You, Me, We Are All Mistakes

24. STARDATE 1, A DISTRESS CALL

PART FOUR
THEIR MISTAKES
STARDATE 1

The cosmos is within us.  We are made of star-stuff.
Carl Sagan

CHAPTER 24
A DISTRESS CALL

Back on the bridge of Fleet Migrant Ship GCF-10068, routine was re-established. A smooth film of drying chalk and youth serum stretched across Deluxia's face. She sat motionless, biding time for this face-pack to harden as her tail twitched listlessly from side-to-side.

Mindful the navigational computer was once more in full control, Walta slumped at its console, chin resting lightly on intertwined fingers, levelling an admiring gaze into a small mirror clipped to the rim of his interstellar cartogram.

Both returning Officer Cadets reveled in a game of Holopong.

Only one aspect of the scene stood out: Supercomputer was very quiet.

Schtip.

The lift door opened and Sennai struggled into view, hauling a shambling Taroooc.

"Gosh!" cried a startled Deluxia, before cursing as her facemask cracked. "Is Taroooc okay, Captain?"

"It's nothing," said Sennai, dumping his Wellness Officer into the nearest convenient chair, "just the aftershock from our Delta Nebulan experiencing a Devil's Brew Laserbolt. Their hybrid metabolisms can't take the alcohol. "

"Taroooc's smashed!"

This immediately cheered Deluxia.

Taroooc's rear eye opened and he moaned.

"Shu... up Delukshia."

He attempted a frown as Sennai propped him upright, carefully wrapping the flexible headrest across the rear of his skull in an effort to contain the wobbling. Sennai turned to address the ship's Navigator:

"New destinations Walta, thanks to the gracious visit from our All-Powerful chicken friend. We're leaving the Mayall cluster. Firstly, set course for the far side of Andromeda, sector Delta M, two six one, hypercube eight thousand. Got that? We stop there, then plug us into... Sagittarius A*, then the outer Milky Way, sector Alpha C, seven zero nine hypercube sixteen."

Buoyed up, once more this was proving to be best day of Walta's life. He deliberately memorized every word of his Captain's request and a new course was set. He tapped his screen button with a flourish to burn the ship's Krystaltachyon engines, taking them into superluminal ether.

"Captain."

"Yes, Walta."

"Just so you know, I am using the backup navigational processors as Supercomputer is quiet again."

"What! Supercomputer," commanded Sennai, "how far to sector Delta M, two six one?"

There was no reply.

"Computer!"

"I'm afraid he's closed down," explained Deluxia.

"Wonderful!" snapped Sennai, "Do we give thanks or cry for help?"

"Cry for help!" screamed the First Officer Cadet, "Help!"

"What are we going to do? What are we going to do?" reciprocated the Second Cadet.

"Quiet Bleep and Booster!" ordered Sennai.

"Yeah, shurr up," gargled Taroooc, lapsing back to his headrest.

"Supercomputer!" yelled Sennai again.

Still no reply.

Silence ensued, only Bleep and Booster gibbering faintly as a backdrop. Sennai examined the computer's primary display and glanced across its secondary and tertiary panels. Everything was blank. He looked at Deluxia.