Quote:
Puke said:
too long between updates! youve got some of the most entertaining characters!
nice explody bits, too.
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Critism accepted, so here's another bit. I know, it's small, but I'm knackered, at a crossroads, & can't be bothered continuing until tomorrow.
Now... Here's a very important question. I've finally realized how the story is going to play out, and it focuses entirely around Kagan, Alice & Saraea, will O'Shea popping in for good measure. However, if you really liked any of the other threads & would like to see it continue, just say so & I'll see how feasible it'd be to tie it into the endgame. Or just divert a bit to tie it off sperately.
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Some hours later, Kagan went, “Hmm…”
“Hmm?” Alice inquired, turning towards him.
“Hmm?” replied Saraea, having not heard Kagan.
“Hmm?” Alice asked her.
Kagan went “Hrmph,” and turned back to his console.
A few minutes later, he said, “I think we may have a problem.”
“Really?” asked Saraea dryly.
“No, actually, I’m sure we have a problem,” said Kagan, frowning at his console.
The two women joined him at his station, and he pointed at a set of readings on the display. “That,” he said. “Is a very bad thing.”
“Can you fix it?” asked Alice.
“Sure,” he replied. “But we’ll have to come out of null-space to do it.”
“Are you sure?” Alice wondered anxiously. “Couldn’t we maybe fix it while we’re still in null-space?”
“Sure,” said Kagan. “All I’ll have to do is stick my hand in between into a turbine spinning at four hundred thousand RPM.”
“Ok then,” she said happily, then met his stare with a confused expression until her eyebrows shot up in a moment of revelation. “Oh. Right, that’d be a problem, wouldn’t it?”
“Slightly,” he agreed.
“There’s a nice quiet looking system about ten minutes away,” Saraea told them, looking at the starcharts on the astrogation station. “There’s a good sized orbital habitat on the outer reaches of the system, but it looks to be just a mining operation. Doubt they’d mind if we stopped in to make a few repairs.”
“That ok with you, love?” Kagan asked Alice, stroking her palm with his index knuckle as he noticed the dark look in her eyes.
“Well, it’s not like it’s life threatening, is it?” While her tone was sulky, the last two words came out as a genuine question.
“It is, I’m afraid,” Kagan replied. “Left unchecked, it’ll kill us all in a few hours. Probably in a terribly messy and painful way.”
“Well, in that case I suppose it’s alright,” Alice said after a moment’s thought.
“We’ll be back on our way before you know it,” said James, plotting in the co-ordinates of the node to normal space. “Pop into this lovely quiet system, spot of paint, Bob’s yer uncle and we’re back on track. To your nebula.” He held her gaze for a moment to see if she’d reveal anything about why getting to this nebula was so important, but the expression staring back at him told him he wouldn’t be getting any information. And probably wouldn’t have liked what he heard if he did.
“Coming up on jump co-ords,” he said, making a few final course adjustments. “And jumping in three… two… one… now… Ladies & me, welcome to the scenic- Sweet Holy Terra! What the hell is that?!”