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Unwanted Amenities
Posted By: PeterPiperArbiter
Date: 11 March 2005, 7:47 PM
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"Sergeant. May I speak freely?", asked private Kojonkoski.
"If you must.", the sergeant, named Joanna Kensington, replied and nodded to Kojonkoski's direction.
He gave his sarge a grin.
"Why didn't we bring any beer with us? There's not much here, and I sure would like a frosty one right now.."
"Shut it marine. Not on duty. Besides, you're driving."
"Well, technically not really driving.. And only because you can't parallel-park this thing."
There was some serious flirt in the air, even though any romantic relations between any military personnel was strictly prohibited.
Private Kojonkoski. His roots were finnish even though Finland itself hadn't been called Finland in ages. No matter, he loved the outdoors, and perhaps some of his genetics were his advantages, as he didn't really care too much even when the temperature dropped 20 degrees below zero. In cold space it was a hell lot colder, but he didn't really care. Spacesuits and spaceships were for that. Keeping the cold away.
"So what were we doing here anyway?", Kojonkoski asked from the copilot, Freddie Higeru.
"Geez! Jack, do you sleep during briefing?"
Kojonkoski yawned.
".. OUR main concern is inspecting the structure of this goddamned ship and if it's still capable of flight. Those techinicians and marines back there are doing their own job. There. Land us there, would you? The ship seems to me intact, and scans say that too. Few scratches from the landing, but nothing unusual."
"I'll do my best.. I must let you know, it's been a while since I last flied a Pelican."
"Well, aren't you a lucky bastard. I haven't flown anything.. Except a 'Hog."
"Hog?"
"Yes.. Well, actually.. I drove it off a cliff and jumped off of it few hundred meters before the ground.."
"You're a one god damn weird guy, you know that Freddie?"
"Shut up boys. Let's concentrate on the goddamn mission."
The Pelican first flew off the intended landing vector by a few hundred meters.
"Damn, these things DO go faster than I remembered."
Few minutes passed, and after some careful reversing the Pelican landed near an elevator.
Sergeant Kensington was the first one to step out of the Pelican.
"Ah, the good ol' Halcyon.", she said and patted the ground before her. "Nothing quite like it."
"Shut up sarge. We need to move." Freddie, right behind her, wasn't really a ladies man. You could tell.
"Guys, girls, I just thought.. The ship isn't powered. How are we going to get inside?", Kojonkoski asked.
"I know. I worked in a ship like this once.", one of the technicians said and pointed to the ground.
Freddie and Kojonkoski looked where he was pointing. Just armor plating.
"Wipe some of the dust off with your feet.."
And so, there actually was something. "Maintenance" read there, and under the text were a picture of a ladder. Freddie took a mechanical screwdriver and after some furious unscrewing, the lid was lifted. The stench from inside the ship was something that couldn't really be described. Closest would be; Like someone had died in there.
Which was entirely possible, the ship was seemingly left in quite a hurry, for a reason still not known. That was what they also came to investigate.
After everyone, except two marines left to guard the Pelican, had descended, one thing could be noticed. It was pitch black. And silent.
"It would propably be the best to head to engineering first. We need more light than just these flashlights.", a female marine finally said.
There were four engineers in the group. The rest were more or less soldiers, trained just slightly differently.
"Your call, sarge." one other marine said and looked with an expecting expression at Sgt. Kensington.
"She's right. McKenzie, Luego and Guerra, you go and try to get this ship running. Leary, you're coming with us three, that's Kojonkoski, Higeru and me. Rest of you marines, go cover the Three Stooges asses for just in case."
"Copy that, ma'am."
The four of them stood silently and listened until the sound of boots clacking to the floor had become almost unhearable.
"Shall we go now?" asked Leary.
"I was just waiting for you to ask. Lead the way.", Kensington replied.
"To where?"
"To the bridge of course. Don't worry, we won't let anything bad happen to you. Private Kojonkoski will walk beside you, if that makes you feel more comfortable."
Kojonkoski took a pistol from his holster and tossed it to Leary.
"Just in case you might need it.", he said and grinned to her.
He flickered the flashlight on his assault rifle on, and pointed it casually towards the hallway.
"Ladies first. I can hold your hand if you wish."
Kira was slightly disgusted by the way the soldier acted, but had really no choice. Orders were orders. And pretty much everybody in the military were her superiors.
She started to walk down the hallway, and it became soon pretty obvious they weren't too far away from the bridge. A few minutes, hallways and decks later there was a doorway, on top if it and on the floor read in big, white letters "BRIDGE".
"I did my part - Men first." Now was her turn to have a laugh.
Kojonkoski stepped nervously in.
"Everyone, wait here.", he said, his voice trembling.
The sight was disappointing and tragic, as he faced the observation window.
"No danger. Follow me." he said to his friends waiting a few meters away.
They saw something that would really decrease the morale.
There were dead crewmen on the bridge. Died right on their chairs. It looked like they were shot from a close distance.
Near the empty tactical display, lyed a presumably dead man halfly holding a pistol in his right hand. A note near him, covered with dryed blood.
Freddie was the first, heroic enough to touch the note, and read it.
"These are the last words of a man so desperate and frightened.. There would have been a fate worse than death. Captain Jacob Grey of the UNSC Cruiser Unwanted Amenities."
No one said a word until there suddenly was light that blinded everyone for a few seconds.
"Alpha Squad, we have the power restored.", a female marine said through the radio.
Then there was a sound. Not a very promising sound. A male voice.
"Self-Destruct sequence initiated."
"Shit!", the four humans yelled as from a one mouth.
"Ten minutes to self-destruct.", the voice added.
"Uhh... Guys. We have a problem.", Kensington radioed the Bravo Squad.
"Yeah. We heard it too."
"We'll try to shut it down from the bridge. Everyone not required here, into the Pelican at once!
-That means you too, Jack. You're their ticket out of here."
"Sure. Just promise me.. Beat the sucker, and come back alive, would you?"
"I promise. Now beat it before I have to make you."
There was a furious sound of running feet as Kojonkoski rushed towards the elevator, which was now powered up. He wasn't the only one running.
By the time everyone had gathered to the lift, the voice continued the countdown:
"7 minutes to self-destruct."
It would take a minute for the lift to reach the top.
"Ok, everyone, be calm. It's not our asses on the line. We have all the time in the world to get the hell out of here."
Kojonkoski was calming mostly only himself down. Everyone else looked only a bit troubled, but they hadn't seen what he had.
About a minute later people were rushing towards the Pelican. Kojonkoski was powering it up as Kensington suddenly appeared on the radiowaves.
"No imminent danger. I think we managed to shut it down. Though I'm not sure if for good. The onboard A.I. isn't responding."
"Good to hear. Want us to come back down there?"
"Yes, wait..."
There was sound of sudden gunfire before the radio went dead.
"Whatta..? Marines. You heard that? Are you with me? I'd like to go down there and save the ladies.."
"That's what I'm paid for, I guess."
"Why not.. This war is too boring anyways."
"Heck no.", was one answer.
"Excuse me?", Kojonkoski almost yelled in the mic.
"We don't know shit what just happened. I might be crazy but not a fool."
"Now come to think of it.. He's right."
"Well? You two? You coming with me?", Kojonkoski asked.
"Aye.", was the reluctant answer.
Two minutes later, they were back inside the belly of the beast.
"Oh Lord, don't fail me now.", the second marine, Private Jormien, said gripping to his battle rifle. Kojonkoski and Greystoke looked at him with a troubled expression.
"What? You don't name your rifles?", he said and looked back.
"No, not that.. I just have a bad feeling our Lord has failed us already.", Private Greystoke replied.
"Aww shaddap. You always have a bad feeling about something.", Jormien said and after that fell down unconscius.
"Whatthe..? This is too creepy. Let's get the hell out of here."
Kojonkoski tried Jormien's pulse.
"He's alive.", he said, before falling down next to Jormien.
"Aww hell. I'm leaving!" Greystoke ran back to the elevator. He soon noticed that things weren't any better up at the Pelican. Only he and Private Frey were still standing.
"What the hell is happening here?", Greystoke yelled and ran towards Frey, adrenaline pumping in his veins, making him ready for battle.
"I don't know. It's bad. That I do know.", Frey said and coughed.
"Can you use this thing?" Greystoke said and pointed at the Pelican.
"No. I'm not trained nor have I ever flown one. Though I know about communications. I'll set up a distress beacon."
"How soon is it ready?"
"Don't know. Fifteen minutes, maybe."
"I'm not sure if we have that much."
Fifteen minutes later, the beacon was up. Activated. It had a short message, repeating over and over, ending with sounds of violent choking.
"Stay away. I repeat. Stay away."
Four days later
"Captain. We're there. A Pelican, Callsign Delta 171 is asking us to let it in and board."
"Don't let it."
"What?"
"I've read about Unwanted Amenities. Launch the Longsword."
"Longsword launched.", a voice confirmed from somewhere behind the Captain.
"Sir.. What about it?"
"There's no ship called Unwanted Amenities. Not anymore. Have you really read your history?"
A few seconds later the remote-controlled Longsword had collided with the Pelican. It was rigged and exploded, taking the Pelican with it.
"We're done here. Set the course to Reach."
[Query="Unwanted Amenities"]
[Searching...]
[...]
[Record #02897/117 | From Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia ]
Unwanted Amenities. A Halcyon Class Cruiser - destroyed by two of its sister-ships, Pillar of Autumn and Dawn Under Heaven.
After several hailing attempts; Resulted only in short communications filled with gunfire and, reported only as "weird" noises; The ship was ordered by UNSC HQ to be destroyed as a potential security risk. It is suspected that some of the higher authorities in UNSC knew more about what was happening on the ship, than they wished to tell.
There is no confirmed information what actually happened; UNSC Documents regarding the case are extremely classified. It is theorized that some kind of experiment had went horribly wrong, but the truth might remain as a mystery until the end of the human race.
There has been many reports regarding sightings of the ship, and many people seem to believe it's a real ghost ship. One thing most of us will never might get to know.
[End of Entry]
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