Powering Up
With one last smash, the locked door bent open, and Ann Droid and young Apollo "Quasar" Jones burst into the empty bridge.
"They're all gone!' shouted Quasar.
"Hm. The pirates must have subdued our friends and taken them aboard their own ship while I was powered down from the EMP shockwave."
"I wish I hadn't been stuck in the ventilation shaft; I woulda fought 'em off!"
"No. They were many, and heavily armed. Be glad that they did not know you were there."
"Yeah, I guess. But we have to chase after them!"
"Indeed. Let us start the ship right away."
Quasar took a few steps towards the captain's chair, then cried out: "Oh no! They smashed the controls!"
Ann's eyes glowed red as she scanned the dashboard console.
"The damage is superficial. Many parts of the user interface are cracked or burnt and unusable, but the underlying systems are unharmed."
"But by the time we repair the controls, the pirates will be long gone!"
Thanks to the recent facial servo upgrade, Ann managed a slight smile.
"You, and apparently the pirates, are unaware of my full capabilities. As long as I have access to an undestroyed data port…"
She sat down in the captain's chair, folded back a hinged finger to reveal a datajack, and inserted it into the port under the console.
"…and the opportunity to concentrate without interruption…"
Her eyes dimmed and clicked off. The flashing red alert lights around the room went dark for a few seconds, then returned to the usual pale white. An echoing voice boomed from the intercom speakers:
"…then I do not need to control the ship, because I am the ship."
The hyperdrive began to hum awake.
"They're all gone!' shouted Quasar.
"Hm. The pirates must have subdued our friends and taken them aboard their own ship while I was powered down from the EMP shockwave."
"I wish I hadn't been stuck in the ventilation shaft; I woulda fought 'em off!"
"No. They were many, and heavily armed. Be glad that they did not know you were there."
"Yeah, I guess. But we have to chase after them!"
"Indeed. Let us start the ship right away."
Quasar took a few steps towards the captain's chair, then cried out: "Oh no! They smashed the controls!"
Ann's eyes glowed red as she scanned the dashboard console.
"The damage is superficial. Many parts of the user interface are cracked or burnt and unusable, but the underlying systems are unharmed."
"But by the time we repair the controls, the pirates will be long gone!"
Thanks to the recent facial servo upgrade, Ann managed a slight smile.
"You, and apparently the pirates, are unaware of my full capabilities. As long as I have access to an undestroyed data port…"
She sat down in the captain's chair, folded back a hinged finger to reveal a datajack, and inserted it into the port under the console.
"…and the opportunity to concentrate without interruption…"
Her eyes dimmed and clicked off. The flashing red alert lights around the room went dark for a few seconds, then returned to the usual pale white. An echoing voice boomed from the intercom speakers:
"…then I do not need to control the ship, because I am the ship."
The hyperdrive began to hum awake.