I did this about a year ago as an experiment in Sci-fi.... I'm still working out the many kinks!
It's hot here.
The rays from the sun are penetrating the outside panels and insulation of my ship. The metal grating presses against my face, and everything is in the wrong direction. I sit up, run my hand over my sweating face, and brush the hair out of my eyes.
The rest of the crew is still unconscious, and some look worse for wear than others. I don't even know if they are still alive.
I pull myself onto my knees, and feel a twinge in my lower abdomen. My stomach lurches as my hands come away from my side covered with blood. I grasp the hyper drive cables, and use them to lever myself to a standing position.
It's getting hotter and hotter. I check the internal thermometer. It's at a hundred and three. I reach for the radio, and bring it closer.
"this is Jean Silver of the 006 Artemis, requesting immediate assistance...... Is any one there?" The radio crackles, and a voice answers.
"006 Artemis, this is the StarGlider Base in the Ofelia ring. We have received your message, but are unable to assist. The sensors report that you are nearing the second sun in the Medae system." bile tickled the back of my throat. I checked the heat again. A hundred and ten.
"That is correct.... Is there anything to be done?" I already knew the answer.
"Negative." I let my head fall to the table. My tears feel cool against my hot skin, and my eyes begin to ache.
"I'm so sorry-- Over and out."
I move over to check the crew, taking the radio with me.
turning them over one by one, I talk into the speaker.
"Chessa LeMond, deceased."
"Eric Gilliam, deceased."
"Jarom Gilliam, deceased."
"Lacy Simone, deceased."
"Margretta Lu, breathing, but unable to move from current position." a ventilation shaft had fallen from above, cutting into Lu's hip bone. I felt shaky and helpless.
Why check the heat again? I knew it had gone up again, and would continue to increase.
We had been crossing through the Medae System to make a routine supply drop on colony planet
#00-491, but had been hit by an unforeseen meteor. We took it hard. The main engines and life support had been knocked out, the hull compromised. we were shaken off course, and moved closer to the sun. we were slowly floating through the silent darkness toward the fires of hell.
It wouldn't be long before me and Lu died of heat, and she would probably go first. I would die alone.
The pain in my side is getting worse, and Lu's heartbeat erratic and shallow. I propped myself on my elbows, and let my eye lids drift shut.
Something is messing with the Mainframe. A beeping sound comes from the sealed off corridor to my left. I hear metal hitting metal, and the beeping ceases. Someone knocks on the door.
I sit silently, waiting for the noise to come again.
The someone raps out 'Shave and a Haircut'.
"Hello? anyone there?" it was a light tenor voice with a slight lisp. My heart leaped in my chest.
"I'm here!" I stood hurriedly, and cried out in pain.
"Miss, are you all right?"
"I'm injured. But Hades, it's hot in here!" I moved towards the door control panel.
"Miss, can you open the door?" I wasn't much for electrical Jerry-rigging, "Miss?"
"I don't know!"
"What is your name?"
" What?"
"Your name, miss."
"Jean.... Jean!" I was breathing heavily, and my sweat started to steam on my skin.
"right, Jean! see the panel on the right side of the door? take off the cover, and look for the black wire."
I pulled around the edges of the panel, and exposed the hundreds of multicolored wires. I found the black one.
"Now what?"
"Cut it!" I turned around and rummaged through the tools, finally digging up the wire cutters. Separating the black wire from the others, I snipped through it. The door slid open, and I screamed.
>*<
"Miss? Miss Jean?" I opened my eyes, and looked up at the slanted reptilian eyes, and felt sick to my stomach. I was never one for the Strange Ones. My head hurt, and my vision was blurry. The Slaviil all looked down on me, their eyes non-blinking.
I couldn't count them proper. So many, then so few. When my eyes stopped jumping around, there were seven, all scaly-skinned and yellow-eyed.
the one by my side grinned, revealing thin pointed teeth.
"Miss Jean?" I gulped and brushed the hair out of my eyes.
"Ya, what?"
"I am Sythiim Hyssti. You are injured, and badly too. We've patched you up, and if it is all right with you, we can move back to our ship. Of course, we'll have to hurry," I looked each of them over. The uniforms suggested some type of federation, or alliance.
The question was, which one? there were hundreds of thousands in the Liicripto sector alone, and not all were honest folk. I looked over my situation.
"What the heck, get me out of here!"
Two of the Slaviil from the back came forward, awkwardly lifted my slender form, and carried me through the doorway.
"Wait! what about Lu?" I spun around frantically, trying to see her, and causing my side to sting in protest. Door-Man turned around, and glanced at the blue-skinned beauty.
"She is among the dead now." he tilted his head, and blinked for the first time, "I am sorry."
I was carried through the ship, down to the failing airlock, and taken on board a salvage vessel. Now that was unusual. Federations held at least a small amount of class, and wouldn't fly something as slap-dash as this. The hairs on the back of my neck rose up. It was cooler than on the ship, but I could tell it was still hot. Blue lights flashed on and off, and the Slaviil left odd shadows on the mixed-metal corridor walls. We twisted and turned, and I lost all sense of direction. Finally we came to a panel in the wall, which slid silently aside when we approached. I was set on a padded table in a well lit room.
A female Slaviil stepped forward, and began removing the gauze bandaging on my wound. All the men folk left except for Sythiim, leaving a nothing but silence. I began to shake from the sudden drop in temperature, and my mouth was dry. The nurse injected me with something, and I lost feeling in my limbs. Sythiim came over to me.
"Everything will be alright now. You are safe. Rest. When you wake up, you will be home. Rest." I slipped into the dark of calm safe sleep.
I woke up in my city apartment, in my bed. The sun peeked through the curtains, and the sun had risen high over Eldoridine.
