Reg regained consciousness on the command room floor, his head pillowed and his body covered in a blanket. With a curse, he jumped up.
"Ralph, where's Penny?" The AI still wasn't replying, and Reg took off jogging to check the ship. It didn't take him long to determine Penny was gone.
He returned to the ship's command center and paced the area in front of the view screen.
She left me! He'd known she was upset, but to do something this drasticÉ Why couldn't she have waited? He now wished he'd told her immediately about the Oracle's permission for them to travel together. Not that Penny had even given him a chance.
No matter, he'd find her. "Ralph? By the moons, computer, I know you must have helped her. Speak to me, dammit."
Silence reigned, but across the view screen, words appeared.