[ WP ] [ CW ] Humanity builds their first hyperspace-capable ship . Her maiden voyage , a short trip to Mars , goes horribly wrong . The ship arrives mangled , her entire battleship-sized hull bent , scarred and pockmarked . Describe first the aftermath of her arrival , and then the perspective of her late crew .

*Control, this is Commander Taylor of the ship Ulysses. * 
 
 *Go ahead Ulysses. * 
 
 *Final systems check complete. Initiating burn on your mark. * 
 
 *3... 2... 1... Mark. You are clear for burn Ulysses. * 
 
 *Roger Command, Ulysses out. * 
 
 The massive jump drive began to cycle and the various hull thrusters hissed. The Ulyssess fine turned the trajectory of its massive bulk and in a blink it was gone. it was folded up into subspace were it would remain until the drive dropped it into a safe orbit around Mars. Total trip time, less then 15 minutes. Atleast that was the plan, anyway. 
 
 When its crippled shell finally hurtled itself out of hyperspace it had been nearly an hour and there was nothing safe about the orbit. The ships propulsion system was offline but it came rocketing towards Mars at nearly 400m/s. Once visual contact had been established the Martian Defense Forces wanted to use the meteor protection system to destroy it before it could impact. The council intervened and with the help of over one hundred various vessels pressed into emergency service the Ulysses was guided into a stable orbit. Mars wanted to board the ship immediately but again Earth stood her ground. It was agreed a team would be sent by conventional means to evaluate the ship and determine the cause of the problem and if any of the major systems were salvageable. 
 
 Taking the slow train to Mars was no picnic, nearly six months in a zero g hauler and I felt like shit. The council had seized the first ship it could find with enough space for our team and equipment. This led to us being crammed into a 20+ year old heavy transport back from the days when the majority of Mars food and supplies came from Earth. Our quarters were temporary walls erected in one of the cargo bays and the ship had no artificial gravity system. Sleeping strapped down like a crate I was sick, a lot. So when we finally set foot on Mars One, the massive station that controlled all incoming and outgoing traffic, I was happier then I'd ever remembered being. I spent the next three days exploring the station with my team mates. 
 
 Finally it was time to board our shuttle and head to the Ulysses. Carter, Lewis and I had spent many long nights arguing the possibilities of what had happened. The damage the hull had sustained was tremendous and it was a miracle so much had unfolded intact. I was glad we would finally be getting some answers. We all in some way felt responsible for unravelling her mystery, our division had designed and manufactured many of the components for the ship. And most importantly of all, Lewis was the head of the team that built and tested the Hyper drive. I knew if it came to light that his design in some way failed, he would be crushed. The gentle sway of the shuttle was relaxing and it was n't long until I drifted off.. 
 
 To be continued................
