Cargo Duty

Posted on Tue Jan 31st, 2012 @ 8:41pm by Ensign Natalie Kurtzman

Mission: Heart of an Explorer
Location: SB900 Workbee #15 - Space
Timeline: MD04 1423hrs

Natalie frowned at the controls in front of her, reaching forward to tweak the servo controls located in the centre console which came up between her knees, before resting her hand once again on the control column to its side. The workbee was one of many which were assigned to Starbase 900, and like all of the others, it was suitably cramped. With just enough room to get herself into the moulded seat, the controls then seemed to be built on top of her; the central control column could be felt as an uncomfortable block between her thighs, the flashing lights of switches above her head were almost close enough she was afraid she was going to headbutt them, and the two control columns for the manoeuvring thrusters - handles with a trigger/button control system attached to long arms which in turn connected to the craft's steering system - occupied the only place left that was comfortable to place her hands. She also had to wear a restraining harness, as the small vehicle had no artificial gravity generators; she assumed the only reason they bothered to put in a life support system was because otherwise the pilot would have to wear a bulky EV suit.

This particular workbee seemed to have trouble with its starboard grabbing arm; every now and then, the servos would tense up, and if she didn't keep on top of it, the hydraulics had enough power to them that they could easily crush the cargo she was so carefully trying to ferry back to the ship.

This particular cargo container, aside from blocking her view and forcing her to rely on the ship's minimal sensors, contained a number of sophisticated and highly specialised mechanical equipment from the Federation supply ship which had just an hour ago exited the Iconian Gateway. The parts inside were too complex and delicate and had too much demand put on them in their use to be able to be replicated, and though starships never normally carried so many of these types of components - as they were rarely in need of replacing - the nature of the ship's voyage meant that it would be a smart idea to stock up, even on the supplies they shouldn't see a need for.

Unfortunately, that meant it was her job to ferry the cargo containers carrying components like these from the supply ship to the Iapetus. On minimal navigation sensors. Through a heavy traffic system. Around a starbases supporting structures, and within the arms of a drydock. Perfect.

As she grumbled about her misfortune, Natalie felt her inertia try to pull her into the starboard side of her small craft as she executed a turn that would put the craft on a direct line-of-sight to the Iapetus' external loading doors for the port-side cargo bay. She keyed the comm. system. "Workbee #15 to Iapetus. Next shipment is ready, please open port-side cargo bay space doors."

"Acknowledged, Workbee #15. Stand by." As she waited, she couldn't help but tilt the little ship forward a bit, to watch the ship as the large doors at the side of the saucer section began to open, after being briefly lit by the tell-tale activation of the atmospheric retention forcefield. She tilted the ship back again, putting the cargo container in the front arms back into a perfect alignment with the opening in the side of the ship. "Workbee #15, you may proceed."

She used minimal thrusters to give the small craft the momentum once again to move forward, and kept a careful eye on the sensors to ensure that the cargo container wasn't going to bump against the hull of the ship on the way in. As the forcefield buzzed past her, she switched thruster modes, utilising the ultra-low power settings that would keep the workers in the cargo bay safe from their emissions. As she felt the ship's gravity field pull her into her seat, she gracefully manoeuvred the container into its allocated place, atop a similar container and against one of the bay walls, releasing the magnetic clamps at the end of the craft's arms once the system had registered the activation of similar clamps affixed to the surfaces of the cargo bay itself.

Settling the ship down on the deck plating, she triggered the switch to open the hatch and watched as almost the entire shell that had been keeping her safe from vacuum opened out to her front; everything above the base of her seat and in front of her spine pivoted away on the narrow front edge of the workbee.

"Is that all of the sensitive stuff now?" she asked the operations officer in charge of loading the cargo bay.

"I think so, Ensign, for now," he responded, moving over and speaking up against the still-present noise of the workbee's systems and engine.

"Good, I'll go and get rid of this thing then," she responded, closing the craft up again and lifting off the deck. As she swept out of the ship's port-side hold, she thought smugly to herself, at least this time I have nothing to spoil the view.

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Ensign Natalie Kurtzman [PNPC]
Shuttlecraft Pilot
USS Iapetus
Played by Capt. Krace