How I Got Here: “Adrift”
16 Jul 2022Columbuss
Commander Justin Estok. Stardate 16-JUL-3308."Earth Today. Earth Tomorrow. Earth First."
The slogan was stenciled above the hatch in the walkway from what appeared to be the central command deck to the cockpit. Next to the hatch was a picture of Federation President Zachary Hudson looking a lot like some ancient poster I saw in a history book when I was younger of a man in a flamboyant red and blue suit with a white beard saying "I Want You!"
"You'll be with us now. You can't very well go off on your own. Not with those animals behind you. You'll be safe with us."
I definitely wasn't looking to join Adama more than I had to. All my life I've worked alone. Now I was being forced to join a group who's nationalistic demeanor already had me put off.
While not overly political, I never harbored a strong feeling of nationalism. Furthermore, I never cared for Hudson and this photo of him made him all the more cartoonish to me. I've known hard men. I've known them all of my life. My father worked the docks moving freight. While not in the line of work I was in, there were few guys who were who would even consider crossing my father. Frank would always tell me if my father found out I was working for him, he'd kill ten guys just to strangle Frank to death and he could do it. Hudson is NOT a hard man. However, this outfit Adama belonged to, which I'd come to learn was called The Earth Defense Force, was my only salvation and I wasn't in a position to say no.
My time with the EDF was relatively short but what I did take away from them during my time inside was some much needed combat piloting skills. We trained every day, starting in small fighter sized spacecraft like The Eagle up to multicrew vessels like The Krait MkII. Every day we trained and every day they became more and more indoctrinated.
"Earth Today. Earth Tomorrow. Earth First." The slogan was everywhere and repeated all the time. The nationalistic dogma they subscribed to didn't wear off on me, but in my time with them I didn't hear any more from the Imperial Priests. That is, until I did.
A detachment of pilots were dispatched, myself included, to patrol a shipping lane being troubled by pirates. Five ships were in our flotilla including the one I was on, in this case, as a second officer, not a pilot. The area was quiet with not much activity. The flotilla was ready to pull out when the sensors lit up. Unknown spacecraft were dropping out of hyperspace right in front of us.
Adama came across the comms: "All ships to battle ready. Weapons hot. Weapons free."
The unknown ships crashed down on us firing volley after volley of red beams that seemed to split our lines and drive us out of formation. Even strapped into my seat, I felt tossed around like a rag doll as the ships thrusters pushed us in all directions to avoid any direct hits. I was trying to keep the power regulators in step with the pilot's orders when I felt a hard jolt. My body slammed hard against my chest strap and back again, hard, against my seat. Lights and sirens began to go off and BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ as a red hue and smoke began to fill the room.
Peering out the window at the ensuing melee, I saw the ships of our squadron floating adrift in space. Suspended and frozen in time like flower petals on a calm pool. As I gazed, for just a moment, everything seemed to slow down. I couldn't help but smile in awe at the raw power of the weapons being used to kill us. The beams cutting through Adama's ship, the same ship that had saved my life, seemed to saw through it slowly like a serrated blade through wood. For that brief moment, while the entire galaxy seemed to slow down to a crawl, I could make out the red imperial S.P.Q.R. on the side of one of the attacking ships. I knew in that moment, the priests had returned.
Suddenly, as if a switch was flipped, time RACED back to normality and I had to stabilize myself. Almost as if time had over shot us and had to balance itself out again.
"HELMETS ON!" screamed the pilot. As I slid the helmet over my head and secured the seal, a massive surge, followed by a flash filled my visor. It was the last time I would see the interior of that ship, or the pilot, ever again.