From: Jason Self Date: Sat, 9 Apr 2022 21:20:02 +0000 (-0700) Subject: Publish The Escape X-Git-Url: https://jxself.org/git/?a=commitdiff_plain;h=08af51a44c19e402c0e95902567024db4a37bc5b;p=universe.git Publish The Escape --- diff --git a/story.txt b/story.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..30dd6d9 --- /dev/null +++ b/story.txt @@ -0,0 +1,156 @@ +# SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2022 Jason Self +# SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-or-later +# +# You can redistribute and/or modify this story under the terms of the +# GNU Affero General Public License as published by the Free Software +# Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or (at your option) any +# later version. +# +# You should have received a copy of the GNU Affero General Public +# License along with this story. If not, see +# . + +==== The Escape ==== + +"I'll go first," Eldar said as he moved past me. "Follow right +behind." + +Eldar and I hustled down a corridor of the Chyufõũ̯ in our stolen +flight suits, hoping against hope that this crazy plan might work out. +All that was left was to get through the ship's hold and onto the +flight deck. We had no choice but to take this route; any other would +have too much risk of detection. But, unfortunately, we couldn't just +get into one of their fighters and take off. The Xẽĩians would detect +our unauthorized launch and send fighters to recapture us. Or worse. + +We were both armed with small hand weapons, which probably weren't +much use against the Xẽĩian soldiers but were better than nothing. Our +only advantage was surprise and speed. Eldar turned at the next +intersection and sprinted down another passage. I followed him, +keeping my eyes peeled for any sign of movement or activity but +nothing seemed amiss. + +Finally, after several minutes of running without incident, Eldar +stopped abruptly and gestured ahead. A group of four Xẽĩian soldiers +walked by at the end of the corridor, each carrying a weapon. Two of +them were chatting about something, while the other two appeared to be +scanning the walls with a device. They didn't notice either of us as +they passed. It looked like it was all clear. + +We hurried down the corridor until we reached a ladder leading up to +an open hatchway. Eldar took a quick look around before climbing up +and disappearing inside. I followed him, moving quickly to keep from +being noticed. + +I found myself standing in a large room filled with equipment and +supplies when I heard Xẽĩian voices coming from somewhere deeper +within the compartment. + +"Stay low and keep your eyes open," Eldar warned. "The hatch to the +hold is not far from here." + +Eldar's expression became grim when the voices started moving in our +direction. He frantically gestured to a large storage crate near the +back wall. "Over there!" he whispered. We climbed into the storage +crate, huddled together in the dark space, breathing heavily. "Stay +quiet and don't move," he whispered. His voice sounded strained. + +"What are you doing?" I asked. "We can't stay here. If they find us--" +"I know what I'm doing," he hissed angrily. I felt foolish for +interrupting him. He had seemed so confident and calm when he had +suggested this crazy idea at the beginning. Now, though, I could see +that he was nervous. It made my heart sink. + +I wanted to say something to reassure him but wasn't sure what. So +instead, I pulled Eldar close. I could feel his body trembling +violently and realized that he was terrified. "It's okay," I +whispered. "I'm right here." He took a deep breath and nodded. "If +they find us, they'll kill us," he whispered. + +I knew that even if we could make it to the flight deck without being +found, the chances of escaping were slim. But, still, it was better +than staying aboard the ship. "This is the best chance we've got," I +tried to reassure him. "This will give us a chance to escape." + +After several long moments, the Xẽĩians approached the storage crate. +I remained silent and tried to relax but thought I recognized one of +the soldiers from earlier. + +They walked by without even slowing down as they continued their +conversation. I exhaled slowly and let out a sigh of relief. I looked +over at Eldar, whose face was tense. He nodded and gave me a +thumbs-up. "Good," I replied. "Let's get out of here." Eldar nodded. +"Okay," he said. "Here goes nothing." He opened the crate, and we +scrambled out. + +We ran forward and around a corner, making sure to keep quiet. At the +far end of the corridor, there was a large hatch with a control panel +on the side. We ran up to the hatch, and Eldar punched the control +panel beside the door. There was a click, and the door slid open. +Eldar rushed inside. I followed close behind. + +We were on the upper level of the ship's hold. The first thing I +noticed when entering was the smell. The stink of unwashed bodies, +unwashed clothes, and unwashed hair, along with the tang of vomit and +urine, hung in a heavy cloud over the hold like an old friend that had +not seen me for years. + +The room was dark, illuminated only by dull red lighting. It was full +of people, but there didn't seem to be any order to their positions. I +could see them shuffling around, huddled together in little groups, or +else sitting alone on the deck plates as if they were afraid to touch +anyone lest they catch something. + +"Come on," said Eldar, tugging at my sleeve. "Let's keep going. We're +almost there." He walked towards one of the airlocks that would take +us onto the flight deck. + +He went through the airlock ahead of me, then turned back and waited +for me to follow. I looked down into the hold again. A man sat by +himself against one wall, his head buried in his hands. Two women sat +close together on another flooring section, whispering between +themselves. One was crying softly. + +"How many?" I asked. Eldar shrugged. + +"A few hundred? More than a few." + +I stood in silence for a moment, watching the people below me. The +wounded had gone to the medical bays. Those who weren't hurt, or at +least not severely, made their way here. Some were moving slowly about +the hold. Others were sitting still, staring blankly at nothing. I +imagined how it must feel when you've lost everything as the world's +destroyed. When the only home you knew was gone, and everyone you +loved died. + +I saw a man move away from the group and turn towards the far end of +the hold. As he moved closer to the bulkhead, the light caught his +face, turning it gray, and his skin seemed loose on his skull, sagging +under the weight of age. + +He reached the corner and disappeared from view. + +"Samnang!" Eldar whispered loudly, standing at the airlock. "Over +here! Come on." + +I followed him through the airlock, stepping out onto the flight deck, +and Eldar closed the hatch behind us. We both looked around, taking in +our new surroundings. + +We were standing on an expansive flight deck with four massive wings +jutting out either side of the hull to my left and right. Each held +eight hangars, each hangar holding up to six fighters. I looked down +at the deck. The metal plating was torn and buckled in places, +scorched and covered in soot. I could see the starfield beyond the +ship's hull directly ahead at the front of the flight deck. Behind me, +at the rear of the flight deck, a ramp led up to the ship's main body. +I could hear faint sounds from inside, echoing off the walls, but +otherwise, the flight deck was silent. + +"Where are the pilots?" I asked. + +Eldar shook his head. "Not here yet. They'll come soon enough." + +"So, what do we do now?" + +"Now we wait." \ No newline at end of file