The Seventh | A Dark Matter Fanfiction | Two (Portia Lin)

Chapter 9

The crew convened back on the bridge, their faces etched with concern.

One spoke first, his voice tinged with frustration, "I thought the shields were supposed to protect the hull from radiation."

The Android responded methodically, "That's exactly what they've been doing. But this level of exposure has taxed them beyond design specifications. I've had to reroute power from some of the ship's other systems to reinforce them."

Two asked, "What caused this?"

"There are many celestial phenomena that can generate this level of gamma radiation, even at interstellar distances," the Android explained. "But in this case, I believe we're dealing with the remains of a type 1-A supernova. It's unfortunate that we happened to emerge from FTL within lethal range."

Three, his skepticism evident, scoffed, "Yeah right, so this is all just bad luck? I'm supposed to believe this?"

Four, ever the voice of reason, added, "You think whoever sabotaged the ship timed this malfunction deliberately to put us in this location?"

"Damn straight, I do," Three shot back, his suspicion unabated.

The Android countered logically, "Even though he, or she, would suffer from the effects like everyone else?"

"Unless he or she is an it," Three suggested, casting a pointed look at the Android.

One, seeking to understand the gravity of their situation, asked, "What kind of 'effects' are we talking about here?"

The Android began to list them clinically, "Nausea, vomiting, disorientation..."

One interrupted, already feeling the weight of the information, "Okay."

"Infection, peeling skin," the Android continued. "Hemorrhaging, damage to—"

"Yeah, okay, okay, I get it!" One cut her off, unable to hear more.

Three, not letting up, pressed, "Okay, just wait a minute here. If this is a supernova or whatever, that means it's been happening since we got here, right? So, how come Miss Know-it-all is only telling us about it right now?"

The Android remained calm, "I believe I may have already mentioned that the external sensors were down. I only detected the radiation once it made significant penetration into the hull."

"You've got an answer for everything, don't you?" Three retorted.

"Yes, I am an excellent information source, thank you," the Android replied, unruffled.

"That wasn't a compliment," Three snapped back.

Two, trying to steer the conversation back to solutions, intervened, "Alright, enough. So we know the situation, what can we do?"

The Android outlined their options, "You have two options. One, you can override the safety protocol and initiate an immediate jump to FTL."

One's surprise was evident, "We can do that?"

"But I wouldn't advise it," the Android cautioned.

Seven asked the obvious question, "Why not?"

"The system was shut down for a reason. If we engage the coupling without addressing the malfunction, the computer is predicting a seventy-three percent chance of developing a fatal instability in the plasma matrix," the Android explained.

Three, needing clarification, asked, "Translation?"

"The ship blows up," Two translated succinctly.

"Seventy-three percent? I'm not loving those odds," Seven commented, echoing the group's sentiments.