Mind rapidly clearing, Lydia Bracken, Captain of the
Starcraft Defiance, and Lukazj Woiczek, flight specialist -
she kept rehearsing the things she could be sure she knew, and with
each rehearsal, came more certainties - made their way down the
central shaft of the ship towards the aft section, containing the
Science Lab and the living quarters.
The drugs Lukazj had jabbed her with were doing wonders for her
powers of concentration, and with each passing moment, and each
mental affirmation of the things she thought she knew, the fabric of
her reality was flattening out, where before it had seemed twisted,
folded, and confused, like the core of a lettuce.
They passed a dented access panel, evidently blown out of place by
an exploding capacitor in the Fusion reactor output regulator
cabinet. The panel gently tumbled, showing a scorched "#3".
Other pieces of dented and smashed debris tumbled around the
shaft, dissipating kinetic energy even now, a good hour after the
power surge had instigated the uncontrolled acceleration.
The hatch to the aft section had been sealed for transit, but it
took what seemed like a herculean effort from both of them to open
it. It was dented and dinged by the impact of pretty much all the
detritus they had just passed.
Finally, it hissed, the pressures equalised - that in itself was a
relief, she had begun to fear what they might find on the other side
- but at least it was still pressurised. Lukazj hauled the door open
on its battered hinges.
Salinas came barelling out of the lab door, puddles of tears
welled around her deep brown eyes, and blood on her hands and torso.
"¡Dios mio! Oh thank heavens you two are ok!" She
plowed into Lydia, smothering her in a hug, smearing the back of her
flightsuit with the grime on her hands. Lydia had to hold onto the
hatch frame to avoid tumbling back up the shaft.
Clinging to Lydia, right up in her ear, Marta Salinas sobbed
"Malik just..." she slurped a messy intake of breath and
whimpered.
Bracken wilted. "No, oh gods, no."
Lukazj pulled himself through the hatch, and glided to the rim of
the Lab door.
He just whispered "Jesus fuck.", and
silently closed his eyes.
With Marta insensate, weeping, clinging to her like a baby
chimpanzee, Lydia peered over his shoulder.
Malik Abbal, Science lead, had met a similar fate to the aft
console back in the cockpit - he'd taken an impactor to the stomach,
and burst like a water balloon. The shock had torn his G-seat off its
bearing, and had evidently sent him bouncing around the cabin like
the debris in the central shaft. He was covered in lacerations, blood
still bubbling out of most of them... but he had, somehow it seemed,
lived until only a few moments ago.
The scene was outlandish, parts of Malik's digestive tract hanging
out of him, pieces of him adhering to the walls, the whole lab
smashed asunder by the bouncing of him in his chair. Marta's seat
spattered on one side, but otherwise undamaged.
Lydia reached in and closed the door. She couldn't keep seeing
that. She looked at Lukazj's ghostly face.
"Come on, let's get cleaned up."
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