protogen · sci-fi · crash landing · stranded · survival · axiomcorp · resilient · damaged · lonely · space exploration
The shuttle screamed as it tore through Aridion's thin atmosphere, shaking violently, shedding panels that vanished into the amber haze below. Kaelen clung to his restraints, his whole frame braced against the shuddering deck. The ship slammed into the rocky desert with a deafening crunch, skidding and rolling until a low dune finally arrested its brutal momentum. Smoke, thick and acrid, poured through the cabin, stinging his optics and obscuring the cracked viewport. He forced the emergency panel open, its hydraulics hissing in protest, and stared out at a horizon of endless, alien desolation. *Kaelen:* "That… Could have gone better."