Topher en Gravonere
University of Caille Gallente Federation
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Posted - 2012.10.16 21:33:00 -
[1] - Quote
I felt my fingers slip along the hull of the Flux, desperately grasping for anything during a primeval surge of adrenaline. I could feel vibrations resonating through my fingertips as shockwave after unholy shockwave tore through the industrial ship. I didn't dare open my eyes - like a newborn, I was simply too afraid to process the certainty of my current situation. I reach out with both arms, stretched out in front of me, searching for a desparate embrace with a conveniently planted maintenance hook or antenna, anything to stop this sickening slide that I could sense.
It took me a moment before I realised that I couldn't feel the hull of the ship anymore, my arms pinwheeling into the ether, comically spinning like a cartoon character. I kept my eyes firmly shut, especially now as I felt the true gravity of my situation. I didn't need to open them to see, anyway. Every flash of an exploding missile was visible through my eyelids, even if I could no longer hear the thud-fpwang-boom of the strikes. I could also sense that I was now tumbling, out of control as I departed my ship for the last time, the system's distant sun rising and setting across my eyelids with every rotation.
What felt like hours must have been several seconds, my mind processing my imminent death in a painfully slow fashion. The cold of space gripped me tightly, reminding me of my mortality and fragility in this environment. My tumbling seemed to slow down and eventually cease, perhaps caused by the shockwave drag from the repeated blasts. The bright star in my field of view ceased to rise and set, instead sitting somewhere behind me - I could feel it's intense radtiation quite well on my back and shoulders. My mind wanders to the beaches of my favourite holiday destination, the pristine white sand and that carefree feeling of suburn while you sip your carefully prepared cocktail. I fooled myself into believing I could even taste the liquor in my mouth right now.
My brief escape was shattered when I finally opened my eyes, the dream, the wonderful delusion, having fooled me into thinking that I was somewhere else. In front of me, several kilometres away at present, lay the wreck of the Flux, its debris spinning through space in all directions, just as I had been. Fires fueled by the rich oxygen atmosphere were blazing within its bowels, only to be suddenly snuffed out by the cold of space. I continued to hurtle backwards, watching as the green engines of a capsule rose from the ship's armored compartment. My captain! She made her escape, raising above what was left of the industrial and turning a half-circle. Space-time rippled around the egg-shaped capsule as the warp engines engaged - she wasn't fleeing, of course. She would bring help, medical supplies, another ship to save the rest of her crew. She couldn't abandon us here. The nearest station was only minutes away at warp speed - she could return with plenty of time to spare. Her heroism would be forever remembered by her crew. It was true, perhaps, that she hadn't taken the time to speak with her crew. But what capsuleer would? We trusted in her to lead us safely through the blockades we would face. And yes, even if she did make a mistake this time, surely she would return for us. Her faithful crew.
The green pod disappeared within the warp field. Satisfied with my detailed assumptions, I simply smiled as the cold froze my limbs stiff, allowing the unavoidable to finally take hold. I no longer paid any attention to the missiles raining hell down on the broken bow of the ship, as I knew that our captain - as distant as she was - would never leave her crew behind. In utter bliss, the radiation of the distant star causes hallucinations, kaleidoscopic visions on my cortex amongst the field of stars and horror in the surrounds. I never close my eyes again, as my primeval fear has been replaced with logical loyalty for my captain, forever open and always scanning for her return. |