Puddle Jumper Lessons #2
(Continued from Lesson #1)
Weir walked slowly into the Jumper Bay. She was on her way to meet Sheppard and the rest of Alpha team, just arrived back with some interesting trinkets from an exploration mission. She greeted John with a smile and began to laugh gently as she watched McKay’s arm-waving attempts to direct personnel in the unloading process. “Not over there you idiot. These things have survived for hundreds of years, do you think you could manage to make them last a few more minutes!....”
Another Puddle Jumper was in process of landing on the other side of the bay, though this was a common enough occurrence and therefore it was ignored by both Alpha team and Weir. That is until the door to the Puddle Jumper opened. A white foamy substance squelched out of the cabin, followed by an irate-looking Jonathan Barker, also covered in the white foam and looking very much like a walking marsh mellow. He smacked his cap against his thigh and attempted to brush himself off as he stormed out of the small ship, heading straight toward them. He pulled himself up short as he realized there was an audience to his uncomfortable state.
Barely suppressing a smile, Weir managed to ask “What happened to you Captain?” This was followed closely by Sheppard’s “What did you do to the Puddle Jumper?”
Jon looked carefully at each person present, his jaw clamped tightly shut. He looked too angry to be able to speak. Taking a deep breath, he said “That girl is a nightmare. Brilliant, but a nightmare. Please don’t ever ask me to go in a Puddle Jumper with her ever again.”
At this statement, McKay, who had stopped his ranting to gawk at the unfortunate foam-covered Captain, chuckled and triumphantly declared. “Ha! See Sheppard, there are worse Puddle Jumper pilots.”
It was then that something clicked into place for Weir. She had asked Captain Barker to train one of the army scientists in the art of flying a Puddle Jumper. The Lieutenant had the ATA gene and with the ever-present Wraith threat, they needed all the Puddle Jumper qualified pilots they could manage. She looked at her watch. The pair of them had only been gone for about twenty minutes. “Where is Lieutenant Mara?” she asked.
Jon pointed back at the still-foaming Puddle Jumper. Looking back at the ship, Weir noticed a small foam-covered head tentatively peering around the door. Obviously noticing the waiting audience, it quickly shot back into the ship.
Not allowing McKay’s moment of triumph to last, Jon stated “Actually she’s a natural pilot. It’s just that I think she discovered every possible extra feature the Puddle Jumper has.” Jon started to rattle off a list of extra features accidentally activated by Kaylee. “Fire-retardant foam (he pointed to himself as proof as he stated this one), sound system, night vision, tracking sensors, firing of several weapons systems, water-landing gear, bulk head doors opening and closing, stealth systems, loop-de-loop flying, emergency ration kits and breathing apparatus, sudden breaking, emergency lighting ……..”
The list was still going on as Weir moved off toward the Puddle Jumper. Inside, Kaylee was sitting in the pilot’s seat, having turned it to face the exit. Her elbows rested on her knees and her hands covered her eyes; a more dejected or embarrassed-looking individual would be hard to find. Kaylee looked up upon hearing Weir enter the ship. “You certainly made an impression on Captain Barker.” She said. Kaylee, seeing the large grin on Weir’s face, burst into giggles. “Yeah I guess you could say that. Did you know the Puddle Jumpers have fire-retardant foam? It sprays it as a white powder and then adds a fine spray of water and all of a sudden it turns into foam. Quite marvelous really.”
Weir walked slowly into the Jumper Bay. She was on her way to meet Sheppard and the rest of Alpha team, just arrived back with some interesting trinkets from an exploration mission. She greeted John with a smile and began to laugh gently as she watched McKay’s arm-waving attempts to direct personnel in the unloading process. “Not over there you idiot. These things have survived for hundreds of years, do you think you could manage to make them last a few more minutes!....”
Another Puddle Jumper was in process of landing on the other side of the bay, though this was a common enough occurrence and therefore it was ignored by both Alpha team and Weir. That is until the door to the Puddle Jumper opened. A white foamy substance squelched out of the cabin, followed by an irate-looking Jonathan Barker, also covered in the white foam and looking very much like a walking marsh mellow. He smacked his cap against his thigh and attempted to brush himself off as he stormed out of the small ship, heading straight toward them. He pulled himself up short as he realized there was an audience to his uncomfortable state.
Barely suppressing a smile, Weir managed to ask “What happened to you Captain?” This was followed closely by Sheppard’s “What did you do to the Puddle Jumper?”
Jon looked carefully at each person present, his jaw clamped tightly shut. He looked too angry to be able to speak. Taking a deep breath, he said “That girl is a nightmare. Brilliant, but a nightmare. Please don’t ever ask me to go in a Puddle Jumper with her ever again.”
At this statement, McKay, who had stopped his ranting to gawk at the unfortunate foam-covered Captain, chuckled and triumphantly declared. “Ha! See Sheppard, there are worse Puddle Jumper pilots.”
It was then that something clicked into place for Weir. She had asked Captain Barker to train one of the army scientists in the art of flying a Puddle Jumper. The Lieutenant had the ATA gene and with the ever-present Wraith threat, they needed all the Puddle Jumper qualified pilots they could manage. She looked at her watch. The pair of them had only been gone for about twenty minutes. “Where is Lieutenant Mara?” she asked.
Jon pointed back at the still-foaming Puddle Jumper. Looking back at the ship, Weir noticed a small foam-covered head tentatively peering around the door. Obviously noticing the waiting audience, it quickly shot back into the ship.
Not allowing McKay’s moment of triumph to last, Jon stated “Actually she’s a natural pilot. It’s just that I think she discovered every possible extra feature the Puddle Jumper has.” Jon started to rattle off a list of extra features accidentally activated by Kaylee. “Fire-retardant foam (he pointed to himself as proof as he stated this one), sound system, night vision, tracking sensors, firing of several weapons systems, water-landing gear, bulk head doors opening and closing, stealth systems, loop-de-loop flying, emergency ration kits and breathing apparatus, sudden breaking, emergency lighting ……..”
The list was still going on as Weir moved off toward the Puddle Jumper. Inside, Kaylee was sitting in the pilot’s seat, having turned it to face the exit. Her elbows rested on her knees and her hands covered her eyes; a more dejected or embarrassed-looking individual would be hard to find. Kaylee looked up upon hearing Weir enter the ship. “You certainly made an impression on Captain Barker.” She said. Kaylee, seeing the large grin on Weir’s face, burst into giggles. “Yeah I guess you could say that. Did you know the Puddle Jumpers have fire-retardant foam? It sprays it as a white powder and then adds a fine spray of water and all of a sudden it turns into foam. Quite marvelous really.”