Nearly every time I closed my eyes, I was awoken by the sound of the computer. It informed me, on a near-endless loop, that we had suffered further hull damage.

The news was unwelcome and unwanted.

Between the isolation, the tedium, and the constant dread, I'd grown numb. The fear still lingered, but it had sunk deeply beneath the surface.

One would think that, amongst all the logs packed into the pod's system, someone might have thought to toss in some entertainment. Something to offer a distraction. But no, that was asking too much. No music or films, no games or books. All the database contained was an endless array of files about the known sectors of space. Which I had long since exhausted. Not every log, but certainly all the ones related to my current location.

I had learned that the Marhi system had five planets. My destination was the one furthest from the sun. The other four were all too close to sustain life.

The shuttle rocked again, the computer blaring its usual "Hull integrity has been compromised," line.

I didn't blink.

At that moment, I was sprawled naked across the floor of the pod, my eyes unfocused as I stared mutely at the ceiling.

In the corridor beneath the loft were a few commodities; a food and water synthesizer, as well as a sonic-washer for laundering clothing and bedding. The washer had beeped ages ago, but I'd yet to get up or redress.

Having no spare clothing, nudity between washes had become my new norm. I didn't mind it much. Although my opinion would have been markedly different had I been stuck sharing the shuttle with other people. Since I was completely and utterly alone, it was pointless to worry about modesty. It wasn't as if the computer cared.

I shook my head and, with a groan, I rubbed at my eyes; at least now my hands had healed. Even my ribs felt better. They were still tender in a few spots, but I was now certain that nothing had broken. Instead, I just had a nasty bruise; it moved past the red-purple stage and had begun to turn a sickly blue-green.

My arms flopped back to the floor, and I sighed heavily.

"Are we there yet?" I asked the computer, sounding every bit like a bored child stuck on a long trip. I certainly felt like one.

"Thirty-six minutes until entry."

Not unlike a horse, I pursed my lips and blew out a long stream of air. It served no purpose other than releasing some of the building tension.

In just over half an hour, I'd be planet-side. Or dead. The pod might very well get ripped apart upon entering the planet's atmosphere. I didn't know how much of the outer shielding remained.

Needless to say, the beacon had served no purpose. No one had come to the rescue. There wasn't a living soul within signal distance.

My eyes screwed shut. I needed to think positively. Instead of the gloom, I steered my thoughts toward my first objective after landing. Wandering too far from the shuttle seemed dangerous. Would it be wiser to just keep it sealed shut?

That raised another question in my mind, circling back to the worst-case scenario.

What if we crashed into the sea or something? I already knew the planet had no large oceans, but the fear pricked all the same.

"You're smart enough not to land in the middle of a lake, right?" Then another nagging thought crept in. "Or a city?"

"The landing zone will be determined pre-entry. Basic criteria must be met."

"Of course. And those are?"

"Proximity to water and other life-sustaining resources."

With some effort, I sat up and gave a stretch, twisting a little at the waist. I needed to get ready. At the very least, I wanted to throw on my pants.

Rolling onto my knees, I stood and walked to the rear of the pod.

The washroom was a small space, barely large enough for two people. It was utilitarian, designed only for relieving oneself and cleaning up. Privacy was provided by a simple pocket door. I would have killed for a real shower, hot water and all, but had to settle for ultrasonic vibrations.

I bathed, dressed, and wandered back into the cabin. I knew it wasn't time for entry, but I dropped myself into the seat and fastened my safety belts. It was going to be bumpy, and I didn't want to be caught off guard again.

While the small act brought some comfort, it wasn't enough to keep my nerves from tangling. Knowing the end was drawing near, the numbness I'd felt began to bleed away. Feeling crept back in.

Without thinking, I chewed at the nail of my thumb. I hadn't even realized I'd started until a sharp pain drew my attention down. I'd pulled too hard on a hangnail and it was bleeding. I flicked my tongue over the tiny bead of red, the metallic tang reaching my taste buds.

A fresh distraction was what I needed, desperately.

Drawing up visions of the planet's surface, I tried to paint a mental picture. The Federation's files had limited visual scans, all of which were at long distance and never planet-side. Whoever had logged LOR-942-A's existence had done the bare minimum.

Once, I'd tried to get the computer to speculate what life might be like there. Forests of tall trees? Swamps? Unfortunately, the computer had no answers for me. It wasn't programmed for speculation. It dealt in verifiable facts, much to my annoyance.

"I wonder what the intelligent life form is... I didn't see any pictures."

"That data is unavailable."

I carried on, as if the computer hadn't spoken. "Reptilian?" I rolled that idea around. "Maybe mammalian. If there's forests everywhere, they could be tree-dwellers. Sloth people..." I tried to imagine. "They could live in treehouses."

"That data is unavailable," the computer repeated.

"You know, I don't expect you to actually answer."

Mercifully, the computer offered a real diversion. "One minute until entry."

"Thank God. 'Cause I think I'm going stir-crazy. No offense."

"Thirty seconds until entry."

I started the countdown in my head, eyes drifting shut. That may have been a mistake, because I was forced to focus on the sounds and sensations beyond my sight.

The escape pod groaned angrily as we began to break through the outer atmosphere. I was jostled and bumped in my seat, thankful for the belts keeping me securely in place. I didn't want a repeat of the loft incident. Still, the straps cut into my shoulders and hips with every violent jerk. I hardly noticed, though. My ears were dialed into the screeching around me; were we coming in too fast? Was the rest of the hull being stripped off, piece by piece?

The computer said nothing.

We were dropping through the atmosphere, but it felt wrong somehow. As if the bottom had fallen out from beneath me, my guts leapt into my chest. This brought the bile into my throat, my body tensing against the burning sensation.

Before I could even lose the contents of my stomach, the shuttle slammed into something, and I was wrenched forward then back. My head snapped painfully with the impact. I blinked, but my vision spotted and my ears rang. I tried to clear my sight, but no sooner than I'd closed my eyes, everything went dark on the shuttle.