Chapter Text
After sunset the world seemed to turn grey and shadowed. Grey earth, bare black trees against grey sky. The grey horse making its way up the hill was almost invisible, merely another undistinguished shape in twilight, though the sound of metal-clad hooves striking the ground grounded it in reality, confirmed it as not another part of the landscape but something alive.
Jonathan rode, reins relaxed, letting Faith lean her head forward to push up the hill, her labored breath cutting through the swelling sound of insects, awakening in the early spring. Jonathan watched and listened, though he did not watch and listen in the way one might expect a sheriff to after dark a mile from town; no, he watched the pale face of the full moon rise in the sky and listened to the insects and night birds. Away from town, up on the hill, Sheriff Archer relaxed and let Faith guide them up the hill in the soft night.
"Not much going on lately, huh girl?" He asked Faith softly. She gave no answer. "That's fine by me. Gives me a chance to relax a bit." He huffed a laugh, before turning his attention back to the sky. It was breathtaking. There wasn't a cloud in sight. Through the clear night air he could see every star; the full moon lit the landscape in a soft glow. Jonathan tilted his head back to get a better look, his face open in wonder.
"A shooting star!" He exclaimed. It shot across the sky, bigger and brighter than any he'd seen. He watched it zip over the horizon, a smile spreading on his face.
"Make a wish." He told Faith softly. There was something lucky about seeing a shooting star. It was so easily missed; Jonathan was glad he'd caught it. He watched the sky for a few minutes longer. The stars twinkled, speaking in their mysterious way. He would twinkle back at them, if he could. He looked back in the direction the shooting star had gone, wondering what it knew.
"GET THRUSTERS ONLINE! FULL REVERSE!" Shran barked. He was flung against the wall as the ship shuddered and gravity went sideways. "WHAT WAS THAT?"
"Gravity's gone! We're in free fall!" Talas's voice rang clear over the alarms even as a shower of sparks exploded into her face.
"ENGINES!" Shran yelled over the groan of stressed metal, mind racing, antennae flat against his head. An attack? Or random malfunction? If there were enemies they needed weapons back. But weapons wouldn't help them if they all died in a fiery crash. "TALAS! ENGINES!"
"Offline!" She was pressing buttons frantically, bent double over her console to keep from being thrown off.
"Helm isn't responding!" Keval cried, turning his face away as something flared at his console.
"Everything went offline at once, Commander!" Talas' eyes were slits, and she smashed a fist down on the console in fury.
"Get engines back! Divert power from life support if you have to!" Shran didn't need to remind her that life support would be useless if they were all reduced to a fine paste on the surface of the strange planet that was dragging them down. Something was wet on Shran's brow, and his hand came away dark blue. Blood.
"Impact in forty seconds." Jhamel's voice was soft and eerie, her unseeing eyes focused on the planet getting larger every second. For seconds, precious seconds, Talas worked, spitting curses at the unresponsive console.
Amid the sounds of the alarms, there was a chime.
"Reverse thrusters online!" Talas shouted triumphantly. Shran swung his head towards Keval.
"Slow us down!"
Shran went flat down as their acceleration suddenly shifted, the impact hitting him with force like a kick directly to the head. As he scrambled to his feet, he saw Jhamel and Talas picking themselves up as well. Keval, the only one seated, stayed in his chair, hands firmly on the controls.
"We're coming apart!" Talas yelled.
"I know that!" Shran yelled back. Somewhere on the ship something creaked and gave way. Shran barely kept his footing as the ship buckled and quaked violently. The temperature had climbed thirty degrees in the last two seconds.
"Impact in twenty seconds." Jhamel's voice quavered slightly, and Shran bared his teeth, snarling in defiance at the brown earth hurtling towards them.
"BRACE FOR IMPACT!" Shran yelled, gripping a rail with both hands.
"Zhavey? Thavan?" A young, frightened voice spoke from the open doorway, and Shran stopped breathing.
"Talla! Get down!"
"Talla, beloved, come here." Jhamel, who had moved to a sitting position on the floor, opened her arms, and the nymph stumbled over to her as the ship rocked and screamed.
"Five seconds." Jhamel whispered as she wrapped her arms securely around the child.
"Thrusters are gone!" Keval cried as something tore off the ship's hull, sending them spinning wildly. Shran kept his eyes open. He didn't blink as the alien rock grew larger and larger, swallowing up his vision.
They crashed.