Sparks of life in the Orlando [Closed]

[Kalli Ann Bernett]

The Orlando, Persephone May 8th, 2521
It had grown late in the evening on Persephone, the streets had fallen nearly silent. Most people were fast asleep by this point, but on the Orlando life continued on. Kalli was still down in the engine room. Tools were scattered across every shelf, bench, and inch of the floor.

She had been putting every waking minute in to getting the Orlando up and running and she wasn't going to stop until she had it back up and working. She was laying down with her upper torso under the power transfer case. The twenty pound lower transfer housing shell rest on the ground next to her. It was the third time she had pulled it off to make adjustments. The flow from the power generators to the engines primary cell was running outside of specs and cause several issues down the line.

She replaced a few more wires and adjusted a few more transfer levels as quickly as she could. Kalli knew she was getting close and was ready for the pay off, the Orlando's return to life.

Kalli pushed herself back out from under the casing and sat down next to it. "Come on ol' fella you can do it right?" She questioned the Orlando as she closed her eyes and attempted to fire her up.

The readings came across her meter. "Transfer levels normal. Power levels are at peak. Everything looks good, wonderful job Orlando!" She exclaimed as she jumped up and down with excitement. She was it, she had it ready to go. She quickly ran over to the engine to conducted a forced direct start. She didn't have the patients to wait for someone to run up to the bridge and see if she would start from there. Though that would be something she would have to make sure was working as well.

She toyed with it for just a few seconds to force the start. With in a few seconds the engine was powering up as it should. It seemed shaky though, something was out of alignment still.

Kalli ran a few test on the engine before firing it up all the way. After grabbing up a few tools from the floor she unbolted a panel and tinkered with a few more parts. The engine stabilized back to a smoother level. It was ready to go. "I did it!" she exclaimed. The Orlando was running again and ready to head back out in to the verse.

She couldn't wait to tell the captain. As quickly as she could Kalli shut the engine back down. and bolted the panels back on. There was still a lot to be done to get the Orlando back to tip top shape but it could travel, carefully, again.

[Sidney Bainbridge]

Sidney heard the yelling coming from down the hall. His bunk was closest to the engine room so every major noise coming from in there drifted in to his room. It was late and people were settling in for the night. It was no different for Sidney. He had been laying in his bunk for an hour or so just writing. He had kept a log of his travels. A history of his life of sorts.

By the sounds of what he was hearing something good had just happened for Kalli. She was very excited about whatever it was. Sidney laid his papers down and stood up. He threw a shirt on and walked up the hallway to the engine room. His limp, like always at night, was more pronounced then the rest of the day.

When he arrived Kalli was bolting a panel back on to the engine or power house or what ever that piece of junk was. "Parently you got this bird ready to fly free again huh?" He asked. It was about time, what use is a ship that sits on the ground collecting dust?

He looked her over she was covered in dirt, rust and grease. He grabbed a towel off of a bench and tossed it to her as he spoke. "Good job Kalli Ann, now get some rest." He never did show much enthusiasm and this was about as good as it got.

[Kalli Ann Bernett]

Kalli gasped and jumped when Sidney started talking from behind her. She was so focused on what she was doing she didn't even notice him walk up behind her. She dropped her tool and the bolt to the ground.

She turned around and gave him a quick smile as she grabbed them back up and finished what she was doing really quick. Right then Sidney tossed her a towel and congratulated her on finishing up. She smiled at the old man then said. 'Thank you Sidney. We are ready to go again."

She was happy someone had come to share her moment of success with. Kalli didn't mind that he seemed unenthusiastic about it all. He didn't seem like the type to get excited like her. Either way she could still tell he was happy about it. "Yeah I guess it's about time for a bit of rest. What has you up this late?" She asked him as she wiped her hands and face off.

She looked around the engine room seeing all the mess she had made of the place. She had to clean up but she really didn't have the energy to do it right now. She grabbed a few tools off the bench nears her and put them in to her tool bag.

[Sidney Bainbridge]

Sidney smirked when she asked why he was up so late. It was part the noise from the engine room and part just him up writing. He wasn't going to say either. She had just accomplished a major task for herself and he didn't need anyone bothering him about his writing. "Jus' settling in for the night. Figured I'd stop by see how things was going." he told her.

She had been spending a lot of time on getting the Orlando up and running and he could hear here in there fighting to get it going. Sidney had been listening in whenever he was in her bunk. He thought it good to get to know the crew but took little interest in words most of the time.

There was a time when he used to work on the engine of ship back when he was a kid. He never was to good at it and Kalli seemed to talk herself through most of the repairs. It was a way for him to get to know a bit about her and the ship they were on. He hadn't spent much time on a firefly before the Orlando. His Parents ship was a bigger and bulkier ship and while with the Independents it was always a larger troop transport.

[Kalli Ann Bernett]

Kalli set down the tools on a bench and walked over toward Sidney and the door. "Things have been going good the Orlando is ready for the skies again." She told him as she walked out the door next to him. "So what made you decide you wanted to be out here flyin' on a ship instead of settlin' down on some rim world or something. I mean I see you as the type to like a place far from the core and we picked you up on Persephone and all." She asked him.

He seemed so different to her and she really wanted to know what he was like. She wanted to Know what made him tick she had never met someone so rough as he seemed.

She walked down the hall heading back toward the rooms. She needed to get herself cleaned up after all that work. She was hoping Sidney would follow so she could hear more about him as they walked back to the rooms for the night.

[Sidney Bainbridge]

Sidney watched as she walked down the hallway. he listened to what she was saying. A position he seemed to keep finding himself in and was still not sure why he went along with it.

He began to follow her as she walked off. As she spoke he couldn't help but think how young and innocent she was. How foolish she was to get mixed up with the likes of this crew. She would be better off to have stayed behind on Persephone and live a normal safe life but she was here and would eventually come to her scenes as long as she didn't get herself killed before that.

Sidney figured that was why he put up with the talking she needed someone to keep an eye on her. He felt obligated to do something good for once after all the people he had wrong and would probable continue to wrong through out his life. He had to have one shining moment when the Shepard sent him off. "ain't no planet that would kept me forever. Just not the type people want round forever." He said in a moment of honesty.

He caught himself moving past his quarters and following her down the hall just passed it. He wasn't sure what else to say but he know what he had said would raise even more questions and he was interested to see what they would be.

[Kalli Ann Bernett]

Kalli paused as she reached the ladder down to her quarters. She paid close attention to the little Sidney had so say. he seemed really short with everything he said. It made her wonder why he never talked much. What was it he was afraid to say, what was he hiding from everyone.

Kalli was surprised at what he said and she wonder why people wouldn't want him around but she was not confident enough to ask him to many questions about it all she said was. "Ya seem nice enough I don't see why anyone wouldn't want ya around."

She opened the hatch down to her room and said. "Have a good night Sidney I'm sure I'll talk to ya again tamarrow." She climbed down the ladder and wolked to her bunk. As she laid down in her bunk she wispered to herself. "Wonder why he ain't willin ta talk bout anything." SHe figured eventually she would get the chance to know more about him.

[Sidney Bainbridge]

Sidney though a bit about what Kalli had said and what made her think he was a nice guy. It was different then what he was used to. He never was to good at making friends but it seemed this time was different. He got along with the crew and they seemed to get along with him.

He thought about responding to her as to why he thinks he is the way he is but before he had the chance she was saying good night. It was better that way anyway he wouldn't know what to say to make her understand him. Instead he just replied to her good night. "Yeah, we'll see tomarra."

He sighed and made his way down the hall to his quarters and went in. He pulled his book out and flipped through the pages for a while then began to write in it. The Orland would be the next chapter of his life.