Of Fire

Space Pilot Leah Crashes on a strange planet and is saved by even stranger creatures that live underneath its surface.

     Beep. Beep.  Beep.

     The alarm sounded loudly throughout the cockpit.  The lights dimmed and went out.  The only light was the red alert light on the wall in the back.  The lights flickered on the control panel.  The ship rocked and jilted before it plunged toward the planet.  As it reached the poisonous atmosphere, it spun out of control.

      Inside, its pilot panicked.  Leah knew that there was nothing left to do, but be prepared for the worst.  Seat belts were securely fastened, her eyes were closed and her prayers to the gods were said.  Leah’s stomach felt as if it had leapt into her throat as the ship went into a spiral.  The dark space around her turned into a pink sky.  Thirty seconds to impact.  Leah hit the drag button, trying to slow down to her descent.  A parachute was released from the vents.  Gradually, the ship slowed.  The rocky surface still came up too quickly though. 

      The ship hit with a jarring thud among the rocks. All systems were down.  The lights went completely out and so did the life support system. Leah tore off her helmet and let down her long red hair.  Though her back hurt almost too much to move, she reached for the oxygen mask.  As Leah grabbed it from the tiny compartment above the monitor, she saw her cut and bloodied hands.  Pulling the mask to her mouth, she saw the ship’s frayed outer edges from the window and the torn up console in front of her. 

       Leah’s eyes closed.  Sweet darkness surrounded her once again.  The pain seeped away as did the fear.  She was unconscious. 

        The others she’d been flying with had just approached the planet.  They knew she’d had crashed, but there was no sign of her on their tracking devices.  As the orbited the uninhabited planet, they debated on rather to go down to the surface to search for her or leave her behind. 

        Down on the surface, strange creatures approached the wrecked ship.  It wouldn’t have been easy to see them, for they blended in with the rough black and reddish-brown ground.  They climbed over the rocks and over the ship.  Several of them climbed inside. 

       Once of them found Leah.  The creature beckoned to another.  The second creature moved into the cockpit to see what had been found.  Seeing what they were looking for�"a human body�"they pulled out their medical bag.  They began their examination.  After a short time, the creature gave Leah an injection.  The creatures then picked her up and carried her from the wreckage.  They took her to their transport vehicle.  It was a shiny black box that looked a little like a hexagon with a blue tint to it.  One triangle lifted up on the top and the other on the bottom.  They loaded Leah onto it and closed the doors.  Neon fire shot from the lift the odd-looking vehicle upward.  Swiftly it moved away, leaving the crashed ship far behind.

        The transport disappeared into a crevasse in a volcanic mountain that burrowed deep into planet.  The scouting group was eager to report their findings with their superior.  A human was a rare thing indeed.  They had never seen one themselves, but they had heard stories about them.  They passed through tunnel after tunnel.  It would take a long time to get home.

 

      Leah’s squad decided to form a rescue party.  Using their instruments, they pinpointed where the wreckage was on the desolate and lifeless planet.  They landed several yards away from Leah’s ship. 

      They put on their oxygen masks and their weather-protection suites.  Cautiously the party emerged onto the rugged terrain. 

      “I doubt Lt. Leah Troy survived,” one of the men said through his communicator inside his oxygen mask.

      “At least we will soon know for sure,” replied another one of the men. Leah was a good friend of his and he couldn’t stand not knowing if she were alive or dead.  “Maybe we can save her.  If not, then at least we can bring her body back for her family.”

      They reached the ship. One at a time, they climbed down into the ship.  It came as quite a surprise when they found not even a trace of Leah’s body.  The four explorers searched the ship from top to bottom.  One of them noticed a bit of blood on a jagged piece of metal and another noticed a piece of her hair on the floor.  They took the evidence back to their ship to see if they could figure out what had happened to her with what few clues they had to go on.

      “Time’s running out on our oxygen supply.  We have to go back.”  It was the leader of the scout party, Commander Bradbury, who spoke. 

      The only woman in the group said sadly, “I can’t believe she is gone.  This planet is a horrible place to die.”

      “Her body might have been thrown clear. We’ll just report that there was nothing and come back later.”

      Before they left, they took a moment to say a silent goodbye.  With heaviness in their hearts, they boarded their ship and left the dreary, frightening planet simply known as Theta-12. They thought that the story had ended. 

       It had really just begun.

 

 

Reviews

[Samuel Dickens]

I'm a bit surprised to find a genuine, old-fashioned sci-fi story here at WC. This is the kind of Bradbury-esque tale that captured my imagination when I was young. Great job, Cari!