Industrial level

Brother Striker was standing upon one of the gantries publishing the bottom of the main mirror responsible for bringing the light of the sun into the station. This mirror was the most important of all of the reflective surfaces within station Omega, while the others could be easily replaced this particular mirror was irreplaceable and if it had ever been seriously damaged the lower levels of the station would be left in absolute darkness. His fellow monks were also hard at work doing the various chores and tasks which were necessary for keeping the station in working order.

Kat closed her eyes as she watched through the main window of the ship. "One minute till impact" the automated computer called. She was falling at a uncontrolled speed toward some small wooden planet. "30 seconds till impact" it called now and her eyes flew open as the ship gave a jolt and she went into action. "Mayday mayday mayday!!" she screamed into the radio hoping someone would be on one of the many channels. No answer, She bit her bottom lip as the planet got closer and closer "Twenty seconds till impact" the voice called. Kat turned to the stupid intercom and screamed "SHUT UP!!" then she put her face in her hands "I'm soo gonna die" she said to herself in a half panic. "I never should have left!" she kicked the pilots chair hard with her foot. "Gosh dang it" she cried. Kat strapped herself tight into the chair and grabbed the controls as if by some stroke of luck she would survive this."Ten seconds till impact... Nine... Eight... Seven... Six... Five... Four... Three... Two... One..." and the whole world turned black for Kat.

Once Brother Striker was inside the small airtight and waterproofed chamber he immediately got to work on opening the outer hatch, the first thing he had to do was to flood the chamber that he was sitting in, once this was done he could open the outer hatch and swim to the crashed ship. Luckily the man-made lake was only 100 feet deep and so it wasn't all that difficult of a swim reached the ship. In a matter of minutes Striker broke the surface of the lake, as luck would have it Striker had come up from the water exactly where the entrance to the ship was located. Striker made his way into the small, half destroyed spacecraft and crawled through the wreckage, making his way to the cockpit.

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An hour later Striker came rushing into the infirmary, "Quick, I need some help. Someone come with me to the water hatch." With that Striker rushed off and returned to the ladder which led to the trap door, he was followed by Winthrow and one of the doctors assistance. "I need help bringing someone down from the water chamber." Striker then began to climb the ladder.

Mark was just finishing recieving bandages when Brother Striker came rushing in. "Quick, I need some help. Someone come with me to the water hatch." Mark immediately stood and followed him along with the doctor. Together the three rushed down the hall to the water hatch. Climbing the ladder behind the doctor Mark winced from the pain in his hands. He ignored it in the end, using it to drive himself up the ladder faster.

Mark stood in the chamber with the doctor. Mark had never been up here before, wasn't an area that many monks ever went. Mark stood there and waited for orders from Brother Striker.

Brother Striker had discovered that the pilot of the downed craft had survived the impact, though this did not surprise him as much as what he had seen upon opening the door to the cockpit, for inside this cramped space he discovered the body of an unconscious female pilot. Eventually he pulled her body from the wreckage and dragged her into the lake and down to the hatch which led to the interior of the space station. Striker had laid the woman's body on the floor of the air-chamber as he went to seek assistance, as he knew it would be far too difficult to drag the woman's body down the series of ladders on his own. The unconscious woman remained in the same position that Striker had left her in and so when they opened the first hatch to the chamber the top half of her body fell through the opening, so that she was draped over the edge. Striker and Winthrow immediately rushed toward her in order to keep her from falling out of the chamber completely, that's when they heard her make a faint grunting sound. Knowing that she would need immediate medical attention Striker and the other two monks remove her from the chamber and proceeded to make their way down the ladder, something which proved to be very difficult even for three men assisting one another, no doubt partially due to the uncooperative limpness of the female's unconscious body.

Striker cast an annoyed glance at Winthrow, "Well brother Winthrow, I feel the same way about our lives here, but I am not ready to consider a perversion of our way of living without knowing the circumstances of her situation." With that Striker walked off leaving Winthrow and the doctor in a daze as they looked at one another.

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Winthrow had come out of the infirmary to confront Striker when Brother Johnson, who was the head of their order, approached the two of them to tell them that it was time to bring about night. Although most of the duties that the monks were required to perform were handed out arbitrarily and alternated daily it was Striker and Winthrow that were allocated the duty of turning the main mirror away from the sunlight, which was done to assimilate nighttime. The duty would take them back up near the ladder which they had used bring the girl down from the top platform. The level beneath that is where the main mirror was situated, sitting on a pivot which enabled the huge piece of glass to be returned away from the main window of the station. Even though the station constantly faced the sun this immense mirror could be turned so that the nonreflective side faced the main window, turning the mirror away from the main window meant that the sunlight would not be reflected into the other mirrors which were set up to illuminate the entire station. The industrial level however, which was the beneficiary of much of the sun's brilliancy was constantly bathed in light, but with the mirror faced away from the windows the rest of the station would be cast into total darkness.

Brother Winthrow cast a dark look at Brother Striker. He made his way out of the infirmary, leaving the doctor to tend to the woman. He had no medical knowledge and had no wish to be around the woman more than he needed to be. Despite what Brother Striker felt, her presence felt like a foreboading shadow over Mark. He couldn't ignore it.

Stepping in the hall, Brother Johnson, the head of the order indicated it was time for the men to turn the mirrow. Mark almost protested, almost claimed his hands prevented him from doing the job but stopped himself. How would that look if he refused to do his duty. Already that woman's presence was causing issues. Her very landing meant that Mark was stuck with bandages and doing his work with sore and burnt hands. "Ill omen." Brother Winthrow mumbled to himself and followed Brother Striker to move the mirror.

As the walked back towards the ladder and hatch they had pulled the woman through Mark shook his head. He was positive her presence here was going to be the beginning of a dark time. She could bring no good with her.

Brother Winthrow grab onto the wheel to move the mirror, grimacing as he did. The skin under his bandages was beginning to tighten and clenching was excruitating. Couldn't Brother Striker already see what damage and problems she had already caused? Bread ruined, his hands burnt, damage and flooding that needed repair. Time taken away from their duties and prayers.

Mark turned the wheel and Brother Striker did the same. By the time they were done all their duties the mirror had been moved, casting them into a false night. "Brother, it was noble of you to save her but do you not believe we need to send her away quickly, before her presence brings more diversions for us?"

Mark turned to walk back towards the dining hall as he and Brother Striker conversed.

Mark watched Striker carefully. Something was not right with the man. His eyes watched and Mark took on a more careful tone with his words. "Something out of place? Odd that she wouldn't have noticed it before, say when she was flying in space? I think I'll stay here and keep an ear and eye out for the thing. Someone should, don't you think?"

Mark watched Striker and the girl, trying to find some sign of what it is they seemed to be planning. "After all how many can fit in it? No need for us all to try and cram ourselves inside and my bandages will make it hard for me to swim."

Mark's eyes narrowed slightly, "Just what is it that they are planning, something is wrong...off..."