A Way of Honor (Champions of the Crystal Book 2)

Chapter 14.2

Therenden surveyed the staging area for the repair bay, which shed some light through the airlock porthole. The staging area itself was not lit, but they could see well enough to move around.

"Well," Leran said from his position near the porthole, "it is a Wayship. Whether it is Sribarak or not I cannot tell."

Therenden said, "I think we can safely deduce that it is. Also," he said, "I think that this panel is telling us the repair bay is open to space."

"Since the Tirqwin ordered us not to disturb it, that seems moot," Leran replied. "One of us should stay here to watch the ship, and the other should take up a station outside to watch for anyone approaching."

Therenden nodded. "I'll take the corridor. We can change places when we get tired."

"Very well."

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Scotty swore softly over the inert panels on Khediva's control deck. The manual controls were supposed to become accessible the instant anything went wrong with the Wayship's control, but they had not. Scotty knew there were manual releases, but if the emergency systems were not operating enough to extrude the controls, then the controls themselves were probably useless. He felt sure there was nothing he could do from here.

The light from the hand lamp bounced along the corridor as he jogged back to the infirmary. Haaron had found another lamp and set it up so that it shone on Sabrina.

"I think something bad happened, and I think it happened to Khediva herself," Scotty said. "That means in the brain core."

"But we don't know where the brain core is," Haaron said.

"I've been there, but I don't remember the way," Scotty said. "But I bet Sabrina does."

"Scotty—"

"Haaron, if we don't get this ship operational again, Rina will be just as dead as the rest of us," Scotty said. He walked over to his sister's side and patted her gently on the face. "Rina, c'mon, wake up. Wake up, Rina."

Sabrina moaned faintly and sank back into sleep. Scotty's taps on her cheek became progressively harder and his voice louder, despite the waves of disapproval he could feel emanating from Haaron. "Rina, dammit, wake up!"

The echo of his slap reverberated around the room in the absolute silence. Haaron grabbed his wrist. "No more," he said, as if the words were yanked out of him.

Scotty grimaced as Sabrina blinked, wincing. "Wha..."

"Sabrina, wake up! You have to tell me how to get to the brain core, and you have to do it now!" Scotty said.

"Get Khediva to tell you," Sabrina slurred, her eyes unfocused.

"Sabrina, Khediva's offline! You gotta tell us quick!" Scotty shouted.

Sabrina frowned, blinking again. This time her eyes seemed to focus on her brother. "Scotty! What are you doing here?"

"Rina, we don't have time to explain, just tell me the way—whoa!" Scotty felt a sudden wave of nausea as his feet lifted off the deck.

"This is getting worse," Haaron said. "The gravity field has run out of power. That means all life support is off."

"I can't tell you, I'll have to show you," Sabrina said, trying to raise her head as she drifted off the bed.

"Sabrina—" Haaron protested. "You're in no condition for no-gravity maneuvers!"

Scotty finally got his boots magnetized and fell to the deck with a resounding thump. Haaron did the same, but Sabrina still floated, her dress taking up an amazing amount of space. Scotty grabbed his sister's wrist and pulled her after him as he stomped to the door, awkward in the magnetized boots.