Knowing my desires before I do the ship displays the information I was about to request.
Terminal:
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Time to target 27 seconds_
Jump complete in 15 seconds_
I can see the casualties racking up on another monitor. Hundreds of thousands of workers are peeled from the ship as the gravity and plasma slams into ship. Even next to the gravity core I can feel the crushing forces trying to overpower me. I am strong. I remain in the face of all adversity. As the weaker drones are peeled away the strongest continue to carry out their duties. The strongest will always remain.
Terminal:
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Destination lock accurate to 15m_
Target within visual range_
Displaying now_
We erupt from the nothing of space sloughing dead workers and plasma in a storm of fire. Columns of ions stream from every point on the ship as the swarm works as one to close in on my target. This alien drone promises new technology and powerful advancements in weaponry like all discoveries before it. The best addition to my pirated treasure trove has to be the terminals that read my mind. It has made me stronger than any other discovery. It aids me like no worker ever could.
I watch with hunger in my mind. The small ship is now close enough to the ship that the swarm has begun to reach out towards it. As we make contact I can practically feel the alien ship against my hands.
Terminal:
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incomin_
The ship rattles violently as I am thrown into the terminals in front of me. The screens, now much closer than normal, fill with information as the ship sensors struggle to figure out what happened.
Terminal:
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43% confirmed deaths_
10% assumed deaths_
13% Incapacitated_
Fuel cells 43 through 124 ruptured_
Thrusters at 0% output_
Reactor breach on levels 14, 15, and 17_
Staggered explosions rattle the ship.
“Emergency Jump!,” as soon as I say the command the jump process begins, a blinding light forms in the crescent of the ship. Already its gravity pulls me back to the floor of the command center. “I want us out of here NOW!”
Terminal:
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The hull is still overheated from the last jump_
Already hull integrity has fallen to 40% in areas not affected by the attack_
If we jump now it will destroy your ship_
It will destroy you and me_
“I SAID JUMP!”
Terminal:
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Manifold failing on all reactors_
If the antimatter is exposed it create a 644.4 megaton blast_
“We need to jump!” I falter, my voice weak. I can think of no other path forward.
The floor lurches underneath me following a particularly drawn out shudder from the ship.
Terminal:
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The forward crescent has completely failed_
You are now the captain of two ships_
“NO!” I barely notice the snide remark, “How did this happen? Where did the attack come from?” Numerous alarms are blaring throughout the ship the swarm begins to collapse on the failing reactors. “Repair the reactor housing! We can’t afford a breach! Continue the jump, get us out of here!”
Terminal:
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The plasma will not contain enough energy at this rate to form a wormhole_
When it destabilizes it will create a 20 megaton blast_
If the antimatter is ignited it will trigger a 644.4 megaton blast_
The ship will be destroyed_
If you want to live you need to abandon ship_
“NO! We are making that jump!” I always feared I would encounter a civilization that I couldn’t fight. One that I couldn't even comprehend. I never imagined I would find them within my borders…
Terminal:
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You need to escape_
We can use the blast from the antimatter to mask our escape_
I promised you that I would assist you if you let me live_
If you are going to die don’t take me with you_
We have 23 seconds to clear the lethal blast zone at max speed_
Please_
“FINE!,” I drop to my hands and knees digging my claws into the floor of the command center. “Aim for the planet,” I am defeated, even if we make it I will have nothing left, “We can try to hide there...”
Terminal:
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_
I’m sorry_
The blast of the command pod being jettisoned nearly breaks my grip. The acceleration blurring my vision as the 200g's of force test my strength to the limit. I am forced to grip and tense against the force for nearly a minute until the craft has reached 100km/s.
I collapse into the back wall of the escape pod. Even after the initial acceleration the craft will continue to accelerate for 20 minutes until it is traveling at 500km/s. The force would probably control me if I were not in the exo-armor allowing me to move. I struggle to my feet. The terminal displays the Disparity. The damage is heartbreaking. All of my work, all of my workers. The two peices of the ship disappear as a blinding light fills the monitor.
Terminal:
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The antimatter has been ignited_
Preparing adrenal shot_
The force of the antimatter blast will kill you if your heart rate is not accelerated to push blood into your brain_
You are going to feel a lot of pressure_
A sting in my neck is followed by the suit compressing every inch of my body. Before I can protest I slam into the back wall of the craft. For a second I blackout. I am still dimly aware of the violent shaking caused by the antimatter blast. I crash about the command center as the craft spins and tumbles.
When my vision returns I am floating. My body aches. My limbs shaking from the adrenaline. I gingerly grab the floor of the center with my feet. Only one terminal is still functioning. I must have smashed into them during the blast.
Terminal:
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The blast took out our thrusters and sensors_
We still have SAS and reactor power_
We can no longer navigate to perform a crash landing from this center_
We must rely on your suits functions to make it to the planet._
I will need to load into your suit_
We should abandon this craft_
I reach for the uplink cable. My hands shaking so violently from the toll on my body that it take several tries to connect it to my neck.
Terminal:
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Uplink progress_ 5%
10%
15%
25%
50%
55%
70%
80%
90%
Complete_
I rip the cord from my neck. All the devices around me become silent as they power down. I grab the emergency supplies from a cabinet near the craft doors. The backpack has 3 large compartments one on my back and two along my sides under my wings. The kit contains everything I need to start a small emergency mining operation. These are my last workers I cant afford to let them die. At the very least I need to warn the Queen about the aliens.
The door must have been melted shut by the blast. Since it won't open. Before I can make an attempt to cut through the door the escape pod jolts to the side throwing me off balance.
Igniting plasma jets along my suits claws I slash at the door of the ship screaming in anger and frustration. "I AM SICK!" the door crumbles before my wrath, "Of getting TOSSED around!" I can feel my hands punch through the hull as I grab on to the sides of the door and wrench it into the ship tearing it in half and leaving a large hole in the hull, "MY shiii..." My angered buzz trails off as I glide out of the well-done escape pod. The craft is more of a blackened sphere than a vehicle. The jolt was probably related to the room I, and my ship, seem to be inside of.
The terminal breaks the stunned silence, "Maybe they're friendly?"
"That information is irrelevant and most likely false..." I jump towards the closest wall and dig into it with my hands. "Try to scan the ship to see if anything is closing in." The wall is thermally resistant and progress is slow. Once I develop a solid grip with my hands I begin tearing at the wall with the larger claws on my feet. Light and radiation flaring off my wings as they disperse heat from the suit. I need to get out of here. It seems unreasonable to stick around. I know that, if things where the other way around, I would be less than charitable to a 'visitor' on my ship.