02-07-2011, 06:50 PM
Jarka had been plodding through a dream. Spaceflight, the starry eyed fantasy of so many little girls on earth, was a surreal experience. It reminded her of taking too much cold medicine: so many mundane things seemed just a tiny bit off. Walking along the winding corridors with their recycled air and artificial gravity turned her stomach to the brink of souring. The staff of the ship buzzed around her in coordinated uniforms like extras in a school play. Lights cycled brightness in an attempt to mimic the passage of the sun on earth. Nothing felt real. Nothing was right.
The kitchen was poorly stocked, unsurprisingly. Limited spices meant limited improvement of the limited meal options. She had no idea why people wouldn’t demand better sustenance. The ship was, after all, the size of a small city. Surely it wouldn’t kill for the master chef to have some variation in their food. Jarka could do it better herself if she had the chance.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t as though she had time to cook. Sigfried had oh-so-pleasantly suggested as they docked that she undergo training with the other novice fighters of the ship. She had agreed, unaware that the training would consume most of her recreational time. Nothing says pleasant travels like being telepathically barked at by a grizzled space marine.
Not that she had a problem with Major General Borski. At least, not that she wanted him to think she had a problem. She had done more than enough pushups already.
She had, honestly, learned a great deal in the limited time she spent with the officer. Her mother had taught her self-defense as soon as she could walk, but this was different. She had never been trained to take the offensive, to strike first. Her mother had never taught her weaponry or how to maneuver a jet. Nor had she ever considered any sort of supporting effort - it had always been her versus the world. Troops meant working together as a unit, taking care of each other.
She couldn’t complain. There wasn’t enough unity in the world.
Jarka felt like an entirely different person. Here she was, standing in a massive ship hauling through the depths of space, learning to kill. She had never dreamed of the stars. Now she watched them whizz past the viewing portals as she ruminated on strategies and the locations of vital arteries. A few months ago, she would never do anything but cook. A week ago, she would never leave earth. Who knows what tomorrow would bring?
One thing about tomorrow was certain: Namek.
Sigfried summoned her as they entered the foreign system. She hadn’t seen him throughout most of the trip. She hadn’t seen much of any of the core group of ECM - each of them had their own missions, their own business aboard the ship. Visiting the boy in his quarters made her realize how lonely she had been.
The boy smiled warmly, drawing Jarka into a quick hug. “How’re you enjoying space so far?”
“It’s all right. I mean, it’s cool. I haven’t been able to appreciate it much.” The girl sat cross-legged on his bed, leaning against the segmented wall.
He nodded empathetically and took a seat beside her. “Training? Sorry, I didn’t realize it would take so much of your time.”
“It’s not a big deal.” She shrugged. “I mean, I never was into space that much. It gets a bit repetitive. I’m glad I’ve got something to distract me, y’know?”
“Well, Borski is pretty distracting. You did get to do some sightseeing, though, right?”
“Yeah, when we went past a couple of the gas giants. They were impressive as hell. They filled the whole window!” Her hands flew outward in an imitation of their sheer size. “Oh! And that asteroid belt was terrifying. I thought for sure we’d crash into one and die a horrible and fiery death.”
The boy laughed. “No, Captain Alexander knows his shit. He would have avoided it entirely, but we had some business in there.”
Jarka rolled her eyes. “We’ve always got business somewhere dangerous. But, no, this has been a decent trip. I’ve learned a lot from Borski.”
“Good. I’m glad you don’t resent me for the suggestion.” He idly rubbed his chest. “I just- if things get ugly on the surface, I don’t want you to be totally unprepared.”
“How sweet of you.” Her words dripped with a friendly sarcasm.
“I mean it, Jarky. This isn’t going to be a party.”
Agitated, the girl thrust her jaw to the side. “Sigs, I know that. I’m not stupid.”
“Well, I don’t-”
“Listen. I wouldn’t have come if I didn’t want to help. The revolution was a success. We won. I don’t really know what that means for when we get back, but we won. Now we have a choice to fight or stand back and watch people die from miles away. What do you think I’m going to do?”
“I just... I want to you to enjoy what you’re doing. I don’t want you to lose sight of things, y’know? I don’t want you to forget who you are. I don’t want to lose you.”
“Sigs, I am in no way, shape, or form the person I was before I joined ECM.”
“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”
“Honestly?” The girl fiddled with her pendant as she chewed her lip. “I have no idea.”
The pair sat in silence. After a few moments, Sigfried leaned towards a control panel located at the head of his bed and pressed a quick sequence of buttons. The wall behind them emitted a faint whir. Jarka twisted to watch the shutter click upwards and reveal an expansive viewport.
Sigfried lurched forward, rapping his knuckle against the window. “Did you get a load of this? It’s nuts. We’re light years away from home. Fuckin’ mindblowing.”
Jarka was breathless. The turquoise waters shimmered from the beaming suns that flanked the planet. Land was scattered across the seas, but it was nothing like earth. Earth had massive continents that plopped across the oceans in an almost even mix of land and liquid. Namek had a faint spattering of islands like powdered sugar on a brownie. It was exquisite. Beautiful. A gem. The girl was utterly captivated. It was so similar to earth, their planet, their home, and yet so radiantly different.
At last she understood why people took to the stars.
Her eyes wide, she turned to her friend. “That’s where we’re going? There?”
“Yup. Namek.”
The girl turned back to the viewport. A frown flashed across her visage. “What’s that over there?”
A hideous arc of metal orbited just above the horizon on the planet. Husks of disabled drop ships floated, their edges scorched by laser burn.
Sigfried pressed his face against the window. “Fuck.”
Jarka, Hati, and Skoll watched the events unfold with a crowd of officers on the observation deck. She felt awful. Here she was, standing back, safe in a bubble of sterilized air as Sigfried and Victoria teased death in a space jet. She was terrified for them.
“Miss, are you okay?”
Jarka turned to find the source of the voice. A moustachioed man stood with his hand resting in the breast of his dapper jacket: Captain Alexander. She stammered, mildly intimidated by his presence. When she had originally been introduced to the captain as they docked the ship, she had been startled by his youth. He couldn’t be much older than her, yet he commanded an entire starship single-handedly. She couldn’t help but wonder what else he could do with one hand. “No, sir. I mean, yes sir. I’m fine.”
The man smiled warmly. “You seem nervous. There’s nothing to worry about. I wouldn’t send a shoddy pilot with them.”
Jarka cast her gaze back to the tiny space jet as it zoomed towards the blockade. “I know, but what if something goes wrong?”
The captain rested his hand on her shoulder. “We’ll handle things. No use worrying your pretty little head over that.”
The girl blushed. “I know, but-”
The crowd gasped and surged towards the window. A flash of light had hinted at a horrendous outcome only to be supported with a visual confirmation. The space jet was in pieces, charred bodies floating aimlessly around its rubble. Jarka clamped her hand over her mouth. It couldn’t be real. They’d come so far. A blinding crackle of electricity emitted from the wreckage before all was still again.
She couldn’t believe it. It all happened so fast.
Captain Alexander sprinted towards the helm, already barking orders into his q-wave communicator. “All available hands, man the deck. Squadron Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot: man your fighters. Combat ready.”
Jarka was aware of Skoll grabbing her arm, pulling her, hissing in her ear. “Move!”
She trailed after him in a daze. “Where are we going?”
Skoll gave her a harder tug and an expectant glare. “We’re going to fly.”
The kitchen was poorly stocked, unsurprisingly. Limited spices meant limited improvement of the limited meal options. She had no idea why people wouldn’t demand better sustenance. The ship was, after all, the size of a small city. Surely it wouldn’t kill for the master chef to have some variation in their food. Jarka could do it better herself if she had the chance.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t as though she had time to cook. Sigfried had oh-so-pleasantly suggested as they docked that she undergo training with the other novice fighters of the ship. She had agreed, unaware that the training would consume most of her recreational time. Nothing says pleasant travels like being telepathically barked at by a grizzled space marine.
Not that she had a problem with Major General Borski. At least, not that she wanted him to think she had a problem. She had done more than enough pushups already.
She had, honestly, learned a great deal in the limited time she spent with the officer. Her mother had taught her self-defense as soon as she could walk, but this was different. She had never been trained to take the offensive, to strike first. Her mother had never taught her weaponry or how to maneuver a jet. Nor had she ever considered any sort of supporting effort - it had always been her versus the world. Troops meant working together as a unit, taking care of each other.
She couldn’t complain. There wasn’t enough unity in the world.
Jarka felt like an entirely different person. Here she was, standing in a massive ship hauling through the depths of space, learning to kill. She had never dreamed of the stars. Now she watched them whizz past the viewing portals as she ruminated on strategies and the locations of vital arteries. A few months ago, she would never do anything but cook. A week ago, she would never leave earth. Who knows what tomorrow would bring?
One thing about tomorrow was certain: Namek.
Sigfried summoned her as they entered the foreign system. She hadn’t seen him throughout most of the trip. She hadn’t seen much of any of the core group of ECM - each of them had their own missions, their own business aboard the ship. Visiting the boy in his quarters made her realize how lonely she had been.
The boy smiled warmly, drawing Jarka into a quick hug. “How’re you enjoying space so far?”
“It’s all right. I mean, it’s cool. I haven’t been able to appreciate it much.” The girl sat cross-legged on his bed, leaning against the segmented wall.
He nodded empathetically and took a seat beside her. “Training? Sorry, I didn’t realize it would take so much of your time.”
“It’s not a big deal.” She shrugged. “I mean, I never was into space that much. It gets a bit repetitive. I’m glad I’ve got something to distract me, y’know?”
“Well, Borski is pretty distracting. You did get to do some sightseeing, though, right?”
“Yeah, when we went past a couple of the gas giants. They were impressive as hell. They filled the whole window!” Her hands flew outward in an imitation of their sheer size. “Oh! And that asteroid belt was terrifying. I thought for sure we’d crash into one and die a horrible and fiery death.”
The boy laughed. “No, Captain Alexander knows his shit. He would have avoided it entirely, but we had some business in there.”
Jarka rolled her eyes. “We’ve always got business somewhere dangerous. But, no, this has been a decent trip. I’ve learned a lot from Borski.”
“Good. I’m glad you don’t resent me for the suggestion.” He idly rubbed his chest. “I just- if things get ugly on the surface, I don’t want you to be totally unprepared.”
“How sweet of you.” Her words dripped with a friendly sarcasm.
“I mean it, Jarky. This isn’t going to be a party.”
Agitated, the girl thrust her jaw to the side. “Sigs, I know that. I’m not stupid.”
“Well, I don’t-”
“Listen. I wouldn’t have come if I didn’t want to help. The revolution was a success. We won. I don’t really know what that means for when we get back, but we won. Now we have a choice to fight or stand back and watch people die from miles away. What do you think I’m going to do?”
“I just... I want to you to enjoy what you’re doing. I don’t want you to lose sight of things, y’know? I don’t want you to forget who you are. I don’t want to lose you.”
“Sigs, I am in no way, shape, or form the person I was before I joined ECM.”
“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”
“Honestly?” The girl fiddled with her pendant as she chewed her lip. “I have no idea.”
The pair sat in silence. After a few moments, Sigfried leaned towards a control panel located at the head of his bed and pressed a quick sequence of buttons. The wall behind them emitted a faint whir. Jarka twisted to watch the shutter click upwards and reveal an expansive viewport.
Sigfried lurched forward, rapping his knuckle against the window. “Did you get a load of this? It’s nuts. We’re light years away from home. Fuckin’ mindblowing.”
Jarka was breathless. The turquoise waters shimmered from the beaming suns that flanked the planet. Land was scattered across the seas, but it was nothing like earth. Earth had massive continents that plopped across the oceans in an almost even mix of land and liquid. Namek had a faint spattering of islands like powdered sugar on a brownie. It was exquisite. Beautiful. A gem. The girl was utterly captivated. It was so similar to earth, their planet, their home, and yet so radiantly different.
At last she understood why people took to the stars.
Her eyes wide, she turned to her friend. “That’s where we’re going? There?”
“Yup. Namek.”
The girl turned back to the viewport. A frown flashed across her visage. “What’s that over there?”
A hideous arc of metal orbited just above the horizon on the planet. Husks of disabled drop ships floated, their edges scorched by laser burn.
Sigfried pressed his face against the window. “Fuck.”
*****
Jarka, Hati, and Skoll watched the events unfold with a crowd of officers on the observation deck. She felt awful. Here she was, standing back, safe in a bubble of sterilized air as Sigfried and Victoria teased death in a space jet. She was terrified for them.
“Miss, are you okay?”
Jarka turned to find the source of the voice. A moustachioed man stood with his hand resting in the breast of his dapper jacket: Captain Alexander. She stammered, mildly intimidated by his presence. When she had originally been introduced to the captain as they docked the ship, she had been startled by his youth. He couldn’t be much older than her, yet he commanded an entire starship single-handedly. She couldn’t help but wonder what else he could do with one hand. “No, sir. I mean, yes sir. I’m fine.”
The man smiled warmly. “You seem nervous. There’s nothing to worry about. I wouldn’t send a shoddy pilot with them.”
Jarka cast her gaze back to the tiny space jet as it zoomed towards the blockade. “I know, but what if something goes wrong?”
The captain rested his hand on her shoulder. “We’ll handle things. No use worrying your pretty little head over that.”
The girl blushed. “I know, but-”
The crowd gasped and surged towards the window. A flash of light had hinted at a horrendous outcome only to be supported with a visual confirmation. The space jet was in pieces, charred bodies floating aimlessly around its rubble. Jarka clamped her hand over her mouth. It couldn’t be real. They’d come so far. A blinding crackle of electricity emitted from the wreckage before all was still again.
She couldn’t believe it. It all happened so fast.
Captain Alexander sprinted towards the helm, already barking orders into his q-wave communicator. “All available hands, man the deck. Squadron Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot: man your fighters. Combat ready.”
Jarka was aware of Skoll grabbing her arm, pulling her, hissing in her ear. “Move!”
She trailed after him in a daze. “Where are we going?”
Skoll gave her a harder tug and an expectant glare. “We’re going to fly.”
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
If life gives you lemons, hand them to me!
I've got a great recipe for lemon meringue pie.
If life gives you lemons, hand them to me!
I've got a great recipe for lemon meringue pie.