Bottom

[MiniKitty]

---

Kristoff, Monique, Madeleine... anyone...

---

The explosion of the Rogue gunboat marks the end of the fight. At least, so I think first. Then, the brutal reality kicks in. This is far from over. The Kay is heavily damaged. It was never this bad before! Hull breaches in multiple areas. Gas is venting into space, burning for a few seconds before vanishing. My chest hurts horribly and breathing is painful. I feel the heat in my blood and my senses are sharp. Time feels like it is passing slower, while at the same time, everything is happening so fast. I rush off my seat and grab the EVA gear. The crack in the canopy could get bigger any moment, and who knows for how long I will have pressure and air in here.

Helmet sealed. Battery is charged. Air tank on the back. Just in case. Now, what do I do first? Damage control, right. Sealing off what is still working, venting anything on fire, turning off everything that is not important. Conserving energy.







Damage report reads: Shields are critical. Weapons barely powered. Reactor damaged, continued usage not advised. Life support limited. Cargo hold hull breach. Gravity generator about to fail. Cruise engines damaged but still functional.

The list goes on. I am drifting somewhere in New York, moving further and further away from the lanes. I hate Rogues. Had seen this weirdo before in Colorado. He tried to pick a fight with an LSF fighter. Speaks only broken english. His turrets get the point across, though. Silly name, too. Guess I am not getting along with winged idiots.

Bridge is sealed off now. Powering down one system after another to conserve energy. Comms are damaged, too. Gonna make it quick, sending a message to Kristoff.

Telling him that I had a run in with that Rogue gunboat, that the Kay is damaged, that the other guy blew up nicely and that I will go for repairs now. Asking him to take care of Monique and Madeleine until I am back.

Sending...







Transmission damaged. Sent.

Powering down comms.














My fucking chest...











Hull breaches are sealed. Had to space walk to shoot the nano foam at the holes, then let the bots do the rest. Saw my violing floating away. Had to get back in when I noticed blood inside the helmet. My blood. From coughing. I am coughing blood.

Back on the bridge. Nanobots are trying to handle the crack in the canopy. Taking off my helmet. Air is stuffy, it smells like burnt metal. Sitting down on the bunk bed, coughing up more blood. I have the first aid kit here and scan myself. Broken ribs, internal bleeding. Crashed into the controls when that missile hit.

There is a pill for everything. Something will help. The medical hud shows me what to take, so I swallow pills and inject myself something into my neck. Hurts, but everything else hurts more. Getting up from the bed, heading over to the controls. Cannot repair the Kay in Liberty. Zoner design, no spare parts in Liberty. All the way down to the Omegas. Better move now, who knows how long the ship will hold together.





California. I remember this one Rogue bomber stopping me here at the lane to Mohave. Idiot. Called this Hammock guy on me, but I escaped.

Cortez. Wish I could go to Curacao, with Monique and Madeleine. I miss Aspen. This planet holds many good memories. Lucky Seven...

Manchester. Then New London. Cambridge. Omega-3. Omega-7. Trying to find that jump hole to Omega-48.

Gone. It is gone. Where to, now?




Omega-11. No idea where I am. I think Lea and I were here once? Jump hole to Omega-5. Do not mind if I do.

Mines. Shields are down. Not going up anymore. Some hull breach opened up again. Come on, I know there is a jump hole to Omega-48 here. Just hold it together, Kay!

There.







White. Then the planet. Horrible place. People actually fought over this hell hole. No nights, only religious fanatics. Not going to join your cult.

Planetfall? Need those repairs anyway. Slowly descending. Breaking through the clouds. And there goes a stabilizer. And the antenna. Come on, Kay, just a little longer!






Loud noise. Not the smoothest landing, but a landing nevertheless. Still better than anything Aspen would have managed. Getting out of the EVA gear. Grabbing my PDA, some water, some synth paste. Spare clothes.








Leaving the Kay. Walking to the space port building. Was here before, with Madeleine. Walking past the robot brothel. Walking past it again. Sitting down on the bench in front of it. Taking a breather. Could definitely use some of that. Maybe later. Walking to the medical center. Getting in line. Closing my eyes.



































Opening my eyes. Naked? No, a gown. Bed, white sheets. White room. Green floor. Window is open, curtains waving in the wind. No pain. Feeling actually good. My flight suit is folded up, on that chair. My backpack next to it. Where am I? Medical scanners and monitors. Hospital? Yeah, must be. Must have passed out. No idea how I got here. Someone must have undressed me. Hope I did not piss myself.

Cold breeze. Nobody else around. Just me. Closing my eyes again. Would be nice not to be alone right now. Kristoff, Monique, Madeleine, anyone...

---