ENSIGN (A Starship Hope Prequel)

CHAPTER 1

Dana came to face-down on the pilot's console of the XF-20 shuttle with a splitting headache that wasn't helped by the screech of alarms going off around her. She touched her fingertips to her forehead, red droplets clung to her skin when she pulled them away. On top of everything else, the shuttle was spinning out of control making her want to vomit.

"Comp, silence the alarm and re-initiate stabilizers."

"Alarm muted. Stabilizers are offline." The COMP voice remained cool and controlled, unlike the proctor to her right, who'd been screaming at her before he'd passed out.

She glanced at him for a moment before taking over the controls.

"Fine, switching to manual." Dana punched in the approximate percentage of power to each side of the shuttle, waiting for the data to go through before the spinning finally stopped.

"What in the sou happened out there?"

"Unknown," the computerized voice answered.

"Something hit us... Can you at least extrapolate on what it was?"

"Impact with a foreign body on the port side caused damage to forty percent of the shuttle's primary functions."

"Yeah, tell me something I don't already know."

"Please restate the question."

Dana swore, ignoring the COMP system. They were falling, and fast. Death would be a horrible way to end her final exam. Dana shook off the dread in the pit of her stomach. She reached over with her right hand, tapping the unconscious man on the shoulder. His head lolled to one side where he sat slumped over in his seat.

"Lieutenant Wash?"

A groan escaped his lips, and Dana nudged him harder, speaking with more urgency.

"Lieutenant Wash!"

He moaned, muttering something unintelligible before he eased himself up, cradling his head. "I told you not to call me that."

Dana wanted to kick herself. Her father called him Wash. She'd assumed it was a term of endearment, but like all things military, one had to earn the right to use a nickname. She hadn't yet, nor would she at this rate. He'd gone to the academy with her father, and Dana had automatically put them at the same age. They each had the same amount of white at the edges of their curly hair.

"Sorry, sir, but we lost control of the helm, and we're going to burn through atmo and crash."

"You mean you lost control of the helm." He got up from the console and moved to the back of the shuttle. There came the click of a medkit latch before the soft shuffle as he rummaged around for bandages.

"Not to sound panicky, but we might die if you don't cover the co-pilot controls."

"In light of how well this is going, I suggest you officially make the call so we can abandon ship."

"Why would I do that? The backup power systems have kicked in. We've got a chance to land this thing. Perhaps if it's not too much trouble, you could send out a general distress. Once we touch down, we'll need another way back to the academy airstrip. If I haven't already, I'd like to pass this test."

"Here's my advice—scan the surface for a remote area to let this shuttle drop, and strap on a pack so you don't break your pretty little neck. This exam is officially over."

"But we might be able to salvage the shuttle!" Dana insisted.

Then there was a percussive boom, and a shudder rippled through the hull as her engines blew. Dana swore.