Chapter 47
“Mr. Painter, this is Quixote.” “Painter here.” “Are you certain the ship’s illumination was routed through the low power system?” “Of course, sir.” “The ship is experiencing random blackouts, including sick bay.” “Impossible.” “Mr. Painter, I assure you, I do not have time to play games. Find out what happened and repair it.” “Aye, sir, Painter out,” was the unmistakably weary reply. Quixote stopped at the door to sick bay and tapped a number pad to override the lock failure, but the number pad was non-functioning. Xe lodged a pointed claw behind the panel, popping it off; inside a manual, mechanical toggle switch unlatched the apparatus. Emergency lights had engaged in the sick bay, but from the limited areas lit, only essential functions operated on a per-patient basis. “Quixote. Kym Byrd just spent hours rerouting our power and this is all we have. What if I need to perform surgery?” Adams grumbled. “Ensure that you don’t, Doctor. I need to check the access...
