Chapter 3

The cryo-coma lifted like a quick burning fog. Junebug felt cold, colder than she ever had in her life despite the fact that she felt this way every single time she went into cryogentic stasis. It wasn't a technology people used much, except in extreme conditions where RIP jumping was dangerous. Few places in the galaxy were far enough away that people preferred to freeze themselves rather than suffer weeks or months in the RIP. Fire started to pulse through her arm and she tried to thrash but the restraints held her in place. THe panic subsided when she remembered it was simply the return of freshly warm blood, spreading through her body and displacing that laced with preservative cryoglobulins.  

With a hiss the fluid around her began to drain away and she felt the return of air to her lungs down the intubation tube. When the pod was fully drained the seal cracked open with a hiss and she saw... nothing. The ship was as black as the bottom of a mineshaft. Worse yet it was silent. All space vessels were essentially giant masses of electronics and machinery with space grudgingly provided for crew and cargo, they were never quiet even when the systems ran on low power mode. This was a very poor sign.

"Lon... Lonney, report," she gasped as she pulled the intubation tube from her throat and gasped at the stale air. THe recyclers were off judging by the dusty lubricant tinged aftertaste it left in the back of her throat. Lonney did not reply.

"Lonney?" she called again stumbling blindly from the tube, body dripping with cryo fluid as she stepped onto the deck. THe pods beside her glowed with soft green emergency back up lights and the fear in the back of her mind, the fear that Neil and Taya had died in unpowered pods, eased slightly.

"Lo... booster," she changed her mind, querying her helmet AI over her mastoid radio, "status."

"Online," the helmet responded in its flat emotionless voice. THere weren't too many occasions when one needed to use the speaking software as it was primarily intended for visual display, but the AI was full capable of speech.

"Booster what is the status of the Highlander?"

"Unknown."

"What is the location of the ship?"

"Unknown." Sayeeda cursed silent under her breath as she felt her way along the wall to a tool bench and powered on a battery operated lamp. It cast a yellowish white illumination over the inside of the ship. A thin layer of dust coated everything, inevitable if the air scrubbers were down. She trailed her finger through the dust curiously.

"Booster, expired time since last activation?"

"Eight hundred twenty seven Sols," the helmet replied in its calm mechanical voice. Holy shit. Two years and change. She started to form a question but realized that the limited information available to the AI wouldn't help so she choked it back, instead she turned to Neil's cryopod. She swept the lamp over his face it was serene and he was still alive. Pulling the shield away from a panel she toggled the thaw command. Nothing happened. She tried again. Low Power flashed over the screen in dull yellow lettering.

"Fuck work with me here," she snarled at the machine and turned back to the tool bench. Grabbing one of the power cells she quickly stripped the wiring and started splicing in a shunt. Although she was no engineer, Sayeeda had pulled enough maintenance to know the basics. So long as she only messed with the ignition circuit, she really couldn't kill Neil. Hopefully. With a twist of the pliers she closed the circuit and thumbed the control again. The pod hummed to life and began its defrost procedure. Once Neil was out the could figure out just what in the stars was going on.

[@POOHEAD189]