Skip to main content

HMSS Pangolin Prime Chapter 5

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.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Isolated Void - Part of the Bag of Beginnings

Chapter 1 - A Bounty Fit For A King It all started back in the Drakoon system, I was posted there as part of the high king's new “security initiative”. I was with the 44th squadron holding position in orbit around the systems 3rd and most remote planet, on paper it was called Drakoon 3, but we called it “Red-Light-Roody” due to its Prominent Red-light district. My old Tiger-class Skirmisher, called the Dubber Rucky, was parked on the dark side of a large asteroid within the planet's rings, My crew was on edge, there was a rumor running around about a large drug train which makes its way through this sector once every 168 hours. We were staying dark, so that meant no heat, no lights, only enough power running to stop us from suffocating. And so we just sat there, no leaving our stations, ready to go at a moment's notice. I checked the low scanner, its infrequent pings showing no differences, the timer clicked on, showing that we still had 3 hours to go before the drug t...
Post a Comment
Read more

Driftwood Chopsticks - Chapter 2

Chapter 2 I rose with the morning alarm, the blaring siren that goes off at 8:00 am. I hopped out of my bunk and strode into the shower before my roommates could hog it. I let the hot water cascade down me, cleansing me as much mentally as physically. I dressed in a freshly laundered uniform, a dark green boiler suit emblazoned with the bases logo, a trident with wings and the phrase “ Sub fluctibus Salutis ” which is more or less latin for, it is safe under the waves. After checking that I had all my things, I shouldered my bag, and headed for school with Riza, who had already unbuttoned the top two buttons on the uniform. We both agreed that trying to face the morning rush hour wasn’t worth it, so we took the more “express” route. An air vent near to our room had a broken lock so you could just climb in and follow the vents to your destination, it had taken us about a year's worth of free time to find the correct route. I was grateful for the padding on the knees and elbows ...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Soldier, Sunny Side Up - Part of the Bag of Beginnings

This is the story of Corporal Jash Masterson, and how he survived world war 3. A Smoothie of Comrades- I was tucked into my bunk when the first bombs fell. The ground trembling around me, I heard loud noises from within the compound as some of the ceiling caved in. I flung myself from my bunk, and legged it down the corridors. The corridors I knew so well, rushing past me as I charged forwards, the piercing wails of the alarms cutting through the chaos. I was one of the first to make it to the kit room, a few others made it in before the ceiling collapsed outside the door. The hardened walls and roof of the kit room, made us all feel better. In the room with me were; Captain David Hams, Lieutenant Laura Barnsley, Corporal Gregory Smithers and Madam Cornblower, one of the Compounds cooks. We all stayed silent for the first five minutes, except for the still screaming alarms, recovering from the sudden start, breathing heavily. I stood up and made my way to one of the cases and ...
1 comment
Read more