Page 2 of Solar Bound
The comms went dead and Gary’s voice stopped.
"We're coming in too fast," Lunar stated the obvious from his shadowed corner. “You should slow the ship.”
"Do you think?" Solar resisted the urge to flare, but it was difficult. "I hadn't noticed with all the alarms."
Something was very wrong with their descent trajectory. The ship began to vibrate, which made it difficult to hear.
"What are the odds we will survive this impact?" Solar yelled over the noise.
"Pudding," Harris declared with the help of his malfunctioning translator. "We die like brides!"
"We're not brides," Solar shouted.
"If we survive," Lunar stated, "I really will kill Bob and Gary. Harris will die from his own ineptitude."
"Squish like pizza," Harris answered.
"Not if I get to them first," Solar swore, though he wasn’t sure they’d survive long enough. This is not how a warrior was meant to die.
The alien tour guides kept talking, but Solar blocked their words as he tried to brace himself. They clipped a tall red rock formation, and a piece of the outer ship tore away. The impact sent them spinning wildly. Alarms blared louder, as if they didn’t already know they were in trouble.
"Brace for impact!" Eclipse ordered.
The ship hit the surface hard, bouncing several times before skidding to a halt. Solar's restraints snapped, sending him crashing into the ceiling before he tumbled down onto Eclipse. Green smoke filled the cabin.
"Stop glowing," Lunar yelled. "You're making the systems worse."
The ship finally stopped. Solar illuminated a soft light from his place on the floor, trying to see in the darkness.
An automated voice announced, "Warning. Atmospheric seal compromised. Emergency protocols initiated."
Solar covered his mouth and tried not to breathe in the smoke. This is not how he was going to die, in the dark on a foreign planet.
The ship creaked. Suddenly, the floor dropped out from beneath them.
Solar fell through the opening, landing with a heavy thud on Earth. His skin flared brightly in response to pain and disorientation, temporarily illuminating the area around him like a small sun. Something caught fire next to him. When his vision cleared, he saw Eclipse and Lunar picking themselves up nearby, while Harris lay face down, apparently unconscious.
"Magnificent arrival," Solar remarked sarcastically, rising to his feet. They had bounce-landed on top of a building, high above the surrounding landscape. "Truly, a grand entrance befitting honored representatives of Zorveya."
A loud creak sounded, and he turned just in time to see the crashed spaceship rolling on the collapsing rooftop toward them.
“Jump!” Eclipse ordered, grabbing Harris by the back of his clothing to carry him over the edge.
Lunar slithered off the side of the building seconds before he would have been crushed. Solar surged, emitting heat to push the ship back in the other direction. Fire erupted around him, and the spacecraft rolled over the side, crushing trees.
Solar walked away from the flames and glanced down at the ground. Harris stood, wobbling as Eclipse pulled him to safety. Solar leaned down, grabbed the edge, and leapt to the ground.
The roof blazed above.
"Welcome to Duskrock!" Gary’s muffled voice greeted them with crackling cheer from the direction of the wreckage.
Before they could reply, Harris stood as if everything was normal and scuttled toward the wreckage.
“I detect a slight deviation from the planned landing zone, but nothing to worry about. The locals here are very receptive to unusual occurrences,” Gary’s voice continued, coming closer.
Harris returned, holding a comm and carrying a bag. He wore what appeared to be a hastily applied skin suit that made him look like a deformed Earth child.
"Quick, put on your skin suits," Gary’s voice ordered as Harris thrust bundles of fabric into their arms. "They go under the maintenance worker uniforms. It's the perfect camouflage. No one will suspect."
