Shots Fired: A Collection of Oneshots

The Dark Knight (#scifriday)

The girl sat on the windowsill of the spaceship, staring out at the crystal stars that winked dangerously among their black abyss. Thirty years. That's how long the Terrensonites had been floating in the vacuum  of outer space. It all started when their home planet, Terrenso, had started to slowly crack open. A spaceship had quickly been built and all the children and a few adults had been piled on. Three years later the planet cracked open, killing all those who had been left on it.

                The girl, Manya, had been born on this spaceship; it was all she knew. But she longed so much, wishing so hard every day that perhaps a suitable planet would be found for them to live on. The scientists had been scouting one for a long time, but no one was sure if the conditions were quite right for the Terrensonites. Manya  touched the icy cold glass separating her from the abyss of darkness and glitter that was space. Her fingers stung, screaming at her to pull away from the glass, but she refused, instead flattening her palm against the coldness.

                "Manya, please. What have I told you?" The young girl swiveled around to see her mother looking at her patronizingly. Her hands were cupped around her swollen belly that was due for child soon. "Stop gazing at the stars, my love. It will only make you sad." She sat beside Manya, averting her gaze from the spectacle. 

                "But, mama, I love them. They are the only hope I have." Manya whispered, her voice almost broken from the fight to contain tears. She looked behind her, through the glass. "They are beautiful. They remind me of a future perhaps I can plead for."

                "Oh, my little gazer." Her mother pulled her head close, kissing her forehead gently before leaning against it her shoulder. Manya squeezed her eyes tightly, willing her cool, blue tears to hold back. Why couldn't she wish? Why couldn't she hope? It wasn't fair. Manya's mother brushed her thumb under Manya's eyes, wiping away tears. "Do not cry, my child. We are working hard to find an answer. Don't worry." She kissed Manya's dark hair before standing and walking off down the hallway, the bracelets on her wrists clanking metallically as she rubbed her belly.

                Manya looked back at the stars, searching them hungrily, wishing for one to stick out at her as a possible home. And then her eyes found it.

                It was...horrible. But beautiful. It was a circle of darkness, exploding colors filtering away from it as if frightened. Manya was drawn to it, smashing her nose against the window, watching it as it presided over the stars with a dark dominion. Like a- a knight. A dark knight. The spaceship seemed to move quickly all of a sudden, even though its normal pace was achingly slow. "Don't go..." She whispered, imagining that, perhaps, creatures that lived near the dark knight would hear her and come to her. Rescue her from this box of metal.

                "Manya! How many times have I told you not to watch the stars? It frightens your mother." A stern voice pierced through Manya's haze and she turned to see her father glaring at her, meaty hands on hips.

                "I..." She trailed off uncertainly, looking back out the window, searching for the knight. But it was gone. "No!" She whispered, blatantly ignoring her father and pressing herself to the window. The window bubbled out slightly, so Manya pressed herself so deeply into it that her body curved to hug the glass.

                "Manya! Come away from the window." A large hand clapped down on Manya's shoulder, pulling her away from the glittering stars.

                "No! No, stop!" She kicked and screamed, valiantly fighting her father. But it was no use. She was hauled away- away from her precious crystal stars and mysterious, over lording dark knight.