Lucinda's Story-Part Three

It's April 30th. The last day of April 2016, soon it will be summer,  And it's time for the third segment of Lucinda's Story 2,536 words. Next week will be the last one and it will be shorter.

This one didn't seem to need as much work as the two previous segments so hopefully I didn't go over it too fast.

Some excitement in this one. For those who may not recall Lucinda is deaf and currently she is having a tour of the bridge she is on.  Captain White is letting her give commands to the ship. Later on something else happens though. 

Enjoy:

White checked a readout then said, "We have changed course one half degree to starboard."

     Chelsea signed You did it.

     The captain turned back to Lucinda and motioned for her to give it more commands.

     She faced the lens and gave it a series of commands that the computer followed. That included causing the lights to flicker, slow the ship, to increase speed again, to change the color of the monitor at each console to a different color. Finally to tell the captain that he is a great guy, very nice and that she appreciated being able to talk to the computer.

     He turned to her and signed, Thank you to her then said to Chelsea, "You two can come back anytime you want so we can talk  more. I might have her do any course changes we need to do."

     During the next few days the Lucinda and the other passengers settled into a routine for the four months it would take them to get to Blearier's Star. She watched and sometimes joined in when the other passengers talked to each other during the meals. Afterwards they played the various games in the lounge, read or talked. Lucinda began teaching Ferdinand more sign language. 

     At one dinner Lucinda’s face burned when she realized that Chelsea was talking about her. 

    "I'm sure you know that because most handicaps can be fixed either in the womb or soon after birth there hasn't been the need for much research and development in special interfaces and programs."

     Jackie asked, "Why go to the conference and not watch it as a recording?"

     "This way she can actually participate in the discussions and ask any questions that she may come up with. The interactive recordings are not as complete as actually being there. And the distance is too great for an instantaneous    video chat.”

     "Why are you going too?"

     "For two reasons. One is that I think the experience would be first star, I would like to learn more too. The second reason is that she wouldn't go by herself. Lucinda's parents can't take off from work for that long, and they thought the experience would do her some good, help her to break out of her shyness, give her some more confidence."

     The others at the table nodded in understanding.

     Nine weeks into the trip Lucinda was awaken by a sudden shaking of the ship. As her eyes popped open the ship was shaken again. It felt like she was in a ground vehicle that had hit a wall. Or that something had hit the vehicle. The lights came on suddenly and she saw her friend standing by the switch just as a powerful force threw Lucinda out of bed. She landed in a heap, tangled in the blanket. Unhurt, except for a couple bruises she pulled on the blanket, kicked at a part that was wrapped around her foot. With a heave she threw the blanket one way and stood up. The lights flickered. She glanced at them to see if they would stay on. They did for the moment so she quickly moved to her friend.

     Quickly she signed a question.

     Automatically Chelsea spoke, "I don't know what's happening," but then she repeated it with her hands.

     The lights in the outer room started blinking red. She signed telling Lucinda that there was also an alarm, but so far no announcement.

     Suddenly, a component in the wall, a foot below the ceiling exploded, sending sparks downward. Both girls threw their hands over their heads and letting out short screeches. When they tried to move toward the door, Lucinda felt a force throw her to one side when the floor heaved upward. She smacked into Chelsea and then into the wall hard. 

     Lucinda leaned against the wall dazed for a moment then realized her body was pressing into something soft. There was only one thing that felt that way so she knew what or who the softness had to be. She quickly stepped away, turning in time to see Chelsea's eyes close as she fell limply to the deck. Lucinda watched in shock as her friend crumbled. A scream tore lose from her throat when she saw blood on Chelsea's face.

     She stared at her friend for a second. What to do? I don’t know how; get help.

     Lucinda looked up at the doorway-that better work. Without further thought she ran into the passageway. Stopped, where to? The tour flashed through her mind, she turned left, toward the medical center. The ship rocked hard twice on her way. Her feet tried to slip, but she wouldn’t let them. She danced to stay upright. If she hurt herself she couldn’t get help. The flashing red strobes didn’t help. Darkness and red; it looked worse than a horror film she saw last year.

     After what seemed to be way too much time she approached the right doors. They were open and a light shone out of the doorway. She ran in and grabbed the first person she saw. She moved her hands in a fast plea for help. The passenger she had grabbed though didn't know what she was trying to say. 

     A second later she saw someone in a ship jumpsuit, and went over to them. She again signed asking someone to come help Chelsea, but again the person didn't understand. She hoped Ferdinand would arrive, but he didn't. Sweat ran down the inside of her arms, she gasped, breathed hard, gasped again. Think but that scene of her friend with blood on her popped into her mind, she couldn’t banish it.

     Of course she could speak, she knew it would be squeaky and the volume not correct but she knew how to speak loud, "Chelsea needs help, she's bleeding, Please Help."  

     One of the crew members said something then left carrying a med kit, and at that moment General Hackney came in helping an injured passenger. He talked to the crew member whom she remembered as George, but Lucinda had no idea what was being said. Suddenly some huge force impacted the ship, tossing everyone around as the lights went out. Lucinda screamed along with two others. It seemed that the vessel tilted then settled back. Gravity went off for a few seconds as did the lights. Gravity came back on, even though at a lesser strength. The emergency lights came up.

     That was the last of the bouncing and impacts. Lucinda watched the others as they got up. Reading his lips Lucinda saw Hackney say something about she's drifting and George nodded his head in agreement. George went over to a small panel on the wall, pushed a button then spoke. Lucinda had no idea what he was saying but he didn't look happy. Her breath came harder as fear built. Had the drives blown up? The reactor overheated?

     More talk, she caught certain words but nothing made sense. It soon became obvious that they decided to go check for themselves. Hackney, George and Jackie headed out the door. For some reason she wasn't sure about Lucinda decided to follow, nothing she could do here and nothing more she could do to help Chelsea who looked—not alive. General Hackney was good at fixing things and he would be able to figure something out. Maybe they would lead her to Ferdinand or the Captain and she could find out what happened as well as find out about Chelsea. 

     On the way Lucinda could barely contain her panic as she 

tried not to think of what happened to Chelsea. The three men went down the corridor obviously headed for the emergency stairs which Lucinda thought were more of a ladder. As she followed them she tried to keep four steps behind so she wouldn't get in their way but would be close enough to see if they turned or went into a room. And maybe they wouldn’t notice her and tell her to go back.

     Once on Deck two they moved quickly down the passageway. Lucinda had problems walking with the much reduced gravity. All three acted like they were used to it but  At times she would take missteps and almost stumble and she felt like she was bouncing. They arrived at engineering and stepped through the door. There was a smell and taste of smoke in the air but no fires that Lucinda could see. Debris was scattered all over the place, but it looked mostly like papers, tools and such. She saw someone dressed in a burnt Orange jumpsuit standing before a console that came out of the wall. The controls where chest high on the man and he was pushing buttons. He stopped and typed something on a keyboard then pushed the buttons again. From the expression on his face she could tell that whatever he was trying to do wasn't happening.

     He turned to face the newcomers then said something. Hackney and the other crew member each spoke but he just shook his head. He spoke again and Lucinda was able to read a couple of the words he said. Something about the computer locked down and the Captain. She thought it looked like he couldn't fix something without the computer and he couldn't get the computer to let him fix it. The men discussed the situation more then Hackney motioned for them to go some where else. Not knowing what else to do Lucinda followed them. Part way to wherever they were going they met still another crew member, this one spoke urgently and took Hackney over to a porthole. Lucinda tried to see what they were looking at, but only saw a sun that looked very tiny. Whatever the man said caused the others to frown, before their expressions all changed—to something that showed determination.

     The General turned and hurried off with all the others, including Lucinda, tagging along. A few steps further and he slowed then glanced at Lucinda with an expression like he was listening. Soon they neared the bridge. One of the crew members led the way to the door leading to the bridge but as he put in a code in the keypad next to the door nothing happened. Lucinda doubted anything would happen for the door was warped, and looked like it wouldn't open. She wiped sweat from her forehead and eyes. The air felt warm and maybe harder to breath. She hoped that last was just her panic.

     They stood around for a minute, then Hackney suddenly turned and took off down the passageway. He went through one door then another, and came out in what looked like a back passage. One Lucinda hadn't been in before for she hadn't known it existed. He went down it a few feet until he found another door. This one was only half as wide as the cabin doors and was set in the wall making it look like another section of the wall It slide sideways into the wall as he pressed the open button. Everyone crowded around the small opening to look in. Lucinda could see sparks from something loose inside. 

     They men talked some more, and it looked like they were arguing. Hackney pointed toward her twice then finally the two crew members nodded obviously convinced about something. General Hackney turned to Lucinda and quickly moved to her. She flinched thinking he was going to be angry at her. He tried to say something to her but she shook her head and put up her hands to sign something. He took her by the shoulders and looked at her face making her look back.

     He said, "I know you can read lips, I have seen you do it, so I know you can understand me."

     She nodded and said. "I read lips a little." 

     "Good, We need your help. Something only you can do."

     She looked puzzled, but she knew her expression showed panic also. 

     "First, all that shaking was caused by someone attacking us. Some lowlife tried to take us out. They gave up, I'm not sure why. It could have been because of Ferdinand getting one, or two lucky hits with his return fire, or something scared them away. Whatever the case, they damaged the ship."

     She said, "Who...why? We aren't important."

     "I don't know who, they never boarded us, so I don't if they were pirates, someone using us for target practice or what. If they were pirates they want to rob us and the ship. And they may want more from you and the other women."

     Lucinda blanched as she caught his meaning.

     He continued, "There should be none of their type in this area of space but obviously they didn't know that. After the attack we are drifting with no power to the engines. Billy thinks he can fix that but the computer is locked down and he can't get in to fix what he needs to fix. He believes the captain thought we were going to boarded so he commanded the computer to shut down all but life support. That means no other crew member, even with security codes, can get the computer to do anything. That was something Captain White programed in case pirates boarded the ship, they would not be able to use the new computer to help them steal the cargo. 

     "We might be able to break into the bridge eventually, but most of the tools we would use for that are locked down too. We have another situation though. You saw Tony show me something out of the porthole?"

     Lucinda nodded.

     "He was showing me a star we are drifting toward. Somehow all the pounding the ship took got us off course and we are now headed for that star. It will take us a week to get close enough to kill us, but unless we are rescued it will happen. Right now we can easily escape the gravitational pull but the closer we get the harder it will be to escape. The part of the drive that allows us to go faster than light is out, totally fired, but we can use the sublight side to get us away from the sun. We would still be under powered, the drive be able to produce half its normal output, but it would be enough to get us away from the sun's gravity. And it would enough to get the weapons up. They're not much, but they could be enough to chase away any normal pirates. We need to get the drive fixed before we get too close to the sun, or before the attackers come back. Once out of danger we can move close enough to a trade route which would allow us to be rescued." 

     Her eyes went wide and she opened her mouth to say something, but he anticipated her question and said, "I said that I didn't know they were pirates. If they are and their ship was damaged or they were scared off by something they will be back. More then likely they know we are drifting so they will be able to find us if they come back.”

End segment

Lucinda's Story Part Two

Yay, time for part two of Lucinda's Story. My Science Fiction tale about a shy, young woman who is deaf yet is going off planet and ends up in more of an adventure than she planned-it's will be up to her to save the ship they are on.


For those who missed it last week I wrote this story over five years ago. I've learned more about writing since then and so have spent time revising it, to make it more readable and enjoyable. This week I think I got all of the Point of View changes but can't say for sure.
One thing. 
This week is 2,334 words long
Part one is under this if you go back to the main page of my blog
And as with all of my posted stories I don't mind comments and real criticisms.

So enjoy:

After reading the signs her friend said, "Lucinda is as excited as I am, she wants to shake your hand, but is too nervous to ask. She wants me to thank you for saving us from the invaders."
     He said, "Thank her for me and tell her, I did what needed to be done. It was obvious where the invaders were headed, and it was equally obvious that the combined fleet would not be ready."
     After a pause during which he shook Lucinda's hand he asked,     
    Chelsea signed for Lucinda that he asked "But what about you two? Why are you two young women going on this trip?"
As she signed Lucinda knew she also spoke to the General, "We are going to a conference on a planet in the Blearier star system. Part of the conference deals with deaf people and the different opportunities they have."
     Answering his unasked question she said, "Lucinda was born deaf. Out here in the boondocks, we don't have the medical knowledge like they do in the main sector. If we had, they could have found the problem before she was born and fixed it."
     They talked a moment further with Chelsea translating for her friend. Hackney apologized for having to end the conversation, but he had to get going.
     Both teens nodded. Chelsea said they would see him later and Lucinda gave a short wave just before he walked off.
     The purser-tour guide motioned for them to follow him as he led them on a quick tour of the ship on the way to their cabin. After a minute of quiet he signed some but also said in words that Chelsea signed when he explained that the ship had two decks. They were on the first one or Number One. The six staterooms as well as the cafeteria-lounge, the med center, and some cargo holds were all on Deck One. The bridge and larger cargo holds as well as engineering, what there was of it, were on the second or Number Two deck. From a diagram on a wall Lucinda saw that deck Two covered only half the area of One. The Captain's cabin was on deck one near the bridge which was in the nose.
     When they arrived at the cafeteria he opened the door showing them which button to push as he did. He explained that even though one needed to push the button to get in the doors were set in special grooves which made them easy to slide. That was so anyone could slide them sideways by hand, in case of an emergency.
     Chelsea signed that he said, "This is the cafeteria and lounge where everyone eats. We do all the cooking on board the ship, which includes snacks. The lounge has a couple of video games in one corner plus an old fashioned foosball game. We have a lot of movies in the computer's library, but you can watch those in your cabin."
     They stopped for a moment so that Chelsea could translate for Lucinda. He apologized for not knowing enough sign language to tell her himself. 
     Again Lucinda watched Chelsea’s hands, ”The Captain knows more then I do as you will see when you met him, probably at dinner tonight. He is a bit eccentric but he's a good captain and he is friendly. He's very busy right now with preparations for lift." 
     There was a pause while Chelsea finished translating for Lucinda. When she was done they continued. Lucinda noticed that both Chelsea and Ferdinand turned their heads in the same direction. Chelsea used a sign for voices.
     Then she finished with, Ferdinand said there are cards for card games.
     Even before she finished Lucinda saw them turn , she followed and saw that in one corner where two people seated at a table talking. One was dressed in the same burnt orange jumpsuit that Ferdinand wore. 
     Chelsea translated, This is Tommy, the medical, communication and morale officer. The other man is one of the other passengers.
    Lucinda held back. She finally let Chelsea urge her to follow the guide to where the two men where seating. 

     He led them up to the two men and Lucinda watched his mouth move, he said, "Tommy and Jackie Lei. This is Lucinda and Chelsea, our last two passengers."

     The men looked up at the newcomers, then stood. 

     Tommy said, "Good to meet you."

     While Jackie said, "Hello fellow travelers."

Both stuck out their hands. Lucinda watched Chelsea shake the offered hands and knew she had to too. Then she watched Ferdinand explain that they were on their way to a conference on the fifth planet of Blearier's Star. They would be attending one area of a large conference dealing with hearing issues. After a short chat Ferdinand led them on the rest of the tour, ending up at their cabin. All three went in and he showed them where everything was than after saying he would be around to help he left. 

     Before leaving he moved his hands saying good to meet you, to Lucinda.

     Two hours later after an announcement that Chelsea translated for Lucinda that all of the luggage along with the crew and passengers were on board, the Captain ordered the ship to lift. On a computer monitor in their cabin Lucinda watched the ship take off. It rose straight up, pivoted, its nose tilted upward as it did. When the ship reached the right direction it took off, using the vessel's magneto drive to blast its way through the atmosphere. In half an hour the ship was in space. The moment it left the atmosphere both girls could feel the magneto drive shut down and a new vibration begin as the Space drive took over. The space drive had two modes. One for sublight speed, and the other drove the ship faster than light. 

     For their first dinner aboard the ship the girls wore their best outfits, calf length, loose fitting dresses. Lucinda's wore a solid blue and Chelsea's put on a red dress with purple trim. During that dinner all the passengers were able to met the captain. Lucinda saw a  man in his fifties with shoulder length red hair and green eyes. 

     As they were seated he said, "Hello, I am Captain White owner of this fine vessel."

     He then faced the girls as he said, "You must be Chelsea, 

nice to have you on board," just before sticking out his hand.

     They took turns shaking it. White explained with words and with his hands that he had been busy with making sure the last minute cargo was loaded right, and all the "paperwork" finished, and sent to the spaceport's administration.

     Lucinda took a moment to smell the food, a chicken dish from her planet, that surprised but decided it might have been done on purpose to make everyone feel more comfortable.

    She halted her thoughts on food though for the Captain had started to sign, To help make up for not being there to see you, I invite you to the bridge anytime during the next few days.

     Lucinda nodded and said, We will be happy to see the bridge

     Chelsea responded first with her mouth, "That would be first star" then moved her hands, We will be there whenever you are not too busy.

     Lucinda and Chelsea meet the other passengers during that meal. One was a couple on vacation and another confessed to being a salesman headed for his home base. 

     During another dinner two days after leaving the planet, General Hackney was seated at the same table as Lucinda and friend. This time the main dish was a lamp stew from a recipe from Armenia  on Earth. She endured more conversations, with Chelsea translating.

     "I don't mind playing cards, as long as it's a game I know," he said to respond to a question dealing with what he did all day, "I also read, and chat with people." 

     After some urging by Chelsea Lucinda joined the conversation by asking through her friend. "Where are you going on this trip?"

     "To the same conference you are. The section I'm going to be speaking at deals with security issues. No navy ships were going my way so the military had to buy a ticket for this trip,” he shrugged, “It’s happened before."

     "You don't have your own ship?"

     "Not anymore, I pilot a desk now."

     Lucinda explained that this was her first time in deep space, she had been to two of the stations above New Nevada, but never to other planet. 

     To a question put to her by Liee she said, through her friend, "My parents are sending me on this trip even though they can't come."

     They talked more throughout the dinner with Chelsea continually having to get Lucinda to participate. During the first part of the trip Lucinda stayed in her cabin, only eating in the cafeteria, she felt too nervous around the talkative strangers. Gradually she spent some time in the lounge even when it wasn't meal time.   

     Three days into the trip the two girls arrived at the bridge the tour of the ship's command center, The Captain had promised. They were surprised to see General Stephen Hackney standing just inside the door as they entered. The room seemed cooler than the rest of the ship, Lucinda thought, and it smelled. Old popcorn of all things, and sweat as well as something she thought might have been a cologne. The popcorn scent reminded her that their cabin had various flavors of popcorn, maybe she would try candy-cane later.   

     Chelsea said to Lucinda, why would he be interested in this ship's bridge? After all he has seen the bridge on many different types of warships, I'm sure most of them were more modern than this one.

     He greeted them then, said as if he knew what they wanted to ask him, "As you probably have figured out I have seen many command centers. Most though have been on war ships, only a handful have been on civilian ships. It is a curtsey to check out a captain's bridge when you’re invited, but I would come here anyway. I'm interested in how various command centers are set up."

     As Chelsea translated that he looked around at the walls and said further, "This one seems to be within a cocoon of protective armor. You may have noticed as you came through the door that the doorway was over a foot thick. I would imagine that this ship was built during a period of heavy piracy."

     The Captain, now wearing burnt orange trousers and shirt, was seated before a console. His hair was pulled back in a ponytail with a wide, orange tie, that could be tied dyed.  

     He paused while pushing buttons and then according to Chelsea said, "You are partially correct General. The armor surrounding the bridge isn't as thick as you think. There are access tubes, circuits and other components between the armor and the inner walls. The computer core is there also. The people who built this vessel thought they needed extra protection also, if the ship was attacked. But you are correct in that the extra shielding was because of pirates and other marauders.”

     He got up and walked to where the three were standing.

     After Chelsea and Hackney shook hands White turned to Lucinda and moved his hands in a greeting to her. 

     She smiled and signed back, Good to meet you.

     He started the tour pointing out the work stations. “In this size ship there were only four. A console for navigation-helm; one that combined communications and sensors plus a spare station, that was usually used as a regular console, and lastly the Captain's chair”

     He explained what each panel did. While he was speaking to Chelsea and Hackney he signed for Lucinda.

     As they stood by his chair he said, "I don't have a full Captain's chair like many larger ships, with repeater screens and communications within in easy reach, but what we have serves our needs. You have probably noticed that there is no main viewing screen for everyone to use. We don't need one since each station has it own set of monitors. However we do have a newer computer that is a lot handier to use then our old model. It even has a visual record input."

     He showed them a lens that was embedded in the wall close to his chair. 

     He finished with, "The computer is programed to ‘see’ things and to react as necessary."

     He moved his hands, Lucinda to tell the computer something.

     Lucinda looking unsure turned to face the video pick up and moved her hands.

     A voice was heard saying, "Ship's time is 0800 hours, Earth, Greenwich time."

     Chelsea tapped Lucinda on the shoulder and after she turned, explained to her the computer had told them the time.

     The Captain said to her, Try something harder, more complex.

     Lucinda signed, What?

     Try a small course change. Tell it to move a quarter degree to starboard.

     She moved her hands, but the computer said, "Unauthorized command, I cannot comply.”     

     "Of course, she's not a member of the command crew... Here let me tell the computer she has the same standing as I." he spoke with both his hands and his voice.

     He quickly moved to a console, typed in a code then typed in a command. 

     He said, "I could verbally tell the computer to do this or even use sign language, but I prefer to type my commands in, unless it's an emergency."

    Lucinda’s eyes went wide as he signed that the computer knew signing. When he was done he straightened, then moved his hands, Ok now tell the computer to change course one half a degree to starboard. 

     Lucinda turned back to the lens. She moved her hands in a 

quick dance and the computer beeped.

     It said, "Course changed as ordered,"

Lucinda's Story SF part one.

It's April 16  

A new story for me-another Science Fiction tale. This one has a main character with a certain problem. Again it's one I wrote many years ago before I knew half of what I now know about the craft of writing. I am revising it as I go and improving the writing even though in this one I left in a couple changes of POV-point of view. Some readers do not like that while others of us don't care.

I will be splitting it up into three-possibly four-sections. 


Here is number one:

Lucinda's Story

                        By L.E. Doggett

    The young woman stood at the bottom of the loading ramp, alone. Lucinda looked to the right and left turned around and looked behind her while she searched the tarmac of the spaceport. Still seeing no one she knew the teen turned back to the ship that was taking her to Blearier's Star. This trip made it her first time she off planet. The whole thing made her nervous especially the fact there could be pirates out there. Very few or her parents would not let her go but new gangs could form.
    Sweat formed in the middle of her back and on her forehead. She would have to try to “talk” to the crew for her friend was late.
      Looking up the pitted and discolored grayish ramp she sighed. At ten feet wide and six feet long it of pitted and grayish hard, cold metal, it looked opposing. The whole area stunk of coolant, burnt ground, hot metal and on some breezes like an outdoor pipeless bathroom had burnt to the ground.
     Was that a bit of bile in her mouth? That wouldn’t surprise her. Come on Chelsea-you’re late.
    She wiped sweat off her hands by rubbing them against her powder blue skirt. She refused to stroke her shoulder length blond hair. And with what filled her mind she didn't notice when her hands brushed across the knitted small red flowers adorning the full skirt. The sleeves of her blouse almost faded into the skirt's blue. The whole effect made her look modest and, from what her friends said, pretty.  
    Since she had looked everywhere Lucinda looked at the ship once more. It looked like a flat thick oval laying on the ground, but the two tail fins and large round drives spoiled the effect. They made it look like there was a set of binoculars stuck in the rear of the ship. One with three lens instead of two. The freighter looked huge up close for it was over two hundred feet long and four times her height even though it was small when compared to other ships docked here.
    She sighed, then raised her arm and looked at her watch. She shook her head again as she saw what time it was. She touched a button on the wristband making the clock face disappear. A 3D projection appeared above it. The note read "No Mess" in four inch high powder blue letters. She frowned, pressing the off button. 
     She shook her head and took another look at the ship, even though clean and neat it still looked its age with pits, scared paint as well as patches placed along the hull. It was mostly blue gray with red streaks along the flanks. After another sigh, she took a deep breath. More heated metal scents along with fresh food and rotten food mix. Another look over the tarmac, her expression harden and she started up the ramp. She felt warm standing in the sun anyway.
     When she was three steps from the top, another teen came running up to the ship. She was dressed much the same as Lucinda, in a calf length solid red skirt, and a white peasant blouse. The newcomer ran up the ramp stopping right behind Lucinda. She tapped her on the shoulder. Lucinda spun around with her eyes wide and her mouth open. Relief replaced the first look as she saw who it was. The newcomer gave a short wave then moved her right hand making a fist with her forefinger sticking straight up and her thumb pointing away from the hand. After half a second she formed a U shape with her thumb and forefinger, finally making another fist, this time her thumb curled upward almost meeting her forefinger curling down. The whole series was done almost faster then one could follow. Lucinda responded by pointing to the newcomer, then moved her right elbow out from side, close to a 90 degree angle, hand pointing downward. Starting at waist level her hand moved backward, as if brushing something behind. The last movement was a considerable motion.
     The other young woman’s mouth moved and said, "Sorrrry" as she pointed a thumb at herself immediately followed by an arcing motion above her head level with her other hand. This motion flowed into one where she placed both hands together flat then placed them on one side of her head for a second. 
    Lucinda  thought it figured she would oversleep as she pointed to the PDA on her wrist. 
     Her friend moved her hands in quick graceful dance which said Sorry Lucinda, I forgot to charge the battery.
     With a painful look on her face, Lucinda moved her hands, I almost had to meet a stranger, by myself.
     You can do it, we are expected after all.
     But I would have to talk to him.
     At that point, Lucinda glanced upward for a man in a burnt orange jumpsuit appeared in the open doorway. He glanced around then approached the two young women, saying hello as he did. The second woman, interrupted her friend by pointing his way. Lucinda stopped moving her hands and turned around. The man gave her a little wave then moved his hands in a not so smooth imitation of the hand motions the women had been using. Lucinda nodded and moved her hands in a quick movement.
     The man moved his hands in a slower movement and mouthed the words "not so fast".
     She repeated the movement slower and he nodded. After another exchange of hand motions, he turned his head slightly to the second young woman. 
     He said, "I am Ferdinand, The Star Traveler's purser and chief cook. You must be Chelsea."
     Chelsea reached out her hand for him to shake, and said, "Yes I am. Its nice that you came out to meet us."
     "That's my job, one of them anyway, to greet the passengers as they board. The Captain wanted me to apologize, for him not being here. He's busy seeing to the last minute details... I can show you to your cabin anytime you want."
     The first woman nodded and signed an ok.
     "Lucinda agrees that would be good. Oops, I mean.... I didn't need to say that, you obviously know sign language, it’s such a surprise that you do. I mean... I didn't mean to say you were ignorant..."
     She paused as Lucinda who had been watching her friend talk, touched Chelsea's arm. Once Chelsea looked at her she moved hand in a quick movement, her thumb and forefinger formed an O with the rest of her fingers pointing straight up. Her friend stopped talking, nodded and took a deep breath.
     "Umm, we would like to see our cabin."
     Ferdinand said, "This way," motioned for them to follow before turning to head back up the ramp and into the spacecraft.
     On the way Lucinda watched Chelsea say, "I'm surprised you know sign language."
     "Lucinda is not the first deaf person we have carried. We 
seemed to have a rep for taking good care of people who are hard 
of hearing or deaf. I'm the one in charge with making sure the passengers have everything they need, which includes 
communicating. I know only a few signs but I try to pick up as 
many as I can. I don't get much chance to practice with people."
     There was a pause then he continued with, "Speaking of signs, I saw her form a B. Why?"
     "Um, That is short for boring, she was telling me I was babbling again. I do that when I get nervous, or excited. Lucinda watches the mouths of people while they are talking, so she can tell when I'm babbling."
     Ferdinand nodded. A second later he stopped as a tall man with chiseled features, hard eyes, short brown hair, who looked to be just pass middle age yet still fit walked up to them. He wore a casual light brown shirt and trousers Their tour guide stopped as both of the girls' eyes widen. 
     She twisted her torso sideways, and her hands danced. Is that who I think it is?
     Chelsea signed. It looks like him.
     Lucinda again moved her hands, That couldn't be him-not here.
     You're right, he's wearing civilian clothes instead of a military outfit. 
     Lucinda nodded in agreement, that he was wearing the wrong type of clothes.
     Chelsea hands moved some more. But if it is him, I think might scream.
     Again Lucinda nodded in agreement, even though she wouldn't scream, she would feel like it.
     The purser turned to the two girls and said, "This is another one of our passengers who is going to the same place you are” A pause then, “General Steve Hackney."
     That was all he needed to say in introduction for Lucinda knew who he was.
     Chelsea let out a gasp and Lucinda, just as she had thought, felt like screaming. She thought, it really is him. I grew up hearing about him and what he did. 
     She motioned This is cool to Chelsea, but her friend was too amazed to see it.
     Lucinda thought, I've seen most of the movies about what he did and we studied about him in school. 
     I still think it’s so first star what he did. If it wasn't for him we would all be under the control of a mean dictator. When I was one, our sector of space was invaded by a large space force. The New Athenians had already conquered three other star systems, and were about to take over this whole sector. 
     Hackney was a new, very young, Major in charge of a planetary system the invaders would use as a resupply point on their way to take over us. He had a very small force, made up mostly of older attack vessels and patrol ships barely adequate for protecting the system from pirates, and guarding the large penal colonies there. From their path he knew they would head his way eventually. He figured he had five month to eight months prepare. He hand picked a fighting force, made up of criminals, civilians and his own men. In six weeks he turned them into a trained disciplined fighting force that was able to stop the larger, stronger invaders. Hackney used guerrilla tactics in space and on the ground for they had landed on one of the penal colony worlds. They thought they could use the infrastructure there. But as it turned out those who knew it better made greater use of it. The Hackneys were able to stop the advance until a larger, better armed force, from three different systems could meet the New Athenians. 
     After losing a two month war, part of the reason for that was the lose of their planned resupply points, the New Athenians retreated, going all the way back to their home system. Everyone declared him to be a hero and he was made a General.  
      "General, this is Chelsea Thompson and Lucinda Kennedy, the two passengers we were picking up here."
     Lucinda watched his mouth while he spoke so she was able to understand most of the introduction. She formed the word WOW with her mouth, as she moved her hands in a certain motion. 
     Chelsea said, "I am so glad to meet you, we hardly ever get to see any famous people out here it’s so exciting, especially a hero like you. You’re such a famous person... of course you know you're famous but we're still excited to see and meet you. To meet such a hero is soo cool I mean its first star. Its something that doesn't happen often out here."
     Lucinda was looking at the general so she didn't see her friend babbling. She was as amazed as her friend. She signed something again, but Chelsea wasn't paying attention so there was no translation. Lucinda glanced at her, seeing that Chelsea was talking too fast to be also translating she nudged her. Chelsea looked at Lucinda, her eyes widening as she realized she wasn't doing her job.
     She moved her hands in a dance and Lucinda responded with her own movements.


End segment

Short story serial-Science Fiction tale Fourth and last segment

 March 26 

Last segment of the Roller Coaster Ride. 2,751 words. Next week might be another story revised like this one was. I have two or four others I would like to share. But I also have excerpts from a new book or two.  


To this story:
Did they escape? Get blasted or their cargo taken? And what were those pirates after?

Great readers' fun.  :)


No way to move the Ant out of the way, Mantiee felt useless and almost dead. A movement, he glanced at Jonathan. He motioned with his hands above his control panel. Mantiee couldn’t see the image he was adjusting-a recording of his last will and testament going out with a last love letter to his wife? 
    No, a slight noise from outside on the hull. Jonathan must have quickly adjusted the other turret and triggered a very short shot. Two beams short term beams shot out. Both hit the bubble, it popped and the explosion inside triggered. Jonathan fired another shot at another bubble with the same result. Next he grabbed the tractor beam controls and used its beam to grab another bubble on its way to them. He brought it closer then up and over them. It hit the wall right above them exploding. 
      As pieces of armor rained down on them Mantiee first let out a breath-told his heart to calm and said, ”What are you doing?”
      “I am trying to use them to knock us loose.”
      “By careful man those things are powerful.”
      “I am. I want to make it home. It wouldn’t be good if my wife killed you because we didn’t make it back.”
      Mantiee looked at him and just said, “Good.”
      Jonathan asked, “What happened to the shark?”
     After a quick check Mantiee said, “Two of the bubbles in that group you sent their way hit them. They blasted two others before they pivoted around and took off around the corner with the left overs and two new ones chasing them.”
     “Good, now rock this baby and lets get loose before any more show up.”
     Mantiee said, “Sounds good to me,“ pressed his hands into the image before him. The Ant began to rock up and down. 
     The drives started to over heat after a few second so he cut back.
     Jonathan said, “Try reversing course but keep it as level as you can and slow at first.”
     After a thirty-second cool down he did just that. He tried that is. He slowly brought up the drives to half power but no movement. 
     Jonathan said, “Try again. Line us up at the same angle we came in on. Go slow again and keep it level.”
     Mantiee said, “I’m trying to.”
     After another try and failure he angled the ship slightly and tried once more. The cockpit was becoming warm or so it seemed to him. Maybe the environmental controls had been damaged. No time to check. With the drives back on it had all the power it needed.
    Despite his thoughts he kept a rock steady hand on the controls. This time with a screech of metal the runabout moved backwards. Mantiee managed to back it up while keeping his eye on the level readout on his control panel. It usually didn’t matter that much if he kept the little ship on a completely level course or not but now he was sweating as he kept barely touching four different touch points. 
    He shook his head, hoped the head’s controls stayed up. He needed to pee again and he would need a long hot shower when this was done. Not to mention an extra hot wash for the clothes he wore.
    He watched the level. A green line on top of a red one showed the Ant’s relationship to the crack it had gotten jammed in. When a tiny bit of red showed he gave the 3-D image the tiniest of touches. Finally the runabout’s wing arrived in the wider part of the crack, probably the section it had slipped into while he had been paying attention to something else. He stared at that crack for a long moment. Space armor didn’t split like that. Dent maybe but not that. He wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of whatever weapon did that. Not even that shark could handle it.
    He noticed Jonathan get up. His turn to use the head? Getting a snake? No time to think on it, he wiped sweat from his eyes.
    Five-seconds more and he stopped the backward movement of the Ant. He let loose a breath and breathed in deep three times. A moment later he slid the craft sideways until the wing was all the way out. He sighed, wanted to faint. 
    His friend clipped him on the shoulder and said, “Very good, that's almost as good as I could have done. Now lets get out of here.”
    That almost startled Mantiee for he hadn’t noticed that Jonathan had come back. Something tapped the front of his right shoulder. He reached up and felt cold. What? A bottle? He looked at the container he now held. Frizzy water: cold. It contained electrolytes and other good stuff. It tasted just a bit like limes. Before he knew he had moved his other hand he had the top twisted off and drank a third of it. Ohhh that was good.
   Jonathan said, “Lets go.”
     Mantiee nodded raised the Ant above the large piece they had been stuck in. Just as they cleared the wreckage Mantiee saw something ahead, stared-his lips narrowed, then suddenly he sent the ship down nose first.
     Jonathan said, “What? More bubbles?”
    “No, a missile orienting on us,” came the tense answer.
    “A missile? One of those round globe shape ones? I haven’t seen one of those.”
    “No, a long straight human type.”
    “What? How would one of those survive? If it was launched it would go for some target even if it couldn’t find its main target.”
     “I don’t know,” Mantiee said as he steered the craft up followed by a very short hop over a round fat huge canister piece of debris. He dropped down then zipped under a patrol ship with a shuttle design. It was listing to one side so they could see a series of holes blasted along it side. Five, all of which were the same size and the same distance apart. Each hole was just a bit wider then the runabout. He drove the ship up and up way past the patrol craft. 
     He dived the runabout again and said, “Maybe that missile was knocked out of its tube before it could be launched but after it had been armed. Whatever it’s coming closer fast and I cannot shake it.”
     Jonathan said, “Up again and when I say now go back the way we came,“ as he fired the grassers at the missile.
     He fired two sets of double short duration beams every couple of seconds. They all missed. It was one smart missile. The missile either moved up and down to avoid the shots or ignored them as they missed on their own. Many hit pieces of debris, sometimes with spectacular results. Mantiee directed the runabout along the underside of a big ship, probably a cruiser, then up as Jonathan had said. Instead of going straight up he steered them on a curving course going to port as well as up. 
     Finally his partner said now and he flipped the ship over on its back and zoomed back the way they had come. Seconds later the missile crested the piece the had just come over and followed them. Jonathan watched his sensors and directed Mantiee to go to port then starboard. They went though the top potion of that debris field made up of many small pieces of many different ships. Tiny bits sparkled on the Ant’s shields. The missile, however, avoided every piece. Three bubbles started after it but the runabout and missile were going too fast. It would catch them before they would catch it. 
     Finally Jonathan said to go over this upcoming fragment then down. Mantiee did that with the missile in hot pursuit and closing fast. He thought this ship looked familiar but thought it must be a second one. Seconds later though he saw he had been right. It was the ship with that long crack in it for there flew the second spinner they had fought. It now had its drives going. Jonathan said to aim straight at them. When he glanced at his sensor screen he added something about emergency power. 
    Mantiee said, “That would use the power for the air and heat.” 
    Jonathan said, “It will but if we don’t do something we won’t be needing the environmental circuits.”
     Mantiee frowned, nodded, switched to emergency power. Jonathan meanwhile had been adjusting his controls so he added power from the rear shields, the grassers and comm to the drives. This amount of power could burn out the drives real fast but they would only need it for a few seconds. He fired the front weapons at the spinner as suddenly their craft acted like it had been kicked and doubled its speed. They zoomed toward the other ship aiming at its center. The ship reacted and fired at it but the shots that hit were absorbed by the shields. Jonathan kept up his firing and soon Mantiee executed a very fast zig to port going around the round ship. It continued to fire. Probably its gunner thought they had been on a suicide run therefore was slow on the uptake that they were no longer in front of it. The Ant continued on along the side of the spinner, then Mantiee zagged back to the center Jonathan said to cut emergency speed as he quickly reestablished the rear shields. Seconds later there was an explosion on the other side of the spinner. The blast easily overwhelmed what was left of that ship’s shields then began to eat into the ship itself. It vaporized much of the front of the spinner while sending small pieces tumbling away. Some of the pieces went flying after the runabout impacting on its rear shields. None were large and none did any damage.
     Mantiee said, “Whew, scratch one missile and one pirate.”
     Jonathan said, “That missile’s computer most have been damaged. Since it targeted on us I was hoping it would also consider the spinner an appropriate target.”
     “It did and good thing it did. That thing was fast but as you said earlier lets get out of here.”
     “Sounds good to me. Go up I think I know of a way out.”
     “Good but what about the shark?”
     “I saw some explosions on the sensors in the same direction 
it ran. Hopefully it has been taken care of, but we will keep a 
sharp eye out for it.”
     Mantiee nodded and followed Jonathan’s directions and soon they were skimming along the top of the manmade debris field. After just a minute Jonathan told him to go higher, to pivot the runabout in a certain direction and to slow. Mantiee did that and soon they were watching three ships headed away from the field. One had the unmistakable shape of the shark. On the side they could see it had two holes in it. One was about midships on the shark and the other was back toward the stern. That one was significantly bigger then the other and had very jagged edges. The small warship was leaking air from that hole. It was not traveling at full speed either. The two other ships were spinners. One was untouched as far as they could see but the other one had smaller holes toward the front and a gash along one side. It was the one they had originally hit which had gone spinning away. By the looks of it had hit something probably a jagged piece of some blasted ship. It might have been leaking air also but it was too far away to tell for sure.
     Mantiee made the runabout execute a smart looking about face and before it zoomed away at its top speed. Six hours later they were at the outpost and had unloaded their cargo. The outpost was a small station near an area of space not populated or even traveled though much. Miners and other such worked in the area. Just the perfect location to delivery cargo no one should know about. Hopefully there were no pirates there. 
   The two important items were now in the appropriate hands. Jonathan had warned about the pirates and were told they would watch for them.
   They both now walked back to their landing bay with money and credit chips in their pockets. Stores and cafes brought people from all around the station but it wasn’t wall to wall people yet. The smells made Mantiee remember that he hadn’t eaten for a while. They stopped for three different types of meat on a stick and cold water. They had changed and bathed already so Mantiee, and anyone else, only smelled the food. He had placed the bottle in a pocket and it froze his thigh but he could take it for the walk back to the Ant.   
     After a few bites Mantiee said, “I think I know how those bubbles were able to move.”
     He watched Jonathan raise his eyebrows and say, “Oh?”
     “Yes, as you discovered they oriented on our drives. I believe that the Zoonu now include something in the make up of the bubbles so that they would be attracted to a certain radiation. The type drives produced. Much like a magnate is attracted to metal.”
     Jonathan started to say something but Mantiee raised his hand and said, “Yes, I know steel is attracted to it but if you were to let a small magnate loose and brought a heavy piece of metal to it the magnate would move not the metal. Same thing with those new bubbles.”
     “So the faster you go running away the faster they would move after you?”
     Mantiee nodded and Jonathan continued, “And the bigger the drive unit the more they would be attracted to you.”
     Mantiee nodded and said, “Makes sense to me.”
     Jonathan said, “Hmmm, and do you know which cargo the pirates were after?”
     “I think so,” came the response, “They probably were after something we didn’t have.”
     “Oh?” came Jonathan’s surprised response.
     “Yes, just before we left the Beta dram station some of the people we had drinks with were hauling a Thrumer treasure chest.”
     “One never knows for sure what is in those chests but the Techno terrorists like them.”
     “Exactly, back when they were terrorists before they became the guardians of that double system, they had some good finds with a couple of treasure chests. Now they go after each one they can.”
     Jonathan said, “That would explain what they were doing 
around these parts. They most have caught wind of the find,” he 
shook his head then continued, “All of that destruction and lose of lives for something we didn’t even have.”
      They walked further and two minutes later Mantiee spoke again.
     He said, “Hey, if you want to increase the speed on that runabout of yours I know where you can get a couple of Jaguar drives.”
     “Those things are expensive and hard to come by. They would be fast though.”
     “I know where you can get some for free. I know someone who knows where a jaguar crashed. Its on a planet that is difficult to get to. All he wants is the star navigation computer and some info in its main terminal. I saw a picture of it. At least two of the auxiliary drives survived the crash. They should be about the right size for your little ship.”
     “He would be willing to give those up?”
     “He doesn’t have much money so they would be your payment.”
     “I would have to rework the power converter and maybe put in a better power source but those drives could also up the shield power and…”
     Mantiee smiled because he knew his friend and knew he would go for it. He also smiled for he had learned that he was a better pilot than he had thought, with a little help from Jonathan he had saved their butts. That made this trip worth it but he would still keep his share.  
     He continued, “After we go home to pick up your freighter of course. We can back track though that battle field, I still want that power converter cylinder. Your tractor beam should be able to handle it.”
     They went on arguing about the dangers and benefits of going back into that armed debris field, all the way back to their runabout.
  THE END