Printer-friendly version

When you have just saved the world and saved the shuttle, are you going to let anything rain on your parade?

Enterprise

Chapter Five ~ Vandenberg

By Ariel Montine

The celebration continued with squeals of joy from us, being six identical women. Had the cabin room permitted it , we would have done one of our tumbling and dance routines from being Georgia Tech Cheerleaders. As it was with all the whooping and hollering and 'Woo Hoo!' there was no doubt that this was an occasion to remember! I was thrilled to be a part of both the group hug and have a larger family that included what was left of my old one.

I saw the Commander and Pilot at their consoles minding the store. I was kinda glad that the Major wasn't celebrating with us since I was sure his hands would be everywhere. I would have to thank the Commander for ordering him to his console. They were intent on getting Enterprise down to earth. Even though we were in the polar orbit the procedure would be identical to shuttles launched from KSC for our return journey except that we would plan to land at night for security purposes We would have a window for Vandenberg that would require us to fire the OMS engines for a deorbit burn lasting 3.47 minutes occurring an hour before landing and then get back into the proper attitude for reentry. Enterprise would have to lose a lot of speed in order to slow down enough to land.

"Enterprise from MCC Huntsville. Mission extended for a day. Weather constraints exceeded at Vandenberg and Edwards due to Rain and White Sands due to excessive crosswinds. Enterprise, a weather front is going thru and seems to be stalled over Vandenberg."

"MCC Huntsville from Enterprise. Could the mission extension be reevaluated at the next forecast time, Huntsville? Also could you, please send exact weather constraint standards for Vandenberg?"

"Enterprise from MCC Huntsville. Weather standards for Vandenberg Shuttle Landing are as follows, Observed cloud cover below 8000 feet should not exceed 25%, Visibility should be 5 miles or greater, Cross winds should not exceed 12 knots, No thunder storms or rain within 30 nautical miles. The current forecast is for there to be no change, but operationally we can reevaluate at next weather forecast and if conditions are go make ready for Enterprise landing."

"Thank you Huntsville, Enterprise Out"

"MS2 and MS4!"

"Yes, Commander?"

"Do you feel like you might be able go on a little away mission like you did before only this time instead of bringing weather disasters, see if you can clear up the weather at Vandenberg so we can go ahead and land before something else interesting happens?" asked the Commander.

Aquata responded, "I'd love to, Sir. I'll need to study the current forecast before I deploy in order to make sure I do the right thing to clear it."

I replied, "I see no problem to port Aquata and myself into the area for her to fix things, Sir I know an enchantment that might help, too!"

I began to chant in that odd language that all my enchantments used. I was focused on our runway back at Vandenberg as I chanted. Aquata realizing that I was making a profound change in the weather even from up here, goosed me and said," Hey sis! that tune sounds familiar. Is there a translation for what you are singing? " The goose had interrupted my chant and I giggled then answered her question. "Rain! Rain! Go away! Come again some other day!" Aquata smiled and gave me a hug. "Way to go, sis! I can bring on the storms and you can chase them away. We make a good team!" I gave her a hug and said, "I am so glad to be your sister, Aquata. Lets see if we can tell what the weather is when we pass over Vandenberg in a moment."

"Pilot to Commander, Meteorological sensors detect nominal conditions at Vandenberg now!"

"Well done, MS 2. I'll check with Huntsville to see if we have a go for us to land instead of waiting a day."

"Enterprise from MCC Huntsville, The weather has been re-evaluated and now you are clear for landing at 3AM PST with TIG at 1:47 AM PST for deorbit OMS burn. We'll be sending in the specifics in a later transmission. It was amazing but who knows what it was that cleared the weather?"

"MCC Huntsville from Enterprise, What it was, was magic!"

"Thank you, Enterprise, MCC Huntsville, out ... (whispered) Magic?"

I and all of my sisters giggled with glee at what the Commander had said and more so that we were going home!

Atina caught my attention and we found a corner out of the way, "Hey, girl! How're ya doin'? You've been taking care of everyone else. Alana, now its time to take a break."

"I'm doin' OK, Atina. I've been thru a lot in a little amount of time even without the heroics."

"So give, girl! Start back with how things went with Erika after I called the first time."

I begun, "I made it there fine and my clothes change went OK too so I was there as Alana as I planned . I have a real rapport with Erika and I feel like I could tell her anything. It seems like I was entranced as I told my story to her and time flew by. Erika had saved time at the end of the session for me to tell her about a weird dream that I had. The dream turned out to be prophetic since it was about me being a girl for real and telling the president that 'What it was, was magic!" I paused because I had to giggle and Atina joined me.

"That was so weird, Alana. I guess you will have a lot easier time getting ready to see Erika next time. You won't have to worry about a male presentation or wigs or breast forms or involved makeup."

"I feel blessed with my new gifts of becoming your sister and becoming an enchantress. I can do so much yet sometimes I feel so helpless. When I needed it the enchantment for altering clothes to fit Andrina and I, enchanting those missiles, Opening a portal, enchanting the base remains, and finally clearing the weather, it was just there and I could repeat those enchantments. But the only way that I know that worked to change a person involved all of us together generating magic and now Andrina's contribution has changed so I don't know if it would do the same thing even if we dared try, I have the gift but I can't point Erika or any of the others how to get the same gift for themselves."

"Gee, that's a tough one, Alana! Maybe you would like to take your time and hopefully things will fall into place." Maybe it wasn't the gender change that required so much power but changing both yours and Andrina's ability. Maybe the way to change gender will just come to you when you need it like the others.", Atina questioned. Atina wondered at the ballet stance that Alana was floating and drew on a memory that she seemed to have of a 6 year old Alana in the same stance.

"Enterprise from MCC Huntsville, TIG-4 hours, Go for configuring onboard computers for entry and hydraulic systems tests including aero systems movement." All of the Enterprise's steering surfaces which would be used after entering the atmosphere including the rudder, speed brake and wing elevons would be moved to prove the hydraulic systems worked.

"Roger, Huntsville, In work."

"Enterprise from MCC Huntsville, TIG-3 hours Go to close CBD"

"Roger, Huntsville, CBD close in work" we watched out the rear flight deck windows as the cargo bay doors closed leaving the interior of the cargo bay, dark..

"Huntsville, CBD closed!"

"Enterprise from MCC Huntsville, Go for OPS 3!" Ops 3 is the portion of the orbiter's flight control software that manages entry and landing.

"OPS3 enabled, Huntsville!"

Atina and I had met up with the rest of my sisters when Atina told us all, "Thinking back to when we sisters were 6 years old, what do you remember us dressing up as?"

Arista said, "A ballerina. But ..." "Thank you Arista, and you, Andrina?" "A ballerina too? we all were ballerinas, including Alana! Now that I've found this memory, all my memories of growing up as a girl and as your sister are there." I said, "Me too, I remember my life as a girl and the other life as a boy which ended when I made our uniforms fit and put our names on them. That's weird!" I consulted with my other sisters and we all had 2 sets of memories but I didn't know why or what had created them.

Atina looked wide eyed and gasp covering her mouth with her hand for a moment then said, "Alana, you didn't fix just the uniforms, you fixed reality! You and Andrina are really our sisters now! For everyone else, you two always have been our sister, including Momma, Daddy, and our younger sister, Ariel."

I gasp and said, " All 6 of us are female gold team cheerleaders, the sweetie male cheer leader that spots me is Gary Jordan and the cute male cheerleader that spots you Atina is Robert White. "

Aquata rolled her eyes and said, "My spotter is dreamy, Ted Martin and your spotter, Andrina, is that hunk, Jason Morgan.

Arista explained , "My spotter is unchanged, but yours, Adella, still was Archie, who was an only child, may he rest in peace."

Andrina said, "For the accident it was Alana that left with Gary and Jean Luc, Robert, Ted, and Jason went their separate ways. Adella, Aquata, Arista, Atina and I went with Archie and found out about the asteroid and had the same disaster when we tried to help."

I exclaimed, "Oh my goodness! Y'all are right! I did change reality so its going to be a different world!" Our sisters sensed the uneasiness that we both felt in being thrust into this even though it was of my own making. All of us gathered for a group hug which was a great way to express the emotion that was welling up within all of us.

"Enterprise from MCC Huntsville, TIG-2 hours, Go for crew to comply with landing protocols"

"MCC Huntsville, In work," Starting with the commander and pilot, the flight crew members don their orange launch and entry suits and strap into their seats. The ladies assigned to the mid deck had to get the mid deck seating put back into place along with suiting up and strapping into their seats.

Andrina was next to me in our seats and spoke privately to me without the comm. system. "Alana, being a transwoman in the life we had before was weird but not as weird as this is. Did you know that I had met with Erika myself a few days before you did? I wonder why with our telepathy, that was one aspect of our lives that we didn't share?"

I replied, "We managed Ok and supported each other the best we could. We both were dealing with something that is hard to share with anyone. I had shared my true self with Atina. Did you tell anyone besides Erika?"

Andrina answered, "No One, Sis but we can help each other now. By the way, where were you, when Archie died, after our history was rewritten?"

I admitted, " Gary, who is a transwoman, was going for a private session with Erika I came with her for moral support. . When Gary, or Rachel, as she prefers to be known, is approved with her hormone letter to an endocrinologist, she'll have to drop out of cheerleading as though she were male because she will lose her upper body strength. I guess I will need to find another spotter too but Rachel is my friend so I will stick by her what ever."

My sis sighed and told me, "That's so sweet, Alana. Rachel is lucky to have you for a friend." Andrina rubbed my arm and smiled at me.

"Enterprise from MCC Huntsville, TIG-1 hour, Landing site weather nominal, Go for deorbit burn!

"Huntsville, we copy!"

"Internal Comm., Isolate all MS." I announced flipping the proper switches to have a private word with my sisters without disturbing the busy commander and pilot. "MS2, Where do we go from here?"

"MS1, Back to classes for one thing. fortunately this world saving hasn't taken a lo of time."

"MS3, Back to make arrangements for Archie's memorial service," she said choking back tears

We all said almost in unison, "I'll be there for you, Adella!"

"MS6, Back to cheerleader practice, and we'll make sure we have some one nice to spot you, Adella"

"MS4, Back to the cloak and dagger, when we find out what the president wants to ask us.

"MS5, Back home for mother and daddy to dote on their daughters, all 7 of us now including Ariel"

"MS2, Back to put our personal lives into order since things are not quite where we left them, to be sure."

"Commander to Crew! Landing protocols! Visors down! Get ready for deorbit burn!"

"MCC Huntsville from Enterprise, T -3, 2,1, TIG initiated!"

"Enterprise from MCC Huntsville, We copy TIG initiated!"

"MCC Huntsville from Enterprise, Deorbit burn cut off'

"Enterprise from MCC Huntsville, burn nominal, no trim required"

We each were silent as we considered all the things that we had just discovered along with everything else that had happened. At least my sisters who were part of the EVA crew were able to examine in detail the TPS (Thermal Protection System) and it was pristine so the deflectors did their job to protect us.

"Commander to Crew! Landing -30 minutes, Entry Interface encountered! Altitude 80 Miles, 5316 miles outbound from Vandenberg." The Entry Interface is when Enterprise begins to encounter the effects of the atmosphere RCS steering is still active until enough air pressure builds for the aero surfaces to be enabled.

As I concentrated, a new chant came to me but I wasn't sure what it was used for and in light of discovering that I had rewritten history for myself and my sisters, I decided not to use the chant. Everything seemed to be going well without my help at the moment, so it seemed wiser not to meddle.

"Commander to Crew! Aero surfaces enabled. Beginning S turns to reduce Enterprise speed!" To use up excess energy, Enterprise is performing a series of four steep banks, rolling over as much as 80 degrees to one side or the other, to slow down. The series of banks gives Enterprise's track toward landing an appearance similar to an elongated letter "S." Enterprise can be heard and many confusing reports come in concerning some mystery supersonic airplane from the sonic booms which can be heard.

Theoretically the other supersonic traffic landing on the base along with the stealth devices on the Enterprise would prevent detection. It must work because Vandenberg had not had an Enterprise launch or landing detected yet. I was reasonably sure until proved otherwise that they didn't use the same clean up method used in fiction by the Men in Black, or did they?
"Commander to Crew! Landing -5 minutes, Enterprise is now subsonic and 25 miles from the runway at Vandenberg."

As Enterprise aligns with the runway, it begins a steep descent with the nose pointed 20 degrees down from horizontal. It comes in much faster and steeper than a commercial airliner as a glider without a second chance at a landing. But at 2000 feet the Commander raised Enterprise's nose as the rate of descent slows in preparation for touchdown.

"Enterprise from Vandenberg Control, Go for gear down! Landing minus 15 seconds"

"Vandenberg Control from Enterprise, Gear down!" Enterprise deployed the 2 body and one nose landing gear nominally.

"Enterprise, Main gear touchdown." The two main gear on the body were down but the nose gear was still in the air till the nose was pulled down further.

"Enterprise, Nose gear touchdown!" Enterprise had all of its gears on the ground as the chute deployed to slow us down and eventually stop on the tarmac.

"Enterprise from Vandenberg Control, gear stop! Welcome home, Enterprise!" I smiled at my sisters, who were cheering and I joined in. We were free to entrap and get ready to disembark. As we all collected by the door to wait for them to release us, I wondered at what might be in store for us on the other side of that door but we were all ready to find out.