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Message: <blockquote data-quote="jasper" data-source="post: 1485040" data-attributes="member: 277">Chapter 6 Screaming in the Dark    Jesse McQuade wrestled the controls as the boat hit the atmosphere. It been over a year since he was behind a boat’s controls and this ship had the kilometers on it. Plus he was trying to land in the dark with only a grid mark reference plus the beacon was out. He paid no attention to the various complains from the passengers the loudest being the ramf Prince Andrew Sullivan Smith. He griped at his brother to get all the instruments up especially radar. The radar and other instruments settled down as he passed the third kilometer mark. Be banked right hard to line up on the landing strip. “Great an old abandon E class port that would make the field about only three kilometers long and one wide,” he thought. He flipped the landing cycle at one kilometer and got green across the board. He relaxed until he passed five hundred and the ground radar started to break up.    “Brace! Brace! Brace for hard impact. The field…” he started as the ground slapped the belly of the ship. He fought and gain some control of the ship so he didn’t fish tail and tumble. But his teeth clacked with every bounce. The records were off. The field was higher and partially over grown with trees and vines. The ship porpoise down the field shedding landing gear, trees, and components.    “We going to die!” shrieked Prince Andrew. The rest of his comment was aborted by a swift backhand to his midriff as Alice punched him while screaming “down!” And try to shove his head between his knees. On the third bounce she saw Fred Smith’s belt give away he was toss over his seat and into the mid-bulkhead. “Don’t!” unfortunately June loosen her seat to grab Fred. On the forth bounce she was airborne. The ship bounces slowed and the long slide started. As the ship slowed to a stop Alice, hit her and Princes straps. “Fuel Leak! Fuel Leak everyone move!” she bellowed as she slapped the door release. Amazing it worked! She frog marched the Prince fifty meters before she notice no one followed her. She shoved her shotgun into Andrew’s chest causing him to grasp it. “If it not sophont shoot it. If you don’t know shoot it.” She dashed back into the ship. No flame no smoke and the passengers were confused and dazed she grabbed Brenda by her neck and flung her toward the exit. The rest started to follow. She saw the Aslan checking the condition of June, she dropped to check Fred. Crack head, broken leg folded the wrong way and the neck. Fred Smith DOA. Making eye contact with the Aslan she knew June Bellefleur had joined Mr. Smith. She tossed the body over her shoulder and left the ship. The McQuade brothers were arguing and see about the ship’s unloading.    Frank,”You broke another one! I telling mom when we get home!”    Jesse “Who told me the ground was suppose to be two and FIFTY meters lower. And Mr. Lt. Colonel who forgot to mention the strip was over grown? I thought a lieutenant colonel knew these things? “He put a little English on box of Icers he toss to his brother.    Frank grunted as the box smack him in belly, ”Ok you got me there. But I still telling mom!”    The group settled in about fifty meters from the ship. Some of the passengers want to light a fire and were voted down by Frank and other travellers. The group the wanted to get to the abandon star port field house and were again shouted down by Frank.  There would be no moving through unknown territory until daylight. Coin had thirty hours days. The ones who couldn’t sleep took turns digging graves or standing watch.    When the sun graced the horizon the survivors divided up the supplies and the gleaming steel antenna tower which was painted a golden red pointed the way to field house. The journey was under two kilometers with the only excitement being when Charles Bywaters was nearly bitten by a snake. A small argument broke out over whether to keep the corpse was settled when Rami coiled around one hand and resumed walking.    The field house was still sealed against the elements. It had two rooms an empty lounge which all the furnishings had been removed and the radio room. A ladder lead up from the radio room to roof which had a short railing surrounding the edges and a huge radio tower which was about three hundred meters in length. Sharnatha and Jesse spend an hour working on the generator before they got it running.  They figured they only had thirty five hours of fuel. So they decided to limit the time the radio was broadcast. However Jack Gene a belter was able to recharge his batteries on his long range communicator and get a signal off the communications satellite.     The star port administrator Baker updated them on the situation. The SSP and QBert had destroyed the pirate ship. However the SSP was lost, the QBert was on an in bound course and it was passing through orbit two (Venus orbit) and the port had only the responder replying.  All of the ports space craft had been destroyed, hundreds of causalities, and it would be at least seven days before they could spare a pressurized air raft to come pick them up. The administrator set up a schedule for the ship wreck passengers to make radio contact. Col McQuade set up four hour watches for around the clock the passengers were excused but Alice volunteered to get a break from the prince. Two people would stay on the roof as look outs.     Around noon local of the first day the guard caught movement from the jungle tree line. A band of four or more Coin Crickets came from out the jungle. Coiners resemble a semi-upright eight legged praying cricket. They had compound bows and daggers. Two of crickets disappeared inside the wreck they came out bearing one of seats. Some investigated the graves and the outside the wreck. They left hauling the chair. Hours passed slowly, the temperature outside was about 43 C and about 37 inside. The humidity clung to the stranded passengers like a drunker to a best friend. In the middle of day a group of ten Coiners one driving a Kolomoto dragon the size of an ox with a wagon attached pulled up between the ship and the graves. Two of the group started walking a search pattern across the width of field. Seven started digging up graves and one appeared to be supervising.     Rami who was on watch at the time was outraged! He first zeroed in one the searchers then settled on the surpervisor. The shot was about fifteen hundred meters so it was still in range of his sniper rifle. He steady a good sight  pictured and melted into the zone.    He fired!</blockquote>

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