Page 1 of Taken By the Storm King

LUCY

The capsule shuddered violently around me, and I gripped my harness tighter. My stomach lurched as we breached Sanos’ atmosphere. Stars whirled past the viewports, blurring into streaks of light.

Sarah’s face flashed through my mind---her last moments as the poisoned water claimed her. I squeezed my eyes shut against the memory, but it came anyway. Her desperate gasp for air, fingers clawing at her throat as the toxins...

Years of sleep in the stasis pod had done nothing to blur the memory.

Focus on this moment. Focus on the mission at hand.

“Breach in thirty seconds,” Brooke called out from the pilot’s seat, her voice steady despite the violent descent.

I forced my eyes open, taking in the rest of my team. Emme’s knuckles turned white on her harness straps. Imogen’s face set in grim determination, her lips pressed together in a tight line.

“Remember your training, ladies,” Brooke said, projecting calm authority even as the capsule jolted again. “We’ve prepared for this.”

“But now it’s all very, very real,” Emme muttered, her voice low but audible over the hum of the engines. Her gaze darted to the viewport. “There’s a lot of pressure on us.”

“Better than dying on Earth,” Brooke shot back without looking away from her controls. “Look.”

Through the viewport, an endless expanse of blue stretched below us. Not the sickly green-brown of Earth’s dying oceans, but pure, crystalline blue that sparkled under alien sunlight. Islands dotted the horizon, their white beaches gleaming like pearls.

The pristine alien world below us left me breathless with awe.

“It’s beautiful,” I whispered.

“Let’s hope the locals are friendly,” Imogen added dryly.

The capsule jerked again as we hit the lower atmosphere. Warning lights flashed across the control panel.

“Hang on!” Brooke shouted. “This is gonna get bumpy!”

I tightened my grip on the harness straps as the capsule plunged through dense clouds, the pristine ocean rushing up to meet us. I started humming under my breath---an old lullaby my sister used to sing to me. The others pretended not to notice.

We hit the water with a bone-jarring splash, the impact slamming us against our restraints. The capsule bobbed like a cork for several heart-stopping moments before stabilizing. My hands trembled as I released the harness.

“Systems check,” Brooke ordered, her voice clipped as her fingers flew over the controls. Her calm demeanor steadied me, anchoring the rising panic in my chest.

“Life support?” Brooke asked.

“Green,” Emme reported, her voice shakier than Brooke’s.

“Communications?”

“Linked to the Legacy,” I confirmed, double-checking my readouts. “They’re receiving.”

“Hull integrity?” Brooke continued, her focus laser-sharp.

“Intact,” Imogen said. “No breaches detected.”

Brooke nodded, her shoulders relaxing slightly as she swiveled to face us. “All right, ladies. Time to suit up. Let’s make first contact count.”

We helped each other into our survival suits---sleek gray material that hugged every curve while offering protection from unknown toxins or bacteria. The blue seams pulsed softly as the solar chargers activated, their faint glow a reminder of the energy we carried with us.

“Check your comms,” Brooke ordered, activating her helmet’s sealed system. One by one, their voices came through loud and clear on the internal channel.

“Ready to pop the hatch?” Brooke asked, her hand hovering over the release.

I nodded, double-checking my utility belt. Knife, filtration device, emergency beacon---everything secure. “On three. One...”

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