"After Roswell" - A.H. Roberts (the gingerbread man read aloud txt) 📗

I commanded the crew from here. Gave them orders. Orders that lower us into the planet's atmosphere. Eventually leading to the deaths of the pilots. I take a seat. In an attempt to regain what has been lost inside of me. I need this right now. A true sense of my purpose. To command. Be a leader. Come forth with a plan to finally leave this world. " I got it". A push of the button on the command console lowers a switchboard. I flip the switch to the top left. Which activates a compartment behind me. Inside the compartment are the emergency beacons. I put the beacons into my pocket. Even though the beacons won't work for a long distance S.O.S. They still might serve a purpose. I can't use the comm systems. Since they were destroyed in the explosion. But this ship, or at least whats left of it. Can still be of some use. If I bypass the electrical systems. I can gain access into the back-up power supply. I will then construct a makeshift radio tower. This way I can get a confirmation on any free roaming signals out in space. Maybe that pirate ship reported their findings and my people could be on their way? If I get confirmation that a ship is coming to my rescue. I can use the command module. If the remaining thrusters work. I still can make it out of Earth's orbit. Using the module as a lifeboat. Then I drift to the outer edge of the solar system. Meeting half-way with the rescue ship. It sounds impossible. But forgot that they designed the ship to be use in a number of ways. If I had the time. This module can be turned into a ATV, an all terrain vehicle, to roam foreign landscapes. While looking over the emergency check-list. I use the tutorial to further explain the procedures involve in making this module a lifeboat. I forgot my training from my youth. Things taught early in my years at the academy. When you don't use it, you loose it. I've never had to do this before. So everything must perform accurately and by exact specifications. Any little flaw in the alteration of the module could become disasterous. Could get me killed? I double check all equipment and start the bypass program. Try to harness the power needed to run the transponder. For more power. I'll use the nuclear fusion cells which are in the explosive device. Same device that failed before. Even if its not operational. It still is useful. Lets just hope this works.
A slight smile emerges from my face. Almost finished with the last of the procedures. Just need to connect the last two wires and I'm done. Sipping and soldering the wires. It doesn't register the fact all alarms and sirens have halt to a stop."The alarms are off. Whats the time frame before they notice were gone"? Agent Foster runs to the entrance we came through. He secures the latch. Their he begins to stack heavy items up against the door. He turns to back my direction and says."We got a half hour tops before they realized were not accounted for. I suggest you get the hella outta there friend". Somehow humans emotions get the best of me. My hands stop working. I'm stuck on that word. He called me friend. I've tried to block out these feelings of weakness. Certain emotions that can cause me to loose focus again. But its hard to resist such primitive senses of reflection. Our people utter little to no facial recognition of their attitude. Either that be positive or negative. Since arriving here. I have develop love for these humans. I've live to understand them. By becoming one of them. So its hard to get rid of such emotions. They have been a part of my character for quite some time now. These emotions could carry over to a new start of life back on my homeworld. In this trance of thought. Another type of siren starts roaring. Agent Foster looks around. He knows the type alert status being sounded."Thats the code red alert. They'll zero in on our position soon. They have to return and secure this sector". Agent Foster pulls his sidearm from his holster. He looks prepare to defend for my escape. There are changes in amount of time that remains. It rushes me to begin the transmission. Sending a wave of signals to pick up anything radiating in the system. Since I've lost my equipment. Maybe my people have already been broadcasting a code? A code sipher into a signal. Waiting for my response. Transferring all power to the transponder. Its ready to receive signals. Now I'll flip the switch in hopes of retrieving a transmission. Several minutes pass. Then the command screen reveals a signal being tracked. A signal that bounce back from the outer Ort Cloud. I run it through diagnostics. This will start decryption of the code. (Information Loading) The computer is scanning and analyzing the data. I yell from the inside of the ship. To inform Foster on my progress."This might take a few moments. I'm sending a signal out now". I type in a sequence on the command console. Simple message, informing them I receive their transmission. While this is computing. I rig the module for take-off. A check on the fuel gauge. It has plenty of ions left in the tanks. Enough ions to propel from the atmosphere. I pull on a lever above my head. I detach any useless weight for departure."Damn, its stuck". On the screen. A warning appears. (Fuel Tank Support: Brace Malfunction) Looks like the braces have to be remove by hand. Moving to the back of the module. I locate the ventilation systems.This leads right to the electrical box that controls the release of the braces. With the release of the fuel tank. This drops weight off the module to convert into a lifeboat. I inform Agent Foster of my situation."I've got a small problem. Got to cut the wires to release the braces from the fuel tank". Agent Foster turns his head to the door."Well make it quick. I hear them coming". Hes right. Loud commotion and boots are heard from the emergency staircase. Could be a dozen or more troops? I squeeze into the vent system. For a moment I become stuck in the vent. This human body was not calibated to fit the vent system. I struggle and become exhausted. Physically I can't continue. Now mentally. I begin to fade. But a feeling emerges. A presence I haven't felt since I came here. Now I hear a voice. It sounds different. Still a familar voice. But I sense its not the navigator. Its another voice. One that speaks from the grave."Have to hurry boy. No time to waste der". This voice hurries me through the vent. At this desperate time for escape. I don't question it. Nor do I try to figure it out. This voice will either lead me to through a path of death. Or a sucessful resolution to the story.
Its a tight space crawling through the vent system. Soon I come to a right bend. Down that bend lies the electrical box. I grab and push off the sides of the vent walls. This way it slides me down to the other end faster. I reach the objective. Once the electrical box is open. All the wires protude out. I cut the red wire securing the braces to the tank. I hear metal hit concrete. Which indicates the tank was released. BOOM! An explosion outside of the module. That couldn't be the tank? Quickly I exit the module. Lets hope Agent Foster wasn't hurt. Small whispers of smoke leak from the cranks of the heavy latched door. Soldiers outside are using something to blast the door open. Agent Foster stands. After taking a look at the damage to the latched door. He turns to my direction."Your running out of time Luke. Get that ship working". I enter back into the module. Where I sit myself infront of the command cosole. I flip switces and push buttons. Once more I go over the procedures for emergency lifeboat. All is operational. Only thing to do now. Is to wait for the CPU. After some computing and processing. My ship's CPU gives the clear to flush out the thrusters. (Initiate Thruster Burn) I'm so thrill to find out the ship hasn't been tamper with. Like they really never touch it. Ofcourse it doesn't help sitting in this room all these years. Without much activity. It has built-up resin in the canisters. So I flush out the thrusters. By doing this procedure. It makes the module lift without any resistance. With the thrusters clear. I then take the beacons from my pocket. From there. I load them into the garbage shaft injecter below near my feet. I've never tried this before. My life depends on it.
When the beacon flares hit the ceiling. It will blast a hole. This will make it easier for the module to pass through. This for sure. Is my only way from this world. I hit the injector button. It shoots the beacon flares into the ceiling. From above. I can hear huge crunks and pieces of the ceiling hit the module. Two was probably too much. That probably blasted a hole big enough for two ships. Then from outside. They make another attempt at the door. I poke my head out from the module. There second attempt finally gains them access. Soldiers pour into the room like a break in a dam. Agent Foster shouts."GET OUTTA HERE"! His voice penetrating the thick metal that surrounds me. While preparing to take-off. The command screen alerts me. That it has finally completed the coding of the message. Perfect timing. But now I'm having trouble reading it. Its in the language of my people. Some of the content I have retain. Still I can't believe this. I've forgot my own language. Its from spending all my time here with these humans. A couple of places is where I did my research. Where true love kept me off track from the current objectives. With straining effort. I make out majority of the code. But several words give me my mind a working. Which have been absent from my vocabulary. Its from talking this human dialect for so long. But soon I understand it. Its a confirmation code. That my people are near. A rescue ship is accerlating toward the planet. A press of my finger on the command screen. Opens the protective shield. This could be it. I'm finally going home.
With control of the throttle. I maneuver the module around. While looking out the vacant glass port. I see Agent Foster. Behind him are a cluster of soldiers. There by his side is Agent Green. A red color fills the visible flesh of his body. I can't hear the words coming from his lips. But I can hear him screaming. Waving soldiers toward my ship. But our story is far from over. Agent Green as it seems. Will become an obstacle when I return. But glad I was able to get pass the first of many between us. I pull back on the stick. Which pushes the module off the ground floor. In a slow and short hover. I give them one last glimmer of evidence. That another being from a different world was here. Before I engage the main drive. I see Agent Foster wave a copper plated, circular object in the air. My eyes become frozen. A relic of my past has return. Its the medal that I gave to Hank. A data disk that contains information of my people and homeworld. How did he obtain it? He must have discovered the ranch and Hank's body? Now this man.