Title: Splashdown, Part 2
Author: Sarah K. Roberts (S.K.Roberts)
Date Completed: April 23, 2004
Category: Drabble: PERIPHRASTIC
Summary: He's still falling.
Spoilers: "Redemption, Part 2"
Author's Note: periphrastic -- expressing, or expressed, in more words than are necessary ... Apollo 13, A Brief History -- April 11-17 1970: After a dangerous explosion had crippled the Apollo 13 craft, the three crew members were trapped in space with very little oxygen and power. With three days of ingenious thinking on the parts of both the astronauts and the ground crew, the craft made in back to the space above earth's atmosphere. Radio contact was lost for several minutes during reentry, but all three astronauts survived. The Apollo 13 mission has been called "a successful failure" in that the crew was brought back safely, but they never made it to the moon.

Splashdown, Part 2

Lack of radio contact.

A real Apollo 13 moment.

Falling.

Did the hyperdrive work?

Did we save the world... again?

Not completely certain, what with all the falling.

But I assume it worked.

If that's true, the X-302 did its job and is gone.

Ah, X-302, we hardly knew ye.

All I can say is farewell. And thank you.

Falling.

The 'chute opens.

I'm in the Atlantic within moments.

The rescue team comes for me.

I wave to let them know I'm okay.

There's no periphrastic thank you, but I'm grateful all the same.

"Thanks for the lift home, guys."