Adrift in Space

    By sweet.pee.watley

    Adrift in Space cover image

    23 Feb, 2024

    a man in a space suit standing in a space station looking at the camera with a serious look on his face, space art, a character portrait, Felix-Kelly, promotional image

    The insystem liner released the shuttle with a jarring thud that shook the entire ship. I glanced over my readout one more time, “How does it look Tinker?”

    a man in a black uniform standing in front of a computer screen in a dark room with lights on, cobra, a character portrait, Eric Taylor, promotional image

    My engineer growled, “She is an ancient bitch but we are still in the green. Just stay away from that damn brat.”

    a man in a green suit sitting at a computer desk with headphones on and a laptop on his lap, space art, a character portrait, Adam Rex, promotional image

    I grinned as I keyed the comm, “Beta Seven control, this is Green Two. Free of Sister’s Delight.”

    a man in a cockpit of a plane looking out at a space shuttle and a space shuttle in the distance, retrofuturism, computer graphics, Filip Hodas, star citizen halo

    “Copy Green Two. Your course is clear for decal and entry.” The control room's voice echoed in the cockpit.

    two men in green space suits standing next to each other in a room with lights on the ceiling and a circular ceiling, retrofuturism, concept art, Brothers Hildebrandt, promotional image

    I grinned and glanced at Tinker, “My engineer requests I avoid the brat since we have had two prior encounters. We request you check her location.”

    a man in a green suit standing in a room with a computer desk and chairs in it and a woman in a black dress, space art, concept art, Eve Ryder, promotional image

    There was a long pause, “Green Two, Beta Seven Major says to just stay your course.” The control officer sounded concerned.

    a man in a yellow and green suit with headphones on in a spaceship setting with green lights and green and yellow lights, space art, a character portrait, Colin Middleton, promotional image

    I laughed and then a flash of yellow on my course scan caught my eye. I flipped to another check and the flight scanner screamed and flashed red.

    a man standing in front of a spaceship in a space setting with a distant planet in the background and a distant star in the foreground, space art, computer graphics, Eve Ryder, star citizen halo

    There was an unpowered ship in front of us and we had no chance to miss it! I spun the ship upside down and jerked down towards the planet, “Divert power to shields!”

    a man in a green suit standing in a space station with a sci - fi fi fi machine in the background, space art, a character portrait, Eddie Mendoza, star citizen halo

    I could hear Tinker cussing and the comm came alive with demands I ignored. “Breaking atmosphere Tinker we will need the fins half open.”

    a man in a space station sitting on a chair looking at a computer screen and a monitor screen in the background, space art, concept art, Eddie Mendoza, star citizen halo

    The shuttle was shaking and being tossed around as the shield glowed red. I flicked open the comm as I righted the ship and tried to bring the nose up.

    a man in a space suit sitting in a cockpit with a view of a plane in the background and a fighter jet in the foreground, sots art, computer graphics, Eve Ryder, star citizen halo

    “Beta Seven control, Green Two. Declaring an emergency, an unpowered ship registered to the Ducal family was in our flight path.”

    a man in a green suit standing in a tunnel of lights and a sci - fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi, retrofuturism, poster art, Eddie Mendoza, promotional image

    I glanced at Tinker as he cursed and spun to the shield panels. I looked at my readout to see it jumping from past redline to dead.

    a man in a green space suit standing in a room with other people in the background and a man in a green space suit, cobra, a character portrait, Eric Taylor, promotional image

    “Shit Tinker, divert the generators!” He glared at me as his hands flew over the panels, “Just fly the damn ship!”

    a green fighter jet flying through the sky with jets flying around it and a city in the background with clouds, cobra, concept art, Eve Ryder, star citizen halo

    I shook my head and spun the ship with auxiliary jets until we were actually flying backwards. I shoved the throttles forward and the whole ship screamed.

    a man in a green suit standing in a room with lights on and a large window behind him and a sci - fi background, cobra, a character portrait, Eddie Mendoza, unreal 5 render

    Tinker turned to say something but I was already bringing the ship back around and killing the thrust, “Breakthrough in one minute Tinker just hold the shield together.”

    a man in a green uniform sitting in a spaceship with a laptop computer in his hand and a monitor screen in his hand, retrofuturism, a character portrait, Eddie Mendoza, promotional image

    I checked my readout and shook my head, “The anti grav is in the yellow Tinker.” “Shut the hell up and get us down!” Tinker shot back.

    a man in a green space suit sitting in a space station with computers and monitors on the walls and a ceiling, space art, a detailed matte painting, Eddie Mendoza, cgstudio

    I grinned, “Maybe you should ask the duke if the brat can fly second seat. At least we would know where she was.” He grinned back, “You do know the comm is open right?”

    a man in a green suit with headphones on in a sci - fi setting with a computer screen, space art, computer graphics, Eddie Mendoza, redshift render

    I glanced down and shook my head as another readout flashed from yellow to red. “They can yell at me if we live.” I shot back, focusing on the controls.

    a man in a green suit and helmet in a sci - fi setting with a large array of screens, space art, a character portrait, Eddie Mendoza, unreal engine 5 quality render

    The shield flared and changed color, “Breakthrough Tinker. Open the fin vents completely and start generator checks. Beta Seven control, Green two. In atmosphere and flying hot.”

    a futuristic space station with a large green object in the middle of it and a lot of smoke coming out of it, space art, concept art, Eve Ryder, star citizen halo

    I ignored their answer as I inverted the ship and rotated again and then fired the main engines for a short burst that almost made me think the ship was going to shake apart.

    a man in a green uniform sitting at a desk in a spaceship setting with many monitors and lights on, computer art, computer graphics, Colin Middleton, promotional image

    Tinker spun to the generator panels, “Anti grav in the red!” I cursed and checked my speed before bringing the ship back around killing the thrust again.

    two men in green suits standing in a sci - fi fi fi room with a large screen in the background, space art, computer graphics, Bedwyr Williams, promotional image

    “Alright Tinker, shields are holding, the anti-grav is stabilizing. We're in the clear for now." Tinker sighed, relief evident in his eyes.

    two men in green uniforms standing in front of a large green spaceship in a desert area with a black cloud in the sky, space art, concept art, Beeple, star citizen halo

    We managed to land the ship, the hull scraping the ground with a deafening screech. The ordeal was over, but we knew we weren’t safe yet.

    a man in a green uniform sitting at a table with headphones on his ears and a monitor screen behind him, space art, a character portrait, Eddie Mendoza, promotional image

    “Beta Seven control, Green Two. We've landed. Requesting immediate emergency aid.” I reported, my voice hoarse from the stress.

    a man in a black and white suit standing in front of a spaceship ship in a sci - fi setting, cobra, a character portrait, Eddie Mendoza, unreal engine highly rendered

    Tinker was already on his feet, checking the damage to the ship. His eyes were focused, determined. He wasn’t one to give up easily.

    two men in green suits standing in a spaceship setting with a large screen in the background and a large screen in the foreground, retrofuturism, a detailed matte painting, Charles Mahoney, promotional image

    Our survival depended on our ship. Until help arrived, it was our only source of life support. We had to ensure it stayed functional.

    a man in a helmet is using a laptop in a space station setting with many monitors and screens on the walls, space art, computer graphics, Filip Hodas, promotional image

    “Green Two, rescue team is on its way. Hang tight.” The voice from the control room was our only source of hope in that moment.

    two men in green suits are talking in a sci - fi setting with a green light coming from the ceiling, retrofuturism, a renaissance painting, Bedwyr Williams, promotional image

    “Copy that, Beta Seven. We’ll be waiting.” I replied, turning to help Tinker with the repairs. We had a long night ahead of us.

    a man in a green uniform standing in a spaceship station with a control panel and a computer screen behind him, photorealism, a character portrait, Eddie Mendoza, unreal 5 render

    As the hours passed, we worked tirelessly to keep the ship functional. But as dawn broke, we saw the rescue ship on the horizon.

    a man in a space suit sitting in a control room with a view of the earth and a distant planet, space art, a detailed matte painting, Eddie Mendoza, conceptart

    “Rescue team here, Green Two. We're closing in on your location. Prepare for extraction.” The voice on the comm was a welcome relief.

    a man in a space suit standing in a room with many lights on it and a sci - fi theme, space art, a character portrait, Eddie Mendoza, star citizen halo

    And so, we survived the ordeal. The ship was damaged, but we were alive. Adrift in space, we had faced the unknown and come out victorious.

    a sci - fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi, space art, concept art, Beeple, star citizen halo

    As we boarded the rescue ship, I couldn't help but glance back at our own ship. It had been a tough journey, but we had made it.

    a man in a space suit sitting in a space station with a computer and a spaceship in the background, space art, a detailed matte painting, Christopher Moeller, star citizen halo

    As the rescue ship ascended, leaving the wreck of our ship behind, I knew we had a story to tell. A story of survival, of courage, and of hope.

    two men in green space suits standing in a large room with a large green object in the background and a yellow light, space art, concept art, Felix-Kelly, imax 70 mm footage

    Looking at Tinker, I couldn't help but feel grateful. We had been through hell and back, but we had done it together.

    a man in a green suit standing in a space station with a sci - fi fi fi helmet on, photorealism, a character portrait, Eddie Mendoza, unreal engine 5 highly rendered

    Adrift in space, we had faced the worst and survived. And as we journeyed back to civilization, we knew we had a tale for the ages.