Kill Switch Version A

By: Phoenix

The lights flickered, and then one computer system after another began to shut down. The engine of the anti-grav hover tank shut down and we slammed into the surface of the partially terraformed moon colony. Then the oxygen generators shut down and we REALLY knew we were in trouble. Back up supply would last 30 thirty minutes and then advanced carbon dioxide scrubbers would give us 2 two hours more for a crew of three. Even the emergency beacon was dead and had not transmitted a distress call. All we had was these damned yellow chemical glow sticks to provide light. We were definitely in trouble.

Michel, Franklin, and I (Sam) had launched from the cargo lander an hour ago and given our search area. Rebel activity was light in this area, so 4 four anti-grav tanks were dropped onto this rocky and sand-covered moon to follow a search pattern. Our commanders thought 1000 square kms each is far away enough from each other to explore suspected places for rebels to hide out. We had to stop every few days to replenish our batteries for all of our systems except the main gun. The guys in charge were a paranoid bunch and refused to give us environmental or space certified suits for fear of desertion or defection to the rebels. The most important innovation installed in ALL Republic vehicles was a "KILL SWITCH" to prevent poorly equipped rebel forces from getting even one of these old clunkers we were currently trapped in.
I swear these tanks were close to 20 twenty years old and predated the rebellion. Being the commander/gunner I had to think of what hit us and how to fix it quickly. Franklin the driver and I both saw a quick flash before everything went dark. It could have been an old electromagnetic pulse weapon from 50 fifty years ago. I had Michel, the engineer, do a hard reset of all systems. Nothing, and 5 five minutes wasted. Then, I remembered a rumor that some rebels may have mines or devices which triggered the "Kill Switch". Our leaders vehemently denied such a device was even possible; let alone scrubby colonists from the edges of the Republic could make one. That definitely had to be the answer if THEY denied it THAT MUCH!

Now came the real dilemma faced by all military commanders to let my troops die without knowing when or why or trust they will not freak out and murder us all. A real leader would not tell them anything and let them suffocate in this type of situation. Hell, I'm no real leader and I only got to be commander of this bucket due to having a University degree in Botany and scoring high in marksmanship. A lot of good a degree in plants is doing me when there's dust and rocks as far as the eye can see; as far as our sensors could tell. I didn't see anything to shoot at right now either.

So, I told them, "Guys, WE ARE SCREWED! We have 2 two hours to live and no oxygen on this rock out there." pointing at the hatch.

I gotta give my guys credit. They did not freak out as much as I expected. Franklin had vid glasses with x-rated vids of and from his wife to remind him what is waiting at home so he would not stray or visit prostitutes. It relaxed him, so I left him alone and watched as Michel began to take apart the engine in hopes of converting or using parts to get the oxygen generators working or at least the distress transponder working. He rushed as I ordered him to do a 4 four hour job in 30 thirty minutes. The unfortunate result of rushing was a ton of engine dropping a meter onto and, crushing Michel's skull. At least he had a quick death and would not be suffocating to death like Franklin and I. I still refused to give up hope. There had to be a way to survive this!

Then, I remembered the emergency triage kit and it has the latest sedative which would slow our breathing and heart rate; saving us some oxygen. I gave Franklin the most I could without putting him asleep or in a coma. I did the same for myself and recalculated our remaining oxygen supply. I bought us an extra hour and with Michel's death, it bought us another hour. We had used up an hour by this time, so if my math was correct, we had 3 three more hours to live. Great, that is enough time to write my will before I suffocate. That is if the rebels did not attack us when the two hours were up and NORMALLY our oxygen would be depleted. They could not have anticipated my resourcefulness or Michelsâ untimely death. Attack at any moment was a pleasant thought compared to suffocating.

I guess the videos of his wife and the depressing effect of the sedative was too much for Franklin. He snapped, drew his laser pistol and for a moment I thought he was going to kill me. My hand was on my own pistol when he pointed it at his own head and killed himself. I genuinely liked the guy. If I live long enough I'm sure I will miss him and call his widow. By this time I had 3 three hours left of oxygen. Franklinâs death gave me an extra hour of oxygen AND, a bonus item which could save my life. The circuits and power supply were just barely compatible with the distress transponder. NOT enough power to get beyond the atmosphere, but it might reach one of the other tanks on the planet. Hope existed once again.

By the time I got it all connected I still had 2 two hours and 45 forty-five minutes left. I switched it on and it burped out beeps for all of 2 two minutes. Then the power supply died. If I was lucky the nearest tank would be 2 two or 3 three hours away and would not break down on the way to save my life. Now that I had a bit more than 2 two hours left to live on this god-forsaken hell of a planet several light years from home with a couple of corpses what will I do? I decided to search my crew for any illegal drugs so that my last moments would be pleasant. No luck there.
I found the sedative and took enough to slow my heart down a bit once again, but not enough to kill hoping to extend my life another 30 thirty minutes or until they found me. The drug at this dosage had a strange affect upon me. I fell into an endless dream state. I relived every sexual encounter, every pleasant adventure or meal I had in my short life of 25 twenty-five years. I even remembered the few battles I had been in during the past 6 six months as a draftee. I lived a pretty good life and did not do tooooo many things which would tarnish the memory of me. They say that the last moments of your life all your experiences flash before your eyes. Not for me. My last thought was sex with an ex-girlfriend on my birthday 8 eight months ago, then much louder and brighter was the memory of PIZZA!

The End

Post script: CLASSIFIED REPORT: The nearest tank was five5 minutes past the maximum revival time. No life signs were detected. We contacted headquarters. A recovery and investigation crew was sent. An improvised "Kill Switch" electronic mine was found as the cause, recovered, dismantled on site, and shipped back for study. This report recommends that survival suits be on EVERY VEHICLE, with a large capacity protected energy cell and, EMP protected back-up circuit boards for the oxygen generator and emergency transponder.

Response to report. A counter-measure has been found and deemed too costly for all but main space battleships and headquarters. No change in policy regarding survival suits due to risk of defection by draftees is greater than chances of encountering a "Kill switch" triggering device.