Meeting the Pilots
Posted on Thu Jan 15th, 2026 @ 11:21pm by Captain Elijah Rutherford & Captain Johnathon Hayter & Lieutenant Pete Mitchell & Lieutenant Phyllis D'Lar & Lieutenant Junior Grade Nick Bradshaw & Ensign Stryvek & Ensign Edruj Daughter of Thrawn
1,949 words; about a 10 minute read
Mission:
Scientific Diplomacy
Location: Deck 11 Pilots Ready Room & Briefing Area
Timeline: MD 04 0800
It will be late afternoon when the Orcrist will be heading out on her maiden voyage, and being an escort to the USS Lumin to the Ithenite World. One thing he hadn't covered during the finishing touches on the Orcrist and that was meeting some of the pilots that were part of the flight group. The Riders of The Rohirrim.
It had been a long while since he'd been in a pilots readyroom/briefing room. A smile of rememberance danced upon Elijah's lips as he recalled the camaraderie that had formed amongst the pilots that were gathered. Would there be something like that forming here?
Stepping inside he looked around taking in the room. Lines of seats where the pilots wouild be facing the briefing area and where the CAG would be giving the information out. Viewscreen behind.
A moment of quiet as memories of past meetings, now it was his turn to call for a meeting.
Tapping on his commbadge Elijah gave out a call.
=^=Captain Hayter, and the Riders of Rohirrim this is Captain Elijah Rutherford, meet in the Pilot briefing room, in ten minutes-Rutherford out =^=
And now he waited.
Phyllis was exploring the ship when she got the call, so immediately changed course to head to the pilot's briefing room. She hadn't met the CAG yet, so she was a little surprised to be summoned by the captain, but this would be a great opportunity to meet the other pilots.
One minute before the appointed time, she walked in and smiled at the captain. "Hi. I'm Sorceress. You must be Captain Rutherford."
"Hello, yes I am" Elijah giving a warm smile of greeting. "I wanted to meet the pilots and also meet with the CAG. Two birds one stone right? I used to be a helmsman. Still love to fly."
"Yes. Once you get flying in your blood, it's hard to keep away." Which was why Phyllis was still a fighter pilot.
Elijah's brow furrowed as something from deep within his mind came to the surface. "You said Sorcerous right? " his eyes widening. "Woah, I want to thank you for something you taught the class I was in. It served me well when I was working in the Diplomatic Corps I was their pilot. What you taught that week saved my life as well as the dignitaries I was taking to a meeting!"
Phyllis nodded. "Good. I'm glad something I said stuck with you." While her first favorite thing to do was fly, her second was teach.
Hayter stepped into the briefing room right on time, coffee in hand and a look that suggested he’d rather be anywhere else—but he kept that to himself. The deep green of his Marine flight uniform stood out amid the sea of Starfleet attire, the old patches along his sleeve a little faded from years of wear. He hadn’t put this thing on in a long time, and the weight of it—both literal and otherwise—felt strange on his shoulders.
He gave a curt nod toward Captain Rutherford. “Sir.”
Taking a seat near the back, Hayter leaned back slightly, expression unreadable as his eyes swept the room. A few eager faces, a few seasoned ones. All pilots. He’d seen the type before—hungry, hopeful, ready to prove themselves. He wasn’t any of those things.
Phyllis gave the CAG a good once-over, recognizing the look in his eyes. She'd seen it far too often and hoped it meant he might turn out to be one of the good ones.
Stryvek or Legolas as most pilots called him walked into the room with his TSO Edruj at his shoulder. She was known as Gimli. The codenames seemed illogical to Stryvek, but most of what humans did was illogical. They both walked in without a word, the two got along well enough but often seemed at odds, and it was a wonder why they were kept together as a team.
Both Stryvek and Edruj noticed the Captain and the CAG present. As such they stood behind their seats at attention. Such was the proper etiquette in a situation such as this or at least that was what Stryvek thought.
Just about a minute later Goose and Maverick walked in. They were the exact opposite of the two that entered just prior. These two, being old friends dating back to their Top Gun training were loud and boisterous with much of what they said. "Wonder what the ole man wants this time?" Maverick said with a broad smile on his face. Maverick continued as Goose coughed in an attempt to get his friend's attention and let him know who was present.
Elijah watched as to how everyone came into the pilot briefing room. Each one were different. When Maverick and Goose came in, he cleared his throat, just to get the boisterous Maverick's attention. His eyes giving a hard look at the gathered pilots.
"Everyone have a seat." Elijah's voice rang out in the room.
He waited until all were seated, "As you are rather observant, you already know I am Captain Elijah Rutherford." he began.
"Some of you, I already am familiar with," He looked over towards Hayter, then to Sorcerous.
"Others I am not." looking towards Stryvek and Edruj, then to Goose and Maverick.
"In brief, state your name, call sign if you have one, and where you are from." Elijah stated, his eyes stopped briefly on Maverick then swept upwards to where Hayter was at. Then to the rest of the room.
"I'd like to begin with...you." gesturing towards D'lar. "Then you choose the next one to make the introductions."
"My name's Phyllis D'lar. Call sign Sorceress. I'm from earth." She grinned. That was what the captain asked for. Then she pointed to Stryvek. "You're up, ensign."
The Vulcan cocked an eyebrow at Phyllis' passing of the buck as it were. This while excersize was futile and illogical as far as he was concerned. Surely, the Captain could have simply looked at the records and learned all of this information. However, orders were orders. He stood at attention. "Ensign Stryvek of Vulacn. I am known not by choice as Legolas." Without anything further Stryvek sat.
Not to be outdone Edruj stood as soon as the Vulcan had sat. "I am Edruj Daughter of Thrawn. I am Legolas' weapons. They call me Gimli."
Elijah gave a nod, his eyes sweeping upwards to where Hayter was seated.
" How about you, Captain? Care to share? Then there will be the final two." giving a nod towards Maverick and Goose. "I am sure that some of you feel this isn't necessary, I though wished to do this, not just because I am the captain of the Orcrist, files show just a flat image and blase' information. I wanted to see who you are. Captain Hayter?" motioning towards the space next to him.
Hayter didn’t stand. He didn’t shift. He didn’t even bother to set down his coffee.
He just looked up from his seat near the back. His expression was flat, and tone dry. John's own posture was his normal relaxed self to the point of insubordinate comfort, but he finally answered when Rutherford called on him.
“Captain John Hayter,” he said, voice low and clipped. “Marine Corps. Call sign’s ‘Daddy or Big-Daddy.’”
A beat. Then a faint shrug, barely more than a tilt of his shoulders.
“From Earth.”
He left it at that. No elaboration, no unnecessary commentary, no warm smile or shared nostalgia like the others. He wasn’t here to bond or reminisce. He was here because the orders said he had to be here. He took another slow sip of his coffee, eyes flicking briefly toward Maverick and Goose as if silently volunteering them next. Or warning them. Hard to tell.
Maverick did not bother to stand up, he thought this whole exercise futile however, he knew that if he did not say something there would be problems. So, he kicked his feet up on the desk. "Lieutenant Pete Mitchell, but just call me Maverick. I am the best pilot you got. Top Gun first in my class. This sack sitting next to me is Lieutenant Junior Grade Nick Bradshaw my TSO. We call him Mother Goose or just Goose. Probably because he worries entirely too much. Both from Earth."
Phyllis just looked at Maverick and laughed at his chutzpah. She knew far too many pilots with the same attitude. Few lived up to it.
Hayter stared at Maverick for a long, silent beat, coffee halfway to his mouth. He set the mug down slowly, like he didn’t trust his hands to behave otherwise.
“…Huh.”
That was it at first. Just that. A flat, dumbfounded sound.
Then he leaned back in his chair, eyes flicking from Maverick’s boots on the desk to Goose, and back again.
“Well,” he drawled, voice dry enough to dehydrate the room, “that was inspiring. I think we all just watched a recruiting commercial die in real time.”
He tipped his head slightly, studying Maverick like a piece of unfamiliar machinery. “Best pilot I’ve got, huh? Good to know. Saves me the trouble of finding out the hard way.” A beat. “And ‘Mother Goose’—” he nodded once toward Bradshaw, “—appreciate you being honest about which one of you keeps the other alive.”
The Captain shook his head and sighed before he remarked. "I think Thing 1 and Thing 2 is more viable, but to childish. Maybe just call ya Viper and Viper's Shadow." He he glanced toward Captain Rutherford, expression utterly neutral. “Sir. Introductions complete." He clicked his tongue as he flashed a thumbs up. "Confidence levels… noted. So you got me as Chief Helm Officer and Commander of the Air Group, commander of these ... pilots. I may need to start drinking early.”
Hadassah arrived on the Orcrist to be told that the pilots were having a meeting in their briefing room. She arranged for her things to be sent to her quarters and asked the computer to give her directions. When she arrived, she paused briefly in the doorway to take a look at the pilots assembled, then headed for an empty seat.
Elijah raised an eyebrow, watching as the new pilot entered, she wasn't on the manifest not that he knew. He pulled out his PADD to check, then found that she had just been assigned.
He looked back up to where Hayter was, remembering when they had first met, the air fraught with tension. Things were going to be interesting as Hayter and he will make their way through this new assignment. He'll take that up with him away from the audience of the other pilots.
"Welcome aboard." Elijah commented to Hadassah. "I'm the CO of the ship, but, up there is the CAG Captain Hayter." he giving a nod towards the man in the back.
Hadassa glanced at Hayter, then nodded to the captain.
"Captain Hayter, I'll turn your people over to you, and I'll take my leave." Elijah addressing him. His eyes then panned over those gathered. There was quite the mix of personalities.
Captain Elijah Rutherford
CO
USS Orcrist
Lieutenant Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell
Flight Commander, Edoras Flight
USS Orcrist
Lieutenant Junior Grade Nick 'Goose' Bradshaw
Tactical Systems Operator, Edoras Flight
USS Orcrist
Ensign Stryvek 'Legolas'
Pilot, West Mark Flight
USS Orcrist
Ensign Edruj Daughter of Thrawn 'Gimli'
Tactical Systems Operator, West Mark Flight
USS Orcrist
Lieutenant Phyllis D'lar
Flight Commander - East Mark Flight
USS Orcrist
Lieutenant Junior Grade Hadassa Rey
Tactical Systems Operator - East Mark Flight
USS Orcrist
Marine-Captain Johnathon Hayter
Chief Helms Officer
USS Orcrist
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