After looking like they might ditch violently in the lake as Mallory had recommended, a last minute surge of power gifted by Zhao allowed the pilots to soften their descent, pulling up from a death spiral.

“Lift your big ass!” The bearded Serbian pilot boomed as the auxiliary thrusters protested under the strain of slowing their blistering speed. The Jotunheim’s landing lights picked out some boggy lowlands full of lichen-covered ponds and scraggly trees in the distance. But they were still coming in at too big an angle now to put down there without blowing up. Instead both Zey and Bosko wrestled with the controls to try and level them out. The lights settled on a range of low hills. 

Zey’s hyper-focused mind noted that the auxiliary engines spluttered into life and then died nearly a dozen times during the last minute of their approach - one side of the ship and then the other. Though she didn’t really register it, she was communicating quickly with Bosko as they desperately tried to keep their ship straight. Ultimately it was an impossible task. 

The Jo smashed into the hillside twenty three degrees off centre at around a hundred miles per hour. The screech of rending metal filled every nook and cranny of Zey’s mind. G-force threw the command crew forward against their seat restraints as the ship’s front right aux thruster sheared clean off against the stone. Mallory’s flight cap flew across the bridge and covered Zey’s face until she could scrape it off and throw it. The hull rolled round and up the rocky slope. Once, twice, then a quarter turn back the other way until it got caught on an outcropping.

Every alarm that could still blare inside the Bridge was going off. Thin wisps of smoke puffed from some of the equipment and gathered on the ceiling. Zey could smell burning, and hear it somewhere too - not just outside on the windscreen.

“Everyone ok? Give me your status. Wodan, damage report please.” Zey ordered, manually releasing her restraints and clambering to her feet. The deck sloped off slightly to the left. She attempted to get in touch with Engineering.

“Engineering - how are you doing back there?”

[hr]
Zhao’s wrinkled, grimy hands gingerly touched the big gash across her forehead. She let out a groan and a curse.

“It's just…a scratch. Something…hit me.”

Danny Varen unclipped a fire extinguisher from under his chair, yelping as fire licked across both kneecaps.

“I’m on fire - back feels a little funny too.” The engineer called as he sprayed carbon dioxide all over himself and the interface in front. With his body no longer in immediate danger, Danny could look around quickly as the airlock doors cycled open and a woman walked in.

“Who the fuck are you?”

When she responded, he laughed.

“You’re only five minutes late. Go check the chief - she’s hurt.”