Beka awoke to the buzz of overloaded circuits and the snap-crackling of blown fuses. A single light flickered like a candle in a dark cave. She sat up and rubbed her head. Her eyes widened as she looked around. Everyone had been knocked to the back of the command deck; crew mates were strewn about among the debris. 'At least the ship seems to be in one piece...' Beka thought with a slight sigh, hoping to not jinx it. Her head snapped in the direction of an arm just barely moving. She stood up and waited a moment for her head to stop swimming before picking her way through the mess to the body. On her way over, she noticed how much lighter she felt than usual. She could almost leap without touching the floor. 'It must the difference in gravity,' she thought. Rommie. Rommie was the one she had spotted. Her eyes were wide open and she lay straight with her limbs splayed out around her. Her head was looking straight up at the arched steel caging of the ceiling.
"Beka? Beka is that you?" and if she had been human, Rommie would have let out a sigh of relief. "I was beginning to think that everyone was dead..." she shuddered.
"Why didn't you get up?" Beka inquired, realizing that Rommie hadn't so much as turned her head in her direction. "You're just lying there."
"I think I'll need Harper for this job. I can't move anything but my lips and eyes." Beka looked at Rommie's arm. It was torn open, revealing the wires that lay underneath. They sparked in a few places. That must have been what caught her attention.
"Well, unfortunately I think we're the only two up at this point."
"And what makes you say that I wonder," Tyr's deep voice reverberated off the lifeless steel walls of the room. Beka jumped.
"Goddammit Tyr! Do you wait for these moments just to scare the pants off me?"
Tyr grinned at the thought. "Well now, I wouldn't want to give you the wrong impression."
Beka rolled her eyes. "How long have you been up?"
"Oh... an hour or so," Tyr waved a hand through the air, sticking out his jaw slightly.
"An HOUR?!?! God, Tyr! You could have at least said something when I woke up! What have you been doing? Anything?"
"While I hate to break this up..." Rommie cut in, "I do have a slight problem here... Not to mention the fact that we just crash-landed on an uncharted planet. I've completely shut down. All the computers are fried for the time being-" She stopped when the three heard a sudden sound coming from above them.
Thump... thump... thump.
Something was crawling ontop of the ship. All three shipmates stood totally still.
Thump... thump-thump... thump-thump-thump.
The creature was banging on the roof. Then there were more thumps, and the sound became thunderous. The banging was wild and seemingly at random. Whatever was causing the assault was obviously of enormous size and in great quantity.
"We'll have to fight them. I don't think they plan on leaving," Tyr whispered through the side of his mouth.
"Voluntarily," Beka added as one very loud "thump" echoed from directly overhead.
"You two will have to find a way to scare them off," Rommie said softly.
"Scare? You expect me to scare these things off?" Tyr raised his eyebrows in retort.
"We. You mean 'we' are going to scare them off."
Rommie made a small noise barely audible above the pounding. "I'm afraid I won't be of any help to you two. Your on your own. But I suggest you do something-" She looked up at the ceiling, "-fast. At this rate they may break through."
Beka and Tyr looked at each other. They seemed to think the same thing at the same time. Without a word, they both took off in the direction of the weapon storage area.
***************
"You sure this is a good idea?" Beka asked as they made their way to the door.
"Do you have a better plan in mind?" Tyr was double-checking his gun to see that it was loaded. He saw the look on Beka's face and said, "Fine, I'll go first."
"So what do you think is out there?"
Tyr paused with his hand hovering over the release button to open the door. He shrugged slightly. "Probably nothing too friendly."
"I actually meant the atmosphere. I mean... if we feel so much lighter and we're still on the ship, doesn't that make you wonder what it's like out there?"
"We're about to find out-" Tyr pressed the button with his palm. Beka held her breath.
'Tyr doesn't care about anything,' she thought to herself. 'He just wants to kick these aliens' asses.' The door hissed and slid open. The two shielded their eyes. The terrain looked barren and rocky. The surface was covered in a red sand. But there was no time to make observations. The sound of Tyr's gun screamed above the pounding on the roof. A huge towering creature shrieked and fell before them. The pounding stopped. Beka could see the aliens leaping off the ship in huge bounds. There was a sudden stampede and everything shook violently as the herd raced off across the planet's desert. Tyr dropped his weapon to his side. "Close the door!" Beka managed to squeak out. Quickly, Tyr fumbled with the button. The door closed. They both collapsed on the floor, gasping for breath.
"There's barely any air out there," Tyr panted, chest heaving.
After a moment to catch her breath, Beka nodded. "Let's get back to the command deck." And with that, they hoisted each other up and dashed down the corridor to report their discoveries to Rommie.
************
~ok ppls! more is on the way! r&r pleaz! ~muches
"Beka? Beka is that you?" and if she had been human, Rommie would have let out a sigh of relief. "I was beginning to think that everyone was dead..." she shuddered.
"Why didn't you get up?" Beka inquired, realizing that Rommie hadn't so much as turned her head in her direction. "You're just lying there."
"I think I'll need Harper for this job. I can't move anything but my lips and eyes." Beka looked at Rommie's arm. It was torn open, revealing the wires that lay underneath. They sparked in a few places. That must have been what caught her attention.
"Well, unfortunately I think we're the only two up at this point."
"And what makes you say that I wonder," Tyr's deep voice reverberated off the lifeless steel walls of the room. Beka jumped.
"Goddammit Tyr! Do you wait for these moments just to scare the pants off me?"
Tyr grinned at the thought. "Well now, I wouldn't want to give you the wrong impression."
Beka rolled her eyes. "How long have you been up?"
"Oh... an hour or so," Tyr waved a hand through the air, sticking out his jaw slightly.
"An HOUR?!?! God, Tyr! You could have at least said something when I woke up! What have you been doing? Anything?"
"While I hate to break this up..." Rommie cut in, "I do have a slight problem here... Not to mention the fact that we just crash-landed on an uncharted planet. I've completely shut down. All the computers are fried for the time being-" She stopped when the three heard a sudden sound coming from above them.
Thump... thump... thump.
Something was crawling ontop of the ship. All three shipmates stood totally still.
Thump... thump-thump... thump-thump-thump.
The creature was banging on the roof. Then there were more thumps, and the sound became thunderous. The banging was wild and seemingly at random. Whatever was causing the assault was obviously of enormous size and in great quantity.
"We'll have to fight them. I don't think they plan on leaving," Tyr whispered through the side of his mouth.
"Voluntarily," Beka added as one very loud "thump" echoed from directly overhead.
"You two will have to find a way to scare them off," Rommie said softly.
"Scare? You expect me to scare these things off?" Tyr raised his eyebrows in retort.
"We. You mean 'we' are going to scare them off."
Rommie made a small noise barely audible above the pounding. "I'm afraid I won't be of any help to you two. Your on your own. But I suggest you do something-" She looked up at the ceiling, "-fast. At this rate they may break through."
Beka and Tyr looked at each other. They seemed to think the same thing at the same time. Without a word, they both took off in the direction of the weapon storage area.
***************
"You sure this is a good idea?" Beka asked as they made their way to the door.
"Do you have a better plan in mind?" Tyr was double-checking his gun to see that it was loaded. He saw the look on Beka's face and said, "Fine, I'll go first."
"So what do you think is out there?"
Tyr paused with his hand hovering over the release button to open the door. He shrugged slightly. "Probably nothing too friendly."
"I actually meant the atmosphere. I mean... if we feel so much lighter and we're still on the ship, doesn't that make you wonder what it's like out there?"
"We're about to find out-" Tyr pressed the button with his palm. Beka held her breath.
'Tyr doesn't care about anything,' she thought to herself. 'He just wants to kick these aliens' asses.' The door hissed and slid open. The two shielded their eyes. The terrain looked barren and rocky. The surface was covered in a red sand. But there was no time to make observations. The sound of Tyr's gun screamed above the pounding on the roof. A huge towering creature shrieked and fell before them. The pounding stopped. Beka could see the aliens leaping off the ship in huge bounds. There was a sudden stampede and everything shook violently as the herd raced off across the planet's desert. Tyr dropped his weapon to his side. "Close the door!" Beka managed to squeak out. Quickly, Tyr fumbled with the button. The door closed. They both collapsed on the floor, gasping for breath.
"There's barely any air out there," Tyr panted, chest heaving.
After a moment to catch her breath, Beka nodded. "Let's get back to the command deck." And with that, they hoisted each other up and dashed down the corridor to report their discoveries to Rommie.
************
~ok ppls! more is on the way! r&r pleaz! ~muches