? How do you lose or win a battle? What stories would your people have, your pilots, your leaders?"I put together a few short stories. I'll post one or two every few days. They're short enough to be interesting, but long enough to get you involved with the characters. I hope you enjoy this insight of what it might actually be like in the universe of Zorg.
Her
Colors zoomed around the cockpit of Arroe’s fighter, The Pilgrim. He wasn’t sure why his team fought against the planet so. Arroe didn’t fight for resources, power, ships, or people. He fought for “her”. She was so beautiful, so welcoming. Arroe longed to see “her”. Caught in the current skirmish, Arroe struggled to sway his ship through the forest of lasers and bullets shot by both the defending planet and his own fleet.
His commander came over the speaker in his ear. It was annoying to hear his orders. The formation was to be changed to another area of the system to flank the planet from a different angle. The Pilgrim wondered tired among the stars. Although the distant explosions rang through the metal of the fighter, the memory of the commander’s bloodthirsty orders still screeched in resonance in Aroe’s thoughts.
The titled “enemy” planet was not his enemy, but without the complete obedience to his fleet, he would be detained forever, unable to see “her”. So he fought, not his hardest, but enough to do his part. He chose his targets specifically to be non-biological, for he did not believe in the death of living things for any purpose. To kill would be an insult to life, a beautiful creation and a gift, not in his right to deny its existence.
Only hours later did he see the fall of the innocent planet before him. Its holes spat fire and smoke just as its killers did from their guns. They fought for glory, but Arroe fought for “her”. On the return home he took a long route through the outer rim of the galaxy – full of vibrant clouds and stars against the dark, empty background. This is why he was here, why he became a pilot. This was his love – the universe.
He fought for her. She was so beautiful, so welcoming, and Arroe had longed to see her.
Inspiration: Recent Personification Lecture
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Stride
‘Just a little bit longer,’ she thought, ‘giving up now would be an insult to everything we’ve worked for’. Struggling to keep on her feet, Lieutenant Emeris Continued down the slim, dark hall deep within the cruiser. Its engine airways of large pipes and wires surrounded the walls, giving her a claustrophobic feeling. Steam from one of the vents startled her off balance and she struck the wall for support. Using the left side of her body to keep herself steady against the tunnel, Emeris looked again at the handgun in her right hand braced against her side as it shook in shock from the wound in her abdomen.
‘Almost there,’ she tried to encourage herself. Gingerly, the lieutenant shuffled herself slowly along the wall. She looked up, past her sweaty strands of loose hair, and saw a dim light softly pulsing yards ahead. Thinking it ironic that in the old wives tale one should never go to the light at the end of a tunnel in a near death situation, Emeris knew that that plan indeed was the one thing that could save her, or at least everyone else. She tried to call out to the radiance, but the breath in her lungs was spent all on keeping her steady and the words could not escape her mouth as loud as they rang in her head.
She could feel her few last steps as her body refused to rely under her control. The anger in her calves burned at her and soon became numb, making her fall to her knees. Emeris wished that her stomach would feel the same numbness almost as much as she wished that she could reach the end of the channel. Noticing now that her arms were her only hope, she checked the chamber of her gun to confirm that it was vacant and dropped it to the ground at her side. ‘So close,’ she pulled herself forward, fingers and knuckles straining to propel her weight forward, ‘so close,’ the light touched her face and blinded her eyes as they refused to adjust to their weakness, 'so,’ her own thoughts were muffled by the surprised remarks of the crew members inside the bridge, ‘close…’
“It’s the Lieutenant!” they shouted in her ear, “She brought back the signal for alarm!”
“For what? Read it then!”
“It’s the enemy; they’ve penetrated the cruiser from below! The captain is down there with the others, trapped in crossfire! Delta team, send a squad down there immediately!”
“Yes’ir!”
“Someone get on channel 4 and order emergency health care immediately!”
‘I made it,’ Emeris echoed in her head, ‘I made it, made it,’ and she drifted off into sleep.
Inspiration: "The Host" Novel.
. It's not deep, and isn't supposed to be so that the reader can use more imagination instead of me shoving literal tools down someone's throat, lol. That's why it's so descriptive. Tons of imagery because, as you can see, all 3 have a different "feel".