=/\= PERSONAL LOG =/\=

[rosetto 0]

The Warp SIM had been broken into three 6-hour sessions where we were ‘on duty’ and all of the systems required detailed monitoring and updating. Even at the insane velocity of warp 7 which is about 5000 times the speed of light, the trip to Vulcan space would still take over 28 Earth hours. If this had been for real, the interval would increase to 42 hours due to the time dilation when crossing the warp boundaries.

 

What was even more amazing and yet completely logical was the raw view of forward sensors while the vessel was at warp. There seemed to be very little sense of motion present. Perhaps it had something to do with peering through the forward distortion of the warp envelope but what was becoming more obvious to him was the sheer vastness of space and the distances being travelled.

 

During the first session, Rosetto was to take the vessel out past Jupiter at sublight speed and then lay in his course to 40 Eridani A. His research from the night before revealed three major masses of hydrogen as well as the two companion stars that lay 400 AUs from the system. These gravity wells were fairly minor and easily avoided. Still, this was a test and he had to calculate the course corrections ‘long hand’ as they would be checked by both the vessel’s onboard SINS as well as by the instructors. He was very nervous as Instructor Lopez pored over his data. She had noticed that the cadet had used a chi-squared distribution on the wells created by the first two gaseous accumulations. It was a short cut but accurate enough for the given levels of subspace distortion. Once the course was laid in and they were underway, Rosetto could sit back and relax for a while. He took his first break with the cadet who had been manning the OPS.

 

Rosetto had never met Mr. Wilson, a bright young cadet out of Alpha Centauri Prime. They rode the lift down to the officer’s mess and he commented on Rosetto’s attention to detail. He had appreciated all of the prep work because it made his job so much easier. Wilson had blonde-white hair and a fairly dark complexion which contrasted with his maroon uniform. He was a friendly sort and smiled a lot and Rosetto did not know whether this was real admiration or whether he was just being shined on.

 

The second session was pretty much routine and Rosetto was able to spend some time reviewing the comments added to his flight plans by the instructors. Lopez was at the Conn during this period and he initiated several casual conversations with her. She had noticed his attraction to Nashwa and assured him that it was not intentional that the schedule had split them up.

 

It was during the third and final session where things would heat up. Rosetto had miscalculated the distortions added the companion system and it was not noticed until they came out of warp and found themselves 45 AUs off course. Colonel Peters was not pleased as this would add 20 minutes to the simulation while Rosetto got the vessel back into Vulcan space.

 

T'Khul was the primary that orbited 40 Eridani A. At twice the size of Earth, it was a very violent world devoid of life with torrent winds reaching 300 kph. Vulcan resides in a high elliptical orbit and T’Khul grows over two and a half times during four sunrises on Vulcan. It is shadowed by three other minor moons, tiny T'Hyla racing around so quickly that one can almost see it move. Sovhelk and S'toral both have their own stories to tell. The whole scene was quite alien to Rosetto but the beauty was unmatched even by the rise of Io on Europa with massive Jupiter looming overhead. But, then again, he had actually never been on Europa. He was only told by his test pilot friends back on Mars, Utopia that it was an overwhelming sight.

 

Rosetto maneuvered by the complex system of moons and executed a standard orbit around Vulcan. The test was over and he was relieved. It had been a very long process and he hoped that his performance was up to par. Lopez entered the bridge from the lift and terminated the simulation. She was always stern and official but he could see a slight smile in her eyes as she dismissed the crew and the sim-lab doors opened. Rosetto was just tired and he walked back to his dorm and fell into his bunk fully clothed. He was asleep within minutes.