brief stories (random snippets)

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Destructionator
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brief stories (random snippets)

Post by Destructionator »

Been a long time since I've posted here. I still don't really have the time, but need to take a brief break from work, so meh.

This thread is just going to have random snippets of conversations or story stuff. Maybe some brief commentary on it too. I've been terribly busy and writing takes me forever, but this will get a little something out here.

Let's just get on with it.

=========

"QAS, Ragnarok, request docking instructions, over."

The response came quickly. It was a recording - "Warning: medical quarantine. Do not dock. Repeat: medical quarantine. Do not dock. QAS Out."

Adam paused for a second then hit the radio again: "QAS, Ragnarok. Operator, what's your situation, over."

The same recording repeated.

Adam and Leila exchanged curious glances. She gave him a quick nod. He turned a dial on the radio then spoke: "RCA, ASV Ragnarok. What's the situation at QAS, over."

Again, an automatic recording was all he got: "Emergency: medical quarantine. Do not land. RCA Out."

"Hmm," he entered some commands at the flight console. The computer almost immediately rang the acceleration bell and fired a brief burn to adjust their orbit to park rather than dock.

Meanwhile Leila punched some data up on her computer: "Oh no," she said, "there's been some kind of nationwide epidemic. It says... thousands dead in the last week..."

Adam merely store blankly out into space, speechless, as his heart started to race. He could hear Leila and Mathias both pressing some buttons, saying something, but his brain didn't register any of it as relevant.

He was finally snapped back into awareness by Leila unbuckling her seat belt and giving him a nudge.

"C'mon; I'm gonna TP over to QAS and see what's going on," she turned to Mathias as she fell past: "Mathias, monitor the radio. Keep trying to call everyone."

"okay."

Leila made her way to the telepresence assembly with Adam not far behind. He helped her strap into the control suit then punched in some commands to the neighboring computer.

She was soon in direct control of a robotic avatar on the station itself.

The first thing she noticed made her thankful the robot didn't forward smells to her real senses; its sensors said the whole place reeked of vomit.

"Is anybody here?" she tried calling out, "This is Dr Leila Sulysi. What's going on?"

Nothing.

She worked her way into the ring toward the infirmary. The vomit readings got stronger, but still no signs of life.

"Frak," she whispered as she turned into the room. Before her was most the station crew, all dead.


=======

Time to go, so I need to leave it at that. (Note: that took me almost three hours to write. I'm so fucking slow at this.)

Some brief comments and explanations:

This is from my core plot fic, part of chapter 13 as the outline sits right now.

Chapter 12 punches you in the gut. Then, chapter 13 kicks you when you're down.

On the bright side, you get to see a wee glimpse into the main characters, which I think is an O1 first for me.

Anyway, as I have time, I want to write up more and more of these brief snippets to at least get something up.



Explanation of some terms used here:

QAS = Queen Anna Station, the huge space station in low orbit around A'millia that is the main waypoint between space and the surface.

Ragnarok is the name of their spacecraft. It is named after the ship in Final Fantasy VIII, but also has a kind of fitting name considering the situation. ASV = A'millian Space Vehicle.

RCA is the Rebecca C. Ashtermann Space Flight Center on the surface - primary Mission Control for both Starfleet and civilian space operations. (Not to be confused with the person Rebecca C. Ashtermann, Doctor of Engineering, who actually still works for the agency. Well, worked.)

The telepresence robots forward a lot of data to the operator directly through the control assembly, making the operator feel like he or she is actually there instead of the robot. Smell, however, isn't sent in a "realistic" fashion, but is instead reported via a device that looks like, and works rather like, a tricorder in the robot's hands. The robot's chemical sensors (if present, which they of course are here) are more precise than a nose anyway.
His Certifiable Geniusness, Adam D. Ruppe (My 'verse)
Marle: Lucca! You're amazing!
Lucca: Ain't it the truth! ... Oh, um...I mean...
Marle: Enough with the false modesty! You have a real gift! I would trade my royal ancestry for your genius in a heartbeat!

"I still really hate those pompous assholes who quote themselves in their sigs." -- Me
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Destructionator
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Re: brief stories (random snippets)

Post by Destructionator »

From what is planned to be chapter 4:

===============

"Warp in three, two, one, executing..."

*clun-*BANG** *THUD*

Adam suddenly felt a jerk with a strengthening shove against his seatbelt. Against his inner ear's incessant protests, he turned to look at Commander Cornelia. To his horror, he saw a stream of blood spheres streaming from the Commander's head and no motion from his hands.

Adam quickly flipped a switch between the two of them and started working the thurster controls - more specifically, he listened to his ear's protests and held in the negative pitch button while looking at his data readouts.

The pressure on his seatbelt started to ease and then change direction. A few more firing of the spin thrusters took care of that.

"Step I," he thought, recalling his lectures on basic disaster management, "stabilize the immediate situation." he checked the gauges to ensure he feelings were accurate, then sounded the acceleration clear bell.

He saw Sublieutenant Sulysi immediately jumping to the assistance of the Commander, followed closely by Countess Cornelia.

"They'll take care of him, good, good."

"Anyone else hurt?" Sublieutenant Sulysi asked what he was thinking.

The Countess shook her head and they continued to work on the Commander's wound.

Satisfied the people were going to be OK, Adam then checked the gauges: atmosphere was holding steady. Radiation nominal.

Okay, short term situation under control. step II: assess the long term situation..."

He looked at the various pressure gauges. "Uh oh," he thought. Propellant tanks I, III, and IV were all negligible and the damage panel showed a bus failure, so he couldn't be sure about further damage.

"Kritterman," he yelled, "ch-"

"Main bus, on it," the chief engineer yelled back before Adam could finish his sentence.

"OK, now, where are we?" He punched up the available data and started to work on his own specialty.

=========

g2g, so I'll leave it at that. I kinda like just doing the little pieces. A lot less pressure to write it.
His Certifiable Geniusness, Adam D. Ruppe (My 'verse)
Marle: Lucca! You're amazing!
Lucca: Ain't it the truth! ... Oh, um...I mean...
Marle: Enough with the false modesty! You have a real gift! I would trade my royal ancestry for your genius in a heartbeat!

"I still really hate those pompous assholes who quote themselves in their sigs." -- Me
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