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You can read more original fiction from Emily Chesley in the Meanderings of the Emily Chesley Reading Circle<

The Windigo of Frigheim IX

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The Windigo of Frigheim IX
-- a speculative fiction by Emily Chesley

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As Leila McQuim led them back into the ship, it was clear that most of the remaining crew did not believe it would be long till they joined their captain.

It was the captain himself who had landed them in this predicament. On a routine patrol of Section 12 in the outer spiral whorl of the galaxy, the Retrograde ran into a fully armed task force from the Neebies of Nippel VII. The Neebies, a truculent and noisome race of land-based bivalve-eaters, were particularly incensed by the Imperial hegemony of the galaxy and attacked immediately. Instead of running for a nearby gas nebula to hide in its murky depths, the ridiculous Smythe-Jonson turned to face Neebies, ion cannons blazing. The technological superiority of the Imperial ship allowed them to disable nearly a dozen of the Neebies and their flimsy paper wheemships, but by sheer numbers alone, the Neebies inflicted terrible damage on the Retrograde.

Benjorn had been in the aft engine section when the ship was ruptured. Explosive decompression had hurled most of the crew out of the main section of the ship, leaving the engineers and the command module in their separately sealed sections. At the same time, the biatomic engines leaked radioactive steam, killing all but Benjorn, who was inured to the gas because of his uncle's fondness for radium lutefisk.

It was a testament to sub-commander Leila's piloting ability that she had been able to bring the ship to its final catastrophic landing on the northerly continent of Frigheim IX.

As the others went into the ship, Leila waited for Benjorn, taking his hand when the others were inside. "What do you think we should do now, dear Leila?" asked Benjorn.

"With the captain finally gone, I think it's time to think about escaping the confines of this ship. But first, kiss me Benjorn."

Benjorn could hardly refuse a direct order.

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