Word count: 550
Setting: the refugees are onboard the Maoist space-destroyer Golden Bird. They are about to be relocated to a new planet…

We came out of hyperspace with a bone-shaking jolt and the sound of the metal hull creaking and groaning under pressure. In seconds we were thrown to one side and our cots slid across the cargo bay as the ship made a sudden turn. Through the portholes we could see a planet below with dark brown deserts and shining lights of cities. We turned toward the planet, descending at a frightening speed.

It became clear when alarms began to ring that we were going in guns blazing. Yellow Ion Bolts zipped past the port holes as the planet returned fire. Radiation from our defense shields flickered and flashed and everyone cowered beneath their upturned beds. The *boom*ing thuds of the planet’s weaponry against our shields sounded like the coming of Armageddon; God himself having a heart attack (his huge heart thumping and shuddering irregularly, tearing itself to bits.)

People tumbled everywhere in the wild turbulence as hot, glowing air screamed against the hull. The cots slid toward the front of the cargo bay as we began to brake hard. We were still blasting furiously at the planet’s surface as we levelled out.

…

The cloud of dust and wind dissipated. I was lying in the dirt and there were other people lying all around me. We slowly began to sit up and dust ourselves off. The surface of the brown planet was nothing but smoking ruins. The Golden Bird of Mao was gone. Wide-eyed, we looked around for signs of life, like visitors to a dark house.

Oh well. I think that’s enough practice. NaNoWriMo is in two weeks and I’ll need to break 1k per day to get that done, so I don’t want to tire myself out too early (these late-nighters… I don’t even know what I’m writing sometimes). All of this week’s bits were from Chapter 5 of the novel ‘2′ and more of them will be posted if you stick around.

Nighty-night :)