She was in another identical hallway when she saw a shape on the floor ahead. Slowing down but not having the time to stop, Herra shined her light over it. It laid on its side, dead. The first thing that came to Herra's mind was it looked like a cross between a baby T-rex and a dog. It had big hind legs and tiny front legs. Its head was a massive rectangular shape. It was covered in short brown fur, like a boxer. Could this be one of the aliens or was it something else, like a pet?
A warning chimed in her helmet. The oxygen counter changed from three percent to two. An uncontrollable shiver passed through her. An uninvited picture of this alien ship and the darkness all around her becoming her tomb. This wasn't the time to give in. She'd just survived some impossible odds. Without another second of hesitation, Herra pressed on.
She wasn't one to get giddy, so it was a strange sensation when she came to another door that showed the handiwork of Virgil. This one he had dropped back down so there was only a small sliver of an opening between it and the floor. She eyeballed it and thought she could crawl through.
"Virgil! Hey, answer me and I'll throw in a salvage bonus for you." There was a burst of static and then her comm cleared.
"Herra?" came the shocked voice of Virgil. It was the sweetest sound Herra had ever heard.
Virgil thought for a second maybe he was wrong about ghosts when he heard Herra call his name over the comm system. He studied a computer console they had come across while Zayan looked around at the plants. He was quiet for the first time since leaving the hangar, which Virgil appreciated. The computer console had power, as apparently did all the systems in the room. He and Zayan turned on their scrubbers and let their oxygen tanks fill up. Each step of this journey was so strange and surreal that he just kinda shrugged off finding this room. He accepted the fortunate circumstances they had found themselves in. Instead of wasting mental energy on why trees were growing in the middle of a starship, he was trying to figure out if he could get his suit's system to interface wirelessly with the alien console or if he was going to have to figure out a way to plug in. Virgil at least wanted to download some physical proof that the ship they had found was alien. He was kneeling down looking under the console when her voice spoke to him. Herra's voice.
"Virgil! Hey, answer me and I'll throw in a salvage bonus for you."
"Herra?" Virgil shot back up, shocked, and looked around. He couldn't even see Zayan through the trees and plants. Virgil heard him though. Over the comm.
"Herra? Are you here?"
Virgil had to rule out it was in his head or a suit malfunction. Two more voices joined in over the comm system. Virgil found himself going beyond shocked to stunned.
"Herra? Virgil? Zayan? Are you all there?" came the well mannered voice of Sanford.
"What in the universe?" he said, barely above a whisper.
Zayan came running back into view. He joined Virgil next to the console. "Anyone that can hear us. We are in a room filled with trees and plants. Walk along the pathway until you see us. Virgil and I are standing next to alien computer system."
Chen's high pitched voice squealed out. "I know where that is! We are in the same room and passed a computer console. Sanford quick, get us over there."
"I'm outside a door I'm guessing leads to the room you all are in. I can't tell you how great it is to hear everyone's voice again." Herra spoke so matter of fact, in the way that made Virgil give her the commander nickname, that he just about rolled his eyes. Does anything ever faze that woman?
"Same here, Commander," Sanford said, his voice thick.
The trees rustled and shook to the right of Virgil and from between them emerged Sanford, helping along a limping Chen. Looking her up and down, Virgil saw bandages wrapped around her leg. He wondered what happened to her. Zayan came over to Chen and took Sanford's place. Sanford swallowed him in a hug, which wasn't easy to do given Virgil's size in addition to his work pack. Virgil reached around with one arm and gave him two quick pats on the back. Sanford took a step back.
"Amazing. You and Zayan look well." Sanford's eyes shined.
"You two were hiding in the bushes? What were you busy making the moves over there, Sanford?" Virgil chided. Chen said something in Mandarin that Virgil was pretty sure was a curse word. She glared at him from across the walkway. "Seriously, what were you guys doing?"
"We were sure the two of us were the only ones that survived the attacks," Sanford said, taking back his place alongside Chen after giving Zayan a vigorous handshake. "So when we heard noises coming this way, we thought, maybe it was some of the aliens who lived on this ship who'd survived whatever had happened to them. Look at this place. Is that so far fetched?"
Virgil took another look around, really analyzing the place. He had to give Sanford point credence. This section of the ship seemed more fortified and had its own generators for power and gravity. If any aliens were left, this would seem a likely place for them to take shelter in.
"Well, aren't you all a sight?!" Herra strolled into view, following the walkway. She had the biggest smile on her face Virgil had seen in all his years with her. She came in each of them in turn and put a hand on their shoulders. Virgil was last.
"Virgil." Herra was curt.
"Herra." Virgil matched her tone.
"See, Virgil. Ha, I told you. I just knew we would see her again." Zayan was beaming.
Herra raised an eyebrow questioningly. "You telling me the new guy had more faith in me than my old friend? I may have to swap your position in my crew with Zayan."
"Will that be before or after that salvage bonus? Which I will point out there will be no getting out of, everyone here heard it."
Herra put her hand on her chest, pretending to be wounded. "Oh Vigil. You've hurt me. That you would think I would ever do such a thing." Virgil gave her a crooked smile and a shrug.
"I hate to be the one to cut this reunion short, but I really think we need to get Chen back to the Dauntless," Sanford said.
Herra dropped her smile and was all business again. "Right. We need to go in case the attackers still aren't finished with this ship. We can swap stories when we're safely on the other side of the wormhole. Virgil, you have an idea where to go? Get anything from that computer?"
Virgil was going to tell her no. Before he even knew what was happening, the deck under him vibrated and suddenly he was dumped on his ass. Along with everyone else. The ambient lights flickered around them. Virgil propped himself up on one elbow. Leaves on the trees were pulled off their branches, like invisible fingers were plucking them off. One by one, faster and faster. The branches themselves then began to pull up like they were reaching for the ceiling. Virgil's brain clicked on what was happening.
At the same time he yelled, "Hull breach!", Herra was on the comm as well yelling, "Run!"
Worst day I've ever had? Herra wondered as she ran. Her feet felt like they were gliding over the floor. The room was losing power. Which meant they were losing gravity. Maybe it was just a trick, but she thought she could feel the suction on her back.
"If you haven't already, turn your boots back on!" she ordered.
"That will slow us down." Virgil came back. At that moment she thought, did she really miss him?
"You'll be going real slow if you get sucked out in space. Trust me."
They were running past trees that were now stripped bare. The lights in the room were out, so Herra switched her suit's lights on. She shut off her scrubber and went back to using the oxygen in her tank. Because of the greenhouse room, her tank now had forty three percent oxygen level. She thought that was the only bit of good news in this total mess.
The plants and trees around her creaked and groaned as if alive. It gave the situation another level of terrifying. Huge cracking sounds behind her caused her to glance over her shoulder for a split second. One tree had been completely pulled out of the ground, roots and all. It whipped up towards the ceiling, which was out of the view of Herra's light beam. Other plants around it did the sam
e. One massive tree had its trunk split and splintered in half. A moment later, its root system followed.
Herra slammed into the door with a teeth rattling crunch. "Virgil, get your ass up here."
Virgil shouldered past her, his tool arms already out. Making short work of the door, he ducked under it without another word. The whole ship around them shuddered again like it was in a death throes. The deck below them began to split open at different points, like something you would see the ground do in an earthquake. If it wasn't for her magnetic boots, Herra would have been flat on the ground again. She staggered as she ran, like she'd had too much to drink.
"Everyone get through that door now!" Herra waved her arms wildly for emphasis. "Don't stop when you get on the other side. Trust that Virgil can find the way back to the ship."
The room filled up with a roar, like the air had a voice. Everything in the greenhouse chamber was disintegrating into large chunks. Sanford stumbled past her with Chen attached to his hip. Herra wanted to yell at them to move faster, but she knew they were doing the best they could. She guessed they would find out if it was good enough.
She found them all back in another black and red hallway. The ship pitched and suddenly it was like they were walking on the side wall. Cracks appeared all around them. Herra brought up the rear as Virgil zagged through the ship that threatened fall apart all around them.
"If we don't make it, at least you've made my last day interesting," Sanford said, sounding his proper self even while huffing with exertion.
"I promise to make your tomorrow just as exciting," Herra called back to him. "Maybe I'll give you all bonuses."
They hit a shaft at the end of the hall. Herra didn't know if it was the same one from before or not. Virgil poked his head inside the opening he made.
"What do you see?" Herra moved past the rest to stand beside Virgil.
He came back out. "Block about half way up. If the ship keeps vibrating this way it's about to get a lot more blocked."
Herra slid past Virgil and entered the shaft. She was standing on a platform. She believed it was the one they had seen earlier. If true, then Virgil had brought them around back to where they came in. With no time to waste, Herra turned off her magnetic couplers, pulled out her blaster, and jumped.
"Everyone get in here and follow my lead. We got one shot at this." Herra blasted away at the pile, turning the power setting up to maximum on her weapon. The first two shots slowed her momentum down. It also sent parts of rubble floating and pinging around in chaotic directions inside the elevator shaft. Herra angled her next shot to land against the side of the shaft. Engaging her boots again, she popped off two more shots. That blasted a round hole large enough for her to kick off again and go sailing through.
Coming out the other side, she once again turned on her magnetic boots. Her knee joints protested her rough landing. Standing on the shifting pile was like standing on sand. With a flip, she came to rest across from the hole and was standing on the wall when the rest of her crew came through the opening she created. As each one floated by, Herra locked arms with them; swinging them around until they could grapple to the wall. Except for Chen, who she stopped but let float in the air. Chen gave her a grateful smile. Herra assumed she was probably grateful not to put any more weight on her leg. That was fine, but Herra had other motivations for stopping her. One that continued to show signs all around her.
"Alright crew, listen quick. We're going to have to shoot straight down this hallway to the Dauntless. We don't have time for plodding. We'll be like asteroids bouncing off each other and the walls, but it's the quickest way. I don't know if the attackers hit the engines or if we accidentally triggered some self destruct system, but this ship is coming apart."
As if to punctuate her point, all the walls around them gave the biggest shudder yet, practically undulating from whatever force was tearing the ship apart. "I'll go first, then Chen behind. Sanford, Zayan. Virgil you keep them going. Now, let's do this."
Herra lined herself up with the hallway opening, crouched down, and pushed herself off the wall. Down the hallway she flung herself, using whatever body part she could to push off of any surface she could reach. Some of the hallway fell apart from her touch. Herra careened this way and that, ungraceful and inefficient in her movements. She couldn't let that bug her now. Her priority was to save her crew and the Dauntless.
Now she was at the tricky part. The hallway opened up into the broken substructure where they'd come in. She didn't want any of them to go flying off through any of the openings, not now, when they were so close.
"Steady through the next part. Precision, not speed, is our goal now. We're almost there." Herra guided over the comm.
Herra pushed off a beam with a little less force. It took her to the next piece of the ship she eyed ahead. She planned out each step of the way one spot to the next. Hoping that the crew followed her movement.
Chen let out a cheer. Herra knew why. The Dauntless was in sight. Chen's cheer cut off as the deck below them twisted and turned like it was paper instead of metal. The Dauntless actually slid to the right and then to the left. With a concentrated push, Herra leapt through the still open ramp up into the ship.
Herra didn't let the airlock cycle. They would have to wear their suits a little longer. There was no time. The alien ship was literally coming apart around them. The oxygen rushed out around her as the interior door opened. Herra sprinted through her ship. She climbed into the cockpit. She waved her hands over the flight console, awakening it. Herra prepped the ship for takeoff.
"Virgil! You copy me?"
Virgil came back. "Yes, Commander! What?"
"Let me know when you're on board and the ramp's shut. Take off is one second after that." Herra punched up the console command for the launch thrusters. Her finger hovered over it. She held her breath waiting for the word from Virgil.
After what seemed like eternity and two heartbeats, Herra heard what she had waited for. "We're all on board. Ramp's up."
Herra stabbed down, grabbed the flight sticks, and pushed them both forward. The Dauntless shot forward like a laser beam. What was left of the alien ship blurred by her view. When Dauntless jerked and bucked to a stop, almost knocking her out of her flight chair, it took Herra a moment to even register what had happened. Virgil just about fell on top of her. She guessed he must have gotten into the other chair.
"What the blazes, Herra?" She ignored his rudeness as her eyes flowed over her computer screen. Engines were still at full power. In fact Dauntless was pitching side to side, fighting her efforts to keep her straight, but the ship wasn't going forward.
"Virgil, talk to me," Herra said through gritted teeth. She dropped the engine power by fifty percent before she ripped the Dauntless in half.
"More bad news, Commander. Sensors show we got some of that alien ship trying to hitchhike away with us. Last I checked, we weren't a tow ship."
"Can we blast it off?"
"Firing angle is all wrong. The sensors are showing whatever it is, it's right on our tail. Below the ramp." Virgil let out a dramatic sigh. "Think someone's going to have to cut it off. You don't even have to bother asking." He got up, stumbling as the ship bucked.
"Virgil." Herra looked over at him and locked eyes. "I'll do it."
Virgil shook his helmet and smirked. "Herra you don't have to do everything. That's why you hired a crew right?"
"I don't do everything. I don't even try." Herra huffed. She didn't know what Virgil was talking about. It was dangerous and it was her ship, that was all. She should risk her life, not him or anyone else.
"We don't have time for a debate. I'm the engineer. I'm going." Virgil walked out.
"Virgil." Herra called over the comm.
"Yeah?"
Time for arguing was over. On that she could agree. "Be quick about it. I haven't made it this far just to die now."
Virgil grumbled to himself as he ran to the back of the ship. She's always getting me into
these situations. Rilous four, that place we discover that is now called the Terrasat system. Virgil sighed in a loud exaggeration. At least I don't have to waste time getting my suit back on.
Virgil held onto the sides of the ship as he went. It still swayed back and forth as Herra still hadn't given up getting free he was sure. When he reached the rear hatch, he punched the button to lower it. He pulled the emergency release lever that keep the ramp from opening while Dauntless was in flight. While he waited for it to open, he reached over and grabbed the end of the alloy tether and clamped it on his belt. Just in case. He wasted no more time and ducked through the opening as soon as he could, while the ramp was still lowering. He glanced at his readout to make sure his magnetic boots had activated.
Stomping down the ramp, his suit beeped at him with an extreme heat warning. Above him, on either side, the two engines were firing, expelling superheated gases. Whatever had them was down at the bottom of the ship. At least he would be spared the additional danger of being vaporized. He scanned below the area both visually and with his suits sensors.
Walking to the end of the ramp, Virgil made the transfer to now standing on the bottom of the ramp. He could see the problem immediately. A piece of the alien ship's structure, which looked like a rounded hook, jammed up in one of the landing gears, preventing it from retracting inside the Dauntless. He stumbled and grabbed the synthetic tether as Herra tried to get Dauntless free again. This time by pitching it up and down.
"Hey! You need to lay off the rockets, Commander!" Virgil let all of his frustration out.
"Sorry, sorry." She came back, not sounding sorry to him. "What's the status?"
"We got part of the ship you wanted to explore caught up in the landing gear. Cut the engines, give me five minutes, and we'll be free."
"Roger, Virgil." Herra sounded a little more humble this time. Virgil smiled to himself. He wasn't going to let her forget this little escapade for some time.
Dauntless- Exploration Class Page 7
