Ducks and Chicks and Geese Better Scurry

Posted on Tue Sep 9, 2025 @ 8:07am by Commodore T'mpest Michaels
Edited on on Wed Sep 10, 2025 @ 5:23am

1,244 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Chicken Run
Location: Command Center, SS Minnow, Shuttle Bay 222
Timeline: MD 001

"Deep Space 5, this is the SS Minnow. We're experiencing difficulties and are carrying live cargo. Request emergency docking. Repeat. This is the SS Minnow requesting emergency docking."
 
At the comms center, Petronella turned to the ensign at the next station. "Did they say live cargo? What are they carrying? Fish?"
 
"Not funny." Pyotr looked up the available bays and the size of the cargo ship. "They can take docking bay 222. It's empty now. I'll message them."
 
"Well, at least it's not 666," Petronella quipped. "SS Minnow, proceed to docking bay 222. A crew will meet you there. Do you require any other assistance?"
 
"Just some repairs, ma’am. Thank you kindly." Captain Grumby closed the comms and turned to his copilot. "At least we can get a good meal and a real bed for the night. I doubt we’ll get out of here before morning."
 
But Scully's luck was rarely that good. As they lined up for the docking bay, the freighter’s alarms began to sound. "Containment fields are failing."
 
Grumby turned to him sharply. "Which ones?"
 
"All of them." Scully ran to the back of the command area and tried to shut them down, but every time he got one back up, two more began to blink. Then, one by one, they all went down. He swore in a dozen different languages. Then, not satisfied, he made up five more. "Warn the station. The situation just got worse."
 
Grumby began to swear. "Lock all cargo doors. Keep them in the cargo area. If we can minimize damage, we might still get that bonus."
 
Another alarm rang out. "Too late," Scully yelled. "Gonna try to close them manually. I don’t wanna see what’ll happen if I don’t. I wanna keep one of those kittens for myself."
 
"Try…" Grumby hit the comm button. "Deep Space 5, this is the Minnow. We've lost containment and the cargo doors are opening. We're coming in hot. Request immediate assistance."
 
"What do you mean, you're coming in hot?" Petronella yelled. “Put on the brakes.”
 
She turned to Pyotr. “Stop them!”
 
Pyotr didn't answer her. He’d already opened a channel to the docking bay. "This is command. SS Minnow is coming in hot. They've lost containment on live cargo and the cargo bay doors are opening. Extending shields now." As he spoke, he made sure the shields covered the ship, then grabbed it with a tractor beam, pulling it in as gently as he could. As soon as the Minnow disappeared into the bay, he sat back. "What in the name of the nine rings is going on?"
 
Petronella cried out and pointed to her console. The image of a rippling white flag with a fanged and horned skull over a blood red disc appeared. “Wh…what is that?”
 
Pyotr stood to have a better look. "I haven't seen it before, but it looks kinda cool."
 
“It looks creepy. Better tell the commodore."
 
"Me?" Pyotr turned to her. "Why not you? Never mind." He knew she wasn't going to do it. He called security and engineering, informing them both of the emergency. Then he went to tell the commodore in person.
 
[Docking Bay 222]
 
The power went out on the Minnow just as the freighter touched down, causing it to slide across the deck to be caught by a force field. Ducks, geese, chickens, and turkeys flew out the open cargo doors and around the docking bay in a bid for freedom.
 
Then, when the ship came to a stop, goats, pygmy goats, sheep, pigs, cats, dogs, rabbits, and an assortment of other farm animals ran out of the freighter. Some began chasing the birds, others went towards the bay workers.
 
"Don't hurt them," Grumby ordered. "That cargo belongs to Orwell Colony. They’ll count every one and fine me for any that go missing."
 
"Why’re you yelling at us?" A short, burly man stalked over to him. "You’re the one who let them get loose. You’re the one who gets them out of my bay."
 
"I didn't. I came here for emergency repairs. The containment fields failed, then the cargo doors opened. Then everything started shutting down. It's a miracle you don't have a thousand dead animals floating around your station."
 
He turned to Scully. "You deal with them. I need to talk to the station's commander. Somebody needs to take care of this mess, and it's not gonna be me."
 
By now, all the animals were loose, frantically trying to find a way out of the shuttle bay. But with the forcefields up, they only succeeded in bouncing off one invisible barrier after another, growing more and more frantic as they went. The chaotic cacophony of a thousand animals in hysterics made it difficult for any of the humanoids in the bay to talk or issue orders.
 
And then the klaxons sounded. "What the bloody baron was that?" Scully yelled, covering his ears.
 
"Not sure," a skinny cargo handler barely out of his teens replied as he ran for a wall panel. "Never heard one before."
 
The noise made the birds even more agitated as they banded together to try brute feather force. Fortunately, the forcefield was such that it didn't let them injure themselves, rather they bounced gently back so they could try again and again.
 
The four-footed animals were trying to find somewhere to hide from the noise. Several ran onto the cargo ship, then, recognizing the scent, turned and ran off again. Others began butting into the humanoids as if to tell them to stop the noise and let them out.
 
And then, as suddenly as it started, the klaxons stopped. Even the animals froze. Only the birds continued to fly in spirals or run around the bay, flapping and squawking their demands.
 
"You're all idiots! Get them back on the ship and feed them. That’ll shut them up right enough!" Grumby yelled and pushed past anyone in his way as he marched to the nearest cargo bay door. "I'm going to talk to your commander about this. Your ineptitude is boundless."
 
The skinny teen hurried to the captain in an effort to stop him. "Sir! Your ship…"
 
"Damn my ship. You fix it. That's what I came here for. Get that done and save my cargo, then we'll talk."  The doors opened as he approached. He barely looked up, intent on getting out of the insanity.
 
What he didn't notice—or didn’t care to notice—was that every animal and bird was watching him. As soon as he passed through the forcefield and opened the door, they raced after him in a flood of flapping feathers and pounding paws and hooves. The first of the birds made it out immediately after Grumby. The flood of followers kept the doors open until all the animals had escaped.
 
Scully raised his hands. "Not my fault. He's the captain. Grumby. Jonas Grumby. Captain, USS Minnow. I’m just the first mate. If you need me, I’ll be in the bar." And then he, too, walked out.
 
“They’re paying us overtime for this. And sending food from Lasuma’s. And bring the fire hose for the deck,” the brusque bay boss grumbled. “Circus is over, let’s get back to work.”
 
A post by


Captain Jonas Grumby
Captain
SS Minnow

Scully
First Mate
SS Minnow

Petronella
Communications

Pyotr
Operations

Bill Gunn
Bay Boss

Bobby Ray
Bay Crew

 

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