Old Acquaintances and lost friends

[Bazza]

Although the shuttle had been designed with Unassisted Atmospheric Descent and Launch Protocols in mind, it was still an arduous and inherently dangerous operation - any fault in the high-temperature shielding which offered the ships' infamous green colour raising the potential for catastrophic failure.

Despite the risks Evangeline confidently drops through the atmosphere, the vessel quickly becoming uncomfortably warm as the friction created by the air passing over the shielding transmits itself throughout the hull and interior fixings.

For what seemed like an eternity the violent shaking continued, the ship falling almost completely vertical through the upper edges of the atmosphere. Despite being small by interstellar standards, the shuttle still boasted a significant mass - which was reflected in the ever increasing speed of descent.

However, almost as quickly as it began, everything was over. Evangeline pitched the ship's nose upwards, bringing it on a level heading with the surface. The sudden increase in surface area forced a reduction in vertical velocity, the floor in turn heating rapidly.

The main engines were reignited and throttled up, replacing the rapid vertical descent with a leisurely horizontal cruise at the upper limits of Planet Manhattan's atmosphere.

A few seconds of pleasant smoothness pass by, relieved sighs escaping the passengers.

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