AUBRIOT HOPPED DOWN from his seat and took a step toward the door that led to Opportunity’s interior. Before he could take another step, the ship lurched violently and he was thrown from his feet. He crashed into the wall, his head bearing the brunt of the impact. His skull clunked against the surface. Knocked out, he slid downward and lay still with his legs and arms splayed out.
Wilder had been sitting up, anxious to escape the confinement of the chair, but she quickly reclined again and gripped the sides of the padding. “What was that?”
Cherry had been halfway off of her seat when the ship received the hit. She staggered but managed to hold on to the end of a safety strap protruding from its anchor point.
Kes fell to his knees, hard, his kneecaps thunking dully on the floor.
“What h
