Graal’s left us to die .”
“It must have been an accident!” wailed Mordant above the screams. “She would never leave us.”
“Shut up, Talliver! Graal’s gone and we’re going to crash,” spat Lishtig.
There was a flurry of activity in the seat next to John. “Not if I’ve got anything to do with it!” shouted Emmie grimly. “I just need to get to the manual override.”
As she stood up, Mordant lunged forward and pushed her back into her seat. “ No . Doctor Graal is coming back for us!” he screamed into her face. “She’ll be back any second.”
“Graal’s not coming back, you idiot,” grunted Kaal, exploding out of his own seat and flinging Mordant across the aisle.
As Mordant crashed against the window, his droid immediately buzzed over and started straightening his clothes. “If you wish to fight the Derrilian again, sir,” it said, sounding as unflappable as ever, “may I suggest a quick punch to the jaw followed by a flurry of sharp jabs.”
Mordant’s only answer was a sob of anguish.
By now John, too, was on his feet. “Listen!” he bellowed into the screams. “Emmie’s the best pilot here. If anyone can get us down, it’s her. But we have to be calm and let her through.”
His words had the desired effect. Every student clutched at the tiny branch of hope that John was holding out. The screaming died down.
With a grateful glance over her shoulder, Emmie dived for the front of the shuttle, students hurrying out of her path.
“Collision with planet Zirion Beta in ninety seconds,” the ship’s computer announced.
With John close behind, Emmie stabbed at a red button by the shuttle door. A panel slid back at chest height, revealing a small control stick and flight panel. She instantly punched at a panel marked “distress beacon”.
“Need any help?” panted John. Ahead, the planet loomed even larger than before. He tried not to look at the rocky volcanic surface spinning beneath, its gravity pulling the struggling shuttle ever closer.
“No. Just keep them quiet,” Emmie said without looking at him. Her eyes fixed on the large viewing window ahead, Emmie curled her fingers around the control stick while her other hand pressed “emergency manual override”.
The craft shuddered and seemed to threaten to begin spinning again. Yanking at the control stick and cursing under her breath, Emmie fought to stabilize it. “Entering the atmosphere,” she muttered.
As the shuttle bucked and shuddered, the screaming began again. John whirled around. Halfway down the aisle, Kaal was looking after Rantoo, who was moaning and clutching her head. Even from a distance, John could see yellow blood trickling down her face.
“It’s OK !” yelled John. “We’ve just hit the planet’s atmosphere, it’s going to get bumpy. Stay calm and we’ll all get through this.”
Behind him Emmie cursed again. This time John heard fear in her voice. “Engine’s hit,” she gasped. “There are only stabilizers. I can’t slow her down.”
The floor beneath John’s feet jumped and heaved. Staggering, he shouted, “Get back in your seats. Strap yourselves in.”
“Impact in sixty seconds,” droned the computer.
“Come on, come on !” Emmie shouted. Knowing there was nothing else he could do, John threw himself into the seat Graal had left empty, pulling the harness over his shoulders. The red indicator line on the temperature gauge quivered at the very end of the dial. Ahead of John, Emmie wrestled with the controls, fingers punching at the screen, trying to restart the spaceship’s main engines. “Impact in thirty seconds.”
Steam and smoke streamed past the viewing window. Emmie wrenched desperately at the stick. The shuttle lurched to one side, setting off more screams. John’s fingers clutched, white-knuckled, at the armrests, as the lip of a huge lava-spewing crater swept past within metres of the window.
“Impact in ten seconds.”
A voice was shouting, “ You can
“It must have been an accident!” wailed Mordant above the screams. “She would never leave us.”
“Shut up, Talliver! Graal’s gone and we’re going to crash,” spat Lishtig.
There was a flurry of activity in the seat next to John. “Not if I’ve got anything to do with it!” shouted Emmie grimly. “I just need to get to the manual override.”
As she stood up, Mordant lunged forward and pushed her back into her seat. “ No . Doctor Graal is coming back for us!” he screamed into her face. “She’ll be back any second.”
“Graal’s not coming back, you idiot,” grunted Kaal, exploding out of his own seat and flinging Mordant across the aisle.
As Mordant crashed against the window, his droid immediately buzzed over and started straightening his clothes. “If you wish to fight the Derrilian again, sir,” it said, sounding as unflappable as ever, “may I suggest a quick punch to the jaw followed by a flurry of sharp jabs.”
Mordant’s only answer was a sob of anguish.
By now John, too, was on his feet. “Listen!” he bellowed into the screams. “Emmie’s the best pilot here. If anyone can get us down, it’s her. But we have to be calm and let her through.”
His words had the desired effect. Every student clutched at the tiny branch of hope that John was holding out. The screaming died down.
With a grateful glance over her shoulder, Emmie dived for the front of the shuttle, students hurrying out of her path.
“Collision with planet Zirion Beta in ninety seconds,” the ship’s computer announced.
With John close behind, Emmie stabbed at a red button by the shuttle door. A panel slid back at chest height, revealing a small control stick and flight panel. She instantly punched at a panel marked “distress beacon”.
“Need any help?” panted John. Ahead, the planet loomed even larger than before. He tried not to look at the rocky volcanic surface spinning beneath, its gravity pulling the struggling shuttle ever closer.
“No. Just keep them quiet,” Emmie said without looking at him. Her eyes fixed on the large viewing window ahead, Emmie curled her fingers around the control stick while her other hand pressed “emergency manual override”.
The craft shuddered and seemed to threaten to begin spinning again. Yanking at the control stick and cursing under her breath, Emmie fought to stabilize it. “Entering the atmosphere,” she muttered.
As the shuttle bucked and shuddered, the screaming began again. John whirled around. Halfway down the aisle, Kaal was looking after Rantoo, who was moaning and clutching her head. Even from a distance, John could see yellow blood trickling down her face.
“It’s OK !” yelled John. “We’ve just hit the planet’s atmosphere, it’s going to get bumpy. Stay calm and we’ll all get through this.”
Behind him Emmie cursed again. This time John heard fear in her voice. “Engine’s hit,” she gasped. “There are only stabilizers. I can’t slow her down.”
The floor beneath John’s feet jumped and heaved. Staggering, he shouted, “Get back in your seats. Strap yourselves in.”
“Impact in sixty seconds,” droned the computer.
“Come on, come on !” Emmie shouted. Knowing there was nothing else he could do, John threw himself into the seat Graal had left empty, pulling the harness over his shoulders. The red indicator line on the temperature gauge quivered at the very end of the dial. Ahead of John, Emmie wrestled with the controls, fingers punching at the screen, trying to restart the spaceship’s main engines. “Impact in thirty seconds.”
Steam and smoke streamed past the viewing window. Emmie wrenched desperately at the stick. The shuttle lurched to one side, setting off more screams. John’s fingers clutched, white-knuckled, at the armrests, as the lip of a huge lava-spewing crater swept past within metres of the window.
“Impact in ten seconds.”
A voice was shouting, “ You can
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