The SS LJOM65 had served him well.
He had powered the ship down to the bare minimum in order to prolong the life of
the solar batteries. Only the distress system and his spacesuit in effect.
Mercury and Mars "Opus 2" drifting out into space, searching for an ear. So far
in vain. Oxygen falling. "All this world seems such a bitter place..."
He
drifted off into fitful sleep.
Roaring across Centaurus A was a giant freighter, headed for Canis Major Dwarf. A deadline in effect. As the corbine element churned, the massive thrusters pushed the ship through solar dust and sonic drift. The communications officer banged on the captain's door. Still asleep at first he wanted to ignore the news. But interstellar commerce laws dictate that distress calls must be answered.
The system was huge but not so huge that they couldn't detour and respond. Pulling on his deck whites, the captain reluctantly gave the order to change course. By now, the refrain came from "Opening
Day"..."We watched the waves roll in/Under Jupiter and Mars".
Europa. Experiment failed. Evacuation complete. Demolition crews roam the surface of the moon looking for structures to destroy. There can be no trace left behind in case the Entity is able to recognize architectural structures.
Driving around in her decked out demo-rover, several explosions down for the day, she spots a hi-rise off in the distance. Altering her course, she prepares herself for the work ahead. A song she recognizes in a deep distant way comes over her lunar radio.
Instrumental. She turns it up and waits for the DJ to tell her it is Mercury and
Mars' "Grey Eyes".
Dropping the charges around the base, she thinks about long ago pain and suffering, suffering that left her alone on Europa, destroying what was left of a once-thriving moon. She set the timer which would give her just enough time to shake loose on her demo. She set the coordinates and reversed her seat so she could watch the structure go down. That was her favorite part.
But she'd forgotten to sweep for life-forms. A pinging hit her ears, interrupting
"Lady Afterhours". Shit. She'd have to go back. Barely enough time for an
extraction. Oh well, if today was her day, today was her day.
All he could do now was count shooting stars. So many. Cold even inside his heated suit. Down to last rations of liquid. Thank god for music. Rueful laugh at "Hey, It's True". It certainly was. Double-checked distress signal. Going strong. Still time.
Still time.
So far the rescue seemed a bust. They couldn't raise the subject on any communication system and most likely he/she/it was dead. But the coordinates were set and so the freighter rushed on. The crew bitterly discussed this latest set of events. Their bonuses were contingent upon deadlines. Other captains ignored distress calls, why couldn't theirs?
The captain thought back to a time in his hot-rod traveler when he'd gotten trapped in an asteroid belt and needed assistance.
He sat for eighteen hours staring at "Orient Point", desperately calling for help. Since then he never let one go by.
She skidded up to the high-rise and threw her heat-seeker on. As she blasted open the massive glass front doors, she identified the source of the heat. One-hundred and
sixty-seventh floor. She blasted open the elevator door and activated her
jet-pack. The walls of the elevator shaft were easy to bounce off of so she was
able to motor pretty quick, rolling "Whatever You Want" on her headset. She
didn't have much time.
Something was wrong with the astral stabilizers. He'd have to power up the generator and take a look. Time was of the essence. He'd have just under an hour to fix them or he'd use too much of the battery and not be able to leave enough for his spacesuit specs. He always worked to "Am or Pm", somehow it relaxed him, something he'd need as he performed the tricky over-routing necessary to re-engage the A.S. system.
As the freighter rounded the Sagittarius Elliptical Dwarf Galaxy, fortunes changed. A squadron of Goozies lay in wait. With "Rose Gold" blaring on the deck, the freighter did her best to act like a fighter. But with little to no maneuverability, and even less firepower, she couldn't stave off the attack. The rescue would have to wait as
the Goozies would board, inspect and off-load anything of value they could fine.
They were huddled in a corner, squalid and emaciated. Of course they would
choose a high floor. Ensures invisibility. They just got unlucky, that's all.
But she didn't have time to worry about them or what might happen to them once
she got them out. The charges were still winding down and she'd have to hurry if
she didn't want to be caught in the incineration.
As "Slowburner"snaked into her ear, she shot all four of them with tranquilizer jets. She gathered them up in her extendable arms and rushed for the elevator shaft. Adhering them to the back of the rover, she accelerated. Ten seconds later a massive blast behind her almost toppled the rover, but she was able to maintain control. The debris from the building engulfed her and she disappeared into the cloud.
Back in the cockpit, he heard "Pine River" and wished he might someday go. But the batteries were almost gone, his suit was ever so cold and he was so tired he could no
longer keep his eyes open to see the shooting stars. Someone might still come.
Someone might still come. Someone might still come.
for Cormac
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