Lost (Part One of Three)

Lieutenant Grafton and Chief Shale, along with Ensign Murphy were in the Type-8 Shuttle USS King. They were to scout out nearby class-M planets, for food, possible fuel and other things needed on board the USS Leviathan. They were only one day to the east of the USS Leviathan.

"Excuse me Chief I think, I'm picking up a Class-M moon about three light years from our current position." Ensign Murphy said. The Chief was busy running a test on the shuttle's engines, seeing if he could get more power out of them.

"Okay setting course, go and wake up Lieutenant Grafton." Shale ran his ringers over the helm control and entered warp three. He had to try and conserve power on the shuttle.

The two officers returned and Grafton was just waking up, but alert. Murphy sat back at the aft station and was checking out the data sent back.

"All right Chief once were in range enter a standard orbit and then prepare for planetary entry." Lieutenant Grafton said scanning for signs of life and found no humanoid lifesigns.

The shuttle dropped out of warp and began to enter the planet's atmosphere. However something went wrong.

"Damn it, the warp core's off-line, something in the atmosphere is playing hell with our instruments. Oh hell, we have lost main power, losing backup." The shuttle shook hard to port and was spinning out of control.

"Ensign send a distress call to the Leviathan before we lose all power." Grafton yelled as Shale was able to pull the shuttle out of a nosedive into the planet's surface.

The shuttle scraped the planets surface causing Grafton to fly forward and Murphy to do the same. The shuttle slid for over two kilometre and then hit a ten-metre wide tree. Shale flew forward as well and hit his head on the control panel.

Rick was knocked out for a few minutes and then came too and sat up. The heat and humidity seemed to have been a simulator for his awaking. He saw blood on his hand and felt pain on his forehead and right hand. Shale scanned around to look at the other crewmates. Grafton was out cold and Murphy was just sitting up.

"What were am I ?" A dazed Murphy asked.

"Easy Sir, let me get a med kit." Rick sat up from his chair and saw a few panels flickering. He walked over to aft section and found a MEd kit and walked back to Murphy.

Ensign Murphy was not hurt very bad just knocked his head hard, which Shale had seen a lot in his time.

After, tending to the Ensign, Rick went over to Grafton who was still unconsciously, The Lieutenant had a broken hand and broken nose. The Chief gave him an injection and carried him to the rear. Shale then tore his tunic's sleeve and wrapped it around his cut right hand. He then looked around and surveyed the damage.

The Shuttle's canopy was broken on the top, a three metre hole and a two meter crack. The ship's power was basically gone, only the environmental controls were working. Rick knew he had check the rations next and the emergency transponder. He went over and counted three days of rations, two phaser rifles, with five power packs, three phasers and two tricorders. Now came the task of checking the outside environment.

"Hey Ensign, stay here while I check outside."

The Chief went to the rear hatch and pulled the manual release switch. The hatch slowly came open. The heat was very bad, along with the humidity. He pulled his tricorder out and scanned for five kilometre, and saw nothing really good. The shuttles port nacelle was gone and was lying a meter off the shuttle's starboard side.

*Damn fine place to crash.* .He said to himself.

Rick went back inside and checked on the two injured officers. Murphy was starting to come out of his daze. When night came the temperature dropped forty-five degrees. Then fear came over the two awake crew.

*When is help going to arrive ?* Shale thought to himself. That night he tried to fix the emergency beacon with no luck.