
Subj : New Beginnings
To   : All
From : Skyhawk #1
Date : Sun Jun 25 1995 13:43:38 PST

                            New Beginnings
                      By Daniel C. Harrison(Skyhawk)

     As Candar stepped into the waiting craft that would take her and everyone
else on it to their new world, her nostrils were assaulted by the smell of
hydraulic fluid. Since the passengers were entering through the terminal
entrance, they wouldn't smell it but, her trained nostrils already told her
something was wrong. The Outlander was a pile of junk, no doubt about it. The
company couldnt have picked a worse ship to send her off in. Crawford's idea.
That idiot! He had hoped she would back out now, she would have to nurse this
thing for the remainder of the trip. At least Jerry would be here, he was the
type that could deal with any situation. Not like that last fool she had been
out with, Alan Morick. Alan had to of gotten his pilot's license out of a food
ration pack. If it had been her qualifying pilots for the company, she would
never of hired him. Oh well. Not her problem now. She swung up the tight
staircase through the sealing port and entered the cockpit. As she came through
the opening, she could see two men leaning over the console. One of them she
recognized as Kevin Jones, the ship's engineer. "Okay Kev, am I gonna have to
retrain you? You've got a hydraulic leak comng from somwhere down there. And,
I'll bet if you recheck that baffle plate, you'll find they didn't do a damn
thing to it!"
     Kevin turned and grinned. "Candar your such a bitch at times. But that's
why I like you. Nice to know I'll be spacing with you this last trip. Why the
hell are you leaving?"
     "Im not going to answer what I aleady have told everyone else. If you
missed the boat, then go find it. My reasons are posted in the company
separation papers. If you want to know so bad, go pull it up in the computer
files." She leaned over him and tossed her flight bag on the console. "This is
the worst excuse I have seen for a cockpit since the Delazar trip. Are we going
to go through that again?"
     "God I hope not." Jerry had gotten up from his seat. "If it hadn't been
for your unique piloting skills, he wouldnt be here after that calamity." He
hugged her again. "Good to see you, honey."
     "You too." She took her seat and brought up the troubleshooting console.
"You have a problem with the number two conversion pack, Kev. You better get on
it, were supposed to deapert in less than two hours now." She flipped through
the roster."Hmmm Carnigan...he's going to be governor on this new world?"
     "Yeah...sure you wanna go?" Jerry smiled sweetly. "You could always back
out y'know." He put his hands on her shoulders and began massaging them
methodically as he spoke. "We could..forget this trip, go somewhere, just the
two of us..it would be like old times..the way it should be."
     She ignored him as she quickly scanned the instruments. "Kev, this console
is the epitome of hell. My scanners only partially work, number two is
completely out! I cant fly like this."
     "Time to back out..." Jerry said in a singing type voice.
     "Stow it!" she turned on him fiercely. "This is a ploy isnt it? Kev, I
know your a better engineer than this and, even if you have morons working for
you, I've seen better work than this then the company was on a shoestring
budget, two years ago. Are you conspiring with Crawford to keep me?"
     Kevin sighed. "Okay. I'll fix the sabotage. Just hoped you'd change your
mind, boss." he smiled and walked past Jerry  to exit the cabin.
     Jerry watched her for a moment as she continued her pre-flight check. "He
care you know..we all do. Especially me."
     "Then let me be me...let me pursue what I want to. I need to find myself
and this isn't it! Can't you understand that?" her tone was filled with
bitterness."
     "Yeah." he sat down opposite her in his co-pilot's seat. "But have you
ever thought that maybe your wrong..that your throwing away a good thing? I 
can't convince you..no one can. But, if what your searching for isn't on
Hycenda..will you come back?"
     Her answer was only silence as she finished pre-flight. Normally such an
operation would take hours but, with fifteen years of experience and skill, she
had it down to a science. Getting up, she stretched, feeling the jumpsuit
pulling against her shoulders. Without another word, she walked past him to do
her usual walk through of the ship before take-off. Jerry sat down and stared
at the console...damn!
   

It had taken fours hours for the sabotage to be completed. Either that or,
Kevin was still dragging. The last of the colonists were aboard. After Candar
answered many questions from anxious mothers, she turned the duties over to the
Passenger Coordinator, Brian Lewis. It was his job after all. Now, it was time
to leave. She returned to the cockpit and found Jerry busily at work preparing
the drive systems. The Outlander used an old matter conversion drive. Gravity
generators would crush down raw matter such as rocks, garbage, whatever was
needed and, it would be turned into raw energy. She wasn't an engineer but she
understood the gist of it. As she sat down and strapped in, Kevin entered. "The
engines are secured, Captain. Passengers are ready as they'll ever be. Most of
em have never been out before. Should be fun."
     Jerry snickered. "And your gonna retire and live with these people?"
he winced as she popped him in the shoulder. "What was that for?'
     "Your shit attitude, Commander. I need a co-pilot not a commedian. Either
do your job or get out. I can fly this by myself."
     Jerry turned away. "I noticed." he said coldly. "Preflight auto-systems
are completed. Drive reports normal. Life support okay. "Universal Star"
central systems are calibrated. Main computer online and functioning normally.
Colonial command has fed all coordinates. Were go for launch.."
          
     

