In fifth and sixth grade, I wrote five 'books' (they were really only about fifteen pages each) during class time. They were about two intergalactic adventurers - Captain Peter, and his first mate James who would eventually command his own vessel.
Because of the amount of time I spent on them, and because I'm more or less proud of the work my younger self put out, those five stories sit on my shelf under the title "The Dome Series". That said, I cannot promise a well-written read ahead. This excerpt is from Book Four, which was heavily inspired by Joss Whedon's 2005 film Serenity. What follows are the imaginative ideas of a middle-schooler. Nothing more, and nothing less.
The year is 3036 A.D. The N.U.G (New UniRace Government) has taken almost complete control of the galaxy. Those who thought otherwise were forced into hiding. It is a time of darkness…
“What do you mean the shields are broken? Fix them!” yelled James aboard the bridge of the small ship Tranquility. With him were several others: Scott, who was James’ close friend, Krelp, who James had known since childhood, and Clyde, a scientist who James had met years back. Together they lived in the trailer-size ship as smugglers, pirates, and as anything that earned them money. But it looked like their story was coming to an end.
“Fire! Yes, now! Shootshootshootshoot,” James yelled. Scott sat at the firing controls while James steered away from the N.U.G Patrol Vessel. Krelp rushed into the bridge.
“Shields are loading, James!” he said. “I need about a minute!”
“We don’t have a minute!” yelled James. The ship rumbled. James grabbed the comlink. “This is your captain yelling!” yelled James. “Strap yourselves in because this could be your last day on Tranquility!” James veered sharply to the left and plummeted towards the planet of Eguanel. “Fire NOW!” yelled James at Scott. Just then, Clyde ran in.
“Did you talk on the comlink? I didn’t hear…” he said as an explosion from outside blasted Clyde into the wall. “Strap yourselves in?” he stuttered.
“Yep,” James said. The ship got closer to the planet. “Full power to engines!”
“But the shields…” began Krelp.
“Forget the shields! Run! Runrunrunrun…” James boomed. The Tranquility zoomed faster through Eguanel’s atmosphere. James was pressed back in his seat. The outside was all white.
And then it stopped. The sky appeared. White clouds below them, and space above.
“Why’d we stop?” James asked.
“We’re running out of power,” replied Krelp. “We can’t fly any farther or we’ll fall. We can only afford to hover.”
The enemy patrol ship came into view from above, inching closer at an unbelievable rate.
“How long will it take to recharge?” asked James.
“About a minute,” replied Krelp. James switched the power off.
“Good,” he said as the Tranquility began to fall.
The force of the fall was intense. REALLY intense. James and Krelp were pressed against their seats, and Clyde (who hadn’t managed to strap himself in yet) was holding onto the door handle for dear life. Scott had slipped into unconsciousness. Surprisingly, the Patrol ship was falling behind. The ocean below got closer and closer as the clouds flew past them.
“Just a few more seconds…” said James, gripping the throttle. James was so close he could see the individual waves. At the lasts second he hit the thrusters and pulled up. A wave crashed against the windshield. The Patrol Vessel attempted to pull up behind them, but was not as maneuverable as the Tranquility and crashed beneath the waves.
James slowly released his grip on the throttle. He tried to breathe slower and relaxed. The others were silent. Krelp took a deep breath and sank into his chair, relieved. Clyde crawled across the floor and climbed into an empty seat, gasping for breath and putting on his seatbelt. Scott let go of the gun trigger, his hand trembling. James heaved a sigh.
“Mission accomplished,” he said. Just then the water in front of them crashed up. An escape pod bobbed to the surface. A hatch opened and a white suit was thrown out.
“I think they surrender,” said Scott.
“Fascinating,” said James. “Let’s go.”
A few minutes after Tranquility left, a ship silently rose out of the water. The Patrol Vessel quietly hovered over to the escape pod. A hatch opened in the bottom and the pod hovered inside. The hatch closed and patrol ship began to follow the Tranquility.
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