Chapter 2
Chapter Two
*** LYDIA ***
L ydia was harshly awoken by being tossed from her bed.
The spaceship shuddered and tilted, causing her to be flung across her quarters.
Her head slammed into the base of her desk.
Her prized collection of rare books fell from their shelf, bombarding her body.
Standing, she clung to whatever surface was nearest in order to navigate the room.
Reaching the comlink, she asked her second-in-command, "Marcus, what the hell was that? Did we hit something?"
"No, Captain. Something hit us. Whatever it was has caused the ship to spin out of control. We're going off course, and I can't stop it. The ship's not responding!"
"I'll be right there. Run a diagnostic test and see how quickly we can correct the problem."
"Already running it. I'm not an idiot."
Even in times of crisis, Lydia found Marcus to be a complete ass. She hadn't wanted him on her crew, but her superiors had overruled her plea, and now she was stuck with him .
"All decks report!" she shouted into the communicator. "Are there any injuries or breaches in the hull?"
"All sleeping quarters undamaged," came a reply. "Some bumps and bruises to report, but no serious injuries."
"Food and service area disheveled, but clear. No injuries."
"Infirmary has been called for injuries in the engine room."
"How bad?" Lydia asked.
"Unknown."
"Hank, who's hurt and how bad?" she asked the chief engineer.
"One crew member has a leg fracture. Equipment fell on her. My assistant has a dislocated shoulder. A storage room was breached, and he had to get the access sealed by hand due to mechanical failures."
As Lydia fought her way down the off-kilter hallway to the elevator, she was informed, "We have bigger problems to concern ourselves with.
The damage caused a malfunction in the control panels and sent the ship into hyperdrive.
No destination was set. I managed to shut it down, but I have no clue as to where we are.
Even worse, the engines aren't functioning correctly now.
Something is clogging the system, and if I don't figure it out soon, you better find somewhere to land.
They could stop at any time, and we will crash. "
"That's not an option, Hank. Find a solution. I trust you to save our hides from this mess."
Entering the control room, she was greeted by an awe-inspiring view of unfamiliar constellations.
Lydia had looked up at the stars all of her life and dreamed of soaring among them.
It had been her goal to be aboard one of the first exploratory spaceships going into the farthest known solar systems and discovering new worlds.
Well, here she was, and it was not at all as she had expected.
The sight of space, with all its vast unknowns, had never failed to excite Lydia and make her smile.
No matter how big her problems were, they became tiny when compared to the limitless expanse.
However, her crew's safety was her responsibility and that outweighed any joy she might have found in what lay before her.
"Have the scans been completed?" she asked as she took the captain's chair.
"One hull breach, already contained. Navigation is offline, and a crew is working on it now. As you heard, there is engine trouble, and we have no idea where we are. Recordings show we were hit by a large asteroid, yet we were nowhere near an asteroid field," Marcus explained.
"Have you reported to Earth?" Lydia inquired.
"I couldn't get through," he reported as he turned to face her. "Do you wish to try?"
"It's our best chance at learning where we are. Their trackers may still be able to find us."
"Maybe I should take over for now. I'll keep hailing Earth, while you go to the infirmary."
"The doctor has the injured, and he doesn't require my interference. I want to speak with Earth," Lydia commanded.
Marcus stared at her, shocked to know she hadn't known she was bleeding. "Captain, you're the one who needs aid. Your head is cut, and blood is covering your face and clothes. You most likely have a concussion and are possibly in shock. I insist on taking control."
Lydia touched her head and realized she was indeed bleeding, though the pain was minimal. "I'll get it taken care of after we communicate with Earth. I'm not in shock. All my faculties are clear. I'm quite capable of commanding this ship. Thanks for the offer."
"If something goes wrong, I'll report that you refused medical care against my advice. They'll listen to me and finally realize that a female captain was a mistake," Marcus sneered .
"If a mistake is made, I'll take full responsibility for it. They won't need a report from you. You may have forgotten that everything we do or say is recorded, including your constant threats and insubordination, but I haven't. Hail Earth or leave the control center."
Grudgingly Marcus did as ordered. "Earth station Alpha, this is spacecraft Outreach II. Can you hear us?"
The reply was broken and almost unintelligible. "Outreach....Alpha here."
The captain took over, "Station Alpha, we have been hit by an unknown object, possibly an asteroid. We have multiple malfunctions and are way off course. Navigation is out. Can you track us?"
"Not in known space........record.........malfunction......... Aliens.......stay.....help."
That was all the captain heard before communication was lost.
"That wasn't much help," Marcus stated.
"It won't help us discover where we are, but it did make a few things clear," Lydia replied.
"What could you possibly have gotten out of that jumbled mess?" Marcus asked.
"First of all, they heard us, or they wouldn't have mentioned the malfunction.
So, at least we can get messages to them.
Second, they haven't found us in any charted space, and they want us to record everything.
That means we've made a discovery, which is good news, even though we are lost. Last of all, the aliens are still terrorizing Earth.
The rest I'm not sure about. Either they want us to stay away, or they need help. "
"Captain, the hull is heating up. We are veering too close to a large sun," the science officer reported. "We need to change course. "
"Understood," Lydia replied. "Hank, do we have enough power to turn away from this sun?"
"Only if we temporarily take it from other systems. We will be moving blindly and risking a crash."
"We're moving blindly anyway, and at least we could survive a crash. The sun will incinerate us. Divert the power and get us as far from this heat as possible."
The lights dimmed, and control panels shut off. Only life-sustaining
power remained as the ship rocked and struggled to move.
Slowly, it veered in a different direction.
The crew could hear the strain on the engines and the creaking of the hull.
No words were necessary. The fear in their faces was clear.
Suddenly, the spacecraft lurched to a stop.
The lights remained dim and the control center didn't come back on line.
Hank's voice came over Lydia's personal comlink.
"That's all the engines had to give. We're drifting.
At least we are headed away from the sun, but sooner or later we will run into a planet's gravitational pull.
Either it will force us to circle until we regain control, or it will pull us too fast and we will crash. "
"Do the best you can to fix the engines. In the meantime, we will prepare for the worst."
She turned to the control crew and added, "Obviously, the main comlink is out.
So, a general announcement is out. I need each of you to take a section of the ship and see that it's made ready for a crash.
Lock away loose objects, shut off gas and water pipes, then buckle into safety seats.
Hopefully, these precautions will prove unnecessary.
If we do crash, stay in the ship unless it is in danger of exploding.
We will need to test the atmosphere of wherever we land.
It could be toxic. There is also the question of inhabitants.
Animal, mineral, or vegetable, they could be friendly or hostile.
Pass the word. I will take care of the infirmary since it has been pointed out that I'm bloody.
Marcus, take over, but don't get too comfortable in my seat. I'll be right back."
"No need. Your presence isn't required. I've got this from here on out."
"You may not like it, but I am your captain.
My presence is definitely required. I've been patient with your snarky remarks and uncooperative attitude.
However, my patience has run out. There are a hundred people counting on us to keep them safe and alive.
You will obey my orders without question or I will relieve you of your duties.
Disobedience or hesitation on your part could be detrimental.
Save your sexist remarks for when this crisis is over.
If by some miracle the main power comes on, try to report our change of situation to Earth. "
"We'll see who's captain when this is over," Marcus muttered as she left.
The hallway was darker than the control room, and the ship's tilt made Lydia have to balance herself against the wall.
Without power, the elevator didn't run, so she had to climb down the ladders between decks.
The infirmary was three decks below the control room.
She paused on each level to make sure the occupants were preparing for a crash.
"Sophia, how are the patients?" Lydia asked the doctor as she entered the infirmary.