InterviewNika

PART 1
The crowded spaceport of Osiris gives way to light blue sky, then to indigo, and the black of space. The camera pans back to the crowded cockpit of the Summer's Gift. The beautiful blond pilot relaxing from a position of alertness as she finalizes the de-orbiting permissions from ground control. A small monitor on the side of her controls shows a 'live' view of the White Sun System with their position relative to the various planets. She toggles some controls causing the Nav-Computer to select Londinium, and programs the vectors. She tweaks the numbers, and keys in the command sequence. In another monitor the blue/white globe of Osiris gets slowly smaller, then as the sequences resolve, she speaks, her voice echos through the cabin and from speakers throughout the ship.

Nika: Ten seconds to Pulse...seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, Pulse!.

The view screen blurs slightly. And the globe in their rear view camera shrinks to a dot. Nika seems to settle in to the pilot's chair for what looks like the long haul. And she finally glances at him and says:
Nika: "You wanted something other than the take-off footage?"
The interviewer slips into the bridge holding a a small camera with a little suction cup.
Interviewer: "Will this interfere with your flying, if I plant this... here?"
Nika: "Not really," she replies. "Although I prefer if it's not constantly filming. This is somewhat my private domain. And most of what I do is just sit here, so..."
Interviewer: "Just for the interview.. er assuming that is okay. I just wanted to get a few of your thoughts.
Help the people get to know you."
The image switches from behind her to a front view. She doesn't look into the camera, instead she is caught in profile as she speaks to the interviewer. Nika shrugs at that, picking up her coffee cup and sipping from it.
Nika: "That's fine," she tells him. "It's not like there's much to really film while we're flying. It's a whole lotta Black."

Interviewer: "So Nika, you hail from Boros in the Georgia System, where your family has a ranch, is that right?"
Nika: "That's right," Nika replies calmly.
Interviewer: "How do you go from ranching on the Border, to flying a transport out in the black?"
Nika: "When I was about ... twelve, I guess, my father took me to an airshow. There was a guy willing to take me up in his ship, and I'm not sure all of me came back down. From then on, I wanted to fly like nobody's business. And my father, being a smart man and real supportive, made sure I could do what I loved -- he loved ranchin' the way I loved flyin'."
Interviewer: What other sorts of ships have you flown?
Nika: "Lots of light transports and mid-bulks.. a couple Fireflies, a Da Xiang, Scarab, Cambridge, Gryphon, Exeter, you name it, I've flown it."

Interviewer: "Is the Kuiper Class easier or harder than the others?"
Nika: There's a silence while she considers. "Neither, really. Flyin's flying. Some ships handle nicer than others in certain ways -- this ship doesn't do so hot in atmo, for example. Not great on the aerodynamics. But all ships handle pretty much the same in space; the only real differences are mass and engines. And cargo ships are inevitably not as nimble as, say, personal yachts."
Interviewer: "Most people think of spaceships as having gleaming metal lines, smooth curves, and holographic displays. What do you think they'd think of this?"
Nika: Nika laughs. "Most people who've ever been around a ship yard know that MOST ships don't look like that. In fact, the only vessels ever built with aerodynamic lines are actually the ones intended to fly in atmo. It's the only place you *need* it, to cut down friction. Ain't no friction in space, man. So to my mind, anyone who expects it knows nothing about the Verse. Or science."
Interviewer: He pans his handcam around, and highlights the truck like interior. "Does the allure of flying still shine as much after all these years?"
Nika: Nika's smile is amused. "There are certain jobs in the 'Verse that you just gotta be born to do. Teachin'... flyin'. Yeah, it's still shiny. The Black is... home."

Interviewer: "How much flying is there, I mean, out in the black? I can see landings and take offs, but apart from that, it really is black.
Nika: "Oh... when you're running between systems, it's definitely not nearly as much hands-on as in-system. Planet to planet generally requires pretty steady presence on the bridge. Between systems, you can sort of set the autopilot and just check once an hour or so," Nika admits. "I always thought it was sort of like bein' a cop on a stakeout, actually. 98 percent boredom, but oh my God those 2 percent days are worth it."
Interviewer: "What do you say to the people who think computer controlled systems are more precise, and safer?"
Nika: There's a smirk. "I say that a computer's all well and good when you're flying a straight line through the Black, but nothing will ever beat human hands on the wheel when it comes to trouble. A human pilot -- a good one anyway -- can anticipate and instinctively respond to crises in ways computers will never be able to match."
Interviewer: "I always thought it was the expense. The big cruisers usually keep a pilot just for back up."
Nika: Nika shrugs. "Can't answer for the big ships, but I can tell you... I've had some /really/ hairy landings in this ship that I wouldn't trust a computer for. We took some damage off a Reaver one time that... well, if I hadn't been as good as I am, either we'd have been pancaked all over Beaumonde or we'd have been obliterated when they chucked a missile at us, because we came in so gorram out of control, they were already painting us. And I've taken this ship into atmo to retrieve some trapped terraformers, and I sure as all hell wouldn't have trusted the computer to compensate for the mess in that atmosphere. Their own computers couldn't even chart it."
Interviewer: "Sounds like routine, is anything but on this ship."
Nika: "Eh.... Like I said... 98 percent boredom, 2 percent pure adrenaline," Nika laughs.

Interviewer: "You mentioned Reavers, some say they are just legend, or a terrorist plot. You've encountered them?"
Nika: Nika slants him a glance. "Yeah. We've encountered them. Damn near killed our Companion when we got boarded."
Interviewer: "You'll have to tell us that story another time. But, I guess traveling around the 'Verse you see things most people never do.
Do you think there is a bigger disconnect between the Core Worlds, and the Border and Rim?"
Nika: "A bigger disconnect in comparison to what?" she asks.
Interviewer: "Bigger than people's beliefs about the Reavers?"
Nika: "You mean do I think the people in the Core don't believe in them while people in the Rim or on the Border do?" she asks him. "I think the people in the Core are... pampered and protected. And that's they way the Core was built when we all came from Earth-That-Was. Building a whole civilization, you have to protect them from whatever might be out there, so you build yourself a fortified city to start with and explore from there. In this case, they built themselves a fortified central sun system, and they explored from there -- but most folks were content to stay in the protected center. So yes... I think there's a disconnect between what's reality in the Core and what's reality out on the Border or the Rim."
Interviewer: "Well, hopefully this show will bridge that gap. Do you think you've got a better view of reality because you go to all the worlds?"
Nika: "I think I've got a wider view of what's out there. But everyone's got their own reality."


CREW
Mutineers