SIM:Cogud/Vedra - To the Madhouse pt 2
The conclusion to Part 1
| Chief Tactical Officer | ||||
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| Jorus Cogud | ||||
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VEDRA: Go ahead then. Do it. I dare you. If you think you’ll only be satisfied after you’ve killed and annihilated every single Orion filth in the universe, then go ahead. Start with me. Go on, do it! Start with me! Do it, bigot, do it if you dare!!
- Perhaps there was a small part of Raine that didn’t quite regret the
things he said and about to say.::
COGUD: ::Cogud looked down at his hands then up at the Orion, he was much larger than him, the only way he could kill him was with a weapon, Cogud stood back and took a deep breath:: I'm not a killer, not like you, I have a conscience and right now its telling me to stop speaking, but I can't.
- Cogud fell to the floor, sitting down against the console:: I can't help
what I feel. Seeing you brings back horrible memories I have. And it’s not that I hate Orions, ::Looking up at the man:: in truth, I am scared.
- The sudden shift in the helmsman’s emotional state stumped the Orion
officer speechless once again. The overt hostility was now a runaway roller-coaster.::
VEDRA: ::He rubbed his bald scalp in frustration.:: What the frak man?
COGUD: Yes I am scared, I try to put on a tough face to defend myself with words, I can't hold up in a fight, that's why I drive the ship, I sometimes feel like I need to blame someone. Your species is the obvious target, the Orion Syndicate is the reason I had to run, they are the ones that are responsible for most of it, and if I am honest it’s not the Orions half the time, but my Uncle and my Father both upkeep the opinion that you are filth and I guess I keep the family tradition. I can't help that you scare me and I feel I need to defend myself, you’re in Starfleet so am I, I do not expect you to forgive me for what I said, I don't forgive you. But, I am here to race.
- Raine sighed and dropped his shoulders. The anger and adrenaline rush was
still storming within him but there was also a tinge of sympathy, maybe even a little empathy if he searched a little deeper, sparked off all of a sudden. He walked to the console at which Lt Cogud had been standing next to earlier and started tapping some keys. He spoke, with a much milder tone of voice, without turning around to face the man.::
VEDRA: This is exhausting. ::He sighed heavily.:: Okay. Look. Obviously there are issues between us. Issues that can’t be resolved overnight. You’re right about two key aspects. We are both Starfleet officers and we are both in the same team competing in the race. So… Let’s remind ourselves of these two things, be professional, and work on winning this race.
- pause:: Is that okay with you… lieutenant?
COGUD: ::Taking a deep breath Cogud nodded::
VEDRA: ::He inhaled deeply and counted to three before exhaling.:: Running simulation now.
- A 3-dimensional diagram of the Sol system filled the entire lab, the race
course plotted within it as a glowing dotted green line. After keying in the shuttle parameters, the shuttle hologram appeared as a cute little icon, hovering like a bumblebee in midair.::
COGUD: Alright, from what I can see we have two options for this race, we could go fast but risk the chance of getting a tight turning circle or slow things down and hit every turn perfectly, I can see the turn around Pluto may be a challenge but an experienced pilot should be able to handle it. Part of the track goes right next to the sun, Mr Frye will need to be informed about that and we will transfer more energy to the shields at the appropriate point. We'll also need shields when travelling by the gas giants, at one point we will be flying directly above Saturn's rings and some years, people have been pulled in by Jupiter's gravity.
- The Orion science officer nodded and began to input endless variables and
parameters into the simulation algorithm. The 3-dimensional map was now a maze of interconnecting lines, curves, dots and bizarre-looking graphs. Raine merged various up-to-date maps of the Sol system with past race courses and past race key events, such as crashes, casualties, spatial aberrancies and other untoward or peculiar occurrences. While waiting for the program to process the huge amount of data and hopefully plot the best and optimal route for them to take, he finally turned around to face the helms officer, though he intentionally didn’t make eye contact.::
COGUD: I have been looking over the competition... there is more than one team with pilots that test Starships, Shuttles and Fighters... The best, they develop their own maneuvers each more daring than the last, mainly to test each craft to find any problems but they tend to use these special maneuvers in competitions like this, another notable team is one led by an eccentric Ferengi millionaire, he hired one of the best pilots in the quadrant to try and win this race. We'll need the best we can get, so I trust Rostan has chosen an appropriate shuttle?
VEDRA: ::suddenly looking up:: oO That bucket of bolts? Oo He has. He’s a very capable engineer. Impressive handiwork. Even commander Rogg speaks highly of him. I wouldn’t worry about his choice of shuttle. ::pause:: oO If it’ll fly, we’re in the clear. Oo
COGUD: Good.
- The computer chirped. It had successfully created the best possible route
to take for the race. Raine allowed it to display the results of the analysis. A lopsided elliptical shape in bright orange appeared and overlay the previous maps and routes and historical courses.::
VEDRA: ::pointing to the orange line:: What do you think?
COGUD: Its different, I have never seen that route used before, is it safe?
VEDRA: The statistical analysis is pretty sound. This is the best possible route to take in order to achieve a 98.8% probability of winning the race.
COGUD: The stats only work with a pilot who knows what he is doing, perhaps we'll need to do a test run.
VEDRA: ::flatly:: Glad you approve. And I agree, we’ll have to do a test run at least once before the race. ::pause:: Oh gee, what do you know? We actually agree upon something. ::unenthusiastic:: Wow.
COGUD: ::Cogud glared at the Orion:: Indeed.
VEDRA: ::smirking:: I’ll send this algorithm to Frye and the other members of the team. I’ll keep you apprised of progress… Lieutenant.
COGUD: Thank you... Mr Vedra, if you'll excuse me I am going to see the shuttle I'll be racing. ::Cogud left the room, taking deep breaths as he walked::
- Raine pretended to be busy working the console until Lt Cogud exited
Astrometrics. When he did, Raine spun around and kicked the swivel chair which flew right into the air and crashed into a work station in a corner, effectively destroying both the station and the chair. He clenched his fists and roared in frustration and anger. For the briefest moment, in a fraction of a heartbeat, he couldn’t decide which made him want to explode with unbridled fury – the vicious and unprovoked racist, xenophobic attack; or the shameful loss of his own self-control at the time.::
END