Desperate Times...Desperate Measures

Posted on Sat Feb 1st, 2025 @ 6:55pm by Captain Daegan Baas & Aseek

808 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: Sole Survivor
Location: Unknown
Timeline: 180 years ago

Most of the two teams couldn't bring themselves to watch as the boosters fired. A ship that had been designed to help their people explore their solar system was now being used to destroy their home. Given the mass it had to deal with, at first nothing seemed to happen, but ever so slowly the it began to move gaining speed slowly and steadily. The trajectory had been confirmed; it was done. The booster would continue to fire until it exhausted its fuel and would eventually become trailing debris. He hoped that if nothing else, at least it might make it home in some way.

Their world was gone first by something they had no defense against, and secondly by their own hand. Perhaps one day...an descendent of theirs might find their way home.

There wasn't much discussion outside of what was required to get their ship on it's way. A broad debris shield had been deployed to protect them and their cargo, massive solar arrays were deployed to augment both the primary nuclear reactor and there supply of RTGs. Once that was done the couples selected for the mission held each other. Pent up emotions over what had happened and what they had done could no longer be held back breaking the silence with the sounds of lamentation.

Once the tears were spent they had a meal together. There wasn't much conversation and while there were a few attempts at a joke or two the levity was short lived. They all knew the chance of them succeeding were slim in the extreme but what choice did they have. Eventually the crew cleaned things up and before saving their goodbyes and entering their respective pods for the centuries of sleep they would be facing. No one looked back towards Pricar, if anyone in the last of the stronghold had managed to hold out against the plague, and the creatures it created, none of them would survive what was coming.

Commander Ekaal, watched as his wife's cryopod sealed and retracted into its cradle. The only other people still awake was their biologist, Dr. Aseek, who was doing his last few checks on the all other secured cryopods and the bank of pods containing the future of their people. "Everything in order Doctor?"

"Yes..."

"Well then get in your pod."

Looking back not only to their Commander, but his friend, he shrugged. "Yes Sir," he said sarcastically. "Don't stay up too late yourself."

Ekaal watched as Aseek's pod retracted and as he sipped the last of tea he moved from one section to another verifying their trajectory, ensured all modules were secured, and that all the cryo-systems, and their back ups were functioning properly, even though Aseek had just check most of those systems just a few moments ago. It wasn't until he was completely satisfied that he laid back into his own cryopod for his own long nap. Once his pod was secured lights dimmed as the ships continued on it's ever increasing speed towards, what they hoped was a new home.

The decades it took their ship to leave their system was nothing compared to the time it would take them to reach their destination....a destination they would never reach.

As the ship passed through their systems Oort cloud a large chunk of rock and ice loomed in their path. The blow to the ships shield was glancing but devastating. A large gash was ripped in the alloys of the debris shield and the automated control thrusters fired desperately to right the ship but the damage was done. As the ship began to cartwheel the remaining debris from the impact struck the reactor pod, forcing the onboard computer to shut down their primary source of power.

The last of the Pricari were adrift, off course, on a ship now unable to maintain itself.

As the years the stip tumbled through space. Without a proper trajectory and their sheild to clear a path the shipp took more and more damage. Eventually there was nothing left for the computer to take power from and stopped support to one cryopod, then another, then another.

:: PRESENT DAY ::

[Ready Room]

"Captain's log, Stardate, 77085.9. We continue on course to Starbase 152, once their we will pick up our chief of operation helm officers before resuming course to heading into the unknown. Ship an crew have performed perfectly and soon I plan to put our quantum drive to the test. This will put us ahead of our planned arrival to the starbase but what life with a surprise or two."

After ending his log he deactivated the holo-monitor and leaned back, think at when to test the drive. "Well, no time like the present...", rising from his desk he headed out onto the bridge

Captain Daegan Baas
CO

Pricari crew
Played by Baas

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