Welcome to the 101st Drabble contest, the dawn of a new era. We are hosting the contest outside for a change, under this magnificent turquoise sky with only few wisps of weird-shaped clouds.
Congratulations to the winners of the 100th Drabble Contest; Edith The Hut, Acaelus Thorn, and T.j. They banged their heads together and came up with the topic of "Planet-Side"
Those wispy clouds seem to be coalescing. Maybe an outdoor event wasn't such a good idea.
Above me is a bunch of options in a poll. It's a multiple choice poll but please limit yourself to only the three votes. The results of the poll will be announced on Monday morning. Not only will the winner receive a stylish imaginary toilet paper crown, they will win the honour of deciding next week's topic.
DON'T VOTE FOR YOURSELVES! Anyone caught voting for themselves will be marooned on a desolate planet.
Run for your lives! It's going to start raining! Trust me. You do not want to get caught in a storm on this planet.
01 - {SAS}Stalker - Lost hope
At the edge of my peripheral vision something huge moved.
Something that made me feel sick.
Not the sick you get from being ill, the sick you felt as a child awaking in the dark alone.
I would die here.
I was already dead.
Do you think this is real?
Wind tore across my face preventing another intake of breath, allowing panic in.
Sand peppered and peeling skin no longer mattered since the water had run out.
The vast landscape rendered scale meaningless but admittedly, it did seem closer.
In my peripheral I was sure this time, something huge moved.
02 - Edith_The_Hutt - Descent
Tongues of yellow-white plasma flickered across the Adder's hull as it plunged through the mesosphere.
Mottled blankets of cloud resolved into rolling hills and towers of cumulonimbus which gradually turned tangerine, salmon-pink and red as the ship flew through the sunset.
Once below, rain lashed at the windows and boiled off radiator vents.
The Adder maneuvered over open ground, thrusters scorching wet grass as landing gears pushed deep into the soil, rainwater pooling in behind. Howling wind replaced roaring engines as lightning flashed in the distance.
The pilot spoke: "Commander's log. I have landed in a dark and stormy night..."
03 - Frank - Tally Ho!
Lord Bosberan stood watching as the rising second sun turned the luscious bracken purple. He smiled in awe at the majesty of the multi-coloured sky. "It's great to have my feet on land, a day away from all that chasing down of Sidewinders. Some of them provide no challenge at all.
We're all just down on this planet having some jolly good fun."
A little furry creature scampered past them going hell for leather. The pack of hounds yelped in pursuit. Lord Bosberan mounted his horse-like steed just as the huntsman blew his horn for the start of the chase.
04 - Telakin - Choosing the simple life
John sat on the porch, watching his grandchildren play catch in the garden. He sipped on the fresh lemonade Sadie had just brought out, life couldn't get better than this.
Yes, all those years at the fish plant had been tedious, but when he had cashed in that ship his grandfather Peter Jameson had left him he'd been able to settle down proper, marry Sadie and provide for them both, kids and everything.
Still he sometimes wondered what would have happened if he'd taken that ship to the stars.
"John Jameson, pilot extraordinaire"?
Nah - smashed by asteroids, was more likely.
05 - T.j - A planetary game
The ship touched down with a final flourish of its thrusters.
The airlock cycled open, a sole figure emerged carrying a long weapon and strode purposefully into the planets dense undergrowth.
Eventually a slight rustle in the distance signalled that the game was on.
The hunter stalked the target for hours with a deadly silent skill until eventually the quarry stopped at a clearing in the forest.
Raising the weapon carefully with halted breath a echoing single shot rang out.
'Humans are such easy prey' the Thargoid thought clicking with satisfaction.
It headed back to the ship carrying its trophy.
06 - KalRyper - The Black Spot
Douglas rechecked the chronometer: he'd been guarding an empty hold for four hours.
Metallic clicking froze him; then a precursory clang before the ramp yawned open. Harsh light forced Douglas to squint as he took aim.
A silhouette and engine growls of the returning dune buggy relaxed his posture.
The sole occupant alighted.
"Cap'n, the others?" Douglas asked.
"I can't mark my treasure with an X, without two dead men, can I?"
"Erm, no Cap'n."
"Still want to go planet-side with me?"
"No Cap'n! Guard duty is fine."
The captain laughed. "Let's get some more booty ... and two more crew."
07 - Simoof - The Empire State Of Mind Strikes Back(in the style of Jay-Z and Alicia Keys)
Pew pew
Set up on surface, got me a purpose,
There aint no factions, ruling my actions,
Gonna destroy them, with lots of explosions,
Metal box garage, laser gun barrage.
Clearance for landing?, well beg my pardon,
Got me a big gun, red shiny buttons,
You're aligned with the slot-side, my aim is your backside,
I can see inside, They always face planet-side Yo.
Like Ricky Retardo, watch them fly round in circles, they smash into rubble,
Much safer in deep space, no-one there interdicts you, no-one to bump you
into the toast rack, toast rack, toast rack.
word BOOM!
[drop mic]
08 - Listeri69 - Sharting for Nothing......
meanwhile On a planet quite near you....
Now look at that cobra that's the way you do it
You shoot pirates, have a cup of tea
not like Midden, that's not how he does it
Simoof for nothing and his sharts for free.
Now that ain't docking, that's more like boosting
lemme tell you them guys are thick
Maybe scrape a little of their under carriage
maybe they get a blister on their
we can smell them sharts from Saturn
blowing out in the lavatoriees
They can not wait to spoil your planet
just like they've spoilt there orange onesies
09 - Splendour - Gershwing
Planetside,
And the livin' is easy
Sun light softened
And air it is sweet
Oh, Credits go far
On this quiet backwater
So park up that Cobra
And put up your feet.
One of these mornings
You're going to rise up singing
Then you'll spread your wings
And you'll take to the sky
But until that morning
There's a 'nothing can harm you
The stars they are calling, ship stands by
Planetside,
And the livin' is easy
Clouds they gather
And the heavens cry
You get so tired
Of this quiet backwater
So fire up that Cobra
Time to Fly
10 - MrMogadon - Overheard on the planetary shuttle coming down from Lave Station
“I’ve spent my whole life in the deep black.
Soaring amongst the stars: mining, trading, collecting bounties.
Stayed legal (mostly). Kept below everyone’s radar.
Visited all types of stations: low-g; high-g; big; small. Federation, Alliance, Empire, Independent.
Until recently, planets had no interest for me; just marker buoys for stations and rendezvous.
But now I’ve heard of this weather-thing they have planet-side. You know: water falling out of thin air; air moving without pumps. No air-scrubbers. No oxygen quotas.
Sounds kind’a scary, you know. Too big for comfort. But I want to see for myself. Might even decide to stay.”
11 - DocStone - The Stars, denied.
The city almost looks beautiful from up here, the lights sparkling and shining up through the darkness. If I lean far enough over I can even hear the odd voice spiralling up from the ground, garbled with distance, distorted by the ‘scraper walls.
If I look up, a single star manages to push its far travelled light through the city’s polluted glow; a cruel reminder of what I once had.
Faulty drive shielding they said. Fatal dose. Degenerative.
Untreatable.
Just one last jump, one final flight. One last check-in planet-side.
Then I’ll be free to soar amongst the stars forever.
12 - insanephoton - Back to the garden
Eve turns to me with a wistful look 'Adam, do we really have to leave?'
I nod sadly. I don't want to leave either. This planet is that rarest of jewels, an earth like. It's an unspoilt paradise far enough away from civilisation that it might stay that way. The trouble is our supplies are running low and we don't have the equipment for a long stay. Our Asp is ready to take off. Soon we will be light years away. The journey home will give us plenty of time to plan our return. Next time we're staying for good.
13 - CdrTwisted - No surrender to imperial aggression
Tears flooded Senator Occisor's eyes. He turned away from the officer.
"I'm sorry sir. No one imagined they were even contemplating..." Lieutenant Sicarius's voice cracked. "...this."
The viewing screen was filled with a blizzard of asteroids and meteors. The space station's defence system picked off rocks heading towards it - most hurtled by, into vacuum.
Occisor sniffed. "They did it to themselves?"
Sicarius nodded. "Sir. A critical mass of plasma accelerators... it destablised the planet's core. They prefered death to the Emperor's cloak."
Occisor stared. Was that a children's playground floating past?
"Sir. We need a statement. GalNet's calling it planetcide."
14 - MarktJones - Neb's first trip planetside
Neb span, pushing off each surface in the shuttle. Since she'd been a child she'd span when excited. Her first time planetside.
...Please follow safety protocols...
The shuttle detached from the Coriolis, heading towards the vital blue planet. The first of her family who could afford the trip.
The passenger host guided her back to her seat, strapping her in. “You'll miss that when you arrive.”
Neb just smiled. It would be worth it.
The shuttle bucked and plunged as it entered atmosphere. Forces she'd never known pressing down on her. Too much air. Too much sky. No more spinning.
15 - Galactic Midden - Stuck when the cow came home
"So, you finished? I'm losing profit here by the minute!" blurts the greedy Lakon owner.
"That I have", replies the crisply uniformed officer with a signal towards the hoist operator.
"Well? When are you arresting that slacking miscreant, we should've refuelled and left hours ago!?"
"I'm not, I'm arresting you"
"What! Why?"
The officer nods towards the exposed undercarriage of the rusting trading ship where a congealed puddle was now visible. "For ignoring mandatory maintenance. Your miserly ways have caused a landing strut failure and the entire fuselage has rolled over your poor technician, so now you're both stuck planet-side."
16 - Ian Phillips - Homecoming
For the starfarer, homecoming is a sad thing.
You spend your life searing through the eternal sky, surfing stars for fuel and fighting for your right just to be there.
Dark, cool dwarfs or bright white giants have been your companions for years on end. Allies have recognised your worth and accorded you special status. A trusted pilot welcomed with a special greeting at each docking.
But at the end of it all you travel back to the very beginning, where life started for you. One last special greeting.
Safe in your coffin to spend the rest of eternity planetside.
17 - psykokow - The Shoulder Snakes
“So Mr Bodin was it?” he nods “This is the head quarters of the Secret Shoulder Snakes”
Mr Bodin’s face awashed with awe.
“This lift takes you to any of the 5 floors, but you won’t get to the top floor until you get promoted to Agent”
Mr Brodin’s face dropped
“as part of your tour we’ll go in for a quick look”
“Ww-www-wwhat Reallly”
“Of Course Mr.. Brodin”
“yy-yy-yyessh, that’s me I-iii-iii-i-im the bestest pilot in the f-f-f-f-f-federatshon”
“OK well, over there is Ben and Steed, they get things done”
“aa-and this side?”
“This is the plan it side”
18 - Erik Marcaigh - A Mesmerising Ancient Artifact
As the news spread like wildfire, Commanders all over stopped trading, mining, pirating, and even returned from the outermost reaches of the Milky Way to search. The Artifact gave off an odd series of chirps and buzzes, communicating in some unknown, long forgotten language.
In it's hypnotic embrace, it drew them down to the surface of Xanthill, whose atmosphere began corroding the ships modules. Engines, communications, life support, all disintegrating within an hour of entry. Trapped.
After drawing in the last, the artifact opened and the Commanders gazed upon the Drabble awarded first place out of the first hundred winners.
Congratulations to the winners of the 100th Drabble Contest; Edith The Hut, Acaelus Thorn, and T.j. They banged their heads together and came up with the topic of "Planet-Side"
Those wispy clouds seem to be coalescing. Maybe an outdoor event wasn't such a good idea.
Above me is a bunch of options in a poll. It's a multiple choice poll but please limit yourself to only the three votes. The results of the poll will be announced on Monday morning. Not only will the winner receive a stylish imaginary toilet paper crown, they will win the honour of deciding next week's topic.
DON'T VOTE FOR YOURSELVES! Anyone caught voting for themselves will be marooned on a desolate planet.
Run for your lives! It's going to start raining! Trust me. You do not want to get caught in a storm on this planet.
01 - {SAS}Stalker - Lost hope
At the edge of my peripheral vision something huge moved.
Something that made me feel sick.
Not the sick you get from being ill, the sick you felt as a child awaking in the dark alone.
I would die here.
I was already dead.
Do you think this is real?
Wind tore across my face preventing another intake of breath, allowing panic in.
Sand peppered and peeling skin no longer mattered since the water had run out.
The vast landscape rendered scale meaningless but admittedly, it did seem closer.
In my peripheral I was sure this time, something huge moved.
02 - Edith_The_Hutt - Descent
Tongues of yellow-white plasma flickered across the Adder's hull as it plunged through the mesosphere.
Mottled blankets of cloud resolved into rolling hills and towers of cumulonimbus which gradually turned tangerine, salmon-pink and red as the ship flew through the sunset.
Once below, rain lashed at the windows and boiled off radiator vents.
The Adder maneuvered over open ground, thrusters scorching wet grass as landing gears pushed deep into the soil, rainwater pooling in behind. Howling wind replaced roaring engines as lightning flashed in the distance.
The pilot spoke: "Commander's log. I have landed in a dark and stormy night..."
03 - Frank - Tally Ho!
Lord Bosberan stood watching as the rising second sun turned the luscious bracken purple. He smiled in awe at the majesty of the multi-coloured sky. "It's great to have my feet on land, a day away from all that chasing down of Sidewinders. Some of them provide no challenge at all.
We're all just down on this planet having some jolly good fun."
A little furry creature scampered past them going hell for leather. The pack of hounds yelped in pursuit. Lord Bosberan mounted his horse-like steed just as the huntsman blew his horn for the start of the chase.
04 - Telakin - Choosing the simple life
John sat on the porch, watching his grandchildren play catch in the garden. He sipped on the fresh lemonade Sadie had just brought out, life couldn't get better than this.
Yes, all those years at the fish plant had been tedious, but when he had cashed in that ship his grandfather Peter Jameson had left him he'd been able to settle down proper, marry Sadie and provide for them both, kids and everything.
Still he sometimes wondered what would have happened if he'd taken that ship to the stars.
"John Jameson, pilot extraordinaire"?
Nah - smashed by asteroids, was more likely.
05 - T.j - A planetary game
The ship touched down with a final flourish of its thrusters.
The airlock cycled open, a sole figure emerged carrying a long weapon and strode purposefully into the planets dense undergrowth.
Eventually a slight rustle in the distance signalled that the game was on.
The hunter stalked the target for hours with a deadly silent skill until eventually the quarry stopped at a clearing in the forest.
Raising the weapon carefully with halted breath a echoing single shot rang out.
'Humans are such easy prey' the Thargoid thought clicking with satisfaction.
It headed back to the ship carrying its trophy.
06 - KalRyper - The Black Spot
Douglas rechecked the chronometer: he'd been guarding an empty hold for four hours.
Metallic clicking froze him; then a precursory clang before the ramp yawned open. Harsh light forced Douglas to squint as he took aim.
A silhouette and engine growls of the returning dune buggy relaxed his posture.
The sole occupant alighted.
"Cap'n, the others?" Douglas asked.
"I can't mark my treasure with an X, without two dead men, can I?"
"Erm, no Cap'n."
"Still want to go planet-side with me?"
"No Cap'n! Guard duty is fine."
The captain laughed. "Let's get some more booty ... and two more crew."
07 - Simoof - The Empire State Of Mind Strikes Back(in the style of Jay-Z and Alicia Keys)
Pew pew
Set up on surface, got me a purpose,
There aint no factions, ruling my actions,
Gonna destroy them, with lots of explosions,
Metal box garage, laser gun barrage.
Clearance for landing?, well beg my pardon,
Got me a big gun, red shiny buttons,
You're aligned with the slot-side, my aim is your backside,
I can see inside, They always face planet-side Yo.
Like Ricky Retardo, watch them fly round in circles, they smash into rubble,
Much safer in deep space, no-one there interdicts you, no-one to bump you
into the toast rack, toast rack, toast rack.
word BOOM!
[drop mic]
08 - Listeri69 - Sharting for Nothing......
meanwhile On a planet quite near you....
Now look at that cobra that's the way you do it
You shoot pirates, have a cup of tea
not like Midden, that's not how he does it
Simoof for nothing and his sharts for free.
Now that ain't docking, that's more like boosting
lemme tell you them guys are thick
Maybe scrape a little of their under carriage
maybe they get a blister on their
we can smell them sharts from Saturn
blowing out in the lavatoriees
They can not wait to spoil your planet
just like they've spoilt there orange onesies
09 - Splendour - Gershwing
Planetside,
And the livin' is easy
Sun light softened
And air it is sweet
Oh, Credits go far
On this quiet backwater
So park up that Cobra
And put up your feet.
One of these mornings
You're going to rise up singing
Then you'll spread your wings
And you'll take to the sky
But until that morning
There's a 'nothing can harm you
The stars they are calling, ship stands by
Planetside,
And the livin' is easy
Clouds they gather
And the heavens cry
You get so tired
Of this quiet backwater
So fire up that Cobra
Time to Fly
10 - MrMogadon - Overheard on the planetary shuttle coming down from Lave Station
“I’ve spent my whole life in the deep black.
Soaring amongst the stars: mining, trading, collecting bounties.
Stayed legal (mostly). Kept below everyone’s radar.
Visited all types of stations: low-g; high-g; big; small. Federation, Alliance, Empire, Independent.
Until recently, planets had no interest for me; just marker buoys for stations and rendezvous.
But now I’ve heard of this weather-thing they have planet-side. You know: water falling out of thin air; air moving without pumps. No air-scrubbers. No oxygen quotas.
Sounds kind’a scary, you know. Too big for comfort. But I want to see for myself. Might even decide to stay.”
11 - DocStone - The Stars, denied.
The city almost looks beautiful from up here, the lights sparkling and shining up through the darkness. If I lean far enough over I can even hear the odd voice spiralling up from the ground, garbled with distance, distorted by the ‘scraper walls.
If I look up, a single star manages to push its far travelled light through the city’s polluted glow; a cruel reminder of what I once had.
Faulty drive shielding they said. Fatal dose. Degenerative.
Untreatable.
Just one last jump, one final flight. One last check-in planet-side.
Then I’ll be free to soar amongst the stars forever.
12 - insanephoton - Back to the garden
Eve turns to me with a wistful look 'Adam, do we really have to leave?'
I nod sadly. I don't want to leave either. This planet is that rarest of jewels, an earth like. It's an unspoilt paradise far enough away from civilisation that it might stay that way. The trouble is our supplies are running low and we don't have the equipment for a long stay. Our Asp is ready to take off. Soon we will be light years away. The journey home will give us plenty of time to plan our return. Next time we're staying for good.
13 - CdrTwisted - No surrender to imperial aggression
Tears flooded Senator Occisor's eyes. He turned away from the officer.
"I'm sorry sir. No one imagined they were even contemplating..." Lieutenant Sicarius's voice cracked. "...this."
The viewing screen was filled with a blizzard of asteroids and meteors. The space station's defence system picked off rocks heading towards it - most hurtled by, into vacuum.
Occisor sniffed. "They did it to themselves?"
Sicarius nodded. "Sir. A critical mass of plasma accelerators... it destablised the planet's core. They prefered death to the Emperor's cloak."
Occisor stared. Was that a children's playground floating past?
"Sir. We need a statement. GalNet's calling it planetcide."
14 - MarktJones - Neb's first trip planetside
Neb span, pushing off each surface in the shuttle. Since she'd been a child she'd span when excited. Her first time planetside.
...Please follow safety protocols...
The shuttle detached from the Coriolis, heading towards the vital blue planet. The first of her family who could afford the trip.
The passenger host guided her back to her seat, strapping her in. “You'll miss that when you arrive.”
Neb just smiled. It would be worth it.
The shuttle bucked and plunged as it entered atmosphere. Forces she'd never known pressing down on her. Too much air. Too much sky. No more spinning.
15 - Galactic Midden - Stuck when the cow came home
"So, you finished? I'm losing profit here by the minute!" blurts the greedy Lakon owner.
"That I have", replies the crisply uniformed officer with a signal towards the hoist operator.
"Well? When are you arresting that slacking miscreant, we should've refuelled and left hours ago!?"
"I'm not, I'm arresting you"
"What! Why?"
The officer nods towards the exposed undercarriage of the rusting trading ship where a congealed puddle was now visible. "For ignoring mandatory maintenance. Your miserly ways have caused a landing strut failure and the entire fuselage has rolled over your poor technician, so now you're both stuck planet-side."
16 - Ian Phillips - Homecoming
For the starfarer, homecoming is a sad thing.
You spend your life searing through the eternal sky, surfing stars for fuel and fighting for your right just to be there.
Dark, cool dwarfs or bright white giants have been your companions for years on end. Allies have recognised your worth and accorded you special status. A trusted pilot welcomed with a special greeting at each docking.
But at the end of it all you travel back to the very beginning, where life started for you. One last special greeting.
Safe in your coffin to spend the rest of eternity planetside.
17 - psykokow - The Shoulder Snakes
“So Mr Bodin was it?” he nods “This is the head quarters of the Secret Shoulder Snakes”
Mr Bodin’s face awashed with awe.
“This lift takes you to any of the 5 floors, but you won’t get to the top floor until you get promoted to Agent”
Mr Brodin’s face dropped
“as part of your tour we’ll go in for a quick look”
“Ww-www-wwhat Reallly”
“Of Course Mr.. Brodin”
“yy-yy-yyessh, that’s me I-iii-iii-i-im the bestest pilot in the f-f-f-f-f-federatshon”
“OK well, over there is Ben and Steed, they get things done”
“aa-and this side?”
“This is the plan it side”
18 - Erik Marcaigh - A Mesmerising Ancient Artifact
As the news spread like wildfire, Commanders all over stopped trading, mining, pirating, and even returned from the outermost reaches of the Milky Way to search. The Artifact gave off an odd series of chirps and buzzes, communicating in some unknown, long forgotten language.
In it's hypnotic embrace, it drew them down to the surface of Xanthill, whose atmosphere began corroding the ships modules. Engines, communications, life support, all disintegrating within an hour of entry. Trapped.
After drawing in the last, the artifact opened and the Commanders gazed upon the Drabble awarded first place out of the first hundred winners.
