Simon eased back the throttle on the PROBE class scout ship and aimed towards the cloud cover of the planet below. With any luck the raiders chasing him hadn’t been able to follow his trajectory.
They’d come out of nowhere, the Alliance raiders in their blaster scarred ship. There was no reason for them to attack him, other than sheer maliciousness. A probe ship wasn’t worth the effort to capture – there was no superior technology on board, no equipment worth salvaging – it was a long range, exploratory craft.
There were three planets in this solar system he could have chosen from, and several moons that had possibilities. He could expect no help from any of them, none showed any signs of space capability. If they were inhabited, they were not technologically advanced. But with any luck the raiders wouldn’t figure out where he was until help was on its way.
Unless, of course, he died in a fiery crash, then rescue would be a moot point. Probe ships weren’t meant to land on a planet, although it had been done in the past. But not by him, and not without consequences. Simon cursed under his breath and smacked the console in front of him with the flat of his hand.
The altitude gauge obediently started to function properly again, but the three red lights beside it continued to blink steadily. Fluffy white clouds streamed by the cockpit canopy. Simon hated clouds.
A proximity alarm went off.
“I know, I know,” he muttered under his breath, then smacked a switch above his head until the alarm stopped.
There wasn’t much room in the cockpit of a probe, they were a one man space craft, nor were they designed for anyone with the slightest hint of claustrophobia. To think he’d been so proud of the fact he was one of the few from Chandra’s elite squad that passed the rigid psychological testing to have probe scout added to his duties.
The surface of the planet was coming up fast, too fast. He cursed and wrestled with the throttle. The sensors showed woods and water below, neither of which made for ideal landings, especially not crash landings. Breaking through the clouds he skimmed over a heavily wooded area towards a large body of water.
“It beats the trees,” he said under his breath, and shut down the engines.
An abrupt shutdown was not recommended in the class one deep space probe scout ships, but neither was landing on water. The odds of surviving either were not in his favor. If Simon had been a praying man, this would have been the time to do it.
Unfortunately, he had no time for prayers, he was too busy trying to keep the nose of the ship above water.
“Think like a duck,” he told himself, “Think like a duck.”
He didn’t really know how a duck thought much less how it landed on water and managed to stay afloat, but it sounded better than, “Oh, shit, I’m going to crash!”
The probe ship hit the water and bounced twice, its forward momentum carrying it towards the rock encrusted shore. Simon snapped forward then back in his seat, thrown against the safety harness that was not really meant to provide anything more than a fleeting sense of protection.
By the time the ship came to a rest, after plowing a furrow on the shore of the lake, Simon had lost consciousness.
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
Arianna was strolling along the shore of the lake, by herself as usual, when she saw the fireball in the sky. For a few moments she admired it as something new and interesting, but then she saw that the fiery object was headed towards the lake and growing larger with every second.
The scream of straining engines was abruptly cut off and she realized with dawning horror that it was a ship about to crash. A ship meant people, but surely no one could survive such a crash.
Heart in her throat she stood frozen, watching its approach. She lost sight of it in the clouds before it broke cover over the forest, coming so close to the tops of the trees she was surprised they didn’t catch fire.
The ship continued its descent, closer and closer to the surface of the lake. She gasped as it struck the water, bouncing twice before slicing through the clear lake, a rooster tail of steam and water in its wake.
With a screech of metal against rock it plowed into the shore and finally came to a stop, a curl of black smoke coming from the tail section. Arianna stood frozen for a few seconds, unsure of what she should do.
She glanced around to see if anyone else had seen or heard the crash. There was no one in sight, they were probably all at the grove, or even in the crystal cave. They wouldn’t be able to see from either of those places. It seemed she was the only witness.
Cautiously, she approached the craft. It was smaller than she had at first thought, it could not contain more than two or three people at most. Where had it come from? Were more on the way?
A quick glance upwards revealed no other ships or fireballs within her sight. It did not mean there would not be more to come, just that there were no more imminent. The queen would not like it if this ship was a precursor to settlement. It might mean they’d have to move yet again. Like many, Arianna was growing weary of moving from planet to planet.
It took her several minutes to reach the ship, picking her way carefully over the stones on the shore. It was black and sleek, shaped like an arrow head. She stood and studied it, unsure if she would be able to help whoever was inside or not.
The nose of the craft was buried in the ground while the smoking end was still resting half in water. She could see no door or hatch. As she wondered how it opened, the canopy near the nose released.
Startled, she stepped back, poised to flee. Were the occupants friendly or hostile? Were they human, or something else altogether. Nothing else happened and after a few moments she slowly approached again.
“Hello?” she called. “Is there someone there? Do you need assistance?”
No answer was forthcoming. Hesitantly, she reached out and touched the ship. When it did not burn her, she stepped closer. She bit her lip in indecision and then drew close enough to the ship to see inside.
To her dismay, there was someone inside, and they weren’t moving. A smoky haze started to fill the small compartment. There was no help for it, she would have to go inside. Because it was buried so deeply in the ground, it was a simple matter to climb up on the wing and then down into the ship.
There was a man strapped into the pilot’s seat. There was blood on his forehead, but he appeared to be alive. There was no way of telling if he had any other injuries. She was about to leave and get help when he stirred and groaned.
“Can you move?” Arianna asked. “Do you understand me?”
His eyelids fluttered, then opened. He peered at her with a dazed expression. “Am I dead?”
A smile blossomed on her face. “No, you are not among the dead. But you must leave this vessel. I do not trust it not to cause you more harm.”
“Anything for you, angel.” He fumbled with the harness restraining him and found the release. He would have fallen forward if she had not been there to catch him. The unaccustomed weight in her arms sent a strange shiver through her.
“I am not an angel,” she told him sternly. “I am of the Fae.”
“Angel, Fae, you’re still the woman of my dreams,” he said. There was a bemused grin on his face.
“You are injured,” she said patiently. Obviously his head wound was affecting his judgment. “You must leave this vessel.”
“Just lead the way, angel.”
Arianna took his arm and pulled him toward the open canopy. She stepped up and then helped him up as well. He stumbled when he stepped onto the ground and tried to sit down on the edge of the wing.
“No! You cannot stay here, you must come away from the shore,” she demanded.
“Bossy little thing, aren’t you?” he mumbled.
She guided him towards the forest bordering the lake and let him sit beneath the broad branches of a tree.
“Lie down and sleep now,” she told him. “When you awaken, all will be well.”
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