Jump entry is one of the smoothest any in the crew have ever experienced.  Whether that is due to Gypsy Moth's exquisite engineering or the skill of Jacques and Prisa is yet to be determined.

Shortly after entering jumpspace, Lafleur rotates the guards again.  Agoste and Zeigler take posts in the hold, those in the hold go to the lounge, and so forth.  It appears the detail's plan is to have two guards in the hold, two in the lounge, and four off duty at any given time.

OOC: This would be a good time for those characters who haven't yet done so to choose an area for self-improvement, if you so desire.

Jim gives Jack a nod of admiration while comm-ing Prisa, "That might just be one of the sweetest Jump transitions.  Ever.  Well done!"

Checking over the power boards, and ensuring the alarms are set, Jim takes his leave of the bridge to go more thoroughly unpack.

Later, he takes the opportunity to introduce the crew and Mr. Lafleur to another member of the ship...


"I assure you, he will remain unarmed, even de-clawed," Dr. Jones adds for Lafleur's benefit, displaying one of Mr. Jinx's paws, to the feline's obvious displeasure, "and has been thoroughly vetted, Mr. Lafleur.  Please try not to shoot him."

OOC: Dr. Jones will pursue Animal-0 (Training) - we'll see how far he gets with Mr. Jinx...

P.S.: Ref - if you are gonna keep rolling 12's and over - feel free to roll for me! =)

Danica cut all of the external sensor feeds in preparation for the jump transition even though she knew that they would automatically cut out; it was habit for her - the blinding flash of the transition to J-space was notoriously hard on older sensors.  She holds her breath slightly; it's an old tradition that she learned a long time ago on Hayden's crew.  The moment of transition was to be savored.  Once the jump was initiated, Dani tapped the comm link to Engineering (both upper and lower).  "Excellent job, Engineering.  Smooth as silk; very nice." she notes.  Dani also gives the thumbs up to Jack.

Danica opens up the comm link to make it shipwide, "Ladies and gentlemen, although you may not have felt it, we've made the transition to J-space.  As this is the shakedown cruise of the Gypsy Moth, let's give her a good once over.  Keep your eyes and ears open and let's make sure we catch any issues early."  She closes the link and turns to the Doc before he leaves the bridge.  She knows that he has the best general mechanical skills of the group.  "Doc," Danica notes, "you, especially."  And even though it probably goes without saying, since Jones has never been one to stand on protocol or keep his mouth shut when he wanted to speak, at least for as long as Danica has known him, Dani adds, "Be proactive."  She gives the doc a slightly crooked smile.

Dani then unclips herself from her harness and moves over towards, Lafleur.  "Find everything to your satisfaction, Mr. Lafleur?" she asks idly.  "Which of your detail - including yourself - has training in microgravity situations?" Danica asks more business-like.  "I want to make sure what to expect, if the inertial compensators onboard are cut, intentionally or otherwise."  She offers by way of explanation, "It is a common tactic to vary environmental factors, primarily gravitic and lighting conditions, to disorient and hinder potential boarders - especially in key areas or choke points."  After pausing for a moment, Danica continues.  "As you are well aware, we can control virtually all of the ship's systems from here." Danica notes, "We have remote monitoring of all sensor and communications feeds as well as control, with potential lock-outs, of all environmental and engineering functions.  Though, physical proximity to Engineering and the actual drive machinery is obviously most secure..."  Danica is willing to discuss specific unit tactics and security matters at Lafleur's convenience; and she notes, that while he should feel free to approach any of the crew with any issues - Danica suggests that Lafleur pick a primary liaison, if he is more comfortable with that.

At some other point early in the jump, Danica also asks Girard Lafleur, if he plays either go or chess - and if he would be interested in a friendly match.  Dani has already extended that same offer to Charpie and Dagala; and if anyone bothers to ask, Danica already has a on-going game of go with Hayden.  Otherwise, Danica spends most of her free time (aside from the meditation time and workouts) mostly in and around the bridge (especially since her quarters are there), working on general correspondence coursework.  She notes to anyone that questions her about it, that she never actually graduated from any college or university and is working towards a general degree.

In general, the door to Danica's quarters are always closed - and when she is in there, she apparently does not care to be disturbed.  However, when she is out of her quarters, which is more often than not, Dani is quite open and willing to engage in almost any conversation or meal.

Lastly, Danica isn't particularly taken with Mr. Jinx.  Though the cat seems harmless enough, Dani definitely appears to be a bit ill-at-ease with respect to the feline.  Danica is not sure if it is just her projecting, but she gets the sense that Mr. Jinx doesn't like her.  For her part, Danica keeps her distance, often citing, "Professional courtesy."  That and she claims to be a dog person.

[OOC: Danica is working on improving her Education.]

Jack is surprised at the jump transition, smoother than any he'd initiated, let alone experienced. It seemed Gypsy Moth was quite the vessel; he shared Danica's disappointment at having to hold back on the trip out to maintain position with Express but ah, well - there would be plenty of opportunity to put the bird through her paces, he was sure. "Thanks, Doc," Jack enthuses before pinging Engineering. "Thank you, Engineering. Very, very nice."

It was mildly annoying having Lafleur on the bridge for this trip; Jack felt the experience should have been theirs alone. But the man's presence was the reason they were flying in the first place, so Jack hides his irritation and keeps one ear on Dani's grilling of the security man and one eye on the jump bubble readouts as the J-drives settle into their week-long hum.

Jack calls up his working draft of a 24-hour duty schedule for the crew. There were a few holes that needed patching. He spends the next couple hours on the bridge going over various versions, trying different permutations, all with the goal of keeping the bridge and Engineering manned 24/7 without exhausting everyone.

Later that evening Jack is planning to spend some time in the crew lounge going over some academic courses. He too is studying for a general degree, much as Danica is. At some point he figures they could drill each other on their coursework, though it was unlikely they'd see much of each other on this trip.

When Doc introduces Mr. Jinx, Jack smiles dryly. "You couldn't have picked a more propitious name, Doctor?" He turns and continues working on his crew schedule.

OOC: Jack is also working to improve his Education.

Jim, of course, completely misses Jack's meaning...

"Oh, Hye is named after his mother, Lola Jinx, who I inherited from a spacer who abandoned her when he was involuntarily discharged."

"Unfortunately Jinx's mommy passed on in a horrible grav plate accident."

OOC: Shouldn't all skilled space mechanics/doctors have black feline companions with names like Hye Jinx? ;)

In reply to Dr. Jim D. Jones (msg #5):

Day 363,
The crew has been in jumpspace for over six days, with less than 24 hours left until emergence.  Gypsy Moth's embarked security detail has taken shape:

Lafleur - professional and knowledgeable, he is polite and attentive to his duties, but appears to consider himself better than his subordinates.  A career security guard, he seems to think his promotion to detail chief makes him better than the others under his purview.

Agoste and Zeigler - geeks, they don't seem to have any interests other than playing holo games against each other, standing duty, and sleeping.

Gomez - The most professional of the bunch, he stays aloof from his compadres.

Telford - Older than his peers, he seems to be content with the minimum work necessary to avoid Lafleur's attention.  Beyond that, he is easygoing and amicable, and has an abiding interest in the ship's galley.

Oettinger - His first assignment, he is eager to please.  Overly eager, and takes a ribbing from the others for his efforts.  He is comically concerned at every unexpected bump and squeak the Moth makes.

Diehl and Fletcher - Are obviously romantically involved.  Despite being in separate shifts, they have the opportunity to be together six hours a day, during Diehl's sleep shift, and use it like rabbits.  They try, ineffectually, to hide their attachment in public, but Fletcher's (the female) playful slaps on Diehl's butt at the end of his shift are a dead give away.  If their behavior is against company policy, Lafleur doesn't seem to care.  In fact, he appears to studiously ignore their relationship.

Vaughn - Unlike his boss, Vaughn is clearly troubled by Diehl and Fletcher's relationship and tries to talk to each of them individually about it at separate points during the transit.  His attempt to approach Diehl ends in angry shouting and Diehl walking away.

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Charpentier - Pleasant and easy to get along with, Lance has formed a quick crush on Gadron and lust for Thera in equal measure.  Gadron seems to value his interest and friendship while gently dissuading his overtures.  Lance and Aksina have become workout buddies and go to the gym together daily.

Aksina - Meditates daily and offers to share relaxation techniques with Danica.  For physical challenge she has enlisted Charpentier as a workout partner.

Gadron - Prisa seems to appreciate Charpentier's interest, but is careful not to reciprocate and gently steers conversation towards her fiancee when they're together. She is taciturn and reserved around the others and seems to be the type that needs time to warm to new friendships.

Stern - Has engrossed himself in the Moth's technical specifications.  More than any other crewman, he has made an effort to learn each valve and joint in the engineering systems.  He is also open to discussing the business aspects of the ship with Hayden, but doesn't seem to have much formal training or natural aptitude for business.  Oddly, he is virtually never in the same part of the ship at the same time as Thera.
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:04, Sun 08 May 2011.