The planet turns.
The Follgun entered orbit with a slight jolt, like going over a speed bump. It was named after the Azotan mythological figure who was said to have travelled the world seeking/finding lost/forgotten things. It was not a feat of engineering, just a standard mid-distance ship. This was not the maiden voyage, but it was still fresh enough that it smelled new. The environmental stabilisers worked well and so the passengers noticed nothing, only the crew noticed because it was their job to notice those things. I lie, a passenger did notice, and I'll give you a guess who that was…
Dr. Ruth Clayton was in her quarters, meditating, bouncing a yellow rubber ball against the walls. She was getting a good rhythm, toss, bounce, rebound, catch. Then the ship entered orbit and the gravity shifted, she missed the catch and the ball hit her in the chin. She spluttered and was taken from her thoughts.
This is of course the Doctor, the one with the shirt with frill sleeves, the colourful shirt with frill sleeves, not the white ones. Not the white one. Navy blue waistcoat and matching coat. She called herself Dr. Ruth Clayton to the crew and passengers, they knew her as such, an expert in temporal physics, with two doctorates. One from New Old Oxford and another from the Arch-Conduit Academy, Bellos.
Being taken from her thoughts she left her room, a simple thing of bed, storage and sanitisation cubicle. A little military, but she was used to that. The white door slid open at her movement with that satisfying whisper and she began her confident swagger towards the bridge. It was a small ship, having left the main cruiser two subjective weeks ago, and it was a surprised to her she didn't pass anybody on her way, but she supposed that was because the security officers were preparing for planet fall, the pilots were piloting, and the commanding officers were keeping check over everyone. The rest of the passengers, the researchers and academics she had made herself part of, were probably doing the same, or continuing to find ways of passing the time. The younger ones went a little stir crazy with little to pass the time. The more experienced academics were able to lose themselves in research.
The bridge, suitably small for such a size of ship, was circular. Ring-shape terminal was in the centre surrounded by three chairs connected to the ceiling. More chairs could be added if needed, but the three allowed the operators of the terminal to slide around the ring to access whatever controls they needed. The chairs also provided a pivotal axis from which they could turn and access the bank of manual controls. The circular walls surrounding the bridge were readings, lights, buttons, switches, levers, cranks, dials, all the small things that itched at the fingers to be clicked and spun. This was a back-up, should the touch-pad ring terminal fail.
The Doctor couldn't help but be reminded of the TARDIS controls, thinking that the seating mechanics might be a good idea. Although there was something thrilling about throwing yourself across the console to reach a button on the other side.
'Dr. Clayton.' The commanding officer nodded to her, giving her the full and cold attention of someone who is busy but will happily put aside their busy work to deem you with a remark to whatever you were going to say. Lt. Vanessa Castillo had little time for people she wasn't in command of and even then… But Dr. Clayton intrigued her, she carried herself differently. Lt. Castillo had some thoughts about Dr. Clayton's record, but didn't voice them.
'What can I do for you, Doctor?' asked the Captain/ship. Designated Captain .937, it was given a soft and deep voice and was given just enough personality functions to be easy to communicate with.
'My intentions upon arrival were to enquire after the progress of our voyage. However, I find myself amused at my folly for thinking to ask—you, good friends, are skilled in your profession.'
'Most gracious,' said Captain .937.
'You're in time though. There are readings we cannot understand surrounding the planet.' Lt. Castillo rose, breaking off a piece of the terminal. It was designed for this, she didn't break it. She presented the thin sheet of glass to the Doctor and it displayed readings she easily understood.
'My understanding is formed from years of skill and experience, and I suggest there is little queer about it. These are standard displays of interactive space-time fluctuations, perfectly. But it was very prudent of you to reveal it.'
Lt. Castillo thanked her and returned to the terminal. The Doctor could see in the reflection of the touch screen, one of the pilots smile—quite apt too for his name—Joshua Smiley. The other pilot, one with reputation and semi-famous parents, Aumegden Lozada didn't change her look of concentration as she continued to co-pilot.
'If I have permission and the request itself is not impudent, may I remain—purely in an observatory capacity.'
Lt. Castillo lifted herself to speak, but the Captain spoke first: 'Of course, Doctor. Will you require a seat?'
'No thank you, though your request was most gracious.'
So she leaned against a wall that didn't have any buttons on it and watched.
Something will happen in a minute, but to simulate the time passing, and so we don't go straight on to the minor action, I should explain the Doctor's speech. I assume you have met this one and know she doesn't speak like that, this might just be an affection of age or youth, but it is not. This Doctor is without TARDIS and as such is lacking the telepathic translation circuits. She is relying on her own ability to speak the prime language of New Earth. She has the rules and most of the grammar down, but is a century or two out of style. Hence I have tried to replicate what it would sound like to you. Archaic but comprehensible. And that isn't even to say anything of the generational—or even annual—slang that changes. Sometimes it will take the crew and passengers a few moments to process what she was saying.
The Doctor continued to bounce the yellow ball. Keeping it with her. They shifted into the upper atmosphere, the mesosphere. At this the ball bounced away. The Doctor has a horrible idea it would hit one of the controls and set them into a bad landing, or hit a corner and bounce wildly around the small place.
It was caught by Joshua without even turning to look.
'Nice reflexes,' said Aumegden who looked up at the Doctor's gasp.
Joshua winked and turn to the Doctor who was sheepishly grinning as she took the ball back. 'I could see it in the reflection,' he said, a little too quickly. It could have been odd, but Lt. Castillo moved them passed it by asking the Doctor to remain still if she wanted to remain at all.
'Maybe you should be checking for temporal disturbances with your equipment,' Lt. Castillo suggested.
'I am.' The Doctor pocketed the ball and pulled out a yo-yo. It was a good one, the ones that fit well in your hand and you can feel the pull of their inertia when they hit the end of the string. The Doctor continued to play with it as they breeched the stratosphere, her other hand holding the data sheaf, carefully monitoring the gravity and energy readings.
As they entered the troposphere, the pull of the yo-yo was harder, after one more hard pull the Doctor alerted them to evasive action. The energy readings showed a blossom of red cloud that they were on course with.
Aumegden began the sequence, but Joshua gagged and fell to the floor. He tried to push himself up, but a migraine cut through his sinuses and distorted all ability to think. Lt. Castillo fell to his side as the Doctor was quick to take his place.
It was a sharp turn that would send them into a gravitation loop, possibly even slingshot them out of orbit again. The environmental stabilisers didn't have the capacity for something to sharp and sudden and the entire shift was tossed to one side.
In the recreation quarters, the students fell over each other, one doctor slammed into the other and both tumbled over the settee. Most of the medical quarters were bolted down, however the medical officer was in the drop-out hangar checking the exploration suits and was pressed into one. The security officers doing their rounds were quick to hold on to something and so managed to just enjoy the ride.
Every time Doctor did something to slow their progress and bring them into a more stable landing Aumegden kept shouting, 'Compensate.' The Doctor didn't speak, she just did. After making sure Joshua wasn't having a seizure, Lt. Castillo joined in with the Captain in matching the navigations.
'Compensate what? Doctor!' Lt. Castillo couldn't understanding the readings. Her short hair unruffled in the manic movements. It was the poliosis-like striped back-comb of a Pelodonian. 'Re-engage engines Pilot Lazado.'
'No, I see it. Sorry Lieutenant. We're going to cut the engines, glide briefly and use the gravity shield to bounce ourselves back into a steady orbit.
'We're crashing!'
And they did, falling into the troposphere and below the cloud line. Below them was a vast swathe of ocean. The waves ripples and waves crashed chaotically until the large underside of the ship neared the water.
The Doctor activated the gravity shield and set it to maximum. It was designed to prevent damage from meteorites and collisions with other ships, but in this moment it caused the ship to skip like a stone, like a ball. Upon the upward trajectory the thrusters were re-ignited and they shot back into the stratosphere. They glided over the vast ocean, briefly came across land, then back to ocean. It would take another few minutes to get back to a proper descent speed, but first they needed to make a turn and land close to their designated point. There was some debate over whether this should be further or closer to the event site.
It was decided by the captain, controlling the ship, that it should be laterally close to the original site. This did mean an increase of one hour journey time from the landing site to the event site.
Joshua's migraine had left him, he could think and see, but he felt the phantom pain come over him. He kept rubbing the back of his head, claiming this to be where he hit his head when he fell. The Doctor and Lt. Castillo both knew he fell forward.
