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A SOMBER MOOD HUNG over the briefing room, far different from the excited, eager atmosphere of just a few hours ago.
No one had been killed in the accident, but that seemed the only upside. Cherry’s heart went out to Wilder as she stood at the front giving the preliminary report. The girl’s face was pale and she regularly had to pause and swallow before continuing, as if she were trying to avoid bursting into tears.
She was talking about the jump drive and what had gone wrong. Cherry didn’t understand a word of what she was saying and she suspected she was far from alone.
Her guess was confirmed when a man blurted out, “Get to the point. No one gives a s**t about why we’re in this predicament. What we want to know is, where the hell are we and how long will it take us to get
