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flashed alert systems again. "Fusion drive flame-out. Fusion drive flame-out. Stand by for controlled descent onto surface. Shields are building."

  The view on the main screen showed the burning conflagration getting larger and larger, the ship began to pitch and roll as it was buffeted by the different gases. "Stand by, contact in seven seconds." Jihon reported.

  The ship angled itself using the maneuvering thrusters so that the largest amount of it's underside was available for the shields to conduct along, then the planetoid's surface contacted the shield. A surge of energy fed back through the system, throwing off showers of sparks through every main capacitor bank and surging through the non-essential electronics before discharging through the dorsal shield.

  With ventral shields cushioning the impact, the ship slowed, and using maximum maneuvering thrusters, managed to remain fairly level. After a few tens of seconds, it slowed, then came to a stop. All around it, gases continued to burn and smaller explosions rocked the hull as it slowly began to melt through the layers of ice and still frozen gas.

  A sudden shudder ran through the deck as Jihon reported the shields had powered down. The view outside was still remarkable. A line of fire ringed the horizon, flames leaping many kims into the air, the ground still trembled from far off explosions, but the area around them was burnt out, for now.

  Idova watched in awe at the images on the view screen, transfixed by the chromatic flares of light against the midnight-black canvas of the deep-space backdrop.

  Aya unsteadily got to her feet, then looked around, rather dazedly.

  Willem relaxed from his rigid position in his chair, and glanced over at S'Hara as if to say "What now, boss."

  "Is everyone all right?" S'Hara asked.

  Willem nodded, still a bit dazed by the shock. Idova glanced towards S'Hara, gave her a quick nod, then returned to her viewing. "I can sense no danger at the moment." She said.

  Aya looked dizzily over towards S'Hara. She nodded somewhat shakily, then sat down in a boneless collapse.

  "Jihon, how long are we safe for?" A few seconds of silence permeated the bridge before the computer replied.

  "Estimates of exothermic reaction reaching this site in sixteen minutes. Tertiary explosions will then commence."

  "Tertiary explosions?" S'Hara asked in surprise.

  "Correct. By the time the exothermic reaction will reach this site, it will have gained both speed and velocity. The ice beneath and around us is comprised primarily of hydrogen and Lithium. In the presence of high temperatures, which have been evidenced due to spectrograph readings, the lithium will burn and this area will explode in a very high energy conflagration. Advise extreme haste to repair main engine exhaust systems. Auto-repair systems are in operation but aid is required for operational status before time limit is reached."

  "Suit up people. Willem, stay here and prep for immediate dust-off. As soon as we're back on board, lift, while we're still in the airlock if necessary."

  S'Hara, Idova, and after a second, Aya got up and went out the bridge door, leaving Willem, already at work re-priming the fusion triggers and reintegrating the fuel mixes.

  They hurried outside, suited up in full vac suits with an extra layer of lead-zinc mesh to add radiation protection, and over a period of several minutes laboriously made their way to the rear of the ship.

  The engine exhaust cones were undamaged, just clogged with deposits of fused dust and a good deal of water ice. Aya indicated where they needed to clear away the vent on the first engine, and Idova used her psionic power to drill a hole through the clumped material with a pastel blue beam that originated from her head. This freed the engine exhaust so that it could vent to open vacuum. They repeated the process on the second engine vent, but the third was coated in a thick layer of ice, and they could see the ice bubbling beneath the transparent outer surface as it continued to melt and reform around the slowly cooling nozzle.

  "Willem, we've cleared the first two nozzles. But Engine #3 is buried beneath the ice layer. We can't cut the ice away quickly enough before our time runs out. Any ideas?" S'Hara asked.

  He thought for only seconds before making his reply. "Disregard engine #3. We'll use the other two at minimum power to superheat the area, then lift on vectored thrust. Hang on a sec. Get back in quick! Jihon reports the burn rate has increased. We've only got six minutes left."

  As they hurried back along the upper hull of the ship, back towards the open airlock on the dorsal surface, Idova noticed an odd glow along the horizon which had not been there minutes before. She indicated to S'Hara the growing brightness of the flames rapidly approaching the crater they were inside of.

  "Move it!" S'Hara shouted, and they broke into a hurried run, disregarding for the moment their caution about the flexible radiation mesh. Aya got to the edge of the hatch, then waited for the others to catch up. S'Hara arrived, and before she could say anything to Aya, got pushed into the open hatchway. Idova, trying to hurry, but heavily encumbered by the unfamiliar pressure suit and lack of gravity, was still mets away when the flames appeared visibly to Aya.

  Aya lept upwards, at an arc, shedding the extra radiation mesh as she did so, then landing just behind Idova, bounced backwards, striking Idova's back with her own, knocking the other woman forward and into the hatch; Aya then spun around using her suit jets, dove into the open hatch and hit the emergency close.

  "Punch it, Willem!" S'Hara shouted, even as they felt the engines again building up to thrust.

  The vibrations built in frequency and amplitude until all three of them were knocked to the floor, then the ship was savagely thrown hard port, and as it tried to right itself, another violent surge threw it starboard, and everyone felt a long, sickening shudder pass through the ship. Then a sudden, very different and extremely violent jerk of acceleration occurred, flinging Aya onto S'Hara, at the same time as Idova was thrown backwards into the pair. A shimmering field of energy surrounded all three of them, conforming to body shape, but having a gap of around 30 centimets between them and the wall. Idova visibly relaxed as the field came up, she knew that very little could break through it, so they were safe for the moment.

  Seconds later, the ship shifted again, but this time was much gentler, and there was no ominous shuddering. Minutes later, the airlock signaled it had pressurized, and the green light above the inner door flashed on. Idova stepped through the wall of the field, but sensed no danger of any sort. The field flicked off, and a muted thunderclap sounded in the airlock as air rushed to fill the gap. The light flicked to amber above the door, then flashed slowly. After a short pause, it again went green, and Aya thumbed the button. The door slid upwards, and they walked into the main corridor.

  Walking down towards the down shaft that led to the bridge, Jihon's voice came over their suit receivers.

  "Suit biofeedback indicates you are undamaged. Ship systems have sustained major structural damage to primary fusion drives. Neospace engines are currently operating at below threshold, maintaining our current velocity and heading in forced orbit around planetoid. Willem requests conference as soon as possible."

  As S'Hara continued to unsuit, asked "What about?"

  "Assumption is in regard to damage control and or repair, and possible recovery of elements still on the planetoid. Reason was not given." Jihon replied.

  She finished unsuiting, then told the others, "I'll see you on the bridge. Don't be long." And walked down the corridor towards the down shaft.

  After S'Hara's head disappeared below the edge of the corridor floor, Idova turned to Aya.

  "Aya, would you like to stay with me tonight?"

  Aya finished removing her suit and folded it back into it's locker before turning to Idova.

  "What time?" She asked.

  "When we've finished our duties for the day."

  Aya nodded. "I'll probably be rather late in that case, but I'll see you then." They kissed, then parted and continued to the br
idge.

  "Don't shout at me, Mr. Hyens. I'm the captain. If there's any shouting to be done, I'll be doing it."

  "We're all formal now are we, Captain, Ma'am? Well, with all respect. You nearly got your asses fried out there, and all hell broke loose in here while you guys were up top playing bubble bounce. You may be the captain, but you sure as hell lost control up top this time, lady!"

  "We had lost control because I wasn't in control, you were, Mr. Hyens. What happened?"

  "The burn rate accelerated beyond all vectors and it just roared around the curvature. Random elements, Captain. That's what happened. Nothing I could do could stop it. I told you to get the hell back here. What took you so long?"

  "We covered the distance as quickly as physically possible. What happened in here?"

  You should have gone faster. I waited until the airlock signaled it had closed, then fired up the engines to minimum, trying to melt us clear of the icepack. Then what happens? The burn-off strikes our little patch of hydrogen, and it explodes, This ship went straight up, at last sixteen kims in no time flat. Everything on board went down for a couple of seconds. Jihon managed to trigger the Neospace drives and keep us up, but we blew the fusion engines ass backwards when we got blown out of the ice, and deck four has a hole in it the size of this room!" He finished as Aya and Idova