Center Worlds - Spark

by Tim Morrison

  Chapter 5.2

  There Should Never be a Breeze – TGX-2 -17 BA

  In the primary Gravity passage, Lyo was speeding along to the aft gunnery station when he saw lightning up ahead, as the gravity field dropped and he fell to the corridor bottom, curling into a ball as he did so. Getting up, he wiped some blood off his lip and checked himself. Nothing broken, a few bruises though.

  He hopped up and climbed up the handholds until he got to the deck level, then walked along until he got to a comm station. There was no power at the station. He also noted that the main lights were flickering. The next thing he realized was a breeze blowing from behind. Turning, he could see airtight doors sealing off the corridor behind him, and he pulled himself around the door frame and then pulled the hatch shut. Securing it he looked around, he was on Deck 6, Section 4. The Bridge was Deck 15, Section 1. Gunnery Control was Deck 1, he was just over halfway and there was a hole in the ship.

  The main lights went out, leaving the hallway in almost darkness, only the dim emergency lighting remained active, powered by self-charging units, it was enough to see by. Lyo made his way along the corridor to the next hatch, and checked it, then opened it and stepped through, then closed the hatch behind him.

  He was now in one of the four trunk passages that spiralled around the main Gravity passage and also went the length of the battlecruiser. There were some indicator lights on the wall panel, so he went to it and tried to hail the bridge. Static came from the panel. The deck vibrated under him, then bucked, and he nearly lost his footing.

  He heard a rumbling noise that he was not familiar with, then the wall beside him exploded outwards, flinging him against the far wall and cutting his face with shrapnel.

  Lyo coughed as he got back to his feet, barely able to see, one eye was already swollen shut, the other was so badly hurt that he was unsure of where to go, but he again felt the breeze that was so out of place on a spacecraft. The feel of atmosphere flowing past as it vented into vacuum.

  He staggered down the trunk, supporting himself against the wall, not noticing the glowing chevrons indicating the way he needed to go. He also failed to notice the doors opening in front of him and sealing behind him as the TGX-2 AI guided him towards safety. He finally fell onto a doorjamb, almost to weak to continue, then felt a strong pair of hands lifting him one one side, then on the other. “Get him to medical.” He heard, and thought it was the Captain, then he thought nothing at all.