with the cold, cool calm of a seasoned pilot totally focused on the task before her.
“No. I want more distance between us. I’m going to glide this pig a way.”
“Alert, 20,000 meter to impact.”
“She’s your baby, Lieutenant. Don’t get us killed. Get as close as you can to their base, but make damn sure that mountain range is between us.”
“That’s what I am waiting for. I want to be below the mountain range before powering up.”
“Alert, 10,000 meters to impact.”
“Okay, when we hit eight, fire her up.”
“Got it.”
“Alert, 9,000 meters to impact.”
His hand hovered over the ignition controls like a rattlesnake waiting to pounce.
“Alert, 8...”
Trent hit the ignition...nothing. He hit it again and again...nothing.
Thomas yelled, “What’s happening? Where’s my power?”
“It won’t start. I think we suffered damage on the hot entry.”
“It you don’t get those engines started Major, we’ve come all this way to make a really expensive stain on the surface.”
“Alert, 5,000 meters to impact.”
Trent pounded away at the controls, then hit the ignition. Nothing.
“Alert, 4,000 meters to impact.”
He repeated the process. Nothing.
“Alert, 2,500 meters to impact.”
He tried again. The engines whined as if they wanted to start but couldn’t.
Trent shouted, “Start, you stubborn bitch!”
“Alert, 1,000 meters to impact.”
“Major!”
“Alert, 500 meters to impact.”
“ Major ! I need those engines now !”
His heart raced. Sweat flowed freely down his face. This was it, one more chance. His hand landed on the ignition just as he closed his eyes to say a silent prayer.
I just want to see Anna again.
Boom !
The control panel in front of Trent lit up like a Christmas tree, but he didn’t see it. He didn’t need to have his eyes open to know that the shuttle came roaring back to life. If not for the sound, the g-forces hitting his body would have told him as much.
Trent didn’t move, didn’t even open his eyes. He calmly sat there at peace. Neither the dying shuttle struggling to complete its final mission or the terrified screams of the passengers could penetrate the aurora surrounding him.
I’m not going to die today. Not here. Not on this planet. I will see Anna again. I will see my daughter. Do you hear me God! I have my own plan, and it doesn’t involve dying here.
He opened his eyes just in time to see the nose of the shuttle hitting the tops of what appeared to be trees. Ahead of them lay an entire forest of such things, offering no open ground for a soft landing.
Thomas muttered just loud enough for Trent to hear, “Christ, we’re going to die.”
Trent turned to her.
“No. We are not going to die.”
The shuttle dipped below the tops of the trees and slammed head on into solid trunks, snapping them in half. The hull held, but each blow brought it closer to buckling from the continuous assault.
“Woohoo!” Simms shouted. “This ride is awesome!”
Just when the shuttle couldn’t take another blow, they plowed through to a small strip of open ground. The spacecraft hit the red earth with a thud and slid, kicking up a thick cloud of debris.
The left side caught a boulder, sending the shuttle into a wild spin. That resulted in them flipping upside down. The shattered hull sent a thin volley of deadly shrapnel into the cabin. A hundred meters later, they came to a rest on the edge of a creek.
Trent was alive.
Not everyone was as lucky.
Chapter 9: Aftermath
W hile hanging upside down in the co-pilot’s chair Trent used the rudimentary, and hastily put together, all-purpose AI uploaded into his helmet to access the unit’s status.
The combat assist link, CAL, served a million uses but frustratingly could only answer in text. The fact the program functioned at all, given the time limitations to resurrect yet another shelved military R&D project, was a miracle of human ingenuity.
“Report on unit readiness,” he
“No. I want more distance between us. I’m going to glide this pig a way.”
“Alert, 20,000 meter to impact.”
“She’s your baby, Lieutenant. Don’t get us killed. Get as close as you can to their base, but make damn sure that mountain range is between us.”
“That’s what I am waiting for. I want to be below the mountain range before powering up.”
“Alert, 10,000 meters to impact.”
“Okay, when we hit eight, fire her up.”
“Got it.”
“Alert, 9,000 meters to impact.”
His hand hovered over the ignition controls like a rattlesnake waiting to pounce.
“Alert, 8...”
Trent hit the ignition...nothing. He hit it again and again...nothing.
Thomas yelled, “What’s happening? Where’s my power?”
“It won’t start. I think we suffered damage on the hot entry.”
“It you don’t get those engines started Major, we’ve come all this way to make a really expensive stain on the surface.”
“Alert, 5,000 meters to impact.”
Trent pounded away at the controls, then hit the ignition. Nothing.
“Alert, 4,000 meters to impact.”
He repeated the process. Nothing.
“Alert, 2,500 meters to impact.”
He tried again. The engines whined as if they wanted to start but couldn’t.
Trent shouted, “Start, you stubborn bitch!”
“Alert, 1,000 meters to impact.”
“Major!”
“Alert, 500 meters to impact.”
“ Major ! I need those engines now !”
His heart raced. Sweat flowed freely down his face. This was it, one more chance. His hand landed on the ignition just as he closed his eyes to say a silent prayer.
I just want to see Anna again.
Boom !
The control panel in front of Trent lit up like a Christmas tree, but he didn’t see it. He didn’t need to have his eyes open to know that the shuttle came roaring back to life. If not for the sound, the g-forces hitting his body would have told him as much.
Trent didn’t move, didn’t even open his eyes. He calmly sat there at peace. Neither the dying shuttle struggling to complete its final mission or the terrified screams of the passengers could penetrate the aurora surrounding him.
I’m not going to die today. Not here. Not on this planet. I will see Anna again. I will see my daughter. Do you hear me God! I have my own plan, and it doesn’t involve dying here.
He opened his eyes just in time to see the nose of the shuttle hitting the tops of what appeared to be trees. Ahead of them lay an entire forest of such things, offering no open ground for a soft landing.
Thomas muttered just loud enough for Trent to hear, “Christ, we’re going to die.”
Trent turned to her.
“No. We are not going to die.”
The shuttle dipped below the tops of the trees and slammed head on into solid trunks, snapping them in half. The hull held, but each blow brought it closer to buckling from the continuous assault.
“Woohoo!” Simms shouted. “This ride is awesome!”
Just when the shuttle couldn’t take another blow, they plowed through to a small strip of open ground. The spacecraft hit the red earth with a thud and slid, kicking up a thick cloud of debris.
The left side caught a boulder, sending the shuttle into a wild spin. That resulted in them flipping upside down. The shattered hull sent a thin volley of deadly shrapnel into the cabin. A hundred meters later, they came to a rest on the edge of a creek.
Trent was alive.
Not everyone was as lucky.
Chapter 9: Aftermath
W hile hanging upside down in the co-pilot’s chair Trent used the rudimentary, and hastily put together, all-purpose AI uploaded into his helmet to access the unit’s status.
The combat assist link, CAL, served a million uses but frustratingly could only answer in text. The fact the program functioned at all, given the time limitations to resurrect yet another shelved military R&D project, was a miracle of human ingenuity.
“Report on unit readiness,” he
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