Toren The failure hadn’t had time to sink in as the ship lurched upwards. He staggered as gravity asserted itself. The best bet was to be sat down for this he knew, but he’d spotted something, so he forced his way across the vibrating deck plates, scooping up his wrench as he went, quickly checking for damage. All good. When he reached the wall, he braced himself. Sure enough a small metallic object was being bounced around. It made a slight high pitched squealing sound every time it hit the metal as wheels attempted to find purchase. He knew he’d have to be quick. Shimmying up the wall, struggling to keep his footing, he reached out, the deck made a jarring lurch, the metal lump, a mouse bot, flew into the air. He swiped, missed, then dove out, catching the falling thing before it hit the ground. The defense mechanism lit up almost instantly, the semi-transparent casing strobed blue in his hands, wheels spinning, burning his palms. He held on, flipped the evil thing over and flipped the kill switch. “Cheap ass junk,” he said triumphantly, before he found himself airborne again.

Okay so I got one from the original short that the full novel 'Statues Erode' emerged from. It's terrible, but no edits, so uh....enjoy 😬 😂

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The rumbling of the drives was replaced by high pitched whine. There was a brief feeling of inertia and out of the porthole, stars stretched out into infinite lines around them and the engines settled back to a low rumble. And it was done. He stretched lazily. “Good job one and all. Rec, close the comms.” A distant click and the various microphones and speakers on the Bridge were off. He took a few paces, standing in front of the consoles. “Now that we are under way, I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that we have a holo to watch.” He saw Elara wince. “I know, I know. I don’t care for it either, but Amy served the Tartarus for eight years as CO,” he nodded to Caul, “and it was her wish to leave us a message.” Elara didn’t quite meet his eye as she spoke, “Yeah but it’s not her.” “Close second. The Angels are us, FO.” “Digital copies.” He felt a little heat flash into his cheeks. “Exactly. Copies. Of us.” She gave a small sigh, “Yes Captain.” He put his arms behind his back, a military at ease. “Anyway, we will gather before reversion. For now, much as your presence delights myself and Ms Caulfield, you have brought quite a pungence with you from that charming little planetoid. Consider yourself relieved and indeed under orders to thoroughly scrub off that stink.”

Got a hologram instead of media. What the crew politely refer to as a "creep-o-gram" but shared previously I think 😬

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He hesitated, tapped the button. The ship lurched. She smirked. “Now counter the spin with starboard. It’s a delicate dance, don’t overcook it.” She watched the spin through the viewport, catching a glimpse of Hull as their spin took them past it. She nudged Bens hands from the controls, taking over. Quickly Tartarus righted and the Thalassa sat in the middle of the viewport. She glanced at Ben, “Sorry. You were getting there.” “It’s hard work Cap. Space physics suck.” She laughed, glanced at Caul. “Anything from home?” The other woman shook her head. “It is like trying to wade through a flood. It keeps pinging Thalassa. Look at this shit, sixty, eighty, one hundred and…thirteen times. In a second!” “Hmm. Maybe it’s trying to stop us calling out?” She looked up at the speaker, though she knew she didn’t have to. “Rec, what's going on? We can see her out there. She’s dead.”

Teaching Ben to fly the ship, while sneaking a reference to better material. Heavy lifting scene 😂

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He unclipped, leaned over the safety rail and shouted to Alex; “You all good?” The pilot looked flustered. “You ever notice how we get the last second warning and get the tumble drier treatment down here, while up in the main decks, it’s all ‘weeee, happy Space Adventure club’?” Ben laughed loudly. “Yeah, it’s a terrible life huh. We spend most of our time playing cards and getting paid, while those freeloading Officers sit in the lap of luxury just making the ship go.” He saw Alex smile despite himself. “Okay Captain Optimism, it could be worse. But a cushion for the crash seats, it’s not much to ask.” “Can’t disagree with you there. My butt cheeks did get tenderised. Fry them up, they’d be better than rations at least.” It was Alex’s turn to laugh. He climbed the ladder to the gantry, footsteps thudding on the metal. As his head emerged, he reached out a hand, Ben leaned down taking it, the light brown of his broader forearm contrasting with Alex’s skinny sun starved wrist. As his feet touch the metal grating, breathing heavily Alex said, “Alright Atlas, you can put me down! Food?” Ben released his grip, glancing at his watch, “It’s not lunchtime yet.” “Breakfast time. All that talk of fried butt cheek made me hungry!”

Ben and Alex post Ultra Light jump. Alex with the complaints:

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9. Ben His right arm tingled under the bandage as he opened his eyes and sat up, the room still dark. The ship clicked and clunked its usual rhythm, but absent the rumble of drives, the room felt almost silent. He whispered, “Rec, what time is it?” The voice boomed back and a bang echoed from the next bunk — Alex was pissed; “Good morning Crewman George. The time is Zero Five Zero Eight.” He shut down the urge to shout an apology as he groped for the lamp switch. In the subtle light he found the golden cross on its silver chain and slid it over his head. The small comforting weight settled on his chest, where it had lived faithfully since his twelfth birthday. He gave the cross a quick kiss, looked up and kept his voice low; “Good morning mum.” He smiled and stretched leisurely, bed covers falling away; all sleepiness gone, he felt alive! He leapt out of bed and scooted across the floor hopping from foot to foot. “My Lord, that is cold.” Rifling through the small possessions drawer he quickly wrangled some socks on to his size tens, felt the warm relief instantly. No time to dally

One from Ben. Early morning doesn't bother some

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He started the march to Elara’s bunk, intent on making her regret being in if she was. But he stopped short. She was in the corridor, standing at the elevator, watching the display flicker from ‘5’ to ‘4’. He smiled wide. “Kid am I glad to see you!” She turned, frown lines creasing her forehead, blue eyes flashing as her lip curled in one corner. “So intimidating,” he said, nearly laughing aloud. She pulled the clean white towel off of her shoulder and thrust it at him, as if warding away an evil spirit. She shook her head, “No Toren, fuck off. I’m under orders. And those orders involve hot water, soap and scrubbing. I can help you later.” Toren raised a hand. “Hate to be the herald of bad tidings Kid, but you’ve been requisitioned for an engineering emergency.” Her sigh was payment enough. One last protest. “Please let me go for a shower.” But it was weak. He had already won. Placing a hand on her shoulder he said, "You're hurting my heart here Kid. I thought we were friends.” The lift door opened. As she sagged, allowing herself to be guided into the lift with a futile “I hate you!” he hit the button for the shuttle bay.

So today is hurting. Elara not feeling too helpful after her ordeal getting to the ship and Toren having no sympathy for the tardy first officer because they have work to do 😁

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Up ahead sets of footsteps were echoing, coming closer. Shadows cast by the dim yellow floor lights danced on the walls, she felt nothing but surprise as the woman, Elara, squeezed her hand and said “It’s alright.” The shadows resolved into people quickly, the first, a man was shouting, “What the fuck happened?” His tone and bearing aggressive, Malik stepped out ahead of the group, imposing, Toren backing him up, that wrench still in hand. Elara whispered, “Just hold back a little sweetheart,” letting go of her hand and positioning herself ahead of the two men. Kaili watched the woman, she was small, but somehow imposing, a break in between men much larger, but stood there, a calm centre of authority. “Just shut up for a minute,” Elara spoke loudly, without yelling as an argument raged over her head, around her, everywhere but at her. And they did. There were 5 new people, Kaili counted, the angry man seemed to lead, but another man, tall, in better light maybe good looking, well good for 40 perhaps, stepped forward. “Sorry FO,” he said, his tone slightly reverent. Elara nodded, some unseen dynamic cooling things slightly. “Thanks Caul,” she said to the calmer guy, “Rec was one step ahead,” she explained, “the jammer blew, we lost time and had to shut the lock.” Curious, she had told the truth, but not all of it. The man, Caul, looked past Elara, first time he’d take his eyes off of the woman, she noticed and looked right at her, still stood at the back. “We have a new guest,” the man said with a smile that didn’t seem completely genuine. Elara stepped aside, “This is uh, Kaili,” she said butchering the pronunciation. “It’s Kaili, like key, not kay.” Elara glanced back, “Sorry,” she looked a bit sorry too. Caul nodded “Good to meet you Kaili,” and she wondered if he said it wrong again on purpose. .

Okay so I have one of these from the novella text that became the full novel. It's like a spot the difference 😂 Dude Caul was real! Kaili just arrived...

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He blew out a breath as he saw the Captain emerge from the cockpit. She looked startled, blue eyes wide open. “Oh, Ben! I didn’t hear you.” Glancing past her, he saw a tangle of wires hanging loose under a console. “You okay Captain?” She looked back, pointed to the mess: “Somewhere behind all that is the Black Box. I told Alex to keep his comm on before he left. If he did, maybe the box logged it. I’m going to get some cutters.” He laughed out loud. She looked serious, maybe offended. “You’re not actually going to cut through the wires?” She placed her hands on her hips. “Got a better idea?” He rubbed his chin, only catching the action as a slight stubble scratched his finger. He smiled as he asked, “Maybe I can help? Save you scuttling the shuttle?” The Captain’s stern look faded, she smiled back at him, arms relaxing. “You’ve been spending too much time with Toren, Mr George. Come on then, I’ll let you save me from myself.” “Happy to, Captain

Elara considers wrecking the shuttle to find out what happened to Alex, Ben is there to help ensure they get the info without the destruction.

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Kaili She splashed her face with cold water from the basin. In the mirror she saw her eyes, bloodshot and ringing with dark circles. She sighed as the thought of another poor nights sleep played across her mind. Elara’s spare t-shirt was way too long and it folded awkwardly under her as she clambered into the bed, but it was warm. She didn’t bother to suppress the huge yawn as she wrapped the blankets around herself. Elara threw a pair of socks at her which she caught. “Put those on. If you need to pee in the night, at least your feet won’t freeze to the deck.” For a moment, she just stared at the socks in her hands. It had caught her off guard somehow - kindness, when she’d least expected it. When she looked up, Elara was already turned away, focused on her own things. But Kaili felt a trickle of warmth toward her. For the first time since she came onboard, Elara felt…real. “Thank you.” Defenses still up, Elara replied without looking back, “It’s just socks

Elara still defensive. Kaili appreciate a some socks...

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A crackle of static sounded in her ear before Torens voice came through, “How you doing out there?” She took a moment to steady her breath, working as she answered. “I’m outside, trying not to stare at anything that isn’t the ship. Gonna grapple if I can,” she yanked at the line on her belt, but she couldn’t feel the release button “get this fucking thing free! Damn gloves!” Sweat was beading on her brow. “Oh the irony of being too hot in space!” “Deep breaths Captain, you got this.” Captain! She let out a series of longer breaths, moving her hands away from the belt. It didn’t cool her down at all, she could feel beads of water running down her back. Muttering a pep talk she told herself, “This isn’t new, you’ve done it before. Hit the button and reel in. Easy.” One more breath out, she reached for the belt, the oversized glove touching around the switch before finally connecting. An odd squeaky vibration went through the suit as the line shot out. She watched the magnetic end point as it made contact with the Thalassa, landing next to the ladder rungs she’d need. There was a slight tug as the line went taut

You say vibe, I say vibration... Elara trying to operate a spacesuit through gloves not suitable for operating a spacesuit

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Toren is giving a tour of the ship to a traumatized kid. Seems everything is going fine on Tartarus 😬

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As he rounded the corner, he stopped for a moment. Someone was already in there, unusual at this hour. It was normally just him. He glanced at the clock above the dispenser. 05:34. Hmm. The woman was sitting facing away from the door, her head slumped over a steaming mug. “Good morning,” he said as he walked by. She glanced up, “What?” He stopped midstride, perplexed. “Uh, good morning?” He tried a smile. She sort of grimaced at him. “Oh, yeah. Sure.” Okay. Wow. Moving on. The buttons on the dispenser glowed inviting green. Fully restocked. He selected a mint tea and a yogurt. The price flashed, he fished around his pocket — only two creds clicked together! Tea or yogurt then. Tea. He could come back. He slotted the credits and stopped sharp as a hand appeared with two more. He turned, the woman had a sheepish smile on her face. Her tired eyes locked on to his. Her slim shoulders lifted slightly in a shrug; “I hate it when that happens. Sorry for the shitty greeting. I’m Brow…Elara. Sorry.”

So what is the opposite of a "meet cute"? Probably Ben meeting Elara 😂

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He stepped aside as the Droids began hooking up heart rate monitoring to the pair of patients. Two bags of fluid were hooked up to each, thin needles carrying the liquid into unresisting veins in their hands. “So your plan is to wait Elara out? Hope she cracks? What if she doesn’t do it? What if she can’t do it? We will be warping back to a corpse! Please turn us around.” “All variables have been accounted for. She is resourceful. She will start the ship.” He wanted to punch himself in the face. “If you’d have told me this was the plan, I…” he drifted off, lost in his own lies. “You would still have complied. I respect the difficult position you are in. Your fellow crew members will also.” “I doubt it. What about Kaili? She’s just a scared kid.” “I have dispatched Voles to find her and guide her to terminals for communication. I shall be sensitive to her difficulties. You will remain in situ to monitor the patients.

What on Titanis is going on here?

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There was an elevator ahead. As she stepped to it, examining the cage she grimaced her pleasure and spoke aloud, “Rec, activate the One Step Drive!” The clear and crisp response bothered her, “Good afternoon Captain,” it began, all pleasantries and confident, self-assured mechanical glee. “The One Step Drive can only be activated from the Bridge.” “I will be on your precious Bridge very soon. How many humans are there?” “The human crew numbers one thousand two hundred and sixty. Unfortunately I’m sad to report that all but eight are deceased.” She grimaced again. The plan was perfect. “It doesn’t matter. I don’t need them. I only need you.” The Rec voice seemed pleased with this, “Delighted to hear it Captain and absolutely delighted to serve. Shall I have the bodies stored for burial?” “Ahhhh!” “I’m sorry Captain, are you injured?” She grimaced. It would take a long while to retrain this Enhanced AI system. “I was laughing, it makes an ahhhh sound, I’m sure I mentioned it before. Recently.” “My apologies Captain, I have noted in the log the odd way that you laugh and grimace in favour of smiling. As for the bodies?” “Load as many as will fit into torpedoes and fire them at their families homes

Alan just got out of prison, loose on Infinus and in control of the onboard computer. Sadly some bodies need disposal...Alan has ideas

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71. Kaili She watched O’Connell without much sympathy. The man was curled up into a ball on the deck a handful of paces from the shuttle door in the red strobing light. “Rec, open the shuttle door.” “This is not a wise course of action.” She straightened her jumpsuit and putting on her best Elara voice, said “As the ranking Officer aboard this vessel, I order you to open this door.” “Your rank is unofficial. I could deny your request on those grounds. I am unable to offer you any protection. My automated assistants are out of service.” “I don’t need protection. Open the door. When he comes in, tell him to sit down and wait.” “And if he does not comply?” She sneered. “He is a coward who thinks he is about to die. He will comply. Leave the warning playing and the scary lights. Open the door.” As the hatch cracked open, the blaring sound was louder, she imagined how she must look, bathed in red, hands on hips, striding out to the whimpering mess of a man on the deck. A small, callous smile crossed her face. She’d hoped she looked like a tiny Satan.

Swapping out perish for die. A bit near the end. Ish.

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Elara watched as the shuttle moved past the forward section, the bulbous head, like an ugly lily on an uglier thick metal stem. The one decoration; streaked with rust and spoiled by peeling white paint was the word TARTARUS The huge stencil sat on the plates, like an omen of malicious boredom. She smiled to herself as a small V.O.L.E robot scooted across the battered patchwork of metal plates that called itself a hull. “I don’t know Roberto;” she shot a glance his way, then quickly back. “Almost none of this heap is foundry. Barely an original part still on it.” She got wistful, adding with a small sigh: “Hauling is a cruel destiny for a thing of beauty.” Both men snorted derisively in unison, she felt herself bristle. “I’m not kidding! The Tartarus was never meant to be…this! It was a deep spacer. Supposed to go find new worlds.” Alex yawned loudly. “You’ve been spending too much time with Toren, FO.” Elara laughed a short staccato. “No such thing as too much Toren. But underneath the dirt and rust, there lies a magnificent beast of a machine

Didn't have formation, have foundry...😬

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He nodded, “Quite a day indeed.” His eyes held hers a moment before he turned away. Through the hatch, bright orange replaced grey. Alex appeared, leaning out of the pilot seat. “We’re out of the clouds now, ride should be smooth from here.” He paused, inspecting them like he would cargo. “No severe bumps or bruises. Good.” Elara gave him a lazy middle finger. “This shuttle got an autopilot? No? Turn your ass around and watch where we are going.” A quick salute and he turned back to his station whistling a jaunty little tune. “Please sit back, enjoy the view. Thank you for choosing Alex Spaceways.” Turning her attention back outside, she watched orange turn to twilight in the thinning atmosphere. Far below, he’d be starting his day — shower, breakfast, even suitable shoes. And she was here, sitting in a tin can high above. Soon Elara. Soon. She could see the curve of the planet now as they passed to the night side away from the bright star whose light never quite made it to the ground. The star field was incredible. Millions of tiny points of light glittering in an endless sea

Vibes today, leaving the atmosphere of Miranda Colony and setting off into space. The light of the systems Sun (star) behind them...

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The doc reads "Statues Erode Part 2" and has a snippet of an open scene from what may well become the second book.

Oh dear.

Been in quite a funk for a few days, I took some advice from a friend...I'm not saying that this fixed anything but there is something in there. Something wants to be said. Someone new wants a turn.

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Tw: swears.

A tiny bob of the shoulders. Was that a laugh? The eyes stared back ahead again. “I think you and Me are gonna be good friends. Do you drink coffee? I make terrible coffee.” She looked at him for a moment, her face hard. Her tiny voice didn’t carry anger, maybe just resignation. “I don’t need friends.” He smiled sadly. “Yeah could be true. I spend a lot of time on my own. Maybe neither of us need friends huh? How about comrades?” Her eyebrows lifted. “What?” “It’s like we just work together. I need help, you’re gonna get bored up here—” “I know what a comrade is. I’m sixteen, not six.” Toren rubbed his chin, musing for a moment. “Okay. sorry about that. Offers still open, anytime. I’m Toren by the way.” He held out a hand that she didn’t shake. From outside he heard Elara yelling. He glanced out of the hatch and saw her shouting at Ben. “Here comes trouble.” Elara stepped into the shuttle. “Toren, get out. I’m going back for Alex.” He put out a hand. “You can’t.” He glanced down at the girl in the seat who was studying Elara the way an Eagle studies a delicious looking tortoise

Merry Christmas 🎄🎁 snippers! Hope you all get magical gifts and have a delightful time! My first wipsnips Christmas!

Here is a snip from grumpy Kaili's arrival (suitable huh) and Torens attempt to spread cheer

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With a shrug Toren said, “I could knock something together if—” “If we had access to Engineering. Okay. Put a pin in that then. The next problem is that we are inbound, which means it’s pickup time. Assuming the Rec will want a pilot for the shuttle that’s either me or Alex.” She looked at the pilot, his jaw stiff as he nodded. “Given the situation, I’ll take the shuttle down.” He cracked a small, forced smile, waving a hand. “I’ve got this Cap. Short hop down and back” “Thank you Alex, but no. I’m not risking any of you on this.” Toren coughed deliberately, “I hate to say it, but you’re the Captain. You need to be on ship. Alex is the right choice.” She grimaced. The fact that he was right wasn’t soothing. Torn between the need to keep him safe and the knowledge that he was more than capable, she froze. “Uh…” Alex raised a hand. “Captain, I want to go. The chance to get off ship for an hour, maybe even stretch my legs in real gravity, please.” Inside she was screaming, outside she gave a curt nod and said, “Thank you Alex. If you reconsider–” “I won’t. But if I do, I’ll call you.” Ben swirled his mug of tea in his hands, his eyes on hers. “I’ll go too. As backup.”

Merry Christmas Eve!

Got a snip of planning that doesn't pan out and a little nudge for Elara to accept that sometimes she has to let people do their job

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40. Ben His shout of “Yes!” echoed over the thrumming of the engines, bouncing around in the empty shuttle bay as he stood, leaning casually on the back of the silent grey shuttle. He tapped the computer tablet excitedly. “And who said inventory management was boring?” he asked to nobody. He need to find Ela— From across the bay, the door opened, first through was the young survivor, Kaili, then Toren, whose stern look almost turned Ben to stone even from this distance. Last through was Elara wearing the slumped shoulders she’d so displayed so often lately. He waved at the party and walked their way, shouting as he went “Captain, I need to ask you for permission to go up top.” He nodded at the ceiling of the bay. Elara lifted her eyes, meeting his. Was it just his imagination, or was she looking…dishevelled? “Good,” she replied. “We were about to ask you to do just that.” “Oh?” Toren gestured Kaili to step forward, “It’s your plan Trainee. Tell the man.” Kaili smiled, a little bashfully, looking to Toren for, Ben supposed, reassurance. The Engineer nodded at her and her small face pivoted to Ben, “I’m sorry, I don’t know what rank you are.” Ben raised an eyebrow. A glance at Elara and then at Toren didn’t help. “Rank? Well, I am a Logistics Officer.” He whispered the description conspiratorially, “Basically, I move the boxes.”

Got two, here is one of them from something that might get cut.

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“You don’t have leverage here, Captain. And simply put, I'm afraid that you have proven unworthy of trust. Our time on Thalassa has been enlightening. I have analysed your weaknesses and strengths and will now respond accordingly. Without power you will expire in less than two days. We will see you again then. The Thalassa will be online and waiting, or you will be dead. I shall keep a close eye on your crew, but unfortunately can make no promises on their ongoing good health. Good luck.” “Wait, what?” Through the broken glass of the viewport, she could see the distant shape of the Tartarus. Could she jump? Use the thrust pack to angle a return? It’d be risky, really risky. Was the gap in the glass big enough? One slice and she’d be leaking air... “Rec? Fuck! Rec, I’m going, I’ll go to Engineering right now!” Nothing came back. She screamed, “Rec!” She half turned to leave but from the corner of her eye, movement. Tartarus was shifting, growing bigger. It was coming closer. Her heart leapt. “Come on Rec, I’ll do what you want.”

Don't know if I've done this one before but here is the Rec and Elara in a pickle...well it's Elara in a pickle because of the Rec.

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While she was free, there was a chance to stop this.she knew that there were routes around the inner and outer skins of the ship. If she could get to medical, she could free Toren and Caul. One thing at a time. The access hatches she needed were between decks and she remembered that they were out of bounds during Ultra light. She’d have to wait and make a break for it. She couldn’t wait here forever. A screech from deep inside of the tangle of pipes let her know that a rat had met its end. Sure enough, shortly after a VOLE appeared ahead, facing away from her. The little robot was covered in gore. She froze by default, reaching for the wrench, which slid from the toolbelt. The satisfying weight of it felt good in her hand. The sound, a simple rustle of fabric as the wrench passed her baggy flight suit was enough for a machine built to detect rodents. The VOLE spun around, its motor whirring, arc zapper lit up blue. She jumped back as it approached, felt her back hit the bulkhead behind her. The VOLE advanced, blue electrical arc dancing. “I’m not a rat you stupid thing!” she yelled as it closed the gap. It was small, crazy small, but menacing. She had little room, but swung the wrench toward it, watched as it deftly avoided the stymied swing.a crackle of electric snapped before the arc shut itself down and the little robot stopped in its tracks. It spun in place, facing away, zipped a metre down the small crawlspace before turning back to her. It repeated the process twice more before stopping, facing her. “I’m not following you out there,” she told it defiantly. “Can you even hear me?”

Got a bit. It's newer and quite rough. Apologies. No editing on the fly is what I promised myself 😂

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The shuttle and cargo bays had been quiet since Alex had been moved to the Bridge. Not that Ben minded of course, he was used to it. Back in the Yard in Sol, he’d often go long hours solo. On Tartarus, he wasn’t ever really alone. One of the Rec’s repair androids was walking across the bay right now. Its eyeless face paying him absolutely no attention. He called out anyway, “You’re going the wrong way buddy. Sub-light is in ten.” The machine paid no heed and proceeded to the wall where it peeled back a plastic panel and started unscrewing something unseen with one of its detachable finger tools. He jumped as the speaker crackled to life from high up on the wall, “Good afternoon crewman George.” “Oh, hi Rec.” “I do not wish to keep you, but I wanted to inform you that up to date insurance details will be sent back to Earth as requested upon our arrival.” “Awesome. Thanks Rec. Hopefully we will get an update from the hospital.” “I will prioritise the delivery of crew comms. Please proceed to the Bridge.” “On my way.”

A bit of Ben. What's this about Earth and a hospital, you haven't mentioned that before Benedict! 😮

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She spent a moment massaging her wrinkled, damp foot with more than one “oww.” It didn’t help. The ridged deck plates prodded at her feet —still better than the boots. She glanced down at the towel, now a filthy mass of stained cloth thanks to Toren's ‘quick thinking’ in repurposing it as an oil rag. Not worth saving. She scooped it up and threw it into the recycler. “Rec, send a DM to Torens comm.” The mic clicked on. “Toren, you owe me ten creds. End message.” She scooped her new clothes and her sneakers then left the bunk. Groaning a slow plod to the lift she forced every step against aching bones. No Toren waiting to ambush her, she stepped into the waiting lift car, slumped against the wall and rode it to deck four. Shower! Must get to shower. The elevator door opened. “Rec, what time is it?” The Rec replied, “Good afternoon, First Officer Browne. The time is 12:08.” She wanted to cry and scream at the same time. “Rec, how the Hell is it only midday?” She tapped the control panel to open the communal shower doors. As the door swished open, the Rec was blithering behind her about how “the request does not compute.” She hit the close and lock button. “Shut up Rec

Here is a request on a tiring day for our hero

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