<<< PREV | FIRST | NEXT >>>

"Confirm, path plotted?"

*static* Plotted. *static* lac Leman

I prayed they meant the booster and not me, and confirmed.

"Jettison. Jettison. Jettison."

A clunk and the spent rocket broke away with its air brakes and I kept along the planned trajectory. Inertial stabilizer meant no air brakes, and using trees as brakes instead.

Oh dog, the beam's firing early.

Impact in three, two, one.

The ground came up and hit me at a dizzying pace. After the fourth or fifth tree downed I hit the earth with a violent bounce that blew the stabilizer apart. I flailed through the air trying to right myself, I think I hit another tree, spun, and the internal gyro got me upright. I was right in the prefire beam and all my sensors were failing, so I took a guess, straight into the center of the particle beam, and there I found her covering her head futily with her hands as her body was catching fire. I body slammed her to the ground and grappled her head right under my chin. My Ghost lost power and the helmet forcefield failed. And it went dark.