In the forest deep, Alan Carter was in a precarious situation. With a ray gun in each hand he fired in two directions at once simultaneously, but he was effectively surrounded.
"Yeah, I would like to come back…a whole lot" he responded to Commander Koenig's order to return through the open mike of his commlock. "But our friends here have me blocked! I'm cut off! Any chance of you coming to me?"
Alan fired desperately in all directions. He was in serious need of a rescue.
"Half of us are wounded and we don't know where you are!" John let Alan know. "Hey! Fire up into the air."
"Okay," Alan consented. "Here it comes!"
From deep within the forest a single yellow streak of light forced it's way out of the jungle canopy taking several birds and leaves with it.
"Okay! We got you!" Koening announced excitedly. "Tanya?" Koening called to the Russian born Controller who normally assisted Paul and whose Eagle flying skills he had never called upon before, much less thought about. "Did you see that? Let's get to him!"
"Yes, but how? The jungle is thick!" Tanya complained.
"Hold on!" responded Sandra, fresh with an idea in her mind. She ran into the connection-way between the command module and the passenger section. There on the connection-way wall just behind the cockpit she examined through the inventory of supplies hanging there. Rescue axe...rock prying pike...and there!...a large coil of fiber utility rope. Hopefully, it would be long enough.
Sandra stuck her head into the flight deck and showed Tanya her find.
"We can use this!" she informed her. "I'll tie it inside and we'll drop it down to him and pull him out!" Sandra disappeared back into the main cabin to set her plan in action.
"Okay," Tanya nodded. "Alan, we are coming to get you! Do you think you can climb a rope up to the ship?"
"What? Like Tarzan?." A shot closely fired shot from an alien exploded past Alan's head. "Okay! Bring it! Better that way…than not at all!"
Meanwhile, back in the passenger module Sandra tied one end of the rope to a cross spar on the ceiling of the Eagle with a complicated but solid knot.
"Ha! Andhra Pradesh Girl Scouts finally come in handy!" she stated triumphantly. She commanded the side door open and entered a code into her commlock to keep it that way just as Doctor Russell and Kano were helping in the commander. They heard the sound of the Eagles engines whining down.
"What's going on, Tanya?" Koenig demanded to know through gritted teeth. "We've got to go now! Why are you shutting down?"
"The Eagle is aborting lift-off automatically with the doors jammed open!" Tanya explained. "It won't allow us to launch like this. Kano! Come up here and talk to the computer!"
With a grunted curse Kano handed off his side of the commander to tiny Sandra who helped Helena set him down and strap him in. Kano ran up into the command module and set himself down painfully into the right seat. He began typing rapidly at several unmarked keypad buttons in the co-pilot's auxiliary console. He finally resorted to voice control.
"Flight computer," he said in the tone he usually used to engage with Computer back on Moon Base Alpha. "Override lift-off criteria, now please. Re-establish flight enablement."
A computerized voice programmed similarly to Alpha's main computer responded matter-of-factly:
"Unable to comply. Space frame hull integrity is essential for passenger crew survival. Minimal integrity has not been attained. Additional: Structural damage from unknown exterior force-"
"Flight computer," Kano interrupted while maintaining his usual level tone even though his native Jamaican accent was now becoming slightly evident with his increased concern. "Please apply emergency override to launch sequence….through this authorization: 'Programmer-Kano-Lunar-ID-101443'".
With that the engines began their familiar high pitched whine back into life.
"I don't believe it!" Tanya said incredulously. "Good work!"
"Believe it," Kano confirmed more calmly. "Let's get out of here." he pointed his fingers rapidly like pistols then wrapped the seat harnesses around himself.
"Okay...we're going!" Tanya announced to passenger section's occupants. "Ready?!"
"Ready!" shouted Sandra kneeling beside the open door, and exchanging shots with the aliens outside.
"Yes! Let's go!" Helena urged. She held down her two patients, John and Paul, even though they were securely belted down and not going anywhere.
