Chapter 9

‘Owwww!’ Groaning in pain, Nash lifted his head, rubbing the back of his neck gingerly. The rough landing had shaken him to the core. It was only the seatbelt and the cushioning of V2’s seats that had saved him from serious injury.

Nash surveyed the ship and his fellow crew members. Smoke and steam hissed from several outlets. An alarm beeped in the distance. Groans from the other crew members sounded around him. He checked Raj and KC and saw they were fine. Undoing his seatbelt, Nash fell to the floor, taking a moment to regain his feet and his thoughts. Felix, Olga, and his dad seemed dazed but okay. Commander Best was slumped in her seat, her side of the spacecraft having taken most of the impact.

V2 had obviously struck something big and hard on landing. The instrument panel flashed brightly showing the damage the spacecraft had sustained. None of that was important right now. Nash focused solely on helping Commander Best.

Raj and KC helped Felix, Olga, and Orson undo their seatbelts as the adults came to their senses. The Space Kids had been in the back of the shuttle where the impact of the landing had been lessened. The adults at the front of the craft had absorbed most of the impact and were clearly shaken.

While KC ran to get the first aid kit to help bandage a cut on Felix’s head, Nash shook Commander Best’s shoulder gently. ‘Commander, can you hear me?’

The commander groaned. Relief washed over Nash. She’s alive! he thought.

Nash undid the commander’s seatbelt and helped her onto the floor where she could lie down. He ran to the sleep pod and retrieved the health scanner, flicking it on and ran it over the commander’s head, arms, legs, and body.

Large green text flashed on the monitor. ‘FRACTURE DETECTED’ it read.

‘Uh-oh,’ Nash said. ‘You’ve got a broken wrist.’

Orson hobbled over. ‘Are you okay?’ Nash asked him.

‘Yep. Just a little sore. You?’

‘I’m good,’ Nash said, ‘but the commander’s wrist is broken and she has a deep gash on her head.’

‘I knew we shouldn’t have landed,’ Felix said, rubbing his head.

‘Don’t worry about that now,’ Orson said. ‘Commander Best did what she thought was necessary.’

‘We’re way off target and there’s still no word from Alpha,’ Olga pointed out.

‘Let’s check our coordinates then we’ll set out for the colony,’ Orson said.

Nash stood up. ‘I’ll go.’

‘Me too,’ Raj said.

‘I’m coming too,’ KC said.

Orson held his hands up. ‘I’m glad you’re keen to help,’ he said, ‘but slow down. We need someone to stay here with Commander Best while the rest of us set out for the colony.’

‘I’m fine,’ she said, attempting to sit up. She grimaced and lay back down again. ‘Okay, okay. I’ll stay here.’

It was decided that Felix and Olga would stay onboard with Commander Best. Felix was to set about repairing the damaged panels and landing gear while Olga was going to take care of Commander Best.

The commander tried sitting up again, but Olga held her down. ‘No moving yet. I need to give you a thorough check and make sure you don’t have concussion.’

Orson and the Space Kids suited up and prepared to leave. Without a vehicle, they would have to walk. They checked their maps and the electronic positioning system and discovered they were almost two miles from the colony. Not disastrous, but when every moment counted, they certainly hadn’t needed this miscalculation.

V2’s entry door whooshed open. Surveying the red-brown landscape in front of him with a mix of fear and excitement, Nash swallowed hard.

This is it, he thought. A new day. A new planet. A new adventure!