I don’t really remember why were out there in the first place. It’s been a few years by now, and it’s not a reason I care to remember.
It was probably something petty. Exploration, prospecting for useful materials, you know the usual.
We were hit by a stray meteor. I don’t know where it came from, and I don’t know why the sensors didn’t pick it up.
But it hit us. It went straight through the ship’s shields. They were never intended to take a direct hit by a bigass piece of rock. Anyway, there I was, the only survivor of the fuckin’ thing. And you know why I was alive? I had been in the loo. Taking a god damn dump.
Anyway, when I stepped out, and zipped my pants back up, it hit us. It took out the cockpit, and most of the front of our ship. Everyone else had been up front, probably plotting our next destination or whatever.
I didn’t really care. I was a geologist, not some navigator or astrophysicist.
And suddenly I was alone. Well, not completely alone. You see, I had Crusoe. He was my dog, and you better believe I regretted giving him that name a few weeks later.
Anyway, let me tell you my story.
The alarm was blaring. The ship was spinning out of control.
Warning! Warning! Critical hull integrity failure! Warning! Core containment breach! Warning! Atmosphere leaking at critical levels!
Damn. Damn damn damn!
I zipped up my pants as quickly as humanly possible as I rushed out of the toilet.
“Crusoe! Where the hell are you, boy?!”
I could hear him wimper. Poor thing had wet himself on the floor. Well, not that I can blame him. If my bowels hadn’t been expunged seconds prior, I would probably have shat my own pants.
I grabbed him by the collar, and hoisted him up into my arms.
I was for once thankful of the lowered gravity of the ship. Finally it was good for something.
After all, picking up a full-sized mix-breed dog isn’t easy in normal gravity.
I ran hard and fast to one of the escape shuttles, and flung him inside.
I’ve got no time to be gentle. After all, the entire ship is going to hell.
I jumped into it after him, and pressed the eject button.
The shuttle hatch closed behind me, and we were out of the ship within seconds.
It was then I could see the extent of the damage. Most of the front was simply gone, and had the loo been just a couple of meter to the left I wouldn’t be alive.
I was at once thankful and filled with dread.
After all, we were far out of Human space, and nowhere close the senate territories. Who the fuck would pick us up? Were we stuck here?
We had floated through space aimlessly for hours when I first felt it.
We were falling.
Or well, according to the computer we were ‘descending’, but there’s a hair thin difference between the two.
I couldn’t remember if we had bought the escape shuttles with the attached thrusters, or if we had been cheap on that as well.
I hoped to god we hadn’t been. I have never been a religious man, but at the time I was willing to kiss the toes of Satan for some thrusters.
My relief was beyond words when I felt them kick in. We had thrusters after all.
What I didn’t know was that the angle of our descent was wrong, and that we were about to crash.
Then came the crash, and my world went dark.
As I woke up, my face was wet. I slowly raised my hand and ran it across my face. No detectible wounds. Well, I still had my rugged good looks. At least I had that going for me.
As I opened my eyes, I inspected my hand.
Slimy, but it wasn’t blood.
I looked over to see Crusoe sitting there, panting, wagging his brown tail.
Bastard had slimed all over me.
I sigh, and pat him on the head.
“Good that you’re okay, boy.”
I sit up. Well, I might not be injured, but I’m not less sore for it. As I stand up, I bonk my head rather heavily towards the hatch, which was now the top of the pod.
“…fahkin ‘ell!”
I rub the back of my head furiously.
Then I look up. The transparent hatch shows me a greenish blue sky. Well, at least there was some sort of atmosphere.
I check the small computer within the pod.
The atmosphere is breathable, even though the levels of oxygen are larger than Terran Standard.
Well, lucky for me.
I pop the hatch.
A soft, but ultimately alien fragrance strikes me, as the pod is filled with sounds from the outside. As I clamber to look out the hatch, I see a dense jungle all around me. So, not only did the planet have a breathable atmosphere, but it was also filled with life!
Bloody hell, I must have the devil’s luck!
Crusoe barks uncertainly as he places his paws on my back.
“Oh, You want to see it too?”
I drop back into the pod, and put my arms beneath him, lifting him up to the pod hatch. I let him exit the pod, and I can hear foliage rustle as he drops down on the outside. I soon follow him, hoisting myself up and out of the pod.
I sit there, gazing out into a sea of vibrant color, except the limited crater surrounding my crashed vessel.
All things considered, I was pretty well off.
I saw Crusoe roll in the mud nearby, and I chuckled to myself. He hadn’t seen proper mud outside the lab for months.
Motherfuckers, I’m still alive!