Carpathia IV: Episode 101 - Impact
End of the Foothills, Somewhere Unknown
Amenaru: Hey!
No good. The Shadowdancer crew were still too far away, but at least Amenaru could see them. It was a magical moment indeed, cresting a small hill to find a large plain stretched out before them, leading down to a coast. There, they could see the crew milling about, tiny little black specs in the distance, but there. Alive. The Shadowdancer itself, however, was nowhere to be seen. The scar in the dirt ended abruptly at the sandy beach. Amenaru could only guess that it must have sunk.
Desperate to reunite with his crew, especially Kit, Amenaru charged toward the Shadowdancer encampment at full speed. It was only minutes before he realized this was a bad idea. Two days of hiking, plus his injury, conspired to tire him quickly. He decided to settle into a healthy trot.
Amenaru: Phobos, how are your eyes? Can you tell if one of them is Kit?
Phobos: I'll check.
Amenaru waited, keeping a steady pace alongside Phobos and Mrs. Tiggywinkle, while he squinted into the distance, trying to see if he could spot Kit's distinctive ears.
Phobos: Found him. I'd tell you where he is but you're going to find out in a few seconds anyway.
Amenaru squinted even harder. Indeed, he and Phobos were noticed, for he could tell there was a gaggle of crew near the perimeter pointing in their direction. From the middle of that perimeter, a floppy-eared bullet shot out, roaring straight for them. There could be no question who that was. Amenaru kept his pace while raising his hand up in a jaunty wave.
Never having seen a tokki in full sprint before, Amenaru couldn't help but be impressed. Kit closed the distance quickly and, towards the end, he could see that his feet only touched the ground every four meters or so. Sort of something like a cross between a hop and a run.
It was then that Amenaru wondered what would happen when Kit finally reached him. If Kit collided with him at full speed, there could be no survivors. Kit did not show any signs of slowing down and Amenaru braced, wondering if he should dodge to the side. Just before impact, Kit leaped, soaring high over Amenaru's head, and landed behind him, all his forward momentum arrested in an instant. Without a word, or, perhaps, more likely unable to speak, Kit wrapped his arms around Amenaru in tears.
It took time, but Kit finally managed to stammer out one word.
Kit: H... How...?
Amenaru smiled and pointed at Phobos, who Kit did not notice until now, standing only 65cm tall on the ground.
Amenaru: I suppose I should reintroduce you to Phobos. Turns out he's an android. His outer body was destroyed saving me.
Kit looked down with a sniffle and wiped his eyes.
Kit: You're Phobos?
Phobos smiled and waved up into the air at his two giant companions.
Phobos: This is actually my real body. The other was just a shell.
Kit kneeled closer to Phobos's level and started to wave his hands around awkwardly, like he wasn't sure if he could hug Phobos, pet him, or pick him up.
Kit: I'm sorry. I don't know what to do. Thank you so much.
Phobos threw both of his arms into the air.
Phobos: I can do hugs! You'll have to pick me up, though.
Kit smiled and sort of managed a chuckle through the tears. Gingerly reaching out, he wrapped one hand around Phobos's body and the other around his legs and lifted him from the ground. It was a bit of an awkward hug, with Phobos wrapped around Kit's neck, but neither seemed to care.
The four continued toward the camp, this time at a leisurely pace, for now Amenaru was in no rush and thought it prudent to go slowly. There was, however, one thing bothering him.
Amenaru: What happened after I... um... left?
Earlier on the NCCS Shadowdancer
Besides Kit's cry of despair, there wasn't a moment for anyone to acknowledge that Amenaru just flew out of the bridge. Sylvar's force field filled the void, but it was just as glitchy as the rest of the systems on the ship, occasionally disappearing for a few seconds and pummelling the bridge crew with an icy, raucous wind. Ahead, the Shadowdancer rapidly closed on a high ridge connecting two mountain peaks.
Teek: 10.2 degrees! This is going to be close!
The ridge passed just barely under the nose of the ship and a second later, there was a crack and a shudder, but they remained on course for the plain.
Teren: Just grazed it, Captain.
Teek: There's another peak just off port! I don't have the power to dodge it!
Just before Aire spoke, the force field cut out for another few seconds, just long enough to drown out his command.
Aire: Tactical!
Teren: Say again, Captain!
Aire: TACTICAL!
Nalma: Estimated strike just inside of the port nacelle pylon. Helm, be ready to correct course.
Teek: Just got some more lateral thrusters! Activating them now. I'll do what I can.
Seconds later, the Shadowdancer slammed into the small mountain peek just where Nalma said they would. This time, it was more than just a scrape, for even all the way to the bridge, they could hear the sound of metal twisting and snapping while the ship lurched to the side. Teek kept his wits and banked the ship slightly, slowly angling it back on course. Behind them, they heard a massive explosion that pitched them forward.
Teek: 400 meters to the ground, Captain! We're at 7.2 degrees, but I think I can get that back up!
Aire: All hands, brace for impact!
Seconds passed as the Shadowdancer drew ever closer to the ground while the horizon gradually moved down. Teek's efforts to raise the nose again were working.
Teek: 100 meters!
Everyone on the bridge gripped whatever was closest to them tightly. Armrests. Bannisters. Consoles. Not that this would help, but at least it was doing something.
Finally, the ship slammed into the ground, straining everyone against their seatbelts. All except Teren, who didn't have a chair. He flew over the security console, over Joust's head, and twisted around, landing on all fours near the helm, his claws digging hard into the deck to slow his momentum. Consoles shorted. Power conduits exploded. Access panels dropped from the ceiling, spilling bits of the control systems everywhere. Sparks and debris flew everywhere while the ship rocked over the terrain like someone sledding down a stone-speckled hill during summertime. Outside the window, the ocean shore rapidly approached.
When the ship hit the water, it only briefly seemed like it might be a smoother ride from there, but soon after, the tip of the Shadowdancer's nose caught the surface of the water and instantly submarined straight to the bottom. Still fairly shallow, the nose penetrated the sandy bottom and impaled itself upon the stone layer beneath. Teek's console and chair together broke away and he hurtled through the center window. For awhile, nobody could tell which way was up while the Shadowdancer rolled around in the water.
And then, silence. Mostly. Bits of damaged consoles knocked against each other and warning lights beeped their impotent notifications, but there was no more crashing, no more sliding, and no more twisting of metal on rock. It took some time for everyone to come to their senses, but thankfully, luckily, the ship finished right side up.
Aire: All hands, evacuate, evacuate, evacuate!
Aire looked around, taking count of his crew. Where was Teek? There was nothing but a scar in the deck where his console used to be.
Aire: Where's Teek?
While the others frantically searched, Ryuu leaped into the window and shook the water from his body like a dog.
Ryuu: He's in the sea. Tayet's going after him now.
Kit: The ship drifted out into the ocean and sank in a little over a half hour. It would have gone down faster without Sylvar's force fields. We just barely got everyone out in time.
Amenaru: Is Teek okay? Did Tayet find him?
To Amenaru's relief, Kit nodded, though gravely.
Kit: Tayet found him, but he almost drowned. He's in a pretty bad way right now. Broken bones. He lost a horn again and his tail broke off. The doctor said his tail will regrow, but it's going to take a year before it's back to normal.
Amenaru: At least he's alive.
Kit: Six dead, in total, all from the lower decks. We thought it was eight. We just assumed you and Phobos...
Kit started to sniffle and tear up again. Amenaru took his hand before kneeling on the ground to give Mrs. Tiggywinkle a wave and she immediately leaped into his free arm and started nuzzling his cheek.
Amenaru: You can hold the kitty if you want. Holding the kitty always makes me feel better.
Kit paused and sniffled again. He took a long gaze into Amenaru's eyes and then a glance at their hands clasped together.
Kit: Holding the kitty makes me feel good too.
Commissioned art in this episode from:
AvareonArt
Zelbunnii
Thatwildmary
Colourbrand
