Niah

I've spent probably a factor trying to uncover the wiggly data files that are strewn through Hart's memory units. Some are wiped, others moved, and quite a few are damaged. I frown, growing more and more frustrated. "This is so stupid."

"What?" Wish asks.

"It might just be easier to revert his systems. I mean, that's risky too because it's possible that his backups predate the data transfer Captain Bellamy gave him before–" I stop, unable to bring myself to say the words. "Well, you know, before."

Wish nods. "What would happen if you reset him and they're not there?"

"Then we'd lose– No, wait, I'll do a full system backup of Hart's data banks directly into Elixr. Then I can do a reset and if his backup does predate the transfer, we can at least restore him to this."

"Wouldn't having him reset be better than having him damaged?"

I bite my lip. "I don't know. He might not be the same after."

"But he'd be how he was supposed to be. The way he was before Captain Bellamy, you know?"

I nod. "Yeah. But I'd rather have the contingent. You know, just in case. I mean if he doesn't have any of his current memories, then he might not even know who or what we are."

Her mouth drops open. "Oh, yeah, that could be bad." I nod, then turn my attention to the droid. I hook him directly into the ship's server, then run a subcommand to rapid compress and transfer his data into an isolated compartment in the ship's memory.

Elixr's voice comes through the walls around us. "Oh! That tickles. What are you doing?"

I flush guiltily, then feel silly for feeling like I've lifted the ship's skirt. "Just a temporary storage, Elixr, nothing to worry about. Can we run silent for a bit so I can concentrate?"

"Affirmative." Her voice disappears and the quiet is reassuring because I really don't want Hart coming online before I can get him through a full reboot and check over his systems again.

Once the transfer is complete, I run a sweep and then shut him down. The ever-present hum of his hover jets ceases and Wish gasps, then sweeps forward to catch him before his body falls to the floor. "Um… Oops?" I say.

She laughs and shakes her head. "Niah! I'm guessing we didn't think through every aspect of this."

I shrug. "Yeah, but good catch!" I grin, then reboot from backup. His systems come back online one by one, although his hover jets don't reactivate on their own. I breathe a sigh of relief as I recognise his drives are intact and fully functioning again. I run a final line of code and include a subcommand from my tablet that should reactivate all of his active commands. He's supposed to return to full function based on his active subroutines but even with the command executed, he doesn't bluster to life like I expect.

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"Something's wrong, isn't it?"

"I don't–"

We're both thrown across the small compartment. Wish clutches Hart close to her chest and then we look at each other. "Baull scat!" she swears. "What did you do, Niah?"

I swallow and shake my head. "I don't think I did that." I start feeling queasy as the ship rocks and I feel a tug against my skin as if we're spiralling out of control. I quickly tap through several more commands, trying to bring Hart back online, and shout up at the walls. "Elixr, what in the nine-voids happened?"

"I have experienced a collision event." Elixr's voice is calm, almost cheerful.

"What the void did we hit?"

"Nar's first moon." My jaw drops open and I see Wish's expression echo my own.

"Say again?"

"We experienced a glancing impact event with Nar's first moon and are now on an uncontrolled velocity approach to the planet. Would you like me to initiate a jump?"

"What? No, don't jump! Eagrim's beak! We do not want to cause a warp that would obliterate the planet. Can you course correct and veer away?"

"Negative. Sublight drives are offline and I appear to have lost two propulsion units from the starboard side."

"Baull's beast. Come on Hart, get back online." I slam another line of code through his system, overriding his systematic start-up and forcing an immediate alert and response feature. His pale blue orbs blink open and he gazes up at Wish.

His head tilts. "Why am I horizontal?"

"Oh, thank the nine-voids." Wish says, giving the droid a hug. He blinks. As Wish pulls away, his body tilts and his hover jets hum with a tinkling of pink and blue light.

"High velocity impact in thirty-seven point two deccas." Elixr's voice says calmly, as if the news she was delivering had nothing at all to do with our imminent deaths.

The small round orb of Hart's shocked mouth beams onto his face. "Transfer navigation controls!"

"Transferred."

"Damage report!" Hart snaps as he raises his hands. He turns his back on us.

Elixr repeats her damage statements. Hart gives a low hum. I shiver from the sense of his anger and frustration.

"I'm sorry."

He ignores my apology.

We step into onto the bridge and I gulp as I see the orb of the planet approaching rapidly in the window. Hart completely ignores me, and the view, as he focuses. He gives Elixr other commands with a firm authority. Long deccas pass as he works to bring the sublight navigation back online and gain some control of the ship.

I feel the Gs as we pull out of the uncontrolled spin and slam on the breaks. Even with the ship's inertial dampeners working, the sudden deceleration rocks the ship and it shudders as it slows.

Time feels like a swirl of chaos as long deccas seem to pass as rapidly as ticks.

"Fourteen deccas to impact," Elixr counts.

"We're going to crash?" Wish asks. She sounds so young. I pull her tight against me, clinging to my little sister as if I could save her from what is about to happen.

"We'll be okay. Hart can fix this." I glance at the planet as we loom ever closer. "You can fix it, can't you Hart?"

Beside us Hart swears. "Chortessa's guts! Pull up you lumbering lame bird."

"Thirteen deccas to impact."

Hart continues to fight the controls. The ship makes slow shifts but the planet continues to grow larger and larger. Elixr continues to count down the deccas of our approach. As we pass into the planet's atmosphere, the green shimmer of the ship's shields activate. Flames flicker along the edges of the shield. I hold my breath, hoping the haze clears while the shields last.

"Two deccas to impact."

Time feels like it slows down as the ground comes into sight. The flames flicker away. We soar through the sky, plummeting toward the rock and stone in the distance.

"Brace for impact!" Elixr announces in her calm, unruffled voice.

The crunch of metal and glass impacting rock splinters through my ears and we're thrown forward, slamming into the wall. The clang of Hart's chromium head and body hitting the metal walls rings out and his hover drive stalls. He crumples to the floor but his head moves. His blue orbs are wide as if he's dazed. My head buzzes, spinning from the impact. In my arms, Wish whimpers.

Around us, the cheery voice of the ship tinkles. "We have reached our destination. Current Nar time in the capital is factor six twelve, on the seventh of Jarnoot, forty-seven fifty-six. Point five factors until sunrise.

Hart groans, reactivating his hover drive and pulling himself upright. With a wry grimace, as he rubs his spherical head, he says, "Welcome to Nar!"