Adventures in Doing it Wrong: "... And Into the Fire" (Part 1)
10 Sep 2020August Davenport
MacKenzie Station, Cemiess, Day of the Attack
I startle at the bridge's klaxon erupting into life, its accompanying warning lights turn the pristine white panels into bloody crimson, disrupting my focus from piloting into the damaged orbital station.
"Warning - Hull Temperature Critical."
"Yes! Yes! I know!" I shout back upwards, the direction of the ship's automated voice system speaker. The nose of Aretmis' Bow barely clears the mail slot when a pelting of debris, flame, and a pair of escape pods slam into it, along with a wave front of decompressing orbital. The concussive release of exotermic reactive gas knocks a support loose, causing the circular vehicle road to come slamming down, wedging the ship into the only way into and out of the station. The hull groans under the pressure.
"Shields Failed."
"Warning - Taking Damage."
"Frack!" I pull, back on the yoke, trying to pull the nose up. Nothing. I try reverse. The ship doesn't budge.
"Structural Damage." Verity, the ship's AI is full of helpful information when all hell breaks loose.
In plain view, just a meter outside the bridge's view port, I see the huge, twisted metal pylon, sparking at broken conduits. I feel panic playing at my pulse and my palms. I just want out. I slam the throttle forward and fire the Thruster Boost. I don't move.
"Warning - Hull Integrity at Fifty Percent."
My mind goes to despair. This is how I'm going to go. Burnt to a crisp, stuck in a mail slot, on my first mission for Princess Aisling's power base. Needing to be rescued instead of doing the rescuing while simultaneously preventing anyone I came to help from being rescued.
In vain, I shout, "Why did they build this damn ship so big? It's not even my ship! It's a Duke's! 'Gutamaya - The pride of the Empire!'" The last words slither out, full of disgust.
I pause. This is the Pride of the Empire. It's a warship, designed to go head to head with the best the Federation made. It has WEAPONS!
"Verity, deploy a heat sink, and activate the dorsal weapons."
I swap controls to the targeting system. Alternating glances between it and the view, I spot my target, then aim. The multi-cannons whirring barrels and chemical explosions resonate through the hull and into the bridge. Hope clutched against the trigger, breath held in my chest, the projectiles begin to batter and tear away at the structure. Ricochets bounce in all directions and the beam glows hot orange from the caustic, phosphorous-packed shells streaking into it.
The snap echoes off the ship as the pylon breaks, one side rebounding away from the mail slot while the other, slides away harmless as the orbital spins around, leaving it to float just out of the way.
"YES!" I cheer!
"Warning - Hull Critical. Warning - Taking Heat Damage."
With only seconds to spare before the ship melts, I spot my designated landing pad and make for it with haste. The ship creaks as its landing legs rest on the pad. I watch the temperature drops along with the ship as Artemis' Bow slides inside the crippled station.
"Halfway done," I sigh.