Carpathia IV: Episode 98 - Crash Landing
Bridge, NCCS Shadowdancer
Teek: Angle at 27 percent. Thrusters at 14 percent, but that's a general number. Power is fluctuating between the thrusters and we lose momentum on every down spike.
Aire didn't comment on Teek's dire report and went immediately to his engineering call button.
Aire: Minnie, status!
A few seconds elapsed before there was a response and it wasn't Minnie. It was Ramei.
Ramei: Induction engines will be down for weeks. We're working on thrusters, but it might take a couple of hours.
Aire: We're setting up for contact and slideout. Dump everything you have into the thrusters. We need to keep the nose up at all cost!
Ramei: I'll relay that to the Chief. Ramei out.
Aire stood, unsteady on his feet for all the shaking, and took a glance around his bridge as if it would be the last time he would see it.
Aire: Everyone, send to all stations that we are initiating contact and slideout protocols. Evacuation of decks 10 through 18 orders are still in effect. Nalma, scan for flat surfaces or water on our trajectory and relay that to helm. Hopefully we'll have some ability to adjust our landing spot before we get too far down.
Everyone acknowledged Aire and immediately fastened their seatbelts while he did the same. All Aire could do was watch as the ship penetrated further and further into the atmosphere and monitor the actions of the crew. He knew Shadowdancer would not survive this, but it was his job to make sure that Shadowdancer's crew did. The fasten seatbelt order came just in time, for the increased jerking and shaking of the ship would have made it impossible to stay in any chair.
Aire: Teek, what's your angle?
Teek: 32 degrees, Captain. I can hold it here for now, but we'll need a glide trajectory once the atmosphere has slowed us down enough. I don't have that kind of maneuverability yet.
Joust: One problem at a time. We got half the crew working on the thrusters. Keep it steady.
The next several minutes passed in jolting, jerking tension as Teek kept the ship steady as he could through the atmosphere. Relatively steady, mind, for while he managed to keep the ship at a high angle, it felt like an airplane in the worst possible turbulence and flying through an entire herd of airborne elephants at the same time. Worse, the crack in the bridge deck grew larger with each shudder.
Teren: Hull stress is rising rapidly. We have breaches on multiple decks. Emergency force fields are in place, but I don't know how long they will hold.
Aire: Keep a close watch on the stress and force fields. I don't want to draw any power away from thrusters unless we absolutely have to.
Several more bumps and shudders as the ship continued its death glide through the atmosphere.
Joust: Anything on sensors yet? Do we know where we're headed?
Nalma: Just getting readings now. Tall, rocky mountains that end sharply at a short plain and a beach leading into a large body of water. At this trajectory, we will clear the mountains, but we need our angle at 10 to 12 degrees for a water landing.
After that came the worst possible news from Teren.
Teren: Structural integrity at critical. We need more power to force fields and containment systems.
Break up in the air or crash into the mountains. Neither option was appealing, but they had to do something.
Aire: Amenaru, coordinate with Teren to find the least amount of power possible to shore up.
Amenaru: Understood, Captain.
For the next few minutes, what transpired was a delicate dance between structural integrity and glide trajectory. It was a balance that was never achieved, for the nose of the Shadowdancer started dropping precipitously once the power was rerouted to structural integrity.
Teek: I can't keep the nose up, Captain! We're at 7.6 degrees now and we're also not going to clear the mountains!
Before anyone had a chance to say or do anything, Phobos unfastened his seatbelt and leaped out of his chair, activating his rocket feet at the same time. A moment later, he shot across the bridge and through the forward window, rocketing under the nose of the ship.
Nobody on the bridge questioned this, for they had their own systems to mind and barely noticed the sudden Phobos-shaped streak that plowed through the windows. Results, however, rapidly showed themselves.
Teek: Descent is leveling slightly. Angle increasing. Eight degrees... Nine degrees... 9.6...
Sporadic wind gusts came through the shattered bridge window as the force field struggled to seal the breach.
Ryuu: Tayet, our wings. Even a tiny bit of lift might help.
Tayet: I'm with you, Dad!
Ryuu and Tayet bolted for the open window which now did not have enough power to block living creatures. They both jumped through and sunk their claws into Shadowdancer's hull, spreading their wings wide.
Teek: 10.1 degrees and we might just clear the mountain tops!
The ship jolted again and the crack forming in the deck suddenly doubled in size. The entire port side of the bridge wing groaned as it began to separate. Amenaru was the only officer left on that side and he knew his time at his station was up. Jerking toward the center of the bridge, he barely moved as the seatbelts held him fast to his chair. He'd forgotten to unbuckle. This moment's delay was too much as the bridge wing, with Amenaru and the conference room, sheered off the ship and bounced off the side of the hull.
Kit: Amenaru!
Commissioned art in this episode from:
AvareonArt
Zelbunnii
Thatwildmary
Colourbrand
