The colony ship hit atmosphere, spherical hull flaring with friction.
“We won’t make it!” Navigator Suzy cried, clinging to a bridge console. Captain Beez shot her a glare from the command chair, cybernetic eye flashing red.
“Power failures!” Engineer Davin warned, crossing cables at the rear of the bridge. “Bypassing!”
And suddenly, they were down–ship landed safely amid fields of silver grass, teetering on tripod legs.
“We’re alive,” Suzy gasped, unbuckling her seatbelts.
“And next time, we come aboard earlier,” the Pirate Captain nodded, unholstering her gun. “Now let’s rob this stinking hauler, before the bloody crew wakes up.”
Elliott Gresswell is a writer and narrative designer from the UK, who rather enjoys travelling and tea. His short fiction has appeared in Strange Horizon, and his website can be found here: http://www.irreverentprogress.com/
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