On the Wings of a Nova, 1/?
18/1/06 08:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
minervasoloSo, in my head, these characters live in London. Just a bunch of mates, having met at school and sixth form college. They're 'second-generation' characters, since the story for me started with Daniels' dad, his boyfriend and his boyfriend's mate. However, I've been watching Firefly, and now I'm listening to The Defnitive Blues Brothers Collection, which may be one of my favourite CDs ever. Before I'm done typing I'll be listening to the radio show. I've have no clue where this is going or why, but hey.
He couldn't remember when he'd left home now, but it didn't bother him particularly. He stayed in touch, even visited occasionally, but freedom was intoxicating.
Daniel "King" Danso stood on the ramp of the ship, resting his shotgun across his shoulder, his other hand hooked over his belt loops. He had a vague inkling he was imitating some movie pose, but he didn't care. He couldn't see much of the port from their cramped docking space, but it was still enough to bring back that flush of leaving the familiar.
He remembered the day he'd crawled through the old fence, the fence he'd walked past every single day, and found what he'd later learnt was a railway track. He'd slept under a bridge that night. He remembered that. It had been summer, he had to suppose. But late. That would explain why he always got itchy feet at this time of year.
Most of the people around him were human. He'd spent too many years looking at humans. He'd spent too many years looking at steel, at brown goat's wool, at grey skies. He'd seen this planet now. He wanted to see others.
"It's a bucket," Chelsea told him, still unimpressed. She had finished circumventing the craft, a talent in the tiny suspended bay. Not one she'd recognise as such though, since she'd been doing such since the day she could walk. "It's all one room inside!"
"There's a separate bathroom," Daniel argued. "And the cargo hold is underneath."
"I've seen cars with bigger 'cargo holds', King," she muttered. "What happened to Radge? Where did his money go?"
Daniel grinned. "On the cargo."
"The engines are bigger than living area!" Chel bitched. "How are we meant to live in this? I've got Toby! And there's no way I'm being stuck for days in space that close to Radge. Is Jazz coming?"
"She is, Radge isn't." Daniel gave up on his posing and wandered over to Chel. She had Toby in a sling across her front. The baby gurgled brightly at Daniel's waving finger. "Why would Radge want to do hard work?"
"True," Chel said, and her anger seemed to abate a little. Of course, she was going to be the easiest to talk around to this kind of living. She'd grown up on the shuttles, the huge nomadic colonies on the outer spiral arm. One room living in return for all the space you could ever imagine. Staying still had been killing her. Loving and leaving was the life she knew best, but Daniel wasn't going to be left behind this year.
The worst part for him was leaving Shelly and Sam. Maybe he didn't get on too well with Sam, but he and Shelly had been close since long before they could talk to each other. But she was married now, and had a home. No children yet, not like Chel, despite that similarity in their cultures.
He'd miss her eyes, Daniel realised.
"If you name it the Shaleeza its namesake will be after you like a laser," Chelsea observed. "You know she could get done for even that."
"Her," Daniel corrected, and added, "I always hated that part of their culture. Why should it be her fault if I love her?"
"Fall is love with Jazz," Chel advised. "She's waiting for it."
"Really?" Daniel asked. "Because the impression I got was that I wasn't the person she was following on board." He grinned slyly.
Chelsea glanced around the port and side. "Speaking of our frizzy haired friend, if she doesn't turn up soon we're going to lose are departure slot. You might as well start warming her up."
Daniel snorted. "Me? I'm the Captain, not the bloody pilot. You're the one who grew up in space."
Chelsea rolled her eyes and led the way up the ramp.
* * *
Jazz was short, and still dressed like she was at school. Daniel suspected he'd encouraged that, somewhere along the line. It wasn't the most appropriate attire for space travel, but Chelsea had rubbished his own outfit moments before for being too much based on the old shows he had adored.
Jazz was Radge's younger sister, and by far the more likeable of the siblings. The same sort of central core education, but a tendency to utilise sports equipment as weapons and a laugh that was invariably infectious. Her skin was lighter than Daniel's, but her hair managed to be frizzier. Daniel roped his down in plaits and bobbles, but she let hers spray out behind her like black halo.
She was also very late, and possessed of too much luggage, but Daniel and Chelsea forgave her when she convinced the space traffic controllers to scoot them to the front of the queue and shift them over to the more direct route.
The music was as loud as only space could allow, and Toby, aged seven months, was doing his damnedest to sing along. The vocal lead on his lap, Daniel conducted an invisible orchestra while Chel and Jazz poured over an itinerary.
"So, it's V034 first, then Ruba, then we can stop off with your folks," Jazz gestured to Chel, "for restocking. We should have plenty to trade by then. Then XX457, YZ322 and Alpha Minor 6. We'll have to see what we've got by then before we plan further. I know someone who'll put us up there for a bit, so that's okay."
"We'll need to pick up fuel rods, if we want anything decent from my clan," Chel said. "Oh, and candles, if we can get them."
"Candles?" Daniel raised his head.
"Yeah. They're hard to get now, but stuff like that is invaluable for cluster living. Anything else that has its own fuel supply is good too, especially if it kicks out heat." Chelsea nibbled on a nail. "Is he getting restless?" she asked, nodding to Toby.
"Nah, he seems fine. Didn't even get sick when we shifted," said Daniel, as proud as if Tobias was his own son. Chelsea snorted at his behaviour. "We're going to be busy," Daniel commented, trying not to blush.
Chelsea snorted again, earning a laugh from Jazz. "Look at the little landlubber," Chel cooed. "Aww, poor widdle boyo doesn't know how incredibly fucking boring space is!"
"It's sweet that you're excited," Jazz said. From anyone else, Daniel would have though that was sympathy gone astray, but he knew Jazz had meant that to mock just as hard as she could.
"I have gone into space before," Daniel pouted.
"School trips to the moon don't count," Jazz informed him.
"Want kind of school do you think I went to?" Daniel spluttered, glad of an opportunity to laugh at her. "We didn't even travel planet-side. I went to the moon of my own accord, thank you very much."
"Wasn't I there?" Chelsea asked. "And Shelly? And Babes, as I remember. And you ate too much rock and lost your football into space."
"I still organised it," Daniel pointed out.
Something behind him beeped.
Jazz frowned. "It can't have been that long," she said.
"Travelling faster than light can warp time," Daniel announced. The more experienced girls ignored him, both heading for the cockpit area.
"Should we shift out, to be sure?" Jazz asked uncertainly.
"If it's just a blip we could be travelling for centuries before we find something with enough gravity to get us going again," Chel said grimly. "If it possesses that gravity and we don't, at least we'll never find out."
"'Never' in a bad way?" Daniel asked, stumbling to join them, Toby bundled in the chair on his own. Chelsea nodded.
"So what do we do?"
"Pull out," said Jazz. "We don't have an option. We're almost on it anyway."
Chelsea jabbed the flashing red button and yanked the chipped lever back. The abrupt deceleration sent the three of them flying forwards, though Daniel's was the only head to hit the screen. Toby started screaming, having only just stayed in the chair. Chelsea shot Daniel a very dirty look, and retrieved her son.
"I didn't think," Daniel mumbled.
"Fuck the shift, engage brain," Chelsea snapped. "How the hell did you pass any kind of pilot's exam without basic safety?"
"I didn't," Daniel said. "I'm a Participating Passenger. But... you're right. I should have known."
"What the ginda are you too on about?" Jazz asked, her distraction evident in her voice. The lack of irritation scared Daniel, but not as much as the behemoth in front of them.
"At least we don't have to worry about finding a gravity well," Chel said.
"Will we be alive to take advantage of that?" Daniel asked.
"Who knows?" said Jazz. "I was told the Angels didn't even exist."
He couldn't remember when he'd left home now, but it didn't bother him particularly. He stayed in touch, even visited occasionally, but freedom was intoxicating.
Daniel "King" Danso stood on the ramp of the ship, resting his shotgun across his shoulder, his other hand hooked over his belt loops. He had a vague inkling he was imitating some movie pose, but he didn't care. He couldn't see much of the port from their cramped docking space, but it was still enough to bring back that flush of leaving the familiar.
He remembered the day he'd crawled through the old fence, the fence he'd walked past every single day, and found what he'd later learnt was a railway track. He'd slept under a bridge that night. He remembered that. It had been summer, he had to suppose. But late. That would explain why he always got itchy feet at this time of year.
Most of the people around him were human. He'd spent too many years looking at humans. He'd spent too many years looking at steel, at brown goat's wool, at grey skies. He'd seen this planet now. He wanted to see others.
"It's a bucket," Chelsea told him, still unimpressed. She had finished circumventing the craft, a talent in the tiny suspended bay. Not one she'd recognise as such though, since she'd been doing such since the day she could walk. "It's all one room inside!"
"There's a separate bathroom," Daniel argued. "And the cargo hold is underneath."
"I've seen cars with bigger 'cargo holds', King," she muttered. "What happened to Radge? Where did his money go?"
Daniel grinned. "On the cargo."
"The engines are bigger than living area!" Chel bitched. "How are we meant to live in this? I've got Toby! And there's no way I'm being stuck for days in space that close to Radge. Is Jazz coming?"
"She is, Radge isn't." Daniel gave up on his posing and wandered over to Chel. She had Toby in a sling across her front. The baby gurgled brightly at Daniel's waving finger. "Why would Radge want to do hard work?"
"True," Chel said, and her anger seemed to abate a little. Of course, she was going to be the easiest to talk around to this kind of living. She'd grown up on the shuttles, the huge nomadic colonies on the outer spiral arm. One room living in return for all the space you could ever imagine. Staying still had been killing her. Loving and leaving was the life she knew best, but Daniel wasn't going to be left behind this year.
The worst part for him was leaving Shelly and Sam. Maybe he didn't get on too well with Sam, but he and Shelly had been close since long before they could talk to each other. But she was married now, and had a home. No children yet, not like Chel, despite that similarity in their cultures.
He'd miss her eyes, Daniel realised.
"If you name it the Shaleeza its namesake will be after you like a laser," Chelsea observed. "You know she could get done for even that."
"Her," Daniel corrected, and added, "I always hated that part of their culture. Why should it be her fault if I love her?"
"Fall is love with Jazz," Chel advised. "She's waiting for it."
"Really?" Daniel asked. "Because the impression I got was that I wasn't the person she was following on board." He grinned slyly.
Chelsea glanced around the port and side. "Speaking of our frizzy haired friend, if she doesn't turn up soon we're going to lose are departure slot. You might as well start warming her up."
Daniel snorted. "Me? I'm the Captain, not the bloody pilot. You're the one who grew up in space."
Chelsea rolled her eyes and led the way up the ramp.
Jazz was short, and still dressed like she was at school. Daniel suspected he'd encouraged that, somewhere along the line. It wasn't the most appropriate attire for space travel, but Chelsea had rubbished his own outfit moments before for being too much based on the old shows he had adored.
Jazz was Radge's younger sister, and by far the more likeable of the siblings. The same sort of central core education, but a tendency to utilise sports equipment as weapons and a laugh that was invariably infectious. Her skin was lighter than Daniel's, but her hair managed to be frizzier. Daniel roped his down in plaits and bobbles, but she let hers spray out behind her like black halo.
She was also very late, and possessed of too much luggage, but Daniel and Chelsea forgave her when she convinced the space traffic controllers to scoot them to the front of the queue and shift them over to the more direct route.
The music was as loud as only space could allow, and Toby, aged seven months, was doing his damnedest to sing along. The vocal lead on his lap, Daniel conducted an invisible orchestra while Chel and Jazz poured over an itinerary.
"So, it's V034 first, then Ruba, then we can stop off with your folks," Jazz gestured to Chel, "for restocking. We should have plenty to trade by then. Then XX457, YZ322 and Alpha Minor 6. We'll have to see what we've got by then before we plan further. I know someone who'll put us up there for a bit, so that's okay."
"We'll need to pick up fuel rods, if we want anything decent from my clan," Chel said. "Oh, and candles, if we can get them."
"Candles?" Daniel raised his head.
"Yeah. They're hard to get now, but stuff like that is invaluable for cluster living. Anything else that has its own fuel supply is good too, especially if it kicks out heat." Chelsea nibbled on a nail. "Is he getting restless?" she asked, nodding to Toby.
"Nah, he seems fine. Didn't even get sick when we shifted," said Daniel, as proud as if Tobias was his own son. Chelsea snorted at his behaviour. "We're going to be busy," Daniel commented, trying not to blush.
Chelsea snorted again, earning a laugh from Jazz. "Look at the little landlubber," Chel cooed. "Aww, poor widdle boyo doesn't know how incredibly fucking boring space is!"
"It's sweet that you're excited," Jazz said. From anyone else, Daniel would have though that was sympathy gone astray, but he knew Jazz had meant that to mock just as hard as she could.
"I have gone into space before," Daniel pouted.
"School trips to the moon don't count," Jazz informed him.
"Want kind of school do you think I went to?" Daniel spluttered, glad of an opportunity to laugh at her. "We didn't even travel planet-side. I went to the moon of my own accord, thank you very much."
"Wasn't I there?" Chelsea asked. "And Shelly? And Babes, as I remember. And you ate too much rock and lost your football into space."
"I still organised it," Daniel pointed out.
Something behind him beeped.
Jazz frowned. "It can't have been that long," she said.
"Travelling faster than light can warp time," Daniel announced. The more experienced girls ignored him, both heading for the cockpit area.
"Should we shift out, to be sure?" Jazz asked uncertainly.
"If it's just a blip we could be travelling for centuries before we find something with enough gravity to get us going again," Chel said grimly. "If it possesses that gravity and we don't, at least we'll never find out."
"'Never' in a bad way?" Daniel asked, stumbling to join them, Toby bundled in the chair on his own. Chelsea nodded.
"So what do we do?"
"Pull out," said Jazz. "We don't have an option. We're almost on it anyway."
Chelsea jabbed the flashing red button and yanked the chipped lever back. The abrupt deceleration sent the three of them flying forwards, though Daniel's was the only head to hit the screen. Toby started screaming, having only just stayed in the chair. Chelsea shot Daniel a very dirty look, and retrieved her son.
"I didn't think," Daniel mumbled.
"Fuck the shift, engage brain," Chelsea snapped. "How the hell did you pass any kind of pilot's exam without basic safety?"
"I didn't," Daniel said. "I'm a Participating Passenger. But... you're right. I should have known."
"What the ginda are you too on about?" Jazz asked, her distraction evident in her voice. The lack of irritation scared Daniel, but not as much as the behemoth in front of them.
"At least we don't have to worry about finding a gravity well," Chel said.
"Will we be alive to take advantage of that?" Daniel asked.
"Who knows?" said Jazz. "I was told the Angels didn't even exist."
