Chapter 5
The lights on the interior dimmed to red and the security lady, I now knew to be called Marshall, announced that we had arrived. I got up from my seat and made my way to the pods. We each stood by one and once the all clear was given, climbed inside. The actual pods are situated inside the wall on one side, and you have to slide into a small airlock/hole in the floor next to the wall, where you can then climb into the pods. The pods were rugged and claustrophobic, meant to withstand atmospheric re-entry. I pulled the harness tight and locked myself into the pod. I pressed the button above my head which told the pilot I was ready. I heard the pings of the other members readying up. A countdown started on the small screen in front of me.
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
FOOSH
A large force pushed us out of the ship, after the G’s normalised, the screens turned on and I could see the others pods falling into position ahead of me. I could see the target approaching, appearing behind the debris field. Shards of metal and sections of rooms shot past me as we approached the target, keeping up as much speed as possible. I was just glad that these things had avoidance computers on board to stop me becoming Space-Pancake Sam. The ETA reached 30 seconds and we started to decelerate, the target was in full view now, the nasty hole in its side open like a mouth, ready to eat us. The first pod went in with no issue, as did the second and third, but when it was my turn, a large piece of debris came from behind and knocked me off course, the impact sent a shockwave through me and the pod, the screens were shouting warning signs as I span away, from the landing zone. I heard some static come through the comms but no more. I was too close to the ship to avoid it and my trajectory sent me careering into the side of it. I saw the silver sheen of the exterior just before the impact knocked me unconscious. I woke up a little while later, and the first thing I saw was that the door to my pod had fallen off, and was floating away down the hallway I ended up in. The screens of the pod all showed static and fizzed softly, where the hinges of the door used to be, the bare electrical wires were sparking to each other. My helmet had-auto deployed so that I didn't suffocate, there was a small crack on my visor, but it seemed to be holding. I tried to radio my location but the comms unit was offline, so I decided that I would try and make my way to the others. I pressed the emergency release on my harness and it sprung off, the movement shifting the pod slightly. I pulled myself free from the pod and saw that it had become wedged in the hole it had made, its rugged exterior covered in scratches and dents. I checked my vitals and it surprisingly said that I was unharmed, however I had spent 2 hours or so worth of oxygen and it read 32% remaining. The ship’s interior was clean and simple, similar to the design of the larger ships in the docks, however, the writing was in another language that I did not know, the signs and directions meaning nothing to me, I moved along the corridor, making sure to stick to the sides so I didn’t get stranded in the zero G environment. The power was off but sunlight was coming in through a window, providing light, I pulled a torch from my belt and shon it down the corridor, I pushed myself off and floated down to the end. It turned into a T-Junction and split off into two more corridors. One heading deeper into the ship, one ending in a hole, that lead to space. I headed further in, I couldn’t go outside, since I didn’t have an RCS Pack on me. I confirmed my decision with myself and headed off into the ship.
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