That made her feel a little better. At least one of the crew would have the same chance she did.
Joy unfastened her safety harness, which prompted Maddison to do the same. While she was working on the unfamiliar clasps, things went from bad to worse.
Hooper protested the captain’s orders. There were shouts, and the captain barked at the crewman to sit down.
Maddison got to her feet and was immediately pulled toward the hatch by Loris. She glanced toward the ongoing argument, but Loris stood between her and whatever was happening.
They were almost to the hatch when Hooper made a wild, broken sound and threw herself across the bridge. At first, Maddison thought she was attacking the captain, but then she realized the first officer was going after Joy.
A cry of surprise was followed by a crash she heard and felt as the deck shook beneath her.
“You know what to do,” Loris hissed at her before dropping her bag and charging at Hooper.
Maddison followed her training and made for the hatch. She didn’t have the access code for this door, but the captain would provide it once things were settled. She didn’t need to watch what was happening. She had no doubt that Loris would do what needed to be done. This was one of those times that violence was necessary.
Maddison still hated it.
She heard the fight even though she couldn’t see it. The distinctive sound of flesh hitting flesh summoned old memories and curdled her stomach.
Someone, most likely Hooper, made a gurgling noise and crashed to the deck.
The captain’s next words confirmed her suspicions. “Take Bashir and get out of here!”
Loris answered, her voice rough and breathless. “On our way. Good luck, Captain.”
The door opened, and Maddison was already moving by the time Loris shouted at her to get inside.
She passed through the hatch, once again quelling her fear and forcing herself to remain calm.
The shuttle was nicer than she’d expected. It was an older model but well-maintained. She dropped her bag on the deck and made her way to the cockpit. This was another thing Loris had drilled her on. While she couldn’t pilot any kind of spacecraft, she was well-versed in the emergency start-up procedure for most standard shuttles.
She ran through the checklist Loris had encouraged her to memorize while her friend wrestled the unconscious Bashir into a seat and strapped her in.
She kept working through the steps until Loris made her way to the cockpit. Only then did Maddison let herself relax. She vacated the pilot’s chair and stepped aside so Loris could take over. If her friend saw the tears in her eyes, she didn’t comment.
“We’re almost ready to go. I waited for you to start the final sequence.”
Loris touched her shoulder as she moved past her to claim the empty seat. “Good job. Strap in and take a deep breath. We made it through the first challenge.”
Maddison mustered a small smile as she took a seat at the back and strapped herself into yet another chair. She tried but failed to keep her voice steady as she gave voice to her feelings.
“Thatchallengerepresents the loss of everything that son of a bitch gave me in the divorce. It’s all gone, Loris. The ship. The business…” Her voice cracked, and her next words came out as a broken sob. “The people. Oh, gods, Loris. Are they all going to die?”
It wasn’t really a question. She already knew the answer, but she needed to say it out loud, as if acknowledging the truth would somehow make it easier to accept.
Loris sighed. “Some of them will. But Captain Perez and her crew are good at their jobs. Trust them to take care of everyone still on board.” She tapped the console, and the engines roared to life. “Everyone but that bitch Hooper.”
Maddison rubbed her eyes as they broke away from the main ship. It felt like a betrayal, leaving the others behind, but it was also a relief.
That feeling didn’t last long. Less than a minute later they breached the atmosphere, but something wasn’t right. When Loris tried to maneuver, the shuttle didn’t respond.
“What the fuck?” Loris shouted in confusion.
She fought the controls for several more seconds before leaning back and raising her head. “Ship. Can you respond?”
“Yes.” The voice was flat, artificial, and indifferent. “What is your query?”
So, the shuttle had an onboard AI. That might be good.
