Opening Scene

Billy is introduced to the crew as he joins The Stalstrom.

“So, you said you’re from Keeros, huh?” Mason sounded interested despite his indifference.

 

“Yes, sir.” Billy responded shyly.

 

“No need for ‘sir’ here, we’re not very formal.” He led Billy through the long hallway and stopped in front of a large door.

 

Mason fiddled with a small keypad on the wall and when he was finished the door slid open, making a soft hiss. When they entered the room, Billy noticed three beds lining the wall on his right and a large metal table on his left. Everything in the room matched the rest of what he had seen of this ship and was pristine and organized.

 

“Uh, Mason, I don’t mean to be ungrateful- in fact, quite the opposite, but how is it that your ship is so well taken care of?” Billy continued to look about the room in wonderment.

 

“Well, as you know I don’t have a large crew. In fact, The Stalstrom was designed with only ten bunk rooms. But we get paid well. Very well.” Mason gave a satisfied smile.

 

Billy walked over to a large table that had only a few buttons on the side of it. He pressed one of them that held a power symbol and watched as the middle of the desk began to open slightly in the middle. A large holographic screen formed above the desk accompanied with a keyboard that floated diagonally in front of the screen. Upon closer examination, he realized that the desk front had many ports and data drives riddling it.

 

“I see you have the most updated technology here. Will I see these throughout the ship?”

 

“Yeah, the entire ship is integrated on a single network excluding mechanical functions. There’s one of these in almost every room on board. We’ll work you into the system later. Right now, I want you to meet the rest of the crew.”

 

Billy smiled and followed Mason as he left the room and headed to the elevator. His amazement continued as they passed a large screen on the wall to his right. He noticed a keypad and scanner on it in the quick glance he had.

 

“Is this part of the integrated network?” he asked.

 

Mason looked to where Billy had gestured and shook his head. “That’s separate from the rest. Only a few members are authorized to use it since it controls all the major life support systems on the ship. They aren’t as prevalent on the ship but are still there for emergency purposes.”

 

“Huh. Will I?” Billy asked.

 

“Will you what?”

 

“Be added to that system?”

 

“Hell no.” Mason sighed. “No offense doctor. I don’t let just anyone into that system. There are only four people who have access to that and I’m one of them.”

 

“Understandable.” Billy turned his attention away from the control panel and continued to follow Mason.

 

They rode down a single level which appeared to be crew quarters. The large corridor was lined with bulkheads that had the same small keypads beside them as the medical bay. They headed to the end of the hallway which led to yet another door. When Mason opened this one, it was apparent that it was a cafeteria. Four people sat at one table leaving the other three empty. They appeared to be bickering about some mechanical problem that Billy had no understanding of.

 

Mason cleared his throat and the four looked at him and then to Billy, confused for only a second before they all stood.

 

“This here’s Benjamin Wilkins.” he acknowledged.

 

Mason led him to a tanned woman with curly hair. She was dressed in upper-class civilian clothing and smelled of heavy perfume. She was beautiful in a sophisticated way. She shook his hand vigorously, catching Billy off-guard.

 

“Hey, I’m Kyla Moore. Interspecies Relations.” She responded in a kind way.

 

“You know, that title really needs to be changed. It sounds like you bang everything in the galaxy.” The voice came from a man standing behind Kyla. The man snickered until he felt a stinging pain in his thigh where Kyla decided to prod him with her heel.

 

“Gabe, Operations. Ow.” He winced and glared at Kyla, rubbing his leg.

 

A tall man to his right came over and grabbed Billy’s hand, shaking it firmly. “Tyler Evans, Second in Command. Welcome aboard.” He smiled politely. Tyler appeared to be a man of great respect, though appearing slightly younger than Billy and only dressed from the waist down. He wore dog tags around his neck.

 

“You fought in the war?” Billy questioned.

 

“Yeah, Galactic.” He sat back down and continued to eat off of his tray.

 

Mason led Billy to the final person in the room. It was a short blonde female.

 

“Raleigh Harmon, Combat Specialist.” She smiled.

 

“She’ll be needing your services more than most.” Mason chuckled.

 

“Hey, now. I do my damn job.” She said sarcastically and sat beside Tyler at the table.

 

“Alright, let’s head down to the Engine. And guys, clean this s**t up.” Mason directed their attention to a large trash bin that was over flowing.

 

They went back to the elevator and traveled down to the fourth and lowest level. The corridor here was much shorter than the other with only two bulkheads on either side and one at the end. Mason entered a pin code and the door opened.

 

A massive engine hummed quietly in the middle of the room. It was surprisingly clean and a faint green glow radiated from where a glass-like casing revealed the engine inside. The casing was arranged in panels for easy access to the different parts of the engine. Most ships of this caliber had implemented this feature as opposed to exposed engines for safety reasons. If an anti-matter engine were to be damaged, it would cause a radioactive effect to all those in the area. Luckily these engines were hard to tamper with in a harmful way.

 

An older man and younger woman were visible in the corner. They were looking at a holographic screen intently. Mason and Billy walked towards them, gaining their attention as they approached. Once again, Mason introduced Billy.

 

“Hey, ain’t you that guy that killed all those people?” The older man asked in a throaty voice.

 

“Don’t answer him. He’s probably drunk.” Mason said, noting Billy’s sudden discomfort.

“No I ain’t.” The man said.

 

“This is Zachary Ward. Call him Ward. He’s the Engineer onboard.” Mason said. “I’m sure you two will get along great.” He sighed.

 

Ward laughed hoarsely. “You rhymed.”

 

“Sure you’re not drunk?” Mason questioned raising an eyebrow. Ward sneered.

 

He was in his late thirties but appeared older due to his wrinkles and oil stained skin. He wore a jumpsuit tied at his waist and a t-shirt that seemed as if they hadn’t been washed in months. Billy turned his attention from him to the younger woman. She was perhaps in her early twenties and appeared exceptionally clean compared to Ward.

 

“I’m Alexis, nice to meet you.” she said.

 

“Well, sorry to bother you. There’s only one last person to show you and he’s back upstairs in the flight control. C’mon.”

 

They went back up to the elevator and once it began it’s ascension, Billy asked “So, I’ve been wondering since you recruited me.”

 

“Wondering what?”

 

Billy turned to Mason “If you knew my past, why did you still want me onboard?”

 

“Honestly? You tried to help the Quajani. I don’t agree with the deaths but that doesn’t matter. You are the only one who tried. You were dedicated to a lost cause and most the time, we’re a lost cause. I need the same dedication from you that you gave to the Quajani. I know you want to fix what you did and here’s your chance.”

 

“How will working on a mercenary vessel help me fix that?” Billy was confused.

 

“Because I’m going to let you continue your research. You got your medical license stripped from you if I understand correctly. But in exchange I need a medical technician and in my eyes, you’re the best.”

 

Billy nodded. The elevator stopped at the first level and they went down the corridor. As they walked into the Operations room, Mason explained each station and its purpose. He entered Billy into the system and gave him his security code. Billy tested his code on the flight control door and they proceeded in.

 

A man in a chair in front of a large panel of screens and levers stood to reveal himself. He was lean and had dark hair that hung at shoulder-length. The only distinguishing feature about him was his bright blue eyes.

 

“Good Morning, I’m Fletcher, Aviation.” The man replied, no expression on his face.

 

“Reid, your shift ended four hours ago. You should go to the quarters and rest.”

 

“Sir, we take off soon. I need to prepare for take off.”

 

“I’ll have Gabe take us up. Go.”

 

Fletcher nodded and signed off from the control panel. He left the room and headed down the hall.

 

“I thought you didn’t want anyone to call you ‘sir’.” Billy remarked.

 

“I don’t. He’s ex-military and try as I might I can’t break him of his manners.” Mason went to the over-com system on the wall and told Gabe to report to flight control. “You should go to quarters as well. Ask Tyler to show you to your cabin. You can go set yourself up in the Med Bay when you’re done there.”

 

Billy nodded and went back to the cafeteria, passing Gabe on the way. He found Tyler sitting with Raleigh and Kyla. They paid no attention to him until he approached Tyler in an awkward manner. He remembered why he hated joining new groups; they always made him feel as if he didn’t belong. Tyler looked behind him to see Billy standing there and waited for him to speak.

 

“Uh, Mason told me you could show me to my cabin?”

 

Tyler nodded and excused himself from the table. He led Billy to into the corridor and to the middle room on their left. Billy entered with Tyler behind him and looked the room over. It was much more luxurious than any other room he had stayed in before. It made his apartment on Keeros seem third-rate. Although it was slightly small, it was as immaculate as the rest of the ship. A single sized bed protruded in the middle of the room from the back wall and to the right was a large storage closet.

 

“Did you bring your bags down?” Tyler asked.

 

Billy felt like a fool. He had left it in the docking bridge when he boarded. He turned to Tyler and gave him a dumbfounded look.

 

“It’s ok.” Tyler laughed and yelled down the hall for Raleigh. She came momentarily.

 

“Can you go get the doctor’s bags, Hon?” Tyler asked her sweetly.

 

She nodded, asked where they were and left for the docking bridge.

 

“Is she your…?” Billy questioned, pointing where she had gone.

 

Tyler nodded and continued to smile.

 

“So Mason allows that? I would have figured he was against it.”

 

“No, he frowns on it but he’ll allow it. Although if things become a distraction during missions, he’ll force us both to leave the crew. It’s worth it though.”

 

Billy nodded “I’ll take note of that.”

 

Tyler laughed. “You honestly think you have a shot with any of the girls on this ship? I mean, I know there’s only three but Raleigh is mine and the other two seem asexual most of the time. No offense or anything.”

 

“None taken.” He frowned.

 

“Alright, well she’ll be back with your bags shortly. If you need any help figuring things out, ask anyone on the ship.” Tyler left and headed back to the cafeteria.

Author's Note

Incomplete

Reviews

[Drifter]

Well, what you have here seems quite interesting. It makes me think of the Mass Effect games (which are damn good). Dialogue seems solid and at this point all I can think of that needs work is that some sentences need tightening. Not too many to be a problem, though. All in all, should be an interesting read.

[J.R D'asti]

The sentences could use a little variation. (Billy did this. Kyla said that. etc.) Excellent dialogue. Good job.

[Political Punk ~~ CBD]

Like Drifter said it does remind me of Mass Effect, it was really interesting. I guess I can't really give much of an opinion until I read more into it, but does look really good and stable.

[James Watts]

“Yes, sir.” Billy responded shyly.(Try to avoid -ly adverbs. While they sometimes can not be avoided in prose, for the most part they can. Tagged to dialogue is where they are frowned upon the most. I like to do adverb edits when done with a piece, only removing the ones that I can.)

Other than that, not a bad write at all. The flow was nice and smooth.