MAH 1 (Rellek, Ezac)

[Unknown Planet - Shuttle]

The interior of the shuttle was enveloped in darkness. Gravity, which was stronger than that to which Ezac was accustomed, pushed him away from his seat back and firmly into his restraints. As his eyes opened, a shower of sparks erupted from a panel, causing a crackling flash of light that temporarily lit up his surroundings. Before the sparks dimmed and allowed the interior of the shuttle to return to complete darkness, Ezac was able to spot Rellek. The two of them had entered the shuttle together, and although they anticipated landing on the unknown planet, neither of them expected to crash.

Unable to disengage the latch on his restraints due to the weight of his body, Ezac reached down to his waistband and removed his personal folding knife. With a smooth swipe of the knife, the fibers of the restraints gave way and he slammed against something rigid with a thud. With as much care as he could muster, he slowly forced himself into a kneeling position.

Another shower of sparks popped near his head, and he turned just in time to watch dozens of sparks bounce off of the front of his helmet. He looked down and watched the sparks as they cooled and succumbed to the pitch black conditions.

He turned toward Rellek, who had yet to give any indication of consciousness.

"Lieutenant! Lieutenant Rellek, can you hear me?"

Julia's head seemed to twitch from side to side. A cloud of smoke seemed to envelop the cabin. With a deep cough she slowly began to come back to reality. Her eyes opened and caught a glimpse of something that seemed out of place. She closed her eyes and opened them again. She realized that she was looking up at the console she had been operating what seemed like only moments earlier.

"I'm here Crewman, what... What happened?"

Rellek's question prompted flashbacks that played in Ezac's mind like a film. He wasn't actually sure what happened. Everything was going fine initially. In fact, it seemed like they were just moments from landing safely. What could have caused them to crash with such violent force?

"I am not sure, Lieutenant," Ezac replied.

By this time, he had brought himself to his feet. Other than some dim lights that were coming from a couple of consoles, the cabin of the shuttle was dark.

"Well, I guess it doesn't matter." She located a tricorder and began to scan the surrounding area. "Its over 40 degrees out there." She said as she loathed the thought of stepping out of the shuttlecraft. She attempted to access the ships systems but quickly realized that there was no power to bring them up. "The power distribution systems are completely fried. We have to get out of here crewman. In this heat we'll bake in here in a matter of hours. The atmosphere outside registers as class M, but barely, surface temperatures are in excess of 40 degrees and I'm not reading any signs of life or vegetation."