Meeting In A Drift

Posted on Wed Jan 3rd, 2024 @ 5:59pm by Maras (*) & Chief Of The Boat Terrence "Jack" Rumm

Mission: Fractures
Location: SS Mary Rose
Timeline: Past
1650 words - 3.3 OF Standard Post Measure

Maras wandered through the dimly lit corridors of the SS Mary Rose, a once busy spaceship now hauntingly deserted by an event that she had somehow missed. She could feel the weight of being alone pressing down on her, the hum of the ship's machinery echoing through the empty halls as she went from area to area looking for a sign of life. Her footsteps seemed to reverberate endlessly, a stark reminder of her sudden isolation.

The ship, once filled with a crew, was now a ghostly shell every control panels flickering ominously as she tried to work out what was going on what should have been the bar but was now a cargo bay. Maras could not help but wonder what had happened to the crew, where they had gone without alerting her and why she felt so off. As she continued her solitary exploration, a sense of unease settled deep within her, and she longed for answers as she heard footsteps outstretched de the open door. “Hello?” She called.

Jack's rough voice broke through the thick stillness, echoing a hint of relief. "Thought I was the only soul left aboard!" Emerging from an adjacent corridor, he walked into view, lamp in hand, casting long shadows on the walls. His face wore the tell-tale signs of weariness, but his eyes held the glint of determination.

"Been roaming these halls for what feels like hours. I'm not entirely sure what's gone on, but the ship's a right mess." Jack squinted at the unfamiliar layout, his grip tightening around the lamp's handle. "This was the bar last I checked. What in the seven systems happened to turn it into a cargo bay?"

Taking a few steps towards her, he added, "How long you been awake? Any idea what's happened here? Seems like we're the last two on this ghost ship." He paused, eyebrows knitted in concern. "Are you alright, lass?"

Maras was not at all sure she was okay but she let the man finish his questions before she finally decided to speak up. "I do not know I woke up on deck 12 and just started trying to see if I could find people. I did not even know if I was still on SS Mary Rose until I saw the plate in Engineering but the ship seems to be drifting. I do not remember how the ship came like this." She said quietly confirming that it was not just him imagining that the ship had changed.

Jack nodded, taking in Maras's words with a calm, analytical demeanor. "Well, Maras, seems we're in quite the pickle," he began, extending a hand in greeting despite the chaos. "Jack's the name, and sorting out messes is part of the trade, though I confess this one's shaping up to be a real head-scratcher."

He glanced around the transformed space with a critical eye. "Drifting, you say? That's a bit above my pay grade, but I've tangled with a few engineering puzzles in my time." He scratched his chin thoughtfully. "We'll need to get to the bridge, check the ship's logs. There might be a record of what happened. And more importantly, we need to figure out if there's anyone else on board."

“I vaguely know you or at least seen you around.” She said taking the hand and shaking it in a very human gesture before pulling it back.

Jack's handshake was firm, his grip reassuring in the midst of uncertainty. "Aye, I've been aboard a short while myself. Still getting the lay of the land," he admitted with a wry smile.

“I can feel in from the vibrations and I’ve looked out a few of the windows.” She shrugged. “Bridge sounds like a good place to start.” She agreed turning to head down the corridor knowing it would be quicker to take a left then a right but she soon came to a dead end. “The ship just feels wrong like I have been onboard six months I know the layout.”

"Seems as though the ship's got more surprises in store for us," he mused, turning to glance back the way they came. "If the layout's been altered, that's a trick I've not seen before. Could be we're dealing with some sort of spatial anomaly or... well, let's stick to theories we can act on for now."

He motioned for Maras to follow as he retraced their steps. "We'll take it deck by deck if we have to. Let's find another route to the bridge. If we're adrift, time might not be on our side, and I'd rather not find out what happens when the life support decides to follow suit with the rest of the ship's quirks."

It was a good plan but the woman thought there might be a better way in the life support was going to be off than searching deck by deck. "Maybe we need to head straight to the Bridge via a turbo lift then?" Maras questioned softly thinking that the turbo lifts would be still active.

Jack paused for a moment, considering Maras's suggestion. "You've got a point. If the turbolifts are still operational, that's our quickest route to the bridge. Let's give it a shot." His eyes briefly scanned the corridor, searching for the nearest turbolift access.

He led the way to the nearest turbo lift, each step measured and alert for any signs of anomalies or danger. Jack's mind was racing with possibilities. "I've seen my fair share of anomalies and oddities in space, but this," he gestured around at the altered ship, "this is something else. If we can reach the bridge and access the logs, we might get some answers."

Mara’s nodded, her long hair flying in her face for moment before she turned around and followed him in the direction she knew a turbo lift should be. A turbolift location was not exactly easy to change in the fabric of a ship. She had never seen anything like it herself but there was first thing one for everything. She pointed to the lift at the end of the corridor. “Still where it is meant to be.”

Jack followed Maras's pointing finger, a look of relief washing over his face as he saw the turbolift still in its rightful place. "Well, that's one bit of normalcy in all this strangeness," he remarked, quickening his pace towards the lift.

As they reached the turbolift, Jack pressed the call button, watching the indicator lights intently. "Let's hope the internal systems are still functioning as they should." The doors slid open with a familiar whoosh, and he stepped inside, a cautious optimism in his step.

"Alright, into the unknown we go," he said, stepping into the turbolift with a cautious optimism. "Bridge," he announced, pressing the appropriate button on the control panel.

The turbo lift lurched to life with only a small reluctance. Mara was sure that she had never heard a lift sound like that before but she did not comment it did feel like the right time for it. She said nothing still as the lift doors opened they were in the corridor outside the bridge. “It’s quiet.”

Jack stepped out of the turbolift, his senses heightened by the eerie quiet that enveloped the corridor. "Too quiet for comfort," he murmured, his eyes scanning the dimly lit area. The stillness was unsettling, a stark contrast to the usual bustling activity one would expect near a starship's bridge.

He moved cautiously toward the bridge doors, his hand instinctively gripping the handle of the lamp he had in his hand. "Stay sharp, Maras. We don't know what we might find, or not find, in there."

Maras wanted to assure him she was more than ready for whatever lay beyond but as the door opened she was not prepared for the silence. The bridge was deserted but it was undamaged just silence and empty. “There is nothing here.” She whispered stepping into the semi lit bridge. “But something doesn’t feel right? This doesn’t quite look right.” Something did not look right but she could not place what it was as she had not been on the bridge for more than an hour since coming onboard.


Jack stepped onto the bridge, his eyes sweeping across the familiar yet subtly different scene. The quiet was oppressive, the kind that made every soft noise seem amplified. "You're right," he said quietly, his voice barely more than a murmur. "Something's off."

He walked slowly, his boots making soft sounds on the deck, observing the consoles and stations. "It's like someone rearranged the furniture in a room you know well. It's the same place, but it just doesn't feel the same."

His hand still clutching the lamp, he approached the captain's chair and the main console. "Let's see if we can access the ship's logs. There might be some clue here as to what happened." He began to work on the console, his fingers moving with practiced ease despite the odd sensation of unfamiliarity.

But as he worked, Jack couldn't shake the feeling of unease that crept along his spine. He glanced back at Maras, seeking any confirmation of her intuition. "Anything seem familiar yet? Or out of place?" His own senses were alert, ready for any clue or anomaly that might explain their current predicament.

Maras nodded it had been her first thought on seeing the bridge it felt familiar but not at the same time. It was hard to pin down so she had to focus hard on what was going on. “I’ve only been on the bridge once but this bridge looks old. The bridge I know is more up to date. This is grubby and for a lack of term.” The historian said running a hand over a console and held up her hand to reveal the dirt and dust.

TRANCATED