The pod's alarms blared in Qie Xieling's ears, red lights flashing in sync with the sound, creating a disorienting effect. He slammed his hand down on the controls, trying to stabilise the descent, but another explosion ensued sending the pod spiralling towards a nearby uncharted planet.
Suddenly, the spinning stopped, replaced by a feeling of weightlessness. For a moment, he honestly thought that he had died, that this was what the end felt like. But then he felt the lurch of the pod as it was caught in the planet's gravity, and he knew he was very much alive.
"Shit!" he swore as he braced himself for the impact, his knuckles white as he clung to the safety handles. The pod was soon engulfed in flames as the speed increased.
