driftfleet | #002 [Video]

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#002 [Video]

Who: Hiro Hamada and YOU
Broadcast: Fleetwide video
Action: SS Bishop!
When: 3/8, in the afternoon

[What's that sound? The sound of an alarm going off. What's that video feed? Well, right now the camera is set on a bobblehead that is rattling like crazy. Its base has been elongated, and from under said base flashes (slowly) a red light. Then it turns blue after two buzzer sounds from the alarm. Then yellow. Then orange. Then green. Then purple. Back to red. It continues to cycle as Hiro turns the camera to face him, and he's bobbing his head with the beat of the buzzer while standing at a control panel of different metal than the ship that has been welded onto the wall by the door to the main deck. Every time he presses a button on said panel, the light changes color. Then he hits a small green button above a large red button on the side, and the whole thing stops.

[Yes, the entire Bishop was just subjected to that without warning.]

Pretty cool, huh?

[Hiro looks like a cat who just caught his very first bird.]

It's all hooked up to our control panels, but I can't program it to do everything I need it to until we have a pilot and a communications officer. Right now, we have fire, gas, and the latter half of the collision alarms. I still need to program one for docking and to hook up another to the radar so we can know when we're headed dangerously close to something that could damage the ship. Right now, we've only got one that tells us we've been hit.

[SHRUG.]

But since, for some reason, everything under the control panel looks like gibberish to me... [he takes a moment to look into the camera like he's on the office] ... we get to wait until we have someone more "competent" [airquotes!] than I am.

[VOICE EDITED IN LATER]

P.S., if there are any communications officers who wanna hop ship over to the Bishop for keeps, let me know. It'll work out best if you're one of two on your current ship.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

No, but if it works wouldn't other ships want a system like that aboard too?

[He makes a slight disgruntled sound. Since you know, Hiro's got a point he can't really argue against but man that was painful]

You want earplugs when I hook your ship up?

[hey look i'm a little shit, but it's a serious offer]

[Even if Hiro is a little shit, the offer is something he actually appreciates. Enough that he seems to lighten up on his annoyed expression.]

...Sure. Heavy duty ones if you can find them.

[He gives a slight nod of thanks]

So what sort of things were you planning that you need a pilot and communications person?

I have a pilot on his way to help me with the docking alarm, which'll be silent, and the radar for on-course collision warnings. That way we'll know before we get hit and maybe be able to avoid it. We don't have a communications array, but the purple alarm is supposed to be an all-purpose, hit-the-red-button type deal. If a fight breaks out, or something happens that the ship won't recognize as an emergency, I need that button to hook up to send out a distress signal.

Hmmm...all sounds like good ideas.

How much warning will the collision radar give? And how would you go about avoiding if the ship's on auto-pilot? Even if you have a pilot, you can't man that station all the time.

Well, if we can't avoid it, we can brace ourselves. [SHRUG.] Or call for help. It'll give us pretty ample warning. I can't know for sure, but I want to give us at least a minute warning. Once we have a pilot of our own, the alarm will wake them and they'll know to haul backside, and I figure even if they're not here when it happens, someone can turn the auto-pilot off and move the ship a little.

... But since our auto-pilot doesn't turn off, we'll probably just be calling for help in the meantime. So, uh. Fingers crossed.

Guess I'll have to make sure to pick the quarters closest to the cockpit then.

But your auto-pilot hasn't shut off? Jeez...sucks for you guys. But maybe it'll give you time to run to the shuttles or something? Can you use those?

Yeah. I'm an engineer, so they even fit another person. Which is nice, since we only have four people over here now. We'll be safe, and hopefully the next crew member we get is a communications officer. I'd rather have an auto-pilot than no way of calling for help whether we have a pilot or not.

Maybe you can convince one to transfer to your ship. If you wait around for Atroma to give you one, you might just end up with half a dozen cooks instead.

... Huh. I might try that, there have to be some ships who have two.

Yeah. And there's always ones who don't like their crews either.

[A beat]

You can't have Cole though.

Noted. If he's all you have, anyway, I wouldn't exactly turn to him right away. I do want to try not to leave anyone hanging.

Good to know. Flora would kill me if I made us lose our Comm guy.

[That's totally it. Not that he cares about Cole or anything gosh]

Wouldn't wanna get you in trouble.

[Oh he sees that attempt at an ass-covering.]

'Course. She's a real hardass.

So what's your name, kid?

Hiro Hamada. You?

[Hiro...? Man, wonders if his parents knew this guy would be a main protagonist one day]

Kaneis Major.

[if they knew that they would have been able to call dying when he was three]

... Really?

[eyebrow raise]

After the star?

[Hey man, maybe they accepted their fate. For the Disney.]

Huh?

What star?

Well, constellation. Canis Major, on earth, is a constellation with the brightest star in the sky in it. It's the easiest one to find.

...Hm. Can't say I know it. I never really got to see much of Earth's night sky.

But I'd say it's a coincidence.

Pretty cool one, if you ask me.

[He smiles.]

People from all kinds of cultures used stars for navigation, and since the brightest star in the sky is in Canis Major, that made it pretty much the cornerstone for an entire era of civilization. On Earth, your name's a big deal.

Really?

[There's a pause, since honestly? That was a pretty sweet thing to say. To know that his name, even if it's not his original name, has such a meaning...it's nice to hear. Almost even uplifting, in it's own way.]

[Still, he's really not one to openly express such sentiments- so he makes a joke instead]

...Man, you're gonna be a dangerous one when you're old enough to date, if you can say stuff like that just about people's names.

Edited 2015-03-12 03:57 (UTC)

[oh no look how red he gets]

... really? You think so?

[kind of hushed, very flattered, oh god do you really think his awkward little self could be suave with the ladies in a year or two]

[Aw, now that's just adorable]

Sure.

Well, I mean, if puberty treats you well anyway. That's a gamble.

[But hey man he's a total math nerd who was a shrimp and look how he turned out!]

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