“All you have to do is sit back and relax,” the Flight Officer told Nicayla as she was about to board the small super warp shuttle.
Nicayla stopped at the top of the short loading ramp and looked back at the FO. “Can it be switched to manual?” She asked.
“Wow! Nobody's ever asked me that before,” the FO said and shrugged. “I suppose so. They would have to have some sort of back up in case the autopilot went out.”
“Do you know how to switch it off?” Nicayla asked as she slipped the strap of her duffel bag off of her shoulder and tossed it against the wall on the other side of the small one person shuttle craft.
“This has just gone through a thorough inspection so the odds of the autopilot malfunctioning are next to nil,” the FO said.
“I wasn't planning on waiting for that to happen,” Nicayla said, shaking her head. “I don't like relying on some sort of artificial intelligence to get me where I'm going. Besides....I enjoy the feel of a control stick in my hand and this may be the last time I get the chance as my new post isn't in the “field”.”
“The Lancett is equipped with a LCARS so just tell it to bypass it if you need to,” the FO said.
“Alright. Thanks,” Nicayla said and stepped across the threshold into the small but sleek shuttle craft.
“Have a good flight,” the FO said. “And good luck with your new post.”
“Thanks,” Nicayla called out as the loading ramp began to raise, closing off the shuttle door with an air tight seal. She sat down in the only seat in the Lancett and looked over the shuttle's controls. After a few minutes...giving the FO time to get back to his control console...she flipped open the Lancett's communicator. =^=O'Dell in the Lancett to Flight Control. Request permission to launch.=^=
“You're clear for launch, Lancett,” the FO 's voice came over the shuttle's communicator and the shuttle bay doors opened.
“Computer....disengage autopilot,” Nicayla said.
=^=Autopilot is functioning properly.=^=
“I didn't ask for a diagnostic I asked for you to disengage it,” Nicayla said and rolled her eyes. “Dammed AIs,” she mumbled to herself.
=^=Disengaging the autopilot is not recommended.=^=
Nicayla clenched her jaw in frustration. “One more time, Computer...disengage the autopilot. This is not a request.” This time she said it with more of an authoritative voice.
“Lancett? Is there a problem?” The FO’s voice came over the communicator.
“No,” Nicayla responded. “Just a disagreement with the computer.”
=^=Autopilot disengaged.=^=
“Now was that so difficult?” Nicayla said aloud, not expecting an answer. She took the control stick in her hand...almost lovingly...and lifted the shuttle far enough off of the deck to easily release the landing struts. When they were safely tucked away on the underside of the Lancett, Nicayla gently moved the control stick forward and eased the Lancett out of the shuttle bay.
As she cleared the shuttle bay doors the voice of the FO came over the communicator saying, “Nice job, Lancett. Nice job.”
“Not all women drivers are ditzes,” Nicayla muttered to herself. When she was in the area around the base, commonly referred to as the “Boulevard” (and since the mandatory “speed limit” through that area was slow, pilots would say they were “cruising the boulevard"), Nicayla said, ”Computer display star chart for the Enterprise's coordinates.”
When the chart she requested appeared as a holographic display that hovered above the control panel, Nicayla studied it and decided her route.
“Thank you. End display,” Nicayla said.
The chart disappeared just as the Lancett reached the other side of the “boulevard”. Nicayla pushed the control stick forward, accelerating the shuttle then she tapped a control on the panel and the stars blurred into thin streaks of light as the Lancett went to Warp 7.
“Computer....engage autopilot and maintain warp 7 until we reach the following coordinates,” Nicayla said.
Nicayla entered the coordinates that would bring them close enough to the Enterprise's last known location that they could drop out of warp and she could manually pilot the Lancett at impulse speed for 30 minutes. She wanted to come out of warp far enough away from her destination to be able to scan the area for potential problems. One thing she had learned early in her career as an Emergency Field Trauma Specialist/EMTP (Emergency Medical Transport Pilot) was that every situation, no matter how benign it sounded, had the potential to be very much the opposite and to always be cautious. Always make your safety a priority because a dead EMTP and EMFT (Emergency Field Trauma Specialist) can't rescue the sick or injured they are there to save.
During the next hour and 15 minutes, Nicayla studied the layout of the Enterprise, the medical records of its personnel, a summary of the ship's commander's past commands (“O'Dell's Rule #3 – Know your commanding officer.)...and summaries of the Enterprise's past missions. By the time the Lancett dropped out of warp, Nicayla was as familiar enough with her new home and job that she didn't feel like she was going to be walking in blind and stupid.
“Computer...disengage autopilot,” Nicayla said. “And don't argue with me this time,” Nicayla add to herself.
=^=Autopilot disengaged.=^=
“Thank you,” Nicayla answered.
With a smug and victorious smirk on her face, Nicayla activated the Lancett's long range sensors. Only one vessel was detected and the sensors identified it as USS Enterprise. Nicayla piloted the Lancett toward the Enterprise and when she was in communications range she flipped on the communicator.
“Lancett shuttle to USS Enterprise,” Nicayla said and waited for a reply.