Necessity is the mother of invention

Yesterday, we saw that Rome and Rei appeared doomed just as they arrived at Deucado at the beginning of Part 2 of Rome's Revolution. To tell you the truth, I was so intent on ratcheting up the action that I truly did not have a way for them to get out. Obviously I could not have them die because that would be the end of the novel. It took me about two days and I had to go back and reread the entire Part 1 to make sure that the solution they came up with wouldn't violate any rules I had set out before. Rei actually came up with the idea, not me. It went like this:

     “I’ve got it,” Rei said. He tried to snap his fingers but the gloves from the pressure suit prevented it from sounding effective.
     “What?” Rome asked.
     “We go to the planet.”
     “We cannot do that, Rei,” Rome answered back. “We are using the EG lifters to hold onto your Ark. We would not survive reentry without the lifters. We would burn up.”
     “No, no, no. Let me explain.” Rei said. “MINIMCOM, what would happen if we open up a PPT tunnel to the surface of the planet?”
     Rome interrupted. “You cannot form a large enough PPT tunnel on the surface of a planet.”
     “I know that. We’d start the tunnel up here. We’d just end up there.”
     “There is too much gravitational stress. The tunnel would collapse immediately,” Rome protested.
     “Not exactly,” said MINIMCOM. “For such a short distance, 160 kilometers, the tunnel would actually be stable for sufficient time. However, once the tunnel was formed, the atmosphere of the planet would begin venting out. We would face a formidable wind.”
     “Nothing that the plasma thrusters couldn’t push against, right?” Rei asked.
     “You are correct. We would be able to enter the tunnel. But when we emerge, you must still consider Rome’s original point. Once we passed through the tunnel, the tugs would have no lift since the EG pods are currently used to secure your crew compartment. We would fall to the surface.”
     “So we let the Ark go. Once it starts through the tunnel, wouldn’t gravity pull the rest through?”
     “What purpose would it serve to take the Ark through, just to let it fall to earth and be destroyed?” Rome asked.
     “Not if we work it just right…MINIMCOM, can you make the tunnel open up exactly the length of the Ark above the surface?”
     MINIMCOM did not answer right away. Finally, he said, “Yes.”

So how did it turn out? More tomorrow.