It's been a year since the Corvalax Industries Starliner: Serindipity vanished, without a trace just after their initial extra-orbital burn. Six hours after departure, the crew that was supposed to be trained to handle the newest Corvalax Starliner were found deceased in the waiting room when the next Starliner docked.
The news producers handed me everything that hadn't been redacted from the initial investigation so I could go over it for the anneversary special. It's a rough read.
"Beth, you ready?" Steven, my producer, yells out.
"As soon as Trinity finishes my hair." I call out. With it being an outdoor broadcast, my personal stylist is taking her time to make sure the style can stand up to the costal winds.
"It's a far cry from your usual style, but I think this should work." Trinity tells me as she turns my chair to look in the mirror. She braided my hair from my temples, to the thick bun on the back of my head, and did a good job of hiding how long my hair really was.
"It looks regal. I like it." I said to her as the sun glinted off my auburn hair, hiding the plethora of bobby pins I know she must have used to accomplish the look.
I walked over, in the middle of the six cameras that will be recording my report. It took me a few seconds to get my nerves under control, and I looked up at Steven. I was ready. His hand counted down, then pointed at me, and my report began just as Orbital Port 4's main ring crested the horizon over the ocean.
"good evening. I am Elizabeth Fern, with channel 8 news; bringing you a special report. One year ago today, Corvalax Industries' newest Starliner went missing with nine thousand eight hundred seven passengers on board. Her designated crew had been found still on board the Orbital Port six hours later when the next Starliner used that docking ring. On board were some of..."
A loud thunderclap resounded in the air, making me loose composure for a brief second. I turn around, and see something falling, and it's massive. "Cameras, zoom in on that." I point, and hear the cameras move to face that direction. One of the cameras display an image on the sidewalk at my feet of what it's seeing. My eyes go wide.
"Steven, camera six, now." I yell, "camera four, on me." I wait for the camera's lens to focus, and I start talking again. "Ladies and gentlemen, if you are near Ponder Sound; take cover, go to your storm shelters, away from the water. Starliner Serindipity has been found, and appears to be on a direct impact course with the sound."
I turn and watch the screen of camera six, keeping the ship in its view, watching the hulking mass plummet toward the water below. Static begins to interfere with camera six, and I order the remaining cameras to focus on the ship as well.
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as I stood there, mesmerized by the falling ship, audio came over the camera's general communications system.
"Mayday, Mayday, Mayday. Power failure, and life-support failure. Alert emergency agencies, I'm trying to aim for water, but controls are sporadic." It was a woman's voice, one I thought I recognized, but wasn't sure.
"Please, goddess, let me not kill anyone today, let me get this thing on the surface safely." The voice said through my cameras again.
I called the port authority, and relayed the two messages to them; and they confirmed that it was broadcast through every object that could receive general transmissions; in other words, every electronic device in the broadcast range heard it.
"Steven, can we set a beam toward it?"
"I can try." I see him take out a different broadcast antenna, connect it to a booste, and put a splitter on my microphone receiver, then points at me.
"Serindipity, this is Elizabeth Fern, with channel 8; you've been heard." I broadcast.
"Thank the goddess, I'm not sure where I'm going down, I don't want to hurt anyone." The woman's voice calls.
"tell her to try to fire the main forward thrusters for as long as she can." An older man says as he walks up. "She is facing the right direction, it will push her further from shore, and reduce injuries when the wave makes landfall."
"Serindipity, can you fire the main thrusters? Burn the last of the fuel with them if you can."
The large thrusters produce a beautiful orange light as they come to life, and for a brief second, the ship seems to shift further out to sea. After ten seconds; they shut off.
"That's all the fuel Miss Fern." She says. I look over at Steven, and he rolls his hand to tell me to ask questions, keep the girl talking.
"What is your name?" I ask.
"Ash...Trillion Biggs." She tells me.
"Where has the ship been for the last year?"
"Year? It's only been a year?" She was silent for a second, before her voice came back across. "I'm afraid." She whispered; and I heard her pray again. "My dear goddess, take my fear, let me harness it, let it work for me. Help me keep these people safe, show me what to do."
just as her prayer finished, I was told by the uniformed man to ask how many survivors were onboard.
"I'm the last." She said through tears. The uniformed man took my microphone from me, and spoke to her.
"Trillion, get to an escape pod. You've done good, you won't hurt as many people now, but we need you alive. Get to an escape pod."
"I can't. They are all gone." She inhaled deeply, and continued. "I recognize the shoreline; this is Ponder Sound. I'm aiming for Davidson's Bar. I say again, I'm going down over Davidson's Bar."
the uniformed man began shouting into his communicator with her last statement, and began giving orders for rescue equipment that would be needed.
"goddess protect me." She said as the massive hulk slammed into the water's surface.
"Miss Fern; with me." The uniformed man yelled, as he and Steven grabbed all but camera one and six. I grabbed camera six, leaving one to watch the wave hit the shore. The seven hundred dollar camera would be lost, but we would get the shot.