"Deserts."
"Really?" Bianca asked and turned to look out the window. The spinning had slowed, but the landscape revealed everything. They headed straight for the golden-brown sand. In the distance, all the dunes looked like waves as the ship hurled to the ground.
"I guess I wanted to be warm," she said.
She might have smiled.
Harbin was unsure because the ship hit the ground hard, smashing into a dune and burying the front. The entire ship's aft end stuck up in the air like the ship had dove into the sand.
Everyone fell forward.
Controls sparked.
Bianca lost her grip and flew into the main window.
A horrible crack of glass pierced the air.
"Bianca!" Harbin cried out.
He leaped over the others to get to her, crumpled in the window.
"No, Bianca," he whispered as he scanned her. She wasn't moving or responding.
"Bianca?" Veta whispered, her voice cracking.
"She'll be okay," Wrathin said, though where he got his data was unknown. He was not scanning her.
"She's tough," Veta said. "She's put up with the Emperor for years. She can handle being slammed into a window."
Harbin studied the readings.
Though he had a hard time focusing on it.
Was this fear?
Fear for Bianca? Fear that she would not be able to survive?
The sensation made him sick to his stomach. Pain like nothing he'd ever felt.
Stop.
Follow protocol.
He made himself focus on the scans and reports about Bianca's condition.
"Breathing fully functional. Internal damage is extensive."
She would require more nanites to heal her.
Bianca opened her eyes. "Hi."
He took her hand. "Hello there." He shook.
"That was quite the landing," she said, her voice strained and hoarse. "Tell your friend he is a horrible pilot."
Harbin smiled, hiding his concern. "You can tell him yourself."
"I don't know if I can move right now." She winced as she attempted to sit up. "Oh, that was not good," she muttered.
