Felix, on
Jonathan Ish-Kan - xenologist, crazy old guy and now interstellar fugitive - woke up in darkness. For a moment, he struggled to remember where he was, and which way was down, for that matter. He struggled to straighten up. Something was holding him in a rather uncomfortable position: a seat belt. It opened on first try, and he landed on a cold metal floor.
Okay, now he remembered. That was the bridge of Tony Rhio's starship (what was its name, again?) Except something was wrong. The pseudogravity was out of alignment, and the air was cold, too. That was bad; life support was normally the last thing to fail on manned spacecraft.
It took him a few attempts to stand. Then he focused on his next priority.
"Asherio? You awake, kid?"
He coughed softly before trying again, a little louder...
Nightwrath, on
* * * * *
"Not really, mom. Still need to sleep" said Asherio. "Wait, where am I? Where are we? What happened..."
Felix, on
* * * * *
The old man started towards the voice, hit a console, felt his way around it.
"They tried to intercept us... a Solar Corps patrol boat. We almost rammed them, too, jumped to hyperspace a moment before. Who knows what that did to the ship... or the jump."
He touched a furry arm.
"Ah, there you are. I can't see a thing."
Nightwrath, on
* * * * *
"That is my arm, by the way" said Asherio. "But how did we make it? Where is everyone else?"
Felix, on
* * * * *
"I think Mr. Armimane decided to stay below deck. Something about a low ceiling. As for Mr. Rhio..."
He looked towards where he knew the front of the bridge and the pilot's seat should be.
"Mr. Rhio!" he called. "Hello?"
There was no answer for a while, and Ish-Kan was beginning to worry. "It would be good to get some lights on. Or at least open the armored shutters on the windows."
Nightwrath, on
* * * * *
Rhio opened his eyes but all he could see was black. And he had quite a headache. "Hmm, I think I drank too much again..." He tried to look around, but still - nothing to see. A world filled with black. "Damn, where is that lighter anyway?" He started to search his pockets until he found what he was looking for. Thank the gods he was a smoker. "And there was light..." he mumbled turning on the lighter.
Felix, on
* * * * *
The trembling light revealed a low, wide room lined with metal: a small starship's bridge. There was a pair of flight consoles - one occupied by Rhio - and a couple of extra seats on each side of a computer table. Equipment racks were set into the back wall, covers open and bent. The long row of windows opposite them was intact, though - and still covered by the armored shutters. No light on any of the consoles, or anywhere else; the stairs leading down into the bowels of the ship were dark holes on both sides of the bridge.
"Thank the Universe you're both in one piece." breathed the scientist. But he didn't look particularly relieved.