Mel's Second Letter Home
Mao 3, 2518
Hi Mom and Pop,
When I said I was in over my head, I really didn't understand just how over my head I was!!
So the Captain, he says we leave, break atmo, out into the black. Just like that. I have this wacky Jasmine girl begging to play on the controls. Now, an 03-K64 Firefly under even perfect conditions always has somethin', you know? Something vibrating, something muttering. The ship 'talks' all the time. Only way she can tell you that she's still going to do what she's gonna do. Like a horse that is always making some noise, so you don't forget where she is. Most of the time, she speaks for the sake of talking. But you do have to listen carefully, or she might be telling you she's sick. So the last thing I need to do is hand the controls over to this gal who is a half decent cook, and seems to do something to that Martin fellow betwixt the sheets, but shows no real inclination for flying. I don't know. Maybe she figures her friendship with Martin buys her a spot on the bridge, and she's not half bad company, but you don't want her flying. Right?
I finally convince her to stick to doing something that she knows how to do, halfway, leastways, and she goes and makes food. Tastes good, but made me sick something awful. Sometimes the folk selling food to ship crew aren't so careful about what they sell us. They figure we're going to eat it after we break atmo anyhow, and we're not really going to come back from space three months later mad about a set of bad eggs. It was bad, this time.
Still, we encounter a ship in space, Big Alliance Cruiser, Intrepid, and before I get a chance to tell the Captain that we're going to be boarded, routine customs inspection, that Deaf Major fellow gets on the horn and tells them we're okay. Next thing I know, we're all eatin' steak at an Alliance Captain's table. First decent thing the Alliance has ever done for me, really, providing steak at a particularly good time. Instead of fighting a war with the outer rim, I wonder if the war could have just been settled over Alliance provided steak. Anyhow, I met a nice fellow, and we spent a little time planetside. I don't think there's anything there, but we had a good time being tourists and the like.
I shouldn't try and worry you, but the landing there was rough. I was sure that with the high crosswinds and the blowing storm, that I was going to crush the gear below the Swan, but it turns out we landed and were fine.
Not much to tell here, we're going about business, and just doing our jobs, which is all Paw ever insisted that we do, really. Keeping my head above it, and I'm about 3/4ths the way through the Flight Manual for this model. I've had to read it in my bunk, where nobody will notice that the pilot has to read through the manual still. It's a boring read, and I think I'm much happier learning the controls by just fidging with them. That too, I have to do when nobody is looking.
I hear Thea and the Major talking about some expedition that takes us into the wilds out there. I wonder if that means camping out? That could be handled really well, with some dried meats, and strong coffee.
I see all the weapons and knives that Thea plans on taking, and I'm thinking we're going to be hunting something really big. Wish me luck!!
You don't need to worry about me. These are really good folk, and they all seem to be taking great care of me, especially Thea, who is like the grumpy big sister, who plays with knives that I never had. We're having fun!!
The Jasmine woman worries me a little. She seems nice and all, but I never know what she's going to say. When I got very sick, she was funnin' with me, she tried to tell me that she might have poisoned me. As if it were in her nature.
Well, Enough of my yakking into this mic. I'll record another letter soon.
Love to the whole fam,
Your little Mel.
Hi Mom and Pop,
When I said I was in over my head, I really didn't understand just how over my head I was!!
So the Captain, he says we leave, break atmo, out into the black. Just like that. I have this wacky Jasmine girl begging to play on the controls. Now, an 03-K64 Firefly under even perfect conditions always has somethin', you know? Something vibrating, something muttering. The ship 'talks' all the time. Only way she can tell you that she's still going to do what she's gonna do. Like a horse that is always making some noise, so you don't forget where she is. Most of the time, she speaks for the sake of talking. But you do have to listen carefully, or she might be telling you she's sick. So the last thing I need to do is hand the controls over to this gal who is a half decent cook, and seems to do something to that Martin fellow betwixt the sheets, but shows no real inclination for flying. I don't know. Maybe she figures her friendship with Martin buys her a spot on the bridge, and she's not half bad company, but you don't want her flying. Right?
I finally convince her to stick to doing something that she knows how to do, halfway, leastways, and she goes and makes food. Tastes good, but made me sick something awful. Sometimes the folk selling food to ship crew aren't so careful about what they sell us. They figure we're going to eat it after we break atmo anyhow, and we're not really going to come back from space three months later mad about a set of bad eggs. It was bad, this time.
Still, we encounter a ship in space, Big Alliance Cruiser, Intrepid, and before I get a chance to tell the Captain that we're going to be boarded, routine customs inspection, that Deaf Major fellow gets on the horn and tells them we're okay. Next thing I know, we're all eatin' steak at an Alliance Captain's table. First decent thing the Alliance has ever done for me, really, providing steak at a particularly good time. Instead of fighting a war with the outer rim, I wonder if the war could have just been settled over Alliance provided steak. Anyhow, I met a nice fellow, and we spent a little time planetside. I don't think there's anything there, but we had a good time being tourists and the like.
I shouldn't try and worry you, but the landing there was rough. I was sure that with the high crosswinds and the blowing storm, that I was going to crush the gear below the Swan, but it turns out we landed and were fine.
Not much to tell here, we're going about business, and just doing our jobs, which is all Paw ever insisted that we do, really. Keeping my head above it, and I'm about 3/4ths the way through the Flight Manual for this model. I've had to read it in my bunk, where nobody will notice that the pilot has to read through the manual still. It's a boring read, and I think I'm much happier learning the controls by just fidging with them. That too, I have to do when nobody is looking.
I hear Thea and the Major talking about some expedition that takes us into the wilds out there. I wonder if that means camping out? That could be handled really well, with some dried meats, and strong coffee.
I see all the weapons and knives that Thea plans on taking, and I'm thinking we're going to be hunting something really big. Wish me luck!!
You don't need to worry about me. These are really good folk, and they all seem to be taking great care of me, especially Thea, who is like the grumpy big sister, who plays with knives that I never had. We're having fun!!
The Jasmine woman worries me a little. She seems nice and all, but I never know what she's going to say. When I got very sick, she was funnin' with me, she tried to tell me that she might have poisoned me. As if it were in her nature.
Well, Enough of my yakking into this mic. I'll record another letter soon.
Love to the whole fam,
Your little Mel.
posted by Pmandrekar at 9:49 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home