Fast Cars and Intergalactic Speed Dating

36: Bereft

Richard, Kavita, and Ol-Maran made it to the bridge. Richard realized as they crashed out of the nav pod that they should have gone to the med-bay, but it had not even crossed his mind.

"What's happening?" Kavita demanded, parting from them and striding toward the navigation controls. There, Pey-Daika stood, agitated and obviously uncertain what to do. At their side was Wessona, similarly incapacitated. And Garth stood in the center of the bridge, clutching all of his Cheetos to his chest and staring at the screen with wide-eyed terror.

On the screen was the enemy ship, looming before them, and something else, something speeding toward them, burning orange—

Richard braced himself, locking an arm around Ol-Maran's waist just in time. The ship juddered beneath them. He kept his feet, but Kavita staggered into a console and cried out in pain, and Garth fell to his knees with a crunch of plastic snack bags and a shout of dismay. Not far from him, Shashi crouched against one of the control consoles, her arms over her head, wailing. Her mother hurried to her side, bending over her to shield her and muttering to her in their native tongue, a language characterized by clicks and purrs.

Rapid-fire Karran filled the room, tearing Richard's attention away from the terrified Chorodonians. Ol-Maran said, "We must get back into space. Their first missile broke through the shield of the platform and struck very near to us. The others may not have hit the hull, but it will not take them long to destroy the shields and strike our ship directly."

"Okay. Yeah. Let's do that," said Richard.

"You must help me. I am gravely wounded." Ol-Maran's voice was a rasp. "Richard—"

"Of course. I've got it." Richard guided Ol-Maran toward the navigation controls. Nen-Alaya hurried over, shouting in Karran as Richard dumped Ol-Maran into the seat, too much in a hurry to be gentle.

They grunted with pain, folding over. Their left arm was nothing but scraps. They were still bleeding freely, green blood dampening their clothes and gleaming in the light from the gigantic screen, where the enemy vessel could still be seen.

"Take the controls," Ol-Maran demanded.

"Richard?" Garth cried. "Can you drive this thing?"

"I've got 'em, but I don't know how to start up," Richard replied. "I—"

"There." Ol-Maran gestured with their remaining arm and their tentacles, indicating a panel to Richard's left. Then they switched to Karran, and Nen-Alaya hurried to Richard's side.

"The center button: press it."

"This one?" Richard laid a hand on the panel of buttons Ol-Maran had indicated, hovering his index finger over the central button.

"I cannot see." They switched to Karran again, and Nen-Alaya made an affirmative sound before turning their attention to other controls. "Good—yes, that one, the center. It will initiate the launch. Press—"

Richard hit the button. "Got it." Something chimed cheerfully. In his periphery, Richard could see Nen-Alaya moving along the wall of controls, flicking switches and checking gauges.

Pey-Daika moved toward them, agitated. They spoke to Ol-Maran. The only word Richard recognized was Aialo-El.

Ol-Maran looked at them for half a second before turning their attention back to Richard. They spoke in English, deliberately ignoring Pey-Daika. "The ship should automatically calibrate to the appropriate angle for launch. Recall the fuel gauge. Indicators will spike significantly during launch, but once we are clear of the waystation, levels should return to normal ranges. Watch carefully—I am concerned about damage to the ship's fuel systems."