Kah'liss decides this a good time to head for the shuttle on Deck 2,
just in case.  He leaves the equipment collecting to those who will be
remaining here.  Any of the injured who need assistance, he is willing
to help ... wait ... what's that?
     The vrusk places a hand to his ear, listening to the enemy headset still on his head. "It would appear that they have noticed the  launched shuttles ... I would suggest that we prepare for departure.  The preverbal clock is counting, as you human's would comment."
    "That's right," Zhirrzh reiterates for those within earshot on Deck 1. He activates his chrono so that those on Decks 2 and 3 can hear as well.
    "Zhirrzh here. Balou has launched the shuttles at the cruiser and the cruiser has already attempted to make contact. It won't take him long to figure out there isn't anyone on those shuttles. If you're not already on board our shuttle, I suggest you get there now."
    Zhirrzh dashes for the elevator to Deck 2. "Zhirrzh to Balou. Keep us abreast of what's going on out there. I'd like to leave the moment the fighters break to intercept and the cruiser starts firing.” Then to Lyrium, “Grab those packs and let’s go. We’ll have to make due with what we have.”
     Lyrium nods and unhooks the powerbelt. This was one train she wasn’t about to miss. Scooping the back and belt up, she rushes into the corridor and joins the rest of the team in the elevator.
     Balou answers immediately.  “If we can get you out of here before they start shooting at us, it would serve better. Grynh’s restored power to shields, but we haven’t raised them yet. They have to be down for you to leave.  Their shields are up but so far, no signs of weapons. Stu’s finger is on the button, though. Those fighters out there make me nervous. My bet, though, is they’ll focus on those shuttles first.”
      Telgar is now fully aware of the events unfolding, so he is not too concerned with Kah'Liss diverting his attention from the injured arm.  Never wanting to stand by and be of no use, Telgar is ready to get up and help prepare for the decent.  He thinks about the best course of action.  He knew that some were charging packs while others looted the pirates and some prepared for launch.  Telgar finally decides that it would be better to help pack the provisions they brought than to spend time looking for extras right now.  He also didn't believe that he had used up that much SEUs in the fire fights, so he decided to go to the shuttle.
 "Thanks for the treatment, buddy", Telgar says to Kah'Liss, "it is always appreciated, but right now I think I need to help get our equipment on the shuttle."  Telgar subconsciously checks his holsters for his two pistols. He then  addresses the general crowd on Deck 1, "If anyone needs me I'll be in the cargo bay packing for our little trip planet side."  And with that, Telgar disappears into the elevator.

--- Deck 2 ---

 Brenon goes over the complex console before him again. Okay, he had never actually handled an orbital shuttle before, but it couldn’t be that different from your typical jetcopter or aircar. Grynh had instructed him on everything he needed to know, and autopilot was going to take care of things, but that was under nice, peaceful circumstances. What if there needed to be some evasive maneuvering?
 Telgar enters the hold and rushes to the shuttle. The glow from the cockpit casts ghostly shadows upon Brenon’s face, the rest of his features lost behind the dark cockpit. The soft orange glow from the shuttle’s engines tells Telgar that   she’s getting ready for flight. “Everything loaded up? How’s the Explorer?” he questions as he enters the shuttle door.
 “We loaded her up earlier, but you may want to confirm she’s secure,” Brenon answers.
 “Right,” Telgar nods, punching a button that opens the door to the rear cargo area of the shuttle. He thinks of his injured arm and hopes there’s not too much manual effort remaining to be done.

--- Deck 3 ---

 Raleigh systematically moves from body to body, taking everything that he can carry, sling, or pocket.
The ship lurches slightly as the shuttles are disembarked from the Dawn and sent careening to their fate.
"Ah crappola Zhirrzh, cant ya just give me another minute or two!" he exclaims to no one as he drags his booty to the lift and heads up to the shuttle, taking note to grab Telgar’s discarded laser rifle on the way up.
 

--- Bridge ---

     The crew watches in silence as the three shuttles appear in the viewscreen, all heading stubbornly towards the Cruiser. The two fighters stand between the two, floating suspiciously into the shuttle path.
     Balou rests his elbow on his armchair, tapping his lip unwittingly as  he watches the scene develop. “If they open fire on those shuttles, then they’ve sure got it in for us next. The fighters will be on us first. They still think we’re down….so we’ll have to be quick.”
     He thinks a moment longer and taps his chronocom. “Okay, here’s the game. If they fire on the shuttles, you will launch immediately after. I hope everyone’s on board and buckled in. Brenon, get the shuttle out and activate autopilot. The shuttle will take off. Use evasive if you need too – I know you’ve never piloted a shuttle before but under the circumstances, I need everyone here.”  Stu and Nayden exchange a quick, unspoken glance. They remember Brenon announcing the fact that he had piloted an aircar a few times. Those land lovers…not a good time to discover that it’s a different ride… Balou acknowledged the same glance and hoped they could get by without going manual. “Grynh will help guide the shuttle out, but it will be all on you ---“

--- Deck 2 ---
 
     Brenon takes a deep breath as he looks at the Airlock doors before him. The shuttle would actually fit through that? He had piloted an airship or two in his time, but never had to take off through such tight quarters. Telgar steps in from the cargo area and takes a quick seat. “Everything’s ready to go,” he announces as he buckles in. Having heard Balou’s instructions, he looks to the seemingly small Airlock doors. “Woa, you can get us through there fine?”
     “Fine,” is Brenon’s curt response. “Where the hell is everyone?!”  As on cue, Kah’liss and Rolgar enter the cargo hold and rush onboard the shuttle. “Buckle in and get ready,” Brenon barks, eyes never leaving the console as he makes some of the last minute adjustments. The shuttle’s engines begin their high-pitched whine. Brenon curses under his breath. “Zhirrzh, where the hell are you at? Raleigh, Lyrium??”
     “We’re here,” Zhirrzh answers just as he and Lyrium burst into the Cargo hold. “Had to charge some belts.” They board the shuttle and Zhirrzh takes seat next to Brenon. Lyrium darts to the cargo area and secures the pack and belt on an equipment rack. She then finds a seat and straps herself in. The shuttle begins a slight vibration as launch gets ever closer.

--- Bridge ---

     The three shuttles continued bobbing their way toward the Cruiser. Closer, closer, now easily in range of the fighters. Balou continues to both his crew and the team: “When they fire on the shuttles, you’ll launch. I’m betting they’ll think we’re all abandoning ship and the fighters will make their way to intercept. Brenon, put that shuttle behind the Dawn, make the fighters come by us to get to you. Then, we do our dance…
 “Nayden, lasers on those fighters, as quick and tight as you can. Then torpedoes on that Cruiser. May not be much, but may be enough to turn us around and put some distance between them. Grynh, make this baby purr and give Stu the power to lose that crate. Stu, shields as soon as Nayden fires, then lose that Cruiser. If you need to dip into the atmosphere to do it, by all means. That Cruiser can’t follow us planetside if that’s where we need to go….If we end up planetside, we’ll find the team – the shuttle has a beacon on it.”
     The crew all give their acknowledgements and hunker down; this is going to call for some tight maneuvering with little room for error.
 
     Laser fire. The first shuttle burst into a fiery ball of flame. The fighters move in and begin working on the remaining two. “This is it, they’ve opened fire. Luck with us all…”
 

--- Deck 2 ---

 “Now, Brenon, take that shuttle off now. They are firing on the shuttles.”

 “Shit. RALEIGH, WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU???”
     Raleigh bursts into the Cargo hold, carrying an armload of weapons. Pistols, rifle, were those goggles? He speedily boards the shuttle and grabs a seat, buckling in as fast as he can. “Sorry, we may need that down there,” he answers to the glares of some of the others.
     “READY!” Brenon growls, and immediately Grynh opens the Airlock door. Immediately afterwards, the outer door opens, leaving a gaping view of open space beyond.
     Lyrium gasps. “Ever spring-jumped off of Killian’s Gulch on Cassidine?” she asks rhetorically. “Did in college there…this is a bit more scary, I’d think.” She bites the corner of her lip nervously and stares out into the blanket of stars.

 “BRENON, take off now, all shuttles are destroyed and the fighters are heading our way fast!”

 “First step’s a doozy,” Zhirrzh comments flatly, giving Brenon a confident nod.
 Brenon glances to Zhirrzh and nods. Taking a deep breath of confidence, he reacts. “Hang on tight, kids, this will be a fun one!”

     The shuttle lifts off with a lurch, Brenon quickly compensates. The shuttle inches it’s way forward, slowly at first, then steadily increasing speed. This was not a typical launch pad, there were no guides. Just a standard Cargo hold that someone crammed a shuttle into…
     Through the first Airlock door…No problem….Almost out…almost out…
 
“Now, Brenon, quickly, the fighters are on us!”

     The Serena Dawn shutters violently as it is raked with laser fire. The shuttle clips the exterior airlock door as it exits the freighter, sending it in a spin.
     Someone curses aloud.
     Brenon stops forward power on the shuttle immediately. The view before him is the side of the Serena Dawn. You watch as the doors of the airlock close as Brenon turns the shuttle around again. Then the shuttle darts away. As the Dawn disappears off of the viewscreen portside, the massive planet of Volturnus grows from the starboard view. Brenon accelerates the shuttle, then sees the fighter.
     It had made a large arc after attacking the Dawn, and had just turned around for the second attack.  It was headed straight towards the shuttle. “Hold on,” Brenon yells, “Evasive!”
     Too late…
     The fighter explodes into a ball of flame. Seconds later, the shuttle passes through the turbulent wreckage.
     “You owe us one,” Balou announces proudly through the shuttle intercom. “Now, get the hell planetside.”
     Zhirrzh laughs a hearty Yazirian laugh and gives a triumphant yell. Brenon grins and acknowledges the captain. “Drinks on me back at the Stargaze. Good luck, Captain.”
     “Looks like that little bump you had is okay,” Grynh interjects. “Your system checks out.”

     The second fighter appears through the window, heading lower port to upper Starboard of your view. A few laser blasts from the Dawn chase the fighter from your view. Brenon checks the console, readies autopilot. “Full speed, Volturnus here we come.”
 
 “Get that last fighter!”
 
     A laser blast passes too close to the shuttle. There is a slight vibration, but it continues at full speed. The fighter comes into view again, passing you and dropping down directly in your path. It hovers there a moment, then drops down, out of your view as it speeds away.

     “He’s running, trying to use you as cover. They weren’t expecting the surprise the Dawn had for the bastard! We’ll get him, don’t worry.”

     The shuttle lurches brutally and sparks fly from the onboard console. Everyone lurches forward as the rear of the shuttle is hit by laser. The view of Volturnus spins as the shuttle hurdles out of control towards the planet.
 
     “Damn!!  Nayden, take –s^%#shhhhh  that –shthhhhheaagg-er now!”
     “Shu-sssgheeeh  damag—shsrrrhhhhh hhh a hhhhshhh  hrrsssturnus!”

     Another explosion, nearby, but clearly not on the shuttle. Then something crashes into you. Smoke and sparks fill the cockpit. Anyone who looks out the window sees the burning half of the remaining fighter as it bounces off of the shuttle and hurls recklessly through space.

     “RREeeeeeEeeehhhhh  rhhehhhshhhhhhhh hshhhhshhh hshhhhh!” your intercom hisses nothing but static as the Serena Dawn attempts to say something.

     Brenon fights to get the shuttle under control. The occasional shower of sparks continues to fill the cabin, and the alert lights turn the cockpit into into a sinister red chamber. “We’ve lost one engine,” Brenon announces.
 The shuttle lurches again violently at it slams into the upper atmosphere of the planet. “Initiated auto correct sequence! She’s trying to compensate!” Brenon again proclaims.  An explosion in the rear  of the shuttle jolts everyone again and the ship spins horizontally downward. Smoke begins to fill the cabin, but the shuttle’s automated emergency systems begin to filter it out.
 Eventually Brenon gets the shuttle facing the proper direction. Still shuttering violently, you see nothing but an array of clouds (or is it smoke?) through  the window. Another explosion in the rear sends the shuttle spiraling again, just as it exits the layer of clouds. Through the window you witness as the shuttle narrowly misses an outcropping of rocks.
 The shuttle again steadys itself, despite the wailing alarm and the glittering display of sparks that have become commonplace. Brenon tries to control the vehicle as best he can, then announces “Hold on, this is going to be rough!”
 The shuttle crashes into the hard Volturnus ground, skipping recklessly as a rock thrown against the water….

 [DieRoll damage]
     5% chance of receiving damage
         Brenon  = 27 PASS
        Zhirrzh = 26    PASS
        Kah'liss = 23    PASS
        Raleigh = 86    PASS
        Telgar = 6        PASS (barely)
        Lyrium = 16    PASS
        Rolgar = 96    PASS
 
    "Are we still alive?"
    Everyone recovers slowly. The window is cracked, half of it covered in brown dirt. Everyone gradually recovers from the landing and looks to each other, just to confirm everyone's still there.
    "What's that smell?"

    Brenon sniffs the air. "We're on fire." As on cue, another shower of sparks erupt from the onboard computer.  A foul smelling liquid begins seeping from the engine compartment. Brenon quickly taps a button and the door to the cargo hold opens. There is indeed a fire, started on the starboard engine. The Explorer is intact, but the fire is spreading. the right rear of the shuttle has been torn open, revealing the planet surface. Some of the equipment which was stored on the top of the Explorer lies scattered throughout the cargo hold.

======================================================
Referee's Note:

    If anyone asks, or bothers to notice, the 'foul smelling liquid' is indeed flamable. Time is obviously of the essence. The Explorer is salvagable, but there is a fire in the cargo hold, which is spreading. There is an exit in the main cockpit, where you are all at, and if someone saves the Explorer (hoping it starts, risking fire damage, etc.) they can put it in a hard reverse and blast through the destroyed rear section of the shuttle.

Welcome to Volturnus. We sincerely hope everyone enjoyed their flight.... :)

EXPERIENCE POINTS
That's right, we've been playing for months, and you deserve them. From what I've read of PBEM campaigns, EP should come more often than in regular real life campaigns. In the true module, now would be the first time to grant EP. Granted, you only ran into action recently, but you've been playing for months and let's count this as a referee's gift of some good RP!!

I'm going to double the amount of XP everyone receives. And I'm giving everyone the same amount right now. 6 XP. This is to get everyone psyched and ready to roll. From now on, though, I am going to take note of those characters who are barely active and award XP accordingly. And even though we may not all work together as a true team (i.e. the tension between Brenon, Zhirrzh, and the Vrusk), it's all good RP and I'll award XP based on that, not the fact that things could be simpler if 'we all got along'. It's more fun this way, actually.

I'll put a link up on XP at the main page if you have questions, but for now, just know that you have 6 XP and can spend them as you wish...

Your humble referee,

Jeff

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