Hunger - A Blaze of Glory Short
#8 of Blaze of Glory
To any writers out there: ever just want to kill off your characters? I have. Many times. In fact, I think that sometimes somebody has to die or go insane to really emphasize the point that, no, death is not pretty. It is death; nasty and every bit as terrible as it can possibly contrive to be. Now, it has been said that my writing contains 'strong content' (hehe, no, don't worry; I actually like it when people say that. It lets me know my writing has hit home), but I must be jaded or something, because up until now I have made no conscious effort to make my writing seem morbid.
But this story will change that, should I ever get around to completing it. I will go into excruciating detail on every death, every explosion, every bit of wanton destruction, that I can. That is a promise.
Another promise I will make is that everyone will die. Nobody will be left untouched. Skin will part beneath razor-edged blades, heads will burst from gunfire, fur will become dyed red from blood, and the galaxy will burn.
On a lighter note, it is purely non-canon (just a way for me to meticulously slaughter every character that I have created) and in no way affects the normal Blaze of Glory storyline. It's just for fun. Messy, gory, bloody, fun. :) (smiley face)
Hunger
A _ Blaze of Glory _ Short
The following is completely non-canon to either Blaze of Glory or the Chakat universe. Nevertheless, boredom strikes when it sees fit, and I write when I'm bored. Hope you like it!Be warned however, as there is a gratuitous amount of violence, some of which involves matters which some may find distasteful, disturbing, or downright corny. Reader discretion is advised.
The world below Stacy was a ball of useless dust. Great deserts stretched from one end of the globe to another, completely enveloping the surface of the planet. A single pale-green sea could be seen near to the southern pole of the world, where it was plausible that an ice cap had once been. A large, angry sandstorm the size of a continent raged in a mighty swirl of blowing dust and dirt that spun counterclockwise as it ground insurmountably towards the edge of a range of towering mountains that had grown soft and smooth from countless years of such abuse. A useless ball of dust.
But it had not always been like this, this planet of stone and sand. No, once it had contained oceans to rival those of Terra, positively brimming with sea life. And from those seas had evolved animals that had thrived on the surface, rainforests and swamps providing comfortable lands in which to grow and thrive. And thrive they had. Mammalian creatures had filled the forests, making them vibrate with life as reptilians lurked beneath the foliage to prey on any that grew too relaxed or blinked for too long. Gastropods the size of PTVs had been common, their huge swirled shells moving relentlessly onwards as they devoured entire trees. Immense whale-like animals had filled the depths of the ocean and fish had evolved into many varied forms and shapes. The planet had been beautiful once.
But then the ancient sun had gone supernova, putting an end to life on the planet that had crawled with it. The oceans had boiled away, cooking a world's worth of seafood in only a matter of days. The water had turned into vapour and the continents had been stricken bare of plants and animals as the sun had expanded, the heat and light becoming too much for anything to survive. And it had been left as it now was; a useless ball of dust.
"Stable orbit achieved." reported Ashley Vintner, Stacy's second in command. She had pulled a holographic image up over the armoured glass wall that composed the front wall of the bridge. It showed a diagram of Stacy's ship, the Dying Breath, going in a large elliptical orbit around the planet below. A caption underneath the desert world displayed its name in a stark white font; Perditus. "The shuttle is ready and prepped for landing."
"Good." nodded Stacy, tearing her gaze away from the view. Her tail and coat swayed as she met her subordinate. "Tell Erickson that I will be there shortly. You coming?"
"I suppose so." shrugged Ashley. "It's been a while since I've been planetside."
"Glad to hear it." smiled Stacy. "I'll be in the hangar in half an hour. Stop by my quarters before climbing aboard, I have something that I need to tell you."
"Aye, Captain." nodded Ashley as she left the bridge. Stacy watched her go, letting her gaze drift a bit. She had enlisted her a year ago, and she had so far proved to be one of the best things she had done for the ship in a long time. Morale was up, the ship ran smoother, and the number of miniskirts aboard had increased significantly. They had spent some time together and, much to Stacy's surprise, she had proved to share many commonalities with her. Hell, the crew were already referring to Ashley as Stacy's clone because of their similar attitudes and bearings.
"Mattock, you have the helm." Stacy ordered. "Inform me of any status changes and make sure you don't miss our window."
"Aye." said the canine fur giving her a completely unnecessary salute.
"And Reese?" she called over her shoulder as she headed for the sliding doors at the rear of the bridge. Her two bodyguards fell into step behind her.
"Ma'am?" he asked.
"Stay out of my chair this time. The only fur I want on it when I get back is mine."
**
Stacy slapped her hand onto the palm reader beside the armoured doors that led to the captain's quarters. The biometric security system chimed as the doors slid open, the autoturrets that lay beyond clanking back into the floor on well-oiled mechanisms. Her bodyguards took up positions outside the door, Trax on the left and Rhajir on the right, as she passed through the threshold.
"Good evening Madame Smith." came the familiar voice of the room's artificial intelligence program. Stacy ignored it and headed to the far side of her room, passing the small seating area and making for her desk that was placed below a curved armoured glass window that trailed up the wall. It was strewn with PADDs and charts, the surface almost entirely obscured from view.
Stacy slid her anti-grav chair away on its repulsor field as she kneeled down, her long-coat falling down around her body and her pistol dangling from its holster at her waist. The chair slid for a few feet on its frictionless energy field before bumping off of the wall beside her bed as she reached up under the heavy wooden desk. She clicked a few hidden panels on the underside of the desk and a small panel popped open to her right.
She opened the hidden compartment and reached inside, pulling out a small object wrapped in velvet cloth. She closed the compartment and stood up, striding confidently over to her bed and sitting down heavily. Her white, charcoal-tipped tail folded beside her on the soft blanket. She began to unwrap the velvet, seeking the device that she had stored there.