Dare to Dream discussion
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End of the world
*I glance at the other screen and watch as the image seems to blur for a moment then it came back into focus* Whoa! That was weird...look the ship looks lighter now.
What??? Did something change?
Yea...where my double is its like the lights are on and the ship isn't all creepy. Look! There is someone there! *I point to a man dressed up as he walked past my clone then everything went fuzzy again. After it cleared up we see your clone again and the ship is dark like it was before* I think my clone went to the other side...
I don't know...wait what's he doing? Tell my double not to flip that switch!
*I look back to see my double grab your double's hand, shaking her head no, telling him to stop since they don't know what may happen*
Have you seen any actual people...I mean other than just indistinct movements? The instruments still show human life on board the ship...* Everything on both screens goes almost transparent for a few seconds and then settles back to solid.*
*I shudder as the screen solidifies again* Maybe we should abort....push the ship back away from our planet and call it a day. This creeping me out.*My clone heads through the ship, seeing no one yet*
There's something odd though. * Mike is maneuvering the ship back away from danger as he speaks* There are people on there somewhere. Hang on and let me see if I can narrow down the readings....Send the doubles out and back to the cargo bay. The readings are there. Tell them to search the bay. As I recall there are some concealed areas on these ships. The ones Mal uses for....nonstandard import and export.
*I nod and relay the message, both trotting back to the cargo bay and taking a look around. Just as before, the screen suddenly blurs then everything is lighter. A child runs past our clones and to a small hatch where she quickly climbed in. The screen blurred then became clear, the room dark and the child gone, the small hatch sitting in front of them* What was that?
Not sure. May be people on on side of this...whatever it is. Have then look inside the compartment. If no one's there we need to decide whether to try and figure this out or rig the ship to travel away.I don't want to leave anyone trapped. This could be something like a warp drive malfunction or something i suppose.
What.....?
* A beeping noise comes from the lab area.*
*My clone opens the compartment and shines her light in while I look to you* What is that beeping sound for? Is there something wrong? *I turn when I hear a small scared cry to see the little girl trying to move away from our doubles* Mike, look! It's the girl! Maybe we are jumping back in time and seeing where the people went to hide or something.
I'll check the beeping. See if there's anyone else there and if the doubles can make contact.* Mike runs to the lab*
*I watch you run off then look back to see my clone hugging and quieting the child. Your clone looks in the vent again to see that it was empty* Where are the rest of the people?
* Mike runs back onto the bridge carry the "old style" portable computer they had downloaded the alien ship's "personality" into. *Altara has been hearing us through the computer's audio pick up, but I've got her isolated from the main computer. She "says" * Here Mike shows the screen where Altara has been printing out her communications.* that she'd like to see the device. I think maybe I can feed in a recording without giving her access to the main computer, at least not yet.
Is anyone else there?
*My eyes scan the screen then look back up to see the girl clinging to my clone. Your clone is in the process of removing other hatches and peering inside. Two women cling to one another inside another area, shaking and screaming* Two more...women.
Okay.... * Mike is in the process of plugging a small device into the portable computer* Maybe we ought to get the.....passengers back over here before that ship slides completely out or in or whatever.
*Our clones put the three on the ship then sends the ship our way. I run to the bay to meet the three and to send the ship back to our clones while they continued to search for more people*
* Mike continues to work to give a voice to the "intelligence" Altara. *
*I lead the women and child to a room and let them rest while I get some food for them. After I make sure that they are resting comfortably, I return to you.* Anything new?
I'm trying to get a voice box and speaker tied in here. I'm still not comfortable with letting what looks to be an alien intelligence into the ship, but she needs more computing power. The screen says she believes that the box in the ship may be a warp drive adapter. It's a lot like an older model their people used....Are they people from the other ship alright? Did they say what happened?
The women were too tired to talk so I am letting them rest. The little girl did say something about a monster..about the captain being a monster and trying to hurt them but the other men stopped them. But she doesn't know where they are. They hit the switch and that's when everything went fuzzy.
Altara says that she think that this is like a worm hole except it's opened to a different universe rather than another place.So what we have to decide is...do we try to get them back or close the gate behind them? If we leave the gate open and it stabilizes..."things" can come through this way as well as going that way. If we move the ship the gate will still be there. All we can do is try to get the lost people back and destroy the gate..... Or simply destroy the gate.
I say we give the clones a little bit more time to find the other people. Maybe there are more alive on there, hiding from the captain who sounds like a total jerk. But I don't want to destroy it yet.
Okay... We still better keep this ship back. Look if they're clones, are they alive? Do they mind risking themselves? If this ship slips through it could stay there. If the gate stabilizes they could be the ones who meet some invading army. If these are real beings seems like an awful risk for them to.
*I shake my head* They are just our doubles made by my mind. They know the risk and they can disappear whenever they need to or want to. They will destroy the ship when the time comes after sending ours back with the equipment if they have the time.
Okay...let them go and see if they can find anyone else. Or if they can find us a way to pull anyone back.
*Our clones continue to look, seeing limp sets of where people hid but when they went to look they either found nothing or a body.* It's not looking like any other survivors.
Well, my guess would be their captain was in on whatever happened. Still a Firefly isn't usually a passenger vessel. I wonder if they were refugees or something. We'll have ti ask the survivors we have.Okay I'm pulling us back further. now for the big question. Do we blow the ship or see about crossing over?
Might want to talk to our passengers first. What do you think?
*I shake my head, pressing my fingers to my forehead* I don't know..we can't let whatever is waiting on the other side cross over to our world. I say we get rid of the ship...cross it over and blow it up. They'll do it for us.
Wait.....Tell the doubles to get out if they can! * Mike throws their ship into a swift retreat from the floating vessel, simply gaining distance.*
There's a huge power spike showing on our instruments. Hang on...I'm triggering that ship's drive to push it out toward the edge of the system.
*I turn to face my screen and talk into my headset. Our doubles race to the ship and hop on. They quickly start up the ship and strap in, pushing away from the other ship as you begin to push it away.* They're safely away.
Energy flux is increasing...either the gate's opening or...* There's a white hot flash where the ship had been. the viewer with the ship on it blows. Mike gives it a few seconds and then adjusts another screen to show the area.
A shimmering circle hoovers out near the far edge of the star system. *
Well, there goes the neighborhood.
I think I'm blind....*I rub my eyes* What in the world just happened?
I don't know the details but the ship seems to have vaporized or something and I assume that's a gate. I've got the computer doing calculations on it. We need to close that thing. Not only would our little world not be a secret anymore but if that is the prelude to an invasion we'd be living on the beachhead of that invasion. The first battlefield if you will.We have to shut that thing down.
But how? The switch was vaporized with the ship so how can we close it? And before anything comes through it? *I look at you, fear in my eyes*
So far the only way I've got is tentatively to set off a big enough explosion to disrupt it...reverse it. The computer hasn't come up with a number yet but we're probably looking at something huge. And if anything starts coming through it will just complicate things.
The only good thing is that the size of that gate will keep anything larger than a medium sized ship from transiting.
*I study the gate* Maybe the clones can fly into it and blow up the ship. Wouldn't that be big enough explosion?
I doubt it if you mean the shuttle they're in. We may be talking something like a planet killer bomb. If we are the only way i know to get one is let our ship's manufacturing capability put it together...and it'll take several hours. The Rangers outlawed them years ago after the Shadow War. The Ship will have to strip a lot of armament down to get material.Okay....figures about ready.
*I chew In my lower lip as I stare at the gate.* I guess then that is the only way. At least there is no movement from the other side yet. I don't sense anything coming towards it either. Maybe who or whatever is on the other side doesn't realize that it is open which will give us some time. And if they do start coming through...I can try to push them back.
Okay...better rest then. The mental work would be extreme for that. I'm going to set automated alarms to let us know if anything comes through. Better tell the doubles they can come back. I'm going to get Altara some more computer space, maybe the ability to communicate through speakers.
*I nod my head and let the doubles know to come back which they do.* I better sleep a little then to get my mind ready for the job. I'll check in on our new friends then head to our room for a quick nap.
* Hours pass and Mike has plugged in old style speakers to Altara's computer. Then he simply keeps tabs on the gate, napping on and off as he does until the war head is complete and mounted on a launcher. *
*I walk back in, rubbing my eyes* You let me nap way too long.
Well...nothing's happened so far. We'll be ready to launch in about twenty minutes. The automated systems are in repair and things look okay. No new readings from the gate.
*I slip into the chair beside you with a sigh of relief.* Glad there are no readings from the gate. Maybe the world beyond that gate is already dead, wiped out by poverty or war. It's sad but I'm glad nothing is coming through.
* Mike consults computer then goes and gets each of them a cold drink and a couple of English muffins for while they wait. A few minutes before the missile is to launch energy readings from the gate jump (of course)*Looks like something is happening...
*I put down my drink and sit up straighter, staring at the gate and ready to push back* Ready if needed. Can you tell what it is yet?
Yeah...something coming, fast....hang on okay, I'm going to launch. Don't look that way, here... * Mike hands Lacy a set of dark lenses as he puts on his own. *
I'll shut down the sensors so we don't damage them and raise the shields to max. Be aware of the blast as you push, don't want to injure yourself... No more sickbay, please.
Looks like more than one ship....okay, push, do what you can and......launched, shields up, hang on.
*I put on my glasses and nod, shoving the ships back, feeling whoever is on the ships getting frustrated as to why they were stopped or moving backwards. I smile a little* Okay ready!
Dare to Dream
Books mentioned in this topic
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (other topics)Phoenix Rising (other topics)
The Janus Affair (other topics)
Where's your double? Has she found anything? The crew.