Opening my eyes was a painful ordeal. It meant that I had to come to terms with the fact that I was badly injured. I couldn’t feel my legs and I could taste the sour thickness of my own blood as it oozed its way along the back of my throat. My left arm wouldn’t move when my mind willed it to do so and I wondered if it was even attached to my body. Afraid to turn too quickly for fear of causing more pain, I moved my head slowly just a bit to the side. That little bit of movement and what I could see through my clouded vision showed me my arm was still there. I was thankful that it was attached to my shoulder and, to my relief, all of my other body parts seemed to be connected, too, although cut and bleeding profusely.
Trying to wipe the rivulets of blood that flowed into my eyes, the shock from the agonizing pain as I tried to bend my fingers to get them to work made me aware that three of the fingers on my right hand were broken. When I was able to get enough of the blood smeared away from my right eye, it was evident at that point that my left eye was swollen shut, (I think). I ventured a look around trying to comprehend and analyze my surroundings as best as I could.
The escape pod was badly trashed and some of the reinforcing framework had collapsed around my legs, reason enough for them not to move. It was almost dark inside but breaches in the hull allowed traces of sunlight to stream inside. I guess this planet had an adequate atmosphere that could support this carbon based unit because I was still breathing in spite of the new mixture. My uniform was in tatters and I could see bone poking through the left arm of the suit. Not good, but I was alive.
Using my right arm to comb the immediate area I was able to find a piece of metal that could be used as a lever to try and free my legs. The pain involved just pissed me off more than anything else. I tried to move my upper body and found that I could, but every muscle felt like it had been tenderized by the Jolly Green Giant. That’s also when I discovered at least two broken ribs. I was breathing evenly and there were no blood bubbles coming out so I figured that my lungs had not been punctured. “Good things happen to good people,” I thought, actually hoping those words were completely true.
My most immediate problem was finding something to use as a fulcrum for my lever. Whatever that something was going to be, it had to be within reach. I saw part of my command chair which seemed to be staring me in the face, but it was just inches away from my circumference of grasp. I tried using the piece of metal, which I was able to extend toward the remnants to pull it toward me, but it backfired and it rolled even further away from me.
“Why is it that everything I decide to do is the hardest god damn thing I have ever done in my life”? I was talking to myself.
I tried for the better part of an hour to get that damn piece of metal but fatigue took over and I gave up as much in frustration as in self pity. . My head was lying on something hard and I was thinking that this is an awful way to die. I wondered how long it would take before I either bled to death or starved. Then I started to wonder how long I had been here, I couldn’t come up with an answer. Time didn’t seem to be on my side at this moment.
God knows how long ago I was the Chief Stores Mate on an interstellar freighter heading back to Earth from some God awful place in the Galaxy that offered no decent atmosphere to breath and was constantly stormy. But it was rich in minerals and that would have made even the Stores Mate on a freighter a rich man. If it hadn’t been for that stupid piece of rock floating around in space, we would have made it to Earth and I would have been on easy street. Instead, I found the first escape pod and ejected, watching the whole ship implode as I floated silently into space. Only one other pod was able to escape, but the debris from the freighter got caught in its propulsion unit and it just floundered. Most likely its still orbiting around the remains of the freighter like an moon.
“Christ, how long is this dying gonna take anyway? “I got things to do and people to see”. The sound of my voice and the insanity of my words made me laugh which caused my ribs to hurt and I gasped as the taste of blood quickly ascended into my mouth. Apparently, something must have ruptured inside my body and I knew I was bleeding pretty badly. Exhaustion was taking over and I was getting tired so I closed my eyes and just waited for the long sleep to take me.
Just about the time I felt my life ebbing away from me and the pain had settled into a constant throb, manageable, but constant, a flash of light caused me to open my eyes. I saw the side of the hull begin to glow red. I was fascinated by this and watched as it turned white and then I realized it was a cutting torch. “Great, just when I’m about to die, some stupid fucker has to go and rescue my sorry ass,” I thought, and then passed out never knowing just who or what was attempting to set me free.
Coming to every now and then, from being bumped and a stab of pain would shoot through my body and my eyes would open. There was greenery all around me, lush and vibrant with deep color. I tried to angle my head to see who was carrying me but like all good rescue people, they totally immobilized my entire body. All I could do was gaze at the canopy of vegetation overhead, occasionally seeing a brightly colored bird or two. There were jungle sounds with the screeches and howls of various animals staking out their territory. The gentle rocking of the stretcher would lull me back to sleep only to be brought back to consciousness with the next sharp bump that caused pain.