I stay silent as 98XF5 pilots us expertly through the asteroid field. He’s doing what no one can do. No human, at least…

But he is a human. He looks like a human, and he’s starting to sound more and more like one.

I feel a surge of… something strange. I guess it’s pride. Pride at watching him pilot us through the most dangerous navigation situation yet known in the galaxy.

But I’m also struck practically dead with fear.

I’ve never so much as been on a space craft before, let alone crashed landed on one.

Finally, we’re out of the asteroid belt. We’re headed right for the planet. It’s looming large in front of us. It looks like a marble, not unlike Earth. There are huge oceans and large swathes of green.

“Try to aim away from the oceans,” I say.

“I’m glad you’re starting to see the humor in the situation.”

“Oh? I suppose you’re doing the same?”

He doesn’t answer.

“Engine’s really starting to heat up,” he says.

Warning lights are flashing all over the ship.

“Warning,” says the ship’s computer, speaking for the first time. “Severe engine failure… approximately 20 seconds. Warning, planetary impact… approximately one minute.”

The ship is making a cacophony of horrible noises of all types.

And the computer is competing, raising the volume of its warnings.

I can barely think, and I’m more terrified then I’ve ever been.

We hit the atmosphere, the ship starting to shake we leave the airless space.

“I’m going to have to cut the engine,” shouts 98XF5 above the noise.

“How are we going to land?”

“We can’t,” he shouts. “But if I don’t cut it, the engine will overheat and we’ll explode.”

“Fuck,” is all I can say.

His hands are working furiously over the controls.

I hear the engine powering down, the massive turbines slowly coming to a stop.

The power cuts in and out in the cockpit until finally fading away completely. The holo deck display disappears, and all that’s left is the terrifying view through the glass panel of the new planet rushing up towards us as we barrel towards it at an incredible speed.

“I’m taking us to the ocean!” he shouts, his hands gripping the yoke, which is now devoid of its power assist. “It’s the only way.”

What happens next is simply too fast for me to protest.

Surprisingly, I don’t black out.

But my memory goes in and out.

The water is rushing towards us. There are huge waves that crash into each other.

We’re less than a hundred meters from the water. We’re headed into the ocean, nose down.

“Brace yourself,” shouts 98XF5.

I look around wildly, but there’s not much to brace myself on.

We hit the water with a tremendous swishing noise.

And we don’t stop moving.

I’m thrown back in my seat.

Our ship is plunging deep down into the ocean. All I can see is water, getting darker and darker, the further down we go.

“I’ve got to power on the engines now,” shouts 98XF5 over the sound of the water rushing around the ship.

“But we’ll overheat and explode!”

“It’s a risk we’re going to have to take. Hopefully the water is cold. If it is, it’ll keep the engines from overheating for a minute or so, giving us enough time to get to the surface. Otherwise we’ll keep plummeting down. And there’s no telling how deep this ocean is.”

“What if the ocean’s hot?”

“There’s no way to tell,” he shouts back, fiddling with the controls, getting ready to turn the engines back on for one final run. “Not without the holo deck. If it’s warm, we’ll explode.”

The turbines start to crank. They seem to be moving impossibly slowly.

“Come on,” mutters 98XF5, as he smashes his fist into one of the buttons.

The engines roar to life.

Is it just my imagination, or is there a grin on his face, a grin of triumph?

“Here goes nothing.”

With the one remaining thruster, 98XF5 manages to pilot us through the water up to the surface.

We resurface with a huge sucking noise. 98XF5 cuts the engines again. Now we’re left bobbing on the ocean, like some antique boat.

“Quick,” shouts 98XF5. “Go aft and grab the emergency supplies. Go!”

He’s working the controls, trying to keep the engine from exploding for as long as he can, using manual subroutines to divert power throughout the ship.

I rush into the back, looking frantically for anything that resembles an emergency pack.

There’s a sudden sound from above. It’s the sound of metal shearing away. Something’s falling. I try to move out of the way, but something crashes into my head, and I don’t remember anything more.