MU/TH/UR

Confirm current location relative to Sutter’s World starting at Anchorpoint Station//

Run diagnostics on communication systems//

The screen flickered for a moment as MU/TH/UR processed the request, her calm, detached voice soon filling the bridge.

...Collating... Please wait...

Miller tapped her foot impatiently, glancing over at Rye and Wilson. "...Collating," She mocked MUTHUR. She could feel the tension creeping in, the uncertainty of the situation gnawing at the back of her mind.

She glanced back at the screen, waiting for MU/TH/UR’s response, hoping they weren’t about to get even worse news.

...Current location: 1.2 parsecs trailward from Sutter’s World. Estimated distance at FTL speed: two weeks. Communication diagnostics complete. Sensor malfunction detected. Repairs recommended...

Shocked, Miller quickly tapped to open the viewport blast shields to confirm. No nearby planets, ships, moons, or orbital relays! No 111 Tauri star!! There was nothing but a field of distant stars all around them!!! Her heart sank as the reality of their situation hit. They were nowhere near their destination, drifting in deep space with no immediate hope of making it to Sutter’s anytime soon.

She pulled up the navigation charts, her fingers moving faster now, confirming the dreadful truth. The original coordinates were completely off. Miller’s jaw clenched, and she muttered under her breath, “Loughty…”

Her frustration bubbled up. It appeared to have been a mistake from the pilot. Sawney Loughty must have punched in the wrong coordinates during their last course correction.

"So we're off course? Why did Mother wake us up then without correcting our course herself?" Wilson asked, leaning back in his chair, furrowing his brows. "God, two weeks..."

Miller didn’t want to say it, but this looked like a fuck up from Sawney, probably due to negligence and the drug problem he was hiding. She just shook her head as she typed in the query to MU/TH/UR.

Her stomach tightened as she stared at the console. The flashing yellow light from MU/TH/UR pulsed insistently, signaling that it was probably not a navigational mistake to deal with. Her gut told her this was important…or maybe it was about to get worse. She sighed heavily,

”Got a feeling we’re about to find out.”

Captain Miller walked to the back of the bridge, inserted her access keycard, and punched in her security code, allowing her entry directly into MUTHUR’s mainframe chamber.

What’s the story Mother?//
Why did you wake us up early and off course?//

…Incoming transmission was detected… Appears to be a distress beacon... Unable to determine sender... Contract stipulates investigation is mandatory under penalty of total forfeiture of shares for this cargo run… triangulate signal location and trace source…

Miller closed her eyes for a moment, her frustration reaching new heights. ’Great.’ A distress call, way off course, and now they had to handle this mess instead of getting to Sutter’s. She took a deep breath, rubbing her temples. She exited the mainframe room and went straight for the intercom.

“All hands. Everyone to the bridge. We have new orders,” she called. Her voice was sharp.