"
"That means nothing to us. Can you send details?"
"
An uncertain silence enveloped the bridge. Some people opened their mouths to speak, only to stop before uttering a sound. Kirrik turned from person to person, watching their reactions.
"What's the matter with you all?" he eventually said, his voice no louder than normal but enough to make one or two people twitch.
Silsi was turned away from her station to face inwards, towards the rest of the bridge crew. Her eyes rapidly moved from side to side, seeing her crewmates make no answer.
"What is it?" she exclaimed. "We've been told nothing much at all. Even running up against a Thargoid ship I would at least know what to expect!"
"Death," muttered Marchero. Kirrik's mouth twitched at her, a clear "shut up" signal without audible words.
"Try asking them again," snapped the woman in the rear gunner's position, Sawaka. The rest of them started arguing once more, whilst Aeyris attempted to open a comms link.
Kirrik spoke out above the noise. "Lock the hyperdrive on anywhere convenient. If there's a fight we'll have a look at how those Vipers react, and we'll get out of here if there are any problems."
Aeyris nodded to his crew to carry out these orders. Silsi turned around again to settle back into her chair, hands tensed near the weapons controls. Marchero was slouching, apparently not paying much attention to her console, but she spoke suddenly.
"Something's just registered on long range navigational sensors."
"Confirm?" Kirrik asked.
"Negative on combat scanner," Silsi informed. Sawaka reported similarly.
"What can you tell, Marchero?"
She shrugged. "Nothing at this range. It's there, it's moving, and that's all."
"Ship status?"
The man on the engineering station glanced at his displays, but with a worried frown started to examine one system more closely.
"The shields report they're working, but the Zieman emitters are only drawing minimal power," he said in fright. "If we've got any shields, they're pretty negligible."
Marchero's face whitened, and Silsi's hands moved away from the controls to grasp themselves tightly.
"What's wrong with them?" Aeyris demanded.
The man waved his arms at the screens. "I don't know! One thing says they're working, other things indicate they aren't! The whole bloody system's crazy!"
"Well get out of here and go and have a look!" Aeyris shouted at him. As the man stumbled off the bridge he added, "And take someone else with you, idiot!"
"You used to cope better with stress," Kirrik noted.
"So did my crew. Will you take engineering?"
Kirrik gave a slight jiggle of the head that might have been a nod, and sat down in the empty chair.
"Let's see... Is this thing engine output?" he asked no-one, poking at a random switch.
"Stop messing about," Marchero said.
Kirrik looked over his shoulder to grin a sarcastic smile at her before going back to a more serious examination of the display.
"Well, I don't know what's the matter with it," he said after a while. "We'll just have to wait and hope. How long have we got?"
No-one answered, but they were all watching Marchero. "Don't ask me!" she exclaimed. "I told you just a minute ago that I couldn't tell yet."
After leaving the bridge Edwards stumped out into the mess room. There were three people sitting there, talking loudly and holding onto a variety of drinks containers that appeared to contain beer. He snatched one off Garath and took a swig.
"Oi! Give that back!"
The mug was returned to its owner with noticeable reluctance. "Where did you find that, Jim?" Edwards asked in disbelief.
Garath tapped the side of his nose.
"Oh, be like that then," Edwards replied. "I'd only end up throwing over that idiot's head. Put it down and give us a hand, though."
"With what?"
"The shields aren't working, and there's something heading this way," he announced.
"What?" Arrachachak asked from the corner he was reclining in.
"I don't know! Nobody seems to have a clue what's going on," he said in an exasperated voice.
"Great." Garath took a long drink, then stood up. "Lead on," he announced.
They left the same way Garath had entered. Back in the main corridor, Garath pulled back a panel next to a closed door and peered into the wall.
"What are you doing?" Edwards demanded.
"Just wondering if there's any air behind there," he replied, gesturing towards the door that now sealed the entrance off from the rest of the ship.
"Forget it," Edwards told him. "Come on."