
Subj : New Beginnings(33)
To   : All
From : Skyhawk #1
Date : Wed Aug 16 1995 18:05:18 PST

                             New Beginnings(33)
                             By Daniel C. Harrison(Skyhawk).

     "Drop systems ready?"
     Jerry nodded to Candar. "Engineering ready. Kev should be here soon." He
glanced up at the instruments. "Goona have a hell of a lot of stress on that
underbelly. I hope this works."
     "If it's doesn't, it isn't going to matter anyway." Candar turned suddenly
as she heard the door open. Kevin entered and, she smiled. "Nice to see you on
your feet again. Been too long."
     "Yeah, you too." Kevin grinned as he took a seat and strapped in. "The
colonists are all out of cryo. We have them in their pods nice and secure. Man
can some of those kids scream! This is really going to be rough. Don't know any
of these people and, I'm gonna have to live with em. I'd rather just drop em
off and leave,"
     "Not possible now." Candar adjusted her controls. "Atmospheric systems
engaged, now leaving orbit. Stand by for drop."
     Jerry nodded. "Secure."
     Henry shrugged. "Ready as I'll ever be, Captain."
     Candar gave him a wry grin and winked at Kevin. "Smart ass. Okay, here we
go. She fired the thrusters turning them downward. "That's it, were committed.
Hold tight..Now descending.
     The ship lurched as it angled downward and, Outlander began her descent.
As her speed increased, the heat began to rise from the friction of the
atmospheric drop. Candar fought with the controls. "Henry, we need to keep her
up. Adjust yaw two degrees."
     "Got it." Henry wiped his brow. "Cooling systems are out, damn it. Were
gonna cook."
     Kevin put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, she's beat to hell butr
we'll get through. The hull will stand the pressure."
     "I'm not worried about the damn hull, I'm burning up!" Henry complained.
     "Let's go with." Candar swore. "Can't turn back now that's for damn sure.
We're starting to roll...now entering the ionoshphere. Holonization increasing,
looks like weve hit the jackpot! Hold on!"
     The ship jumped and, a sudden lurch threw it sideways. "Hold her on
course!" Candar shouted. "Keep the damn thing level."
     "Trying." Henry gritted his teeth. "The controls feel like their frozen.
Weve got to adjust the pitch again!"
     "Damn it." Candar fought frantically. "This idea seems to be working, our
velocity is decreasing as we descend. Just gotta keep the right trajectory if
we wanna land." The viewscreen was filled with clouds as they tore through the
ionosphere. "Looks good so far. Can't see a damn thing. Now flying on
instruments." She looked at her console watching the descent. "Now at seventy
thousand feet....forty thousand..."
     "We're not being slowed enough." Jerry said. "You need to flatten her ouit
more. We're coming in too fast."
     "I see that." Candar readjusted the controlsd again. "There's nothing
left. I can't do a thing with these. Henry?"
     "Tied into yours." Henry bowed his head. "Guess Jerry was right, I
shouldn't have cross-connected them. We're gonna hit like a bomb."
     Candar didn't answer. "I can see now..mountains ahead. We need to pull the
hell up. Henry, fire thrusters!"
     "There isn't any fuel left."
     "Shit!" Candar worked desperately as the huge monoliths approached. "I
can't get her to come up. Brace for impact!"
     Henry's face turned white. "God. We'll never make it."
     "Brace I said!" She hit the intercom. "Dr. Grayson...everyone...brace for
impact..I repeat, brace for impact!" She gripped her chair. "Oh my lord..."
     The ship slammed belly first as Outlander collided with the top of the
middle mountain. The impact tore Jerry's seat lose and sent him spinning onto
the floor. Candar glanced quickly at him. "Still intact. We made it. Major
damage to the hull, we might crack. Lost our trajectory..we need to find a new
landing field."
     Henry was staring straight ahead. "My god..I thought we were gonna.."

     "Jerry, take his seat!" she snapped. 
     Jerry moved quickly moving Henry out. "Sorry Kid. You froze up again. Cant
do that." He quickly adjusted the controls. "Now realigning to new landing
site. There's an open field about 100 miles from where we wanted to be. A lot
rougher landing too I'm afraid."
     "Go with it, we're descending too fast!" Candar swore again. "This thing
is not gonna make it!" She fought frantically with her controls. "I have
nothing now. Took major damage. Jerry?"
     Jerry nodded. "The same. We have no way to control, we're nothing but a
stone now. Let's ride and hope we live through it."
     Candar didn't answer. She could see the ground approaching fast. "Fire
those chutes, maybe they'll alter things and level us out."
     Jerry hit the switch. "Manual engaged..chutes firing." The ship lurched
again and, the angle leveled out. "It worked! We're steady again."
     "Wish I could set up for final approach." Candar battled her controls
hoping desperately for something. It was useless. "Five thousand.....one
thousand.....eight hundred...here we go!" She gripped her chair.
     Henry hung onto the bulkhead. Jerry rechecked his straps. She looked
quickly and saw Kevin staring at the approaching ground. "Wish I was dreaming."
he said.
     "Me too." As she said this, the Outlander hit like a bomb. The impact tore
their seats loose and sent her careening into the bulkhead. She heard a cry of
pain and saw, Henry had been pinned between the console and a huge piece of
metal that had fallen. The ship continued to lurch as she skidded across the
plain slamming into small hills and levelling them. Candar felt blood coming
from her head and watched the viewscreen go dark, just before she passed out.

 
     
