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Spacemaster Space Opera : Running the gauntlet (updated 10/28/05)
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<blockquote data-quote="Dougal DeKree" data-source="post: 2554885" data-attributes="member: 1353"><p><span style="font-size: 18px">04 – When ones velocity equals “ramming speed”</span></p><p></p><p>The ship had executed jump after jump, following the pre-programmed course in the navigation computer. On a display to the left, a program indicated how many jumps were still to be done, along with a countdown, when the next was to be.</p><p></p><p>“Hey guys, looks like we get home in a few minutes!” Rico said merrily.</p><p></p><p>“A wonder we are still alive. Any chance we can figure out, where the hell we are?” Martha retorted. “I should have stayed in that bunker! At least that would have saved me the boredom of this.”</p><p></p><p>“Yeah, you would be dead by now, hottie!”</p><p></p><p>“Bah, if we had enough oxygen in here you’d be toast.” She patted her flamer lovingly.</p><p></p><p>“And the ships interior, too. How long ‘til we jump, Rico?” Boris asked.</p><p></p><p>“Two minutes. Then, if we are really _really_ lucky, we are back home.” Frank said from the back. So all four were awake for the crucial moment.</p><p></p><p>“About time, my indicator for air is in the red range. Yours, too, I guess. So what do we do, if we jump somewhere that is not home?”</p><p></p><p>They fell silent again, thinking about that situation, that was all too likely.</p><p></p><p>They would suffocate and couldn’t do anything about it but pray. It would be their last jump, one way or the other. Frank was weeping silently.</p><p></p><p>“Cut it out, sissy!” Martha whispered hoarsely.</p><p></p><p>The clock ran towards zero and Rico couldn’t help but count loudly “Three, Two, One…”</p><p></p><p>The four terrans closed their eyes as the ship disappeared in a bright yellow-white globe of light.</p><p></p><p>For the last time.</p><p></p><p>---</p><p></p><p>When the feeling of vertigo subsided, they opened their eyes.</p><p></p><p>They had arrived in an unknown galaxy.</p><p></p><p>But there was no time to despair.</p><p></p><p>In front of them they could see a star ship of unknown design, easily twenty times as big as their tiny shuttle.</p><p></p><p>And it was close – too close to do anything about the imminent collision. They were too fast for that and the other ship was likely too inert to pull out of their way.</p><p></p><p>“Prepare for impact!” Rico shouted over the proximity alert.</p><p></p><p>At the same time Boris and Martha were already fastening themselves to the back wall and frantically piled up the comatose technicians in front of them.</p><p></p><p>“What are you doing?!” Frank puzzled, as Rico jumped to the back and followed their example.</p><p></p><p>“We have no airbags and when we hit that thing the ones without suits are going to die anyway. That way they may help us survive the crash!” Boris answered, while he helped Rico. Frank managed to fasten himself, too, just in time before they hit the other ship in its midsection with full force.</p><p></p><p>---</p><p></p><p>“I live!” Martha was overjoyed. Debris was floating all around her, just like the corpses of the technicians and Franks assistant, who had had no space suits. She didn’t inspect them any further, the way the corpses looked they were beyond any help, even if they had had air.</p><p></p><p>Looking around, she could see the others move, too. Shrugging, she stood up, looking out for sharp metal parts that could damage her suit..</p><p></p><p>“It seems our engineers were right to include the possibility of a crash into their concept. Good that my objection for weight reasons was overruled.” Frank thought loudly.</p><p></p><p>So even that sissy scientist had survived. Martha could not like him. For him things seemed to be more important than people. On the other hand her business was killing people, so she stopped thinking about the issue any further and began finding a way out of the wreck.</p><p></p><p>About a minute later they were standing in front of a bulkhead. The controls of it bore strange signs, but apart from that it looked like a keypad. While Frank, being the last, still climbed out of the rest of their vessel, Boris began to hit keys on the pad at random.</p><p></p><p>So they weren’t scared, but rather amazed, when the door suddenly opened.</p><p></p><p>Their amazement turned to alarm, when they perceived two humanoid figures on the other side of the airlock. The closer one was about 1,9m tall and lean, wearing some kind of …chainmail, a …buckler and a …sword? It’s visor was closed so they could not see it’s face, but if their anatomy was not too different from their own, it was female. The other figure was even taller, about 2,3m and appeared to be massier. It wore some kind of ceramic armour and held a device in both hands that could only be some type of weapon. But most frightening were the figures legs. The legs looked just wrong. Below the knee, there was another joint, just like a dogs hind legs.</p><p></p><p>So, this was it.</p><p></p><p>The first contact with an alien race, the moment hundreds of fiction authors had fantasized about. This situation had something in common with most of their stories. They were standing face to face with a technologically superior species.</p><p></p><p>Sadly it seemed to be one of those stories, where both sides were pointing weapons at each other. And Boris had read enough of those stories to know the outcome of this.</p><p></p><p>So when the figure in the chainmail pointed at his weapon, then to the ground and then gestured holding ones hands up, he was rather relieved they weren’t killed immediately. He obeyed the order without making fast movements. </p><p></p><p>“Martha, Rico, put down your weapons. With a bit of luck there is breathable air in their ship. And we do have lots of luck lately!”</p><p></p><p>“Sure, but remember that when it rains it pours! One could also see our whole odyssey as bad luck and now this. Rico, do you think they are happy we damaged their ship?” Martha answered sarcastically, while slowly putting her weapons to the ground.</p><p></p><p>“Oh, it could be worse, I guess. Maybe they want us to pay for the damage – and that means they have to bring us back home, so our company can compensate for the hull breach!” Rico sounded happy, while he toyed with his weapon belt that was fashioned like in some wild west movie.</p><p></p><p>“Or they experiment with us before we are enslaved and have to work in some mine.” Martha couldn’t help but paint a bleak picture. She hated being in the inferior position. What good was her flamer in space? She had to change her armament. Later.</p><p></p><p>“Martha, what kind of stories do you usually read? Your ideas sure sound grim.” Boris asked her as he stood up again. “Frank, what about you?”</p><p></p><p>Frank was weeping again and whined about them all being tortured before dying.</p><p></p><p>“Oh, well, thank you for lifting our spirits.” Boris switched to a private channel with Martha “You are right, he is a sissy.”</p><p></p><p>They all turned towards the two figures again, holding up their hands. Boris, who was still standing nearest, stretched out his hands with his palms upwards to show he was unarmed and willing to follow further orders.</p><p></p><p>The larger figure began to move towards them, it’s weapon still pointed at Boris head but suddenly spun around with amazing speed and began moving inside the ship.</p><p></p><p>“The knight” as Boris had titled the female (without knowing, just how close that image was to reality) motioned them to unload their arms and take them up again. Then she led them towards the next airlock, where the larger figure was pounding at a control panel impatiently.</p><p></p><p>Once inside they couldn’t help but gape. So this was like a star ship looked like from the inside! The knight caught Boris attention again and began gesturing. He pointed to the planet that could be seen through a window, lifted his right hand emulating a tumbling airplane and then clapped it into his other hand. Then he formed an explosion with both hands.</p><p></p><p>“Oh great, we are f***ed!” Boris couldn’t help but let his shoulders sag downwards in despair. “We have survived all this just to plummet onto that planet.” All four terrans turned towards their guards, hopelessly waiting for what would happen now.</p><p></p><p>The moment the inner door opened, their microphones picked up a sound that sounded alarming. The large figure began sprinting through one of the passages that could be seen. The knight nodded at them and started running, too, directly followed by a panicked Frank. The others couldn’t think of anything better, so they followed through a maze of corridors until they came into a hangar.</p><p></p><p>The knight ushered them inside the shuttle that was parked there and left immediately after everyone was aboard.</p><p></p><p>Looking around Boris couldn’t believe his eyes. The pilot had a cheetahs head, while the large figure from before had removed it’s helmet and had a lions head! Standing between them was a big egg. A furry egg with arms and feet, over a meter tall. And it seemed to produce noise without pausing. Then it helped them fastening some seatbelt like device. At least someone was trying to help them…</p><p></p><p>“Looks like there are different species aboard this ship!” Martha stated the obvious.</p><p></p><p>“Yeah, some cats with their living furry toy. The universe is more funny than I thought!” Rico replied with a grin that could be heard.</p><p></p><p>As the engines started, the female jumped inside the shuttle again and the door was closed by the furry being.</p><p></p><p>Immediately they were pressed into their seats, as the ship accelerated at a speed Rico was amazed at. When they started rolling he knew they had entered the planets atmosphere.</p><p></p><p>“Guys, no worries, the way this shuttle is shaking we entered into an atmosphere. So, if we are lucky again, we can breathe there. If that planet belongs to them” he motioned towards the cat-people in the cockpit “the atmosphere in this shuttle should be the same as on the planet.”</p><p></p><p>The discussion about breathable air suddenly fell silent when the descent calmed down and the knight opened her visor. </p><p></p><p>Expecting to see another cat, they were again taken by surprise. They stared at the head of a Wolf!</p><p></p><p>“Okay, that does it! Enough coincidence and luck and stuff. This is fate and I am sure we can breathe their air, too. At least my own supply is empty, so I’ll be the guinea pig.” Boris said and took off his helmet, taking in a deep breath. Then he gasped and twitched and collapsed in his seat.</p><p></p><p>Rico and Martha were sitting there, motionless and silent, while Frank again started to scream in despair.</p><p></p><p>Suddenly the wolf girl bared her fangs…and Boris sat up again, shaking with laughter.</p><p></p><p>Relieved, the others took off their helmets, too and joined in.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Dougal DeKree, post: 2554885, member: 1353"] [SIZE=5]04 – When ones velocity equals “ramming speed”[/SIZE] The ship had executed jump after jump, following the pre-programmed course in the navigation computer. On a display to the left, a program indicated how many jumps were still to be done, along with a countdown, when the next was to be. “Hey guys, looks like we get home in a few minutes!” Rico said merrily. “A wonder we are still alive. Any chance we can figure out, where the hell we are?” Martha retorted. “I should have stayed in that bunker! At least that would have saved me the boredom of this.” “Yeah, you would be dead by now, hottie!” “Bah, if we had enough oxygen in here you’d be toast.” She patted her flamer lovingly. “And the ships interior, too. How long ‘til we jump, Rico?” Boris asked. “Two minutes. Then, if we are really _really_ lucky, we are back home.” Frank said from the back. So all four were awake for the crucial moment. “About time, my indicator for air is in the red range. Yours, too, I guess. So what do we do, if we jump somewhere that is not home?” They fell silent again, thinking about that situation, that was all too likely. They would suffocate and couldn’t do anything about it but pray. It would be their last jump, one way or the other. Frank was weeping silently. “Cut it out, sissy!” Martha whispered hoarsely. The clock ran towards zero and Rico couldn’t help but count loudly “Three, Two, One…” The four terrans closed their eyes as the ship disappeared in a bright yellow-white globe of light. For the last time. --- When the feeling of vertigo subsided, they opened their eyes. They had arrived in an unknown galaxy. But there was no time to despair. In front of them they could see a star ship of unknown design, easily twenty times as big as their tiny shuttle. And it was close – too close to do anything about the imminent collision. They were too fast for that and the other ship was likely too inert to pull out of their way. “Prepare for impact!” Rico shouted over the proximity alert. At the same time Boris and Martha were already fastening themselves to the back wall and frantically piled up the comatose technicians in front of them. “What are you doing?!” Frank puzzled, as Rico jumped to the back and followed their example. “We have no airbags and when we hit that thing the ones without suits are going to die anyway. That way they may help us survive the crash!” Boris answered, while he helped Rico. Frank managed to fasten himself, too, just in time before they hit the other ship in its midsection with full force. --- “I live!” Martha was overjoyed. Debris was floating all around her, just like the corpses of the technicians and Franks assistant, who had had no space suits. She didn’t inspect them any further, the way the corpses looked they were beyond any help, even if they had had air. Looking around, she could see the others move, too. Shrugging, she stood up, looking out for sharp metal parts that could damage her suit.. “It seems our engineers were right to include the possibility of a crash into their concept. Good that my objection for weight reasons was overruled.” Frank thought loudly. So even that sissy scientist had survived. Martha could not like him. For him things seemed to be more important than people. On the other hand her business was killing people, so she stopped thinking about the issue any further and began finding a way out of the wreck. About a minute later they were standing in front of a bulkhead. The controls of it bore strange signs, but apart from that it looked like a keypad. While Frank, being the last, still climbed out of the rest of their vessel, Boris began to hit keys on the pad at random. So they weren’t scared, but rather amazed, when the door suddenly opened. Their amazement turned to alarm, when they perceived two humanoid figures on the other side of the airlock. The closer one was about 1,9m tall and lean, wearing some kind of …chainmail, a …buckler and a …sword? It’s visor was closed so they could not see it’s face, but if their anatomy was not too different from their own, it was female. The other figure was even taller, about 2,3m and appeared to be massier. It wore some kind of ceramic armour and held a device in both hands that could only be some type of weapon. But most frightening were the figures legs. The legs looked just wrong. Below the knee, there was another joint, just like a dogs hind legs. So, this was it. The first contact with an alien race, the moment hundreds of fiction authors had fantasized about. This situation had something in common with most of their stories. They were standing face to face with a technologically superior species. Sadly it seemed to be one of those stories, where both sides were pointing weapons at each other. And Boris had read enough of those stories to know the outcome of this. So when the figure in the chainmail pointed at his weapon, then to the ground and then gestured holding ones hands up, he was rather relieved they weren’t killed immediately. He obeyed the order without making fast movements. “Martha, Rico, put down your weapons. With a bit of luck there is breathable air in their ship. And we do have lots of luck lately!” “Sure, but remember that when it rains it pours! One could also see our whole odyssey as bad luck and now this. Rico, do you think they are happy we damaged their ship?” Martha answered sarcastically, while slowly putting her weapons to the ground. “Oh, it could be worse, I guess. Maybe they want us to pay for the damage – and that means they have to bring us back home, so our company can compensate for the hull breach!” Rico sounded happy, while he toyed with his weapon belt that was fashioned like in some wild west movie. “Or they experiment with us before we are enslaved and have to work in some mine.” Martha couldn’t help but paint a bleak picture. She hated being in the inferior position. What good was her flamer in space? She had to change her armament. Later. “Martha, what kind of stories do you usually read? Your ideas sure sound grim.” Boris asked her as he stood up again. “Frank, what about you?” Frank was weeping again and whined about them all being tortured before dying. “Oh, well, thank you for lifting our spirits.” Boris switched to a private channel with Martha “You are right, he is a sissy.” They all turned towards the two figures again, holding up their hands. Boris, who was still standing nearest, stretched out his hands with his palms upwards to show he was unarmed and willing to follow further orders. The larger figure began to move towards them, it’s weapon still pointed at Boris head but suddenly spun around with amazing speed and began moving inside the ship. “The knight” as Boris had titled the female (without knowing, just how close that image was to reality) motioned them to unload their arms and take them up again. Then she led them towards the next airlock, where the larger figure was pounding at a control panel impatiently. Once inside they couldn’t help but gape. So this was like a star ship looked like from the inside! The knight caught Boris attention again and began gesturing. He pointed to the planet that could be seen through a window, lifted his right hand emulating a tumbling airplane and then clapped it into his other hand. Then he formed an explosion with both hands. “Oh great, we are f***ed!” Boris couldn’t help but let his shoulders sag downwards in despair. “We have survived all this just to plummet onto that planet.” All four terrans turned towards their guards, hopelessly waiting for what would happen now. The moment the inner door opened, their microphones picked up a sound that sounded alarming. The large figure began sprinting through one of the passages that could be seen. The knight nodded at them and started running, too, directly followed by a panicked Frank. The others couldn’t think of anything better, so they followed through a maze of corridors until they came into a hangar. The knight ushered them inside the shuttle that was parked there and left immediately after everyone was aboard. Looking around Boris couldn’t believe his eyes. The pilot had a cheetahs head, while the large figure from before had removed it’s helmet and had a lions head! Standing between them was a big egg. A furry egg with arms and feet, over a meter tall. And it seemed to produce noise without pausing. Then it helped them fastening some seatbelt like device. At least someone was trying to help them… “Looks like there are different species aboard this ship!” Martha stated the obvious. “Yeah, some cats with their living furry toy. The universe is more funny than I thought!” Rico replied with a grin that could be heard. As the engines started, the female jumped inside the shuttle again and the door was closed by the furry being. Immediately they were pressed into their seats, as the ship accelerated at a speed Rico was amazed at. When they started rolling he knew they had entered the planets atmosphere. “Guys, no worries, the way this shuttle is shaking we entered into an atmosphere. So, if we are lucky again, we can breathe there. If that planet belongs to them” he motioned towards the cat-people in the cockpit “the atmosphere in this shuttle should be the same as on the planet.” The discussion about breathable air suddenly fell silent when the descent calmed down and the knight opened her visor. Expecting to see another cat, they were again taken by surprise. They stared at the head of a Wolf! “Okay, that does it! Enough coincidence and luck and stuff. This is fate and I am sure we can breathe their air, too. At least my own supply is empty, so I’ll be the guinea pig.” Boris said and took off his helmet, taking in a deep breath. Then he gasped and twitched and collapsed in his seat. Rico and Martha were sitting there, motionless and silent, while Frank again started to scream in despair. Suddenly the wolf girl bared her fangs…and Boris sat up again, shaking with laughter. Relieved, the others took off their helmets, too and joined in. [/QUOTE]
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