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I waited a moment before I switched the automatic pilot off and took manual control of the ship. It was risky not to have my co-pilot in his seat for a manoeuvre like this but if I waited much longer, it could put us all in danger. If the system had detected the moon earlier, perhaps there would've been time to recalculate the route but that was even riskier now.
"Are we going to crash?" Heather asked in a shaky voice.
This was why Captain Ellabee told us not to have passengers in the cockpit.
"No. I've never crashed a ship in my life and this won't be the first time. Go back to the bridge and take a seat there. Strap in just in case."
As much as I wanted to keep her close to make sure she was alright, there was only one chair in each cockpit. The two glass spheres bulged from the bridge's side like an insect's eyes, each housing one pilot.
"Katak, I could really do with your help just now," I tried again while Heather hurried to the bridge. I resisted the urge to twist around to check whether she was safely sitting down.
With the autopilot off, the ship's fate lay in my hands. Generally, this wouldn't be much of an issue, but the system had waited too long to send an alert. What was wrong with our sensors? First the shuttle's bumpy landing, now this. Ellabee really had to invest more into repairs. I wasn't willing to risk my life for her profit margin.
I adjusted our course as much as I could, then hailed my co-pilot again. "Katak, if you don't show up right away, I'm going to personally disembowel you."
"Atina?" Finally! He sounded like he'd just woken up. "What's wrong?"
"Everything is rakking wrong. Get here right now!"
"On my way."
At least he'd grasped the urgency of the situation. It didn't take long for me to hear his hurried footsteps. A click later, he appeared on my screens.
"What's the ma... oh no. Where did that moon suddenly come from?"
"I've been asking myself the same question." I gave him a moment to look at the data. "Manoeuvre alpha-22?"
"Yes, that's what I was thinking. We should alert the captain."
I groaned. I'd hoped to keep Ellabee out of this. I didn't want her to cut my wages for something that wasn't my fault. But he was right. This was a dangerous situation. Not quite an about-to-crash-situation, but still very serious.
"You do it," I told him. "She likes you better."
He laughed before doing a group broadcast to the captain's quarters. I grit my teeth and prepared for the manoeuvre, hoping that we'd get out of this with all our bowels intact.
7
Heather
The cockpits were completely soundproof, so I didn't hear what was going on until Captain Ellabee burst onto the bridge. I found it a little strange that nobody else had been here to keep watch, but then, what did I know about spaceships? Kyven technology was probably so advanced that they didn't need anyone to monitor the bridge.
The captain shot me a surprised look, but then ignored me as she stared at various screens and scrolled through star maps.
"Impossible," she muttered to herself.
I was tempted to get up and sneak away. I shouldn't be here. I was just a passenger and had no skills that would help in this situation. Unless we encountered a herd of alien sheep that needed shepherding, I was useless. Just when I was about to undo the safety belt around my chest and waist, Captain Ellabee pressed a button, and bright green lights began to flash all around us.
"Green alert. Everyone strap in," an automatic voice announced through speakers.
A cold shiver ran down my back. This didn't bode well. I didn't know where green was on the scale of alerts, but Ellabee's expression was serious enough to scare me. I wished Atina was here with me to explain what was going on. I didn't like being out of the loop.
Were Sahra and Abby still in their cabin? There had to be ways to strap in there, maybe on the bed? I hadn't spent any time in my cabin, too impatient to see more of the ship.
A tiny squeak near my right foot made me look down. It was Jiji, its fur even fuzzier than before. Maybe it was scared. I bent down to pet it, but the safety straps prevented me from reaching Jiji.
"Atina is in the cockpit," I whispered to the pink ball of fluff. "But you can stay with me if you want."
It rubbed against my leg, squeaking with excitement. Or was it fear? It was hard to tell while its eyes were hidden under fur. Without warning, Jiji jumped onto my lap - was it jumping if no limbs were involved? - and squeaked again, this time sounding a little happier. I ran my hands over its fur, amazed at just how soft it was. Sheep looked fluffy, but their wool was coarser and always left an oily residue on my fingers. I loved the scent of wool though, one of my favourite aspects of spending all day with sheep. I gave Jiji a tentative sniff. I almost expected it to smell like candy floss, but it didn't have any scent at all. It? She? He? I'd have to ask Atina. Yet another question to add to my list.
