The transporter roared to life beneath Tara. From the angle at which she stood, she could see the outline of a turbine spinning within. It glowed with a faint blue tint at the edges as it whirled.

Electrical sparks formed around her feet, growing in abundance and strength with each passing moment. A light zapping sensation tickled her shins and thighs.

No longer than a few seconds passed before the sparks clawed their way up her abdomen, shocking her to the core. Her heart beat faster than it ever had as a searing pain suddenly tore through her entire body. This hurts! I feel like I'm being ripped to shreds!

Out of sight, a voice murmured, "Something's wrong."

It was then that the princess realized Annah was no longer holding her hand.

"Tara! Get out of there!"

Through the raging bolts furiously clashing before her, she saw Annah and Janson lying on the ground at the base of the transporter. The private appeared to be unconscious. Behind them was a distressed Deeke, screaming at his subordinates to stop the machine. Despite their desperate attempts to do so, the electricity continued to course into Tara's body.

"Ann-" Tara gritted her teeth as she struggled to get the words out. "Annah! Help me!"

The princess' cries for help quickly evolved into blood curdling screams of pain. Even with every drop of determination within her body, she couldn't manage to move a muscle within. It was as though the electricity had taken full control in order to prevent her escape.

"Tara!" her friend continued to cry out, "Tara!"

The girl felt her consciousness begin to fade.

"Tara..."

Everything went black.

~

Frigid air whipped against Tara's face, forcing her eyelids open. Every part of her body was numb, as was her mind, mostly. Ambiguous outlines back lit by an endless abyss of navy danced through her clouded vision. It was as though she were falling toward the nighttime sky.

What's happening to me?

One thing was for sure: she was no longer within the confines of the Starbell. The princess attempted to regain a grip on reality, succeeding slowly but surely. The outlines came together and formed coherent interconnecting lines that gleamed amid a dark, bumpy landscape.

Soon, the same sensation that had been battering her cheekbones spread to the tips of her fingers and toes. At that moment, Tara realized she was falling; her body was sprawled out, slowing her descent ever so slightly.

Her mind snapped out of the pensive state. Quickly approaching was the surface of the continent in which she was to land.

No! This can't be how it ends! Tara, filled with dread, realized that a horrible mistake had been made. She and her fellow Explorers were supposed to be teleported straight to the ground. But here she was, free falling without even her suit to cushion the incoming impact.

Her eyes welled with tears, which were quickly blown away by the frisky wind that had begun to crack her lips. Her entire body, save her torso which was protected by the undergarments that remained, grew numb once more.

I'm sorry mother. It looks like I won't be coming home.

Through her blurred vision, the gleaming lines became rivers as the landscape became rugged with mountains covered in vegetation. Her death was approaching more quickly than her weakened mind could comprehend.

The tops of trees zoomed past Tara's peripheral vision. Before the poor soul could take another breath, the journey was over.