Page 61 of Lunar Bound
"Plot a trajectory for Earth's moon," Solar instructed. "We can use it for gravitational assistance and to avoid detection."
Lunar considered the possibilities. "The damage to our vessel creates irregular energy patterns that might confuse standard detection protocols. If we time our arrival to coincide with a solar flare, the electromagnetic interference could provide additional concealment."
Solar checked the astronomical data. "The next significant solar activity occurs in two standard units. That gives us little margin for error."
"When has that ever stopped us?" Dani's attempt at humor didn't quite mask her anxiety, but Lunar appreciated the effort.
They completed the final preparations as the pursuit vessels closed the distance. The dimensional drive hummed with unstable energy. The balance between Solar's light and Lunar's shadow-twilight approximation created patterns that the ship's systems struggled to process.
"Dimensional fold initiating," Solar announced, his golden form pulsating as he channeled energy directly into the drive.
Lunar did the same, his new essence flowing into the systems, carefully modulated to fill the gaps where Eclipse's twilight energy should have been. The strain was immense, forcing him to draw on reserves he didn't know he possessed.
"Ten seconds," Solar counted. "Nine. Eight."
The pursuing vessels appeared on their long-range sensors, weapons charging.
"Seven. Six. Five."
Dani reached out, placing one hand on Solar's arm and the other on what passed for Lunar's shoulder, bridging them in a surprisingly effective way. Her hands trembled violently as her grip tightened. The calibration suddenly jumped to ninety-two percent.
"Four. Three."
"For Poppy," Dani said quietly to Lunar.
"Two. One."
Reality folded.
The sensation was unlike anything Lunar had experienced before. There was a reason ships didn’t jump such great distances. This was chaotic, reality stretching and compressing around them as the imperfect energy balance struggled to stay on course.
Colors that shouldn't exist in deep space flashed through his consciousness. Sounds became visible. Light had weight, and darkness sang with voices that resembled Poppy's but weren't quite right. Lunar felt his shadow essence being pulled in multiple directions, fragments of his being threatening to scatter across dimensions.
With all his remaining strength, he forced himself to focus on the faint resonance of Poppy's energy signature.
For an eternity that might have been seconds or centuries, they existed in the space between realities. Then, with a violent surge of energy that nearly tore the transport apart, they emerged.
Alarms blared throughout the vessel. Systems failed in cascading sequences. Through the viewport, the familiar curve of Earth's moon filled their vision, its cratered surface rushing toward them at terminal velocity.
"Engines offline," Solar reported, his light dimmed from the effort of maintaining the fold. "Navigation compromised. Structural integrity failing."
"So in human terms," Dani translated, bracing herself, "we're going to crash."
"Impact in forty-seven seconds," Lunar confirmed, redirecting his remaining energy into the emergency systems.
"Can we make Earth's atmosphere?" Dani asked.
"No," Solar replied. "Our trajectory is locked on moon impact."
Lunar's shadow essence expanded throughout the ship, seeking any system that might still respond to his control. Most were beyond repair, but the emergency thrusters showed minimal functionality.
"I can adjust our impact vector," he announced. "Direct us toward a specific crater with optimal shadow conditions."
"Do it," Solar ordered, focusing his own energy on maintaining what little remained of their shields.
Lunar poured everything he had into the thrusters, ignoring the warnings of imminent system failure. The transport shuddered, veering slightly as its descent trajectory shifted toward a deep crater on the lunar surface.
"Secure yourselves," he ordered.
