[05] Elite: Reclamation by Drew Wagar

Author:Drew Wagar [Wagar, Drew]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Science Fiction, Space Opera, General, Hard Science Fiction, Drew, elite, Dangerous, Wagar, Fantastic, Books
ISBN: 9781909163324
Google: FRiJBAAAQBAJ
Publisher: Fantastic Books Publishing
Published: 2014-06-07T07:00:00+00:00

***

Salomé’s next sensation was of heat and dryness. She coughed and spluttered, feeling a burning sensation on her face. For a moment she panicked, struggling to rise. She could hear a strange keening noise. It took her a moment to recognise the sound of wind whistling through the damaged ship.

She struggled to sit up, finding herself half submerged in the tumble of debris from the wreckage of the cockpit. The canopy above her had totally caved in and sand, blown by the wind, was pouring in. It was rising fast around her. A few minutes more and she’d have been buried.

Overhead the sky was a uniform mauve, a clear but unfamiliar colour. A pale white sun lit the scene from a low angle. It was barely more than a point of white and it hurt to look at it. The gravity was low. She couldn’t tell how long she’d been unconscious.

She looked around her. The cockpit was a virtually unrecognisable jumble of debris, consoles blackened, instruments smashed, supporting struts and exposed conduits dangling everywhere. She undid the seat buckles and staggered up out of the pilot’s chair, dislodging the sand in which she was half buried, shaking her head to clear it. The sand slipped smoothly like a liquid into the gap she vacated and continued to rise.

She clambered up onto the remains of the cockpit canopy and managed to peer over the nose of the ship. It was still a long way from the ground. The prow of the ship was hanging over the drop created by the tip of a dune. No longer protected by the cockpit, gusts of wind threatened to blow her off the slick duralium hull.

The vista before her made her heart drop. There was no sign of anything other than endless rolling dunes that faded out of sight in the remote distance. She could see no vegetation, no animals or any suggestion of civilisation or habitation. Only the far-off mountains gave any suggestion of possible shelter.

She retreated inside giving the few remaining instruments a quick prod. None of the holofac screens appeared, there was no power at all. She’d hoped to at least identify where she was and perhaps call for help. She moved further backwards.

The ship jolted underneath her. She stood stock still for a moment. The motion came again. The ship was sinking, tilting back as it settled into the soft sand. She looked back at the desert outside. Water and food, she’d need both if she was going to survive.

She raided the hatches at the back of the cockpit, finding Hassan’s stash of emergency rations in a rucksack along with some bottles. A brief taste confirmed they contained water. She found a few other things too; a gun, a pair of knives and a portable radio transmitter. She stored the items carefully and slung the rucksack across her back.

The ship jolted a third time and a shuddering mechanical groan echoed through the superstructure around her, the cockpit floor tilted. Sand gushed towards her, knocking her back against the rear bulkhead.

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