Just like old times (Part 1)
30 Sep 2020Amaya Matsuda
When Amaya had first heard of the attacks she had done what many others did. She had specced a ship for rescue work. Lots of passenger cabins, the outfitting officer had advised. And lots of heat sinks. It was going to be hot, they said. She had smiled to herself at that, but ordered the heat sinks anyway. She might not have been born to be a Commander, piloting ships through the void, but she had adapted well enough and knew the risks of overheating ship systems. And so the new rescue ship, which she had dubbed lifeline-one, was readied with everything needed to succeed in a civilian extraction from a burning and disintegrating starport.The first run had been easy enough. They hadn't been kidding about the heat, but the collection of heat sinks she had ordered was more than able to counter the scorching temperatures of the docking bay. But what was more troubling was the comms chatter coming in on every channel. As the ship was brought below the landing pad and away from the heat, she had nothing to do but listen to the panicked calls for help, the cries for someone to come save them from the fires. The hurried calls for orders from rescue teams who couldn't reach trapped civilians or worse had been trapped themselves. The messages from command that they were being forced to triage and entire sections were being cut off and left for dead. Over and over and over and over and over again.
It felt like it took forever for the refugees to board her ship and fill the cabins, and when the last one was finally secure she initiated the launch immediately. The second the ship was off the pad she hit the heat sinks and the boost, blasting out through the mail slot at a speed that under normal circumstances would make any flight control officer go berserk. But now she didn't receive so much as a warning. They had bigger things to worry about. So did she.
The trip to the evacuation ship was a short straight line, as simple as a route could be. The ship dropped out of supercruise at the rescue operations megaship a few moments later and she maneuvered onto the docking pad as quickly as she was able. The ship was pulled below the landing pad and the refugees began to disembark. She tapped the sides of her pilot's seat impatiently, thinking. The comms from the burning station were still running through her mind. Finally she opened a direct message line. "Jana. Suit up. Got a job for you. Not the taipan this time."
"About damn time you trusted me with something bigger." She could almost see Jana's smile. "I'll start prep now, I'll let you know when I'm ready to roll."
The all clear came in from the passenger lounge that the last of the refugees were safely disembarked. Amaya thanked them for the heads up and initiated the launch. Maneuvered off the pad and towards the station. Hit the frameshift charge, and was on her way again. Once again, the trip only took a few moments. Once again she made it into the station, avoided the heat, dropped down below the landing pad. And once again, she waited and listened to the comms of people scared, people trapped, people dying. When the ship finally filled with refugees she hit the launch and got them safely out of there and back to the rescue operations ship. Once again, she waited impatiently as the refugees filed off the ship. It would still be a little while until Jana was ready, so she was going to have to go through this a few more times. It was the best she could do for the moment. Finally the all clear came again. She hit the launch.
Within a few moments she was back to the station. She repeated the process again. Land. Fill with refugees. Launch. Re-dock at the Rescue ship. Disembark refugees. Rinse and repeat. Rinse and repeat.
She had completed about a dozen runs when Jana was finally ready. Her ship touched down in the station and was pulled below decks just as it had been every other time. But this time, when the passenger door opened Amaya was standing there, Remlock suit charged and sealed. She bounded down the stairs, meeting the surprised transport officer at the bottom. "I'm afraid it's outgoing only right now. Tourist services are closed for... maintenance." He paused for a moment before continuing. "...So head back up into that ship of yours, yeah, and if you can bring a few others along with you we'd appreciate it."
"Go ahead and load her up. Got an associate ready to take the helm once she's full. She'll keep the evac runs going, don't worry. For the moment though..." Another burst of comms came in, a bulkhead had collapsed and blocked off a whole section, rescue teams were unable to get inside and the area was getting ready to be sealed off... "For the moment though, could you direct me towards that last transmission?"
"You suicidal? You go in there, you're going to die." She said nothing, just tilted her head slightly waiting for an answer. The transport officer stared at her for a long moment, considering. Finally he shook his head in disbelief and answered. "Take the second elevator down two levels and then head through the interstation transit. It's shut down at the moment but you should still be able to get through the tunnel, assuming it hasn't collapsed, exploded, or melted or been blown open and vented into space. Which it probably has at this point. It's your funeral though."
"Thanks. I guess we'll see, huh?"
"Yeah sure. You're going to be dead in ten minutes. But whatever you say."
"Appreciated." Amaya headed over to the indicated elevator. "Out of Service: Fire" said a glowing red warning light. She hit the emergency release button and the maglock doors unsealed with a clank. She pulled them apart, a blast of heat hitting her from the shaft.
"Just so you know, we can't leave that open. You can go in there if you want, but I have to close it behind you." the transport officer called from behind her.
"I got it, thanks." she said. She took a deep breath, looking down into the darkness of the superheated shaft. "You can do this." She told herself as she connected a line to one of the handholds on the side of the shaft. "You were made for this."
And with that, she gripped the line and jumped, rappelling down into the heat and darkness.