
Subj : New Beginnings(25)
To   : All
From : Skyhawk #1
Date : Mon Jul 31 1995 01:58:57 PST

                           New Beginnings(25)
                          By Daniel C. Harrison(Skyhawk)

     Candar swore and ran hard toward the ship, her heart pounding, her lungs
gasping for air. Behind her she could hear the sound of massive humming as
several of the creatures topped the hill she had just left! They were coming
out in force. "Shit!" She dropped the communicator, not having the time to use
it anyway. She could see the colonists outside the ship, and Tom was outside
with them. "Get inside!" she screamed. "Get in the damn ship!" 
     Tom was the first to react. He started shouting for everyone to move.
Candar froze as, one of the creatures appeared out of nowhere and slammed into
her. She gasped as, it moved toward. Drawing her weapon, she pumped several
rounds into it's head. They were coming faster, she cold see hundreds of them.
All big as a magno car and heading for the ship. Tom reached her, "Shit, what
did you do? Let's move!" They ran hard for the open door. They could hear
screams behind them of several colonists that didnt make it..
     Hitting the door, Tom screamed for those still coming to hurry. The
creatures were closing in. Behind her, Candar could hear Mark shouting for them
to shut the door. "Don't compromise the safety of the damn ship! Let's get the
hell out of here!" As the door began to shut, one of the creatures hit it,
collapsing it inward. Tom was slammed backward, his head impacting the wall.
     "Here!" Candar looked up as Mark threw her a rifle. "Use this thing on
them! Get the hell out of there."
     She climbed to her feet and ran hard, her legs aching. The things were
inside the ship! She could hear screams of death behind her. They were screwed.
She clambered up the ladder hard entering the second deck. As she exited the
hatch, Kevin pushed her aside and slammed it shut. Spinning the lock, he fell
back exhausted. 
     Mark swore. "What the hell did you do? Where are the others?"
     "Dead." she said quietly. "Those things came toward us. One grabbed me. It
didn't hurt but, I panicked. Lorri fired at it and Frank followed suit."
     God." Mark hung his head. "You realize were screwed. Every one of those
colonists below just became lunch meat! Those things are in the ship. They've
broken through the outer lock." He swore again. "My ship, damn it. Let's head
for the bridge. We'll take off and head into space. That'll kill those things
when the oxygen is gone..they'll blow up."
     "You can't do that, Sir!" Kevin glared at him. "There are people still
alive down there. Weve got to help them."
     "Screw em. They're dead. I'm giving you all an order. Head for the bridge,
we're taking off."
     "Tom's down there." Candar said quietly. "He was still alive last I
checked."
     "He's a sandwich and you will be too if you go down that hatch. My way is
the only way. This mission is lost. The only thing left is to save ourselves.
Now get your butt up to that bridge!"
     The silence was defeaning except for an occasional scream below. Candar
shivered, "God. Weve got to do something. We must try!"
     Mark swore and moved upward toward the bridge. Kevin looked at Candar.
"It's not your fault. Don't worry. We'll get out of here."
     The engines suddenly fired. Kevin turned, "Damn him!" Moving swiftly past
Candar, he pulled himself quickly up the ladder. Candar hesitated for a second
than, she followed. As she exited onto the bridge, she could see the two men
struggling. Mark was trying to lift off the ship. Kevin had his hand around the
Captain's throat. "Stop it!" she shouted. "This is isn't helping."
     "You aren't leaving! Kevin shouted. "Not without verifying that there are
no survivors."
     "The only survivors are hwere you idiot. Get off!" Mark forced Kevin
backward onto the console. Candar drew her sidearm.
     "Okay, that's it. Captain, sit in that chair. Don't move. Kevin, you've
got two minutes..get below and try to find a survivor. After that, I'm taking
this thing off."
     Kevin nodded and grabbed a rifle pushing past her. Candar looked at Mark
Velfor, the Captain she had so admired. "I'm sorry."
     "Not as sorry as your going to be. Your career is over, bitch. Nobodys
does this to me. I can't believe you just did. You can still redeem yourself.
Let me at those controls."
     "No. Not until we know for sure it's okay."
     Mark nodded. "Yeah I understand. He yawned and started to sit. Instantly
before Candar could stop him, he whipped his hand outward and slapped the rifle
out of her grasp. "Little bitch." He slammed her hard, forcing her down to the
floor. She could hear the engines powering up as he brought them from idle to
full. The ship began to move. 
     "No!" She grabbed his feet and pulled hard tripping him. Just then, Kevin
reentered the hatch. He had Tom with him, alive. Mark stared dumbfounded. The
room was silent.
     "Everyone else is dead. Those things left the ship. All 1500 colonists
were wiped out." Kevin hung his head. "It was sickening."
     Mark climbed to his feet. "Engines at full, prepare for lift-off." He
ignored Candar as she took her own seat. "Vertical lift...now."
     The "Grand Creation" lifted off, her engines sounding almost mournful.
Below they could see thousands of the creatures still moving about the hives.
Below also were hundreds of body parts..man's first contact with alien life. It
had been a disaster! The trip back was largely uneventful...the friendship she
had felt for Mark was never the same. And her relationship with Kevin deepened.
The nightmare of Delazar haunted her. 
     She looked out the side port as they achieved orbit..."It was a
garden..here for the taking...."
     
            
