Scarlett pondered this as she returned to the bridge and plonked her butt on the nearest seat.Instead of the normal inky black of space, sparkly white wisps shot across the viewport.
She jumped as the ship’s alarms rang.
“Ransom!A meteor shower.”She skidded into the chamber where he was resting.
His eyes blinked open, and he stared, gaze bleary and unfocused.
“Ransom!I need you on the bridge.”She grasped his shoulder and shook.
A bang resounded through the ship’s interior.Then another, this one louder.
“The chunks of rock are big.Ransom.Hey.Dragon-man!”
He groaned.
An alarm sounded, thebeep, beep, beepraising her hackles.
In desperation, Scarlett grasped his arm and yanked.She flinched at two deafening thumps against the ship’s hull.Bang.Bang, in quick succession.
“If I die in this sardine can, I will haunt you,” she threatened.She tugged his arm, and he fell off the bed.
“What the phrull?”he shouted.
She released him and backed up.“We’ve hit a meteor shower.The bridge.Now!”
“Why didn’t you wake me?”
“Duh!Are you coming or not?”
A loud thud had Ransom scrambling to his feet.She wouldn’t call his balance steady as he lurched from wall-to-wall and fell into the captain’s chair.
“Grata.Grata.Grata!”
“Yeah.Yeah.”Scarlett fastened her harness.“It’s bad.Fix it and get us out of here.”
A substantial, glowing chunk of rock whizzed past their ship, barely missing them.
Any average person finding themselves in a meteor storm would leap into action, survival instinct kicking in.While Ransom was present, his efforts were sluggish and much slower than they should be, given they might not survive a direct hit.The automatic pilot was propelling them into the field.Frying fungus!They were gonna die.
“Yield the controls,” Scarlett ordered.“Otherwise we’ll both die.Do it.Now.”
Seconds later, the light on the dual control flashed.No time to panic.Scarlett seized the controls and pulled hard left to where the chunks of rock were smaller.Debris continued to pummel the outer metallic layer of the ship, theping, ping, thumpbecoming a discordant musical score in her skull.
Incoming!She dodged most of a massive glowing rock that filled the viewport.It clipped the nose of their ship, spinning them deeper into chaos.
“Watch out,” Ransom roared.
“Very helpful,” she spat.“Shut up and let me concentrate.”
Once again, she veered left, the ship’s controls reacting with a sluggishness that concerned her.They’d already taken numerous hits.Had one of them damaged the propulsion unit?
Scarlet clutched the manual toggle and wove the ship between and around the larger chunks of rock.The dust from the storm obscured her vision, and Scarlett strained in her attempt to see.Another rock hit their ship with a clunk, sending them into a spin.
Scarlett gripped the toggle with sweaty palms and prayed.A second hard contact sent Ransom flying from his seat.His head collided with the wall, and he slumped to the floor.
“Idiot!”Scarlett shouted.“Why didn’t you fasten your harness?Ransom?”
Ransom didn’t answer.
