Starting Lines (Wu/Jaeger)

Alexander Wu · February 21, 2018, 10:23:54 AM

Please note, this takes place after the current Discovery mission.
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[CFCO's Office]

Alex was in a bit of a bind. He was currently holding two PADDs. In his left hand was the approval and endorsement for Discovery to enter into the Antarian Trans-stellar Rally, a race which the Federation had been invited to participate in ever since Voyager's encounter in 2377. Asides from the times where it was impossible due to ongoing conflicts or a lack of available resources, they had always sent a representative. This year, Discovery had been the nearest starship, and to most of the crew's delight, they had been asked to attend.

As the Chief Flight Control Officer, Alex had been thrown the gauntlet; literally. HIs right hand was burdened with a list of available officers and their records. It held everything from stellar flight performances as part of the Academy's Red Squadron to nominations and commendations from their previous commanding officers. It wasn't an easy choice, finding someone who stood out; as the Tenth Fleet flagship, Alex had free reign to choose from the cream of the crop. Now he was running into trouble finding the cherry.

Scratching off another name off the list, he leant back in his seat, grimacing while perusing the remaining pilots waiting to be interviewed. Alex knew it hadn't exactly been fair to her, but he had moved the next name down several times already. Any more, and he wouldn't be surprised if she marched into his office with some unkind words. Sighing, Alex tapped his commbadge, almost reluctantly. $=/\=$ "Jaeger, this is Wu. Report to my office please."=/\=

Ardyn Jaeger · February 21, 2018, 10:28:03 AM

[Ardyn's quarters]

Ardyn was so done with morning sickness already. Heck, if she could get the whole blasted 10 months of pregnancy out of the way and done with, she would do it in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, that was not the case, and currently, she was relegated to sitting by the toilet until her stomach settled enough to get on with her day. Problem was, that wasn't happening as quickly as she would like. Grabbing a hypospray from the sink shelf, she applied it to her neck, releasing the nausea medicine with a hiss.

Feeling her commbadge vibrate with a message from Wu, she tapped it, replying, $=/\=$ "On my way, Boss, " $=/\=$ as she got back up, straightening herself while she was at it.

Alexander Wu · February 21, 2018, 10:57:05 AM

[CFCO's Office]

A frown flickered across Alex's face at Jaeger's tone, though he couldn't really tell much with the short reply. Truth be told, at one point in time, she would've been at the top of his list of hot pilots, in more than one way. However, after their little...incursion, during the Á¢â,¬Ëœpoly water' incident three months ago, she had seemed increasingly distant. She had started spending more time by herself, and he had heard murmurings from other flight crews about how she was turning down a lot of the invitations on their Á¢â,¬Ëœteam-building' exercises. If it had only lasted a few weeks, Alex wouldn't have worried as much; he hadn't exactly been feeling himself either. Months later though, and he was about ready to ask the counselor for a referral.

Pulling up Ardyn's file, Alex scrolled through the biography and performance reviews, noting the high scores in efficiency and mission success. One of her previous supervisors had put a note in about a tendency to take risks, but he reckoned any good pilot worth their salt would push their limits at least once in their careers. What he was more interested in was her record before Starfleet, practically just a footnote in her official background check. Placing the PADDs onto the table, Alex got up, stretching his protesting back and walking to the replicator. If he was going to make it through several more interviews, he'd need some caffeinated support. "Chai tea latte, hot, half sweet, double expresso shot."

Ardyn Jaeger · February 21, 2018, 11:00:21 AM

Ardyn walked into the office with one of her usual smirks, ignoring the subsiding queasiness and fatigue she was still feeling."Morning, Boss. you said you wanted to talk with me about something?"

Alexander Wu · February 21, 2018, 11:12:16 AM

Turning from the replicator with the steaming mug in his hand, Alex gave her a slight smile and nod. "Good Morning, have a seat." Setting his mug down on the desk, his eyes flickered over the barely noticable shadows under her eyes. "Care for something to drink? You look like you haven't had your morning coffee yet."

Ardyn Jaeger · February 21, 2018, 11:22:37 AM

Ardyn sat down in relief. "Sure. I'll take a cup. Maybe some tea, if you wouldn't mind. It was a long night for me last night." She partially lied. All the symptoms had been rather taxing on her, but she wasn't letting that stop her yet. "So, is this for the Rally? She asked, partially reading him. It was basically the question on all the Flight Control crew's minds these days, and for good reason. The chance to get to represent the Federation was something that didn't happen often.

Alexander Wu · February 21, 2018, 11:42:37 AM

Walking back to the replicator, Alex paused, giving her a sidelong look before stating, "Chai tea, mildly spiced, double sweet." Waiting for the machine to work it's magic, he nodded towards the display facing Ardyn. "The route map and information is on there. I've also taken the liberty to chart a potential course through."

Taking the second mug out, Alex placed it in front of her before returning to his seat. "Tell me what you think."

Ardyn Jaeger · February 21, 2018, 11:47:31 AM

Ardy studied the map with great interest as she took a sip, her old habits from her racing days coming back in full swing. It was a standard course, with lots of twists, and curves that would make ordinary pilots shudder at maneuvering in high speed. With a couple "modifications" to whatever ship they were on, it looked rather doable. . "I like it. Reminds me of the Grand Prix I won on Risa back before I joined Starfleet. Man, that was fun. Totally made this snooty Vulcan eat my Warp trail." She smirked

Alexander Wu · February 21, 2018, 12:00:13 PM

Alex raised an eyebrow, leaning forwards in his chair. "There's not much in your records about what you did before Starfleet. If I'm not mistaken though, isn't the Risa Grand Prix more of an...unofficial competition?"

Ardyn Jaeger · February 21, 2018, 12:02:50 PM

Ardyn shifted in her seat, slightly embarrassed at her past history. "Yeah, It's not officially sanctioned. I kinda was really stupid as a teenager. Made some decisions I'd rather not repeat again, if you know what I mean. I lost my copilot in one of those races. That's one of the reasons I left the racing gig to join Starfleet." She said, taking another sip of the tea.

Alexander Wu · February 21, 2018, 12:08:44 PM

"Hmm..." Alex studied the lieutenant pensively for a few moments, tapping his fingers against the desktop. "Alright, I think I'll be honest with you. You deserve that much. If we were doing this event three months ago, you would've been my top candidate. I asked for you specifically from the Shran after all. After...the incident, you've changed. I'm not saying your work performance has worsened, but there's been something different about you. And going on a competition like this, I need a copilot who I can trust, who I know. Is that still you?"

Ardyn Jaeger · February 21, 2018, 12:31:15 PM

"Yeah, that's still me," Ardyn lied. "I'm fine. Honest." She said, smiling like nothing had happened. She didn't want this baby of hers to get in the way of perhaps one of the biggest races ever. "Been a little under the weather recently, but I'm feeling great now."

Alexander Wu · February 21, 2018, 12:44:24 PM

Still not confident in Ardyn's answer, Alex frowned. With her past though, she still gave them the best chance at winning. Her answer had raised several other questions though. "The race where you lost your co-pilot...what happened?"

Ardyn Jaeger · February 21, 2018, 12:53:04 PM

Ardyn nodded solemnly, recollecting the events.. "It was a typical race of the illegal sort. Lotta gambling, high stakes, higher rewards. To add extra danger, it was in an asteroid field. The stuff I craved for back when I was a teenager." she said, stirring her tea with a spoon.
"Apparently, there was a malfunctioning flap in the engine that was overlooked or sabotaged, they couldn't tell which. Anyhow, that got loose, set the engine on fire, and sent us careening into an asteroid at high speed. Trevor, my co-pilot, was killed on impact." She nodded, the memories coming back. "I went clean after that, joined Starfleet."

Alexander Wu · February 21, 2018, 01:04:23 PM

"That's terrible, I'm sorry it took your friend dying for you to give it up." Alex tapped the table again, weighing his options. "This won't be an easy race, Jaeger. It's meant to be a celebration of peace and unification, but in reality, these competitors will do anything to win. In fact, sabotaging your opponents is nearly a tradition. One that we won't be taking part in, of course." He added hastily. "If you want in on this, there'll be some long nights ahead of us. Discovery won't be able to take us all the way there, we'll have to leave in a week to make it in time. Are you up for this?"

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Starting Lines (Wu/Jaeger)