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Suddenly I was hearing things from the com again, first there was nothing and then static and then I could faintly hear chatter.

“... you think that is close enough?...” someone was asking

“... maybe, one way to find out...”

Suddenly I felt the vessel shudder. Oh, please do not be taking off, I said to myself a few times. There was nothing for a bit and then it shuddered again.

“..hit it..”

It sounded as though they were firing something at the ship, but with the heavy weapons on the ship that would put someone in real danger of being obliterated. I remember the way the ship was protected from the hand thrown Molotov cocktails thrown by old Emma. Apparently, though, something was getting through.

“..missed...”

Not knowing what was going on was frustrating. It seemed that they were somehow attacking the ship, I really hoped it was clobbering them in return. I imagined that Ted Whiting might have come up with a way to catapult projectiles but I could not imagine that the vessel would not have blasted it to bits the first time it was used.

What on Montoya was going on out there?

“.. remember to stay back..”

Was that Emony’s voice? It was faint but it was possible.

“Emony is that you?” I spoke into the com hoping they might hear me, but there was no indication that anyone out there could hear me.

The small food tray slot in the door opened again.

A small flat black object was pushed in and dropped to the floor. The slot closed without the person outside making any comment. It was square when I picked it up, it looked like the same kind of device I had seen Samantha using. It was a lock, a map, a communications device and more all rolled into one.

I had no idea how to use it.

I remember seeing that it had a menu system when we had been in the vents and she was installing the message to her father. If I could get to the menu system I might be able to figure out how to use the device to send a message to Emony or whoever was out there.

Then I heard a message over some sort of loudspeaker within the ship, although there was no loudspeaker in the brig. I could hear it from the corridor or something.

“All hands to flight stations. All hands to flight stations” it was the voice of Captain Ranagar.

I looked down at the device in my palm and felt an urgency I hadn’t before. If this ship left the surface and went into deep drive, I would never see my family or Emony again. I pressed the center of the device and blue field erupted above it. It was a holographic display, as I had seen when Samantha used it.

How to reach a menu system? There was a white square at the top right-hand corner that was puslating, it was growing and shrinking fast and the white was getting brighter and dimmer at the same time. I did not know what it was but I plunged my forefinger through it.

“You have a message” the device chimed and there was the word From: Insider floating above the device next to an arrow. I dutifully put the tip of my finger through the arrow and an image of Samantha appeared in front of me, suspended in the air.

“The ship is being attacked by the colonists. Me and Homer have hacked into the main computer and locked the heavy weapon systems” she said “I don’t know how long it will take them to break our hack though”

“Let me explain to you how to unlock the cell” she continued “I have preloaded your device with all the codes, just fit it into the recessed slot and indicate the lock pass I tell you. You should be able to get out of the ship. Good luck!”

I did not know how to reply or know whether that was advisable. I set the device against the door in a small recessed area and hit the line marked “Unlock cell”. I was still a little surprised when the hatch of the cell swung open and I was free. There was nobody guarding the brig, everyone on board was probably at flight stations.

Next on her list was getting out of the brig itself. Like every other door it had a recessed area for the device to be positioned. I touched the indicated code floating in front of the device and the door unlocked and came ajar. I carefully glance out the small opening and see a deserted corridor, of course I could only see in one direction.

I slipped out and stood flat against the wall, I felt a bit foolish, but I was able to see that it was also clear in the other direction.

I was walking toward the hatch at the end of the corridor when I heard someone coming. I ducked into an opening to the side and found myself in a lift. I only vaguely recall what it is but I placed the device into the slot and indicate the vehicle bay. I felt, by my stomach, that I was dropping but then something happened. A red light came on and the lift stopped.

I doubted there was a code for getting caught. Again, actually.