[MISSION START] Mayday (Part 2)
Rich Yulin
((Security office, quantum slipstream starliner Charles Lindbergh))
::So far the evening had gone rather well, Donald thought. A few lost children had been quickly reunited with their parents. A missing purse was reported but then found a few hours later by the person who had made the report. And finally, there was the usual non-sense at one of the bars--as usual, someone just didn’t know when to say no to yet another drink.::
::Still, a boring night wasn’t the worst thing that could happen, the security officer thought to himself.::
::Just then, a woman walked into the office, crying hysterically.::
Donald: Can I help you, ma’am?
Woman: Oh, please! You have to help me!
::He stood up from his chair as the woman approached.::
Donald: It’s all right, ma’am. You’re safe here.
Woman: Are you sure?
Donald: Yes, this is the safest part of the ship, ma’am
Woman: Oh, thank goodness! I need to report a homicide!
::Donald furrowed his brow, confused and unsure if he had heard that right.::
Donald: A homicide?
::But in the moment of his confusion, the woman had abruptly taken out a concealed, compact disruptor from her handbag. She shot the security officer at point blank range, and his dead body slumped back into his chair.::
((Flight deck))
::Tamir Kadosh watched on the viewscreen as the streaks of blue light from the slipstream flew past the Charles Lindbergh as the massive starliner made its journey across the quadrant. The ship had already made numerous quantum slipstream voyages since her launch at the end of last year, but the helmsman still hadn’t gotten tired of seeing the unbelievable sight of traveling at 300 lightyears per hour.::
Yersafra: Stop staring, Mr. Kadosh. I need your eyes on your console, making sure those phase variance calculations are correct or else that view is the last thing we’re all going to see.
::Tamir looked over his shoulder back at the Yersafra, first officer of the Charles Lindbergh, who sat in the command chair, perched a step higher than the other stations in front.::
Kadosh: A bit dramatic, don’t you think, ma’am?
Yersafra: Hey, if you want to trust your life to a computer…
::Tamir gave a sigh as he looked back down at his console, double-checking the phaser variance adjustments made by the computer.::
Kadosh: All systems nominal. Looks like we might even beat last month’s efficiency record.
::The Efrosian woman didn’t sound excited.::
Yersafra: Hmmm, won’t corporate be glad…
Kadosh: ::shaking his head:: You know, I have to say one thing I *don’t* enjoy about this new form of travel is what it’s done to the fine art of piloting.
::The first officer rolled her eyes. She’d already heard Tamir go on this particular rant many times. Still, he continued.::
Kadosh: I swear, I feel like my job nowadays is solving math and physics problems instead of just flying.
Yersafra: Welcome to the new world.
Kadosh: Yeah, yeah. I’m just saying. In a few years, I wouldn’t be surprised if you end up just having a bunch of mathematicians up here instead of a pilot.
Yersafra: Hmmph, maybe they’d stay more focused on their jobs, then.
Kadosh: Har, har…
Yersafra: Hey, you think you’ve got it bad? We’ve got a VIP aboard.
Kadosh: I heard. That Trill who ran for president… what’s her name…
Yersafra: That’s Excellency Kthria, the Trill Chief of Staff. And she’s on her way to chair an important conference in the outer colonies, which means not only is she and her staff aboard, but also plenty members of the media. ::beat:: Which means I’ve been making sure everyone is happy.
Kadosh: I’m sure it’s nothing you can’t handle.
Yersafra: It’s not whether I can handle it or not. It’s whether I want to.
Kadosh: I hear you there… ::takes a deep breath:: I think we could all use a break of our own after last year.
Yersafra: Oh, yes, speaking of which, you said you needed time off later this year?
Kadosh: Yeah, my sister’s wedding, back on Earth.
Yersafra: How exciting.
::She didn’t sound excited.::
Kadosh: Yep. And with her getting hitched, that just leaves me to enjoy the single life.
::Indeed, while Tamir was the oldest among his siblings--which he had enjoyed pointing out to his twin brother Eitan throughout their childhood--he had always been the perpetual bachelor.::
::Tamir shot a sly smile back at his first officer.::
Kadosh: You know, I could use a date…
Yersafra: Ha. You’re funny.
Kadosh: I’m serious. Besides, have you ever been to the Mediterranean on Earth? The water is beautiful.
Yersafra: Uh-huh. I’m sure you tell that to all the-
::A crash from outside the flight deck broke up their banter before there was shouting outside.::
Kadosh: What’s going on?
::But before either had made it over to see, the door was kicked open, and a team of armed men stormed into the flight deck. One of the other crewmen aboard turned around and stood up only to be shot back into his seat.::
Yersafra: Security lock down! Tamir, send out a distress call-
::She didn’t finish as she too was shot by one of the intruders. Tamir had only a few seconds to try to stop them. For some reason, the security systems weren’t activating!::
::Fortunately, he still had helm control. He punched the emergency shutdown of the quantum slipstream drive. Across all decks, people were knocked down as the gigantic starliner tumbled back into normal space. Now, alarms began ringing across all stations as the ship’s structural integrity struggled to hold the vessel together.::
::On the flight deck, the momentum had knocked a few of the attackers off their feet as well, and Tamir quickly dove under his console to get to the communication’s station. There was no time to check on the crewmember who had been shot to see if he was still alive. The helmsman activated the ship’s distress beacon and attempted to reach sector control.::
Kadosh: Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! This is Unity Transport Charles Lindbergh! We are under attack! Multiple hostiles aboard. Repeat! We have an emergency-
::The helmsman heard a yell behind him and turned around just in time to see a fist flying towards his face before all went dark.::
Tamir Kadosh
Helmsman, Charles Lindbergh
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