Tag: space

Distant Love (Part 15)

Derek’s eyes flash from one screen to the next. It’s almost time for him to chat with Maeve again. There is sweat on his brow.

He presses the button to reopen communications with C4365. “This is Moon Sector C. Come in C4365.”

A high-pitched voice replies. “This is C4365, over. Am I happy to hear from you.”

Derek smiles. “What is your status C4365?”

“All non-essential people on board have been evacuated. My mum, eh The Captain wants to know, can we commence the procedure to land in Moon, Sector C.”

“Maeve, and I hope you don’t mind me using your first name. But, we’re going to have to talk to each other an awful lot if we’re going to get through this. I’m going to be frank, is that okay? You won’t panic on me.”

For a couple of seconds, there is silence. Then a response. “I won’t.”

“Your ship was never designed to land, not on the moon and definitely not on Earth. Still, that doesn’t make it impossible. It should be very possible if you listen to and follow my instructions closely. And the ship cannot be abandoned as it’s already on a collision course that could potentially hit a moon station. Now, my first question: have you ever taken control of the ship before?

Pegasus (Part 137)

Our pace now quickened. I thought back to those plans I had seen all that time ago. The Emperor’s habitat and the palace on it had been constructed many generations ago. But even then, there was resistance to the autocracy.

One of the contractors had built a flaw into the palace’s emergency shield. A power line for the habitat runs very close. If they are connected, it triggers a massive explosion in just minutes, which ultimately reverberates throughout the entire habitat, destroying everything. A secret that the resistance had managed to keep.

The Emperor would finally be no more, and peace and freedom would finally prevail. Or, at least that was what I hoped would happen.

The hallway led to one room after another. All full of ornate wooden furniture. The tables were golden.

We were close now. I could feel it.

Tabitha grabbed my hand. “We’re being followed.”

My heart skipped a beat. “Damn”

The next thing we heard was shouts of “Stop!”. Then the firing started.

I opened the next door. It was what we were looking for. It was bare except for a mechanical device in its centre that took up most of the room, and a large cylindrical tube on the left side. They were what I needed to connect.

Pegasus (Part 76)

Onwards we travelled through the wasteland. With each step, my hatred grew for what they they were doing to us. Those times that our feet slipped, they doubled back hitting us with a whip that pulled flesh from our bodies. I was worried about Tabitha, she had fallen more. I wondered if this mission was worth it. After all we had been through and now this. Perhaps, we should just have found a nice spot and lived out our lives. No, we could never have done, we could not have looked past all the injustice.

Then I saw a large, lighted tunnel in front of us. It made sense that they couldn’t survive on the surface. It was a relief to reach our destination, no matter what awaited us. I couldn’t have gone on much longer, not to mind Tabitha.

The tunnel brought us downwards to a great opening. We joined with a great many other people, none of which were young. Mostly, muscled men but there were also equally looking ferocious women. These were bandits and that is why they were occupying this fallen world. Scraping by on the margins, and then attacking vulnerable ships when the opportunities arose.

They formed a ring around us.

Pegasus (Part 64)

I decided to speak first. The language remained in English so that all could understand.

“Congratulations. I believe you have made a fine choice of leader. But I recommend that you hold him to account with elections every certain number of years. Democratic systems have proven superior over the years.

You should also think about having a constitution and a set of laws that you all agree with. That way, you can be clear with one another about what is and what is not allowed.

We have checked Barabus’ accounts. The ship is generating enough economic to sustain everybody and much more on board. If you all work together and care for one another, great good can still come out of this.

We, however, must leave you. We are on an important mission that we must complete at all costs. But we do have some time to show your new leader how things are to be managed. We have examined your flight path. Your next stop is the metropolis of Yves and that is where we will leave you.”

I stopped talking but felt that something was missing.

Then Tabitha spoke.

“But we’ll never forget you. And we’ll be back. It might be a long time, but we will.”

Pegasus (Part 57)

In the next cycle of the coming and going, I tried to coax the two boys to chat with me.

“Cad is ainm duit?” – What is your name?

Their eyes opened wide when they heard me speaking their tongue.

“Labhair liom.” – Speak to me I continued.

Just then Barabus entered. They and everyone else immediately turned their intention to him.

My heart sank at the thought that any chance of freedom was slipping away.

Batababus followed the same routine. Asking each child for updates on their progress at whatever task he had set. This time he seemed more reserved. That was until he reached the two Irish-speaking boys.

I couldn’t quite make out their conversation but he lashed out striking the oldest boy in the face and then roared out –

“I am tired of your excuses. I paid a good amount for you because I was told that you could fulfill this requirement. I’m sick of you and I’m sick of hearing you speak your gibberish. Continue this, and you will end up like the rest. You hear me,”

Tabitha gripped my hand. Her face grimaced.

Fortunately, that was the end of the violence at least for now.

Once more, the room emptied quickly.

“Why does he treat those kids so badly,” Tabitha said silently.

“There are no words,” I replied.

The Vacuum Catastrophe – Part 2 (Sci-fi)

From the moment Lieutenant Candace Winchester opened her eyes, she had a strange feeling about the timeline in front of her. Not in a warp could she have guessed what was about to happen, just a general, malevolent feeling. Not that many would have listened to her. At just sixty years of age, she was considered far too young to know much about anything by most. At times, it felt that the gerontocracy would prefer no young people whatsoever but there was always new space that needed colonizing, and hence a need for new humans. Still, she had managed to excel, and was now in charge of her squadron.

She had never known her parents as was the case for most of her generation, and was birthed or manufactured biologically on one of the many space habitats in orbit around the Earth. The rest of the batch became her surrogate family. It was a joyous childhood but short. She matched that cohort of intelligence and athletic ability that was assigned to the military.

This ultimately led her to being assigned to the Danu just a few months prior. She remembered the first time she took sight of it. It was giant, majestic with the large circular warp engine far off in the distance to the rear. However, nothing could have prepared her for the inside of the ship. Despite having a crew of over one thousand, one could walk its corridors and chambers for hours without meeting another soul. Parts of it were barren and cold, other parts luxurious with every conceivable manner of entertainment. At times, she would love to lose herself in one of the many virtual worlds.

Her squadron had only been informed of its mission two hours previously. To extract Dr. Lenz from the nearest star-base and to expect trouble. It was a high priority mission and space marines were to be fully armed. This was all very strange to her considering it was a friendly vessel.

However on disembarking from the Supply Vessel – nicknamed Maria and onto the floor of the Space Port, she was sure happy they came prepared. There were screams far off in the distance and the air smelt rotten.

Then she saw a man running towards her with a brief case. He was lean, athletic with blonde hair and shouting “Lt. Winchester!”.

“Dr. Lenz? Where is your security detail?”

“Long story, here is my ID. We better be off!’