that old beast' could do, seems he'd never actually pushed it anywhere near its limits.
What I hadn't counted on was a cop seeing me locking it up to see if it liked to pull to a side when doing a panic stop. While the owner sweated, I simply pointed out that I'd checked to make sure there wasn't anyone behind me before the test. Cop ran my lic and the plates, asked if I was going to be doing any more crazy things. I admitted that I'd had a little hard cornering planned, and he suggested (and followed/watched) where it could be done without causing any tickets. All back in the '90s, good times.
What I hadn't counted on was a cop seeing me locking it up to see if it liked to pull to a side when doing a panic stop. While the owner sweated, I simply pointed out that I'd checked to make sure there wasn't anyone behind me before the test. Cop ran my lic and the plates, asked if I was going to be doing any more crazy things. I admitted that I'd had a little hard cornering planned, and he suggested (and followed/watched) where it could be done without causing any tickets. All back in the '90s, good times.
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