Support Vessel Rhea.

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She took hold of the steering column as the freighter began to coast dangerously close to max G nearing the gravity of jupitors moon Io. "Hold on darling we are going to make it",she whispered to the ship as the crew all fought back the increasing g's.

"Ladies and gentlemen please hold onto you seats we are now reaching max G in a little while..." she paused. A red light started flashing on the dashboard indicating a proximity alert.

Lisa grabbed a tight hold on the controls as they jerked against her attempts to bring the ship on a trajectory that would only just miss an asteriod that had been hiding on the reverse side of Io.

Sorry for the turbulance ladies and gent's but we have encountered an unexpected...

She muttered something under her breath and then gawped at the size of the hunk of rock that seemed to pass mere meters from the ship.

The ship emmerged from Io's slingshot and headed on a burn towards jupitor ready for its final gravity assist homewards towards earth.

"What the fuck..." came the most used expression as the crew looked out of the ships several aft facing view ports.

The sight was of Io's volcanic surface literally being ripped apart as the space around it became strewn with giant plumes of lava and rock

"Something is ripping that thing apart

Lisa pointed to the gravimetric scanner

"Its vast and completely dark nothing to see except gravity.

The rest of the crew could hear her but they were too transfixed by the sight of Io being torn usunder.

"We need to radio this in to HQ..

What ever it was was now behind them and heading straight for earth.

"Earth one , earth one are you receiving?

"This is ISAC Earth one command receiving you on Global Sat Quantum Comms what is your situation please Identify over"

"Hello this is Lisa Shepherd onboard the Rhea support and discovery vessel earth bound. We have just encountered a gravity anomoly , completely dark and earth bound. Do you have it? Come back."

"Thankyou support vessel Rhea we acknowledge your observation and have reffered the sighting to the Star link comms team. We have a negative on that sighting. I say a negative come back"

"Ok well it was right there.

Lisa looked again at the scanner but it came up empty

"But the planet Io.

"We do confirm several bodies orbiting Io and will send an automatic vessel to assess and find more data. I suggest that you continue for your gravity assist and not to worry ISAC says the space weather is fine.

Lisa grimaced she looked again at the gravimetric scanner and gave it a wack with her fist. Damn it they are going to start calling me Spooky Lisa

"Ok folks we are heading home that's enough action for me and the fun time is over prepare for....


There came a large crash as the Rhea support vessel was suddenly pushed out of its trajectory by an unseen force.

Its crew began to scream as the ship began to hurtle towards empty space. Only this was no ordinary space as it was devoid of starlight. It was in fact the same anomaly that had just chased them through Io and was now pulling them into a black hole.

"Jesus hang on a moment what is thiss......"

Radio blackout.

Everything went dead.

Then the sound was deffeaning like a roar, Rhea was on the other side of the anomaly. But where ?? When ?? And what planet was this looming up at them as the ship careered through its thick atmosphere.

"We are going to crash, MAYDAY MAYDAY this is the stricken vessel Rhea were are in unknown space anyone receiving... MAYDAY MAYDAY.... repeat."

The ship continued to plunge down though the water slipstream that carried them gently towards the surface.

The radio gurgle something in some unknown tongue.

Lisa grimaced again at the console before everyone braced for impact and yet it was far gentler than expected.

"Well everyone we have arrived albeit I have no idea where we are.

Outside they could hear the sound of something large and predatory...

Its roars seemed to shake the tiny support vessel to the core.

"What do we do now asked one of crew

"Pray?

(All Materials and Story's featured on this site are CopyRight 2024 Sam Shepherd & Simon Kettle - HapHazard Publishing)