Commander Mayura looks idly through the starboard window at her crew, corpses sprinkled across the alien landscape like macabre statues.
She sips coffee as alarms blare, flashing red lights against the yellow dawn. Her face puckers at the bitter artificial brew.
“Oxygen critical. Seven minutes until system failure,” says the ship.
And not even a decent coffee to smooth her exit.
“Play Ride of the Valkyries,” Mayura says.
“I’m sorry Commander, but that composition is not available without Music Unlimited. Would you like to subscribe now?”
Mayura sighs. “Vent the oxygen and get this over with.”
“Venting,” says the ship.
Jason P. Burnham is an infectious diseases physician and clinical researcher. He loves many things, among them sci-fi, his wife and sons, metal music, Rancho Gordo beans, and equality (not necessarily in that order). Twitter: @AndGalen
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