Read Reckless Rescue for Free Online

a meteor strike? Her heart thudded in her chest, and she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the fireball.
    Then, right in front of her eyes, the flames dissipated and a silver form emerged.
    It sailed through the sky at an amazing speed, and adrenalin pounded through Marlee’s veins. She shaded her eyes from the sun as it crashed through the trees some distance away. The ground shuddered at the impact.
    If it wasn’t a meteor, what was it? It looked a little like a miniature version of the Tenacity, the old rocket ship that had brought her people to this planet. But if it was a rocket ship, where was it from and what was it doing here?
    After all this time, had someone come to rescue them?
    She was too young to remember the hope people held onto after their arrival, but Nelor remembered. He had told her, childlike hurt and pain in his voice, how they had waited. How it had taken several years for them to accept there would be no rescue.
    Had they given up too soon?
    Marlee picked up her skirts and ran. The ship had been going down fast. The crash she had felt had been too hard for a controlled landing. The occupants could be hurt and needing help.
    She glanced over her shoulder, back towards the village. She should wait for somebody to come with her, but she was too excited to stop. Someone would come looking for her soon enough. She continued on, her breathing laboured.
    After about half an hour, she reached the small stream that ran through the woods. In summer, the stream trickled along, and she and Nelor had picnicked beside it, paddling in the shallow, cool water.
    Now it was swollen from recent storms, and though it was flowing too fast for ice to form, it would be freezing cold. The stepping stones she used in summer still peeked out of the water, so she took a deep breath and stepped carefully across without incident. The ground rose gradually after the stream, but at least the rocky surface made for firmer footing.
    It took another hour to reach the crash site. Marlee hid in the scant shelter of the bare branches for a few moments, catching her breath. The giant silver spaceship rested, still and silent, at the end of the long furrow it had ploughed through the trees.
    Even once Marlee was breathing normally, her heart hadn’t returned to its normal beat. This ship held so much promise, so many possibilities. If its occupants were still alive, and the ship repaired, perhaps they could escape from this planet?
    Despite the crash, she could see little damage to its graceful shape. A shape that bore only the slightest resemblance to the ship that had brought her people here. The Tenacity had been built for carrying people and cargo over long distances. Nelor told her it had taken forever to reach this planet, and she supposed that to a five year old, the nine months of the trip must have seemed like forever. This ship, long and slim, had been built for speed.
    Not that it was going anywhere now.
    After a while, when nothing happened, she stepped out from behind a tree, wondering where the entrance was. There was no door that she could see, only a word on the side in raised text.
Hylista
. She stepped closer and touched the exterior with one finger. It was still warm.
    She ran her hands slowly over the text, down across the smooth surface then paused. The perfect shell was marred by a rough patch. Her fingers slid up and down a small crack, imperceptible to the human eye. She pushed at it with her fingers then jumped back as a gaping hole appeared in the surface with a hiss. Smoke billowed out.
    She hovered a few metres back, coughing. Her nose wrinkled. It smelled strange, bitter and tangy, not like normal smoke at all.
    Even when it cleared, inside remained dark and still. When no sound or movement eventuated, curiosity overcame her caution, and she stepped up to the doorway and peered in.
    It took a few moments for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. Slowly she could make out shapes, buttons, instruments, and a