Jason struggled with the control yoke to keep his small ship level under the power of only one thruster. Unlike a dedicated aircraft with its large wings and the associated control surfaces, the small spaceship had almost no ability to compensate for thrust being applied to only one side of the craft. The only option left to him to prevent the craft from spinning uncontrollably was to power the remaining engine down to minimum and pull the yoke as far in the opposite direction as possible. This had the unfortunate side effect that they were plummeting downward at an alarming rate.

Rick and Linda staggered into the cockpit as the craft pitched and lurched. They just made it to the copilot's seat as shell off to their port sides rocking them once again. Rick, being much stronger, grasped the back of the chair with one hand and held the woman upright with his other. When the worst of the turbulence abated, he hauled Linda into the free seat, while steadying himself behind it.

Back in the engine room Sarah grasped the engine housing for dear life as the ship lurched violently. With her free hand she grasped her diagnostic screen, keeping it from skittering off into the corner. From the readout, she could clearly see the problem, but had no idea how to fix it. The engine had gone into auto shutdown, likely from a piece of shrapnel having gotten imbedded in the intake compressor manifold. The most recent disturbance subsiding, she took a chance and let got of her precarious hold on the engine. Dancing her fingers across the keyboard, she cut cockpit control to the engine, and then inverted the engines orientation. As the raging winds outside blew backward through the turbine she waited for any telltale signs that the obstruction had cleared. She prayed it would be something obvious, as Kaylee had not had a chance to cover very much on the twin turbines that controlled atmospheric flight.

Up in the cockpit, Jason noticed the white contrail of another surface to air missile streak skyward toward h