

Subj : New Beginnings
To   : All
From : Skyhawk #1
Date : Mon Jun 26 1995 04:36:42 PST


                         New Beginnings
                     by Daniel C. Harrison
     Candar put on her headset and tapped the mike to be sure it was working.
It would be just like Kevin to have sabotaged this as well. Rewarded by the 
sound in her ears, she opened the channel. "Central Control, this is Outlander
requesting clearance for launch, authorization code, 134-764-877, Captain
Candar Millis, pilot."
     There was a loud burst of static, then a voice came on, "Outlander, this
is Central control. You are cleared for launch, Candy Cane, have a good     
flight."
     Crawford! God, he was a pain. She put the mike up to her mouth and blew 
hard, blasting his ears. "What was that for?" he shouted.
     "A goodbye kiss, sweetie. I'll miss you too. Don't beat up on the rookies
too hard." Before he could respond, she cut the link and smiled at Jerry.
 "Okay."
Jerry, let's get this pile of crap moving."
     "Sure, honey," he turned to Kevin. "Final engine report, Kev."
     "Primary drive systems show ready. Life support functioning normally.
Secondary systems nominal. Engine peak power at 100% and emergency back-ups
okay. Passengers are secured."
     Candar began checking her instruments one last time. "Are you sure that
defective drive plate was repaired properly? I don't want this thing blowing us
to hell and back."
     "I fixed it myself." Kevin's tone was one of hurt, "I'm surprised you
would ask that after all the years we've known each other."
     She grimaced and turned to her engineer. "Sorry," she said softly. "I
didn't mean that the way it sounded."
     "It's okay. You seem more nervous than usual." Kevin had hit the nail on 
the head, but she wasn't about to admit it. Why did she feel this way? Wasn't
this what she wanted? To start over?
     Jerry, pretending not to notice the exchange, looked up from his console.
"We're ready, Captain."
     She glanced at him quickly. Captain? Since when the hell was he so formal.
They had spent enough nights together. Had spaced for years. Was it all 
changing for her so fast? Why couldn't they accept this? "Let's go...powering
main systems for launch...on my command...3,2,1...go!"
     The Outlander roared into life and she shook with the force of thunder as
the six matter conversion drivers boosted her upward off the pad. The G-7 force
slammed Candar into her seat, making her cry out. "The damn dampeners aren't
working for shit! I thought you said they were nominal!" her shout over the 
roar of the engines could barely be heard.
     Kevin tried to see the console clearly, but the force was slamming him
back into his seat. "We're going up to G-9. They're working, but not at full 
capacity. I know they were! This thing is..."
     "A piece of crap! I know, I said that!" Candar took the controls, "Now at 
five thousand feet, gaining power, G-force increasing...god, we're gonna get
squashed. Jerry shut down auto-systems! Give me full control. I have to alter
our trajectory or we're gonna get crushed!"
     Jerry's vision was blurry as he struggled with the console. "Auto systems
disengaged...I think. I can't see clearly, damn it." He fell back into his 
chair, pinned by the increasing force.
     "Taking control." Candar tried to focus on the instruments as their
altitude increased. "Now at seventeen thousand...altering flight path 30 
degrees pitch." She leaned forward, fighting the force, "Kevin, can't you do
something about the dampeners?" She waited for an answer, then looked back 
when she was given none. "Kevin!"
     Jerry swung his head around, responding to her cry. Kevin was passed out;
his mouth appeared to be foaming. "Damn it! Candar, we've got to do something!"
     "I am!" she shouted. She slammed emergency systems into full mode, and the
G-force increased even more, "I'm taking us to full mode, Jerry. Got to clear
this damn atmosphere now! Fifty five thousand feet...eighty five..." she could
feel her heart racing. "I'm gonna kill Crawford!"
     "Not his doing." Jerry responded. His voice was gasping as he struggled to
speak." He would never endanger our lives, you know that! Something went wrong.

     She nodded. "I think we're gonna be okay." The ship was leveling out now
and she could see the atmosphere clearing for the blackness of space. Nothing
ever looked so lovely to her. "We're clear." She reduced power to half, and the
the Outlander slipped free of her gravitational prison.
     As the force began to subside, Candar tore herself from her safety harness
and moved to Kevin. "God, he's hurting. Get me a medkit, quick!"
     Jerry was already digging into the emergency supplies. Candar was 
assessing the situation. He was breathing, fortunately, but he didn't look
good. And this whole trip wasn't starting off well either. The Outlander was on
auto systems again while her two pilots fought to revive her engineer. After
several minutes
of trying to revive Kevin, Jerry looked up. "I'm going below and find a doctor.
I know this outfit wouldn't try to set up a colony without one."
     She nodded and he moved past her. She stroked Kevin's hair. "You can't die
Kev...not like this...not now..." Her mind raced back to another mission...
     
     "It's got us!" Kevin was yelling so loud the noise was deafening over the
commlink. "The systems have overloaded! We're gonna be pulled in!"
     Long, a fresh young pilot fresh out of company training, stared at her in 
terror. "We're gonna die! Did you hear him? It's got us! We're gonna..."
     "Shut the hell up!" she slapped him hard. "Do what I say, you fool, or 
we will die!"
     "I...I don't know how to do that. I never..."
     "Cripes!" she turned to Kevin. "Take over. I taught you enough."
     Kevin motioned for the younger man to move. "Let me in, kiddo."
     Long moved and expertly Kevin was rerouting the systems. "Full power
ready. Blast us outta here, Candy!" The shock of her response forced him back
into his seat as the Glory Virgin tore free of the incredible pull from the
collapsar. The black hole had been uncharted and they had come out of 
hyperspace right into it. Now, it was a tug 'o war match. The Glory Virgin
was a new ship, one of the best "Universal Star" had. She was full of tons of
ore and mineral riches, and Candar was not going to be crushed without a 
fight. "Altering trajectory to match pull...speed increasing. Hang on!"
     Using the ship's combined power and altering the ship's trajectory, the 
Glory Virgin swung hard against the pull of the black hole, and with a 
slingshot effect, she was thrown clear of the menace. As her speed increased, 
Candar grabbed the controls and slammed the freighter into hyperdrive. The 
explosion of power was instant, and they were rewarded by the doppler distorted
pinpoints of light that were stars. It was over.
     Kevin turned to her and grinned. "Not bad, sweetie."
     She grinned, then her grin turned rapidly to a frown as she turned on
the young rookie. "I think you need to go back to training. What did you do?
Sleep through emergency procedures module? Did you fail it?
     The young man hung his head. "No, I..."
     "You're fired..."




