Under A Winter Sun by Johan M. Dahlgren

Author:Johan M. Dahlgren [Dahlgren, Johan M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Next Chapter
Published: 2021-03-17T22:00:00+00:00

Slap Bang in the Middle of Nowhere

You can't brace for the impact when a hundred-tonne dropship crashes.

When the Sundowner's AI senses a crash is imminent, it swivels the passenger seats to position the soldiers with their backs toward the impact. No such luck for the pilots. But we get one hell of a front-row experience.

Then everything goes black.

* * *

At first, I'm not sure I'm conscious. It's so quiet. With an effort, I open my eyes. It's dark.

I rub my face and glance over at Braden. She hangs forward over the controls, restrained by her seat belt. Her head is suspended on two interface cables that have not been torn from their sockets in the seat. Blood drips from a deep cut above her eyebrow. She curses softly. The cockpit smells of piss and burning electronics. Damage reports scroll down the screens.

“Welcome back, Perez. You have a slight concussion and multiple fractures. One major injury.”

I'm still breathing, so it can't be that major. “Thanks, Aeryn. What about the others?”

“They are alive.”

“And the ship?”

“Still operational under atmospheric conditions.”

I smile. “Nice landing, Braden.”

Braden stops cursing and leans back with a groan.

“I think my pelvis is broken.”

“You're just saying that to make me touch your joystick.” A pounding ache in my left thigh calls for attention. I glance down and see blood pumping feebly where my broken femur has torn through the flesh. To an ordinary human, that would be a major injury, possibly even fatal, but my skin is already growing out to cover the protruding bone. Setting that will be a bitch.

“Jeez, would you, Perez?” Braden half laughs, half groans as she breathes hard through clenched teeth. Pink spittle dribbles down her chin. If it's from internal bleeding, or if she bit her tongue in the crash, I can't tell.

“You are such a badass, Braden,” I manage through the pain. I hurt in more places than I care to count.

“No, I'm not. I have a great ass.” She tries to smile but falters halfway through and her face twists into a grimace of agony.

I give a coughing laugh. Laughing hurts. I must have broken a few ribs as well.

I unbuckle from the seat.

There's a trickle of light shining in through the bluish darkness. The Sundowner must have buried her nose deep in the ice when we came down.

“Want me to get you out, or do you want to wait until you're good to walk?” I stand up, favouring my good leg. My broken thigh dangles uselessly.

“Go see to the others.” She waves me away. “I'm fine.”

She pulls the two remaining patch cables from the seat and her head falls forward. I hope her pelvis is not the only thing she's broken.

“Call if you need me, Braden.”

“I will.” She winces and lifts her head from the controls.

I support myself with my good hand on the handholds and hobble up through the passageway to the troop bay. The ship is at an angle, with her nose down, and the climb is hell with my broken leg.

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