“Nice of Drax to use human color coding,” Tim mentioned.
“He’s an artist,” Jeff said, sarcasm knob at eight and rising. “I just wish he was as good with programming his AI.”
“What about the buttons on my left?” Tito asked, moving us off of Jeff’s complaints.
“Ignore them for now,” Hughes said calmly, as if nothing much was going on. As always, my flyboys lived to impress. “Jeff, ready weapons just in case.”
“Wish I was clear as to how.”
“Same color scheme,” Walker said. “But you get to use both hands. C’mon, Jeff, I know you’re used to using both hands. You couldn’t keep Kitty happy otherwise.”
“Is now really the time?” Jeff asked.
The rest of the guys all managed snickers, despite the situation. “Jeff, honestly,” Tim said, “for the two of you, when isn’t it the time?”
“Right now would qualify,” I pointed out. “Just sayin’.”
“Sounds like problems in paradise,” Hughes said. “Chip and I are always here for you, Kitty.”
“I’m touched. Look, I’m all for doing the deed in this ship. I just want to be sure that said ship isn’t flipping around like an out of control gymnast and that we all aren’t going to die, call me a cold fish.”
“I really hope that’s not broadcasting to everyone,” Jeff said. “Our kids in particular.”
“It is not,” Mother said.
“Thank you for that, Mother,” Jeff said with a great deal of sincerity. “I think the mental health bills for our kids are already going to be big enough without extra help.”
“You worry too much.”
“I agree with your wife, Mister President,” Hughes said. “But, the First Lady isn’t doing her job. Kitty, get back on the airwaves and keep on keeping it light and, also, hail for sentient life.”
“As if I know where the ‘hail’ button is on this thing?” I didn’t know how to turn the intercom on or off, let alone how to hail externally.
A light in front of me flashed. It was a button. A white one, whatever that might mean. Hoped this was a hint. “Thanks, Mother. I think.” Pushed the button down. We didn’t explode and the sound in my ears—what I could hear after being deafened by the alarms—sounded like I had an open channel.
“Hailing frequencies open or some such. This is Earth Vessel Distant Voyager having some major issues in your solar space.” Not that I could see a star. All I saw was black. “Or, you know, in your sort of general space. Your choice. We come in peace, though we may be in pieces soon. So, um, a little help? Totally appreciated. Thanks of a grateful nation. And all that jazz.”
“Hail will continue,” Mother said.
“Cool. I guess.” We were no longer tumbling like a big, metal piece of space junk, so there was that. We were still spinning, however.
“I have no idea what to steer for,” Tim said. “At all. And before you tell me to focus on something, there’s nothing to focus on other than the blackness of space.”
Something flashed by the windshield. “Tim, hang on. Something’s out there, I saw it, just for a moment.”
“Stabilization almost complete,” Walker said.
“Slowing,” Hughes added. “Kitty, seriously, keep talking to the passengers. We can’t afford panic right now.”
“Seems like the perfect time for it, but okay. Mother?”
“You are live to the crew.”
“Super-duper. Um, hey gang. Despite the likely need for a lot of barf bags, our ride is, supposedly, coming to an end. Please do not undo your seatbelts and exit, however. That goes triple for anyone under the age of twenty-one, no matter how much you want to whine about it. Once the ride has come to a full and complete stop, we’ll give you instructions, but it’s likely that said instructions will be to stay exactly where you are.”
“I want to know that everyone’s alright,” Jeff said. “Kids especially.”
“All personnel were secured and all are fine,” Mother said as we now spun at merry-go-round speed. “Despite protocol, I did not send them into the safety of sleep.”
“You mean you didn’t have time,” Tito said.
“This is true. The situation was . . . unexpected.”
The something I’d seen flashed by again, but because we were slowing down, everyone could take a look. “There, see it?”
The guys chorused that they did. “Doesn’t look like a planet or a star,” Jeff said.
We swung around again and finally stopped, with our windshield pointing right at whatever it was in front of us. “No. It looks like a nebula.” Hey, Chuckie wasn’t on deck, so I had to represent. “Which could be great or could be very bad.”
“Why bad, Kitty?” Jeff asked.
“Because we know beings from nebulas. And they tend to be really bossy and hella powerful.”
And the ones we knew considered themselves ACE’s parole officers. And, by being on this ship with us, ACE was breaking parole in a big way.
CHAPTER 22
“MOTHER, BY ANY CHANCE do you know where we are?” Wasn’t sure if I should hope for us to be near the Eagle Nebula or not.
“I am not . . . certain.”
We all looked at each other. “Why not?” Jeff asked.
“I believe I have been . . . tampered with.”
“Are you damaged?” Tim asked. “And, if so, can any of us repair you?”
“I am still assessing. I will need a few moments to determine our position. We should not have been thrown out of warp. We did not hit anything and I did not alter our mission plan.”
“How do you mean?” Mossy had tampered, but I sincerely doubted that whatever he’d done could have tossed us out of warp or changed Mother’s plans.
“I mean that something I am not aware of has caused us to be stranded near this nebula. I believe it is the Eagle Nebula.”
“Of course it is. Are you sure we’re stranded?”
“For the time being, yes, until I finish my internal scan.”
“We need to get Drax here,” Hughes said.
“Mother, what button do I push to talk to the crew?” A different button flashed. “Thanks.” Cleared my throat then pushed it. “Now that the ship has come to a complete stop, all passengers are still required to remain in their safety seats. Other than the people I am going to name, who need to come to the command deck immediately. No one else should plan on accompanying them, because if you do, you’ll be confined to the brig.”
“We have a brig?” Tito asked quietly.
“Every ship has a brig,” Tim said. “Galaxywide, as far as we’ve seen.”
Continued on. “Gustav Drax, Charles Reynolds, Brian Dwyer, Serene Dwyer, James Reader, Joe Billings, Randy Muir, and Jerry Tucker, come on down. Everyone else sit tight, and for those of you fuming for not being a part of this particular roll call, never fear—I’m sure we’ll be calling you up soon enough.”
“No arguments for who you chose, but why not Lorraine and Claudia?” Tim asked as I let go of the button.
“Because I want them keeping everyone else in their seats. If the girls can’t leave their seats, trust me, they won’t let anyone else leave, either. Mother, can I do another hail?”