Community SciFi writing project #1

[256bits]

At least a go at it...

Arch was in his study room contemplating the contents of the last message from Central. The message was brief, only a few words with no outllining explanation - URGENT. RETURN TO BASE. END - and no signature as to whom had sent it. Verification of the encryption code and secure channel had determined its authenticity. But why was he being called back after only just 3 weeks into the 4 month assignment of a tour of the SYSTEM. He had asked Cracker to listen to and track any communications or conversations out of the ordinary, but so far nothing but the regular user static had been picked up.

Still puzzled, Arch was about to get up to make himself another hot cup of coffee when Cracker knocked and said "Captain, it isn't much but you might as well come and see this." Cracker continued on the short walk to the control room "The radar picked it up less than a minute ago. It's a regular wave of spamites traveling towards our location but since they cover distance so quickly it should be upon us shortly, maybe 2 minutes tops. But what is unusual, is the size of it. It's not a blurp on the screen, more like a blob. I would say there is a bit of power behind this one."

Arch looked at the approaching blob on the radar screen. It seemed to be breaking up into different sections with one section still in line with their position. His ship, with its defences, was not under any real threat, but the size of the wave and the spliting into sections had him worried. " Send the regular warning out to the users. And Central, with indentification."

"Sorry sir. It's a new one. Central will have to do their magic on this one," Cracker responded.

Arch continued, "Well, send out the user warning out anyways. Maybe some of them will be smart enough to close their ports."

Arch then addressed Bug, "Raise security to Level 3. We have an unknown."

Bug, who looked nothing as much as his name, was a senior in his line of work and good at it. He knew all the procedures and protocols by heart and no one ever could recall him opening a manual for reference. And that explained his nickname, into which he surely relished, as his tendency to recit section, paragraph to senior officers and officials in a situation. Many a time an upstart, or for that matter, an oldhat, naive enough to attempt to confront him, was soon redfaced with embarrasment and scurrying away under the extensive utterings of Bug as he showed them explicitly their own lack of understanding and knowledge of what they were supposed to be in command.

Why he chose a scout ship to apply his trade was perplexing to those who knew him, if not to those who kenw of him, for he could command a post in any ship of the fleet he desired

Bug glanced back but before he could reply Arch stated, " I know Bug. Level 6 would be enough, but gut instinct on this unknown takes precidence."
"Aye Captain," Bug replied, and did his stuff.


to be continued...

 

[Ryan_m_b]

As the claxons boomed announcing the security alert Arch wandered towards the deck. With pride he noted how the crew were responding efficiently; everywhere pads were being shut down, caches backed up and goggles removed. Non essential bandwidth dwindled and all systems developed a noticeable ping.

His walk took him onto the deck where activity was even more furtive. Although just a scout ship the deck was cluttered with dishes and antennae constantly maintained by the crews engineers. Hastily they were shutting down the most vulnerable equipment. The SYSTEM was a harsh region, far from the ubicomp of civilised regions and the equipment on the deck was all they had to connect them to home. "Captain!" a voice yelled knocking him out of his appraisal, "a leading edge of the swarm has accelerated, they're heading right for us!"
"Get us out of here then Cracker! Turn south and gun the engines".

Arch grabbed a rail to steady himself as the landscape shifted. The ground beneath their skids rolled by as the engines roared. Crew evacuated the deck as antiviral bots crawled from recesses to take up positions behind firewalls. "Run Captain!" shouted Cracker over the noise of the engines. Vaulting over the deploying bots Arch made for the door but the undulating land and growing wind slowed him down. A mere ten metres from safety he saw a look of terror in Cracker's eyes. "LOOK OU-" Cracker yelled before a hulking spamite thumped into the deck.

"HI THERE <SIR/MADAM>. I am the <offspring> of <WUMI ABDUL> and sole inheritor of $1.000.000.000!11!1!. I require a TRUSTED <partner> to receive the funds and hold in TRUST for a period of <FIVE YEARS>. All I require is some ACCOUNT details..."

 

[Drakkith]

The spamite was a hulking asymmetrical beast, with three claw like appendages on its right side and a single slimy giant tentacle on its left that ended in a grotesque approximation of a human hand. It's request for account details screeched out of something that the captain assumed was its mouth. It looked to Arch like someone had face-punched a dolphin with a glove covered in rusty forks and shoved the mangled remains onto a rotting crustacean.

"The only details you'll be getting is a detailed report from my little sister!" Arch yelled, pulling a large sidearm from his hip. It was silver and blocky with a pearl grip and gold trim. The name LITTLE SISTER was engraved along the sides of the barrel in emerald. Arch pulled the trigger and the weapon bucked in his hands, spitting explosive rounds at the abomination before it.

A scream that was both low and high pitched erupted from the spamite as pieces of what must have been its exoskeleton erupted outwards in a thousand fragments from each impact. Arch was almost certain he could see the air itself wavering, such was the force of the roar.

"Fire! Fire!" Arch was yelling at the defense bots. "Fire you gun-toting toasters!"

The antiviral bots, finally secure behind their firewalls opened fire with twin miniguns. The spamite looked like it had been caught in re-entry, its exoskeleton disintegrating as it roared and clambered forward. It took three steps before it faltered under the combined fire of the bots and Little Sister, another step and it fell to the deck, its entire front side now a smoking ruin.

"Sir, more incoming!" Yelled Cracker from inside.

Arch dropped the used clip into a pouch and slammed a new one in. "Deploy the Sentinel."