Escape + 1 day
I think among the essential qualities for a rebel leader should be honesty, integrity, courage, and a bloody good sense of direction. I’ve just spent two hours trying to find my way back to the flight deck and I haven’t seen Jenna or Avon for hours. At least I think it’s hours. We really need to introduce this computer, Zen, to the idea of the 24-hour day.
Jenna discovered a room which appears to be a galley of sorts, and after some careful experimentation by her and myself (Avon said he made it a rule not to experiment when it came to food), we found the ship to be well supplied with edibles.
Escape +2 days
You know, when you read all the stories about great revolutionary heroes of the past there’s a lot they don’t tell you. They never talk about such memorable battles as ‘The Great Squabble Over The Best Bedroom,’ for example. You’d think on a ship this size people could find a comfortable amount of personal space without treading on each other’s toes. But no, turns out that only a few of the rooms have the most desirable qualities.
Days ago our greatest concern was how to survive on a hostile prison planet. Now suddenly details like ‘a nice big window’ and ‘close to the galley in case I get peckish’ are chief on people’s minds when it comes to accommodation.
Escape +6 days
I never expected the rebel life to be especially comfortable and easy, but I wish we could do something about those damn chairs on the flight deck. We’re all going to have chronic back problems before long, at this rate. Jenna assured us you get used to them and they’re really quite comfortable. I suppose she should know, she’s spent more time perched at the pilot's console than any of the rest of us have spent on the flight deck at all.
Escape +6 days
Bit of a row today, about Jenna’s experiments with the ship's functions. Avon got quite snitty and said the time could be better spent exploring the rest of the ship. We have yet to discover any trace of laundry facilities and things are getting a bit ripe.
Escape +1 week
Found the cleaning facilities today. Not before time, as Avon came down with a bad case of alien food poisoning and was violently ill all over the flight deck. Typical really as he was the one refusing to sample almost all of the foodpacks, while me and Jenna stuffed ourselves. Add to the list of unexpected rebel duties, ‘Cleaning Up Someone Else’s Sick.’ Jenna suggested that the ship's recently discovered ability to repair itself might extend to cleaning up, but no such luck.
We also discovered what is apparently the medical unit, though no one as yet has dared experiment with the equipment in there.
Escape +2 weeks
Today’s great blow for the Cause was ‘The Clearing Of The Coffee Cups From The flight deck.’ Jenna was up all night on a caffeine kick. I understand her enthusiasm for mastering the controls, but spinning the ship through 180-degree rolls at 3am (we’ve sorted the timekeeping out) is hardly conducive to restful sleep and good tempers. A grouchy morning Avon doesn’t bear thinking about.
The exploration of the ship is continuing. We should have tried to recruit a few cartographers – this ship is a maze.
Escape +3 weeks
I’ve decided that pilots speak a different language to us mere mortals. I’m compiling a translation program…
Let me just try this = Hang on for dear life I’m about to do something rash.
I think I’ve got it = Hang on for dear life because this will probably not work.
This may be a bit rough = Hang on for dear life because this will be rough enough to toss you to the far side of the flight deck.
Escape +1 month
It’s starting to feel a bit tense here with just the three of us. No ship this size should feel so cramped. Avon has this ability to make the largest room feel far too small when he's got a strop on. I’m looking forward to when we reach Cygnus and pick up a full crew. On the plus side, Jenna seems to be getting the hang of flying this thing. Avon spends half his time underneath consoles and the other half sat on the floor with bits of computer spread all around him. This has required an addition to the list of alternate rebel skills, namely - ‘Not Stubbing Toe On, Treading On, Or Sitting On Computer Components Which Have Been Left Scattered All Over The Floor, Table and Chairs.’
Escape +3 months
Let us get to Cygnus before I bang their heads together.
Let us get to Cygnus before I bang their heads together.
Let us get to Cygnus before I bang their heads together.
Let us get to Cygnus before I bang their heads together.
*
Cygnus +1 day
Well after all that, I now have the mighty total of two extra people. Round two of the ‘The Battle For The Best Bedroom’ promptly broke out. Apparently Vila is also prone to attacks of the munchies in the dead of night and all of the others objected to his crashing down the corridors at uncivilised-o’clock.
Cygnus + 3 days
I find myself doubting the tactical significance of the ‘Room Wars’ as Vila apparently uses his room solely to store an increasing amount of useless tat and falls asleep anywhere that takes his fancy. He claims this ability to doze off at any time or place as a valuable skill for a rebel lifestyle. He may have a point. Personally I’ve been up nights worrying about everything from Federation retaliation, to whose turn it is to do the washing up.
Cygnus + 4 days
My concerns about the washing up have proved justified. Jenna’s stacks of coffee cups on the flight deck have reached epidemic proportions and someone has been hitting the icecream in the middle of the night. Out of the tub apparently, as there are spoons but no bowls turning up all over the ship. I worry that eating icecream straight out of the tub is decadent behaviour unbecoming to a rebel unit.
Cygnus +5 days
I’m worried that only having one pilot is a severe drawback. There’s only so long that caffeine can replace sleep and Jenna’s getting alarmingly crabby. I tactfully raised the issue of coffee cups today and had to make a swift strategic withdrawal from the flight deck.
Cygnus +5 days
Having trouble finding a suitable deputy pilot. I’m more of an ideas man myself. Avon shows no interest in anything that doesn’t contain tariel cells. Gan’s heart is in the right place but I’m not sure I’d want him steering anything more complex than a trike, and as for Vila… Well, suffice to say that ‘Drunk in Charge of a Spacecraft’ would not look good on the propaganda. Looks like I’m going to have to have a bash at it myself, hopefully not literally.
Cygnus +6 days
Convinced Jenna to have some sleep and a few hours off the caffeine before my first piloting lesson. Here goes.
Cygnus +7 days
I will never complain about Jenna’s coffee habit again. After a minor prang with a small asteroid and a close call with a remarkably large planet I felt like downing several dozen strong coffees myself. We’re supposed to be doing orbits tomorrow, God help us.
Cygnus +8 days
I think we’ve spent enough time faffing about. It’s time we actually struck back at the Federation. A simple comms centre will do for a start. Haven’t decided how to break this idea to the others yet. Their enthusiasm leaves quite a lot to be desired. I think I’ll wait until after today’s flying lesson. Hopefully if that goes well it will instill some confidence for the next stage.
*
Saurian Major +1 day
Well I have one new recruit anyway. Cally. Apparently she’s alien, and telepathic but at least she shows some motivation. Jenna seems to be in a bit of a snit for some reason.
Saurian Major +2 days
We were happily spared a third round of the ‘Room Wars’. I think I ought to stick to recruiting one person at a time. Happily Cally has so far also refrained from filling the flight deck with coffee cups, the galley with unwashed crockery, the floor with electronics or the recycling unit with drinks bottles. The midnight icecream raids continue. We’re having a supply problem in the spoons department.
Still, we have enough people to run this ship properly now. I’m sure we can get the kinks worked out before we have any real trouble…