"Slowing to impulse," Rich Watson announced from the pilot's chair as he tapped the console.
"Sensors Jan!" Stone ordered.
"Nothing yet sir," Fisher replied.
"Divert power to the shields," Stone said. "Rich, take us in."
Watson tapped the console again as soon as Hedley confirmed that shields were at 120% and the runabout plummeted into Txamsem's atmosphere.
"We're looking for the Cat's Eye, a reconnaissance vessel. They followed the fighters in," Stone informed his team.
Fisher looked somewhat bemused at the display for a second and kept tapping buttons. "I'm getting a huge amount of interference in the atmosphere," she reported. "I've patched into one of the observation satellites." She tapped a button to bring the display from the satellite onto Stone's console.
"Can you see the wake caused by our ship? It's several layers deep but you can just make it out?" she asked, but didn't wait for a reply. "If you look to the left there's a much smaller disturbance of the gas, as though something is still or moving slowly in the atmosphere."
"Get us coordinates, Jan," Stone said, sounding suddenly enthusiastic.
"Boss, shields weakening, now at eighty percent," Hedley called out.
"It's hard to calculate..." she paused for a second. "Steer to port 5 degrees, we should hit the area in a few seconds and slow us down."
Rich nodded and tapped the console to adjust the course and speed.
"Sensors are focused ahead, but it's like looking into the pitch black without a flashlight," Jan reported.
"Shields now at fifty percent, thirty seconds to shield failure," Hedley again announced.
Stone and Watson were firmly focused on looking through the front viewports for anything. It was like looking into a cloud of amber and blue, visibility was reduced to a few meters. Suddenly a gray lump emerged out of the fog of orangey-blue.
"My god!" Rich burst out and rapidly entered commands into his console. The runabout lurched suddenly almost as though something had taken hold of it. Watson had applied full reverse to prevent them hitting the object.
"Sensors shows it's the Cat's Eye, sir," Jan reported. "Their shields are failing, engines are offline."
Stone jumped from his seat and dashed to the Tactical console in the center of the bridge and began tapping it furiously. "Rich, take us ahead of the ship and prepare to take us out gradually to full power," he ordered.
"Aye sir," Rich replied confidently.
"Marc, divert power from sensors to the tractor beam."
Hedley nodded in reply as he entered commands into the console.
Stone tapped a few more commands as the Pennine moved ahead of the Cat's Eye. The blue light of the tractor beam burst to life and attached itself to the other ship. Watson tapped the engage pad on his console and the runabout's engines roared to life and slowly the Pennine began to move forward dragging the bulk of the Cat's Eye behind it.
"I need more power!" Rich called out as he monitored the engine readings.
"I'll try," Hedley replied. "Life support off to the aft section, power diverted."
USS Pennine began to gain speed and slowly but surely, dragged the ship behind it. The yellow of the fog through the front viewport started to fade and become blue and suddenly it cleared almost like the wind had blown.
"Standard orbit altitude reached. I'll take us out of the gravitational pull and then we can drop the tow," he said.
As they left Txamsem behind them, Rich slowed the runabout to a stop and Jim disengaged the tractor beam.
"Returning power to normal," Hedley reported.
"Hail the Cat's Eye," Stone said, still standing behind Tactical.
The console screen changed from the tactical command mode to a view of the Cat's Eye cockpit.
"Lieutenant, thank you for your efforts," the commanding officer of the Cat's Eye said. "I owe you a drink."
"Indeed you do," Stone replied. "The USS Ronin will assist you back to starbase. We'll see you back there."
"Understood. Thank you. Cat's Eye out."
The screen changed back to the tactical display. Through the viewport Jim saw the huge mass of the Intrepid Class USS Ronin approaching.
"Take us home, Rich, cruise speed," Jim instructed.
Rich tapped the console and the runabout jumped to life heading back towards Serenity.
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