SporadicLittleB
Perpetual Problem
It was by sheer serendipitous luck the planet Shuyel crash landed on had oxygen. She hadn't bothered to plot out a back up route -this was supposed to be a trip to the second colony in her star system- and even if she had, this was an entirely unmaped star system. Even now, her computer was too broken to calculate a reference point anywhere nearby.
Shuyel spent a long time sitting in the ruins of her ship, twisted metal and exposed wires dangled around her, but the shock of what lead her here was exhilarating and frightening. She'd been testing a new engine system to make space travel twice as fast. After setting the engines to run, making sure the on-board protocols were running normally, Shuyel'd taken a nap. When she woke up, she was in the middle of nowhere with just enough fuel to slow down. Computer records show that she'd exceeded the ship's measurement capabilities as far as speed went. It was almost impossible to believe, but Shuyel had internal damage that made it seem more then likely. Speaking of internal damage, the flooring behind her caught fire. Startled out of her shock, Shuyel kicked out what remained of the screen before her and clambered out, space suit and all.
The planet's star was near the horizon, just enough above it that Shuyel could make out some things in the dying light. The surface beneath her was made of dry yellow stalks. They crunched unhealthily as she moved. Perhaps it was as a result of the ambient temperature, which was extremely chilly, even through the insulated space suit. The groan of bending metal startled her to her feet. She had to get away from the wreckage before anything major happened.
Where ever she was, it was odd. As she slowly made her way, looking for shelter, she came across a type of ground risen from the yellow stalks. It was black and solid, with massive metal beasts that nearly ran her down but otherwise paid her no mind. She followed them, purely because they expelled light and the planet's star had since gone down. Soon she came across lighter ground that the metal beasts didn't travel on and was well lit by more metal (Plants?) hanging over the ground. Most intriguing, she started to see what appeared to be dwellings that had metal beasts in front of them. Elated for the shelter, but terrified of the beasts, Shuyel continued until she found a dwelling with no beast in front of it.
It was a small abode, but Shuyel was truly too tired to complain at that point (she also feared she might have mild cranial damage). She discovered what seemed to be an entrance way, but the barrier remained firmly shut no matter what she tried. In a fit of exhausted desperation she attacked the shiny metal handle with a nearby rock. When the barrier swung open she almost cried with relief and dove inside. Many odd things adorned the inside, but she didn't care for any of them when she opened another barrier to find a nest. She only paused to close the barrier to block off the biting chill, then immediately got into the nest. It was much firmer than the nests at home, but she was out like a light the second she got in. She could determine what to do next later, but for now she would sleep.
(Wow, that was longer than I expected it would be.)
Shuyel spent a long time sitting in the ruins of her ship, twisted metal and exposed wires dangled around her, but the shock of what lead her here was exhilarating and frightening. She'd been testing a new engine system to make space travel twice as fast. After setting the engines to run, making sure the on-board protocols were running normally, Shuyel'd taken a nap. When she woke up, she was in the middle of nowhere with just enough fuel to slow down. Computer records show that she'd exceeded the ship's measurement capabilities as far as speed went. It was almost impossible to believe, but Shuyel had internal damage that made it seem more then likely. Speaking of internal damage, the flooring behind her caught fire. Startled out of her shock, Shuyel kicked out what remained of the screen before her and clambered out, space suit and all.
The planet's star was near the horizon, just enough above it that Shuyel could make out some things in the dying light. The surface beneath her was made of dry yellow stalks. They crunched unhealthily as she moved. Perhaps it was as a result of the ambient temperature, which was extremely chilly, even through the insulated space suit. The groan of bending metal startled her to her feet. She had to get away from the wreckage before anything major happened.
Where ever she was, it was odd. As she slowly made her way, looking for shelter, she came across a type of ground risen from the yellow stalks. It was black and solid, with massive metal beasts that nearly ran her down but otherwise paid her no mind. She followed them, purely because they expelled light and the planet's star had since gone down. Soon she came across lighter ground that the metal beasts didn't travel on and was well lit by more metal (Plants?) hanging over the ground. Most intriguing, she started to see what appeared to be dwellings that had metal beasts in front of them. Elated for the shelter, but terrified of the beasts, Shuyel continued until she found a dwelling with no beast in front of it.
It was a small abode, but Shuyel was truly too tired to complain at that point (she also feared she might have mild cranial damage). She discovered what seemed to be an entrance way, but the barrier remained firmly shut no matter what she tried. In a fit of exhausted desperation she attacked the shiny metal handle with a nearby rock. When the barrier swung open she almost cried with relief and dove inside. Many odd things adorned the inside, but she didn't care for any of them when she opened another barrier to find a nest. She only paused to close the barrier to block off the biting chill, then immediately got into the nest. It was much firmer than the nests at home, but she was out like a light the second she got in. She could determine what to do next later, but for now she would sleep.
(Wow, that was longer than I expected it would be.)