The three men sat in silence. Each kept their eyes forward, watching the silent orange flame wash over the exterior of the ship. The power flickered on and off, then stabilized. Chapel sneered as he clasped onto the stick with white fingertips.

The flames flickered around the nose of the craft, then vanished, revealing a deep purple alien sky before them. The men exhaled in concert, punctuated by with a whispered “shit” from Chapel that sounded more like a prayer of thanks.

“We’re in the atmosphere.”

Reilly felt the falling sensation as gravity of the planet pulled them down towards the planet’s surface. He felt his his stomach float up in his chest like it were making an escape through his throat. He used to think of it was as a freeing sensation while now it made him feel only sick. He grabbed a mask from a side panel and took a deep inhale of oxygen. His nerves settled.

“What happened to the Beagle?”

Chapel shrugged still keeping his eyes in front of him. He shifted in his seat like he were experiencing a bad bout of gas.

He’s hiding something.

Reilly turned to Borsh who was busy at his terminal. The small Russian didn’t need to be prompted.

“I’m performing a data dump now. We should have the answer soon.”

“Where the hell are we?” Reilly asked. Borsh shook his head as his fingers pounded on the keyboard. Reilly could see that the man was committed to the task, borrowing deep into all his data streams like a digital tick seeking nutrients.

Through the viewport, Reilly could see a thick layer of clouds beneath them, obscuring all of the planet’s surface. It was a massive expanse that extended as far as his eyes could see. Underneath the clouds was anyone’s guess. One thing was sure – there was no light where they were heading.

What if we entered a gas giant?

He shook off the thought, remembering that a lifeboat only attempted entry on livable worlds.

We’d still be in space. That is, if a giant didn’t capture us.

He looked over his shoulder to consult with Grabo. She was an expert on interstellar travel. She wasn’t crazy enough to chart their flight through a solar system so their surprise entry didn’t make any sense. If anything, they should be adrift in deep space.

“Grabo, where the hell did you-”

He stopped speaking, seeing the empty jump seat. Chapel looked back to Reilly with an expression that mirrored the grimness of their situation. He shook his head.

“Her pod didn’t make it on board. Hopefully, she’s dead, otherwise-”

Chapel turned back to his console leaving the implication to hang in the air like the smell of rotting meat. If she wasn’t dead, she’d spend the rest of eternity floating through deep space. Half alive. Half dead. Never to be found again.

In but a moment, he realized the futility of their situation.

“Without her,” he said. “We’ll never be able to get back home.”

• Previous
• First
• Next