Re: Inside the [X]
Posted: Mon May 05, 2014 6:34 pm
ENGAGING RP MODE
A small line of text appeared on the glassy surface of the older console, heading the front of the ship. Beside it were numerous switches, red and white, orange, green, a plethora of L.E.D's blinking and flashing, levers and dials that turned and manually connected. All analog functions. The top right corner of the screen was cracked, blurring and distorting the words behind it, and increasing by nano-meters with every strain. For now, it obscured nothing important. Every switch, L.E.D, lever and dial was marked by a tiny line of text underneath it, but most of it was too faded to read. The matte black surface of the console, filling the space between each protrusion, was scuffed in numerous places and no longer new, showing the shinier steel surface underneath.
Directly above the console lay another, anchored to the ceiling and outfitted with nearly the same number of dials and switches and levers, but this time, each was locked into position with a small strap. The screen on this console showed a constant sine wave graph, though it could hardly be called constant, for it fluctuated and changed constantly. It was flanked by two other monitors, each attached from behind and facing towards the center of the command area. The left one displayed only static, its function given out long ago. The right one showed a conic, or several, even complete with a rotating hyperbola and parabolas. It pulsed as the hyperbola passed the major axis, a small tone that indicated that it was still functioning. Every so often it beeped and displayed a new object, a small red triangle somewhere on the edge of the conic. This moved every time the hyperbola passed it, sometimes up and sometimes to the side, until it inevitably disappeared with another small beep.
On either side of both were 8 other consoles, each just as scuffed as the last, each with a monitor and its own set of controls. They formed a concentric circle around the raised command platform, facing inwards towards a seat, grafted to the galvanized steel floor, dented and just as colorless and personality drained as everything else, imprinted with small diamond-shaped protrusions, small but significant for their purpose. The seat itself has seen better days; the leather was ripped and showed it's fluffy, stained stuffing. The buttons on the side were cracked. The chrome finish no longer shined with the incandescent glow of the overhead lights. But it still got the job done.
The screen read; "Scan complete." As Jallanx read these words, a smile crept up his face and he stood up. His boots clicked on the floor as he did so, microscopic pieces of rubber flaking off the heels. He brushed several locks of deep-black hair out of his face and turned around, his ragged uniform swishing through the air as he did so, and faced his 10 or so crew-mates- friends- on the bridge floor below him. "It's done," he said, nearly bursting inside with excitement. But he needed to keep himself composed. "We can go home."
The bridge erupted in cheering as his crewmates screamed and hugged each other, grateful, glad, happy for this nightmarish journey to be over. Jallanx watched from the elevated command platform with a smile on his face. He saw Gordan at the back, still the tallest and most humorous man on the ship. He was locked in an embrace with Jennifer, his long-lost sister from the planet below, who bore a nearly identical look to Gordan. She broke out of the embrace and turned towards Jallanx with a smile and a skip in her step, and waved. Jallanx waved back and looked over to see Koryy, the engineer, lifted up by his friends Ulmaryn, Olivian, Cathy, with great joy evident on his still dirty face. Jallanx noted the black-smudged cotton towel in his pocket and shook his head, chuckling. Jallanx turned around to prep the FTL drive and return home.
He was stopped short by an incessant beeping coming from the sensor console above. He must not have heard it before, with the cheering; now it was evidently there. Behind him, the sounds of happiness died down gradually as they became aware of the beeping. Jallanx half ran, half jumped the remaining meter or so to the sensor console. The rotating hyperbola, most closely described as a Radar, had highlighted a red triangle that was approaching very quickly. His smile disappeared, and as additional warning lights switched on, he dove to the side towards the ship controls.
He never made it. The ship rocked with incredible force and the room was plunged into darkness.
The warship fired a railgun, a blue flash of light and the shell was away at a fraction of the speed of light. If there was nothing in its way, it would go off into space for eternity, flying and drifting until it hit something. It could be a ship. It could be the planet behind that ship. It could go off in a million years and hit something else. Whatever the case, somehow, somewhere, it was ruining someone's day. In this case, it was ruining it now. The shell pierced the steel shell of the junker quite easily, fragmenting the brittle layer and sending rectangular pieces flying through the empty void. It exited the other side and kept going, a plume of fire and debris following its exit into the void once again. Another round, and the ship tore in two pieces in an explosion of fire and metal, a brilliant detonation bright enough to be seen from the surface below, for they were on the night side of the planet. Not that anyone cared. Two more rounds, and the ship was nothing more than a debris field.
Aboard the warship, a lone Tien with blackened feathers and dull colors stood alone at the front of the bridge, watching the colorful display of fireworks in front of him. No emotion registered on his face; if it weren't for his subtle and slow breathing, one might consider him an android. As he watched, a small shadow fell on the bridge, and the Tien looked to see the eviscerated corpse of a man, floating just past the bridge, a look of terror still evident on his face. The Tien turned around, closing the blast shutters as he did so, and looked at the 5 or so pairs of eyes behind him, all dimly illuminated by the light from some of the most advanced consoles money could buy. "The escapees have been killed," he announced to the room in an emotionless, yet somber tone. "Return us to the complex and inform Taln command. Pentos has guided us well."
A small line of text appeared on the glassy surface of the older console, heading the front of the ship. Beside it were numerous switches, red and white, orange, green, a plethora of L.E.D's blinking and flashing, levers and dials that turned and manually connected. All analog functions. The top right corner of the screen was cracked, blurring and distorting the words behind it, and increasing by nano-meters with every strain. For now, it obscured nothing important. Every switch, L.E.D, lever and dial was marked by a tiny line of text underneath it, but most of it was too faded to read. The matte black surface of the console, filling the space between each protrusion, was scuffed in numerous places and no longer new, showing the shinier steel surface underneath.
Directly above the console lay another, anchored to the ceiling and outfitted with nearly the same number of dials and switches and levers, but this time, each was locked into position with a small strap. The screen on this console showed a constant sine wave graph, though it could hardly be called constant, for it fluctuated and changed constantly. It was flanked by two other monitors, each attached from behind and facing towards the center of the command area. The left one displayed only static, its function given out long ago. The right one showed a conic, or several, even complete with a rotating hyperbola and parabolas. It pulsed as the hyperbola passed the major axis, a small tone that indicated that it was still functioning. Every so often it beeped and displayed a new object, a small red triangle somewhere on the edge of the conic. This moved every time the hyperbola passed it, sometimes up and sometimes to the side, until it inevitably disappeared with another small beep.
On either side of both were 8 other consoles, each just as scuffed as the last, each with a monitor and its own set of controls. They formed a concentric circle around the raised command platform, facing inwards towards a seat, grafted to the galvanized steel floor, dented and just as colorless and personality drained as everything else, imprinted with small diamond-shaped protrusions, small but significant for their purpose. The seat itself has seen better days; the leather was ripped and showed it's fluffy, stained stuffing. The buttons on the side were cracked. The chrome finish no longer shined with the incandescent glow of the overhead lights. But it still got the job done.
The screen read; "Scan complete." As Jallanx read these words, a smile crept up his face and he stood up. His boots clicked on the floor as he did so, microscopic pieces of rubber flaking off the heels. He brushed several locks of deep-black hair out of his face and turned around, his ragged uniform swishing through the air as he did so, and faced his 10 or so crew-mates- friends- on the bridge floor below him. "It's done," he said, nearly bursting inside with excitement. But he needed to keep himself composed. "We can go home."
The bridge erupted in cheering as his crewmates screamed and hugged each other, grateful, glad, happy for this nightmarish journey to be over. Jallanx watched from the elevated command platform with a smile on his face. He saw Gordan at the back, still the tallest and most humorous man on the ship. He was locked in an embrace with Jennifer, his long-lost sister from the planet below, who bore a nearly identical look to Gordan. She broke out of the embrace and turned towards Jallanx with a smile and a skip in her step, and waved. Jallanx waved back and looked over to see Koryy, the engineer, lifted up by his friends Ulmaryn, Olivian, Cathy, with great joy evident on his still dirty face. Jallanx noted the black-smudged cotton towel in his pocket and shook his head, chuckling. Jallanx turned around to prep the FTL drive and return home.
He was stopped short by an incessant beeping coming from the sensor console above. He must not have heard it before, with the cheering; now it was evidently there. Behind him, the sounds of happiness died down gradually as they became aware of the beeping. Jallanx half ran, half jumped the remaining meter or so to the sensor console. The rotating hyperbola, most closely described as a Radar, had highlighted a red triangle that was approaching very quickly. His smile disappeared, and as additional warning lights switched on, he dove to the side towards the ship controls.
He never made it. The ship rocked with incredible force and the room was plunged into darkness.
The warship fired a railgun, a blue flash of light and the shell was away at a fraction of the speed of light. If there was nothing in its way, it would go off into space for eternity, flying and drifting until it hit something. It could be a ship. It could be the planet behind that ship. It could go off in a million years and hit something else. Whatever the case, somehow, somewhere, it was ruining someone's day. In this case, it was ruining it now. The shell pierced the steel shell of the junker quite easily, fragmenting the brittle layer and sending rectangular pieces flying through the empty void. It exited the other side and kept going, a plume of fire and debris following its exit into the void once again. Another round, and the ship tore in two pieces in an explosion of fire and metal, a brilliant detonation bright enough to be seen from the surface below, for they were on the night side of the planet. Not that anyone cared. Two more rounds, and the ship was nothing more than a debris field.
Aboard the warship, a lone Tien with blackened feathers and dull colors stood alone at the front of the bridge, watching the colorful display of fireworks in front of him. No emotion registered on his face; if it weren't for his subtle and slow breathing, one might consider him an android. As he watched, a small shadow fell on the bridge, and the Tien looked to see the eviscerated corpse of a man, floating just past the bridge, a look of terror still evident on his face. The Tien turned around, closing the blast shutters as he did so, and looked at the 5 or so pairs of eyes behind him, all dimly illuminated by the light from some of the most advanced consoles money could buy. "The escapees have been killed," he announced to the room in an emotionless, yet somber tone. "Return us to the complex and inform Taln command. Pentos has guided us well."