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 Posted: Fri Sep 25, 2009 9:54 am
Just a little something I started... I'm not sure what to do with the characters though. It's like a regular space fic. sweatdrop
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Posted: Fri Sep 25, 2009 9:56 am
The stars glittered dimly from the outer regions of space as they sped by, looking as if someone had poked a couple of holes in black velvet to let the light shine through. Kalya sighed, pushing her nose onto the cold glass. The view was always the same... no matter which sector they flew in. She moved away from the viewport, not noticing the greasy smear she had left behind.
She moved forward to sit next to Carrlingo, her only other companion aboard the mining vessel. He was idly chewing on a piece of raw meat, the smell making her want to hurl. Despite having traversed the galaxy together for three whole years, she still wasn’t used to his eating habits. Carrlingo looked at her ruefully, his gold coloured eyes nonetheless glittering with amusement. He stretched out his arm to her, with what looked the hind quarters of a naked animal clutched between his four clawed fingers.
“Want some? Fresh out of the freezer.”
Kayla grimaced.
“No thanks Carrl, I already ate. Unlike you, I like my food cooked.”
The feline-like alien made a guttural sound that sounded like the purr of an oversized kitten.
“Suit yourself. Why you humans burn your food I never understand.” He licked up some juice which had dribbled down the side of his hand.“It destroys the flavour.” He then opened his jaws and devoured the remaining half in a single gulp.
Kayla sighed and said nothing. She was bored. They were currently on their way to an as yet unexplored sector of space, and yet even this couldn’t serve to heighten her enthusiasm for this mission. It was just another routine trip to follow up on a signal relayed by one of the mining company’s many unmanned drones. Programmed to land on rock bodies and drill into them in search of precious metals, it had relayed a signal to headquarters. Thus, en route back from asteroid-cracking in Sector 3456-2759-C, the crew of the mining vessel "Phantom King" had been told to make a quick detour to investigate.
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Posted: Fri Sep 25, 2009 9:58 am
Kalya stretched, tilting her chair back to study the ceiling of the rather old vessel. She had always wanted to explore the universe since she was a little girl, and used to dream of joining an exploratory team in search of new worlds. Unfortunately, her grades at school weren’t that great and she couldn’t qualify for the Deep Space Exploration Programme. Thus, her next best option was to join Ferracorp as an asteroid miner, in the hopes that she could sail through the stars.
However, it wasn’t all the company had cracked it up to be when she first climbed aboard. What followed was two years of intensive technical training and a six-month probation period in which she was told to handle missions closer to home. Having passed the test, she had been assigned to work with Carrlingo, a Meerlot and a member of one of the many sentient races Earth had trade links with. He had been at it longer than she was, and served both as a partner and a mentor to the young Earth woman.
“What’s on your mind, murrari?” Carrl asked, using the Meerlot term for young one.
“I don’t know Carl. I’m just... well... haven’t you ever wished you could do something different with your life. Something, I don’t know... more exciting?”
“Mmmrrr... I’m already eternally grateful to have employment, let alone wish for something exciting.”
Indeed so, the Meerlot thought to himself. Who else was going to provide for his wife... and his eight children. The oldest had passed his first Hunt and was of age to begin the courtship ritual. He needed a new set of armour.
Kayla nodded and said nothing. Maybe she should just stop day-dreaming and instead remain contented with her lot in life. The job could be dull at times, but at least she made a comfortable living.
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Posted: Fri Sep 25, 2009 10:01 am
The conversation ended then... and they lapsed into companionable silence. This wasn’t to last, however, as the navigation computer screen flashed a notice.
“We’re here,” Carrl nodded, typing in various commands to slow the vessel down. They had been cruising at a comfortable speed, and he was activating the port thrusters to slow the bulky spaceship down.
The huge view-screen showed an immense solitary rock body that filled the screen, looking very much like a generic-looking asteroid orbiting a small, dark and rocky alien world. How it ended up suspended in space and in the planet’s orbit remained a mystery. By right, the very force that had sent it hurtling forward should have sent it crashing into the planet.
It was an astronomical anomaly, to say the least.
Space mysteries were the last thing on Kayla’s mind, however. Her training kicked in and she automatically initiated the scanning sequence.
“Surface scanners indicate the presence of selenium, iron and a range of other metals. Unusual to find such a wide variety of base elements in one hunk of space rock.”
“Mrrr... interesting.”
“That’s weird. Thermal scanners are showing a heated core. Why would a hunk of space rock have a centre that’s warm?”
“Unusual... but not impossible. However, a molten core might create complications for cracking. We have to investigate further.”
“We should go down there then?”
The Meerlot grinned, the sides of his grey furry face moving upwards.
“Perhaps, murrari, this is the very excitement you have been so eagerly looking for.”
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Posted: Fri Sep 25, 2009 1:23 pm
hat was great mrgreen good job.
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