From: Jason Self Date: Sun, 24 Apr 2022 20:50:38 +0000 (-0700) Subject: Publish The Hauler's Last Stand X-Git-Url: https://jxself.org/git/?a=commitdiff_plain;h=905e1e4b8d8e2c59da0bf127b81f8e6514935c0f;p=universe.git Publish The Hauler's Last Stand --- diff --git a/story.txt b/story.txt index 30dd6d9..cbc11d0 100644 --- a/story.txt +++ b/story.txt @@ -153,4 +153,187 @@ 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 +"Now we wait." + +==== The Hauler's Last Stand ==== + +A series of explosions rocked the Hauler from bow to stern, ripping +through the armor plating and blasting into the interior. Captain +Funanya Chizoba lurched forward in her command chair on the bridge +but the restraints kept her from flying out of it. Emergency lights +flashed on as the lights went out, casting shadows across her face. +Her heart raced. + +"Report!" she barked. The comm officer shook his head silently. "Not +good. That missile breached the starboard hold," he said. "We're +venting atmosphere. Damage Control is responding to seal it, but we've +lost power in sections two through five, and life support's down +shipwide." + +The initial group of fighters had still been several minutes away when +Chizoba had seen the first explosion. It was a small blast, right on +the tail of the convoy. The bright flash lit up the window's view, and +Chizoba saw the shapes of the fighters emerging from the explosion. + +She glanced at the tactical display and saw the fighters had launched +missiles. They'd targeted the closest ship and destroyed it. It also +reported that the rest of the convoy was accelerating hard. They were +now trying to escape and get clear of the battle. + +The Xẽĩians must have spotted the convoy and thought they'd hit a +military target, she thought. But the convoy had been civilian. + +The pilots must have been confused. Perhaps they hadn't expected +civilian ships to be armed. Or maybe they didn't know there were +civilians on board. Either way, the convoy's escorts returned fire. +Several smaller vessels were also equipped with rail guns and +assisted. Still, the Hauler's defensive weapons weren't up to the task +as a cargo ship. + +"What are our options?" Chizoba asked. + +"Our weapons won't work against those fighters," the sensor operator +said. "And we can't outrun them." + +Chizoba looked to the screen. The fighters were closing rapidly. +Several lead ships were crippled or destroyed, but most smaller +vessels were still intact. Several were dropping their cargo and +starting to accelerate. They were trying to break contact with the +enemy. Chizoba wanted to do the same; she knew the odds of surviving +the encounter were slim, especially without power or life support. + +"The Chyufõũ̯ is launching another round of fighters," the sensor +operator reported. + +Chizoba cursed under her breath. "Where?" + +At the back of the bridge, the sensor operator pressed a few buttons. +Finally, the display revealed the Hauler and the convoy in the center, +surrounded by the Chyufõũ̯ and its fighters. + +"We have multiple contacts approaching at high speed," she said. + +"Holy shit," she whispered. + +She looked down at herself, then back to the screen. Her chest armor +had cracked open during the explosion, and now blood oozed out between +the buckles. Chizoba took in the entirety of the display and saw they +had less than ten minutes before the next round of fighters reached +them. Chizoba bit her lip. The Hauler was heavily damaged, and without +power, she doubted it would make much difference even if she tried to +attack. + +She turned towards the rear of the bridge and saw the sensor operator +staring back at her. Blood covered the woman's face, and her left arm +hung limp at her side. She looked like she was about to faint. + +Chizoba scrambled over to her as she fell backward onto the deck, +hitting her head against the edge of the sensor console behind her. +Her eyes rolled up into her skull, and she went still. Chizoba knelt +next to her. She pressed two fingers against her neck, checking for a +pulse but nothing. "Dammit," she cursed under her breath. + +She turned back to the tactical display and saw the fighters +accelerating towards them from the rear of the convoy. The lead ships +peeled away toward them. The enemy ships increased their speed in +response, and one of them was coming right for the Hauler. + +Chizoba cursed as another missile slammed into the rear section. This +time, the explosion was much more significant. The Hauler shuddered +violently, and her heart skipped a beat. She felt the deck shift +beneath her feet and looked down to see the fuel line had ruptured. +Fuel was pouring out onto the deck. + +She looked to the front of the bridge and saw the remains of what used +to be the comm officer's station. It was twisted and bent where it had +slammed into the wall. Sprawled out amongst the wreckage were several +bodies. One of them was missing an arm. + +Chizoba made her way to the navigator's console, strapped herself in, +and put the Hauler into a tight turn toward a nearby planet. The +engines whined loudly, and she felt the G-forces pushing her back. The +ship rose quickly, then dropped sharply. She steadied it and brought +the vessel into level flight just as another missile hit the Hauler. +The sudden movement sent some debris flying, and Chizoba blacked out +as it hit her. + +She woke later, lying on the floor, staring at the ceiling. Still +strapped into the chair, her head aching badly. + +She tried to move her legs and found she couldn't. Something heavy was +lying across them. She pushed against the straps holding her in place +and managed to free one arm. She tugged at the other, and it came +loose. + +The navigator's console trapped her legs beneath its bulk. She +strained to pull them free without success. "Help me!" she yelled. +"Someone help me!" but there was no response. She struggled to free +herself and eventually succeeded after several minutes of working. + +Chizoba stood up and stumbled over to the wall, grabbed the emergency +oxygen cylinder, and twisted the valve. She sucked in the gas and held +it for several seconds. She felt the pain in her head recede slightly, +and she drew in another lungful of air. She felt lightheaded and +dizzy. She dropped back onto the chair and stared at the remains of +the navigator's console. + +She leaned forward and punched the comm. "This is Captain Chizoba. I'm +alive and unharmed. Anyone still alive, please respond." There was no +answer. She tried again but still nothing. She knew the odds of +finding anyone alive were slim. + +She stood up, walked over to a window, and looked out. Several of the +ships were still fighting, but most were gone. Instead, she could see +the shapes of the fighters circling overhead. They seemed to be +waiting for something. + +"They're not targeting us anymore," Chizoba thought. "It's too late +for that." She made her way over to the remains of the communications +station, pausing for a moment to think of all of the years of good +memories aboard the Hauler. She flipped a transparent plastic cover +and pressed a button that, in all her years in space, she never +imagined pressing. Then the alarm to abandon ship began to sound. + +She ran to the door, pulling it open. The corridor beyond was filled +with smoke and debris, reeking of burning plastic and insulation. She +coughed violently and stumbled forward, heading aft. The smell of +burnt flesh was overwhelming. Broken equipment and pieces of metal +littered the area. + +She arrived in the shuttle bay. Several bodies lay scattered among the +wreckage. Some were wearing EVA suits, others not. All of them were +charred black and twisted grotesquely. Chizoba moved closer to one of +the larger pieces of debris and saw a hand sticking out from +underneath. She reached down and pulled it free. It was human-sized +but mangled beyond recognition. A piece of a suit clung to the skin; +Chizoba threw it aside and found another body. This one wore an EVA +suit, but it was torn open, and the helmet had been blown clear. +Whoever this person was, they were dead. + +Chizoba made her way towards the nearest shuttle. She leaped inside +and started punching buttons. The craft's systems came online, and its +thrusters fired. The shuttle shot upwards, bouncing off the top of the +shuttle bay before swinging back down and slamming into the deck. + +Chizoba kept firing the thrusters until the shuttle's momentum finally +carried it out of the shuttle bay. She watched the bay doors close and +lock. Looking back, the damage to the ship was extreme. It was still +on course for the planet, but she knew the Hauler would never fly +again. + +She kept the shuttle steady and flew away from the Hauler. Then +Chizoba looked out the window and saw other shuttles heading away from +the battle, flying low and fast. A few shuttles were trailing fire and +smoke, but most were intact. "Everyone follow me!" Chizoba yelled into +the comm. "We'll regroup at that planet." She looked down at the nav +screen, tapped the controls and the shuttle banked hard to port in the +direction of the planet. + +A Xẽĩian fighter unexpectedly appeared beneath her. Chizoba pulled +back on the controls. She heard the sound of a loud boom, and the +shuttle rocked wildly. She caught a brief glimpse of the hull before +the shuttle flipped end over end and tumbled out of control. Chizoba +fought to regain control, but it was hopeless. The shuttle spun +wildly, and she lost sight of everything outside the windows. Finally, +she saw the canopy strike something and shatter. Then the shuttle hit +the ground. \ No newline at end of file