Post by Kella on Jan 2, 2012 21:24:21 GMT -5
The cabin vibrated with white noise. It soothed Jack's thoughts to a dull thrum. It wasn't often that she was a passenger. The cargo ship was on its way to... somewhere, she'd forgotten where. But there was an assignment there, and in efficiency's sake, she and Richter had been sent along with the cargo shipment.
Apparently, some found the situation uncomfortable, but Jack was already drifting to sleep.
Suddenly, a familiar siren screamed. Jack's eyes bolted open. She knew that sound all too well -- the engine was overheating. Suddenly, three men emerged from the cockpit, helmets obscuring their faces.
The cockpit crew on this ship was exactly three men.
Jack watched with bewildered interest as the men fastened their parachutes.
The emergency parachute count on this ship was exactly three.
One punched a button on the inside of the cargo bay, and the side door began to slowly slide open.
Jack stood, finally noticing that something wasn't quite right about the three's uniforms. They didn't have patches of any sort. Hijackers.
So much for a quiet flight.
Richter, who had been buried in a datapad, figured out something was wrong about the time the acrid smell of burning oil filled the cargo bay.
"Jack," He demanded, "What did you do?"
"Nothing, it was them," she half-pouted, pointing at the three men. The door was almost wide enough to admit one of them, and they watched Jack and Richter warily.
"What's happening?"
"The engine's overheated."
"... the ships going to crash!"
"No i--"
"It's going to crash! We have to get off! Where are the parachutes?"
"They're wearing all of them."
"... We have to get them!"
"No we d--"
"Hey! You! Give me that!" Richter dove toward the closest man, who side-stepped out the door. "Gah! We have to go after them!"
"Richter, I'm going to land the plane," Jack started towards the cockpit.
"You can't do that!" Richter exclaimed. "Come on, the parachutes are our only hope!"
"Richter, I've got this."
"You're crazy. Absolutely crazy."
And with that, he jumped out after the hijackers.
Jack sighed, but wasted no more time in rushing to the cockpit. She swung into the pilot's chair and firmly grabbed the yoke, surveying the controls. She was trained in fighters, and this was a cargo ship, though the difference was something similar to ponies and horses. The particulars were different, but the general layout was the same.
She took the ship, now beginning to shudder and buck, by the reins, and her fingers flicked quickly over the control panel.
The engine's siren quieted, but only because she'd completely shut the engine off.
Which, considering most modern ships were made without the aerodynamics to glide, left the very large, very heavy hunk of metal in freefall.
Jack took a moment to click the harness into place, as she felt her body rise in the microgravity. It really was a neat, tickling sensation internally, but there were more important things to attend to at the moment. She kicked the radar into gear (literally, the contacts were always slipping on older ships like this) and her eyes darted across the viewport, examining the terrain.
She suddenly became aware of rustling and straining sounds in her headset, and realized her and Richter's comlink connection had never been broken.
"How's that parachute coming?"
Apparently, some found the situation uncomfortable, but Jack was already drifting to sleep.
Suddenly, a familiar siren screamed. Jack's eyes bolted open. She knew that sound all too well -- the engine was overheating. Suddenly, three men emerged from the cockpit, helmets obscuring their faces.
The cockpit crew on this ship was exactly three men.
Jack watched with bewildered interest as the men fastened their parachutes.
The emergency parachute count on this ship was exactly three.
One punched a button on the inside of the cargo bay, and the side door began to slowly slide open.
Jack stood, finally noticing that something wasn't quite right about the three's uniforms. They didn't have patches of any sort. Hijackers.
So much for a quiet flight.
Richter, who had been buried in a datapad, figured out something was wrong about the time the acrid smell of burning oil filled the cargo bay.
"Jack," He demanded, "What did you do?"
"Nothing, it was them," she half-pouted, pointing at the three men. The door was almost wide enough to admit one of them, and they watched Jack and Richter warily.
"What's happening?"
"The engine's overheated."
"... the ships going to crash!"
"No i--"
"It's going to crash! We have to get off! Where are the parachutes?"
"They're wearing all of them."
"... We have to get them!"
"No we d--"
"Hey! You! Give me that!" Richter dove toward the closest man, who side-stepped out the door. "Gah! We have to go after them!"
"Richter, I'm going to land the plane," Jack started towards the cockpit.
"You can't do that!" Richter exclaimed. "Come on, the parachutes are our only hope!"
"Richter, I've got this."
"You're crazy. Absolutely crazy."
And with that, he jumped out after the hijackers.
Jack sighed, but wasted no more time in rushing to the cockpit. She swung into the pilot's chair and firmly grabbed the yoke, surveying the controls. She was trained in fighters, and this was a cargo ship, though the difference was something similar to ponies and horses. The particulars were different, but the general layout was the same.
She took the ship, now beginning to shudder and buck, by the reins, and her fingers flicked quickly over the control panel.
The engine's siren quieted, but only because she'd completely shut the engine off.
Which, considering most modern ships were made without the aerodynamics to glide, left the very large, very heavy hunk of metal in freefall.
Jack took a moment to click the harness into place, as she felt her body rise in the microgravity. It really was a neat, tickling sensation internally, but there were more important things to attend to at the moment. She kicked the radar into gear (literally, the contacts were always slipping on older ships like this) and her eyes darted across the viewport, examining the terrain.
She suddenly became aware of rustling and straining sounds in her headset, and realized her and Richter's comlink connection had never been broken.
"How's that parachute coming?"