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Description
When she came to, all the warning lights were blinking at her. Impact imminent. Low oxygen. Emergency power cells depleted. No signal. They weren't very bright, but combined with the pain in her head, they were blinding. The oxygen indicator caught her attention. If she didn't get out soon, this capsule would quickly become her casket. But it was so hard to think. Where were the sensors?

Blown out. Great. Without a clue as to whether the air outside was even breathable, she had the delightful choice of slowly asphyxiating or busting out and doing it all at once. She wished her head didn't hurt so much. Then she could put some serious thought into this. Maybe if she pieced together how she got here in the first place, it would provide her some clues.

A quick look around told her this was one of the escape capsules from her ship. She was the only occupant, so she was probably forced in by someone else. But who? Why? Her head throbbed. Was that from the incident that got her into the capsule, or from the impact, or both? The oxygen meter's warning klaxon went off, making up her mind. That had to stop. She'd rather die all at once than slowly with that sound in her ears the whole time.

But the door was underneath her, indicating that was where the ground was. She'd have to get out in a less conventional way. There was another way out in emergencies. There was supposed to be a mechanism under the control panel. The trouble was in getting to it. She slid her hand along the underside of the panel until she found the catch that would open the panel and let her access the mechanism.

When she found it, she pulled, and there was a hiss as the seal was broken. The panel opened. An entire inch.

"You've got to be kidding me," she growled. There wasn't much in the pod with her. Just a small amount of emergency rations, a first aid kit and some cleaning supplies. Among the latter was a mop. The handle might do. She snapped off one end and jammed the other into the tiny space. Using it as a lever, she pried the console open and uncovered the mechanism. With one hand on the release, she gazed up at the space where the emergency hatch should blow. There was no telling what she would find on the outside, but if she survived, she swore she would find a way to take her ship back from the bastards that had put her in this situation.

Description
When she came to, all the warning lights were blinking at her. Impact imminent. Low oxygen. Emergency power cells depleted. No signal. They weren't very bright, but combined with the pain in her head, they were blinding. The oxygen indicator caught her attention. If she didn't get out soon, this capsule would quickly become her casket. But it was so hard to think. Where were the sensors?

Blown out. Great. Without a clue as to whether the air outside was even breathable, she had the delightful choice of slowly asphyxiating or busting out and doing it all at once. She wished her head didn't hurt so much. Then she could put some serious thought into this. Maybe if she pieced together how she got here in the first place, it would provide her some clues.

A quick look around told her this was one of the escape capsules from her ship. She was the only occupant, so she was probably forced in by someone else. But who? Why? Her head throbbed. Was that from the incident that got her into the capsule, or from the impact, or both? The oxygen meter's warning klaxon went off, making up her mind. That had to stop. She'd rather die all at once than slowly with that sound in her ears the whole time.

But the door was underneath her, indicating that was where the ground was. She'd have to get out in a less conventional way. There was another way out in emergencies. There was supposed to be a mechanism under the control panel. The trouble was in getting to it. She slid her hand along the underside of the panel until she found the catch that would open the panel and let her access the mechanism.

When she found it, she pulled, and there was a hiss as the seal was broken. The panel opened. An entire inch.

"You've got to be kidding me," she growled. There wasn't much in the pod with her. Just a small amount of emergency rations, a first aid kit and some cleaning supplies. Among the latter was a mop. The handle might do. She snapped off one end and jammed the other into the tiny space. Using it as a lever, she pried the console open and uncovered the mechanism. With one hand on the release, she gazed up at the space where the emergency hatch should blow. There was no telling what she would find on the outside, but if she survived, she swore she would find a way to take her ship back from the bastards that had put her in this situation.