The Failings of Ripcords

Posted on Tue Mar 3rd, 2020 @ 11:50pm by Lieutenant JG Rachael "Ripcord" Yamaguchi-Cullen & Colonel Anthony "Ironhide" Raynor & Command Chief Sergeant Kodian El'Khaled

Mission: Mission 52: The Astral Winds
Location: Low Orbit over Regis Three - Training Flight
Timeline: 1200Hrs Local Time - December 5th, 2391

Warrant Officer Rachael Yamaguchi who was reffered to only by the nickname of 'FNG 22' or 'Friggin New Guy Twenty Two' was in line to be tossed out of the back of a runabout on a routine training hop but today was one of those days and this flight was goign to be one of those flights.

Rachael would ask herself later 'If I knew how this day would end, would I have done anything different?'

Kodian El'Khaled peered at her two dozen charges as they all wore the same getup she did, an armored envirosuit with helmet attached. "Alright folks, here for the last time... is how this is going to go.... when the light goes green I'll open the door then you will all step out one at a time, there will be no pushing and shoving, no complaining and no general bad behavior of any kind... if there is then I will boot your ass out of here myself and see that you have a very poor landing.... is that fact clear to you all?"

The two dozen voices responded in unison. Kodian didn't believe them for a moment but then that was in her nature and why she was nicknamed "Arclight."

"Right... Line up... Two lines..." Kodian requested as her charges all did exactly as requested. "Odds and Evens in order please..."

The com beeped at them all "We're five minutes out from the drop zone, complete final preparations please."

"Make it happen folks... We don't got all day." Kodian blinked her eyes slowly as she watched her charges sort themselves out.

A few minutes passed in silence as the last of the pilots got themselves organized as the light went green, Kodian smashed her gauntleted fist into the switch, the door dropped away as the wind outside howled and whined, the pressures inside and out rapidly equalized. "Alright. go.." and with that pilots one and two stepped out followed by three and four, which all dropped out of sight as the others followed suit two by two.

Rachael was the eleventh row back and it was soon her turn. her stomach churned as she dropped away, ahead of her she could see over a dozen sets of chutes as the other pilots had pulled them to slow their decent.

Rachael brought her left arm to the center of her chest as she pulled the ripcord, trouble was that the cord came loose in her hand and the chute didn't deploy. "uhhh crap... My cord busted." she sighed as she pulled the reserve to have the same thing happen twice.

"FNG 22. Pull your chute.... Now."

"Negative... My ripcord snapped... my reserve is gone too."

"What!" the voice screamed in her ears.

"Yeah... Thats what I was thinking." Rachael responded, her voice as cool as cucumber soup. "I estimate impact in ...... two and a half minutes..."

Kodian tapped the com-panel on her gauntleted wrist. "Transporter, can you retrieve her.?"

"Negative... too much clutter in the upper atmosphere."

Rachael sighed. "Well... I guess it wasn't meant to be." she commented.

"Talking like that will get you killed."

"I don't see how to prevent it... I'm gonna die in about two minutes so... honestly skipper. what does it matter?"

"It matters" A new voice cut into the com channel right before something massive crashed into Rachael at speed. "I have you warrant." Ironhide greeted her before he pulled his chutes. Rachael meanwhile found herself dazed as the impact had been sudden and she had had no time to prepare for it. "Uhh.... What?"

Ironhide smiled. "I have you Rachael.... Still... It'll make a hell of a story to tell the kids right?"

"Are you kidding?" Rachael inquired. "This will give my kids and husband to be nightmares."

"Well... I tell you what.... Make sure I'm invited to your wedding... and we'll call it even."

Rachael snapped out of it while she shook her head to snap herself out of it. "Oh thats a guarantee Ironhide." she responded. "Ennis and I... well we were gonna get married as soon as possible for us both... the reception will be an opportunity for everyone to drink..."

"Good... Impact in thirty seconds, prep for landing."

"Right." Rachael responded as she prepared for it. However three seconds before landing. Ironhide dropped her, she landed and rolled forward to bleed off the excess speed, while Ironhide landed normally, he rapped 'RETRACT' so his chute reeled itself back in as he went to check on his downed companion.

"Rachael?" as Ironhide came over to her side quickly, he found her lying on her back, looking up at the skies. Her helmet visor was cracked.

"I'm okay..." Rachael responded after a moment. "Well any failed landing one can walk away from is a good one... right?"

"I want your ass and the rest of you... in sickbay... for a checkup.."

"Yessir." as he grasped Rachael's wrist and haled her to her feet.

"I feel... funky." Rachael responded before she quickly yanked off her helmet, Ironhide meanwhile knew what was coming so he moved out of the way while Rachael vomited all of her guts up, before collapsing to her knees. "Uhh.." and with that she threw up again.

Several of the other pilots had gathered as the Runabout that had dropped them, quickly came in for a landing, the door opened and out came El'Khaled and a medic, they sped over to Rachael's side as Kodian waved to get the attention of her other charges. "Load up guys... nothing more to see."

Rachael sighed. "Tell me something.... How often does that happen?" she inquired. "I mean when both the main cord and the backup cord both fail.?"

El'Khaled looked annoyed and confused at the same time, which was concerning in of itself. "I don't know.... but we will be looking into it... but are you alright.. can you walk?"

"I'll... i'll live..." Racheal paused as she climbed to her feet. "I can't believe I lived through that."

"I often like to para-jump for training... How do you think I have my Master Parachutist Badge." Ironhide gently guided Rachael back to the runabout where the rest of the pilots all began celebrating Rachael's survival.

El'Khaled smiled as the older woman tapped her combadge. "Flight Deck, El'Khaled. All personnel are on board. No bodies... Rachael survived."

The two pilots sighed with relief. "Nice... Tell Ironhide I owe him a drink..." said one of them.

"He's been informed... as all the pilots here want to celebrate. Take us home.."

"Willdo sir. We are homeward bound." said the second pilot.

The Runabout closed all of its hatches as it took off from the planet and began the slow journey back to the USS Roanoke and her battlegroup.