(Previously: Vecto uses his shields to help the Corona escape the collapsing gravity well, but an incoming asteroid hits Vecto's shields right after, disabling them.)
"Vecto?" Sarah called out. "Vecto?"
Nothing but static.
"Vecto? Are you there?" she asked, using cameras from the damaged hull of the Corona to scan for Vecto's orb. But there was too much debris from the crumbled asteroid to find him.
The ship was at a creep now, slowly spinning, as Sarah continued her search for Vecto. But still, she couldn't find him.
"Come on Vecto!" she said to his TAC, beginning to get flustered. "Stop fooling around and answer me, you metal head!"
But there was still no response. He couldn't have been destroyed, could he? Vecto had always seemed indestructible; he could survive anything. But he needed carbon, she reminded herself, and out in space, he was helpless without it.
"Vecto!" Her panicked scream echoed through the transmission.
* * *
"Well, captain, the shields took the blunt of the force," a female crewmember said, relieved. "Main damage is at portside, though, and we need to repair. But what's startling is how much shield power we have left."
"So what's the reading?" Tarc asked.
"Dockside is at five percent, but frontal shields are at ten."
"Ten?" the captain stuttered. "You mean point ten?"
"No, captain. It's the same as before in the gravity well. It hasn't changed."
"That's preposterous!" the captain snarled. "We saw it ourselves! The stern took most of the impact--even the asteroid."
"Well, captain, unless there's a glitch or an act from God, that's what the reading says," the female continued. "Sarah must have performed some miracle for this to happen."
"Hmm, quite peculiar," Captain Tarc said, stroking his beard. He plumped back into his captain's chair as it contoured to his body. "At any rate, we're safe for now as long as we exit this asteroid field. Find the nearest planet that can bandage our hull and plot a course. We should be thankful we're alive."
"Yes, captain!" the crew said in unison.
The captain buried himself even farther in his chair, taking a sigh of relief. He then clicked a device on the temple of his head. "Congratulations, Sarah. You've done well." He paused to take another breath. "Now let's get out of this asteroid belt's orbit, shall we?"
(Will Sarah find Vecto before they depart or will she have to leave without him? Find out more in the next installment of Vecto: Voyage!)
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Alpha Squad - Vecto: Voyage
Science Fiction(Vecto: Voyage is the sequel to Vecto: Vengeance. You can buy Voyage at http://amzn.to/1SErRma. Tell others about who Vecto is and use the hashtag #WhoisVecto). A dark, militaristic planet--home to Gyro's widow. A technologically advanced carbon ice...
