Voyagers: SS Pegasus

by Zarek Dragon

Assisted by Douglas DD

The Crew had been assembled and the ship is almost complete. Jordan had met with most of the key officers. The day they leave Earth to begin missions is soon approaching.

Sunday, 6 April 2127

Vegas Base Grounds ~ 0930

It was the Sunday after Easter. The sun was shining, and Space Fleet decided to have a cook off between several of the cooking staff officers aboard ships and the infamous civilian chef at the base. There would be five rounds of five distinct cultures: American, French, Italian, Chinese and Sweden. There were nine ships involved, including the SS Pegasus, and then Randy Jenkins. Through each of the first four rounds, four judges graded each contestant with a one to ten and couldn't give the same score to two people. So, while one chef must get a score of one, it doesn't mean he's a bad cook. For the last round, it was just the two with the highest score, and they were graded by the judges and the other eight contestants.

For the first round, which was American, many of the chefs prepared a cheeseburger and French fries. Those that did received the lowest scores. Randy prepared barbeque chicken with watermelon and apple pie. He was given a ten by three of the judges and a nine by the fourth. Gianin Sallenbach prepared ribs with American potato salad and peach pie. He received three nines and a ten.

The second round was French. Randy prepared boeuf bourguignon. This time, he received two tens and two nines. Everyone was cheering him on as he was the favorite to win. Gianin prepared escargots de Bourgogne. Two of the judges were surprised that he incorporated snail into his dish. They gave him tens for that as well as making a delicious meal with them. The other two gave him nines.

The third round was Italian. Randy made his lasagna, but was not allowed to use shimmy, as that could be seen as an unfair advantage. He was shocked and upset when he only received one ten and the rest were nines. Gian prepared Cacio e Pepe, considered one of the hardest Italian dishes to properly make. His turned out perfect, yet only received three tens and an eight.

After the first three rounds, Randy had a total score of 114 while Gian had a total score of 113. The other chefs would need all four tens to even be close to those two, so they bowed out, cancelling the fourth round.

The fifth round was Swedish. Since Gianin was born and raised in Sweden, he thought he would have an unfair advantage over Randy. Rather than take that advantage, he gracefully conceded, allowing Randy to be the winner. Randy walked over to him, "You know, you probably would have beaten me, but I think what you did was honorable."

"I can make some killer Swedish dishes, so yeah, I might have, but I didn't want to win unfairly. From what I have heard, you may still have won."

"I was planning gravlax and meatballs," Randy declared. "How about you?"

"Gravlax and meatballs are really good, but I would have made Kroppkakor."

Randy pondered, "Never heard of it. How do you make it?"

Since they had the ingredients, Gianin showed Randy how to make it. After it had completed cooking, Randy tried a bite. "Oh wow! Oh Wow!!! You definitely would have beaten me with this."

"And you had never heard of it, so I would have won unfairly in my book."

"Either way, whenever you are on Earth, I hope you feel welcome to join me in the base kitchen."

"I will definitely take you up on that offer," Gianin smiled, and they shook hands. With an evil glint in his eyes, he added, "And I hope to try YOUR Kroppkakor."

Picnic Area ~ 1200

With doing the cookoff, Space Fleet set up a picnic area and a play area where personnel and their families could enjoy themselves and have fun. The chefs that participated in the cookoff were asked to recreate their foods for those attending. "And which dish would you like?" Gianin asked.

"Can we mix them?" Dallas questioned.

"I see no reason why not," came the reply from Randy Jenkins. Randy was set up at the winner's booth with Gianin beside him. The two worked together preparing each of their dishes and trading recipes. They were quickly becoming great friends.

"Cool," Austin smiled. "I want some ribs, potato salad, watermelon and apple pie."

Jordan, having grown up eating French cuisine, decided to try the escargots de Bourgogne. Jace asked Randy, "I know you couldn't do it during the cookoff, but did you use shimmy for this lasagna?"

With a big grin on his face, Randy answered, "You know it."

"Gianin, you have to try this lasagna," Jace suggested.

Randy gave a sample to Gianin. He took a bite and exclaimed, "Oh wow, this is really good. What gives it that exotic taste?"

"It is a meat we call shimmy. It comes from Darastix, but Space Fleet has been breeding them now for five and a half years, so every ship is stocked with it."

Austin and Dallas asked if they could have a sample. Gianin asked Randy, "What exactly is shimmy?" Randy whispered the answer in his ear. He didn't want the boys to hear before they tasted it. "Are you kidding me?" Gianin challenged. "I've heard that skunk meat is good, provided the stink bag was properly removed, but THIS is way better than I expected."

Austin and Dallas looked at Jace with horror on their faces as they mouthed the word, "skunk?" Randy shot Gianin a dirty look. Jace smiled, "No, it's not skunk, it is a creature similar to Earth's skunk, but try it. I promise you will like it."

Austin reluctantly took a bite first. When he smiled and took a second bite, Dallas eagerly took a bite. "Hey, this really IS good," Dallas reported.

Monday, 14 April 2127

SS Pegasus

Bridge ~ 0900

"Captain, the Pegasus is completed, would you like to be aboard while we run the shakedown cruise?" Captain Winston asked. Captain Winston took the place of Commodore Kochanski when he retired.

"Already?" Jordan questioned. "I was told that it wouldn't be ready until at least the twenty-first."

Winston responded, "That was our deadline to get everything ready and have this trial out of the way. We are a little ahead of schedule, which gives us time to make any necessary adjustments."

"And being the first ship of the class," Jordan acknowledged, "she will probably need some."

"Possibly, but we do have Ajagarons assisting, and from what I've seen, they know how to build ships. I swear, they are natural engineers."

"My Chief of Engineering is Ajagaron," Jorgan grinned.

"It's not that Marlin-Douglass kid, is it?" Winston inquired. "I've heard he's the best engineer in the fleet."

Jordan grinned, "I know. He was my Chief Engineer on the Sooloo, so he was my first choice. So, on a different subject, what are the chances of some of my officers being on board for this shakedown cruise?"

"If I can utilize them during the cruise, that would be a great idea. I have some officers that need a break before starting to build the SS Unicorn."

"Wait a minute," Jordan pondered, "isn't the SS Unicorn one of the Fantasy Class ships?"

Winston nodded, "It is, but we've been given orders to build a Pegasus Class ship, and then the Fantasy Class one will be renamed. The crew wants to rename it the SS Minotaur, and Fleet Admiral Robinson has already approved."

Jordan inquired, "How many Pegasus Class ships will there be?"

"Three are currently planned," Winston replied, "this one, the SS Unicorn and the SS Alicorn."

"The Alicorn, isn't that a Pegasus with a unicorn horn?" Jordan questioned.

"Some call it a winged unicorn, but yes."

"So only three?" Jordan asked.

"For starters, but there is talk about more, possibly named using Darastixian names like Briquimchy, which means Pegasus, or Japanese Tenpa, which also means Pegasus."

"Can't forget the Yunikōn," Jordan teased.

"Oh, that one is on hold for now. Fleet Admiral Robinson wants that one for when his son transitions and becomes a captain in the regular fleet."

"Kyle will love that, I'm sure," Jordan laughed. "I know another certain young man who would love it, Corey Adams."

"I know him," Winston proclaimed, "he graduated from the Academy a couple years ago and is serving on the Heinlein now."

Jordan invited his crew to join, and most of them did.

Friday, 18 April 2127

Turning Winds Group Home ~ 0800

The Pegasus had returned from their shakedown cruise the day before, and to Jordan's surprise there were very few adjustments needed. He took this day off so that he, Jace and the boys could visit the Turning Winds Group Home to finalize the adoption. When they arrived, Mr. Granger was running around like a chicken with his head cut off. "Is something wrong?" Jace asked.

"Please tell me that you're here to finalize the adoption," Mr. Granger replied. "I have four boys being released from Juvie and their parents signed them to come here. My assistant handled the paperwork and just told me about it. I only have two beds available unless you adopt the boys."

"That's why we are here, Dad and Papa are perfect for us," Austin stated.

"And they are perfect for us," Jordan added. "We love the boys, and they love us."

"Thank you," Mr. Granger happily expressed, "I have the paperwork on my desk. All you need to do is sign, and then I will file it with the courts. Judge Zeigler will finalize it on Monday and give you the revised birth certificates. Any questions?"

"Is there any chance of him denying us?" Dallas pondered.

Mr. Granger shook his head, "I've already spoken with him. He will ask you boys if you want this adoption. As long as you say you do, he will approve."

"What time should we show up at court?" Jace asked.

"He will be expecting you at 9:30am, or I guess you would call it 0930."

Eighty Years Ago

History of the Turtles

It all started in 2047, when Charles and Kathy Turtle named their son Don. Don then thought it would be cute to name his son Michael, which also happened to be his father-in-law's name, so his wife didn't argue. As Michael grew up, Don made sure he was aware of a video about mutant turtles. Michael loved the video.

In 2095, Michael fell in love and married. He shared the video with his wife and explained that his dad's name was Don, and with him being Michael, he was hoping to have two sons and name them Leo and Rafael. Unfortunately, Lisa died on 8 January 2097 while giving birth to Leo. Leo was a good child, and helpful to his dad as much as he could. His worst character trait was that he had a habit of taking things apart to see how they worked. Fortunately, he then put everything back together, and they worked as good as when they were new, so it probably was not a bad habit.

In 2114, Leo joined Space Fleet. While at the Academy, Leo fell in love with a local girl. Her name was Donna Michelle Black. They married, and Leo shared what his family was doing with the names of the sons born into the family. Donna joked, "With my name, it's like we have your father and grandfather covered, so naming our son Rafael only seems right."

On 6 June 2115, Rafael was born. Though Donna should have been happy, she was not. While talking with a therapist, Donna realized that she didn't love Leo. In fact, she found out that she was in love with her therapist, a woman. She went home and talked with Leo. Leo sighed, but not out of exasperation, or anything like that. He explained, "To be honest, I have been questioning my own sexuality. I just didn't know how to tell you. Don't get me wrong, I still love you, and hope we can be friends, but I seriously think I may be gay."

"So, what do we do about Rafael?"

"I won't fight you if you want custody, but I would love to have custody if you don't."

"I think he's part of my depression," Donna admitted. "I want to stay in contact, but I think he should stay with you."

"He will know about you, and that you love him. I will never bad-mouth you to our son. You will always be able to visit with him or have him visit with you. I hope that you regain your happiness."

"Thank you, Leo," Donna offered, "and I will always love you as a friend, just not romantically."

Over the next twelve years, Donna and Leo remained friends. Donna married her therapist, but Leo stayed single. Rafael grew up a happy boy knowing that his parents loved each other as friends, but most importantly, he knew they loved him.

Sunday, 20 April 2127

Donna's House ~ 0900

Just a few days before the Pegasus was scheduled to depart from Earth, Leo Turtle was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant and assigned to the ship's Engineering Department. He talked with Donna about taking Rafael into space. "Will he be able to talk with me while you are in space?"

"Yes, he will," Leo assured.

Donna smiled, "Then I think this will make him happy. I will miss being able to visit with him, but his happiness is all that matters."

"You are a good mom," Leo stated. "I hope you know that."

"How could I not," Donna chuckled. "You remind me all the time. I am so glad we ended our marriage the way we did. I love having you as a friend, and you have raised a great son."

"We raised a great son," Leo corrected. "You helped."

"Not as much as you but thank you. Be safe."

Leo and Rafael's Quarters ~ 1100

Leo went home to talk with Rafael. He explained about his promotion, and his being assigned to the SS Pegasus. "So, you're leaving me? Will I be staying with Mom?"

"No and no," Leo replied. "Your mom will miss visiting with you, but she and I believe you will enjoy traveling in space with me. What do you think?"

"Will I be able to talk with Mom?" Rafael questioned.

"She asked the very same question," Leo smiled. "I assured her, and I am assuring you, yes, you will."

Rafael hugged his dad, "I think this is going to be fun."

"And I am told there are other boys around your age already on board."

"Cool, so when do we leave?"

"I am scheduled to report to the ship on Friday, the twenty-fifth."

"Can I go visit Mom for a few days," Rafael asked, "you know, as a way to say goodbye for now?"

Leo didn't respond, just hit a button on the quarter's comm. Donna's face appeared. "Raf wanted to know if he could visit with you before we leave."

"I would love that. When will he need to be back?"

Leo responded, "Preferably Thursday, so we can go to the ship Friday morning."

"I'll be right over."

Monday, 21 April 2127

Courthouse ~ 0919

Jordan, Jace and the boys arrived eleven minutes early, or in their book, only one minute. The judge called them into his office and asked his question. Austin spoke up, "Yes, Your Honor, Dallas and I very much want this adoption. Dad and Papa told us to speak from our hearts, and if we wanted it, they would be happy, but if for some reason we didn't, they would still love us and want to visit any time they could. We don't want just visits; we want them as our parents."

Jace wiped the corner of his eye as the judge signed the paperwork and handed it to Jordan. He instructed them on where they would receive the revised birth certificates and other necessary documents.

Next Chapter

Chapter Five: And Away We Go

End Notes:

This is currently incomplete and as the remaining Bios are written, they will be added.

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