I Monstrum

Chapter 21 -Jennifer Orwell

      Jennifer Orwell scowled as she watched shield percentage on the display steadily decrease. 16.73 percent. 11 weeks stuck on this barren moon. When the creatures started to attack, they seemed to never stop. She had warned those in orbit not to attempt a rescue."

      How unfortunate for them that the local star had released an intense burst of radiation just as they had entered the system. The real problem was that this solar flare was accompanied by a Coronal Mass Ejection, so the huge clouds of particles from the star that pushed at them along with the intense radiation had wreaked havoc on the ships systems, temporarily shutting them all down. They couldn't do anything to stop the gravity well of the large moon Osler from dragging them to the ground. Good thing they could control their trajectory with repulsors activated manually. Although it was a feeble effort, it was enough to help them have more of a controlled crash, otherwise there would have been no survivors of the crash. Fortunately, all of her crew had survived the crash with just a few bumps, bruises and scrapes among them. She herself had bruises on the top of her shoulders from her safety harness straps. Not too serious, so she didn't even seek medical attention. All of her efforts so far were to help her crew. She regretted making the decision for the security team to investigate the damage to the outside of the ship. All of them had been killed from the sudden attack. How could she have known that there were dangerous creatures here? The others of the fleet that had fortunately arrived here after her, were okay. Unlike her and her crew they had heard the message of the warning beacons in orbit. It was too late by the time she had heard the message. She should have been told about it by those who sent her on this mission. Did they themselves know? Or was it classified intel? Regardless, they were trapped and waiting for a much needed rescue mission which her father had assured her was just over a week away.

      Now, because of the continuous attack from outside, she knew it was only a matter of how long it would be before the shields failed completely, signalling the beginning of events that could possibly end in their demise. However, she was the daughter of General Jerry Orwell, known for her resourcefulness and determination. She and her crew would fight to survive to the very end, their last steaming breath on this frigid, unfriendly world... She just wished she had communicated with her father earlier. Wanting to get out of this situation on her own with her crew and regretting all the wasted time and effort to solve the unsolvable. The ship couldn't be saved. She should have accepted this fact far sooner.

      "So, at this rate, how long will our shields last?"

      "About one more week, Ma'am."

      "How convenient. We need to plan now for what is to come. The fact is that our shields will eventually fail, before our rescuers arrive. Have the officers and the chief of security meet me, in tactical."

      "Yes Ma'am. I don't know if you noticed, but they have lessened the constancy of their attacks. They definitely think that we're still a threat, but they can't get through our shields, so maybe they're getting frustrated."

      "I'll keep that in mind. I wish they were a lot more frustrated, so maybe they would leave us alone entirely. I suppose we stand out like a sore thumb, so every time they look in our direction they get all mad, come over and hammer on our shields for a while. Okay, I'll be in Tactical awaiting the arrival of the officers and you."

***

      "Okay, what we plan right here and now may mean whether we survive through the next week or not. So, don't hold back if you have any suggestions. Chief, I know you lost some men, but even so, I expect a lot from you, especially."

      Chief Rene Abreo, whose last name coincidentally meant, a wise counsellor, always tried to live up to his name. "I haven't had time to look at the ship's plans, but I say we need a strong place to hide, if the shields do fail. After this meeting I'll look at them and let you know."