text: [Themes: sci-fi]
  
  Indrian tries to force a chuckle, but it's obvious she's grown tense. "That's all right," she says. "We'll get Hatuso to buff out all the scratches."
  
  Siggo doesn't respond. There has still been no sign of the lieutenant.
  
  With all of the rocks streaking past the ship, you feel tiny, frail, and exposed out here at the end of your line. The asteroids are ricocheting off the hull, but a direct hit would tear right through your body. The reel is pulling you in fast, but not fast enough!
  
  Then the unthinkable happens: a speeding rock strikes Indrian's tether and severs it cleanly. Instantly she is pulled backward by inertia, spiraling away as the ship attempts to pull out of the path of danger. "Nooo!" she screams over the comm.
  
  "Chief Indrian, what is your status?" Siggo asks.
  
  "Her line has been snapped and she's falling behind the ship," you say.
  
  "All I have are my EV suit's thrusters, and they'll never catch up!" she says, clearly starting to panic. "You'll have to come back!"
  
  Siggo doesn't respond. You feel chilled; you've apparently lost Hatuso when no one was even looking, but now here is Indrian, still seemingly within reach.
  
  > If you allow yourself to be pulled back inside the ship so you can lobby Siggo to mount a rescue, turn to page 19.
  With a sickening sense of helplessness you allow the tether to pull you back toward the airlock. "Tira," you say, "don't worry, we'll turn around and come back for you!" But already the comm has gone eerily silent.
  
  When the airlock doors close behind you, and the room pressurizes full of air, you feel defeated. It wasn't much more than hour ago that you felt bored and undervalued. Then you set off on what you expected to be an exciting spacewalk with two other people--and now you're the only one who has returned safely to the ship. That's quite an emotion to process, you're finding out.
  
  But before you have a chance to dwell on that feeling, something strikes the ship and sends you reeling in the airlock, your EV suit still half undone.
  
  "Starman!" Siggo shouts over the comm, as you're getting back up on your feet. "We're in a very bad situation here. Thrusters aren't responding, and that last collision knocked us out of orbit like a line drive into right field."
  
  The metaphor is lost on you. "Uh, OK," you say.
  
  "We're going down," Siggo says. "We're heading straight for a crash landing on Giri Minor, and all I can do is try and minimize the damage. What I need from you is to get up to that passenger cabin and make sure everyone is secure."
  
  "Yes, sir," you say. You finish taking off the EV suit and take the service lift directly to the upper deck.
  
  > Page 20
  When you get to the passenger cabin, you can see that Commander Andrade already has the situation well in hand. The passengers are fully aware of the situation because of the large viewports; the port hyperspace field generator with its gaping hole, and the spacewalk tether trailing in space with no spacewalkers attached to the end, are both plainly visible outside the ship. The ship is listing helplessly in space, and Giri Minor is getting closer and closer at an alarming rate. You'll be diving into the atmosphere in just minutes.
  
  Andrade is the ranking officer on deck, and she has already gotten the other service members to help her reconfigure the seating into safety mode. Out of the middle of the floor, several rows of hidden seats are arising from their hidden compartments. Unlike the previous lounge-style furniture designed for comfort, these are rigidly planted and equipped with harnesses. If you're going to crash on a planet's surface, this is where you'd want to be.
  
  She points to Yigaro and Easa, both of whom are watching the proceedings with grave concern. "Right now I think those two need your help more than anyone," she says.
  
  Yiggy sees the orderly efforts of the adults and is trying to remain calm himself, but his sister senses the underlying fear felt by everyone, and she is losing her control. You do your best to reassure her, and take both their hands as you move them into the secure seating.
  
  Siggo calls you on the comm. "Starman, how is the situation back there?"
  
  You tell him that the passengers are secure.
  
  "That's good, because I don't have much control of this thing right now." He starts humming, and you can picture his attention being diverted at the moment by something on his panel. "This ride is about to get real rocky, real soon."
  
  And indeed he is correct. The ship pitches sharply starboard as it enters the atmosphere of Giri Minor, and the lights go dark as the main power cuts out. The auxiliary lighting is very dim by comparison.
  
  Easa and Yiggy are both terrified to the point of being stiff and silent. Then, after what seems like a long time, Yigaro says, "We're going to die, aren't we?"
  
  You hold them as close as the safety restraints allow. "No," you try and reassure. "Of course not. Captain Siggo is one of the best pilots in the fleet!"
  
  "But we're crashing," the boy protests.
  
  "Yes, but the captain will find someplace for us to land."
  
  > Page 22
  At that moment you hear Siggo on your comm unit again. "Starman, I hope things are going better for you than they are for me. I don't have much to work with up here; none of the thrusters are responding, and the aerodynamic controls alone won't be enough to save us.
  
  "But I have some good news for you though," he says.
  
  "Oh, the captain has some good news!" you say for the benefit of the two kids.
  
  "Yeah, I think I found your abandoned colony," Siggo continues. "And it's located on a great big plain. And it's even within range! I can't make any promises, but I'm going to do everything I can to put us down there. Now here's the catch, and I'm going to tell you this now while there's still time: there probably won't be too much left of this ol' space bird when I'm done with her. Your best bet to find supplies and equipment will be that colony site."
  
  "I understand," you say.
  
  "Remember, our comm array was the first system that went dead on us. No one knows where we are. This is a deserted planet. Conditions are going to be harsh. I'll do what I can to keep the cabin intact, but it's going to be up to you to get those people to safety!"
  
  Then Siggo goes into another one of his songs, leaving the comm open long enough for you to hear the first verse. It's a rousing love song, oddly cheery given the circumstances, but then he cuts the link.
  
  All you hear now is the rattling of the hull, the rolling of some loose items across the floor, and a few nervous sounds from the other people in the cabin. Nobody says anything. The two siblings cling tightly to your left arm, the young girl leaning her head into your side. It is a tense moment for everybody.
  
  Outside, the ship's heat shields glow brightly from the friction with the planet's atmosphere. It is nighttime on this side of Giri Minor, and the glare prevents you from seeing any landmarks below. But if there were anybody down on the surface, they'd be getting a good look at you, because the out-of-control transport vessel would be appearing as a bright streak across the night sky.
  
  > Page 25
  The glow of the heat shields slowly fade, suggesting the captain has found some way to control the ship's speed. But you are still shaking and pitching as the vessel is buffeted by crosswinds. You can make out shadows outside the viewport now, which you soon realize are mountains on the horizon. The ground is also visible, but that is not really a comforting sight as it inches closer, its various features whizzing past you.
  
  Siggo has not said anything for what seems like a long time, and you know he his concentrating on the landing. But someone else behind you in the passenger cabin shouts out, "This is it!" And there is a terrible sound of grinding metal as the ship makes its first contact with the ground. You close your eyes and grasp the kids tightly. You lurch forward painfully, then starboard, and then you lose orientation. Somewhere up ahead you hear something shattering, and there is a brief flash of light that you can see even through your closed eyelids. The bitter smell of ozone fills the air.
  
  Then the world stops moving. The ship has come to rest, but your eyes are still closed and your muscles are still tense. When you first open one eye and then shift the position of your right leg, it is an affirmation that you survived the landing. The ozone smell is concerning, though, because it means there is an electrical fire somewhere.
  
  You let go of Yiggy and Easa, who sit motionless and unsure of what to think. You unfasten yourself, and then undo their restraints. You are aware of a sharp pain in your side, but that's not your primary concern right now. The transport ship is tilted slightly to the starboard side, and you notice that Dionysya Andrade and one of the other passengers are working on opening the hatch on that side. Protocol would be to perform an environmental scan first to ensure the conditions outside are habitable, but nothing works now and there is no time.
  
  The hatch opens, and the people who are already on their feet are exiting the ship. You pick up both children and step down onto the dusty surface of Giri Minor.
  
  > Page 26
  You set Yiggy and Easa down where the other survivors have gathered, about 20 meters from the ship. But something is wrong; there were sixteen passengers on the manifest, but only ten have made it off the ship. Others are still on board!
  
  You look around. Everyone is still pretty dazed, and Andrade looks exhausted. One woman, an ensign, sits on the ground, tired and with a broken arm at her side.
  
  You feel electric, though, like there's no time to waste. You run back toward the smoking wreck and climb back up through the cockeyed hatch. There are indeed people still in their seats, and for a moment you freeze, not sure if they're dead or gravely injured. Then two other people join you from outside, one of them a lieutenant. Together you go through the cabin, checking on each remaining person. Three of the people are indeed dead, but you help the remaining survivors out of their restraints and one by one lift them down to the ground and carry them to the others.
  
  Your next impulse is to check the flight deck, but you are quickly stopped in your tracks when you see the crumpled mass that used to be the forward part of the ship. You don't need a closer look to know that Siggo did not survive. You are the last surviving member of the crew.
  
  That's when the fire you have been smelling takes light, engulfing the remains of the bridge in tall flames. The fire quickly spreads aftward to the passenger cabin, casting all of the survivors gathered in this alien desert in a warm but dispiriting glow. You sit for the first time since the crash.
  
  "Starman, you don't look so good," Andrade says. The comment prompts you to check your own wounds: a scrape across your forehead, and what you're pretty sure is a cracked rib. But you look around at your companions and realize your situation is about average.
  
  "I'll be OK," you say.
  
  Just then someone emerges from the darkness, and as he steps into the light you recognize the lieutenant who helped you with the other survivors. Lieutenant Nimjey, you remember. "I found the aft part of the ship back about 150 meters," he says. "It didn't catch fire and should give us some shelter."
  
  > Page 28
  Not only is he correct, but this turns out to be the best break of the day so far, because the part of the ship that broke off included the cargo hold. It's a mess, and it was mostly filled with personal equipment and belogings, but the hold can be used as shelter from the elements, and the baggage might contain items useful for your survival.
  
  After making a quick inspection of the hold with Nimjey, you return to the group gathered on the desert. Your mind has been racing. Even though you're hardly the most experienced or highest ranking service member present, you clearly see that you have two priorities before you: the survival of all thirteen people, and contacting the fleet.
  
  You explain your thoughts to the group.
  
  "I can agree with the first priority," Andrade says, "but how do we contact the fleet from here?"
  
  So then you tell how Siggo was going to try and land the ship near the site of the long-abandoned colony. "Hmm, could that be?" she says. She activates the WristComp on her left arm and scans the horizon in a long arc, returning her focus to one point.
  
  "Indeed," she says. "I detect what looks like structures about 8 kilometers in that direction."
  
  You are torn about what to do. It's critical that someone contacts the fleet, but are you that person? What experience have you had with hyperspace comm systems? Of course, someone also has to stay behind and help ensure the survival of everyone here. That role is equally important.
  
  > If you go in search of the colony in hopes of finding communications equipment, turn to page 44.
  "Are you in any shape for an 8-kilometer hike across the open desert?" Andrade asks.
  
  Yes, you are injured, but given all that has just happened you would rather be on the move. "I can make it," you say. "Other than a cracked rib, I feel good."
  
  Andrade sighs. "And I suppose I'm the person who should go with you. I am a communications officer, so if we find a transmitter there, I'll be the person most qualified to use it."
  
  She turns to Lieutenant Nimjey. "I'm putting you in charge of organizing the camp."
  
  "Yes, sir," Nimjey replies.
  
  "We've lost 6 people tonight," Andrade continues, speaking louder so everyone can hear. "Two people are lost in space. Three of our fellow passengers perished in the crash. And the captain... well, he died trying to keep the rest of us alive. So now it's our turn to help keep each other alive. Do you understand me?"
  
  The people in uniform mutter their agreement.
  
  "Remember," she goes on, "we have some gravely injured people among us, as well as two little kids. If you can walk, then get those who can't into the shelter of the cargo hold. Then let's see what we have for supplies and equipment."
  
  With that, the people who just a moment ago felt stunned and defeated by the crash now feel a sense of common purpose, springing into action to establish a camp of sorts here in the desert, illuminated by the light of the burning forward half of the downed transport vessel.
  
  > Page 45
  Then Commander Andrade turns to you. "I'm going to get a scan of the intervening terrain and create a map. Why don't you go and see what supplies you can find for us?"
  
  "Yes, sir," you say.
  
  All of the able-bodied survivors are now busy setting up the camp, with a priority of getting the injured people into the shelter first. Even Yiggy and Easa help carry what they can. Dr. Munro, the xenoanthropologist heading to the planet Folvan, volunteers to serve as a medic.
  
  "When you're spending months at a time at a remote research outpost," she says, "you can't go to the nearest hospital for every little bruise or sniffle. It pays to be self-sufficient."
  
  "And her bedside manner is not bad, either," her husband Ander Dyo says. He seems cheerful despite being marooned on an alien world with a fractured leg.
  
  "Unfortunately," the doctor continues, "we have almost no medical equipment here. I can put splints on the broken bones, but that's about it."
  
  You find Lieutenant Nimjey organizing the cargo hold from a chaotic pile of luggage and duffel into something everyone will be able to sleep in. "The commander and I are setting off to investigate the old colony site," you say. "Have we found any food or water?"
  
  "Not much," Nimjey says. "You might want to check with Lieutenant Oviedo-Nandez over there."
  
  > Page 46
  He points the engineering team that had been traveling to their new assignment on the Khubu homeworld. They are now systematically combing through the contents of the cargo bay looking for anything that might be useful. You approach Oviedo-Nandez and explain to him what you're looking for.
  
  "Food?" he says. "I hope you like NutriRations. My man Chief Ibanz here had a small stash in his bag that he was saving for a rainy day. He would be honored to share them with you and the commander. Isn't that right, Ibanz?"
  
  "Honored, sir," Ibanz says, never looking up from his work.
  
  "Water?" Oviedo-Nandez continues. "We're not doing so well there. I came across a total of four bottles that made it out of the ship. That's it--not even four full liters to split between everyone here. Take them. If you're hiking across the desert so you can call home, you're going to need them. Around here, they're just going to breed resentment."
  
  The third member of the team, Chief Gunder, speaks up. "Here's a plasgun, sir. That might be useful."
  
  Oviedo-Nandez puts these meager supplies in a pair of rucksacks for you, and then throws in a couple jackets and a single handlight pulled out of someone's duffel bag.
  
  > Page 47
  "So far this is it," he says. "Sorry I'm not much of a quartermaster, but mostly what we've been finding are spare uniforms, family photos, musical instruments. Apparently no one on this flight was preparing for a wilderness backpacking trip."
  
  "We'll take what we can get," you say.
  
  "Just remember that people will be relying on you," he says. "We may have survived the crash, but keeping alive in a desolate wasteland is a different thing."
  
  > Page 48
  You find Commander Andrade at the edge of this so-called "camp," scanning the nighttime landscape with her WristComp. You show her the two rucksacks and their humble contents, and she calls up a holographic display of the rough map she has just made. Emitted by the sophisticated device on her left wrist, the map floats in the space between you, glowing brightly in the dim moonlight.
  
  "The good news is that it's a straight shot," she says. "It looks like there is a ridgeline of some kind that we can follow over here, and the colony site sits in this valley down there."
  
  "That looks easy enough," you say. "But what's the bad news?"
  
  "That's it, I have no idea," she says. "We're in an alien environment, underprepared in terms of gear, and operating on too little information. If this were an actual mission, we'd be outfitted with exactly what we need, and we'd be briefed on exactly what conditions to expect. But we're on an unsurveyed world, equipped only with what a lieutenant was able to purloin out of someone's duffel bag. I don't mean to scare you, but I can't underestimate the risk involved in what we're doing."
  
  "But the risk would be even greater if we just sat here," you say.
  
  "Right," she says. "That's why we're doing what we're about to do."
  
  > Page 49
  "So, Starman, when do you think we should set off for the colony site?" she asks.
  
  You hadn't quite thought about that yet. "I'm tempted to take off right now," you say. "The sooner we can get a signal out for help, the better."
  
  "There is an urgency to our situation," she agrees. "And as I understand it, Giri Minor is mostly desert. The temperature seems reasonable now in the dark, but I would expect it to be less so in daylight."
  
  However, a thought occurs to you while she's speaking. "But I'm not sure it's the best idea to cross a strange wilderness in the dark," you say. "It will be hotter in the daylight, but at least we can see where we're going."
  
  "Perhaps first thing in the morning," Andrade says, "while the desert is still on the cool side."
  
  She pauses, then adds, "Look, I'm 52 years old, and I've spent most of my naval career working at desks and computer controls. Before we're done here I'm probably going to wish I had spent more time working out. So if we're going to make this trek, I'm going to be relying on your youth for my inspiration. Therefore I'm leaving it up to you to decide when we go."
  
  > If you head out now in the dark, turn to page 17.
  "We're marooned on an alien world, and we have almost no food or water," you say. Then you lower your voice. "Captain Siggo told me before we went down that no one probably knows where we are, as the hyperspace comm was the first system that went down."
  
  "Right," Andrade says. "So we can't just sit around expecting help to come any minute."
  
  "Therefore I say we head out now," you say, "and find out right away whether or not there is anything at that colony that can help us."
  
  Andrade nods slightly at your assessment, but then says, "How is it no one ever made you an officer?"
  
  You don't know how to respond to that.
  
  > Page 73
  With Lieutenant Nimjey and Dr. Munro wishing you luck, you set off into the dark desert with Commander Andrade. The burning forward portion of the ship quickly recedes behind you, and your eyes adjust to the pale light cast by Giri Minor's two remaining moons.
  
  The desert plain is strewn with dark objects that at first make no sense to you, and which are far too easy to trip over. Then you look closely at one in the dim light and recognize that you are surrounded by ancient tree stumps and logs--the desiccated remains of a forest that stood here two centuries ago, before the third moon exploded and triggered the planet's ecological disaster.
  
  Things seem to go well at first, with the commander navigating with the aid of her WristComp, and you scouting a path through the maze of half-buried logs. Every now and then you look back toward the crash site, and the fire is more and more distant each time you do.
  
  "Ow!" the commander says. "Something just bit me on the ankle."
  
  "Do you need to stop?" you ask.
  
  "No, I think I'm fine. Probably just a fly or something."
  
  So you continue deeper into the desert, but now you think you can hear something scurrying across the dry ground. It's probably just the sound of the gravel being kicked up by your boots, you decide.
  
  > Page 127
  That is, until you take another step and something crunches under your boot. And your next step, and the next.
  
  "Do you hear that?" you ask, but when you turn around Commander Andrade is not there. You can make out her silhouette about 100 meters back.
  
  "This water is exactly what we needed!" she shouts. "It feels so good. Starman, I don't know how you could pass right by this pool without wanting to jump right in!"
  
  You have no idea what she's talking about. This is a desert; there is no pool of water.
  
  But now as you examine the space between where you stand and Andrade stopped, you can see in the moonlight that the ground seems alive. Hundreds--no, thousands--of small black creatures the size of your thumb are on the move, heading in the commander's direction.
  
  "Ohh-hoh-hoh-ohh, this feels so good!" she shouts again, as if she were swimming. You run back toward her, stomping on the creatures with every step. The commander is kneeling on the ground, her arms and hands acting as though she were splashing water over her body, even though the spot where she stopped is as dry and barren as anyplace else.
  
  You can see that the creatures are starting to latch onto her exposed skin, with more on the way.
  
  > If you run back to the crash site for help, turn to page 74.
  This situation is more than you can handle. You're not a medic, and there's no way you could carry Commander Andrade all the way back to the crash site so that Dr. Munro could treat her. But you can run fast, so your first impulse is to sprint back across the desert and bring help to the commander.
  
  "Sir, it's OK, you'll be all right," you say. "I'm going back for help."
  
  "Good idea!" the commander says. "We shouldn't keep this wonderful oasis all to ourselves! This could sustain us for weeks."
  
  You're no doctor, but it's clear that these bug-like creatures have injected Andrade with some kind of hallucinogenic compound. If Dr. Munro can't treat her, then at least you can find other people to help you carry her back to camp.
  
  By the time you reach the crash site, you are exhausted and extremely thirsty, but with your remaining breath you explain to Nimjey, Munro, and Oviedo-Nandez what just happened. All three race into the desert to find the commander, but in the moonlight, with no WristComps of their own, how will they find her?
  
  They scour the desert into the early morning hours, not even hearing her delusional shouts. In the morning, after you've rested, you rejoin them. All three are huddled over an object on the ground, and to your horror you recognize the commander's skeletonized remains, picked clean by the little nocturnal creatures that devoured her.