Lucius walked over to a small porthole in the freight runner and stared out at the distant stars. The ship was coming about to prepare for the landing descent and as it turned, Delphin came into view. It was a vast planet, one of the biggest in the system. Various shades of blue reflected up into the black void of space from the seas that covered most of its surface. Dark lumps of black showed the planet’s islands dotted randomly throughout the tranquil blue.
A flashing beacon past worryingly close to the transport’s hull, hunting for anything approaching the sea world. The craft jerked and fell away suddenly and the stacked crates shifted and scraped as they strained against the holding beams. Lucius grabbed at the reinforced steel rims that lined the porthole and braced himself continuing to stare into space. Spiked balls floated by, spinning in an invisible static field. The transport lurched again, the tip of its starboard wing lifting over another cluster of spikes with only a hairs breadth to spare before it violently dipped the other way.
What is happening Lucius?
“We’re passing through the defensive mine-belt and approach beacons.” Lucius gritted his teeth as the thrusters roared and a nearby tower of crates slammed into the side of a cargo pen that was nearly empty. “We should be through the worst of it soon, then we just need to hope that the law aren’t patrolling the exosphere and orbital docks.”
No sooner had he spoke then he saw the wing clip a mine. The spikes embedded themselves into the thin metal and the ball flitted through a sequence of lights followed by a brilliant flash of white that rocked the transport. Lucius gripped even harder, his fingers sinking into the metal and pushing oval dents into the thick hull. A split second later and there came an agonising shriek of twisted metal as the tip of the wing ripped apart, splitting down the middle.
The overhead speakers crackled to life and a man’s voice broke through the interference. “Brace for landing, we’re losing the wings early!”
Lucius pulled himself back to the porthole and pressed his face against the reinforced window in time to see a ripple of tiny explosions pass across the aerofoil where it was attached to the transport. The tattered wing detached from the vessel and flew past where he was standing, disappearing out of view. He spun around and desperately looked for somewhere safe to huddle.
“This is why you don’t stowaway in smugglers cargo holds!” he shouted above the din of the early warning alarms.
Sprinting across to the near empty cargo pen he swung open the gate, snapping the heavy chain links securing it like they were brittle plastic pegs. Taking hold of the tumbled crates he shoved them out of the pen one at a time until it was completely empty. When the last one was through he closed the gate and picked up the broken chain, wrapping it around the beams and carefully crimping it tight. Secure in the pen, Lucius made his way into one of the corners and sat down, encircling his arms around the two corner beams.
What are doing, you have locked yourself in the pen?
“In a few minutes we’re going to enter Delpin’s atmosphere and then if we make it through in one piece the pilot will have to reverse the thrust to try and slow us down enough that the transport doesn’t disintegrate when it hits the ocean’s surface. That is assuming that the law don’t manage to track us and take us out with a laser battery or one of their patrols first of course.”
Why wouldn’t they simply head towards one of the emergency landing buffers and put down safely there?
“In case you hadn’t noticed Sepherene, they’re carrying about twenty tonnes of prohibited spice. That’s enough to get the entire crew, including us, executed on sight. Besides, this is a sub-transport, it’s supposed to lose its wings, only not this soon.”
What is a sub-transport?
“You know, for an angel, you don’t know all that much about what’s going on around you do you?”
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
Why would I need to know anything about your mortal modes of transport when I have my own ways of travel?
“If you can fly yourself then why are we stowed away in a cargo hold on a spice run?”
Because your body would not be able to survive the void transference.
Lucius could sense her frustration and bit back his own annoyance. “A sub-transport is capable of travelling underwater as well as through space. The military normally use them during the primary stages of planetary assault and of course they are particularly useful for anybody that wants to sneak onto a planet and disappear rather quickly.”
Sepherene didn’t reply. The transport began to shake and Lucius guessed that they must have been entering Delpin’s atmosphere. He tightened his grip around the beams and watched as the loose crates slid around the hold and collided with the other cargo pens. The pilot must have got fed up with the warning alarms as they cut off, leaving the shrill after tone echoing in its wake.
“Dammit!” he cursed, as two of the crates slammed into each other sending a faint cloud of spice into the air above.
What is the matter?
“I left Lernaean’s cloak over there.” He nodded towards where the crates had already parted and were skidding away in opposite directions.
We will get it when we have landed.
“If we’re still in one piece.”
The vibrations through the hull became more violent before they began to fade away. At one point Lucius thought the transport would begin to break apart, it was obviously not meant to go through re-entry at such a velocity, but they finally made it through and he felt the reverse thruster’s fire to life. The shaking began again only this time it was accompanied by a thunderous roar that was quite deafening. He closed his eyes and before he knew what he was doing, he uttered a brief prayer. He’d not spoken words like that since he was a young child and, even though the situation deserved it, he felt suddenly uncomfortable.
He has heard your prayer, Lucius.
“That’s wonderful, though I might be more inclined to believe you when we walk out of this death trap alive.”
We will, you must have faith.
“Huh, and maybe you should try a little realism now and again, the only thing getting us out of this mess is that drug-running pilot up front.”
He immediately regretted his harsh words and Sepherene’s silence didn’t make him feel much better. The sooner they landed and got out of the ship the better, he never had enjoyed space travel and that was at the best of times.
The roar of the thrusters was drowned out by the return of the alarm and the voice sounded over the speakers again. “Surface impact in thirty seconds. Get buckled in boys, we’re going in hard.”
Lucius braced his arms and the holding beams groaned, bending slightly under the strength of his taut muscle. “Well this is it. Hopefully I’ll see you on the other side.”
Other side of what?
He didn’t answer her. His senses were filled with every sound and movement of the ship as he counted down the seconds in his head. One of the free crates had crashed into the rear-loading door after sliding the entire length of the hold, the wood buckling and coughing clouds of spice into the air. Lucius could already feel it dull his mind. Like a fog it entered his psyche and dampened his wits. If he was going to be torn apart when they hit the water then maybe being high on Haar spice wasn’t such a bad thing.
“Ten seconds. Brace, brace, brace!” the speakers blurted.
Squeezing his eyes shut until all he could see were tiny white dots imploding in the black night, he waited. When the impact came it was worse than he could have imagined. His body was jerked forward at such a rate that his arms sliced through the holding beams like they were butter. It was more preferable to having them wrenched from their sockets though he thought as he flew through the air towards the other side of the pen. And then he collided with the thick steel beams on the other side, an impact that would have broken every bone in his body had Sepherene not been a part of him. His body fell, crumpled onto the deck, leaving twisted dents where he’d impacted with the holding beams. He could feel blood running freely from numerous cuts and gashes all over his body and head but there was no pain though, only a drug-induced fog. It felt like a blanket covering him in a protective embrace, or maybe it was Sepherene, defending him with her other-worldly powers. Lucius didn’t know and to be honest he didn’t much care. As his consciousness was gently pulled from him, he let a smile touch his lips, if this is what dying felt like then it wasn’t that bad after all, what was everyone so worried about?
