Fourteen hours later, Megan was woken up in her quarters by strobing alerts. She linked into the ships net, to find the Beauregard had suffered multiple impacts to its hull.

Even in zero gravity, and knowing how much was at stake, it proved an effort to pull herself out of her bunk. She was exhausted from blackouts, fits and long hours of wrestling with the Wanderer.

<IdentMeganJacinth ### BeauregardPrimaryAI>

Identified.

<Specify source of impacts>

Source of Impacts: large object +>123km distance [ident: Wanderer].

Multiple impacts hull sections 13a/25b/178sigma6.

<Restate protocols for emergency drive core ejection following loss of senior commanding personnel>

Core dump requires fifteen-minute countdown rescindable at any time by senior personnel/70% Hull Integrity.

<What is current hull integrity?>

Current hull integrity 87%, borderline optimal but dropping.

<State current status of senior personnel.>

All senior personnel accounted for.

If the hulls integrity dropped to critical levels, in other words, shed be able to trigger an emergency core dump and capture the nova drive before it had a chance to engage its automated jump circuits.

She got dressed quickly, while keeping her link active. The modifications to the lifeboat were complete. If she was ever going to find some way of escaping, it had to be now. She didnt otherwise think she could survive long enough for the next opportunity.

Tarrant opened a link to her. Megan. It looks as if weve run into trouble. We need you in the astrogation chair.

<I hate to say I told you so, but . . .>

This is only a temporary setback. Get up to the command deck and see if you can get us out of range.

<Im still locked in my quarters. You need to let me out first.>

Sifra should be with you at any moment.

Sifra arrived shortly after, looking harried as the door to her quarters slid open. Instead of the gloves, he was carrying a more conventional weapon, which looked as if it had come out of one of the engineering decks fabrication units. She hoped he hadnt been paying too much attention to anything else in that part of the ship.

She stepped out into the corridor. Get moving, he said, gesturing with the gun.

She was ushered to the right, Sifra following close behind. More symbols indicating an alert appeared around them just as the ship shuddered with insane violence. A pressure field popped into existence a couple of metres away from them, indicating that a loss of pressure had taken place elsewhere within the Beauregard.

Sifra looked around wildly, his attention distracted from her for a moment as he tried to figure out what was going on. That was all the time she needed.