SEP-010, Chapter 11.

[Scav]

Meanwhile, in deep space:

SEP-010, Chapter 11.

Jamie Cunningham's eyes shot open as she jerked awake.

The lingering image of Svetlana Zaytseva examining an unnaturally colored blood vial chilled her to the core, especially knowing whose blood it was supposed to be. She swallowed hard, still trying to shrug off the pins and needles coursing through her skin.

The next thing she was aware of was the sound of guitars, and she realized she still had her earbuds from her iPod stuck in her ears. She listened to the music for a moment, chiefly to try to dispell her competely disrupted senses.

"Did I have the dream . . . or did the dream have me?" The voice sang. Jamie froze, focusing acutely on the lyrics, and she savored the dark irony of the moment before shutting the iPod off in disgust.

The door to her sleeping cabin opened abruptly, and she whirled about. Sienna Morrison poked her head in. Her eyes were wide open as if she was stunned.

"You alright, Jamie?" She said.

Jamie nodded. "It's nothing . . . it was just a dream," she lied glibly.

"Right," Sienna intoned, and Jamie's eyes darkened at her tone.

"I'm alright," Jamie insisted, and Sienna nodded shortly.

"Let's have some breakfast," she offered.

* * *

Eating scrambled eggs proved difficult. The problem wasn't inherent in the actual motor skills required to eat. Jamie Cunningham found her efforts slow . . . deliberate . . . and woefully poignant as she speared each cell of food with her fork, brought it into her mouth, and chewed.

Her mind roared with the details of her dream. She'd been known to dream lucidly before; in the months after she'd enrolled at the University to study, her dreams had been filled with the overwhelming chaos she'd left behind. It took a long time to come to terms with everything she had experienced in that time, and the sudden intrusion of the dream she'd just pulled herself out of was unwelcome in the least.

"I heard you scream in there," Sienna said bluntly as she chewed on her food.

Jamie flashed her a disparaging look. "Do you always begin conversations this way?"

"I'm just saying," Sienna replied. "It didn't seem like just a dream, really. Your reaction was enough to wake me up."

"Sorry," Jamie said tartly, and Sienna shrugged.

"As your mental health professional, and your friend," Sienna added lowly, "I feel it's my bounden duty to oversee the stability and happiness of the crew. That includes you, dearie. So! If I'm not prying too obtusely, what was the dream about?"

"Nothing," Jamie repeated slowly. This time there was a genuine edge to her voice, and she half-heartedly glared at Sienna from across the compartment.

The silence in the compartment became deafening, and Jamie picked up her tray, slid the cover over it and carried it quietly with her up the middeck transfer tunnel.

"Sorry," She heard.

* * *

Brian Adkinson was there.

As Jamie Cunningham floated into the cockpit, she frowned slightly as she planned her route to her chair. Adkinson wasn't the first person she wanted to see, and her gut feeling put her immediately at odds with her intention to finish her breakfast in peace.

"Hiya, kiddo," Adkinson said cheerfully as she approached, and she growled through her nose.

"I wanted to take in the view," She lied as she stuck her tray to a patch of velcro on the overhead panel, and Adkinson nodded.

"We're about a day out now," He said as he pointed out the window. "Earth's getting bigger. Have you had a chance to review the aerocapture procedure?"

"Yeah," She mumbled. "It's been a little while; maybe we can go over it again?"

"Sure, just a --"

Jamie Cunningham sucked in a breath loudly.

She failed to notice the chopped sentence issued from Adkinson's mouth . . . as her brain froze for just an instant. Her eyes picked up the the small, scintilating object that formed out of the corner of her eye, near the blue coronal hue that was Earth's atmosphere.

It took that instant . . . and then something clicked oddly in her head and she realized what the object was, and what it was doing. Her fingers jerked into action, dancing furiously about her keypad, and she jerked the translational joystick to the stopper.

"What the?!" Adkinson barked stridently as the RCS jets fired.

The object augured in at an insanely fast closing velocity, and Jamie Cunningham shut down amidst the sudden, frantic confusion around her.

"Jason, no!" She shouted . . . but it was too late. She saw the blinding flash of light. The unbelievably loud, dull bang! of the impact. The bone-jarring movement knocked the wind out of her. Just as her eyes clamped shut, she saw the world spinning around her, punctuated with the strangely brilliant white streaks of flying glass.

Then she heard sirens.

Only . . . they weren't the frenetic wail of police car sirens; the sound was too . . . computerized, and it repeated and ululated in a strangely nagging way. That, and she felt the air around her: it was cool and dry . . . not warm, humid, rife with mosquitoes and echoing with the droning songs of frogs and crickets.

"Jamie, are you okay?" A man's voice demanded fervently. She opened her eyes again and saw the blackness out of the windows in front of her. Her lungs still held in the breath she'd taken in just before the impact, and she found herself with just enough wherewithal in her to become suddenly puzzled with the fact she was seeing stars.

* * *

 

[Marvin42]

Without a costume you resist a few seconds in space. Unconscious make you exhale so her lungs should be not fully inflated. In fact the natural reaction for a human becoming conscious again is to inhale. Even if she had a costume on her, an air tank is vital otherwise she will very quickly kill herself breathing. I doubt they would wear space suits with helmets on. The only option left is that she is still in the ship and inside there is still air (otherwise a decompression would have killed her instantly). She was probably thrown on an external window and the glass must be from something else. So the damage is elsewhere. Keep it up, great series.

 

[Scav]

The glass *is* from something else. I'm not turning this into a David Weber moment; don't worry.

Thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying this.

 

[Marvin42]

One more comment regarding the series: is it not too fast? I want action, but I'm feeling the series are approching the end and I hardly know the caracters. I want to relate to them but could not make any favorites. I wished some actions were better explained. Take for example the nice description of the song they had together: great idea. But how did this affect the caracters? It must have had some marks, impressions, they are humans and humans hate, dislike, love, have moods, try to relate and make friends, etc. Even if I'm inside a caracter's point of view (like THE walk on the moon), I still can't understand, after the actions are made, what were the trigers in their personality. It's an amazing start for the story you did so far but those caracters must live outside it. And another note: Would it be possible to get more (I know, i know, but can't help it ) details in the story? (buttons on the MFDs, tint of the windows, colour of the walls, the dirt under the bed (well, better not that anyway ))

 

[ky]

Keeping us in suspense, I see I wonder how this will turn out for her. Keep up the great work :thumbup:

 

[Scav]

is it not too fast? I want action, but I'm feeling the series are approching the end and I hardly know the caracters. I want to relate to them but could not make any favorites.

True -- were this in-flight accident not to have occurred, the crew would be well on their way to ending the story. As it is . . . this is something I planned, and for better or for worse, there's much more to this story.

One of the challenges I've had for a long time (read: when I was in grade school) was creating characters that were either memorable, or endearing. Other people have observed, and I've even observed on my own that a lot of my characters are little more than automatons going about their daily tasks. I've wanted to take on the task of character development and modification, but that's a skill I've felt I've been lacking.

I can see your point, though. When I plan a plot arc like this (plan? a plot arc? ha!), it can be either a simple resolution spanning a few hours of 'story time' (as it was in SEP-008), or a major conflaguration such as the one I'm in the middle of here.

I guess at this point, I can reflect on what I've put down . . . reflect on what has been said until this point . . . and work any clarifications in later on.

I think that's a manifestation of my strategy, at least. I've put a lot of energy into introducing my characters so far; perhaps it's time to take a look further into what makes each of them tick?

Keeping us in suspense, I see I wonder how this will turn out for her. Keep up the great work :thumbup:

I had to give you guys something good in return for jerking you all around like that.

Thanks again for the comments, guys.

 

[Marvin42]

I think that's a manifestation of my strategy, at least. I've put a lot of energy into introducing my characters so far; perhaps it's time to take a look further into what makes each of them tick?

I believe your characters are humans. Are introduced well (chapter 7 made me say 'he's got it!'). They definitely make the whole story so damn interesting. I love it. I just wish they were put in more (small or big) situations relevant to the plot. For example drawing in sand with a finger expected me to say: of course she will do that, only she could have done that, i already know this character so well, it was obvious she will do that, why didn't I think of it? Right now I have no idea why she did that, except that she’s the main character, while Svetlana did the most expected gesture. I felt drawn to her because she was teaching Jamie a lesson after Jamie proved emotional. In this episode I can see how quickly, cold blooded she can react in face of danger. It was a small shock to see the romantic girl transform so much. Can she become a captain? I have no idea. Best chapters so far...well....very hard to say (in a very positive way). Maybe chapter 8 and this one but they definitely evolve amazing from one to another. Please don't end the series. Let them land; I'd love to meet their families, get to know them better and launch them again .

 

[Aeadar]

Doh! It's happened again! And this time on a WEEKEND!

Thanks Scav. Thanks a lot.:lol:

You, my friend, have a special talent for ending your installments at just the right moment to elicit responses like: "NOOOooooooo!", or, "AAARRRRGGGGHHH!".

Seriously, I think I have an idea where you're going, and you're doing great.

Keep up the excellent work! I'm loving it.





Well crap! Now I need a Big Mac...

 

[Scav]

Seriously, I think I have an idea where you're going

That's right. I'm going to hell. :rofl:
(On a more serious note . . . I'm totally jazzed right along with you. Sometimes my prose does stuff even I don't expect.)

In this episode I can see how quickly, cold blooded she can react in face of danger. It was a small shock to see the romantic girl transform so much. Can she become a captain? I have no idea.

I think we all go through life never truly knowing what we're ultimately capable of, until we're put to the test. It's then that we learn our true strengths, overcome our weaknesses to the level best of our abilities, and triumph or fall gloriously in the end.

Please don't end the series. Let them land; I'd love to meet their families, get to know them better and launch them again .

Well crap! Now I need a Big Mac...

Amen to that!