The shuttle continues its descent into the upper atmosphere, turning its belly at an angle downward, the ice melts as the friction of atmosphere heats the belly of the ship. Turbulence rattles the seated occupants and a roaring noise reverberates through the hull.

Lexon has to wait. Once the shuttle is deep inside Belnafaer's atmosphere and has slowed down sufficiently, the remainder of the ice shield is ejected by the computer. Tanja breathes a sigh of relief that her jarring impact earlier had not damaged the shield. At least, not enough to kill them all on descent.

The small portal windows to port and starboard are clear of ice now, revealing a colorful view of orange and purplish scudding clouds, driven by the wind while flying toward Jetsom. The turbulence has abated to just minor shakes and shimmies.

Lexon spends ten minutes with the shuttle onboard computer but gains no more information than Tanja.

Computer readings indicate one hour flight time to Jetsom. Fuel will be down to 1/4 of full level, as expected for descent.  The shuttle must refuel at Jetsom for the return to orbit, requiring all the fuel except reserve (30 mins).

[Shuttle]
Tanja sends a radio transmission.

---

There is no reply from the Empress Katarina.

"Damn, too late.. Looks like we've hit the silent communications part of the flight." She curses.

She records all the data onto her personal Comms, encouraging Lex to do the same then pass the details around the crew without sending it over the Comms. She didn't trust the ship's systems what with that faulty droid and potentially faulty shuttle, and the distribution of the codes wasn't urgent yet - they had an hour before they reached their target.

Then she settles in to complete the rest of the descent.

---

Thirty more minutes pass by with passengers having casual conversation to pass the time.  A warning beeper resounds from the cockpit and when Tanja investigates, she sees a weather hazard.  A severe electrical storm is on the horizon between Jetsom and the shuttle.  Quick assessment finds it is too large to fly around with the fuel onboard.  It will have to be traversed and looking ahead at the dark ominous clouds that flash from within, a feeling of dread cannot be helped.

"Strap yourselves in!! We're in for some chop!!" Tanja calls out, fastening her own safety harness.

"Where would the storm be strongest?? Higher or lower??" she asks out loud as she debates how to respond.

Who, if anyone, is up front with her??
This message was last edited by the player at 17:11, Thu 01 Feb.

[Shuttle]

Lex records the gathered data onto his PComms device.  As he was finishing the warning beeps sounds, then shortly there after hears Tanja warning about choppy ride.  He takes the nearest seat in the passenger compartment and secures himself with the safety harness.

Harry is very unhappy! He straps himself in with the harness, grits his teeth and his knuckles go white hanging on to the armrests!

"I think I'm going to be sick!" His face turning a shade of green!

[Empress Katarina]
Karma returns to the cargo bay to find Fatty and Levi finishing up the decapitation process on the droid. She is impressed at the amount of interconnecting cables there are. How will they know which is which when putting it back together, she wonders.

"The shuttle is deep into the atmosphere now. We've lost radio contact. Too much radiation. " the captain says before asking, "What's next here?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:52, Thu 01 Feb.

[Shuttle]
Adrannah is no pilot, but there are two seats in the cockpit, so she takes a front view seat since no one else did.

"Wow!" She exclaims, looking out the front portal windows. A very large and towering column of dark purplish clouds looms ahead continously lit from within by flashes of lightning. Occasional streams of lightning coalesce around the outer perimeter.

She gets situated and straps into the flight seat.

The shuttle begins to lurch from side to side which is not so bad, but it also bounces up and down losing several hundred feet per second, then regaining altitude within the sudden air turbulence. Lightning flashes brightly and the repercussive thunder around the ship is loud.  The shuttle then enters the storm clouds and visibility drops to near zero. Tanja pilots the craft, manipulating the react drive thrusters with every lurch of the ship. Suddenly, the sky around them is on fire with a bright flash, followed by a loud reverberating crash and a shuddering of the ship. Sparks burst from somewhere in the back of the passenger cabin, then the lights go out, the pilot console screens go dark, and the react drive and power plant  shut down. Without power, the ship begins a spiraling descent, throwing everyone to one side. If not for being strapped in, injuries could be significant.

If the situation cannot be resolved, the ship will eventually implode from a hull crushing pressure the deeper it falls into the planet. 

---

Overcome Gs from spiraling 8+ (Athletics, STR)

Keep stomach contents 6+ (Athletics, END)

This message was last edited by the GM at 19:38, Mon 05 Feb.

[SHUTTLE]
When the shit hit the fan, Harry unbuckled to head for the back and the drives! He held his stomach contents in, but couldn't rise because of the hard G's, so he crawled back!

---

15:16, Today: Harry McStubbins rolled 9 using 2d6.  overcome puking. – 9

15:16, Today: Harry McStubbins rolled 5 using 2d6.  overcome G's. – 5

15:21, Today: Harry McStubbins rolled 12 using 2d6+3.  Engnrng check - +1 JoaT, +2 Int. – 12
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:25, Sun 11 Feb.

[SHUTTLE]
Zbigi felt like he was being crushed as his stomach came to his throat then fell again, he did keep his lunch

---

15:23, Today: Zbigniew Soboleskii rolled 7 using 2d6.  overcome puking. – 7
15:22, Today: Zbigniew Soboleskii rolled 6 using 2d6.  overcome G's. – 6
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:25, Sun 11 Feb.

[SHUTTLE]
"I've lost flight controls and power!!" Tanja shouts against the growing roar of the storm outside as the shuttle begins its descent. Somehow she kept control of her stomach, despite the desire to relieve its contents over the controls, and her head swam as the shuttle spiralled.

Without looking back, she shouts at those in the back; "There's no juice from the plant!! Someone needs to restart it!!" She knew she was stating the obvious, but she needed to gain some control over the situation.

Resisting the G's: Rolled 10
Not throwing up: Rolled 15

21:15, Today: Tanja Skorskald rolled 10,15 using 2d6+2,2d6+4.  Resist G, Resist sickness.
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:24, Sun 11 Feb.

[SHUTTLE]
Dawn grits her teeth, the jarring of the ship setting her nerves on edge.  The helmet on her head rattles against her skull.  She's been in plenty of drop ships, the movement does not bother her much.  She unstraps and pushes against the Gs affecting her, but the extra weight of the boarding vac-suit does her in.  She cannot overcome the weight, try as she might.

"I can't move!" she shouts.  Her voice sounding mechanical through her vac-suit hard helmet. "Lex!  Can you check out whatever that is smoking back there?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:24, Sun 11 Feb.

[SHUTTLE]
Hearing Dawn, Adriannah unstraps from the seat.  She gulps, keeping the bile from billowing forth.  It is there, but she keeps it in check somehow.  She strains against the force throwing her against the side of her seating and slowly rises.  She grabs onto another chair and pulls herself along until reaching the smoking black box mounted to the inner wall of the hull.  It has a small latch that flings open easily, revealing row upon row of... what?  What the hell is this, she asks herself.  She's no mechanic or engineer.  Smoke roils out of the space until clear. Green.  Red.  The emergency lighting in the cabin left little in the way of knowing what is what.

"What am I looking for?" she calls out helplessly over the din of thunderous roaring in the cabin.  Feeling a touch on her leg, she looks down and is suprised to see Harry on the floor, pressed against the cabin wall by the force of inertia.

"Harry, what do I do?" she asks.
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:24, Sun 11 Feb.

[SHUTTLE]
"Can . . you . . help . . me . . up?" he calls out to her as he grabs whatever he can to pull himself up!

---

17:35, Today: Harry McStubbins rolled 4 using 2d6.  overcome G's
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:24, Sun 11 Feb.

[SHUTTLE]
Adriannah holds onto a hand hold and reaches down, grabbing Harry's arm. She pulls with all her strength, lending aid to Harry.

---

DM+1 to Harry's task check.
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:23, Sun 11 Feb.

[SHUTTLE]
08:54, Today: Harry McStubbins rolled 3 using 2d6+1.  overcome G's. SNAKE EYES, we're gonna die!

(GM) Athletics(-3),STR(+0),Dm+1

---

Harry grabs Adriannah's arm and tries to get to the controls box she has opened. A jarring lurch of the ship sends him flying sideways and into the cabin wall, knocking him senseless. His eyes roll back as he falls unconscious from a hit on the head. (-2)
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:23, Sun 11 Feb.

[SHUTTLE]
"Harry!" Adriannah yells as the gunner slips from her grasp. Desperation fills her as she looks back into the passenger cabin. What is she to do now?

"Lex! Lex! Can you make it to me? Do you know what these are?" she yells into the cabin as she glances at the things in the box. They look like little switches. But what do they mean?
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:20, Sun 11 Feb.

[SHUTTLE]
"Dammit!! I'm useless here!!" Tanja says to herself. She glanced behind her and knew she'd need to be back where the problem was.

She unstrapped herself from her seat, and using both hands for support began to inch her way out of the cockpit.

As she reached the passenger section she locked her arms so that she wouldn't be thrown around then shouted, "I'll head back there. Someone get their arse up to the flight deck and man the controls. Just pull back on the stick until we stop falling and I'll be back soon enough."

Spotting Harry slumped against the wall she cursed. "Doc, compose yourself and help Harry. We need him!!"

She continued her movement further back, trying to reach where she had stowed her toolkit in case it was needed - and stopped to look at what Adriannah was talking about. Fuses?? Was it that simple?? Had they blown the ships fuses??

---

Tanja sees a controls junction box for the cabin. If fuses were blown or overloads tripped, they would normally be lit up red. But the box has no power. No indicators. The power plant is down. Only emergency battery lighting is working. Likely, some were tripped, but until there is power...
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:19, Sun 11 Feb.

[SHUTTLE]
"On my way!" Zbigi shouts, he unhooks and slowly made his way over to Harry, slumped against the wall!

---

11:45, Today: Zbigniew Soboleskii rolled 11 using 2d6.  overcome G's.
11:49, Today: Zbigniew Soboleskii rolled 11 using 2d6+5.  Medic +3, Edu +2.

---

Zbig finds Harry slumped against the hull of the ship, partway up the wall with the G force holding him there. He has a nasty gash and lump above his brow about two inches in length.
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:19, Sun 11 Feb.

[Shuttle]
Lex takes in the situation, the best he can, while losing the contents of his stomach.  The violent movement of the ship, Tanja comment about "There's no juice from the plant!!", then Tanja inspecting the controls junction box. "I must push forward" he thinks to himself.    After he wipes his mouth with the back of his sleeve, Lex get up and quickly looks over Tanja shoulder into the controls junction box.  Confirms there is no power and heads to the power powerplant to see if he can get it started.  He arrives at the powerplant and indeed it is not running.  He starts working on the powerplant.

---

Overcome Gs from spiraling 8+ (Athletics, STR):2d(4,5) = 9 <success>
Keep stomach contents 6+ (Athletics, END): 2d(2,1) = 3 <failure>
Attempts to restart using Mechanic roll: 2d(6,1)+mechanic(+4)+ INT(+2) = 13 <?, don't know difficulty level>

---

Lexon finds the fusion reactor console in the back of the ship and after a quick examination of controls finds the toroidal chamber magnets still powered under battery backup. Plasma vents are open, which prevented a melt-down disaster. He closes the venting. With the chamber magnets aligned and active he can fire up the reactor. He presses the button marked ignition. The high powered laser fires a beam, only a fraction of a femtosecond in duration, and ignites the unobtainium pellet suspended my magnetic forces in the chamber, creating a plasma reaction that builds.

The pilot's console lights up, flashing warning indicators, as seen through the door from the cabin into the bridge.

"He did it!" Adriannah exclaims, feeling a shift in her body as the inertial dampeners come back online. She didnt even realize the spiralling spin was generating such force as to fool her mind.

But lights are still out.

[SHUTTLE]
Her movement had been premature, Tanja steadies herself for her return to the cockpit. With the powerplant firing and the technicians on it, control would be restored sooner rather than later.

She needed to be at the helm.

She made her way to the pilot's seat.

---

Tanja pulls her way back to the cockpit of the shuttle, fighting the inertial forces that pull against her.  She finds Dawn in the flight seat, pulling back on the streamlined shuttle's aileron controls. Dawn is happy to give up the position to Tanja and moves over into the co-pilot's seat in her bulky boarding vac-suit.

The shuttle's spiraling spin has not changed.  She finds the controls impossible to move.  The react drive comes back to life as the power plant reaches nominal output, giving Tanja the control she needs with added react thrusters.  She has control of the ship and levels it out in the atmosphere.  Outside the portal windows is a dark purple atmosphere with flashes of lightning somewhere high overhead. Drops of something hit the windows, something not water.  Liquid methane or ethane, if she was to guess.
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:58, Sun 11 Feb.

[shuttle]
Lex grins as he see the reactor hums to life.  For a few moments he watches the reactor to insure it come up to full power.  Once satisfied, he looks around and notices the light are still off.  Still on a mission he returns to the controls junction box to see what else can be brought back on-line.  Hopefully the ability to restore lighting will also be there.

---

Mechanic roll: 2d(2,5)+mechanic(+4)+ INT(+2) = 13

---

Lex reaches the junction box and finds circuit breakers lit up red, only a few were green.  He toggles them off first, to reset them, then toggles them back to the on position.  Each of them go green and the lighting returns to normal.  Only then does he realize he is no longer fighting a pull against the hull of the ship.
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:18, Sun 11 Feb.

---