[b]Teige[/b]

How cold it was. Teige's leaves shivered and she clenched her jaw tight. She opened her eyes and was greeted with the sight of darkness. She could see nothing, and her eyes stung. Then it came to her ears--The sound of gears moving and clanking metal. It was faint at first, but as she recovered her senses, it got clearer. Eventually, her cryogenic pod tilted to an angle, the liquid that filled it was drained and the lid slid open with a hiss. 

Teige saw everything white. She tried to make a sound but instead gagged and doubled over, dropping out of her pod and onto the cold floor. For a moment, she lied there. Then she pushed herself up, legs wobbling and head spinning. 

At the chamber's entrance, she saw a strange figure--A tall figure, with a missing arm. The figure distantly smelled of human female along with blood, smoke and metal. Teige remembered no human like that. She reached for her handgun--It wasn't there. [i]Right- Cryogenics.[/i] She thought, and was surprised when the figure slid her a tablet and ordered her to listen to the recording in it.

Again, Teige attempted to speak, but was cut off by a fit of coughing, expelling the last of the pod's liquid onto the floor. 

After recovering, she grabbed the tablet with weak arms, and played the recording.

[quote]The year is 2305. I am making this from my ship. I am on the run from what I assume are pirates. They are pursuing me endlessly. If I make it out of this, there is only one palce to go for this message to make effect. Here it is. Humanity has fallen. Yet, it was not another race that caused this. In fact, none know how this has happened. What is known is that the collapse happened suddenly. In only five years, What once was a great shining beacon of honor is now a rusted husk of what was. what little remains left of the human race is either on shattered space stations or left on broken colonies. There is no more civilization for humanity. There is no technology. Only the ability to wait and die.[/quote]

Teige prickled her leaves and brought her gaze to rest on the figure before her. "Is this..." She began in a hoarse voice, coughed and straightened her back, leaning on her pod's console for support, "Is this true?"