Chapter Seventeen

"Everybody okay?" Ruby repeated, staring at the hulk of the Phoenix, sand drifting around as it settled into its final resting place.

Wait. Sand?

"I'm okay," said Topaz, and giggled, "That was fun!"

"I guess I'm in one piece," said Onyx.

"Me too," added Sapphire.

"I- I'm fine, I think," said Amethyst, "My left wrist hurts."

There was a groan. "I think I made it..." said Shale.

"Great! We're all here, and all in good shape!" said Topaz.

"Where are we?" asked Onyx, taking off her helmet.

The others did the same and looked around. They were in a desert, with dark yellow sand and black and yellow rock. Stubby bushes grew here and there, and a light breeze was blowing. It was pleasantly warm.

"Not a clue," said Amethyst, flexing her wrist and wincing with the movement.

Shale walked over to the ship, then around it.

"It landed right-side up, so we at least have shelter," she called, "Since air isn't a problem any more, we've got food and water for several more days."

"That's great news!" said Ruby.

Shale worked the mechanism on the airlock, but it didn't move.

"Come help me, the door is stuck," she said.

There was room for just one more troll to grab the handle, and Ruby was the strongest of them, so she and Shale pulled hard. The door stayed stubbornly stuck for a minute, then with a groan of protest opened. The interior door opened without trouble.

Inside they heard a hissing sound. The lights were blinking from a short in the system, and the console was mostly dead.

"What's leaking?" asked Topaz.

"Smell that? What is it?" asked Sapphire.

"I can't smell anything but myself," said Amethyst.

"Me either," added Topaz. "Ewww!"

Shale took a whiff and her eyes got big.

"OUT! EVERYONE! NOW!" she yelled, and started shoving them back toward the hatch.

Once outside she didn't stop, but continued toward some low rocks nearby. She dived over them and held her head down. The others followed, confused.

But they didn't stay that way for long. The Phoenix blew up, the noise and light and sudden wind filled with sand and shards of rock and metal caught them by surprise. It took a minute for everything to settle down.

"That smell was fuel leaking from the thrusters," explained Shale, standing up, "And with the electrical short, it was only a matter of time before things blew."

"You saved our lives! Thank you!" said Amethyst, giving Shale a hug.

"Well, now we've got no supplies and no shelter," said Onyx, "What are we gonna do?"

"Good question," said Sapphire.

"I've had survival training," said Shale.

"From the looks of this place, we're gonna need your expertise," said Amethyst.

"Hey, part of the Phoenix is over there!" said Topaz, pointing.

Sure enough, about three quarters of the ship was left, leaning against some rocks where it had tumbled after the explosion. A gaping hole was in the side.

They cautiously approached it, Shale in the lead. Nothing moved, no sparks, no leaks, nothing. It was completely inert.

"Poor old girl," muttered Shale, giving the hull a pat, "You went through so much."

Sapphire made her way inside and went to the storage area. The door opened with a little tugging, and she looked in.

"Hey, I think a lot of the supplies survived!" she said, "Help me get it out!"

Over the course of an hour they brought out what they could. Topaz and Shale looked it over, separating out what had been ruined. In the end, they had food and water for a day, maybe two with conservation. Looking around, Sapphire's laptop was beyond repair, as was Onyx's and Shale's T-Pad. There was no electricity left, and the hulk was useless as shelter.

"We're better off than we were," said Ruby.

"Just postpone death another day," muttered Onyx. The others ignored her.

"Let's find some shelter," said Sapphire, looking at the low mound of rock sticking out of the desert sand.

They circled the hill, looking for any shelter at all.

"I think I see a cave," said Topaz, and climbed up the shallow hill to a dark area between two rocks. She peered in. "I was right! There's a cave here... and it looks like someone was here before!"

The other trolls joined her and looked for themselves.

"Yeah, there's steps going down, and I think I see statues and columns..." said Sapphire, pulling her glasses down from her forehead.

"Should we go in?" asked Amethyst.

"It's shelter, and will give us something to do," said Ruby.

Just then their spell phones rang. All of them. They pulled them out and answered. Rescue was on the way. The portal and explosion had been seen by a weather satellite, and rescue copters sent out at once.

Sapphire looked down the cave. She really wanted to go exploring, but now was not the time. They could come back once they were rested and things settled down.

The copters came into view, and the six troll-girls ran to meet them.

They found out they were in the Great Northern Plains, thousands of miles east of Trollzopolis. It was a trip of several days back home.

Ruby was chagrinned to think they hadn't put a destination phrase into the incantation activating the portal. But on the other hand, a spaceship exploding in downtown Trollzopolis would not have been looked upon with approval. In the end things had worked for the best.

bffl bffl bffl

Once they were checked out medically and released (Amethyst had suffered a mild sprain) they were reunited with their family and friends. A parade was held in Trollzopolis for them, and they were honored as the ones who saved the world.

But eventually things went back to normal, and they resumed their more-or-less normal lives.

On the evening before she was to go back to the Space Center, Shale came over to Sapphire's home. They sat and talked for a while, then went out in the back yard and sat, looking up at the stars.

"We've been through an amazing adventure," said Shale, thinking of her time spent with the five trolls who had been her enemies and were now her friends.

"And saved the world while we were at it!" grinned Sapphire.

"Oh, while I'm thinking of it," said Shale, looking at her friend, "It's been approved. I'm now officially attached to the Ancient Liaison Office as your pilot when you need one."

"Hey, that's great! Glad to have you with us!" said Sapphire. She reached over and briefly squeezed Shale's hand.

"Me too. I just hope nothing else happens like it did," said Shale, taking a drink of her iced tea.

"I heard that! That was too close," was the answer. "And anyway, I'm arranging an expedition back to that cave in the Plains. I really wish we'd had time to investigate it."

"What do you expect to find?" asked the older troll.

"No clue. I'm not even sure the statues I saw were trolls. But I want to find out," said Sapphire.

"Let me know when, and I'll be ready to take you there," said Shale.

"You've got it!" Sapphire gave a thumbs up.

"Anybody else coming?" asked Shale

"Just Jade. Onyx is our historian, but this isn't connected to our Ancients, so she's not interested," answered Sapphire.

"I see. And everybody else has work or school," said Shale. "I didn't know Jade very well from school. She always hung out with the other cheerleaders."

"Yeah. And now she's my partner in science," said Sapphire.

"I guess you just never know how things will turn out..." mused the older troll.

"Right. The expedition is going to be part of my degree studies, the archeology part," explained Sapphire.

"Sounds like Indiana Troll and the Temple of Death," smirked Shale. The other laughed.

"We've come a long way since high school, haven't we?" asked Sapphire with a sigh.

"And here's to an even longer way to come!" Shale lifted her glass, and Sapphire tapped hers against it. They took a sip and looked up again.

Overhead, the stars and moon shone brightly.

The End