Wednesday Briefs - In Enemy Hands #1.2

Welcome to the Wednesday Briefs flash group (click to go to the site). The short stories have a maximum of a 1000 word count plus links at the bottom to the other flashers. If interested in joining us, drop me a line and I'll tell you how. :)Prompts for this week:or “Don’t sing the blues.”

or "You’re in the way."

or "Oh, that was smooth."

or "Now you’re cooking with oil."

or "Is that really you?"

or "You lost the bet, so…"

or "That makes me feel so warm and fuzzy."

or "They’re so different!"

or "Is it just me or..."

or use: alarm, floor, computer

or use: bricks, fire, chair
or use: cloud, sidewalk, rice

or have your character do a photo shoot

or have a baby in the story

or have a character walk/play a dog

or have a character go see a doctor


In Enemy Hands #1.2
His ship bucked and shuddered. Numerous alarms sounded through the ship. An ominous creaking sounded across the Bridge. Varo glanced up. Oh stars, was that a crack? Were the ship’s shields failing? If they lost integrity, they’d all die instantly. Internal lights flashed then shut off.
Blackness swallowed them. Several circuit boards on the helm exploded, sparks flashing and smoke filling the Bridge. Bodies flew from the impact. Varo found himself on the floor in front of his chair. Moans and cries echoed around him. The generator finally reinstated power, and a cold wash of red illuminated the Bridge.
“Report!” Varo struggled to stand, gripping his chair. The main viewing scene was snowy.
“Are you injured?”Artan demanded.
“No! Now report.”
Artan listened to the information pouring in from all stations. “Outgoing planetary communications are offline, but we do have station coms working. Several computer systems were down, but secondary power has restored some, for now. Life support is working. Sensors, both long and short, are still online.”
“Good.”
“Weapons we have are offline. Warp engines are offline. Shields are operational, but functioning at thirty per cent. Medical is operational and has wounded. Incoming reports are broken bones, laceration, and electrical burns.” Artan sighed. “Plasma burns too. I’m sorry, sir. We have casualties.”
“How many?”
“Three, so far.”
Varo said a quick prayer for his men. “Okay, someone get the portable foam extinguishers and put out the electrical fires.”
“Yes, Captain!” Haus yelled.
“Injured report to Medical at once.” Varo was pleased to see only two men left. “Okay, man stations and someone report on time to asteroid field arrival.”
“Now, Captain!” Joff replied.
Stars and curses, really? The aft of the ship faced Jux, which acted as a shield. He glared at the main viewing screen, which was still offline. He wished he could see how the SSN handled the incoming asteroids. Since Jux blocked them, their shields were holding.
“Confirmation that sublink message was sent?” Varo asked.
“Message sent, sir. We didn’t have long enough to log a reply.” Artan stepped next to the captain’s chair. “Sensors are recording reactions from the SSN. It appears the system is holding.”
“Understood.” Varo refused to allow his disappointment to show. Nothing seemed to defeat that system.
“And Captain, report from the Engine Room says warp is going to be offline a minimal twenty-four unit hours. We’ve also lost thrusters.” Artan lowered his voice. “We’re dead in the water.”
Varo replied just as softly. “Are we far enough away from Jux? We’re not going to get caught in its planetary pull, correct?”
“Correct. But we are floating aimlessly.” Artan stepped to Helm and fiddled with the controls. After a brief check of the readout, he returned to Varo’s side. “We might have a problem.”
“What?”
“We’re floating toward Helkan.”
“Cursed planet.”
“I’d say cursed solar storm.” Artan stared at the blurry main screen. “We’re blind too.”
Varo resisted the urge to pound his fist against something. “How about I curse the whole useless mission?”
“Works for me,” Artan quipped. He cleared his throat, a shrill beep catching his attention. “Hmm, that’s interesting.”
“What?”
“Scanners show a sudden flux of energy at the SSN.” Artan’s scowl increased. “I’m not really sure what is… Great galaxies! I don’t believe it. We have a massive breach in the system. Repeat, a massive breach in the SSN! The energy net that protects the planet is down. I repeat it is down. Captain! What do we do?”
Varo cursed under his breath, furious. They finally got a break, and his ship was useless. “Nothing. We can’t do anything, Artan. We have no weapons or any way to maneuver. We observe and document for future reference only. If that net came down once, maybe we can get it down again.”
“A chance of a lifetime, and we’re helpless,” Artan whispered. “Do you think the CME cloud had something to do with it? It was powerful.”
“Possibly. That, along with getting battered by huge chunks of rocks right after the cloud hit, may have contributed to it going down.”
“Captain, we have an incoming message.” The Communications Officer Sarik grimaced. “The Helkans demand we withdraw from their immediate planetary air space. Stars, they want us to move behind Jux. If we do not retreat, the message says they will send their warbirds.”
“Are outgoing communications still down?” Varo asked Sarik.
“Yes, sir.”
Artan snarled at the com center. “If they scan us, they’ll see we’re damaged and can’t respond or depart.”
Varo stared at the still snowy main screen. “Scans can be misleading, as you know. Shutting down systems will just show as systems down. They can’t tell whether we did that on purpose, or if we really have problems. That CME cloud didn’t leave any external damage that I’m aware of, either.”
“It’s stupid to think it didn’t affect us if it affected them,” Artan argued.
“True. And I doubt they care. Refusing to answer and refusing to move, especially while their defenses are compromised, could be seen as a threat. More importantly, there’s the fact we’re at war with them.”
“What do we do?” Artan asked.
“Keep trying to get Planetary Communications up and hope they don’t blow us out of the skies.” Varo paged the Engine Room again. “Can we at least get thrusters?”
“Sorry, Captain. That’s a negative. It’s a fried mess down here,” the Head Mechanic, Darn, answered, her voice stressed.
“There’s no way our ships will get here in time to help, Captain.” Artan glanced around the Bridge.
“I know.” Varo looked at the blank screen. They were blind and helpless, with no way to communicate, not that anyone could with the Helkans. There was only one choice.
“Sir! I’m picking up several smaller ships—fighters I assume—and one massive ship. Probably the warbird they threatened,” a female crewmember at the Helm declared. “Time of arrival is thirty unit minutes.”
Varo took a deep breath, then released it. “Well, that settles it then.” Varo typed in a code on the com that opened a shipwide speaker. “This is Captain Varo. Our ship is disabled, and the Helkans have deemed our presence a threat. They are likely to attack. Captain’s orders: Abandon ship. I repeat, abandon ship. Everyone but Senior Staff report to escape pods immediately. Senior Staff report to the Bridge. Varo out.”

TBC



                                                                            Varo's spaceship. Remember, its not very big











Shuttle that Varo and the others use to escape 















Make sure to check out the other Briefers:Avery Dawes 
Victoria AdamsKazy ReedCarol PedrosoChris T. KatMatthias WilliamsonTali SpencerNephylimJC WallaceCia NordwellJon Keys                                                              TC CollinsSarah HayesRavon SilviusJohayanTali SpencerShelly SchulzJulie Lynn Hayes