The ship slammed into the ground.  Its metal exoskeleton took the brunt of the impact, sending ripples through twisted metal. Dirt, fire, and smoke erupted in an enormous cloud of spray.  Warped chunks of flaming shrapnel flew in all directions.  The ship plowed through a small burg and continued to skid along the ground, gouging the earth and snapping trees like twigs.  It carved a deep furrow in the soft soil, uprooting plants and crushing rocks.  The ship began to drift sideways, finally lurching over onto itself, flipping on its back before continuing the roll into its belly.  It ground to a halt.  Its formerly grand appearance was now shattered and dejected.  The pinnacle of human technology lay lifeless, twisted and hacked, in a fiery heap.  Smoke billowed from the pile into the dark sky, toward the stars it once called home.