Burn (Sloth King 1)

Burn (Sloth King 1)
Second Edition
Tamsyn Roe
All rights reserved.
Copyright ©2023 Tamsyn Roe

“Mayday! Mayday! We’re going down! This is the Trinity Nine, United Exploration Mission Project, Earth. Mayday! Any ships near Sector Eleven please respond. I repeat, we’re going down. Our fuel is venting and we are attempting an emergency landing on an uncharted Class F planet.

“Mayday! Mayday! We’re going down! This is the Trinity Nine, United Exploration Mission Project, Earth. Mayday! Any ships near Sector Eleven please respond. I repeat, we’re going down. Our fuel is venting and we are attempting an emergency landing on an uncharted Class F planet. Please respond,” Jonathan shouted into the comm center microphone.

He waited ninety seconds, but no response came. He began repeating the Mayday call again.

Bianca shivered. She’d heard of missions lost on uncharted planets, but had always put them in the category of urban legend. Now, with only moments of fuel left, she prayed. Her best friend Coreen reached out to squeeze her hand as they sat buckled in and ready for the crash landing.

Pietro frantically worked the flight panel as he tried desperately to buy them more time in the air. They’d already lost Mac and Annalisa. They’d died trying to contain the explosion that was causing the ship to vent fuel. Only the four of them remained.

They’d missed the sojourn on Delta Twelve and were supposed to meet up with the Trinity Eight in four days at the Atlas Space Station. Everything was protocol -- routine, until now.

This was Bianca’s first flight into deep space. Now it appeared it might be her last. Coreen was a veteran of these missions; she’d talked Bianca into coming along. The planets they’d explored so far were amazing, and the botany samples had been worth facing her fears to obtain.

Bianca closed her eyes. Years of research would end today if she died. She’d helped develop the cure for several types of cancer, and with the specimens in the onboard lab, she’d hoped to do more.

The view from the window of the ship showed a white-hot rush of flame as they hit atmosphere. She felt the blood drain from her face and she shivered until her teeth rattled. They were going down on a burn; the descent was too steep, too fast. From the little she remembered from her academy training about what happened during a burn, she deduced they were doomed.

Pietro, a tall, handsome Italian man, turned towards them, horror etched so deeply on his face he looked grotesque in the flickering reflection from the flames behind him. “I’m sorry.”

She’d hate to have the responsibility of piloting on her shoulders. At least he wouldn’t have to live with his mistake for very long. He pulled his shoulder harness tight. Bianca heard him weeping. Coreen gripped her hand even harder.

“We’ll make it, B,” Coreen whispered. She glanced over and gave a small smile.

They wouldn’t make it, but Bianca appreciated the kind lie. She’d miss her mother and brother. She’d had so much to live for.

“Don’t give up, B!” Coreen ordered.

Bianca appreciated the thought, but she knew there was no hope. Funny. She’d always envied the tall, slim blonde. Her own short, thick body and red hair had never made her feel beautiful. Yet it seemed fate didn’t care that her friend was beautiful. They were both destined to die today.

“Get strapped in,” Pietro ordered Jonathan. The incessant Mayday request wasn’t doing them any good at this point. They were still going to crash, whether anyone heard the Mayday or not.