This is my contribution to 3WW and Flash Friday. The 3 words this week are: ignore, fear and weightless. The Adepta Sororitas are from the Warhammer 40k world of miniature war gaming.
Enjoy.
Adepta Sororitas
The immaterium released its hold on the frigate, The Emperor’s Crucible. The transition from the warp to the real-space was never an easy one. The ship rocked hard before stabilizing, severing multi-colored wisps of the warp from its hull.
The ship’s navigator, known only as Victoria, reclined within the pilot’s ivory pulpit. Sensing the return to real-space, she closed her inner warp eye and opened her blue ones to rows of servitors before her. Mentally, she invoked the halo of command to begin retracting its tendrils from her head, several drips used to pumped fluids and nutrients directly into her system began to follow.
She glanced at the lone techno-marine, who ignored everything, and studied inlaid runes on the altar of command. Various tubes and wires randomly entered and exited his exposed fleshy parts of his body. A crimson hooded cloak covered the rest.
“The shields are at eighty seven percent, navigator. I am only detecting small exterior stress cracks on the port side.” He stated. “Minor gravity issue on deck 14 causing weightlessness. Servitors in route.”
A tall figure emerged from behind the navigator’s pulpit, completely garbed in black, wearing an oversized leather coat. Cyber-wear speckled his shaved head. “Assigned repair crews accordingly.” commanded Inquisitor Reginald Dietrich. “Activate the holosphere. I want a system location diagram overlaying our course with time indexes.” Rapidly the techno-marine began tapping runes in intricate sequences. After only a few moments, the holosphere produced the desired effects.
Metal stilettos striking the floor announced Sister Superior Sariel. She carried her sororitas helm on her left hip as she rubbed her chaplet ecclesiasticus with her right hand.
“How did we do?” addressing anyone.
The Inquisitor studied the holosphere. “We should be landing on the fourth moon of Hyrus Prime. According to the long-range divination probes, there is an active power source that wasn’t there before the loss of Hyrus Prime. Its energy signature is unknown to the data servitors. Now that we’re closer, we’re pinpointed an area within a large crater. Topographical divinations are showing us some kind of alien structure.”
Sariel narrowed her eyes, “Whatever you decide, Inquisitor, we will follow. The Emperor’s light is greatly needed here.” She turned to leave. “My sisters and I will await your orders in the forward narthex chamber.”
Dietrich absently flexed his bolt-metal servo hand, reacting to an inner fear. He felt an alien presence on the surface. The presence felt both powerful and strangely multifaceted. Each time he reached out with his mind, spidery psychokinetic creatures stirred to protect it. More than a few portions of his psyche ached from earlier attempts.
“Take us in.”
Emperor protect us …
I very much appreciate the worlds you create, Tim. They invite you in, invite you to suspend logic and go with the flow of the story.
ReplyDelete"Metal stilettos striking the floor announced Sister Superior Sariel. She carried her sororitas helm..."
ReplyDeleteEven the voice in my head was tongue twisted at this point.
What Thom said.
Nice scene setting, you again prove you have a knack for the sci-fi space setting.
I'm not familiar with your setting, characters, or even some of the terms you use, but somehow it doesn't matter. Impressive.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the ride into your space.
ReplyDeleteThe best part is the everyday gestures performed with different equipment and sometimes, different parts.
And the stiletto sentence is priceless. Heh-heh, stiletto's in space...
Great read!
ReplyDeleteThis was a compelling piece Tim, engaging setting, and interesting characters -- I really enjoyed it...
ReplyDelete...rob
I am currently writing a prose novelette (150 pages +/-) based on a SciFi poem I've written. Thought I'd share the poem with you here -- if you're curious: Distant Farewell
"spidery psychokinetic creatures stirred to protect it"
ReplyDeleteThis instantly made itself real in my mind.
It was a fun read. Thanks.
Yeah, I think you've got something here, you've certainly got me hooked!
ReplyDeleteI love the olde worlde/magicky words ion a sci-fi setting - runes, narthex etc
ReplyDeleteOkay,love the sci-fi! You have a really good feel for the characters and i love your transitions between description/narrative and dialogue.
ReplyDeletean aching psyche - I wanted to wander around with them until I got to the end and read spidery psychokinetic creatures - nope. Not going there. I was seeing it all in my head and loved the pictures.
ReplyDeleteA fascinating world you've created here. Wonderful writing!
ReplyDeleteTight, traditional sci-fi. Excellent dialect.
ReplyDeleteIt feels like there's a lot more story here. Would like to see this as a larger piece. Intriguing.
ReplyDelete