Take Flight (Cassiah+Trinity)

[Roger Davis]

[April 6th, 2523.]

Trinity roughly set down and then powered down at the rural spaceport. The term "rural" was relative of course, Beaumonde being a largely industrialized and urban world. They were far from the metropolitan hubs like New Dunsmir but they had still landed at a small city, straddling the industrialized and agricultural extremes of the world.

The ramp dropped and Roger, "Captain Davis", was among the first to disembark. They had things to do on planet of course: restock basic supplies, replace the few parts they'd given to the Bjorn Star just a few days ago, find work, etc. But the main reason for this stop, and making the stop here instead of a larger hub, was for personnel reasons. It was abundantly clear, even without Vivian's constant reminders, that they didn't have a real pilot, just a gunhand who was flying the ship out of the goodness of her heart.

As part of the "payment" from the Bjorn Star, he'd gotten a lead as to a genuinely skilled pilot that was probably looking for work, an Erin Saunders nearby on some farm on Beaumonde of all places. Roger 'did his homework' so to say, and checked up on her. Everything seemed to check out except her work history. Few people seemed to know of her and those that did were all for a few jobs in the last year alone.

Fate was on Roger's side this time, for his potential recruit was perfectly placed geographically. The employment check was followed with a check of personal contacts the captain had acquired while in Law Enforcement on Beaumonde itself. Again there were similar results that everything was clean, only Roger's constant paranoid sense that something was off remained. The hell with it... He'd sent a wave the previous day and now was hoping that the mystery pilot would show herself and hopefully take the job.

[Cassiah Zelfawn]

Cassiah had begun to believe she would have to start working on the farm where she was staying, a dreadful idea. The space she was renting out had been intended to house employees, but she had chosen it only because it was an 'out of the way' spot, and she had the money... At the time. Her money was running short now and with no steady income, she wouldn't be able to continue paying the bill. So it was either start working here, or find somewhere else to go. And Cass had a particular distaste for farm animals, being too near them and their stench made her nauseous, the reason she feared having to work at a place like this.

A bit of luck came her way however. Seemingly out of the blue, she received a wave. It had been sent the day before, but Cassiah didn't see it for the first time until she checked the cortex this morning. Apparently, there was a firefly ship named the 'Trinity' that was landing on Beaumonde today and was in need of a pilot, and they had gotten word that she was pilot. How the ship got here without a pilot was something Cassiah started pondering over. Was it an alliance trap? Had they found her? 'No.' Cass told herself. The offer felt too simple to be a trick. There wasn't a whole lot of information given about what kind of work the ship would be involved in, but that didn't matter much to her. She'd take a job flying over farm work any day. Almost immediately, she had made her decision and packed the whole of her belongings into two duffle bags and a cardboard box. After turning in her keys, Cass explained the situation to Nedlen(her now ex-landlord) and left, hitching a ride to the city where the Trinity would be landing at.

Once she arrived in the city, she saw mass quantities of crops and other materials being transported in to and out of various buildings and ships around the area. Very common on Beaumonde. Despite the activity, the place wasn't too heavily populated. Cass looked across the way and saw who she thought was Roger Davis, the captain of the Trinity that had sent her the wave. She wasn't exactly familiar with his face though, and the man she was looking at now turned in a direction away from her and continued walking. Cass wouldn't be able to catch up to him while toting her bags even if she wanted to. 'There's no guarantee that's him anyway,' Cass shrugged it off as she thought to herself then took another look around, trying to find a firefly. If it was here, it would stand out, there weren't many firefly's around these days.

Sure enough, she spotted one a good distance away. Cass smiled, 'That must be what I'm looking for.' She peered up at the ship as she approached it, imagining what it would look like on the inside.

[Roger Davis]

While looking over the docks and thinking about his next move in the city, resupply or work, Roger caught sight of a nearby woman from the corner of his eye. She seemed to match the description his law enforcement contacts had provided him, she was packed as if heading off-world, and she was eyeing the Trinity. Seemed like a safe bet.

"Howdy." Roger called out as he started to walk over to her. "With the right pilot, she's the smoothest ride this side of Kalidasa... would you be that pilot?" He let the question hang in the air for a moment before offering his hand. "Roger Davis, captain of the Trinity." Roger was slow to trust but from the looks of her, she wasn't raising any more warning flags so he'd be taking the chance with this one.

[Cassiah Zelfawn]

Cassiah was still looking up, surveying the ship. It was a beaut, Cass could already see herself flying it. She was about to start looking around for someone on the crew when she heard a voice call out. Unsure where it was directed, she turned to see someone walking her way. “Well, hey there,” she said with a smile. This man was definitely Roger Davis, not whoever she had seen before. Cass looked back to the ship as he mentioned it.

“With the right pilot, she's the smoothest ride this side of Kalidasa... would you be that pilot?"

She nodded, “I believe I could be.” She wanted to come off as a little reluctant to the decision, but Cass realized the things she was carrying made it quite obvious that she was ready to go. After Roger introduced himself, Cassiah decided to do the same, “Erin... Erin Saunders,” she adjusted the strap of the bag on her right shoulder and held the box in her left arm so she could shake his hand, “Nice to meet you.” She had practiced saying the fake name in front of a mirror for hours before she ever spoke it to an actual person, and at this point in time had said it to enough people to be able to sound natural with it. Cass didn't exactly like lying, but it meant survival, she felt she didn't have a choice.

“So if you guys don't have a pilot, how were you able to make it here?” She asked. It was the biggest question in Cassiah's mind at the moment, so she decided to get it out there.

[Roger Davis]

And the safe bet paid out. This was indeed his pilot. Her response was good too. She was eager for the work despite her words. She was smart enough not to wear her heart on her sleeve and wasn't at the point of begging but here she was, packed with all her belongings for a job after receiving just one pre-recorded wave a few hours ago. She wanted this job.

"Well, we don't have a pilot per se. Miss Thrace, however, knows her way 'round the cockpit. She's not the best but she's good enough to get ya from A to B. But she don't wanna be stuck as actin' pilot and I don't wanna be stuck with a substandard aviator if I can find better." It might have sounded harsh but it was the truth. Vivian was not a great pilot and even if she was, the girl absolutely hated being behind a control panel all day. Roger was also straightforward but his position with an adequate but reluctant pilot already in his crew put him in a stronger negotiating position.

"Pay is a standard split with equivalent shares rather than a fixed percent. Payment minus ship costs then divided into shares. With you, that'd make five crew for now. There'd be seven shares, the Trinity herself gettin' the lion's share of two for a reserve fund when cash is required or upgrades to the ship required. That'd leave you with..." Roger paused mid-sentence for a second, "'bout fourteen to fifteen percent if my math is right. More crew means a smaller percentage but it also means bigger jobs and an overall larger share."

Hopefully she'd been keeping track of all that because it probably wasn't going to be said again. The major business portion now behind them, Roger turned to the Trinity. "'spect you'd like to see the old girl now." He offered a free arm. "Let me help you with one of those and then we can take a look inside Trinity."

[Cassiah Zelfawn]

'Oh, okay that makes sense,' Cassiah thought. After hearing such an answer to her question, she felt a little foolish with all the suspicions she had formulated about it previously. If the person flying the ship wasn't content with the assignment, Cass would be all too happy to step in.

She listened as Roger explained the pay scale, nodding at different moments. To Cass, it sounded a little crude. The jobs she worked before had all payed a consistent amount based on hours put in. She wouldn't complain though, it all made sense, Trinity getting her own shares and the rest being split among the crew. Cass still didn't know exactly what a job would entail, but fourteen percent seemed a big enough number to her regardless. She didn't need much. The boat would constantly be on the move, and Cass would be flying it. Those two factors alone would create enough incentive for her to take the job.

“I'd love to get a tour,” she responded with a smile. Cass loved the name of the ship, Trinity. She couldn't wait to get inside and start familiarizing herself with it. She handed the box to Roger when he offered his help. It was actually the heaviest of the three things she was carrying, as it had a load of papers, a couple books and some other things in it. Her bags were mostly full of clothes. After handing off the box, Cass moved both bags to where they were hanging on her right shoulder and then followed Roger's lead.

[Roger Davis]

Roger took the package when offered and shifted the rather dense box to his left side, leaving his gun hand free if needed. He then led the pilot around to Trinity's ramp and up into the rather empty cargo bay. "Trinity is an old girl like you'd 'spect for her class but she's in fine shape." Roger was actually in a weak position to make such statements, not being a mechanic or even a pilot. "'Bout two months ago she had a full commercial repair, refurbishment, and refit. Since then she hasn't been under all too much stress and has actually spent about half the time on the ground." Such knowledge would qualify his statement. Trinity should be in excellent condition and the captain hadn't noticed anything to the contrary.

Roger pointed up to the catwalks above, to the sides and then forward to the aft of the ship. "Two shuttles, port and starboard, with the tail engine room o' course." It was all fairly basic for a Firefly design. He walked forward into the lower common area, med-bay, and passenger dorms. "We've got a shepherd along for the ride who spends most of his time down here. We don't have a dedicated medic or nothin' but just like a pilot, between the rest of us we've got the requisite skill, nothing of a surgeon's level o' course but about as good as you can expect elsewhere."

Roger then lead up the stairwell, pointed left to the galley and then headed right down the crew dorms corridor. "No cook neither, but we make do. The shepherd in particular has a sort of skill that we see from time to time." As he was honestly stating these things it was starting to dawn on Roger just how many 'comforts' the ship was lacking. He then patted the side of the hallway above one of the dorm ladders. "S'pose you'd be wantin' a berth close to the cockpit. If you'd want somethin' far away, we can make that work as well down on the lower deck."

Finally Roger stepped onto the bridge of the ship. The work area was in good shape and fairly Spartan, there not being a dedicated crew member personalizing and/or trashing the place up. There was a PA receiver that Vivian had left off the hook but other than that things were in order. "Main power is off so you won't be takin' off but feel free to get a feel for the rest of her systems. You'll have to wait for the full test drive until the crew's all aboard."

[Cassiah Zelfawn]

As she followed her soon-to-be Captain up the ramp, Cassiah's heart started to race. It began to hit her that this was all real, she was actually getting back into civilization. The idea worried her a bit, she would have to be extra careful now, but it was better than the alternative. Hearing Roger's voice changed her train of thought. He sounded a little nostalgic as he explained about the condition of the ship, however he wasn't playing around. From Cass' visual inspection up to this point, she understood that the Captain knew what he was talking about. She was glad to see that the ship was so well kept, except for... 'What's that?' As Cass was stepping off the ramp and into the ship, she looked down to see a scrape in the metal. 'Was that made by... A bullet?' There were a few similar scrapes at different spots on the ramp, but she didn't want to interrupt by asking about them.

They made their way through the cargo bay and into the lower common area. She looked around at the med-bay and where the passenger dorms were. Despite her experience as a pilot, she had never set foot in a firefly before, but Trinity looked mostly like fireflies as she remembered them from textbooks. It was more cozy to see in person. At the mention of a shepherd, Cass smiled. She thought momentarily about the times she was a kid and her father would bring her to church. In the recent years of her life, Cass had begun praying again, so she welcomed the idea of a shepherd on board. She followed the Captain up the stairwell and looked briefly in the direction of the galley before following him to the right. Cass didn't mind much about not having a cook, she could maybe even help the shepherd with preparing something, provided it wasn't too complicated.

When Roger spoke about housing options, Cass answered simply, “Closer would be better. I'd like to be able to get to the bridge quickly if I'm needed,” It didn't seem viable to Cass to set up far away. Then they got there, her future work space. She entered the helm behind Roger. It was in just as good of condition as the rest of the ship. Cass dumped her bags to the left of the door and took a seat in the pilot's chair. Her eyes looked over the console, the familiar screens, and... a PA receiver hanging loose. 'Hm,' She thought to herself as she hung it back on it's hook. This was basically a dream for any out of work pilot. She was told she could fiddle around with different things and get a feel for the spot and she intended to do so. They would have to wait to get up in the air though.

During the course of the tour, Cassiah got the idea that Trinity had been out of commission for a while. With the recent renovations and the various gaps in the crew, the assumption made sense. They were just starting again, and she felt blessed to have this opportunity. Before she began messing with anything, Cass turned in the chair to look at him, “Mister Davis-- Captain,” she quickly corrected herself, “I feel a little lucky that I'm getting this chance to be your pilot, and I know I still need to prove myself, but I just wanted to say thanks. I can't wait to be flyin' with you.”

[Roger Davis]

Roger smiled at the words of appreciation. "I take it you're acceptin' the job. It's good to have you with us." He looked forward through the viewport out across the city. "We'll be out out of here soon as we're able, don't you worry." Roger too was eager to get moving and finally have a real job or his crew. Hopefully they'd find something after the captain checked under a few rocks across the planet for his old contacts.

"You see two young gunhands wanderin' around that would pro'ly be Tristram Kelly and Vivian Thrace. Our mechanic, Casey Carter, is a bit younger and shorter than those two if you run into her first. The middle aged man of course would be our shepherd, Dexter Shield." The others knew that they were getting a new pilot but hopefully a summary of the crew would help any awkwardness when meeting someone for the first time when they're sitting right in your living room.

He turned back from the bridge and stood in the threshold back to the crew cabins. "I'll leave you to it then, 'less you got more questions or have last minute business to take care of planetside. First door on the right here is free when you're ready to move in."

[Cassiah Zelfawn]

It had felt official since she first saw the ship and met it's captain, but when she heard his words in that moment, Cass nodded in agreement, and it was solidified. She would be Trinity's pilot. Following his gaze, she looked out the front view. Beaumonde had a sort of beauty to it, but Cass had been here long enough, she was ready to move on. As the Captain said a little bit about each of the crew members she listened closely, trying to commit their names to memory for later. Cass would at least need to speak with the mechanic, Casey, before takeoff, but if she didn't get the chance to meet the others she would make it a point to introduce herself once they were out of atmo.

Before Roger stepped off the bridge, Cassiah replied to him cheerfully, “I'll be prepared in no time. Just let me know when we're ready to hit the sky,” she turned the chair back. There was still a twinge of worry within her, but her eagerness at the moment suppressed the thoughts. Cass would move her belongings to her new room soon, but for the time being she wanted to dive in and get accustomed with the positioning of Trinity's controls and monitors around the console.

[Roger Davis]

Roger turned back halfway through the door and spoke over his shoulder. Her request was a little funny, her being the pilot and thus the simple necessity of it. “I’ll let you know when we’re ready.”

The captain then turned away and continued aft from the bridge. He could finally check pilot off his to-do list. It was the most important item he had to handle but certainly not the only one. Trinity still had a ways to go in terms of crew, material, and contacts. But things take time and Roger would accept that speed, tackling each problem one at a time. The next problem currently was that of ship employment.