Awakening
20 Jan 2021Max Thoreson
I am in a haze. Klaxons are blaring…but I can barely hear them. As my eyes adjust as I realize I’m in a dark hallway or passageway that is thick with smoke. The smoke smells of burnt electrical and fluid fumes.The haze is so dense that I only see glimpses of other figures moving furiously. My left arm is in tremendous pain and seems to be stuck to the floor. The left side of my head hurts…and my vision from my left eye is stained red and very blurry.
Moving from my left in slow motion, a female Imperial Navy officer emerges from the smoke with a look of terror on her face. As she passes over me another person emerges from the smoke to my left…a Federal Navy soldier with his weapon raised. As he steps over me he fires his weapon at the Imperial. The explosive sound rings in my ears…
I wake up drenched in sweat…disoriented…and in a panic. My vision is still blurry but I can tell I’m no longer in a smoky hallway. My left arm is still in tremendous pain. The left side of my head still hurts.
I hear muffled noises in the background. I shout out “Who’s there?”
An automated voice answers “I’m Victor, your cockpit voice assistant. How can I help?”
My mind slowly starts coming back to reality. I remember that I’m on a ship.
Still mentally foggy I ask “Victor, who am I and where am I at?”
Victor replies “You’re Commander Max Thoreson and you’re at the helm of the Krait MKII named the “Ice Breaker.”
The mental fog is starting to lift…I was mining or going to go mine in an icy ring somewhere…but the pain in my left arm and side of my head is overwhelming my thoughts.
As I continue to try and focus mentally I realize the pain on the left side of my head is coming from my left eye and the surrounding area. I vaguely remember…doctor…nurses…something about an ocular implant being installed to replace my damaged eye...and the transition will be painful.
Still not thinking clearly I try to focus on my surroundings. I am in the cockpit of a ship…and I am sitting in the primary pilot seat. The HUD in front of me doesn’t show any ships around me. My ships shields are fully up…and the hull appears to be at 100%. I see 2 pips each set to the three systems.
Looking out the cockpit I see I’m positioned just outside of an icy asteroid ring. Suddenly I hear a voice directly behind which startles me. I jump which makes me hurt even worse.
The voice asks “Are you OK Commander?”