Sands Of Faith

WHEN we last left 'THE SANDS OF FAITH', Jerusalem Steele, Knight of the Phoenix was making his run through the dangerous no-mans land of space between the Shepard's moon and Yathrib's Atmosphere. Two Kurgan spacecraft were hot on his tail.

FADE IN: ESTABLISHING SHOT - NIGHTBLOOM dodging among the wreckage of a transport carrier as it orbits Yathrib. Two enemy fighters with red heat trails zoom in behind the NIGHTBLOOM.

SCREEN WIPE

FADE IN: INTERIOR COCKPIT - NIGHTBLOOM

JERUSALEM's hands grip the control yoke, fighting for stability. The ship rolls and pitches around, lances of tracer rounds and lasers arcing past him to strike bits of debris in space. There is the blue-flash of the ship's shields activating as debris from the front impacts and rounds from the back. Alarms sound, damage reports rattling off. The ship seems to be coming apart as he runs the blockade.

                             JERUSALEM (Voice-over)              
                   I KNOW! I KNOW the port thrusters are
                   gone! Shut up! Shut up! Harlan! Can you
                   do something about that? 

                             HARLAN, A MECHANIC
                   I'm already on it, boss! Try and hold her
                   Steady! 

                             JERUSALEM (Voice-over) 
                   Try and hold her steady, she says... 

JERUSALEM punches buttons furiously, flipping switches. Things light up and alarms go silent, but the ship shudders violently. A crack appears in his viewport as the shields fail and a bit of debris slams into the ship at high speed. JERUSALEM picks up the microphone to the radio.

                             JERUSALEM (Voice-over)  
                   This is the Nightbloom, in orbit over
                   Yathrib. I am coming in hot and hard, 
                   I am going to overshoot Akko Spaceport.
                   
                   I am requesting an alternate landing. 

                             MEEKHAM TOWER   
                   Nightbloom, this is Meekham Tower. Go 
                   ahead, relate your condition. 

                             JERUSALEM (Voice-over)  
                   Oh. You know. Fast reentry. New Kurgan
                   Friends who'd really like to talk to me, 
                   Shot to hell and back with failing engines. 
                   Also, I am ON FUCKING FIRE LIKE A BLAZING
                   COMET SCREAMING ACROSS THE SKY AT 10,000
                   MILES A GODDAMN HOUR! 

                             MEEKHAM TOWER  
                   Uh... Right then. We are transmitting the
                   coordinates of our landing field and our 
                   approach paths. 

                             JERUSALEM (Voice-over)  
                   Lovely. Thanks so much. 

JERUSALEM looks down over his readouts - gravity etched in his face. The glow from the reentry heat floods the view screen, fire casting him in orange and amber. Sweat beads on his face and tension is etched in handsome features. Either he's a damn fine actor, or this is a truly harrowing situation.

SCREEN WIPE: EXTERNAL TRAILING CAM FROM NIGHTBLOOM

Two angry looking kurgan fighters - damaged but doggedly persuing the small starship into the upper atmospehre.

Will Jerusalem Steele make his date with the people of Meekham?

Will the Nightbloom hold together long enough for him to make touch down?

Will the Infidel Kurgans break off?

FIND OUT IN THE NEXT INSTALLMENT OF...

      ___________.__               _________                  .___      
      \__    ___/|  |__   ____    /   _____/____    ____    __| _/______
        |    |   |  |  \_/ __ \   \_____  \\__  \  /    \  / __ |/  ___/
        |    |   |   Y  \  ___/   /        \/ __ \|   |  \/ /_/ |\___ \ 
        |____|   |___|  /\___  > /_______  (____  /___|  /\____ /____  >
                      \/     \/          \/     \/     \/      \/    \/ 
                   _____  ___________      .__  __  .__                 
             _____/ ____\ \_   _____/____  |__|/  |_|  |__              
            /  _ \   __\   |    __) \__  \ |  \   __\  |  \             
           (  <_> )  |     |     \   / __ \|  ||  | |   Y  \            
            \____/|__|     \___  /  (____  /__||__| |___|  /            
                               \/        \/              \/