Chapter 6
Beep!
[Octavia: Communication system malfunction.]
The robots' voices sounded again, this time it was Octavia, the ship's other AI, announcing the failure of the ship's main systems one after another, further increasing the panic.
"Damn it! Don't you have any good news!" A woman in her thirties with black hair falling over her shoulders and red eyes from exhaustion slammed the display screen in front of her, her face contorted with anger and frustration.
Beep!
[Einar: There is still enough oxygen to survive for two months.]
Beep!
[Einar: End of message.]
"..." The woman was silent for a moment, as if processing the information, then shouted even more angrily, "What is this?!"
"Ma'am! Is there no way out of here?" Debra asked the woman, her voice trembling slightly as she tried to understand the desperate situation they found themselves in.
"I don't know." The woman bit her nails nervously as she muttered, her eyes darting between the screens in despair.
"First Squad Commander Zara, why did you enter the yellow belt?" Nash asked sharply as he approached First Squad Commander Zara, who looked in a pitiful state.
"I-I didn't know," Zara said, justifying himself with a trembling voice, "I left the ship's AI in charge, I don't know what happened."
Boom!
The ship shook again, but this time the vibration was much more violent. The ship began to spin at a crazy speed and shake so violently that it looked like it would break into pieces at any moment. The crew screamed as the lights flickered intermittently and some of the instruments began to spark.
"Einar! Display a map of the ship's surroundings quickly!" Nash shouted, his voice rising above the noise of the vibrations as he approached a chair to sit down and fasten his seatbelt. He knew that time was not on their side.
Beep!
[Einar: Map displayed.]
Using a miniature version of the display next to the control unit, a three-dimensional image of the ship's surroundings was projected. The image clearly showed the enormous whirlpools surrounding them on all sides, each large enough to tear the ship apart.
"Oh my God!" Nash took a long breath, his eyes widening in shock as he saw the magnitude of the danger surrounding them.
Debra quickly regained her composure and moved to another chair, fastening the belt tightly around her stomach, ready for what was to come.
Boom!
Beep!
[Einar: Warning, weakness on the side of the ship.
Beep!
[Einar: Warning, weakness in the ship's engine.
--
When Nash heard the report, he didn't hesitate for a moment. He immediately left his seat and advanced toward the main control unit.
"Nash! What are you doing!" shouted First Squad Commander Zara, his voice rising in anger and surprise as he looked at Nash, who completely ignored him.
Nash paid no attention to him. Seeing how useless the ship's artificial intelligence was in this critical situation, he decided to take matters into his own hands. He quickly began pressing buttons on the control panel, his fingers moving with great skill, to initiate manual control of the ship.
"Manual control initiated, control transferred to Nash Elliott, commander of the 7th Squad, son of Commander-in-Chief Elliott Isaac!" Nash shouted quickly, announcing his identity and authority.
"Nash! You bastard!" Zara shouted, his anger growing, but his voice was mixed with panic.
"This is no time for arguing, Zara. You'll destroy the ship with the yellow belt vortexes. We need to get out of here now!" Nash shouted, continuing to manipulate and press the control buttons, his eyes fixed on the screens displaying the ship's trajectory.
Beep!
[Einar: Power insufficient.]
Beep!
[Octavia: Access denied.]
"Nash! We need to get out of here!" Debra shouted, trying to remain calm despite the chaos, her voice tinged with desperation.
"I'm trying!" Nash moved his fingers frantically across the control buttons, while simultaneously pressing the controls on a small device on his left arm. Then he took a pair of glasses out of his pocket and put them on as if they would give him new vision.
Beep!
[Einar: Access denied.]
Beep!
[Octavia: Access denied.]
Beep!
[Einar: Accepting control of Seventh Squad Commander Nash Elliott on the guard ship.]
Beep!
[Octavia: Access granted.]
...
Suddenly, Nash's surroundings scattered, and his vision changed completely. His surroundings were displayed as if he had become the ship itself, seeing everything from its perspective and feeling every vibration.
"Hold on tight!" Nash shouted, his voice filling the cockpit, as he noticed a huge rock flying toward the ship from the left at an astonishing speed. He moved swiftly on the control panel, skillfully steering the ship to the side.
Whoosh!
The rock passed by the ship's wing by a hair's breadth, barely avoiding Nash, leaving behind a powerful air current that shook the ship again, but this time the vibration was less severe thanks to Nash's control.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Nash immediately noticed the rocks heading towards him and dodged them with lightning speed, as if the ship were an extension of his body. This was not surprising, after all, Nash had earned high marks in ship navigation at the academy, and he had special access to ships and their command thanks to his father, Commander Elliott Isaac, even before he entered the academy. This skill was ingrained in him, an innate instinct backed by years of training and experience.
Whoosh!
"Einar! Octavia! Find the nearest exit from here now!" Nash shouted in his mind as he continued to dodge the rocks coming toward him at breakneck speed. His thoughts were racing, and every ounce of his concentration was focused on saving the ship.
When a person is so fused with the ship they are piloting, using the advanced technology they are wearing, they can access the artificial intelligence faster to execute commands at high speed within their mind. While a normal conversation takes minutes to display and analyze data, a mental conversation takes less than a second, giving him a decisive advantage in these critical moments.
Beep!
[Einar: Searching.]
Beep!
[Octavia: Searching.]
Beep!
[Einar: Failure.]
Beep!
[Octavia: Failure.]
Beep!
[Einar: A vortex is approaching the ship.]
Beep!
[Einar: Launch plan displayed.]