《Emerald》Stranded
Advertisement
Andrej, Carlos and Mil assemble in ops to listen to Dray's report and analyse the recordings of the crash. The pilot's voice sounds strangely detached and impersonal. Mil is convinced Dray is in a state of shock. She would like to reassure her, but feels utterly helpless.
"I have only emergency power and no working sensors on the outside. The shuttle looks bad, clinched and torn on the left side. The hull is cracked. I'm not able to start the engine, but that's not surprising, all the controls are broken and dead. The naviscreen is splintered. One of this long plastic slivers skewered Koshi."
Mil swallows hard. Something like this is not supposed to happen. Belted in his moulded seat according to regulations the captain should have survived almost every crash imaginable.
"Dray? Where was Koshi's when it happened?"
"He was suiting up. I should have kept him chained to his seat."
Dray sounds bitter. Mil can't think of an adequate answer, so she stares at her hands and tries to stop their slight trembling. In the meantime Andrej managed to recover the last images of the shuttle's sensors. Mil looks up to follow the recording while Carlos' hand rests soothingly on her shoulder. Andrej plays the recording of all sensors in sync.
The resulting flood of images is confusing, but after a few minutes one recording after the other blanks out. Carlos points to a screen in the lower row on the left. Andrej zooms the indicated recording to the bigger main screen. It's the view from one of the aft side sensors, following the rotation of the shuttle. During the first turn, the peaceful and quiet clearing is visible. But halfway through the second turn, the sensor registers a giant branch. The shuttle smashes against it sideways, unchecked. Before the picture fades, it shows the ground closing in quickly. Mil can't suppress a shocked exclamation.
Advertisement
Dray asks worried for the reason. Andrej's answer is deliberately calm and businesslike.
"We watched the recordings of the crash. You're right, there was a tree where moments before there was none. You had no chance avoiding it. Do you think you can save the shuttle?"
"Negative. But I'm suiting up now. I want to check the damage from the outside."
"Don't forget the mask!"
"Why? The whole left side of this tin-can is torn open. I'm breathing air from out there already. You've been right, Mil, it's okay, just a bit moist and it smells faintly of rot."
"Take the mask anyway. It's got a camera. It will allow us to see something as well."
Impatiently, Mil waits for the transmission. The image is blurred as Dray seems to hold the mask in her hand. One of the first things discernible is Koshi. The captain lays in his own blood in a corner of the tilted shuttle floor. Mil closes her eyes and is grateful for Carlos' proximity. When she forces her eyes open again, she sees Andrej shiver and hug himself. But his voice remains steady.
"Put on the mask, Dray. This will steady the image and free your hands for climbing."
Dray follows the instruction without comment. They watch silently as the pilot tries to open the hatch. But it is stuck by the deformation of the frame. Mil holds her breath while Dray climbs through the crack in the outer hull.
Once outside, she inspects the damage. The shuttle's nose is buried deep in muddy ground amongst a field of tiny saplings. They hardly reach Dray's knee. She turns around and looks up. Now the whole extension of the damage becomes clear. Right beside the shuttle a giant tree stands in the clearing. An enormous branch is broken off close to the trunk and splintered. It tore the skin of the shuttle from bow to stern. The vessel will never fly again.
Advertisement
"Listen, Dray, we will get you out of there. Andrej, come, let's start the ship."
Carlos sounds determined, he already left ops and the astrophysicist hastens to follow him. Mil finds herself in the situation to watch com once more. Only this time she feels obliged to maintain conversation with Dray. She takes a deep breath, pushing away the awkwardness.
"Carlos and Andrej try to start the engine. It will take a while, but we will get you out of there. Tell me more about you. Are you hurt?"
"No, I'm alright. Better, now I don't have to avoid watching Koshi all the time. The clearing is quite beautiful, almost like the forest back home where I grew up. I loved the forest as a child."
While exchanging childhood memories with the pilot, Mil listens for the sounds of the engine. Finally she feels the vibrations of the secondary engine and shortly after the hum of the main one warming up. Now they'll have to wait for the plasma chamber to reach working temperature.
"Dray? Carlos did..."
After a screech the hum ebbs slowly away. The biting smell of burnt plastic spreads in the ship.
Advertisement
The Destroying Protector
Vorlianth The Eternal was the only dragon of his world Xavius and he only knew how to destroy. Taking lives of another was natural for him until he was 1025 years old. It was then he grew tired of killing and he now seeks a purpose in his long life. The goddess of eternal youth Hebe granted him an offer when he was 1724 years old: He shall be transported into another World, but as a human! In return he has to protect a girl, who is vital for the goddess. Will he accept the offer and start to protect?This is my first fiction, it will contain gore and sexual content. Furthermore is english not my native language, which is why I am practicing it by writing a story. Please point out mistakes and enjoy. Also the main character might be OP (but you could have guessed that already :P )
8 87Fate of Souls
Nineteen-year-old Carter Elm awakens one morning with the arrival of the System, which shuts down modern technology and brings with it magic and beasts. With a desire to use magic, Carter begins learning it, soon setting off to enter the nearby Dungeon to complete a Quest. There, Carter meets Lucas, a wounded young man with an interest in alchemy. Together, they train to conquer the Dungeon they're trapped inside, developing a deep bond of friendship and more. When they finally manage to leave the Dungeon, the world is a changed place. Most of the population has died and survivors have banded together to form new settlements and societies. Carter and Lucas settle in to the new ways of the world, becoming adventurers like many others to protect their home and hunt what's needed. Occasionally, they even find time to go on an adventure of their own or just sit back and relax for a little while. There will be: wolfboys, catboys, fairy boys, and more, and there might even a harem of them. I haven't decided for sure if there's a harem yet or not, but I've put the tag on because it's not outside of the realm of possibility. There is also a Level reset mechanic that will come into play. This is not an OP powerfantasy. While the MC will grow strong, he won't become ridiculously powerful for an adventurer and will meet others at or above his own level of might from time to time. There will be times he struggles, fails, or needs to retreat. There is no posting schedule. Chapters will go up when I post them.
8 2262332: Fleeing the Arrakis
What if you can build a town that moves faster than the speed of light? Silas Creedy, a retired Olympic Fencer in his late twenties, has befallen hard times in a crashing economy caused by dwindling rare minerals on Earth and Helium-3 on the lunar surface. He works as a manual laborer for the Space Force, accepting a measly pay while maintaining a strong physique. On Monday morning, Silas receives a notice of termination, but General Grant Freeman makes a dangerous offer: explore a distant star system in a top-secret electrogravitic spaceship while wearing a prototype exosuit that augments reality into a role-playing game. The objectives? Locate a source of Helium-3. Plain and uncomplicated. Silas accepts, but on an Earth-like planet he comes across a seemingly unmanned crashed spaceship that has a remarkably similar aesthetic to his exosuit. As local Fauna attack him, the crashed ship’s AI hijacks his suit’s programming, fends off the the locals, and repairs itself by fusing with Silas’ ship. Silas soon finds himself in the midst of a war between two Kardashev type-3 civilizations vying for dominance over the Milky Way. With his new AI companion, Tracey, Silas decides to go on the run to keep Earth’s location secret. Contains profanity, gore, transhumanism, and eventual real-world LitRPG character stats and spaceship-building mechanics.
8 726Heaven Sealing Art
my first story, hope you enjoy it.Lin Mei was born as the second child in the Lin family , an ancient clan who lost his prestige with time.Follow her adventures as she roams the road of martial art, while she makes friends and also deadly enemies.
8 105Economicalopoly
Humanity had gotten this far. How far, might you be wondering? Quite far indeed. The world had effectively become an ecumenopolis, almost; not in real life at least, in Economicalopoly of course! More on that later, in our story the main character is Charlie. Charlie was an exceptionally talented young man, the key word being 'was'. He was an incredibly unmotivated individual who generally steered clear from other 'Homo sapiens' as he put it. This was all because of an accident he had early on in life, when he was but 15 years old.
8 101Bethany Adamson has done everything that her strict parents and uncle Brian have demanded of her. Straight A's every report card. Never missed a day of school..... ever! In return, her parents were supposed to pay for half of her college tuition. They backed out. They also inform her that her uncle Brian, is her father. She joins the Army to help pay for her college. Bethany excells in breaking secret messages quickly. This catches the eye of Tanner 'Demo ' Cline. Leader of an elite special ops unit. Can they keep their feelings to themselves? Can Bethany keep Demo and his unit safe? Can Demo keep Bethany safe? This story is fiction. All locations, events, and people are made up in my head. Although the Army has certain ranks and units, I do not know how they operate. It is rated mature for language, sex scenes, and violence. Thank you for reading! Remember to vote and/or comment. If you find an error, please let me know. Lots of love, Menarhodes!
8 171