This Story is the 5th in a series, I have started writing. The stories are a combination of entertainment and back story to flesh out my character. Please ignore errors in spelling and grammar, as I'm not a great literary, and what constitutes a rough draft for most people is a finished work for me.
If you have not read the earlier stories, please go back and do so first...
1) RAD LAND http://forum.sigmast...php?f=11&t=2820
2) DARKEST HOUR http://forum.sigmast...php?f=11&t=2834
3) THE WINE DARK SEA http://forum.sigmast...php?f=11&t=3249
4) RAZOR QUEEN http://forum.sigmast...php?f=11&t=3279
and if you enjoyed the story please leave a comment I'll be more motivated to write more, as opposed to just wasting my time surfing the net. That and more people will likely take the time to read them if they have gotten allot of responses.
CRASH LANDER (Part 5 of The Chronicles of Midnight)
Started by
ss_midnightxx
, Feb 24 2009 22:39
4 replies to this topic
#2
ss_midnightxx
ss_midnightxx
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- Guests
Posted 24 February 2009 - 22:40
CRASH LANDER
The Gulf Wing Lander now hung completely free of it’s storage berth at the end of two long docking clamps. Through the view port the T.I.U. Vanguard hung above us, dwarfing the Lander that had emerged from it. Below the great titanic curve of an arid world, a mottled patterns of browns and grays, smudged with orange streaks of clouds.
I turned my attention to the conversation coming from the technician at ships systems station, his voice excited. “…I mean this is really it. There is absolutely no indication any colony ships ever reached this far during the great migration!”
Our some what bored sounding engineer replied from her station “Fascinating…”
The tech continued his banter. “This is it, we are in uncharted territory! We have just stepped off the map!”
“OK!” I interrupted “Time to do our jobs, let’s focus.”
Next to me sat our most junior pilot, Lieutenant Everett, inexperienced, but she’d been in the top of her class at the academy. She looked up from her instruments.
“Commander, the board is green” her voice professional and calm despite her years. “Do I have a go for separation?”
I toggled my intercom “Vanguard control, this is Gulf - 27, requesting permission for separation, over.”
“Gulf - 27, this is Vanguard control, that is an affirmative, you have authorization for separation, over.”
“Roger that, separation in 5…4…3…2…1…”
Everett at the helm, twisted the clamp locks and a green indicator lit, she punched the button and gave the attitude controls a giggle to set us drifting free of our parent craft.
“Gulf - 27, this is Vanguard control hold position” the voice from our mother ship broke in.
“Copy that Vanguard, holding position.” I confirmed and then added “Can you elaborate?”
“Stand by Commander, we just been painted from the planets surface…”
Uncertain I toggled the comm again “Vanguard, please repeat that last transmission…”
“STANDBY Commander!”
I considered a moment then addressing our ships systems officer. “Advise Dr. Maudriss and the survey team there will be a delay, and make sure they stay strapped in!”
“Aye, Commander.”
I brought up my own diagnostics panel and started flipping through the stations. A few moments passed….
Then my attention was jerked away from they display by a streak of movement outside main cockpit.
Pure absolute white light flared from without, before the dampers cut in polarizing the view ports. I was pressed down in my seat, head bent down and forward as if some giant had put his hand on me and began to push down. The world was with out sound, and the moment seemed to stretch on forever. All color began to wash out of my world, and my lungs could not take a breath…..
…..Then with an abrupt jarring, the horrific G-forces let up and the entire ship bucked wildly, harness straps cut painfully into me and the sound of alarms and groaning metal returned…..
“DAMAGE REPORT!”
The engineer was first to respond her voice still steady “Sir, we have a breach in compartment B, completed atmosphere loss, Cargo bay is also venting…..Both main and auxiliary fuel tanks are breached and dropping….”
Then ships systems officer reported next “Battery power is at 10% reserve….Dr. Maudriss is on the comm and demanding to know what is going on….science team is shook up but no causalities…”
It took a moment for me to get back the ships feel….
“Lieutenant, throttle back the engines were at full thrust!” I commanded
“Throttling back sir…” Her voice tense. “No response!”
Engineering responded “Sir, looks like the main circuit is fried…Must be a subsystem sending a bogus impulse…but at the rate of fuel loss we only 5-6 minutes at full thrust anyway.”
Lieutenant Everett reported again “Sir, I have only 7% range on yaw and 12% pitch, helm is barely responding…”
“Ship systems, transfer diagnostics to my station”…..I watch as diagram appeared, displaying the ships hu1l and critical systems…the board was lit up in amber and crimson.
“The Vanguards reactor must have gone critical….” speculated the engineer “…how..”
I cut her off “It was her reactor alright but it wasn’t an accident….I think it was some type of torpedo from the planets surface…I saw a streak right before it hit…..”
The flight crew sat in stunned silence as I evaluated the diagnostics, then flipped it to main screen “we got major hull damage, here and right here….We got hit by our own docking clamps from the look of where the major damage is….”
“Lieutenant, I will take the helm on my mark” I instructed
“Affirmative on your mark, sir”
“I have the helm” I confirmed “Helm is sluggish….”
The nose of the Gulf Wing began to encounter traces of upper atmosphere, and an aurora of glowing plasma began to engulf the landers bow. Then a spark…two...then many at the ship encountered minuet metallic dust particles.
“SIR!” The officer at ship systems reported “We have high temperature alarms…must have lost a lot of heat shielding!”
The damaged Gulf Wing bucked at is main thrusters drover it into yet thicker atmosphere.
I triggered the ships intercom “Brace for impact were coming in hot!”……….
I snapped awake in a cool dark place, letting out a garbled cry of dismay….
A hand grasped at my shoulder and I was pushed back down against hard rock. Lips came close to my ear and Aniee hissed out a warning “Be silent! You awaken the Screamers…or worse….”
I glanced around, nearby lay the sleeping forms of the other Reapers. To one side Tucotew squatted at his lookout post. He looked at me disapprovingly and then returned is nocturnal gaze to the desert floor, below our craggy refuge.
“Besides the fact that your keeping me awake!” Aniee hissed, then she rolled over to face away and adjusted her blankets.
I lay staring up at the sharp cold stars. What had I been dreaming, something about stars? I could not recall, but what ever it had been it eluded me. Soon I felt a warm pressure against my side as Aniee shifted in her sleep, bring her back to rest against me. The heat of her body was a welcome relief from the cold desert air. I could feel her breathing against me, slow and rhythmic and I began to doze…
….I lay on my back in the damp sand, staring at the stars. The breeze was cool on my skin, the sound of the waves relaxing, as a warm, briny wave gently embraced my body as I dreamed a dream that was never mine….
The Gulf Wing Lander now hung completely free of it’s storage berth at the end of two long docking clamps. Through the view port the T.I.U. Vanguard hung above us, dwarfing the Lander that had emerged from it. Below the great titanic curve of an arid world, a mottled patterns of browns and grays, smudged with orange streaks of clouds.
I turned my attention to the conversation coming from the technician at ships systems station, his voice excited. “…I mean this is really it. There is absolutely no indication any colony ships ever reached this far during the great migration!”
Our some what bored sounding engineer replied from her station “Fascinating…”
The tech continued his banter. “This is it, we are in uncharted territory! We have just stepped off the map!”
“OK!” I interrupted “Time to do our jobs, let’s focus.”
Next to me sat our most junior pilot, Lieutenant Everett, inexperienced, but she’d been in the top of her class at the academy. She looked up from her instruments.
“Commander, the board is green” her voice professional and calm despite her years. “Do I have a go for separation?”
I toggled my intercom “Vanguard control, this is Gulf - 27, requesting permission for separation, over.”
“Gulf - 27, this is Vanguard control, that is an affirmative, you have authorization for separation, over.”
“Roger that, separation in 5…4…3…2…1…”
Everett at the helm, twisted the clamp locks and a green indicator lit, she punched the button and gave the attitude controls a giggle to set us drifting free of our parent craft.
“Gulf - 27, this is Vanguard control hold position” the voice from our mother ship broke in.
“Copy that Vanguard, holding position.” I confirmed and then added “Can you elaborate?”
“Stand by Commander, we just been painted from the planets surface…”
Uncertain I toggled the comm again “Vanguard, please repeat that last transmission…”
“STANDBY Commander!”
I considered a moment then addressing our ships systems officer. “Advise Dr. Maudriss and the survey team there will be a delay, and make sure they stay strapped in!”
“Aye, Commander.”
I brought up my own diagnostics panel and started flipping through the stations. A few moments passed….
Then my attention was jerked away from they display by a streak of movement outside main cockpit.
Pure absolute white light flared from without, before the dampers cut in polarizing the view ports. I was pressed down in my seat, head bent down and forward as if some giant had put his hand on me and began to push down. The world was with out sound, and the moment seemed to stretch on forever. All color began to wash out of my world, and my lungs could not take a breath…..
…..Then with an abrupt jarring, the horrific G-forces let up and the entire ship bucked wildly, harness straps cut painfully into me and the sound of alarms and groaning metal returned…..
“DAMAGE REPORT!”
The engineer was first to respond her voice still steady “Sir, we have a breach in compartment B, completed atmosphere loss, Cargo bay is also venting…..Both main and auxiliary fuel tanks are breached and dropping….”
Then ships systems officer reported next “Battery power is at 10% reserve….Dr. Maudriss is on the comm and demanding to know what is going on….science team is shook up but no causalities…”
It took a moment for me to get back the ships feel….
“Lieutenant, throttle back the engines were at full thrust!” I commanded
“Throttling back sir…” Her voice tense. “No response!”
Engineering responded “Sir, looks like the main circuit is fried…Must be a subsystem sending a bogus impulse…but at the rate of fuel loss we only 5-6 minutes at full thrust anyway.”
Lieutenant Everett reported again “Sir, I have only 7% range on yaw and 12% pitch, helm is barely responding…”
“Ship systems, transfer diagnostics to my station”…..I watch as diagram appeared, displaying the ships hu1l and critical systems…the board was lit up in amber and crimson.
“The Vanguards reactor must have gone critical….” speculated the engineer “…how..”
I cut her off “It was her reactor alright but it wasn’t an accident….I think it was some type of torpedo from the planets surface…I saw a streak right before it hit…..”
The flight crew sat in stunned silence as I evaluated the diagnostics, then flipped it to main screen “we got major hull damage, here and right here….We got hit by our own docking clamps from the look of where the major damage is….”
“Lieutenant, I will take the helm on my mark” I instructed
“Affirmative on your mark, sir”
“I have the helm” I confirmed “Helm is sluggish….”
The nose of the Gulf Wing began to encounter traces of upper atmosphere, and an aurora of glowing plasma began to engulf the landers bow. Then a spark…two...then many at the ship encountered minuet metallic dust particles.
“SIR!” The officer at ship systems reported “We have high temperature alarms…must have lost a lot of heat shielding!”
The damaged Gulf Wing bucked at is main thrusters drover it into yet thicker atmosphere.
I triggered the ships intercom “Brace for impact were coming in hot!”……….
I snapped awake in a cool dark place, letting out a garbled cry of dismay….
A hand grasped at my shoulder and I was pushed back down against hard rock. Lips came close to my ear and Aniee hissed out a warning “Be silent! You awaken the Screamers…or worse….”
I glanced around, nearby lay the sleeping forms of the other Reapers. To one side Tucotew squatted at his lookout post. He looked at me disapprovingly and then returned is nocturnal gaze to the desert floor, below our craggy refuge.
“Besides the fact that your keeping me awake!” Aniee hissed, then she rolled over to face away and adjusted her blankets.
I lay staring up at the sharp cold stars. What had I been dreaming, something about stars? I could not recall, but what ever it had been it eluded me. Soon I felt a warm pressure against my side as Aniee shifted in her sleep, bring her back to rest against me. The heat of her body was a welcome relief from the cold desert air. I could feel her breathing against me, slow and rhythmic and I began to doze…
….I lay on my back in the damp sand, staring at the stars. The breeze was cool on my skin, the sound of the waves relaxing, as a warm, briny wave gently embraced my body as I dreamed a dream that was never mine….
#3
ss_valestra
ss_valestra
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- Guests
Posted 25 February 2009 - 00:02
Very, very cool, Midnight!! Always a pleasure to read your stuff!!
#4
ss_aniee
ss_aniee
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- Guests
Posted 26 February 2009 - 00:37
awesomeness i never get bored reading ur stories over and over again 
U R THE MAN!!!!!!
x x
U R THE MAN!!!!!!
x x
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