The blast doors of the command bridge were a monolithic testament to a bygone era of starship engineering—three feet of solid, interlocking titanium alloy designed to withstand a localized hull breach or a direct kinetic strike. In the center of this impenetrable bulkhead sat the manual override wheel, a heavy circular mechanism locked in place by years of cold and neglect.Elara clipped her magnetic boots to the grating, anchoring herself against the zero-gravity environment. She gripped the icy metal wheel with both hands, her muscles screaming in protest as she threw her entire body weight into the turn. The metal shrieked, a terrible, grinding sound of frozen gears resisting movement, but the wheel refused to yield."Come on," she hissed through gritted teeth, her breath fogging the inside of her visor. She adjusted her grip, the synthetic fibers of her gloves groaning under the torque. "Damn it, give!"Beside her, tethered to the safety rail, Dante was collapsing.It didn't happe
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