Elite: Dangerous

Adrift

“ASTRA, damage report!” Anwen commanded. There was no response from the ship’s AI.

“Shit!” Anwen began working the controls. A few instruments in the cockpit lit up. She grabbed the stick, and fired the thrusters. Slowly the Merope stopped it’s slow spin, and the super giant slid out of view. She carefully increased froward thrust.

“This will shield us from the solar radiation for the moment. The emergency shields are holding.”

She looked at her passenger. “Are you injured?”

The princess just stared blankly into the void.

Anwen grabbed the younger woman firmly by the shoulders. “Hey, snap out of it, your highness. We have work to do!”

“Sorry.” The princess finally responded. “I…I think I’m OK.”

“Come on.” Anwen helped her up. “Let’s see what’s left of my ship.”

The damage turned out to be disastrous. The explosion had torn a gaping hole into the ships mid-section, depressurising the living quarters.

“I need to have a look at this. Do you think you can operate the wireless?”

“Can’t we call for help?” Aisling Duval asked.

“No. With the FSD and the reactor down, we can’t send a signal beyond this system. Plus, the two ships closest to us are those who want to blow us out of the sky. So I think radio silence might be best.”

“Oh.”

Anwen led her passenger to the pilot chair. “OK. You see these controls?” She pointed to a display. “If the red bar climbs over 1000, you call me, OK?”

“What is it?” Aisling asked.

“It shows the radiation that gets through the shields.”

“With these controls, you should be able to turn the ship, left and right.” Anwen continued.

“Wait, you want me to pilot the ship?”

“Just turn it a bit if I say so. Give it a try.”

The princess pushed the joystick to the left, and the ship slowly started rotating.

“Woah! Gently!” Anwen warned.

She let go of the stick, and the rotation stopped.

“The basic controls still work, so the rotation stops, once you let go.”

“Why do you want me to do this?” The princess asked.

“I’m going outside to assess the damage. And I need you to keep an eye on the radiation, and keep me in the shadow while I’m out there. Emergency shielding or not, this close to a star I’ll get cooked in an instant outside the ship’s shadow.”

“Oh.” The princess breathed.

“If I tell you on the wireless to turn the ship you move that stick. Nice and slowly, clear?”

The princess nodded.

“Good.” Anwen left the bridge, leaving a very scared princess behind.

A few minutes later, Aisling was highly concentrated. It was weird how much the human body, let alone the mind, could take, if it was about survival. She looked at the readings on the display, while she listened to the captains heavy breathing on the intercom.

“Rotate starboard by two degrees, please!”

She gently pushed the stick, and watched the ship rotate. It was difficult to hold it in position without increasing rotation.

“Stop.” Anwen commanded. She let go, and felt the slight shiver in the ships hull, as the thrusters fired to stop the rotation.

Anwen’s voice came from the intercom. “The plant and the FSD look OK. It’s just the wiring that connects the main computer with power that’s broken. I think can fix that. And we need to seal off the living area. The damage to that part of the ship is exhaustive. Wanna hear the bad news?”

Aisling didn’t, but she knew she would get to hear it anyway. As if their situation wasn’t bad enough.

“Your friend knew what she was doing. She couldn’t blow up our engines, so she went for the second most important system on the ship. The blew the water tanks. We’re out of fresh water, I’m afraid.”

“That is bad.” Aisling whispered.

“Given that we’re five days away from the next outpost, yes. I’m coming back in.”

About fifteen minutes later Anwen came back onto the bridge. She carried something that looked like a sleeping bag, and some technical gadgets.

“Sorry, the living quarters are closed. So you have to sleep on the floor here on the bridge. Not the most comfortable place, but hey, the view is fantastic!”

“Huh?” Aisling asked dumbly. She was still trying to get to terms with the fact that she was, most likely, going to die out here.

Anwen smiled encouragingly. “You need some rest princess. After all, this was a pretty shitty day. Probably the worst you ever had.”

“I don’t think I can sleep.” The princess said. “My head is humming.”

“You’re going to need your strength. There’s a lot of work to do, and I need your help.”

Aisling snorted. “What for?”

“To get this old gal moving again, duh?” Anwen shook her head.

“Why would we do that? To die of thirst on the way?” The princesses face was reflecting her hopelessness.

“We’re not going to die!” Anwen returned.

“Are we? You said it yourself, even if you can repair the engine, we’re gonna die from thirst before we can reach a habitable system!” Tears welled up in the princesses eyes. “Sorry” she sobbed. “I usually don’t don’t cry in front of other people, but I don’t think, I can handle this.”

Anwen put a hand on the young woman’s shoulder. “I don’t know much about politics, and all this fancy and scary stuff you usually deal with. But this is not the Royal Court. This is my territory. You don’t grow up on a prospector spaceship, without learning how to survive in deep space. We’re far from done yet. We’ll do this, one task at a time, first we regain control of the engines, than we tackle the water problem. We aren’t going to die, and we’re not giving up!”

Aisling looked up. “How in the universe are we going to do all of this?”

Anwen smiled. “I make something up on the way. I’ve seen worse, you know?”

“How can it be worse than this?”

“We could be on an unstable orbit.”

“You’ve been in a situation like this before?”

“Without the water problem, but low on oxygen, and with a collapsing orbit, yes.” Anwen shrugged. “You don’t live very long in deep space, if you can’t improvise a way out of a bad situation.”

“You really believe we can make it?”

“Would I lie to my sovereign?” Anwen grinned.

“Thanks.” Aisling replied. “One more thing.” She added.

“Yes?”

“Can you call me Aisling? I don’t think my title is of much use out here, and I’d feel better having, well, a friend around me.”

Anwen formally stretched out her hand. “I’m Anwen.”

Aisling took the hand, and managed a smile.

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