INT - NIAGARA - DAY (CONTINUOUS)
A few minutes later, they're almost ready to jump.
WALTER
T minus fifteen seconds. Preparing power cycle for the shunt. Ten seconds - five...
BRYAN
(Staring at a screen)
Oh, no. Abort the jump!
WALTER
What??
The scene disappears in a momentary flash of light, the visible effect of HYPERSPACE.
EXT - OUTER SPACE - NIGHT
Establishing Niagara, drifting on its own, out in the black.
INT - NIAGARA - NIGHT
Walter shakes off a momentary disorientation first, then turns in concern to Bryan.
WALTER
I - I'm sorry. I tried to abort, but it was too close to the moment, and I just couldn't react fast enough to - what went wrong?
Bryan is working intently at his console.
BRYAN
I - I spotted an asteroid drifting close to us on the radar.
WALTER
Uh-oh. How far away did the jump take us? We're not on our usual Sol co-ordinates, or even close to a sizable star.
BRYAN
Give me a moment. I can't make any sense of the constelattions around us. I'll have to run the Aurigae navigation program.
WALTER
(Groans softly.)
Allow me.
Walter hits a button on his console, and all the computer screens light up with a distorted logo that might look a little like a chariot. A voice comes from the speakers in a completely alien language.
BRYAN
(Boredly.)
English, please.
COMPUTER
Thank you, and welcome to the Star-Steer system, brought to you by Aurigae trading company. We thank you for doing business with the Aurigae. What can Star-Steer do for you today?
BRYAN
Identify current location, please.
COMPUTER
Working. Five supergiant stars have been located to use as markers. Please wait - the identification routine may take a few minutes to complete.
WALTER
Bloody alien bastards - why couldn't they let us customize this program so that it starts in our own language, instead of having to set it every time?
BRYAN
Hey, don't be too hard on them. The Aurigae may only do business on their own terms, but they welcomed humans as trading partners and have done a lot to help us keep ourselves safe as we go out into space - like selling us these programs in the first place.
WALTER
Yeah.
(He lets out a breath.)
Bryan, what do we do if it's a long way home to Earth? We don't have any too much fuel, or food or air, and the crap we've got in back won't sell for much among the Aurigae or most of their other partners. Hell, the only reason they let us into their junkyard is that to them, that's all it is - junk.
BRYAN
Well, come on, let's not get discouraged until we know where we drift. Right?
The computer beeps.
COMPUTER
I'm sorry - I could not identify your current location. None of the brightest stars visible from your current location can be identified in the Aurigae database. We wish you better luck next time!
WALTER
Okay, that's not good
BRYAN
(Overlapping)
WHAT??
The chariot logo vanishes from the computer screens. Bryan and Walter stare at each other for a beat.
BRYAN
So... what do we do now?
WALTER
Umm - turn on the hyperwave distress beacon - if being lost without any idea of the way home isn't a distress call situation, I don't know what is. And - can we figure out if any of the nearest stars are inhabited, with the onboard sensors?
BRYAN
I dunno - we were never designed to be an interstellar scout ship, but it's worth a try.
He gets to work, fretfully.
BRYAN (CONT'D)
What if there's no life for thousands of parsecs in any direction?
WALTER
Well, I guess we deal with that when we know for sure.
