Houston we have a problem
Jul 30, 2015 18:28:41 GMT
Post by CMDR Shocklance (WT) on Jul 30, 2015 18:28:41 GMT
Back in my early days piloting a Vulture I found myself in a conflict zone with good prospects. My shields weren't the best but I had a lot of confidence in my skills at turning the tide. Well normally I don't face ships fitted for combat. I could coax the shields down just fine but the hulls of these ships were very stubborn. Just taking down a cobra was a lot more work than I was used to. Well taking my time to kill a cobra left me a bit oblivious to the truth. It took so long that the tide had swung in the other teams' favor... not mine.
Next thing I know I'm being hit from nearly every side by about 6 ships. Frantically I power up a regen battery and kick a half-and-half power config into the engines and systems.
"Time to go," I thought.
Dodging back and forth and boosting for all I could I manage to out-pace the heavier ships but I've still got at least a viper and a couple other light ships tearing my shields into electrons. Sure enough, down go the shields. I watch the hull readout start to tick down lower and lower. I loose thrusters a couple times and the ship starts to roll. I recover and boost as much as I can as the distance becomes nearly enough to escape the effective range of their guns. I reach for the jump key but realize it's too late.. a final lucky blast takes my engines to 0% and they sputter out and die at the end of a final burst from the afterburner.
Silence
A few flashes of hot light miss the canopy and then cease as I drift further out of their range and then my scanner reads nothing but black as my momentum is still too much for the trailing attackers.
I had not noticed or cared at the time but I was drifting straight into the path of a sizable planet. I think to myself how I'll probably die of hypothermia before I ever hit atmosphere. Things looked grim.
I knew under the dark glass of a right-panel button was the self destruct. I had hit it before and did not care for the feel of the cryo-life-pod cocoon that wrapped around me, nor the weeks of rehab at a med facility. Trusting my fate to luck and an emergency system like that was never a good feeling. I had heard stories of people who's luck or equipment had failed. Heard stories of the mangled bodies, the faces frozen in a gasp for fresh air that would never come. Allergic reactions to the chems for those who had to do it twice in the same year. It had been longer for me but that did not change the dread I felt.
I thought of the astronauts of old. Apollo 13, the lost generational ships, perhaps even the Earth president from a few months ago. It was my turn, no-one would know what happened to me if I just gave up now.
I had plenty of fuel to spare but it wouldn't last forever. I switched off as many systems as I could to preserve energy. Even hoping that just shoving all the power into the engines would bring enough power to allow me to change course a little. No change. I turned the life support back on but my canopy began to frost over. With the constant tumbling of my ship it was kind of nice not to be able to see out so well.
"Think! Think!"
I poured over my screens and switches trying to find something to use to get everything back online.
I found -Reboot- That could do it!
Flipping the switch shut EVERYTHING down
I had no display, no lights, nothing but the light from the planet and the sound of my own breathing, as the previously ignored hiss sound of the life support shut off.
Nothing, nothing, nothing. It felt like I sat there for an hour. I didn't even have the ship clock on. It couldn't have been 20 seconds but it felt like forever.
My display screens wavered into view... fetal's giz they looked terrible. Out of focus and fractured into 3, like when I have had too many Faylayen ales.
The computer indicated it was attempting to repair damaged systems and I held my breath which just added to the silence even more.
"Well?"
"//Systems repairs... successful//" it quipped
I let out a small gasp and flicked the switch for the engines.. the engines sputtered, shuddered and cracked on! The percentage marks creeped from 0% to 3%... 5%... 6%! I started bringing the other systems back online and eased it up to cruzing speed.
"Okay moment of truth!"
I hit the jump button.
"//Jump drive activated//" She said
The little pop of getting into super-cruse never sounded so good. I flew to the nearest station without incident. A few people gave me some odd looks when I brought her in for repairs but I was too happy to be alive and glad to not be out another whole ship.
The best part, I had my money waiting for me too! The battle paid for the repairs with some change to spare. My luckiest day, but nearly my last.
Next thing I know I'm being hit from nearly every side by about 6 ships. Frantically I power up a regen battery and kick a half-and-half power config into the engines and systems.
"Time to go," I thought.
Dodging back and forth and boosting for all I could I manage to out-pace the heavier ships but I've still got at least a viper and a couple other light ships tearing my shields into electrons. Sure enough, down go the shields. I watch the hull readout start to tick down lower and lower. I loose thrusters a couple times and the ship starts to roll. I recover and boost as much as I can as the distance becomes nearly enough to escape the effective range of their guns. I reach for the jump key but realize it's too late.. a final lucky blast takes my engines to 0% and they sputter out and die at the end of a final burst from the afterburner.
Silence
A few flashes of hot light miss the canopy and then cease as I drift further out of their range and then my scanner reads nothing but black as my momentum is still too much for the trailing attackers.
I had not noticed or cared at the time but I was drifting straight into the path of a sizable planet. I think to myself how I'll probably die of hypothermia before I ever hit atmosphere. Things looked grim.
I knew under the dark glass of a right-panel button was the self destruct. I had hit it before and did not care for the feel of the cryo-life-pod cocoon that wrapped around me, nor the weeks of rehab at a med facility. Trusting my fate to luck and an emergency system like that was never a good feeling. I had heard stories of people who's luck or equipment had failed. Heard stories of the mangled bodies, the faces frozen in a gasp for fresh air that would never come. Allergic reactions to the chems for those who had to do it twice in the same year. It had been longer for me but that did not change the dread I felt.
I thought of the astronauts of old. Apollo 13, the lost generational ships, perhaps even the Earth president from a few months ago. It was my turn, no-one would know what happened to me if I just gave up now.
I had plenty of fuel to spare but it wouldn't last forever. I switched off as many systems as I could to preserve energy. Even hoping that just shoving all the power into the engines would bring enough power to allow me to change course a little. No change. I turned the life support back on but my canopy began to frost over. With the constant tumbling of my ship it was kind of nice not to be able to see out so well.
"Think! Think!"
I poured over my screens and switches trying to find something to use to get everything back online.
I found -Reboot- That could do it!
Flipping the switch shut EVERYTHING down
I had no display, no lights, nothing but the light from the planet and the sound of my own breathing, as the previously ignored hiss sound of the life support shut off.
Nothing, nothing, nothing. It felt like I sat there for an hour. I didn't even have the ship clock on. It couldn't have been 20 seconds but it felt like forever.
My display screens wavered into view... fetal's giz they looked terrible. Out of focus and fractured into 3, like when I have had too many Faylayen ales.
The computer indicated it was attempting to repair damaged systems and I held my breath which just added to the silence even more.
"Well?"
"//Systems repairs... successful//" it quipped
I let out a small gasp and flicked the switch for the engines.. the engines sputtered, shuddered and cracked on! The percentage marks creeped from 0% to 3%... 5%... 6%! I started bringing the other systems back online and eased it up to cruzing speed.
"Okay moment of truth!"
I hit the jump button.
"//Jump drive activated//" She said
The little pop of getting into super-cruse never sounded so good. I flew to the nearest station without incident. A few people gave me some odd looks when I brought her in for repairs but I was too happy to be alive and glad to not be out another whole ship.
The best part, I had my money waiting for me too! The battle paid for the repairs with some change to spare. My luckiest day, but nearly my last.