Shattered Skies Book 1: Embers (WIP)

Ch. 8: Allies

Date: 3/24/2159

Location: Unknown Star System

Current Perspective: Rojiss

Rojiss dashes for the pilot console, knocking over the dying Aserati in the process. It lets out a brief screech of pain as it crumples to the floor. He feels a slight pang of guilt, but quickly pushes it aside. There's no time to dwell on it.

His eyes, dart over the numerous display panels. Contact with the atmosphere will be within 10 minutes. 10 minutes until this hunk of metal starts burning up like a meteor.

He glances towards the far corner of the bridge where the door to the emergency crash pod is found. If Walker has kept it stocked, there should be enough supplies inside to last until rescue. Rojiss jumps off the seat and starts towards the door before hesitating for a second. The Aserati.He can't leave him behind. But there's nowhere near enough time to repair his exoframe. Nor is he strong enough to carry someone at least twice his height. He'll have to convince it to follow him in.

He reaches down to it's limp arm and tugging it, trying to get the point across.

"Alright. Come on. We have to go!" He says to it. The response gives him no indication that it understood. Shariik... this is ridiculous!

"You stay here, you die! Now come on! Let's go!" Again, the Aserati responds. While the words convey nothing to him, it starts to crawl his way, crying out in pain with each movement. "Yes, yes! That's it! Come on!"

The insectoid fights with every breath to keep going. Meanwhile the air inside the ship grows steadily warmer. Wisps of fire lick at the viewport an the sound of howling winds become more and more pronounced as the fall ever further into the atmosphere. Eventually they are within arm's reach of the crash pod doors. Without hesitation Rojiss flips the switch and the doors open to reveal a cone-shaped compartment with space for five.

With its last breaths, the Aserati crawls inside, collapsing on the floor. Rojiss hops inside himself, hitting the jettison switch on the wall. Immediately the pod snaps shut with a hiss. Display screens light up with telemetry data as he straps himself into the seat. His eyes gravitate towards the insectoid. "Don't go and die on me now. Walker will have a fit if he doesn't get what you know..." Like it would willingly give itself up to TerransFirst... It might rather die here.

A heavy thunk rattles from the pod hull and it detaches. Rojiss feels his body lurch upwards as they are shot out of the now probably molten wreckage of the ship. He glances at the displays. Ablative armor is holding for now. Should last long enough. The landing calculations are being finalized at this very moment. Air appears to be a mix of nitrogen, neon, and oxygen, breathable by the other races. Something his mask can filter oxygen through. Some good luck for once. Nothing left to do but wait.

Rojiss hits the control for the external camera, diverting his attention to it's display screen. Outside was darkness. Broken only by distant fiery light atop mountains. The air is permeated with what looks to be snow, but with a metallic silver shein. Wait... not snow. Ash. Ash being thrown into the atmosphere by volcanic eruptions. The planet is in the middle of a volcanic winter. All things considered it could be much, much worse.

The roar of rocket engines erupts from below as the computer begins the final descent. The sudden force jolts through Rojiss' body. The Aserati squeezes out a pitiful whine of pain, apparently very weak now. Diagnostics will have to wait. Best not to do precision work until they're on stable ground.

It doesn't take long. Soon the floodlights outside start to reveal solid ground. It's covered in the same silvery ash that permeates the air. The occasional dead flora populates the otherwise barren landscape. That means this was once a habitable world until whatever started this happened. Now if he were familiar with the planets in this sector he could narrow down where they are. But as it stands he may as well be in uncharted space for all he knows.