*I apologize for my recent lack of posting. Today, I have a poem for you (the first I have ever writ) that I wrote for my Wife.
Two roses in a vase,
stand quietly face to face.
Their beauty resonates in the place,
sending love though all space.
A symbol of time's fragile hands,
and endless journeys to faraway lands.
The joy of open sands
and the despair of forgotten plans.
The brightness of a star's light,
in the empty darkness of true night.
Fear of a foolish plight,
and the blindness of true love's sight.
A beacon of hope,
as carefully woven as silken rope.
The fearsome desire to elope,
matched with the battle of the uphill slope.
Two lovers in embrace,
together their hands gently laced.
Their hearts desperately try to keep pace
with the beauty of two roses in a vase.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Bring 'em home pt.6 (an excerpt)
*Another excerpt from my BSG simm. Sorry for the delay on updates - been a busy month.
Davin's voice lept to his throat when Jami pulled the revolver from its holster, but hung there in the same hoarse trap that had plagued him on the ride back to the ship. His body froze, as did the other men beside him, when fire erupted from the barrel. Having been a career pilot, Davin wasn't accustom to seeing men get shot. The gun's discharge was much louder in the enclosed space, a thunderclap that demanded the attention of people several decks away. Solace turned just in time to meet the deadly projectiles, his body rocking backward with every hit. As his back jumped twice or three times, blood shot forward in long thin streams. Davin's eyes doubled, and knowing that he was weak from exhaustion, all he could do was turn to the beast at his side. That man was accustom to gun shots. That man was accustom to violence. That man was already moving.
Baul was Abadox at that moment. Only intense situations made him thus and he was always left wondering exactly what had happened. This proved no different. The surroundings were suddenly foreign, everyone speaking in echoes. They were running around in a panic it seemed. At least they were alive and that brought a sense of ease to him, but still something brought on his heightened sense of things and the slow motion event occurring around him.
Looking about, he saw a body on the floor. In the other direction was his admiral seemingly shoved hard into a nearby console. His hand hurt as though slapping a blunt and metallic object. A pinch entered his mind and he traced the source of that pinch to his left arm to which he eyed and saw a small hole, quickly spilling his own blood.
Slowly turning his head back to the right, he saw several bodies moving in on a girl. He had seen her many times and once several consecutive times as he floated by. No names came to him just yet, but he started to realize someone had just been shot, and not only himself. The bullet he took was apparently meant for someone else.
He looked again at his hurting hand and used it to try closing up the small hole in his arm. The situation had apparently calmed enough that he no longer needed to act. A climax was reached and resolution had set in, thus allowing him to regain himself and figure out what had just happened.
All in all, he was simply standing there. Diodorus had descended to the floor after a massive palm sent him away. Solace’s fall was caused by a bullet from Jami’s gun which had come to rest against a wall on the far side of CIC. And Jami was being pulled to the floor by several marines. Baul, as he was recognizing his surroundings, was also recalling the past few seconds.
Davin stood frozen as the marines cuffed Jami, writhing on the floor like some sort of villainous snake. Solace has been shot. He looked to one side of CIC and the other as the officers stood with blank stares. No one was sure what had just happened, or how to handle it. Davin looked at Dio, who was standing from where Baul shoved him. His eyes were wide and vacant. His uniform was still out of place from the shove. Baul stood near the marnies, slowly becoming more aware of his surroundings. Solace has been shot. Davin's mind raced. He was exhausted and near his limit, and this new occurance was close to pushing him over that edge. He felt himself slipping, then he heard a voice that had been missing for a while. His father spoke to him alone. "They need orders. They need their XO, and that's you now. Step up soldier."
Then he was back, and the tunnels that his hearing and vision were traveling down disappeared. He felt as if he'd awoken from a nap. He looked at the marines, who were slowly raising the writhing form of the previous tactical officer. "GET HER TO THE BRIG UNHARMED! MOVE!" Davin looked to the communications station, where a enlisted man he didn't know was staring listlessly. "Get me the med bay immediately." By the time Davin reached the plot table, the enlisted man pointed toward him. He lifted the receiver quickly, eying Solace's wheezing body and it's slowly spreading pool of blood. Dio was kneeling slowly beside him - the blank stare dominant again. Davin pressed the receiver to his ear. "This is the XO." You sure about that? "I need a medical team to CIC NOW! We have an officer down." Davin slammed the receiver and walked to Dio's side.
"Admiral?"
The man didn't recognize the call. His face was as blank and frozen as a picture of it would've been.
"ADMIRAL!"
The man remained still and silent, and Davin finally grabbed him by the shoulders, forcing him to stand. Dio looked surprised, but still didn't answer. Against his better judgment, Davin took two handfuls of his uniform and pulled Dio close. His arms were trembling with exhaustion. His voice was a hiss, barely audible above the buzz in the room. "Get it together soldier. Your men need you." He gave a final shake, and finally the eyes returned to a normal state.
*Baul's five paragraphs near the beginning are the work of Brad Linton.
Davin's voice lept to his throat when Jami pulled the revolver from its holster, but hung there in the same hoarse trap that had plagued him on the ride back to the ship. His body froze, as did the other men beside him, when fire erupted from the barrel. Having been a career pilot, Davin wasn't accustom to seeing men get shot. The gun's discharge was much louder in the enclosed space, a thunderclap that demanded the attention of people several decks away. Solace turned just in time to meet the deadly projectiles, his body rocking backward with every hit. As his back jumped twice or three times, blood shot forward in long thin streams. Davin's eyes doubled, and knowing that he was weak from exhaustion, all he could do was turn to the beast at his side. That man was accustom to gun shots. That man was accustom to violence. That man was already moving.
Baul was Abadox at that moment. Only intense situations made him thus and he was always left wondering exactly what had happened. This proved no different. The surroundings were suddenly foreign, everyone speaking in echoes. They were running around in a panic it seemed. At least they were alive and that brought a sense of ease to him, but still something brought on his heightened sense of things and the slow motion event occurring around him.
Looking about, he saw a body on the floor. In the other direction was his admiral seemingly shoved hard into a nearby console. His hand hurt as though slapping a blunt and metallic object. A pinch entered his mind and he traced the source of that pinch to his left arm to which he eyed and saw a small hole, quickly spilling his own blood.
Slowly turning his head back to the right, he saw several bodies moving in on a girl. He had seen her many times and once several consecutive times as he floated by. No names came to him just yet, but he started to realize someone had just been shot, and not only himself. The bullet he took was apparently meant for someone else.
He looked again at his hurting hand and used it to try closing up the small hole in his arm. The situation had apparently calmed enough that he no longer needed to act. A climax was reached and resolution had set in, thus allowing him to regain himself and figure out what had just happened.
All in all, he was simply standing there. Diodorus had descended to the floor after a massive palm sent him away. Solace’s fall was caused by a bullet from Jami’s gun which had come to rest against a wall on the far side of CIC. And Jami was being pulled to the floor by several marines. Baul, as he was recognizing his surroundings, was also recalling the past few seconds.
Davin stood frozen as the marines cuffed Jami, writhing on the floor like some sort of villainous snake. Solace has been shot. He looked to one side of CIC and the other as the officers stood with blank stares. No one was sure what had just happened, or how to handle it. Davin looked at Dio, who was standing from where Baul shoved him. His eyes were wide and vacant. His uniform was still out of place from the shove. Baul stood near the marnies, slowly becoming more aware of his surroundings. Solace has been shot. Davin's mind raced. He was exhausted and near his limit, and this new occurance was close to pushing him over that edge. He felt himself slipping, then he heard a voice that had been missing for a while. His father spoke to him alone. "They need orders. They need their XO, and that's you now. Step up soldier."
Then he was back, and the tunnels that his hearing and vision were traveling down disappeared. He felt as if he'd awoken from a nap. He looked at the marines, who were slowly raising the writhing form of the previous tactical officer. "GET HER TO THE BRIG UNHARMED! MOVE!" Davin looked to the communications station, where a enlisted man he didn't know was staring listlessly. "Get me the med bay immediately." By the time Davin reached the plot table, the enlisted man pointed toward him. He lifted the receiver quickly, eying Solace's wheezing body and it's slowly spreading pool of blood. Dio was kneeling slowly beside him - the blank stare dominant again. Davin pressed the receiver to his ear. "This is the XO." You sure about that? "I need a medical team to CIC NOW! We have an officer down." Davin slammed the receiver and walked to Dio's side.
"Admiral?"
The man didn't recognize the call. His face was as blank and frozen as a picture of it would've been.
"ADMIRAL!"
The man remained still and silent, and Davin finally grabbed him by the shoulders, forcing him to stand. Dio looked surprised, but still didn't answer. Against his better judgment, Davin took two handfuls of his uniform and pulled Dio close. His arms were trembling with exhaustion. His voice was a hiss, barely audible above the buzz in the room. "Get it together soldier. Your men need you." He gave a final shake, and finally the eyes returned to a normal state.
*Baul's five paragraphs near the beginning are the work of Brad Linton.
Monday, October 1, 2007
The REAL World
*Today I bring you a post that is sadly enough a work of nonfiction. Enjoy!
I have discovered something that should be common knowledge since my departure from an institution of higher learning. All of the things learned there are, in fact, useful in the REAL world. I say REAL in almost the same vein in which it is communicated in movies like the Matrix because while in college most students, I for one, live in a fantasy world. This world is the one where you go to class everyday, or at least show up for class everyday, with the mindset that once you leave it the material covered will stay there until you are forced to regurgitate it on command when a test is thrust before you. Unfortunately, when you enter the REAL world you start seeing disturbingly familiar images from that other realm. You start seeing references to that material you so callously memorized the night before the test. Dare I say, you hear others speak of it.
I graduated recently from a four year university with a degree in Computer Science. This, of course, is supposed to prepare me to become a programmer. I trudged and drudged my way through the work, picking up bits and pieces as I went, and graduated with what I considered to be a good grade point average. During my senior year, as is recommended by the faculty, I began the interview process. I was hired just before graduation by a software company as a, ahem, Software Developer. Having written countless ridiculous academic programs I signed the contract with a huge "I know I can do this I've been writing programs for four years" grin. My first day of work, however, slapped that big huge grin right off my face.
On my first day I sauntered in with my big grin shining, and I met with the Director of Research and Development. During this meeting I was told which team I would be assigned to. Yes, you read that correctly. TEAM. All those fatuous group assignments and activities that are supposed to "prepare you for a team environment" are actually well planned. All work in the software industry (and most others) is done in teams, and everyone is expected to accomplish their tasks or the whole team fails. You don't have time to cover the work of a slacker. You don't have time to BE a slacker.
The next little nugget of information I received was that I was going to be using a completely new language. At that moment I had some horrifying flash backs to my 'programming languages' course where we studied the very dynamics of language itself. Sadly, all those generic classes that students moan and groan about actually do have a purpose. I remembered sitting in my classes with my big grin thinking "I don't know why we have to take this crap. We're never going to need it." When I heard of this new language my thought pattern immediately assured me that I couldn't possibly be expected to start work with a language I didn't fully understand. After all, this isn't school and you don't have to do homework right? Wrong. As soon as I got to my desk I learned the system of 'bug tickets' and discovered that I already had two assigned to me. They slapped a big fat book on my desk that bore the same title as the language I would now be using and said "Good luck." That's it. No stepping through countless lessons with helpful questions at the end to reinforce concepts. No training classes or practice bugs. Just a big fat book and work that has to be done, and done right. My stomach turned once more at the thought that study habits are not, in fact, meaningless activities that instructors make up just to harp about. You sometimes have to study in the REAL world too. Gasp!
So now I come to my desk everyday, my desk that is littered with designs and flowcharts that eerily resemble those of textbooks in school, and I pick up as much as I can from my teammates about the product I am working on. I keep my nose in the book on my new language, I take notes, and I study the methods of my teammates. In short, I am using all the skills I learned in college, and forcing myself to sharpen the ones I neglected. The moral of the story? For those readers still in school: pay attention, study hard, and prepare yourself. The REAL world is not quite as laid back as you may be expecting.
I have discovered something that should be common knowledge since my departure from an institution of higher learning. All of the things learned there are, in fact, useful in the REAL world. I say REAL in almost the same vein in which it is communicated in movies like the Matrix because while in college most students, I for one, live in a fantasy world. This world is the one where you go to class everyday, or at least show up for class everyday, with the mindset that once you leave it the material covered will stay there until you are forced to regurgitate it on command when a test is thrust before you. Unfortunately, when you enter the REAL world you start seeing disturbingly familiar images from that other realm. You start seeing references to that material you so callously memorized the night before the test. Dare I say, you hear others speak of it.
I graduated recently from a four year university with a degree in Computer Science. This, of course, is supposed to prepare me to become a programmer. I trudged and drudged my way through the work, picking up bits and pieces as I went, and graduated with what I considered to be a good grade point average. During my senior year, as is recommended by the faculty, I began the interview process. I was hired just before graduation by a software company as a, ahem, Software Developer. Having written countless ridiculous academic programs I signed the contract with a huge "I know I can do this I've been writing programs for four years" grin. My first day of work, however, slapped that big huge grin right off my face.
On my first day I sauntered in with my big grin shining, and I met with the Director of Research and Development. During this meeting I was told which team I would be assigned to. Yes, you read that correctly. TEAM. All those fatuous group assignments and activities that are supposed to "prepare you for a team environment" are actually well planned. All work in the software industry (and most others) is done in teams, and everyone is expected to accomplish their tasks or the whole team fails. You don't have time to cover the work of a slacker. You don't have time to BE a slacker.
The next little nugget of information I received was that I was going to be using a completely new language. At that moment I had some horrifying flash backs to my 'programming languages' course where we studied the very dynamics of language itself. Sadly, all those generic classes that students moan and groan about actually do have a purpose. I remembered sitting in my classes with my big grin thinking "I don't know why we have to take this crap. We're never going to need it." When I heard of this new language my thought pattern immediately assured me that I couldn't possibly be expected to start work with a language I didn't fully understand. After all, this isn't school and you don't have to do homework right? Wrong. As soon as I got to my desk I learned the system of 'bug tickets' and discovered that I already had two assigned to me. They slapped a big fat book on my desk that bore the same title as the language I would now be using and said "Good luck." That's it. No stepping through countless lessons with helpful questions at the end to reinforce concepts. No training classes or practice bugs. Just a big fat book and work that has to be done, and done right. My stomach turned once more at the thought that study habits are not, in fact, meaningless activities that instructors make up just to harp about. You sometimes have to study in the REAL world too. Gasp!
So now I come to my desk everyday, my desk that is littered with designs and flowcharts that eerily resemble those of textbooks in school, and I pick up as much as I can from my teammates about the product I am working on. I keep my nose in the book on my new language, I take notes, and I study the methods of my teammates. In short, I am using all the skills I learned in college, and forcing myself to sharpen the ones I neglected. The moral of the story? For those readers still in school: pay attention, study hard, and prepare yourself. The REAL world is not quite as laid back as you may be expecting.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
The Man at the Bus Stop
*The following is an excerpt from the novel I am currently working on. Enjoy!
Sorry folks, but unfortunately I need to remove this post at least for the time being. The reason being, I have taken that first step into the finical world of publication and mailed this self contained excerpt to a literary quarterly in hopes of making the spring issue. If I get it back (if they don't buy it) I will be sure to repost the now revised and edited version.
Thanks!
Sorry folks, but unfortunately I need to remove this post at least for the time being. The reason being, I have taken that first step into the finical world of publication and mailed this self contained excerpt to a literary quarterly in hopes of making the spring issue. If I get it back (if they don't buy it) I will be sure to repost the now revised and edited version.
Thanks!
Monday, July 30, 2007
Excerpt from "An Unwanted New Home pt.1"
((note: The following is an excerpt from a joint post* on the BSG simm I take part in. For more information, see the Introduction post on this blog))
The startup list went smoothly, and with everything running save the engines, the craft lifted into the landing pod. "Battlestar Cerberus this is Avis 1 requesting clearance to depart on test flight alpha bravo 23 over." While waiting on a response he looked over and saw Lasha looking out the window nervously. "How ya doing over there?"
She gripped the seat with knuckles of white under her gloves. She had followed his suit and put on the helmet, feeling rather claustrophobic. She hated flying in aircraft, she hated helmets, and seeing as this thing was older than her ancestors, she was terrified that something untoward would happen. She was going to kill Davin when they got out. She'd beat him senseless with a blunt object of her choosing. "I'm going to kill you. There will be beating with blunt objects, Davin Carter." She said thickly through the helmet. She tried to calm down her heart and to help him even though she had no idea what she should be doing.
"Avis 1 you are clear for liftoff. Godspeed."
Davin flipped the remaining switches to ignite the engines and felt the pat..pat..rumble as they lit behind them. "Copy that Cerberus." They lifted from the pad and he saw her instinctively grab hold of the arms of her seat. He chuckled as they pulled out of the end of the landing pod and into open space. "Look at that view. You don't get to see this kind of thing on the deck." He looked out at the fleet, floating calm and peaceful amongst the stars and smiled.
She looked out and nodded. She loved the view, especially going to the observation deck and seeing the universe. It was strange. She didn't feel weird on the ship because she hardly felt like she was flying, but here, in this tiny ship, she felt like the universe could crush her whole. She had never felt so small in her entire life. "It's beautiful, really, but I'm not any less freaked. I can see a view like this from teh Obs deck. Can we do what we came here to do, so I can get back to my work and slowly throttling you for talking me into this?" Even through her nerves she managed a small smile at him through her helmet.
"Right the test...Let's start with checking the maneuvering..then we'll move to communications and systems." He gave it some throttle, twisted and turned and flipped the surprisingly light vehicle before settling back into an idle speed a few klicks out from the fleet. "How are the comm and DRADIS systems looking?"
She had let out a small scream as he flipped the aircraft and reached out to slap his arm. "You suck. You know that?" Turning back to the task at hand, she checked the comm and the DRADIS. "DRADIS is clear and functional, and comm..." She keyed in to the Cerberus' frequency. "Cerberus, Avis 1 Communication check. Do you copy?"
"Copy that, Avis 1. You're coming in loud and clear."
"Acknowledged, Cerberus." She gave Davin a thumbs up. "Communcations are clear and functional."
He gave her a thumbs up in return and couldn't help but smile. He was fairly sure she smiled too, but she had turned back to the console too quickly for him to tell. He gave it a little more throttle, rolled and pitched before returning to normal. "You know it's strange..this ship is almost as light and maneuverable as a viper. Not nearly as sluggish as a raptor." He flipped the switches to engage the weapons systems and one of the lights below them flickered for a moment before going out. He looked to Lasha with a smile, tapped on the panel a couple of times and the light finally ignited once more. "So you reworked the wiring huh?" She shot him that same steely glance, one that he wasn't afraid of in the least before slapping his arm once more. "Kidding..I'm kidding." He keyed his mike once he made sure the systems were functioning properly. "Cerberus, Avis 1 requesting permission to test weapons."
"Permission granted Avis 1."
Davin pulled the dual triggers on the wheel-style stick and the cannons on the front of the craft came to life, spilling bullets into the endless nothingness before them. He pulled back hard, turned and fired, rolled and fired then strafed while firing once more. When he had settled he looked over to his unimpressed passenger. "It's amazing how well this thing moves."
She had let out another scream, and glared at him through the faceplate. "Could you not do that?
"OK OK, we're almost done." He flipped those same switches off once more and the same one flickered once before going out. He caught Lasha's eyes and couldn't help but chuckle. He went down the list before him, flipping switches and asking her to flip the ones he couldn't reach. Each test went well, each system functioning properly. He would occasionally steal a glance into the helmet and then quickly divert it to the list when she returned it. Finally, he had reached the end of the list and could stall no longer. "OK, looks like the last test is the jump drive. You said you did some work on the Nav computer right? Are we sure it's going to be accurate?"
She gave hima slightly irritated look. She was already cranky from being out here in the first place, then he decides to question her work? "Ye-es I did, and it should be. You're the one who has to worry about putting in the coordinates right. I had to update the Nav computers to be able to interface with what we know as the DRADIS, so yes, the Nav computer is fixed and there's plenty of tylium in this thing."
He flipped the checklist over and revelead the next emergency jump coordinates in bold print. He keyed them in, fighting the urge to reach for the hand that was gripping the seat near his. "Cerberus, Avis 1. Requesting permission to jump to emergency jump coordinate Echo Charlie 7-8."
"Granted Avis 1. Excercise extreme caution."
"Copy Cerberus." He checked the coordinates once more and looked over to her before starting the count. She was looking back to the fleet as if she would rather jump out and float back. "We're going straight there and straight back, then we're done. I promise."
She merely gave a humph, and tried to brace herself for the sick feeling. She just wanted to be back safe and sound on her deck.
Davin sank back and grasped the arms to his own seat - it had been a while since he jumped in a small craft and the nauesa is much greater in those cases. He kept his eyes on the countdown, reading the big coordinate numbers over and over, assuring himself they were correct. And if they aren't...you'll be totally lost. They won't be able to find either of you. You'll die sitting in this seat. The numbers receded to less than 10 and he looked to Lasha once more. She had closed her eyes and he felt like doing the same but something caught his eye. The screen to the nav computer flickered. The count continued and nothing changed, but it worried him.
0:09....
"Did you see that?"
"See what?"
"I think something is wrong with the nav computer..it just.." The screen flickered again, this time twisting and stretching before returning. The numbers remained.
0:05....
He looked down the list rapidly for the abort procedure and flipped two corresponding switches.
Opening her eyes she looked over at him "What are you doing? What's the matter?"
0:02....
"I don't like the looks of this. I'm aborting the jump..." The screen flickered again, twisting and turning, this time the numbers had jumped. Four of them were incorrect, he knew it without looking at the back of the sheet. He flipped the last switch and reached for the abort button she'd placed on the top of the screen but before he could push it the button seemed to sink away from him. Space and time folded around them and his stomach turned as they winked out of sight.
When everything settled they were floating in an equally empty stretch of space but he was already worried. He looked about at the stars and then back to the nav computer, obviously troubled. The screen was out, and when he pressed a few buttons it remained blank.
"Where are we? What happened?" She looked around confusedly. She may be able to fix electronics, but she didn't know a frak about using them.
"I don't recognize any of these stars...the coordinates changed just before the jump and I'm not sure where we are..."
Her heart froze as he said that. "The coordinates shouldn't have changed. They shouldn't have done anything except stay there. I should know I did the wiring myself, and I had checked it just yesterday to make sure that it was all working properly."[i] She was confused. Granted she'd had some help form some of her crew when going over the Avis' systems and with the fixing, but none of them would ever....
"Just see if you can get it back up." He flipped open a comm channel and searched for signals but found none. "Maybe I can get a laserline on Cerberus and we can relay our coordinates once you get the Nav computer up." While she worked on the monitor with a tool from her small kit, something caught his eye on her side. He looked to the small DRADIS screen and saw several capital class contacts slightly behind them. He used the console for leverage and lifted himself out of the seat just enough to make out the basestars behind them. The sky was full of them, and raiders poured from the arm of the closest one. They know we're not colonial, but they're not taking any chances. "HOLY FRAK..hold on!" He punched the throttle to full and took the wheel, moving evasively. Tools spilled from her lap and littered the floor, then flew toward the back of the cockpit when he turned.
She looked up as her tools fell back and was about to ask what the frak he was doing when she caught sight of the DRADIS. 'Oh... bloody hell,' she thought to herself with a panic as she held on.
The first of the raiders moved in behind him and he twisted and turned through the firing guns while switching on his weapons. He banked left while reducing the throttle and the raider fell in close. Exactly where I want you. He pulled a hard left and dropped the throttle more, causing the raider to overshoot past him. He punched the throttle once more and closed on the confused toaster, pulling the triggers and blowing it to bits before it had time to react. Another raider moved in close behind and he knew he wouldn't be able to dodge it. "HOLD ON!" He dropped the throttle completely, causing the engines to flame out. When the raider zoomed by with two wingmen he punched it to full, slamming them into their seats as the engines ignited at full strength. He pulled the same strafe from the test and took out two of them. Once he reached the third however, the guns clicked the click that no pilot wants to hear in a combat situation. "Please don't tell me we're out?"
Her face was pale beneath her faceplate as she looked over at him, trying not to roll her eyes. "Of course we are. We weren't exactly planning this thing to be anything but a trainer, and we figured the first time out wasn't going to result in combat, so we didn't install a full load."
Realizing she was right and a training mission was not worth a full load, his mind raced trying to come up with a plan before the incoming enemies could get a clear shot. He banked right and as if in answer to his silent prayer a small planet dominated the windows. It was white in appearance, the entire lower atmosphere wrapped in a blanket of heavy clouds. Out of nowhere, a raider came in on his right firing hard, peppering the side of the ancient craft. Sparks flew from Lasha's side and she screamed in fear. He immediately went into a diving spin, dodging shots as best he could. "GODS D****T! I'M TAKING US DOWN!"
Swallowing hard she gripped the side arms tightly, when somehitng on the DRADIS caught her eye."Davin! Davin! Are those what I think they are?"
He looked to the screen where she was pointing frantically and saw the two small contacts heading for them. Missles. From one of the basestars. Without thinking he pulled back on the throttle, drawing his pursuers in close. Just before one of the missles hit, he pulled up hard - causing it to strike the closest raider in tow. The other missle, however, proved to be the problem. It grazed the back of the craft, exploding behind it and taking part of the tail with it. Panels lining the back of the cockpit burst into flames as they went into a spin and Davin momentarily lost his grip on the controls. Lasha was screaming again, and that may have been the only thing that kept him from passing out. One of the other raiders was still firing at the spinning craft, and a spray of bullets struck the windows, shattering them and emptying their precious air into space.
She felt darkness starting to close in on her as she baounced aorund in her seat. Everything was starting to go silent. After all, sound doesn't really travel in a vacuum. As they broke atmo she felt herself blacking out, her screams dying in her throat. Dimly she thought that perhaps her family and Gerry would be waiting for her on the other side, ebcause she was surely going to die.
Finally, he grasped the wheel and fought the craft into a manageable fall. The sides of the ship were engulfed in flames as they fell through the thin atmosphere, the interior of the cockpit spitting sparks and steam in every direction. Once they had reached the clouds the raiders pulled away, leaving them for dead. Davin didn't blame them. Even through the flight suit he felt the cold in the air and the areas of the craft covered in steam immediately froze. He had no visibility during the fall, and he thought for a moment that there may be no surface.
That question was answered when the clouds finally broke, and he saw a barren stretch of land covered in snow. He pulled back hard and the nose only rose slightly as they plummeted toward their new unwanted home. The charred tail struck the ground first and the craft was rocked with such force that glass broke and seams cracked all around them. When the nose went down snow poured into the craft, dousing the flames in the cockpit. Something struck Davin's visor and shattered it. He thought for a moment it struck him but he wasn't sure. The word grew fuzzy around the edges and he released the controls involuntarily.
After an eternity of bumps and jumps the craft skidded to a stop and he felt the chill of the wind on his face. When his vision returned to normal he saw a slumped figure in the seat beside him, the entire front console cracked and leaning on her legs. "LASHA!" He unstrapped himself and moved to her, unsnapping her helmet and pulling it off immediately. He felt for a pulse, found one, and sighed in relief. "Thank the gods." He turned and attempted to lift the console, straining with all his might and barely moving it. Panting he fell to his knees and looked out the broken windows at the snow covered desolation before them. Something warm ran into his eye and he wiped it out just before falling back against her chair. From that position, he spotted a bent rod that was once carrying wires inside the cockpit. Fighting the sleep that was pulling on him he grabbed it and stood to his feet once more. He jammed the rod somewhere beneath the panel and pushed down with everything he had left. Finally it lifted mere inches off the legs and he turned the rod until it was pinned beneath the chair. Completely drained, he fell on his back and the sleep took him. He drifted off into a world of darkness as the wind howled and the snow fell.
*Lasha Kerrille posted by Mirakel Mayoral
The startup list went smoothly, and with everything running save the engines, the craft lifted into the landing pod. "Battlestar Cerberus this is Avis 1 requesting clearance to depart on test flight alpha bravo 23 over." While waiting on a response he looked over and saw Lasha looking out the window nervously. "How ya doing over there?"
She gripped the seat with knuckles of white under her gloves. She had followed his suit and put on the helmet, feeling rather claustrophobic. She hated flying in aircraft, she hated helmets, and seeing as this thing was older than her ancestors, she was terrified that something untoward would happen. She was going to kill Davin when they got out. She'd beat him senseless with a blunt object of her choosing. "I'm going to kill you. There will be beating with blunt objects, Davin Carter." She said thickly through the helmet. She tried to calm down her heart and to help him even though she had no idea what she should be doing.
"Avis 1 you are clear for liftoff. Godspeed."
Davin flipped the remaining switches to ignite the engines and felt the pat..pat..rumble as they lit behind them. "Copy that Cerberus." They lifted from the pad and he saw her instinctively grab hold of the arms of her seat. He chuckled as they pulled out of the end of the landing pod and into open space. "Look at that view. You don't get to see this kind of thing on the deck." He looked out at the fleet, floating calm and peaceful amongst the stars and smiled.
She looked out and nodded. She loved the view, especially going to the observation deck and seeing the universe. It was strange. She didn't feel weird on the ship because she hardly felt like she was flying, but here, in this tiny ship, she felt like the universe could crush her whole. She had never felt so small in her entire life. "It's beautiful, really, but I'm not any less freaked. I can see a view like this from teh Obs deck. Can we do what we came here to do, so I can get back to my work and slowly throttling you for talking me into this?" Even through her nerves she managed a small smile at him through her helmet.
"Right the test...Let's start with checking the maneuvering..then we'll move to communications and systems." He gave it some throttle, twisted and turned and flipped the surprisingly light vehicle before settling back into an idle speed a few klicks out from the fleet. "How are the comm and DRADIS systems looking?"
She had let out a small scream as he flipped the aircraft and reached out to slap his arm. "You suck. You know that?" Turning back to the task at hand, she checked the comm and the DRADIS. "DRADIS is clear and functional, and comm..." She keyed in to the Cerberus' frequency. "Cerberus, Avis 1 Communication check. Do you copy?"
"Copy that, Avis 1. You're coming in loud and clear."
"Acknowledged, Cerberus." She gave Davin a thumbs up. "Communcations are clear and functional."
He gave her a thumbs up in return and couldn't help but smile. He was fairly sure she smiled too, but she had turned back to the console too quickly for him to tell. He gave it a little more throttle, rolled and pitched before returning to normal. "You know it's strange..this ship is almost as light and maneuverable as a viper. Not nearly as sluggish as a raptor." He flipped the switches to engage the weapons systems and one of the lights below them flickered for a moment before going out. He looked to Lasha with a smile, tapped on the panel a couple of times and the light finally ignited once more. "So you reworked the wiring huh?" She shot him that same steely glance, one that he wasn't afraid of in the least before slapping his arm once more. "Kidding..I'm kidding." He keyed his mike once he made sure the systems were functioning properly. "Cerberus, Avis 1 requesting permission to test weapons."
"Permission granted Avis 1."
Davin pulled the dual triggers on the wheel-style stick and the cannons on the front of the craft came to life, spilling bullets into the endless nothingness before them. He pulled back hard, turned and fired, rolled and fired then strafed while firing once more. When he had settled he looked over to his unimpressed passenger. "It's amazing how well this thing moves."
She had let out another scream, and glared at him through the faceplate. "Could you not do that?
"OK OK, we're almost done." He flipped those same switches off once more and the same one flickered once before going out. He caught Lasha's eyes and couldn't help but chuckle. He went down the list before him, flipping switches and asking her to flip the ones he couldn't reach. Each test went well, each system functioning properly. He would occasionally steal a glance into the helmet and then quickly divert it to the list when she returned it. Finally, he had reached the end of the list and could stall no longer. "OK, looks like the last test is the jump drive. You said you did some work on the Nav computer right? Are we sure it's going to be accurate?"
She gave hima slightly irritated look. She was already cranky from being out here in the first place, then he decides to question her work? "Ye-es I did, and it should be. You're the one who has to worry about putting in the coordinates right. I had to update the Nav computers to be able to interface with what we know as the DRADIS, so yes, the Nav computer is fixed and there's plenty of tylium in this thing."
He flipped the checklist over and revelead the next emergency jump coordinates in bold print. He keyed them in, fighting the urge to reach for the hand that was gripping the seat near his. "Cerberus, Avis 1. Requesting permission to jump to emergency jump coordinate Echo Charlie 7-8."
"Granted Avis 1. Excercise extreme caution."
"Copy Cerberus." He checked the coordinates once more and looked over to her before starting the count. She was looking back to the fleet as if she would rather jump out and float back. "We're going straight there and straight back, then we're done. I promise."
She merely gave a humph, and tried to brace herself for the sick feeling. She just wanted to be back safe and sound on her deck.
Davin sank back and grasped the arms to his own seat - it had been a while since he jumped in a small craft and the nauesa is much greater in those cases. He kept his eyes on the countdown, reading the big coordinate numbers over and over, assuring himself they were correct. And if they aren't...you'll be totally lost. They won't be able to find either of you. You'll die sitting in this seat. The numbers receded to less than 10 and he looked to Lasha once more. She had closed her eyes and he felt like doing the same but something caught his eye. The screen to the nav computer flickered. The count continued and nothing changed, but it worried him.
0:09....
"Did you see that?"
"See what?"
"I think something is wrong with the nav computer..it just.." The screen flickered again, this time twisting and stretching before returning. The numbers remained.
0:05....
He looked down the list rapidly for the abort procedure and flipped two corresponding switches.
Opening her eyes she looked over at him "What are you doing? What's the matter?"
0:02....
"I don't like the looks of this. I'm aborting the jump..." The screen flickered again, twisting and turning, this time the numbers had jumped. Four of them were incorrect, he knew it without looking at the back of the sheet. He flipped the last switch and reached for the abort button she'd placed on the top of the screen but before he could push it the button seemed to sink away from him. Space and time folded around them and his stomach turned as they winked out of sight.
When everything settled they were floating in an equally empty stretch of space but he was already worried. He looked about at the stars and then back to the nav computer, obviously troubled. The screen was out, and when he pressed a few buttons it remained blank.
"Where are we? What happened?" She looked around confusedly. She may be able to fix electronics, but she didn't know a frak about using them.
"I don't recognize any of these stars...the coordinates changed just before the jump and I'm not sure where we are..."
Her heart froze as he said that. "The coordinates shouldn't have changed. They shouldn't have done anything except stay there. I should know I did the wiring myself, and I had checked it just yesterday to make sure that it was all working properly."[i] She was confused. Granted she'd had some help form some of her crew when going over the Avis' systems and with the fixing, but none of them would ever....
"Just see if you can get it back up." He flipped open a comm channel and searched for signals but found none. "Maybe I can get a laserline on Cerberus and we can relay our coordinates once you get the Nav computer up." While she worked on the monitor with a tool from her small kit, something caught his eye on her side. He looked to the small DRADIS screen and saw several capital class contacts slightly behind them. He used the console for leverage and lifted himself out of the seat just enough to make out the basestars behind them. The sky was full of them, and raiders poured from the arm of the closest one. They know we're not colonial, but they're not taking any chances. "HOLY FRAK..hold on!" He punched the throttle to full and took the wheel, moving evasively. Tools spilled from her lap and littered the floor, then flew toward the back of the cockpit when he turned.
She looked up as her tools fell back and was about to ask what the frak he was doing when she caught sight of the DRADIS. 'Oh... bloody hell,' she thought to herself with a panic as she held on.
The first of the raiders moved in behind him and he twisted and turned through the firing guns while switching on his weapons. He banked left while reducing the throttle and the raider fell in close. Exactly where I want you. He pulled a hard left and dropped the throttle more, causing the raider to overshoot past him. He punched the throttle once more and closed on the confused toaster, pulling the triggers and blowing it to bits before it had time to react. Another raider moved in close behind and he knew he wouldn't be able to dodge it. "HOLD ON!" He dropped the throttle completely, causing the engines to flame out. When the raider zoomed by with two wingmen he punched it to full, slamming them into their seats as the engines ignited at full strength. He pulled the same strafe from the test and took out two of them. Once he reached the third however, the guns clicked the click that no pilot wants to hear in a combat situation. "Please don't tell me we're out?"
Her face was pale beneath her faceplate as she looked over at him, trying not to roll her eyes. "Of course we are. We weren't exactly planning this thing to be anything but a trainer, and we figured the first time out wasn't going to result in combat, so we didn't install a full load."
Realizing she was right and a training mission was not worth a full load, his mind raced trying to come up with a plan before the incoming enemies could get a clear shot. He banked right and as if in answer to his silent prayer a small planet dominated the windows. It was white in appearance, the entire lower atmosphere wrapped in a blanket of heavy clouds. Out of nowhere, a raider came in on his right firing hard, peppering the side of the ancient craft. Sparks flew from Lasha's side and she screamed in fear. He immediately went into a diving spin, dodging shots as best he could. "GODS D****T! I'M TAKING US DOWN!"
Swallowing hard she gripped the side arms tightly, when somehitng on the DRADIS caught her eye."Davin! Davin! Are those what I think they are?"
He looked to the screen where she was pointing frantically and saw the two small contacts heading for them. Missles. From one of the basestars. Without thinking he pulled back on the throttle, drawing his pursuers in close. Just before one of the missles hit, he pulled up hard - causing it to strike the closest raider in tow. The other missle, however, proved to be the problem. It grazed the back of the craft, exploding behind it and taking part of the tail with it. Panels lining the back of the cockpit burst into flames as they went into a spin and Davin momentarily lost his grip on the controls. Lasha was screaming again, and that may have been the only thing that kept him from passing out. One of the other raiders was still firing at the spinning craft, and a spray of bullets struck the windows, shattering them and emptying their precious air into space.
She felt darkness starting to close in on her as she baounced aorund in her seat. Everything was starting to go silent. After all, sound doesn't really travel in a vacuum. As they broke atmo she felt herself blacking out, her screams dying in her throat. Dimly she thought that perhaps her family and Gerry would be waiting for her on the other side, ebcause she was surely going to die.
Finally, he grasped the wheel and fought the craft into a manageable fall. The sides of the ship were engulfed in flames as they fell through the thin atmosphere, the interior of the cockpit spitting sparks and steam in every direction. Once they had reached the clouds the raiders pulled away, leaving them for dead. Davin didn't blame them. Even through the flight suit he felt the cold in the air and the areas of the craft covered in steam immediately froze. He had no visibility during the fall, and he thought for a moment that there may be no surface.
That question was answered when the clouds finally broke, and he saw a barren stretch of land covered in snow. He pulled back hard and the nose only rose slightly as they plummeted toward their new unwanted home. The charred tail struck the ground first and the craft was rocked with such force that glass broke and seams cracked all around them. When the nose went down snow poured into the craft, dousing the flames in the cockpit. Something struck Davin's visor and shattered it. He thought for a moment it struck him but he wasn't sure. The word grew fuzzy around the edges and he released the controls involuntarily.
After an eternity of bumps and jumps the craft skidded to a stop and he felt the chill of the wind on his face. When his vision returned to normal he saw a slumped figure in the seat beside him, the entire front console cracked and leaning on her legs. "LASHA!" He unstrapped himself and moved to her, unsnapping her helmet and pulling it off immediately. He felt for a pulse, found one, and sighed in relief. "Thank the gods." He turned and attempted to lift the console, straining with all his might and barely moving it. Panting he fell to his knees and looked out the broken windows at the snow covered desolation before them. Something warm ran into his eye and he wiped it out just before falling back against her chair. From that position, he spotted a bent rod that was once carrying wires inside the cockpit. Fighting the sleep that was pulling on him he grabbed it and stood to his feet once more. He jammed the rod somewhere beneath the panel and pushed down with everything he had left. Finally it lifted mere inches off the legs and he turned the rod until it was pinned beneath the chair. Completely drained, he fell on his back and the sleep took him. He drifted off into a world of darkness as the wind howled and the snow fell.
*Lasha Kerrille posted by Mirakel Mayoral
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Rolling Hills
He wasn't really sure how long he had been there...but he knew it must have been a while. The man in the corner with the beard was starting to smell and his hands were aching. When he had awoken he thought long and hard about how long he had been asleep...but couldn't remember the last time he knew. He supposed it could have been too long ago to remember. He sat trying to remember his name and what his shrouded past may have included. The first thought that came to mind was that of a woman in a blue dress standing in what looked to be a kitchen. Yes, it was a kitchen and she seemed to be cooking. Was this woman his mother? Perhaps she was his sister or maybe his wife. He felt sure if she was his mother he would recognize her but her face could not be seen. It seemed to be blurred as if she was just an image from a dream that he could not fully remember. In fact, at the moment he couldn't remember anything. He looked around the room and the first thing he saw was the old man with the beard. The man was chained to the wall by his wrists and had died some time ago. He looked at his own wrists and noticed he was chained to the wall also. He couldn't seem to move his hands or any other part of his body at the moment, it seemed as if he had just awoken into a dream and not yet into complete consciousness. His next thought was that there must be some way out of here, some way to escape from this room and from the man with the beard. His head ached and cursed him for all the thinking. He couldn't remember what happened before the room but somehow knew that he did not belong in it. Somehow it did not seem right. Pushing through the ache of his head he searched for an answer in his groggy memory and was only able to come up with the woman in the blue dress. He studied the room she was standing in. It seemed like any ordinary kitchen to him, pots were hanging over the stove and spices were lining the counter tops. The woman was stirring something in a pot and did not seem to know he was there watching her. There was, however, something of interest in the kitchen. A window was open just on the edge of his field of vision. He tried to look out the window, strained, but could not see anything more than what looked to be a field of green grass and soft rolling hills.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Jimmy and the Locket Man pt.2
"Where are you chicken s%#t?" The man mustered in a voice that seemed valiant, but barely masked the fear beneath it. The gun fired again, a thunderous clap that rattled Nightcide, and the bullet buried itself in a wall near him. He tried to move slowly, but the bright flash of the gun had given the man a split second to locate his attacker, and it seemed he had done so. The man aimed closer to Nightcide and fired again, but this time he had just enough time to duck down before the bullet ricocheted off the wall where he previously stood. The man moved closer still, trying to pinpoint Nightcide's location using the flash from the gun.
"Takes a real coward to-" Nightcide didn't let him finish. He rolled over to the man's position and threw a kick toward the hand holding the gun. The kick, which probably wouldn't have done much had the man been expecting it, loosened the gun and sent it hurtling toward and the Locket Man. As quickly as he could, Nightcide swept his leg behind those of the man, causing him to loose his balance and topple to the ground. Nightcide jumped to his feet and ran to the side of the man with his right foot swinging back, preparing for a kick to the ribs. Instead, his kick was met with the stone cold grip of the man who would prove to be a challenge. The man used Nightcide's captured foot to swing him over his body and onto the ground on the other side. Nightcide's back met the pavement with a thud, and his breath was forced from his lungs a little more quickly than he had expected. Lying there gasping for air, he could see the moon was framed between the two towering buildings on either side of the alley and that it would have made a beautiful picture had he seen it under a different circumstance. The man's fist crossed over the moon, descending toward Nightcide at a startling pace. He was able to catch it, but he only managed to slow the velocity of the hit and not actually stop it. The fist connected with Nightcide's chest, and he lost what little breath he was able to regain. The man had made it to a standing position now, or at least to his knees, and had another fist coiled for the area he thought to be Nightcide's face. When this punch descended Nightcide rolled slightly, causing the man to punch the unforgiving asphalt. Using that surprise to his advantage, he put everything he had behind a punch to the man's throat. There was a liquid gargling sound, like someone who can't swim trying to stay afloat in the ocean, before the man fell on his back to the ground clutching his throat.
Nightcide stood, brushed himself off, and walked toward Jimmy and the Locket Man. Once he reached the Locket Man he could see a dark fluid trickling from his nose in the ominous green light, and he knew it must've been blood from the punch. The man seemed a bit dazed and looked as if he was trying to determine exactly where he was. Nightcide lowered himself until he was just above the confused eyes and he threw a lightning fast punch across the man's jaw.
"WAKE UP" He spoke in the most guttural rasp he could muster. Surely this imbecile would not recognize his voice, but he couldn't take any chances.
"Wha...I..."
"THE LOCKET, WHERE DID YOU GET IT?"
"I don't...I don't...."
Another lightening quick punch landed, this one accompanied by a pop. A tooth loosened, a jaw bone fractured.
"WHERE DID YOU GET IT?"
"The..the girl's mother...she had it...boss took it off before...."
Nightcide lowered his face until it was inches from the man's. "WHERE'S THE GIRL? WHAT DID HE DO WITH HER?"
He waited a moment and then threw another punch at the man’s battered face. His knuckles were on fire, but he barely noticed. He would see later when he got home, that he'd torn the skin on three of them despite the gloves. When the man rolled his head back over this time there was a trickle of the dark liquid crawling out of his mouth.
"I d...don't kn....know..."
Nightcide grabbed the man's shirt with both hands and lifted his upper body off of the pavement. The man's head hung limp at first but then he attempted to raise it and meet his mysterious attacker's gaze. Nightcide reached back to the knife case attached to the back of his belt, just beside the pouch, and pulled out the knife, flipping its gleaming blade out of the handle and locking it in place. He wasn't completely sure why he brought it with him, or why he was taking it out right now, but he raised the knife to the man's throat and pushed it against the tender skin there. He could smell the man's odorous breath; a trace of alcohol was present.
"YOU BETTER START TALKING, OR I'M TAKING YOUR HEAD OFF JUST LIKE THE GIRL'S MOTHER” He wasn't sure if he really meant that, it sounded like someone else talking when he said it. But that person could have been serious. The man's head bobbed uncontrollably, and the movement caused the blade to dig in and the man to wince in pain.
"I..I don't know OK! He took her with him...told us not to follow...I'm...not sure..where he went...there's a w..warehouse where we m..meet sometimes...Edward Supply...He may... may have gone there..."
Nightcide frowned furiously, even though the man couldn't see his face, and slammed him back down onto the pavement. The man coughed and rolled to his side cradling his jaw. Nightcide kicked him across the face swiftly to put him out - and make sure he wasn't followed. He turned to leave, remembered something, and turned back. He reached down, dug into the man's dingy pocket and retrieved the locket. It was a heart with an intricate design running the edges. Crouching there on the cold street in the middle of the night it had a kind of warmth to it. It glimmered with its own kind of beauty. He pushed the small latch at the top and it flipped open instantly, revealing a picture of the girl a year or so younger. Nightcide narrowed his eyes and closed the locket in the palm of his hand. He stood slowly and looked down both sides of the alley, trying to determine the best route.
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