Two months passed. By now, the crew had grown closer. Josh never missed a chance to tease Jane. Edward and Rose seemed more comfortable around each other. Donald, meanwhile, kept his thoughts to himself.
Even in this artificial air, you can still smell the spring, he thought quietly.
Time flew. Three months since departure. Everything seemed to be running smoothly.
"Captain, can you see that?" Josh's voice broke the silence.
"See what, Josh? I don't see anything," Rose replied, scanning the stars.
"There! Just for a second. Something flickered—it looked distorted, like a haze."
"Don't worry, Josh. Maybe you're too tired. But to be safe, call everyone to the dock. We'll keep an eye out for anomalies."
The words barely left her mouth when the universe went dark.
A sudden void. A shattering silence.
In the next split second, alarms blared. The ship was plummeting toward the surface of a planet.
"Josh!!" Captain Rose shouted, her voice sharp with urgency.
But Josh was already gone—racing down the corridor toward the cockpit. His instincts moved faster than thought. He wasn't just a pilot. He was NASA's best.
He strapped himself in, hands gripping the controls with practiced precision. The ship shook violently. Red warning lights bathed the cockpit.
"Hold on!" Josh yelled, sweat dripping down his forehead. His fingers flew across the console. He cut power to the damaged thrusters and rerouted energy to the landing boosters. The ship's nose dipped, metal screeching as it tore through the atmosphere.
The hall glowed red-hot. Alarms screamed. The crew held on to anything they could as the ship jolted violently.
"Josh! We're dropping too fast!" Rose shouted.
"Not for long…" Josh muttered, slamming the emergency thruster controls.
A deafening roar shook the ship. The boosters fired just above the surface, slowing their descent. The ground rushed closer, closer—then with a loud crash, the ship struck the planet's surface. Dust and fire erupted, but the landing gear held.
Silence followed. They were alive.
Josh leaned back in his seat, panting. His hands trembled slightly, but his lips curled into a grin.
"And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why I'm the best pilot in NASA."
The crew erupted in nervous laughter, relief flooding the cabin.