Soon enough, Aphrodite and I are giving all three women the briefing of our tragic status. The three women, now fully awake and dressed in proper uniforms, gather around looking horrified at the holographic dispy projecting diagrams and data to illustrate the damage and death that one random stray rock did to our seedship.

  “So, what's the status of the damage? Can we get back on track?” Dr. Patel frowns, her brow furrowed in concern.

  Aphrodite's dispy shifts to show schematics of the affected areas. “Preliminary assessments indicate significant damage to our primary fusion power systems, and secondary damage to a multitude of other less critical areas. Repairing these smaller areas range from impossible to simple, but the fusion pnt will require extensive work and time, as well as shutting down full power.”

  “Damn…” Lena sighs, biting her lip and twirling a stylus in her hand. As the engineer, all our eyes go to her. “It means a serious rebuilding of the reactor, and trying to do that without a starport?” she shakes her head, knowing it’s not looking good.

  “So this is our final destination?” Maya asks, picking up her tablet to read the name of the pnet we are approaching. “KX-456-E?”

  “Not necessarily,” Aphrodite steps in, dispying an inventory listing of spare parts we have onboard. “We have two backup generators still offline that may only need minor repairs, and with those back on-line…”

  “That would put you back to a double redundancy on electrical power,” Lena grins. “Well, it’s not the end of the line then. I mean, it’s not ideal, but this would still let us limp our way to Cygnus X-1. But since this will be a patch job, I’d recommend aiming to make several more stops along the way to ensure we don’t stress the full speed of the engines.”

  “I concur with this assessment,” Aphrodite says, then brings up a new course plot at dozens of other stars along the way to Cygnus.

  “We’ll be only a few hundred years te,” you joke, looking at the new timeline. “Still, it’s better than nothing.”

  “Well, that works, I guess,” Sophia sighs, tapping her long nails on the gss tabletop.

  “Right, but it’s no guarantee,” you say solemnly, and all eyes look back to you. “And that’s why we’ll be doing a miniature colonization of KX-456-E now, and after the repairs are complete, assuming this new pn works, I shall continue and attempt to colonize any habitable worlds we find along the way to Cygnus X-1.”

  “So that means…” Maya says, her eyes flitting around the room, first to me, then to the two other dies. “Oh, boy…”

  “Yes, you three have been specifically selected to assist complete the three things needed to complete our primary mission. Firstly, ship wide repairs of damaged systems. And second, plot and prepare for adapting a modified colonization pn for KX-456-E.” Aphrodite’s soothing AI says into the quiet room, her form moving to stand behind Lena. “Engineer Ivanova should be able to return the ship’s full power within a minimal timeframe after our insertion into a stable orbit around the pnet.”

  “Just that shouldn’t take more than a few days once we power down, and there’s plenty of work to do with repairs to secondary systems along the way,” Lena agrees. Aphrodite continues, her virtual form walking around the room to the next woman.

  “Miss Jensen's expertise in marine biology will prove valuable in assessing KX-456-E's aquatic potential for initial colonization.” Maya looks thoughtful, considering the implications.

  “All the initial scans show this does seem to be a perfectly habitable world, though a bit wet, but that’s just how I like, em!” Maya pyfully jokes, then ruins it by expining her joke, “Because I’m a marine biologist... not because... never mind.” She shrinks back into her seat and puts some food in her mouth.

  “Right, well, this pnet might also have considerable potential for resource extraction. I see our army of construction robots seem mostly intact, so we shouldn’t have any problems harvesting some basic materials that could aid in repairs and help create a strong future for our colony,” Lena speaks up, her eyes fixed on the schematics.

  “I concur. With a survey of the pnet and proper scans of its geology and resources, we can decide exactly how to proceed with the colonization,” Dr. Patel nods in agreement. Aphrodite's dispy updates with a map of the pnet's surface, highlighting potential areas of interest.

  “Then there is the small issue of our popution,” you point out. Aphrodite's hologram hovers somberly, her eyes filled with empathy as she expins the delicate situation.

  “Unfortunately, Captain, you are correct. Due to the catastrophic loss of nearly the entire male complement during the power failure emergency, you are now the sole remaining crew male member. This presents... unique challenges for our mission's continuation.” Aphrodite’s form finally moves to appear next to Sophia.

  “That is where Dr. Patel’s specialties will be crucial. She will reevaluate the health and reproductive options necessary to ensure the successful propagation of humanity on KX-456-E, though sadly the medbay was actually the impact site, so much of our medical equipment may be lost.” The women exchange troubled gnces, Dr. Patel's expression softened with compassion.

  “I know this is a lot to take in. But we volunteered for this mission, and we are the best of our skill sets in these specific issues. I already have a few ideas, but will want a day or so to inventory what we're left with in terms of medical equipment and supplies before I make any recommendations.” Sophia says, but the rest of the crew still seems on edge.

  “We're a team, and we'll figure it out. Together.” She smiles, and we all smile back, though Maya looks over to you cautiously while Lena nods, her jaw set with determination. “We'll make do with what we have. If you're willing to take on a more... multifaceted role, Captain, I believe we can still succeed in our mission to colonize this pnet.”

  “We'll need to reassess our priorities, our resources, and our strategy.” Maya's gaze becomes thoughtful, her brow furrowed in concern, until she looks back at you and smiles. “But with your leadership, Captain, I have faith we can overcome any obstacle and create a new home for humanity here.”

  “Good, I just need you all to be… understanding. Each of us will have to… adapt to do what is required.”