A Mind in Motion

**Here is a small extract from the prologue of the science fiction piece Sihmarán I've spent the last few years working on. I hope you enjoy it!** The vessel—shaped like a gaunt faced grinning tadpole—bucked and turned on its side as tendrils of fire uncurled themselves and reached out towards it. Scorched cries of frustration vibrated out amongst the stars as the battered ship evaded one searing grasp after another, pushing itself to its straining point, it’s hull rattling as it raced for freedom. She gritted her teeth, her bruised forearm shaking under the fierce grip she had on the side-stick control column as the vessel bucked and rolled again from the gravitational pull of the consuming planet below. The warning klaxons echoed around her as the ship’s systems struggled to hold up under the weight of the fight. But she held on, her eyes focused on the perimeter of space just beyond the planet’s threshold. They were almost there and she refused to fall a

     Sunlight scattered through vibrant green leaves swaying gently in the soft breeze as it pierced through dense forest treetops and lit the woodland below. The thick scent of wild flowers, moss and pine sap drifted on the wind, wrapping around towering trees and skittering across the noses of scurrying creatures as it journeyed through. The wings of birds flying from one perch to the next echoed in the serenity of nature--murmuring like a heartbeat outward to all approaching it--and the Wolf finally found what it had been looking for.      Yellow eyes flickered over the worn stone that sat nestled in the perfectly formed Fairy Ring , soft grass rustling like gentle touches against its washed out grey surface. The deep grooves carved into the weather worn face swelled with shadows as they circled around the ornate dais, marking it with sacred words so old they could not break across the tongue unless uttered upon the granite alone.      This was a deeply rooted place, set so far i