That left manual backups, or Lyn’s mind link. Last resort, but with shipwide failures, it might not work anyway. She pulled herself along railings to the command seat and strapped in. The vibrations had stopped but she could feel every whip and lash as the ship yawed and spun. She lifted the manual console from beside the seat. She hadn’t used this since the systems check before they left Earth over a month ago. Simple joystick and buttons. It powered up smoothly from the battery backup. Thrusters responded, thankfully, but with no visual, she couldn’t tell if they were heading straight for Saturn’s surface or a moon. Even the rings posed a hazard if they hit ice chunks.
“Ghez,” she called.
“Ne’s out cold, Captain,” Ani said.
“I can’t get a position on this thing. I don’t know what direction we’re heading in.”
Ani yanked up the navigator’s console. “Neither can I.”
“Petra,” Lyn called to the ship’s computer. “Can you help here?”
“I’m unable to access the controls,” Petra replied.
What good was a ship’s AI if it couldn’t help in an emergency?
“Ani, go into my office and let me know what you see out the window. We’ll do this the old-fashioned way.”
“On my way.”
To be continued…
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Elaine Burnes 