Planetinducing heartattack: Battle of Sol and it's cores part 2
10 Dec 2024Andmos
"Captain, we’ve found an emergency beacon on one of the planets the Thargoids are attacking."I stood up from my chair, my eyes automatically darting to the sensor display. There it was, clear as day. The beacon was blinking in a steady, rhythmic pulse. It was marked on the planetary scans, deep within the outer rim. A sense of foreboding crept over me. No one ever found these things unless something went terribly wrong.
"Are we the first to discover this beacon?"
"Yes, Captain. And before you ask, it’s fresh—just activated," the sensor officer replied. The slight edge in their voice told me this was more than just a routine find.
I frowned, considering the implications. Fresh beacon signals meant someone had just been in trouble—or worse, someone was still in trouble.
"Any signs of the Thargoids?"
"No, Captain. This planet hasn’t been attacked by them recently. But it’s hard to say for sure. The Thargoids are unpredictable."
That was exactly what worried me. This could be a trap, a bait to lure in anyone foolish enough to respond. But no one wanted to be stranded on a desolate planet while Thargoids were about—heck, no one wanted to be stranded on a desolate planet, period. And if there were survivors, I wouldn’t leave them to their fate.
"Get us close. I want the lifepods in storage as quickly as possible!"
"Yes, Captain!" The crew's voices came in unison, a show of confidence despite the uncertainty of the situation.
We made our descent, the atmosphere burning as we pierced through the planet's thin clouds. The wreckage of a ship was easy to spot once we got closer. A Sidewinder, its hull mostly torn open, insignia barely visible. Whoever had been piloting it was either inexperienced or unlucky—probably both. A rookie, trying to make a difference. I could almost hear their hopes fading in the wreckage.
We quickly gathered the occupied pods, moving with practiced speed. My heart raised. Whoever had been in this ship made it.
Just as we were about to secure the pods for transport, the sensor officer’s voice crackled over the comms.
"Captain, we have an anomaly! Frame Shift Drive disturbance—designating target as Echo 1. Possible Thargoid interceptor!"
I froze for a second. An interceptor? This wasn’t good. Thargoids weren’t known for their subtlety.
"Pilot, take-off procedures, now!" I barked, urgency flooding my voice. I sprinted toward the ship, heart hammering in my chest. We didn’t have much time.
Then it appeared—a dark silhouette in the distance, cutting through the haze of dust and debris. The unmistakable shape of a Thargoid interceptor. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. My heart skipped a beat. I had never felt so small in my life. It was massive. It was deadly. And it was heading straight for us.
"Captain, we’ve detected an energy surge!"
I cursed under my breath. If that EMT hit us, we'd be sitting ducks, stranded on this planet with no way out. We had to move, and fast.
"We’re in the ship, Captain," my crew confirmed, voices taut with tension.
"Captain, we’re unable to power up! All systems are offline!" The engineer’s voice rang out in a desperate tone.
A curse slipped from my lips, frustration mounting. "When can we get the engines back online?" I asked, trying to keep the panic from creeping into my voice.
"One minute, Captain. That’s the best we can do."
I gritted my teeth. "Fine. Start the damn procedure anyway." I didn’t care that we were flying blind. If we were going to die, I’d rather go down fighting than wait for the inevitable.
"Where’s Echo 1?" I demanded, gripping the armrests of my seat as if they could steady my nerves.
"It’s engaged with another pilot who responded to the beacon," the sensor officer said. "The pilot’s keeping Echo 1 distracted for now, but that won't last long."
The engine coughed to life with a sputter, and then we were moving—just barely. "Finally. Get us airborne, and engage Echo 1. No good deed goes unanswered under my watch!" I snapped, my mind already calculating the next steps.
"Yes, Captain!" the crew responded, their determination matching my own.
We launched into the air, the ship shaking as we cleared the surface. In the distance, the Thargoid interceptor loomed, its tendrils twitching as it turned to face us. We didn't need to exchange words. We’d trained for this, fought alongside others like this before. As soon as that Thargoid's shields dropped, we would strike. And when they came back up, the other pilot would take the heat.
"First heart down!" The pilot's voice rang out in triumph over the comms. "Energy surge detected!"
"Are we far enough from the ground to restart before impact?" I gritted my teeth, the cold sweat on my palms betraying my calm exterior.
"We can do it, but it’s going to be close!" the pilot responded, the strain evident in their voice.
The energy surge hit. Our ship lurched violently, and gravity took over. My stomach dropped as the ground rushed toward us. I could almost feel it—a moment of weightlessness before the inevitable.
"Engineer, any time now!" I shouted, my voice louder than usual, pushing the tension away as best I could.
"All systems nominal!" The engineer's voice came just as the ship stopped it's decent less than fifty meters from impact.
We all breathed a collective sigh of relief as the ship jolted upward, just in time.
"Get us back into the fight!" I ordered, my voice firm. I was done running. It was time to finish this.
"Yes, Captain!" The pilot responded, their hands steady on the controls as they pushed us back into battle.
"Second heart down!" The pilot called out after a tense few moments. "Missiles incoming!"
"BRACE!" I screamed, my voice barely audible over the sound of the ship being rocked by explosions. The hull groaned under the strain as missiles slammed into us at point-blank range.
"Are we still holding?" I asked through clenched teeth, gripping the seat tighter.
"Yes, Captain, but just by a thread," the pilot replied.
"Then let’s finish this!" I barked, my blood pumping harder than ever.
The ship rocked again. "Captain, the canopy’s been compromised!" the pilot yelled. Suddenly, we were in vacuum—no air, no pressure. Just the cold emptiness of space.
"Finish it off, NOW!" I commanded, my voice cutting through the chaos.
"Third heart down! Detecting secondary explosions!" the pilot shouted.
"Get us to the nearest station!" I ordered, knowing our time was running out.
"We’ll arrive just in time before life support runs out, Captain," the pilot replied, their voice tight with strain but laced with hope.
"Excellent," I said, finally allowing myself a brief moment of relief. The fight was over—for now.
We jumped to safety, the blackness of space swallowing us whole. As we made the jump, I sent a quick communication to our unexpected ally, the pilot who had helped us distract Echo 1. This had been too close for comfort, but I knew we would have made the same choices. We had done what needed to be done—together.