Cally was heading towards the bridge of the Liberator, worrying about the couple hours of sleep she'd grabbed. The ship was hidden by Avon's detector shield. They were also in orbit over the planet's polar region where even sunlight wouldn't find them. Orac had gone on at great length about the psychological and technical advantages of staying hidden here while Blake, Avon, and Jenna were on the planet below.
However, she worried about leaving Vila on watch. They knew this latest mission could take a few days, and she couldn't stay awake the whole time. But, while planning the details of a clever heist could keep Vila laser focused for hours, she knew his attention drifted when he was on watch. Even here, even above Earth itself, the most dangerous place in the universe, she was afraid that—despite his best intentions—he would become bored, his mind would drift, and then—
Sudden impact shook the ship. Alarms blared. Cally began to run. She looked at the screen and saw—
Cally blinked. What she saw wasn't possible. A human male without any visible protective equipment was outside the ship. He was sitting in a red vehicle of some sort that had become entangled with the Liberator, along with the half dozen or so antlered animals that seemed to be harnessed to it.
But, even stranger than that was Vila's reaction. He was screaming in terror.
"It wasn't me, sir! It was Cally! I've been good all year! Do you hear me? All year!"