Myshuno #4
Title: Women
Word Count: 1521
Prompt: Donna learns to fly the ship for the first time.
Notes: This is very early on in Donna's time on the ship.
"Miss Doran, can you come to the bridge please?"
Donna sighed as Miem's voice came across the intercom. She'd been travelling with Tanma for almost two months now, and the ship still didn't like her. Tanma couldn't even argue against it, it was as evident as Miem's vocal inflection. When she spoke to Tanma it flowed naturally filled with respect and feeling. With Donna though, her speech was stilted, formal, and cold.
"I'll be there shortly, Miem," Donna said as she got up and made her way from her quarters to the bridge. Dinner would have to wait.
It didn't help matters that Tanma wasn't on the ship. He was off in the shuttle getting supplies. He wouldn't be back for two more weeks at best. It was going to be a long two weeks.
Once on the bridge, she looked around not entirely sure why she'd been summoned in the first place. It looked perfectly normal. A large blank view screen stretched along one wall, and in the center was a large chair that Tanma used when he was helping Miem, or performing "captain duties" as he liked to call it.
"I'm here, Miem."
"I am quite aware of that, Miss Doran. Thank you, for coming. I regret interrupting your meal. However, four ships are approaching our position. As of yet, they have not hailed us, but as most humanoids prefer communicating directly to another humanoid, I required your presence."
"All right. Should I use Tanma's chair."
"That should be sufficient."
Donna shook her head and moved into the seat. She shifted a bit to try to get comfortable.
"A moment, Miss Doran, I will adjust the seat to fit your proportions."
She felt the seat begin to shift and shape itself beneath her, and the back adjust itself to her height. In about ten seconds she was sitting in comfort, and noticed the control panel beside her light up.
"Miss Doran, the ships are in communication range, it might be best if we hailed them first."
"Why so?"
"We're not planning to move, so they're approaching us. If their intentions are honorable, then we will just be alerting them to our presence. If they are not honorable, then we might be able to catch them off guard. That will help even the odds a bit."
"Which are four to one in their favor right now."
"Exactly."
"What do I do?"
"I have highlighted the hailing frequency activator on your control panel. Press it, and I will flash a prompt for you to read."
It irked Donna that Miem thought she needed a prompt. It irked her even more to admit the computer just might be right. She really had no idea what to say. Rather than argue over nothing though, she pressed the flashing square, and began to read.
"Benetian vessel, this is Captain Donna Doran, of the private vessel Miem. We are aware of your presence, and wish to know your flight plan through this sector."
There was no answer. On the screen she saw "repeat" flash a couple of times.
"Repeat, Benetian vessel, this is Captain Donna Doran, of the private vessel Miem. We are aware of your presence, and wish to know your flight plan through this sector. Please respond."
Suddenly her screen went blank.
"Donna, I closed communications. They're on their way with all speed."
"That doesn't sound good."
"No, I don't think it is. Donna, are you any good at flying?"
"I've got my license, but I haven't used it very often. And I really doubt this is like a Cessna."
"I'll help you. I'm switching your panel to nav/helm. You'll see an xyz grid that will be centered around us. We'll be in blue, our opponents in red. All you need to do is touch the grid you want to move to, and press it twice to confirm. If you want to program a route drag your finger along the points you want before you confirm. Don't worry about speed yet, I've got that taken care of. Got it?
"Got it. What are you going to do?"
"I'll wait until they fire first, but after that, I plan on taking them out. I think it's pretty plain that their pirates, but there could be other less ominous explanations. I'll try communicating with their computers, but if all else fails it will be them or us."
"All right then. Let's do this."
Donna turned her attention to her panel, and saw the grid system just like Miem had described. The red vessels were approaching faster than she had imagined. "I'm dropping two grids straight down."
"I trust your judgment, Donna, but please don't distract me by explaining. I'll feel the movement as soon as you give the order."
"Aye aye, ma'am," and without delay she dropped their position two grids. The ship lurched slightly like an elevator. She watched the panel and saw flashes of light come from two of the pirate ships and converge on the grid they had just left.
"They weren't expecting that. But it's a good thing you moved, or we'd be in a lot more trouble than we are."
"They fired on us?"
"Yeah. But that's the last mistake they're going to make. Get us back into target range, and I'll make them regret they ever came our way."
Donna nodded and then drew a path on the grid to circle around and get behind and above them. She felt the ship shift once again and saw the blue outline of their ship swing into position. Suddenly a large beam shot out from their position and contacted with one of the red. The square flashed brightly and when it went black again there was no sign of the ship.
"I think that two of them might be dummy ships. That one blew a lot easier than it should have," Miem announced. "Be ready though, they'll be coming around for another volley."
"Let 'em, we won't be here." Donna was getting used to this, and she swooped the ship down below the pirates position. She watched as one ship flew up toward where they had been, another just sat still, probably the dummy, and the third, perhaps anticipating their move, dropped down. She winced as a flash of light came at them and saw another shoot out away before the ship began to shudder and shimmy.
"Meim, are you alright?"
"Mostly, the shields absorbed most of the blast. I feel as if I was thrown off balance."
"Did you hit them?"
"Yes, but I think their shields held as well."
"Damn the other one is trying to circle behind us." Donna skipped them forward two squares, and a diagonal move to the left, but slightly above their current position.
"Excellent!" Miem cried as she fired again, this time on both targets simultaneously. Both target squares lit up but both reds were still there when it cleared.
"Still there."
"Yes, but their shields are buckling."
Donna saw the beams heading their way and flew them straight up four squares, escaping the blast completely.
"Better!"
"Let me fly, you shoot."
She snorted, "You call that flying?"
"Hey, for a beginner, I'm an effin' ace!"
Donna swung around to give Miem another shot but winced as they were hit by another shot.
"Your erratic pattern is confusing them. So they're shooting at all the places they think you'll be. They're bound to get lucky with one of them."
"But not lucky enough, our shields are still holding."
"Indeed. Actually, Donna, hold on, I have an idea and it would take too long to explain it."
"Have at it!"
Meim dropped suddenly, and then all the power seemed to go out, and Donna felt a rough wave of turbulence. She realized they suddenly had no shields.
"Meim?"
"Shh, my plan."
Donna nodded and waited. There was nothing on her panel but she could imagine the two pirates closing in with great speed ready to take out their incapacitated prey. Suddenly the ship rocked violently and Donna flew out of the chair and onto the floor. The sound of an explosion echoed through her ears, and bile filled her mouth.
"Meim?"
"I'm fine. Well, maybe not fine, but it's repairable. What I did to them is not. Are you all right, Donna?"
"As you said, repairable."
Two weeks later Tanma arrived on the ship, not quite sure what to expect. He half expected Donna to have figured out a way to disable Miem, or that Miem had locked Donna into some sort of endless loop maze. He didn't expect to hear them giggling like two girls home from school.
"Meim, Donna?"
"There you are, Tanma, was there something blocking the corridor from the docking bay?"
"Really, Donna, I would hardly leave something like that in his way. Or if I did, I'd let you in on it."
"Oh, don't gang up on me, please. I take it, this means you don't mind if Donna stays Meim?"
"Let's put it this way, Tanma. If she leaves, I'm going with her."
Tanma just smiled, "Me too, Miem."