[ACT 1] Lieutenant JG Ollie Bergmen - Planetfall
CPT Arianus
(( ??? - USS Karnack))
The evacuation alert drowned everything out. There were terrified shapes everywhere. The noise of straining bodies. The confusion he tried to instill with a hint of organization. They had practiced for this so many times, but no holographic simulation could prepare them for what reality was. He could barely hear his own voice as he directed the stream of bodies down the corridor to the nearest evacuation pods. Gestures and signs had to do, and where they didn't, force was all he could rely on to direct them. In theory, everyone should have known where their evacuation point was. But that hardly mattered now. Some were close to them, others were anywhere but close to where they were assigned, and so they followed the pulsing lights on the floor to the nearest evacuation point. He heard his name. Or at least he thought it was his name. He took the liberty of glancing to the left briefly, and saw a non-commissioned officer who was correcting the last mile and checking that none of the evacuation pods had flown away empty.
The non-commissioned officer raised his hand and showed a single finger, and clenched his fist—last place. Bergmen nodded to confirm that they could go. As he just turned back, he had to grab and throw over some crewman who wanted to run to the left, in the other direction.
Bergmen: Right! Right! Everyone, RIGHT! Left is gone! Empty!
Ollie started waving his hand in that direction, and the others followed the crewman who scrambled to his feet and ran in that direction.
The last one followed his instructions and ran right, and Ollie followed suit. He turned the corner and looked at the coordinator.
Bergmen: Last!
The coordinator nodded and pointed to the open hatch of the evacuation pod. Ollie quickly nodded back and jumped inside…
(( Escape pod, Callis 1 ))
Pain. Pain was the first thing he felt as he began to come to. He tried to move his neck, but a sharp pain shot from his neck to his shoulders. He gritted his teeth and tilted his head from side to side. The crackle of his vertebrae accompanied as they returned to where they should have been. He exhaled sharply and waited. Let the stress and pain out of his chest and head.
Jovenan: Is there…
Voice. He heard a voice.
Ollie blinked and looked through the darkness of the escape pod toward the voice. Someone survived along with him. That was a good sign.
Jovenan: Name call. Jovenan.
Bergmen: Bergmen!
K’Wara/Bancroft: Response
Ollie hit the buckle of the strap that secured him in the seat. He instinctively reached for the handle above him to help pull himself up. As he got to his feet, dizziness washed over him, and his legs nearly gave way. He blinked to steady himself as the sensation in his stomach twisted like he was in a centrifuge.
Jovenan: Can someone get the door open, please?
Bergmen: Aye, I…
But breathing and talking altogether didn’t help. Bergmen snorted and threw up what was inside straight onto the opposite wall. That helped.
He took another breath. And then another. Now he felt better.
Bergmen: I… ::cought:: …I’ll do it.
K’Wara/Bancroft: Response
Ollie nodded in response to the voice to mark he's okay and stepped in the direction where the hatch should have been. His fingers grazed the cool, metal surface, searching for the familiar edges.
oO There they are... Oo
He tapped the darkened display several times, his heart racing with the hope that the automatic release would work, but it seemed he wasn't having that much luck. So he retraced his movements along the perimeter of the hatch, feeling for the manual release cover. Finally, his fingers brushed against the slight outline at the top. With a surge of adrenaline, he pulled the cover off with a sharp jerk; the plastic cover clattered to the floor with an echoing thud. The lieutenant seized the puck and pulled it to the other side, defying the spring breaker. The hatch gave way, and its hydraulics began pushing it out and up.
A crack broke through the darkness, and light flooded in, wrapping around them all. The brightness was blinding, and Ollie stepped back, hiding in the still shadows of the pod's cabin curve until his eyes adjusted to the intensity. Commander Jovenan climbed out around him, and her head disappeared beyond the edge of the open hatch. There was no scream or warning, so whatever the commander saw seemed safe. Bergmen leaned out of the shadows and stepped closer as she pulled her head back in and looked at him and the rest.
Jovenan: Any injuries?
Bergmen: Concussion, probably.
K’Wara/Bancroft: Response
Bergmen: I’m okay. All blood is still inside as supposed to be… ::sigh:: We should collect emergency rations and look for cover before night comes. Escape pod systems are dead... ::points around:: ...so we cannot count on heating or any other life support.
Jovenan/K’Wara/Bancroft: Response
Bergmen: I will check the emergency beacon. It should have its own backup power source, so maybe we can use that to bring the pod's system back on again. Even if just for scanning our immediate surroundings…
Jovenan/K’Wara/Bancroft: Response
TAG/TBC
–
Lieutenant JG Ollie Bergmen
Operations Officer
U.S.S. Artemis-A
A240009JC1