The chief of staff eased into the pod, where his family was already waiting.
"Daddy!!!" cried out his daughter.
"Hey babe, are you ready for our trip!" he said to her while looking at his wife.
"Yeah! We're going to fly UP!! All the way to space right?"
"That's right honey"
A tear streaked down his wife's cheek. She wiped it away quickly but he saw it.
"WHAT?" He said a bit impatiently.
She just shook her head.
"Listen, I know we're leaving a lot of friends behind, but look out that window..."
She silently turned her head, seeing the ongoing carnage while he went on.
"...would you rather stay here with them? You know damn well that all these people are probably going to die, and I'm NOT gonna risk our lives for our friends"
The engine started up, with an electrical whine.
"But it's unfair to them..."
"UNFAIR? I knew this attack was coming. I've been telling everybody about this, but would they listen? NO. Very well here's the result, and now ..."
His speech was cut short by a loud noise on the ceiling of the pod.
"Pilot what's going on?"
"I don't know yet sir" The pilot said while looking at the instrument panels.
"Are we ready for takeoff?"
"We are sir, but it would appear that something has attached itself to the pod"
"Can we take off?"
"Yes sir, I think I can probably shake off whatever's out there once we're airborne"
"Ok, take off at once"
With that he sat down and put his security harness on.
The pilot called out from the cabin.
"Hang on, this is gonna be rough"
The electric whine form the engines grew louder and the ship started to shake while the engines produced enough force to lift them up. The shaking lasted for a few more seconds and then they started to feel movement. Once the pod lifted off the ground the shaking stopped and all that could be felt was the vibration produced by the engines. The pod began to lift up, but it only went up a couple of feet when suddenly the same noise sounded above them, followed by the harsh scrapping of metal on metal.
"Sir there's an engine malfunction!" The pilot said.
"WHAT!?"
The scraping became grinding and the whole ship began to shake. The engines stoped producing lift and the pod came down hard.
"OW!"-Cried the little girl-"Daddy, I'm scared"
Ignoring her, he asked the pilot
"What's happening?"
"There was an engine malfunction sir"
"GODDAMIT! You already told me that, what caused it?"
"I don't know sir, I'd have to go outside to check it"
"Can we lift of as we are now?"
"I don't know sir"
Again there came sounds from the ceiling. This time it sounded as footsteps. Then another sound, like, the crackling of electricity.
All four on the pod watched silently while a circular outline began to appear on the ceiling panel.
"Daddy, what's going on?"
The electrical sound grew louder and when the circle was complete, it came crashing down on the floor. Light came in from the outside through the newly made hole.
"He he he" Someone laughed outside. "Got 'em"
Then that person entered the ship through the hole. It was a man equiped with an SCV, obviously a worker from the mineral deposits or from the Vespene refinery. Only his face showed trough the faceplate. It looked dirty and rough.
He looked at the bunch, showing a grin that was missing a few teeth.
"You fine folk wouldn't be thinking about leavin' us poor fellows down here would ya?"
They were silent.
"WOULD YA???" He screamed.
The wife started sobbing.
"Oooohhh, just look at the missus, all watered up. We'll guess what? It seems you're gonna be staying down here with the whole lot of us. There ain't a single 'scape pod we're letting go.
Didja think that just 'cause you're rich and all that, you can just up and leave us behind to be killed? We ain't as stupid as that. No sir..."
"Daddy, We're not going on a trip anymore?" The little girl asked.
He was speechless.
"Yep. You fine folk are gonna be stayin' down here with us."
In the distance the sounds of the battle could be heard quite clearly.
"Daddy!!!" cried out his daughter.
"Hey babe, are you ready for our trip!" he said to her while looking at his wife.
"Yeah! We're going to fly UP!! All the way to space right?"
"That's right honey"
A tear streaked down his wife's cheek. She wiped it away quickly but he saw it.
"WHAT?" He said a bit impatiently.
She just shook her head.
"Listen, I know we're leaving a lot of friends behind, but look out that window..."
She silently turned her head, seeing the ongoing carnage while he went on.
"...would you rather stay here with them? You know damn well that all these people are probably going to die, and I'm NOT gonna risk our lives for our friends"
The engine started up, with an electrical whine.
"But it's unfair to them..."
"UNFAIR? I knew this attack was coming. I've been telling everybody about this, but would they listen? NO. Very well here's the result, and now ..."
His speech was cut short by a loud noise on the ceiling of the pod.
"Pilot what's going on?"
"I don't know yet sir" The pilot said while looking at the instrument panels.
"Are we ready for takeoff?"
"We are sir, but it would appear that something has attached itself to the pod"
"Can we take off?"
"Yes sir, I think I can probably shake off whatever's out there once we're airborne"
"Ok, take off at once"
With that he sat down and put his security harness on.
The pilot called out from the cabin.
"Hang on, this is gonna be rough"
The electric whine form the engines grew louder and the ship started to shake while the engines produced enough force to lift them up. The shaking lasted for a few more seconds and then they started to feel movement. Once the pod lifted off the ground the shaking stopped and all that could be felt was the vibration produced by the engines. The pod began to lift up, but it only went up a couple of feet when suddenly the same noise sounded above them, followed by the harsh scrapping of metal on metal.
"Sir there's an engine malfunction!" The pilot said.
"WHAT!?"
The scraping became grinding and the whole ship began to shake. The engines stoped producing lift and the pod came down hard.
"OW!"-Cried the little girl-"Daddy, I'm scared"
Ignoring her, he asked the pilot
"What's happening?"
"There was an engine malfunction sir"
"GODDAMIT! You already told me that, what caused it?"
"I don't know sir, I'd have to go outside to check it"
"Can we lift of as we are now?"
"I don't know sir"
Again there came sounds from the ceiling. This time it sounded as footsteps. Then another sound, like, the crackling of electricity.
All four on the pod watched silently while a circular outline began to appear on the ceiling panel.
"Daddy, what's going on?"
The electrical sound grew louder and when the circle was complete, it came crashing down on the floor. Light came in from the outside through the newly made hole.
"He he he" Someone laughed outside. "Got 'em"
Then that person entered the ship through the hole. It was a man equiped with an SCV, obviously a worker from the mineral deposits or from the Vespene refinery. Only his face showed trough the faceplate. It looked dirty and rough.
He looked at the bunch, showing a grin that was missing a few teeth.
"You fine folk wouldn't be thinking about leavin' us poor fellows down here would ya?"
They were silent.
"WOULD YA???" He screamed.
The wife started sobbing.
"Oooohhh, just look at the missus, all watered up. We'll guess what? It seems you're gonna be staying down here with the whole lot of us. There ain't a single 'scape pod we're letting go.
Didja think that just 'cause you're rich and all that, you can just up and leave us behind to be killed? We ain't as stupid as that. No sir..."
"Daddy, We're not going on a trip anymore?" The little girl asked.
He was speechless.
"Yep. You fine folk are gonna be stayin' down here with us."
In the distance the sounds of the battle could be heard quite clearly.