AWAKEN - HUMANITY: Book One

Chapter 4: Arrival to the New Stars

Starlight One hung in the blackness, the engines just clear of the gateway, the white swirling mass of energy having spat its cargo out. The Compass just to the side of the huge structure signalled the ship.

Inside emergency lights were on, alarms were sounding in various shrills and tones, small clouds of smoke blossomed over panels and from the floor. The crew slowly woke up finding themselves splayed out over the consoles or lying face down on the cold floor.

Tom woke up his face slumbered over the science console as the screens flashed, he glanced over at the communications hub and found the office was on the floor unconscious and the screen flashing 'incoming message', he staggered over, his legs a little weak his mind wondering for just a split second where he was. He looked over at the Captain who was starting to stir, slightly, sitting awkward in his seat with his head slumped forward. He lay a finger over the control panel. A burst of voices came across the speakers, he winced at the volume and turned it down, there seemed to be panic their end.

"This is JFK Base Two..." static sounded followed by background muffled voices then the main voice again, "...confirm status...repeat: This is JFK Base Two, please confirm status."

Tom cleared his dry throat and shouted above the multi layered noises in the Control Bay. "This is Starlight One receiving transmission – current status unknown." He looked down at the pilots who were now holding their heads in their hands, grazes, bruised and bleeding form small superficial wounds but alive, they had done it, they had successfully jumped.

"Request access to ship system for analysis." The voice boomed back.

Tom accessed the system data and quickly set up a link to their ships system so Compass could tether onto it and scan the ship in advance of any boarding party. "Link set up and being sent now..." he pressed the link and it went through to Compass.

"Acknowledged..." the voice went quiet for few seconds, "...scanning, please await further instructions."

The Captain moaned and his head shot up, his eyes opened wide, he coughed and with the bac of his hand wiped away the saliva that had leaked from his mouth. He coughed taking in the scene before him.

"Captain, I have Compass scanning our systems." Tom shouted across to Cade.

The Captain nodded as he gained his own composure, "Good..." the dust in the air swirled as the air system battled to circulate fresh, clean, breathable air. "Status report..."

Cummings held the side of her head, blood matted her hair seeping through her fingers, "engines are none responsive Captain, air at eighty percent, structure is..." she peered at the monitor, "...sixty percent and all holding sir."

"Tom, contact compass, notify them we need engineers on board, also contact sickbay, we need first aiders on scene.'

"Yes sir, on it now." Tom quickly set about the task.

                                                                                         ****

Commander Steven Drake sat in his large comfy chair, the only thing he possessed that was not made from hard wearing thick plastic. He wore his all in one grey overall with his name tag stitched on the left breast pocket and two red stripes around the left arm denoting his command level. The rest of the office was stark grey walls and a couple of wall screens, a small desk with his holographic laptop and a cup of hot tea. One strip of glass floor to ceiling and the width of a door allowed him to look out onto the office floor of the Compass. It blackened out by his command to give him privacy when he so wished.