Multiverse Q2572, Quadrant: HL874.276.663, Sector: VX986.443.043. Planet: QQ004, Adlioor: Date:5602.....10/09.. 111 B.I.
Near the edge of the Adlioor system the captain of the starship Sentanin, Captain Yaaran, was busy checking the ships position. Two more minutes and they'd execute the jump into N-space and begin the long three-month journey to Jbeini Prime.
"Engineering." The Captain Yaaran said as he activated the coms link "Make ready to Jump."
"N-drives online Captain." came the instant reply.
"Navigation. Bring us to point alpha. Make ready for transit."
"By your command Captain. Point alpha in thirty seconds."
"Make ready to jump.... Engage N-Drive in three, two, Engage."
"Jump drives engaged."
As the starship Sentanin made its jump into N-space most of its regular passengers were sleeping in their cabins. They'd seen too many transits before to be bothered staying up for this one so missed the first signs of what was about to happen.
The light from the star, Adlioor Prime, began bending into a very unusual red shift.
"N-space in ten seconds Captain. Field generators spinning up..." the first officer reported.
"CAPTAIN...THE FIELDS UNSTABLE." The chief engineer yelled into his comm's over the tearing noises coming from deep inside the field generators housing unit.
"SHUT US DOWN!" the Captain yelled back as the Sentanin began to dissolve around him.
"T... FIE...S FAIL. LAUNC...."
Unprotected, the bare duralium hull of the Sentanin entered the maelstrom of N-Space, boiling away Nano seconds later, killing all three thousand souls on-board. Nothing remained.
Five hours later the deep space sensors array orbiting near Adlioor Prime recorded ripples from the event.
It took another three hours before the destruction of the Sentanin's was confirmed, throwing both Taragosi station and the starport on Adlioor into total lockdown.
No movements up or down, in or out.
Three minutes later the terrorist group, the LNE, (Liberation Not Enslavement) group claimed responsibility for the disaster forcing the total lockdown of both the starport and Taragois station.
The security response was immediately apparent, they began double checking everybody and everything on both stations.
Later, in a back room, behind a false wall, near the star port's newly built security station, members of the terrorist group, the LNE, finally received electronic conformation of the Sentanin passenger manifest from their sympathiser. It didn't take them long learn that they'd missed their target. Realising their error, the LNE also started checking everybody and everything on both stations, but for completely different reasons.
Elisha Quanta was fast asleep in her room when the two members of the LNE, dressed in stolen station security uniforms, arrived to check the Travellers Rest.
Two and a half hours later Elisha woke unceremoniously as "security" keyed open her door thirty seconds after buzzing it. Startled, she fumbled with her nightclothes before pulling up the sheets as they barged into her room, stunners drawn, demanding to see her papers.
Planet Adlioor: Date:5602....10/06.. 108 B.I Three days before the Sentanin's destruction:
YOU ARE READING
Missed (Part 1) & An Untimely Death (Part 2), Both set in the year 5602, 111 BI
Science FictionA young woman misses her flight. Has she lost her only opportunity for her dream job? A Starship explodes. And who the hell are the LNE? Find out in Part 1 of this two part story AND in Part 2 .. find out what happens after she's saved from cert...
