VN space adventure + monstergirl's Intro

In a bad way (intro)


 I barely escaped interdiction. I didn't have time to plot a proper course. I just set up a jump for the nearest gravity well. Panic will do that to you. A loud boom reverberates through my cockpit.  My seat restraints catch me and I eat about six or seven gs of force dropping out of the FTL jump. I find I'm spinning wildly. The centrifugal force pools my blood towards my limbs.

Space is a blur of stars spinning around me. I was getting nauseous so I stared at my lap for a moment to regain some composure. Stabilizers must be offline. My HUD is alive with every warning it can show. I am overwhelmed with warning lights of every flavor. The previous fight left my ship in a bad way. Her name is Ruby. Named for her Ruby red hue. Feels less clinical than calling her ship all the time.  Where could I even begin? Beeps, warning sirens and flashing lights assault my senses. All of them vying for my attention. Never before could I see in such explicit detail how utterly fucked I was.

“Critical systems failure, transmitting SOS.”

“Power generator offline.”

“Primary Drive offline.”

“SL engines offline.”

“Life support offline.”

“Shield generator offline.”

“Hull integrity 45%.”

“Heatsinks unresponsive.”

“Heat level rising. Unable to vent excess heat. Dumping heat sinks in 10 seconds.”

That last one caught my eye. As the name implies I need the heatsinks to soak up extra heat generated by Ruby's various functions. In the event there's excess heat the heat sinks themselves can become over saturated. Ruby will jettison them before they literally cook me alive if they're not working. I probably cooked em' with the emergency jump. Despite their failure, they actually worked as intended as I might have blown up before leaving hyperspace. The problem is I no longer have an efficient way to soak up excess heat and vent it in the future. Before I had time to properly lament that announcement another more prominent issue arose.

“Warning, course intersect with planetary body detected, Collision imminent!”

{MC} “Goodness, can I catch a break already?” I ask Ruby's computer as if I expect some response.
Two loud thumps rattle Ruby from above me. There go the heat sinks.  I need to repair her but I can't do anything spinning around without stabilizers. Time for a system reboot. I flip the mains and everything goes dark. Ruby lets out a mournful sigh as everything within my cockpit gradually wound down. Fans stopped spinning and computers begin whistling to a close. And now I wait.

I exhaled, I could see my breath and feel the coldness of space creeping in. My flight suit had ancillary life support functions in the event I lose my canopy but it wasn't really built for long-term spacewalks and I wasn't particularly eager to test its capabilities. That and survival 101 for pilots like myself clearly state “never abandon your ship in space”. It's built to keep you alive in these kinds of situations. There are lots of ways I can rig Ruby to act as a makeshift shelter for the short term but I pushed that thought out of my mind for now. The survival rate for those trying to live out of their ship was pathetically low if they find themselves stranded like I was.

A good minute had passed since I shut things down. I crossed my fingers and flipped the mains back on.

“System reboot in process”

“...”

Slowly parts of my cockpit flicker to life. Internal fans and electrical hums gradually grow around me as if Ruby were yawning after a nap.

“...”

My HUD begins to spill over with information once more. The cacophony of warning lights returns. I shake my head in dismay and try to sort through the well of information once more. Honestly, my 'ship' would probably be better described as a medium fighter. While capable of FTL travel it's not really built for long-range jumps. On a good day, it could manage 4 or 5k LS (light seconds) tops depending on the gravity well of that particular system. It's by no means an interstellar transport. I need a proper carrier for longer range jumps.

Little tufts of thrust spurt from Ruby attempting to stabilize her.

{MC}“That's a start...”

Various other systems attempt to reboot. If they can't they show as only partially active or completely knocked out. Given the extent of the damage across Ruby, she did a good job of picking herself up so to speak. Things still didn't look good. The main drive was still offline and one of my non-FTL engines were heavily damaged. At best I could limp along the rim of the planet out of the gravity well but without heatsinks I could only fly for short periods before having to shut everything down to cool off. It was more junk than ship at this point.  Shields were online but they were only up around 10% output. power generator looks like it's messed up as well. That would explain the lower power output.

{MC} “Shit...”

The stabilizers take some time to stop my spinning. It's not an immediate correction but eventually I'm resting in what can best be described as an uneasy stillness.  A planet rises into my sight line of a horizon. The view in front of me is dazzling. A terrain world. White whirling clouds and soft blues paint the planet as a possibly habitable place. I would still need to wait for the scanner to confirm if there's a breathable atmosphere just to make sure. I don't see any land masses but that doesn't mean there aren't any.

I mulled over the grave nature of my situation. This is a backwater planet in a backwater part of space. A non-colonized world. No one would know where to find me. Even if they were looking for me search and recovery efforts can take several weeks to organize for pilots stranded like myself. That's if they even realize I'm gone. They may have already marked me KIA after that interdiction outside L723-Y2129. Unlike the overtly blue planet I was slowly drifting towards, most planetary bodies in space are cold dead rocks with maybe a bit of ice if you're lucky.

 If my Ruby wasn't such a mess I could 'sleep' it out but the life support module is still showing offline. The LSM does a number of things from scrubbing CO2 to generating fresh air and keeping the cockpit a comfortable temperature. I closed my helmet visor and locked it down. My suite had its own O2 supply but for the time being I didn't need to use it.
The planetary scanner confirms it's a breathable atmosphere. It's not a 1:1 scale to earth but it shouldn't outright kill me at least. Gravity is a bit stronger though at 1.3gs. I figure I'll worry about further respiratory issues down the line as I needed to focus on either getting my LSM up and running or landing on that planet.  I see if I can repair the LSM first, that would be an easier option. I'd have more time to think about the next step rather than having to rush. Diagnostic feedback confirms my worst fears. It took hit direct hit from my earlier encounter.  It's totaled. Not something I could fix myself even if I knew how to do it.

I check with my nav computer which does all the heavy number crunching for me.
{MC}“Well at least I don't have to die in space” I quip sarcastically, the reality gnawing at the back of my head that I may in fact crash into that beautiful ball of water sooner rather than later if my nav computer's intersect course it spouted earlier was correct. Crash being the keyword. That's if I survived atmosphere reentry.

{MC}“Course intersect...” I whisper to myself, keeping to task as I scroll through my possible ways to in to fall into the planet. I looked at the nav computer's designation for the planet that might host me“L721-Y3001”. Doesn't really roll off the tongue.  Since you happen to have a breathable atmosphere I'll call you Fortuna after the Roman goddess of luck. Then again we're far outside the Sol system so doubt I'll have any Roman gods looking after me. I chuckle aloud to stave off a bit of fear. My current intersect course has me entering the planet's atmosphere in about 7 minutes. I consult with my computer to give me some probabilities to work with. I change the planet's name in Ruby's registry. It's not official for galactic purposes but my autism requires it.

{Ruby} “24% chance of survival with rentry to the planet's atmosphere”

{MC} Christ! Less than a coin flip. Maybe I increase my odds if I get the shield's output up?' I think to myself.

I try to calibrate Ruby's shields. They're not terribly strong to begin with but at this point, I'll take whatever I can get. I'll have to disable the thrusters during reentry but since I'm basically falling I won't need them anyway. It'll all be done with subtle flap adjustments. I go through a checklist of thing I can disable that I won't need. The main power generator is somewhat gimped from the interdiction so I'm not getting 100% out of it. I manage to bring the shields output up from a measly 12% to a commendable 55%

{Ruby} “38% chance of survival with new parameters”

{MC} “I guess that is technically better...”

I take off my helmet for a moment to rub my eyes. I crack my knuckles and gain some composure. If I'm gonna land in one piece I have to do this perfectly. And even then it's a gamble. I put my helmet back on. A little click with a following vacuum "thump" lets me know it's sealed.

{MC} "Alright then. Let's uh, let's give Ms. Fortuna a visit."

In all honesty, Ruby wasn't really built for atmospheric reentry. Usually, it'd be taxied back and forth with a planetary carrier shuttle of some sort if I ever needed to land on a planet with an atmosphere. I'd run this maneuver (atmospheric reentry) before but only as a simulation. In perfect conditions, I could butter the bread handily but with the state of things, I just wasn't sure.

Warning lights alert me that if I want to turn back now is the time. I've already established a course for reentry and if I don't do it now I'll almost certainly lose my nerve. I type away
 at my console and prepare the Ruby for terrestrial flight. I'll have to power down my shields and boot up my engines once I'm free of the reentry's friction burn.  The computer outlined all the steps for me to follow. The rest was just a matter of following through with them. If I started to lose my reentry angle I'd have to manually correct but it would be rough going no matter how I sliced it. I go over a flight checklist and whisper to myself  “I can do this”.

{MC} “Flaps extended.”

{MC} “Angle of inclination locked in.”

{MC} “Shield integrity nominal.”

{MC} “Beginning reentry...”

Steadily Ruby began to shudder. I carefully monitored my HUD for changes in velocity and angles. Too steep and I'll burn up before I'm halfway there. Too shallow and I'll skip across the atmosphere and burn up as well.  My shield was absorbing some of the heat but it was built to block kinetic weaponry and energy beams, not dense atmospheres. I could hear the hull creaking under the stress. She was already in a bad way from the start and this new ordeal wasn't helping. The intense feedback I was getting through the yoke was ridiculous. I leaned forward and put my weight onto it

{MC} “Please...hold together, you can do it!”

Was I talking to Ruby or to myself? I could see my altitude dropping. I was around 70 miles from the surface. Not too bad. Was I going too fast? Or was it my imagination? What if my instruments were damaged? Is this how I'm supposed to die? Incinerated on some planet no one even knows about?! The shaking was brutalizing me. I could only imagine what they're doing to Ruby. A hot white light obscures my canopy's view. I could barely view the readouts from my instruments from the glare. The heat was leaking inside and I could feel myself cooking.

{Ruby} “Heat level critical! Hull integrity critical!”

{MC} “You don't say!!” I manage out of a grimace

“...” (Rattling and shaking noises)

I hold onto the Yoke and try to keep her stable. That's all I can do.

“...” (rattling and shaking noises intensify)

My eyes are shut tight.

I'm sure I'm dead.

I felt like everything is being shaken apart.

The light and the heat are dying down. The sound of wind whipping by me starts to come into focus. Did I black out? The void of space has been replaced with a bluish green sky above me.

{MC} “I MADE IT! I made it through the atmosphere!”

Now I just needed to land safely. Hopefully, somewhere that's not water. Water landings are the worst. They're bad enough when you have ground support to pluck you out of the drink. I can't imagine having to be on open sea on this boondock planet. I edge Ruby's nose downward to get a line on the horizon. The yoke is stiff and unyielding. Eventually, I get a view of the horizon.

Water. In all directions. I can't see land anywhere

{MC} “Damnit! So much for lady luck.”

She did let me through her atmosphere at least. My altitude is dropping fast. This thing wasn't exactly a glider when it wasn't a wreck. Shields are switched off and all power is diverted to the remaining engine. It whimpers back to life. Reentry must have cooked it bad. Right off the bat, I'm getting multiple warning lights upon starting it up

{Ruby} “Heat levels critical engine two!”

{MC} “Yea Yea, I know all about heat levels...”

Too much thrust and I cook the engine. Too little thrust and I start to fall too fast. I can't find a good balance no matter what I do and without any heatsinks, it just gets worse by the second. Everything is air-cooled now and the air simply isn't cool enough to cool my one remaining engine but with one engine I need it full throttle just to keep me aloft.

{MC} “This isn't good!”

Ruby's remaining engine is screaming and I feel the strain through the yoke. I'm struggling just to keep her level. I try to vary the thrust in spurts to keep from cooking her but it's no good.  The engine temp seems to rise no matter what I do and my altitude falls regardless of the maneuvers. I try the other engine out of desperation. Maybe it still has something.  Ruby returns my request with a mechanical grinding clank noise and an "Engine nonresponsive" warning light for my trouble.

{MC} “That's about what I expected...Offline for a reason!”

Additional warning lights begin to flash as I sink ever lower into the horizon

{Ruby} “Warning! Sink rate! Pull up!”

I set full throttle to my still lone functioning engine and yank back hard on the yoke. I really don't want to land in the fucking water. Engine number two is starting to choke. I feel her left side start to dip towards the water

{Ruby} “Heat level critical engine two!”

{Ruby} “Warning! Sink rate! Pull up!”

At best my altitude was holding stable. But I didn't have that much left to lose.
{MC} “Fuck! less than  3000 feet...”
I could clearly see the ocean below. Felt like I could reach down and touch the thing. Ruby's remaining engine was cooking. I had a few seconds before a burnout, if that. Still no land as far as the eye could see. With every alarm and indicator blaring I was about to crash I had effectively exhausted all my options.

{MC} "Looks like I'm going for a swim!”

I ejected.

Chapter 1

Fish out of water

I wish I could have seen the crash. I blacked out for a moment or so after ejecting. I can only assume it was a mess. I see bits and pieces of Ruby floating on the waves. Her heavier components sank to the bottom faster. I came to my senses pretty quickly when I hit the water. My seat will float for a while but I don't wanna be strapped to it. Not when I have a raft. After deploying my emergency raft I flail onto it awkwardly and check myself for injuries.

My helmet visor is cracked and I feel a bit shaken but apart from that everything looks okay. I feel sick to my stomach. May just be the gs I pulled during the ejection. That or I swallowed some sea water. Whatever the case I lay flat on my back and try breathing for a while.

The raft rides the waves for some time and I let my heart rate slow down.

I have a number of emotions welling up inside me; Happiness to be alive, regret that I lost Ruby to the sea, disdain for the fucking ocean. I'm not cold but I'm shaking like I am. I try to take deep breaths and calm down. I don't need to go into shock in this situation. That's a really pathetic way to die after what I just went through.

I take off my helmet and try to regain my bearings. I have a survival pack I plucked from under my chair. First thing I do is turn on my transceiver I retrieved from it. That way if anyone flies within a few light years of Fortuna they'll know I'm here. I push the thought of being trapped on this planet out of my mind and focus on survival. I don't need an existential crisis creeping into my mind just yet.

I attach the transceiver to my belt close my eyes for a moment and run through a few things in my mind. My skin isn't burning from the sea water so obviously, it isn't sulfuric acid I'm floating in.  The star lighting up Fortuna seems to be well enough inside the goldilocks zone to not immediately cook me with radiation so that's good too.  All things considered, there are much worse planets I could have crashed on. After collecting myself further I peer back into the survival kit and attempt to survive.

The survival kit contains the following; 10 hyper dense calorie rations. I should be okay eating one per day. They're basically protein vitamin blocks. I'll shit water but at least I won't die of starvation. One standard issue repeating self-defense photon pistol. Doesn't require that I carry ammo but the energy cell is only good for about 200 shots or so. One personal defense projector. It's a short-range energy field for diverting small arms kinetic fire away from you. Seeing as how I'm not being shot at I'll probably strip it to use the power cell for my pistol or some other tool. Not like I need to worry about getting shot at down here.

I hear a splash behind me and turn to face the source.

{MC} “...Eh!?”

Who was I yelling at? Some kind of subconscious feeling told me to yell out. There's no one here but me and the ocean though. I shake my head wondering if my sanity is slipping a little too soon.

I continue going through the kit. A small first aid kit within the larger survival kit. How convenient. I set it aside. A package of prophylactics- twenty count. I look at them and just laugh. I almost go to throw them overboard but I figure I may as well hold onto them. I could maybe turn them into water bags or something. One survival manual. An answer to my previous comment perhaps. One survival knife. Neat. One water purifier. Wonder if it works on sea water? Probably not. Desalination is a whole to do. I take a moment to inspect it closer either way.

Another splash behind me. This time closer to the boat. I put my hand on the gun and switch the safety off.

{MC} “Alright...” I turn my head slowly around behind me.

There's nothing there. I hate looking out over the ocean. Nothing but water as far as the eye can see. God knows what's underneath. Despite the relative safety of my raft I feel a sinking feeling in my stomach. I return my gaze to my survival kit and push all of the dark thoughts of my head and zero on on the survival kit.

{MC} “Keep it together man.”  I hear a splash at the front of the boat now. I crane my head around and see a fin-like hand in the boat. There's webbing between the fingers and claws on its fingertips.

{MC} “WOAH! HEY! HO! FUCK! GODDAMN!” I panic and am quick to scream. I almost drop my pistol into the water. I switch it on and it whistles to life, the sound of highly charged photons purr. The gun was hot now. If I pull the trigger whatever I'm pointing at is going to have a very bad day.

Slowly a fish like creature emerges from the sea. It has soft features and a flat finned head. Reminds me of a stingray. Its eyes are deep black with only a sliver of white in the corners. Upon closer inspection, I see it's adorned itself with jewelry. Bracelets on their wrists and a pierced fin? An earring perhaps? I deduce it's probably a female if it features are any indication. I'm not quite sure. My brain struggles to compile what I'm looking at.

{MC} “Uhh... hello?”

Upon speaking she recoils and hides behind the edge of my raft. Her eyes studying me from the edge. I lean forward inquisitively.

{MC} “If you're curious, I'm probably not tasty so if you're thinking of eating me I would advise against it.” I say this half-jokingly although the jokes on me. I doubt the fish lady can even understand what I'm saying. She pulls herself back up onto the raft, sloshing some water in with her. I lean back to balance the weight on the raft and she flops further into the raft towards me.

{MC} “Hey! Careful! This thing is barely big enough for one!” The raft seems unsteady with us both on separate sides. The fish lady detects this and crawls more toward my side of the raft. Her head sways from side to side but her eyes stay locked on me. She tugs at my foot and I let out a squeal. I don't know what she wants but it scared me.

She pauses at my yelp. I get a closer look at her. She appears to be bipedal but her feet are fin-like in a similar fashion to her hands. She continues to creep towards me and the raft sinks with both of our weight to the heavier side. I put my hand out to stop her advance but she grabs it and pulls it toward her. She's closing in. This could end badly if she has ill intent!

[ She's going in for the kill! Light her up! fire!]

[ She's just curious! I can't kill an innocent being! Don't shoot!]