Piers and the Wolf (Bougene Station ATU)

[Grav_Moped]

Vignette: Welcome to… (5)

"That bulkhead isn't supposed to be there," I tell Ronni, "or at least it wasn't there on the one I flew back in '02."

She looks up at me, square-on, not puzzled -- but I can see her starting to go there. "Perry -- you said this one had more freight space than usual. Does that iris valve lead to the cargo hold?"

"Right. Looks like the ship's locker is a lot smaller though; it's over there by the airlock." I point to my right and then a little back, next to the elevator we've just stepped out of. Air/raft bay is right here, if you missed the sign." I know she hadn't; her eye roll confirms it.

We proceed into the cargo bay. "Hey," she declares, "Looks like it'll hold a standard minor lot. Four tons of incidental in the Air/raft bay if we give that back for now. Definitely workable for light speculative cargo -- especially value-dense stuff. We'll be rolling around in credits in no time!" She lights up with optimism; I know she's already got plenty of cash as it is, but her mood's infectious and I grin at imagining her literally doing that. Never thought I'd think of a Scout/Courier, even an advanced one, as a profit center. But this could work for us...

"OK, weapons turret's back there," I say, pointing to the near corner by the elevator shaft. "No entry hatch though -- looks like it's got an autoloader, probably remote-fired from the flight deck. Kind of expected that from a Rhylanor ship."

"That's about it for this thing except for the drive room, right?" Veronica observes.

"Yep. That and the fuel tanks, of course," I reply. "Let's take a look at the engines, then get lunch and head back to the hotel."

 

[Grav_Moped]

Vignette: Welcome to… (6)

The elevator opens, revealing a low and cramped space in the midst of heavy machinery. "Perry," I declare, "that fusion reactor is just the cutest little thing! And it's supposed to power this thing at three Gs accel or almost ten light years in a Jump?

"Yep," he answers, "it really does; it's Rhylanor tech. It even does the main Jump drive fast-burn, too, instead of the integral reactor that the standard one has. That's why that's so small; it's just the field generators. Really impressive tech. Can't really say the same for the maneuver engines -- those are almost obsolete machinery, and I really don't get that. But it all works, according to the ship specs*.

"Oh," I say, not ducking for the low ceiling, while he does. "It's making sense now. I've got this -- all I need is the tech manuals.

"And the acceleration couch here is doing the tail cutout slot thing. I think the ship likes me." I notice, wagging the aforementioned tail. Piers seems relieved I'm ok with the craft.

"Floor hatch lets you work on the jump drive down there," he says, opening it and pointing, then closing it again. Shouldn't need much work, though -- these small scoutships never do. And that's the ship."

"We can work with this. Did you ever tell me what it's name is?" I ask him.

"Officially, it's just the ship's registration number -- no name. Scout Cyrus, the last guy who had it, called it Miley, for 'Mighty Little'. That work for you?"

I think for a moment. "Yeah, it'll work if we can't think of anything better."

-------------------
* The TL-15 drives are from LBB5, and he's comparing them to the usual Size A drives from the LBB2 version. Yeah, I really don't get it either (in-universe, anyway).

Oh, posted for no reason (ok, posted because of the "pygmy pony" and Types S are supposed to be Ponies)....

 

[Spinward Flow]

"Yeah, it'll work if we can't think of anything better."

Just as an aside, I kind of like the idea of calling the ship ... "Zip It" ... which can then have multiple different interpretations, depending on context.

• Zip It ... means close the zipper on clothing (including vacc suits).
• Zip It ... means "my lips are sealed" on not sharing what you know and the keeping of secrets.
• Zip It ... means get there faster!
• Zi pit ... means "the pit" (for parts, spares, time, money, hopes, dreams, futures, you get the idea).

 

[Grav_Moped]

Just as an aside, I kind of like the idea of calling the ship ... "Zip It" ... which can then have multiple different interpretations, depending on context.

It could work, particularly for for a reg # ending in XXX-08 ("zip-eight").

On the other hand, under the numbering convention I have used IMTU, that would indicate a build date of 1008, since the last two digits are the year, and in-narrative it's not 1108 yet.

Besides, even if it's just for my own amusement, there's still the multi-dimensional pun thing going on there.

(Which, in retrospect, may have been fully intentional rather than a contrived coincidence...)

 

[Spinward Flow]

It could work, particularly for for a reg # ending in XXX-08 ("zip-eight").

On the other hand, under the numbering convention I have used IMTU, that would indicate a build date of 1008, since the last two digits are the year, and in-narrative it's not 1108 yet.

No need to go that far, it's a bit far down in the weeds for what amounts to a joke/pun.
It would actually be better if the registration # "lends no support whatsoever" to being twisted into that kind of joke/pun.
That way the registration # doesn't "stand out" as being obviously associated with the Zip It name, meaning you have to go out of your way to make that association (at the admin level).

Besides, even if it's just for my own amusement, there's still the multi-dimensional pun thing going on there.

(Which, in retrospect, may have been fully intentional rather than a contrived coincidence...)

I'm thinking that a far easier/simpler "origin" for the name Zip It for the ship could come about ... just simply P & V doing what amounts to a "check ride" in their new scout, meaning they take it out of the berth to "get a feel for her" and one of them makes the comment that the extra G of maneuver makes the ship "zippier" at getting around.

Doesn't take too much work to go from there to "Zip It" ... especially if they're wanting to do any kind of commercial activity to defray their living expenses.

"Need to get from here to there faster than usual? Zip It." ​

P & V can share a laugh over the idea, before realizing ... "hey, that's not half bad" ... and the rest is storytelling (and comedy value).

 

[Grav_Moped]

No need to go that far, it's a bit far down in the weeds for what amounts to a joke/pun

Ok, fine.
Miley Cyrus (pop star) was Hannah Montana (Disney star).

The pigmy pony on which Frank Zappa would ride the range harvesting dental floss in his song, "Montana," would be named "Mighty Little" (and as noted in my in-story post, could be shortened to "Mi-Li", or "Miley").

Did Billy Ray Cyrus actually name his daughter after a small horse in a song by Frank Zappa? I just notice things.

(And no, Google doesn't return anything on it.)