The Cleaning

Posted on 12 Feb 2016 @ 3:19am by Ensign Kelly Khan

1,533 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Rude Awakening
Location: Flight Deck
Timeline: MD8

Cadet Fourth Class Kelly Marie Khan entered the flight deck and headed to where the manager's office was located. There, she told the manager that Lieutenant Adan, the Chief of Flight Control, wanted her to clean the runabouts. Once approved, she requisitioned clean cloths, cleaning agents, squeegees and several buckets. While there were more conventional means of cleaning the shuttles and runabouts more effectively, she wanted to show that she meant business when she said she'd do anything to further her goals.

After the buckets were filled with hot water and cleaning agents, she approached the Mississippi and set them down. She looked over the twenty-three point one meter runabout and smiled. "We're going to get to know each other really well," she told it. "But when I'm done with you, you'll shine just like you did when you left the assembly line."

Smiling, she headed to the front of the craft and began to work her slow way across the nose of the craft, taking special care of each detail before drying it and she moving to the next section of it. "I don't know if you know this, but there have been three naval ships and two submarines named before you dating all the way back to eighteen forty-one. There is also a state on Earth in the northern continent of the same name and a majestic river."

Kelly moved to the right side of the shuttle. "I'm sure that you will live up to the name, though, so I wouldn't worry too much about that," she reassured it. "You are every bit as brave, a hundred thousand times as fast, and much more attractive than the ships and submarines. I've never been to the state or river, but they don't do nearly as much as you do, which is why I'm going to take really good care of you and your sister, the Tigress."

She began to whistle a soft tune as she focused on getting each spot and blemish off the side of the shuttle, changing the water and cleaning agents as she needed and getting fresh cloths for cleaning and wiping it down. She worked her way down the side before she moved to the back of it. "You have a beautiful aft, too," she said. "I bet more than one person has admired you as you pulled away from the ship that you call home. They say that girls like you have nice afts as a consolation prize to offer people who don't get to sit in your seats and caress your boards."

A crewman who had been nearby turned his attention to the attractive brunette who was cleaning the Mississippi and entertained a few private thoughts about the young Cadet. When he made up his mind to approach her, he heard what she was saying and slowly began to back away while hoping she didn't notice him. That cadet is crazy, he thought to himself. Why, please tell me why, are all the hot ones I see married, crazy or not interested? he lamented as he went back to his normal duties.

Oblivious to the crewman and his thoughts, Kelly requested an antigrav sled and loaded it with her supplies before she climbed onto it and raised it off the ground so she could get to the places she couldn't get to while standing on the deck. "It's going to be tough getting your belly," she told it. "Maybe they'll let me put you on autopilot so you can hover while I make certain you're clean all the way around. After all, your belly is the first thing that most people see when you're coming in for an atmospheric landing. A girl can't show a dirty belly and expect to be treated like a lady, can she?" She said as she began to work her way up the thirteen point seven meters of its height.

"Long, slim and stacked. Just the way I like them," she said admiringly as she maneuvered her way around the upper areas of it. "Not that I wouldn't treat you like a lady no matter how you looked. You hold a very responsible duty to get personnel from point A to point B and they depend on you with their lives, so you deserve the very best."

Kelly took her time going over the roof of the runabout, glad for the moment that she didn't have to stand and stretch like she did on the sides, front and back. "Not that you aren't worth it," she said as she stretched her back like a cat in a beam of sunlight. "Because you are. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. You'll be the pride of Black Hawk by the time I'm done with you."

Twenty minutes later, she finished putting on the last touches and lowered the antigrav sled back to the deck. "All that's left is your belly, beautiful. I promise not to tickle too much."

She headed back to the Flight Deck Chief and smiled up at him. "I'm almost finished with the Mississippi, but I would like to get the underside, too. Could you please have someone put it in hover mode so I can take care of that?" she requested.

"Are you cleared for duty, Cadet?" The Flight Chief asked her.

"I was cleared," Kelly responded.

He nodded and went into his office to check for himself before he came out looking impressed. "Nova Squad, huh? I guess I can trust you to take care of it yourself, but no flights."

"No, Sir!" Kelly said with a happy squeak. "I just want to raise her up and clean her belly, then I'll put her right back in the same spot."

"Make sure you do," he said. "If you need anything else, come see me."

"Yes, Sir," she said before she turned and practically ran back to the Mississippi "Oh baby, this is going to be fun!" she said as she entered the runabout and began the pre-flight check before powering it up. Smiling from ear to ear, she raised it six feet off the deck and put it in hover mode. "After I scrub your belly, I'm going to come in here and scrub you down until you have that new shuttle smell, too."

When Kelly opened the hatch, she realized that she hadn't positioned the antigrav sled near the runabout, but she shrugged. "You've jumped farther going through the Academy," she told herself. Taking a few steps back, she ran and executed a forward somersault and made a perfect landing. "Tada!" she exclaimed to no one in particular with a bow.

After she moved the sled and supplies over, she got on it and raised it up a bit and began going over the bottom of the runabout. "Do you like that girl?" She asked as she cleaned it. "I bet that feels good. Just a little bit longer and you'll be so shiny bright that people will want to put you on a pedestal."

A half an hour and a change of water and cleaning agents later, she jumped back on the sled and raised it to the open hatch on the runabout and went inside to the cockpit. "Computer, lock controls. Authorization Khan, FSG Six Nine One Four Seven One Zero Three Six." The computer chirped in compliance and locked out the controls as she sat down in the pilot's seat and examined the surface of the controls.

"Look at all these fingerprint smudges," Kelly muttered. "A shame they have to paw a lady like that. Don't they know a gentle touch will get the same results?" She sighed and began to clean every control panel carefully until they looked like new. "There we go. Now to take care of the rest of you."

Getting up, she began to clean the pilot and co-pilot seat, murmuring as she worked her fingers into the cracks and crevices. "I wouldn't normally do this on a first day, but you need a good cleaning."

From there, she headed to the back and began to clean the bunks. "I really don't want to know what happened back here, but if someone didn't get pregnant, I'd be amazed," she muttered as she replicated a pair of cleaning gloves. "Ewww. I really need to find out who flew you last and turn them into medical."

She shuddered and began to organize and clean the small lockers. "It smells like someone left a pair of dirty gym socks in here," she said as she wrinkled her nose. "Gods, whoever used this last needs to learn what air fresheners are for!"

Half an hour later, she stepped to the hatch and gently shoved the antigrav sled aside before she unlocked the controls and lowered the Mississippi to the deck. She smiled as she shut the runabout down and exited after wiping the console and pilot seat once more.

"Now for the rest of you beauties."

With that, Kelly headed over to the Tigress and the shuttlecraft for the next eight hours.

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