Author: Lewis Richards

Two Shuttles slashed through the sheeting rain, trailed by twin comet tails of super heated plasma vaporising any raindrops unfortunate enough to meet them on their spiralling descent toward the fluctuating lights of the colony they raced toward.

It had been three days since the Ark-ship above lost contact with the colonists below and just over an hour since their distress call fired up the gravity well calling for an Evac before communication was lost again.

“Arrival in T-Minus three minutes. Over” The voice of the ships captain crackled.

“Confirmed” came matching responses from the shuttle pilots.

The shuttles levelled out, main engines cutting out as speed reducing thrusters flared.

“Hold position five hundred metres above the LZ. Over.”

“Captain?” The pilot of Shuttle Alpha asked

“Hold position.”

“But Sir with all due respect we don’t know how desperate the situ-“

“Precisely Daniels.” The Captain interjected. “ I am not inclined to allow an unknown pathogen, life form or rogue element risk the lives of everybody aboard this ship. We need more information and until then we treat this as a full quarantine lockdown. Am I understood?”

“Yes Sir” Two voices chimed

“Good. Now hold Position”

“Confirmed”

The shuttles hung in the air, buffeted by howling wind. Below the colony spread outward from a central landing pad, prefabricated units dropped from orbit giving way to a vast alien prairie. Lights flicked in a few windows, a ring of perimeter lights blinked in and out.

“Switching to spotlights.” Pilot Beta announced.

“High-beams on, confirmed” Daniels replied.

Two coronas of white blue light pierced through the night.

“What the- Sir are you seeing this? We have colonists on the landing pad.”

The pilots stared down at the landing pad and the mass of bodies staring back at them. Colonists covered every inch of space, packed tightly as more crammed up the access ramps and metal staircases.

“That must be every colonist down here” Beta whispered.

“They’re going to have to scram if they want a ride” Daniels answered “Sir shall I start my approach?”

“Negative Daniels. Hold while we assess.”

“Sir do you have access to my forward camera feed? You should see this.” Beta spoke. Panic in his voice.

Daniels bought the image up on his own screen, Beta was zoomed in on the colonists below, they were stood perfectly still. Too still, their eyes fixed unblinking on the glare of the shuttles above them, every muscle locked, mouths gaped in silent screams. Even from here he could see the whites of their eyes, he zoomed further, every colonists eyes were milky, laced with black.

“What’s wrong with them?” Daniels asked.

Nobody answered.

“Shuttles are to return to the ship immediately. You will perform a 7G burn from your main thrusters back into orbit and proceed directly back to the ship. Am I understood?” The Captains voice boomed with every ounce of her authority.

“Sir, the plasm-“ Daniels began.

“Exactly.” Beta whispered.

“Oh shit.” Daniels muttered, fingers flying over his console.

The shuttles flipped in near unison, thrusters flaring as they pointed their noses straight up.

“Acceleration in 3-2-“ the captain counted down.

“Confirmed” two voices spoke from the shuttles.

The main engines of the shuttles burst to life, propelling them back up through the atmosphere as twin comet tail exhausts of superheated plasma bathed the horror below, vaporising any colonists fortunate enough to be in their path.