The Betrayal "No, No, NO, NO, NO!!" Screamed the Chief, pounding the hologlass with his fists. "What concerns me, Corporal, is that you willingly led them here, after being given a direct order to find other docking means." My heart beat rapidly, but I kept my composure. "I had no intention of letting them slip away, I would have had them if it weren't for your men-" "My men?!" Interrupted the Chief, perspiration flicking off his thick mustache. "You speak as if you are separate from the body of this ship. Do you think you are an exception, some kind of prodigy?" He came close to me, his face inches within mine. I could smell the reek of Federation tobacco rolling off his uniform. "You want him so bad.." He began slowly. "..that you are willing to put everyone's life on this ship in jeopardy, even your own." I didn't allow my expression to wilt, fixating my eyes on a pulsating light bored into the command module. His voice was barely a whisper now. "It takes more than skills in combat to succeed, and your ostentatious ploys have done nothing but bring us closer and closer to exposure. Your fellow crewmen may glorify your arrogance, but I know better." My palms were slick with perspiration, and I tried to blink away the creeping darkness in my peripherals. The Chief walked slowly to the glass hull, his hands folded behind his back. Interstellar space provided a backdrop of luminescent stars and blinking machines revolving endlessly around the ship. His tone was grave now, almost foreboding. "The ship will be leaving this system for good. But you...you will be left behind. The ill limb must quickly be severed, lest it infect the whole body. An example, for future generations to come. Before I knew what was going on the drugs took control. My knees felt on the verge of giving out, and the darkness in the corners of my eyes built. Must stay conscious. I thought. Must stay awake. I took a few haggard steps towards the chief, losing my balance and falling to my knees. He remained as motionless as a statue as the room spun. My attempts at screaming out, and cursing him for all eternity were useless. My tongue flopped around like a dead fish, making my struggle audible. I could feel a numbness seeping through my body, and all faded black. My inner voice was quiet now. Stay awake, stay conscious. But it was much too late, and I sank to the cold, metal grated floor of the ship, before slipping away into unconsciousness. ===============================================================
Awakening Darkness. My lids stayed shut as I lapsed in and out of consciousness. The only thing reminding me I wasn't dead was a consistent monotonous beeping, and the heat. "I am dead." I thought "I am dead and this is hell." But the beeping kept bringing me back, it was familiar. Slowly I was coming to my senses, lids barely cracking. It was so bright, and any attempt to shield my eyes was futile, hands strapped down on armrests. Then I placed the beeping, the escape pods. I wasn't dead. I forced my eyes open, but compulsively closed them again, directly facing an immense red light. It shined threateningly through the hull, illuminating the cockpit of the single cell ship. It all came back to me then, the Chief, the betrayal. Fuming with rage I screamed, struggling violently against the bonds, but to no avail. The noise brought me back again. It was beeping in unison with a flashing blue light embedded in the flight console. EMERGENCY it flashed, again and again. My breathing caught, and I realized what was happening. The red light filling my view was a sun, and the pod was heading right for it. "Bastards!!" I screamed, writhing against the cord. Before the rage could set in my inner voice spoke, falling back to my knowledge from the academy. Slingshot it. "Of course." I whispered. One of the earliest aerospace maneuvers, it was simple. All I had to do was watch my trajectory. Barely entering the atmosphere of the star, I will ride its gravitational pull before gaining enough speed to slingshot out and escape its grasp. "Right, simple." I thought. But my inner voice provided the grim reality. Its cutting too close. You'll fry. Its too hot. Even if you did make it where would you go? Already perspiration was dripping down my face in the rising heat, peppering my jumpsuit. Adrenaline shot through my body, and it was difficult keeping a steady mind. I needed my arms. Desperately I struggled against the bonds once more, crying out in angst. The joystick wobbled feebly in the turbulence as the craft gained momentum, attracted by gravity. I lifted my legs, kneeing the joystick, but nothing happened. Autopilot Twisting my head frantically, I sought the autopilot button on the walls of neon luminescent lights. There it was, on my left side, too far to reach with my legs. I stretched my head, my hair barely brushing the console. The turbulence was really picking up now, and I could feel the heat seeping through the aircraft itself, and into the metal armrests. In desperation I started headbutting the wall of buttons, hoping to reach the right one. A droning female voice shot through the cabin. Autopilot Disengaged. I focused now with new found vigor, blood pounding in my ears. Lifting my legs uncomfortably, I nudged the joystick. The craft veered slightly to the left, drifting easily through vacuum space, and I grinned broadly. It was difficult holding my legs like that, and the turbulence threatened my control. The heat built ever more as the sun took up the entire view from the cabin, sweat literally pouring down my face. I carefully nudged the joystick bit by bit, my hamstrings cramping up in the awkward position. I focused my attention on where I needed to be. My trajectory looked good so far. As long as I didn't get too close, I could come by the left side of the star where I would slingshot. A haze built up around the sun making the atmosphere visible. Illuminated by light and heat I could make out exactly where I needed to be. "If I could just barely enter that haze," I thought, "Just glance off the top layer, I might actually make it." My heart quavered as I fought off indecision. "Its my only choice." I thought "Do or die."