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Chapter One"Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! This is the pilot of the private cruiser Laurel-Lynn M4J679. I've just passed through a micro meteor shower in quadrant LBT13009 in the Horseshoe Nebula and have experienced structural damage."
Laurel Conyers switched off the microphone while she waited to see if anyone would pick up the signal. Seeing that she'd dropped within viewing distance of the planet below her, she activated the craft's stealth mode. There was no sense in scaring the shit out of the natives.
Her radio squawked as it picked up a counter transmission. She turned it on again and started panting and gasping.
"Mayday! Mayday! This is the pilot.... "She repeated the previous message.
"Laurel-Lynn M4J679--this is Station O2412 on the outer rim. What's your status?"
Laurel frowned, dropping a little lower as she saw a land mass appear in her viewing port. "Station O2412--This is Laurel-Lynn M4J679. I'm hemorrhaging air. The rudder is sluggish. Some computer malfunction. I'm going to have to set it down for repairs. Copy?"
"Laurel-Lynn M4J679, this is Station O2412. You are in restricted space. I repeat, you are in restricted space. Can you make it to the next system?"
"Negative. I'm going to have to find something closer--really close," Laurel said, panting into the microphone for a little added drama before she turned it off and leaned forward in her seat. A smile curled her lips. There was a village just below her. Pulling the cruiser in a wide turn, she headed back for another look, dropping a little lower.
"Private cruiser Laurel-Lynn M4J679, this is Station O2412. You are not authorized to land in that sector. Irepeat, you are not authorized to land in that sector."
Laurel activated her microphone again. "Just what part of 'I'm fucking crashing' do you not understand, Station O2412?"