The survey mission had been going so well. Namunk had just planned to make a quick sweep by the planet, slingshot around the sun, then hibernate all the way home. Then the alarms went off on approach. Something was wrong, the hull was collapsing. Fast. And if the shell fractured out here in the vacuum of space, it would be all over. But if he ditched his ship in the atmosphere and there was nowhere for him to go he'd be just as gone. He turned the controls and aimed towards the blue orb ahead of him. If he found a suitable shelter, he could wait for a rescue indefinitely.
