The nav panel of the escape pod was a maelstrom of coloured lights, with the screens displaying fast moving information that was indecipherable to the engineer. Cathy however was sliding her fingers across the touch screens at speed, her mouth moving as she tried to take it all in.
“A black hole, around a thousand kilometres away... we’ve managed a slingshot orbit, which hopefully will keep us safe until help arrives. A rescue is on the way.”
“A black hole? How is that possible?” asked the engineer, sitting as still as possible to preserve the oxygen. The atmospheric scrubbers were working overtime but had been damaged in that last blast. The only escape pod left and it was crippled. “The station wasn't subject to any gravity except the central core. It’s been at the same point in space for years...”
“I don’t have all the answers,” said Cathy irritably. “I can only tell you what I’m seeing now... which is...”
Her hand paused and she started to swear under her breath furiously, her face twisting with frustration.
“They did it on purpose, they fired the nuclear engines and were driving us towards it. We only just got away in time. The corresponding propulsion of the station gave us enough inertia to get a stable orbit...”
The engineer didn’t reply, but he didn’t need to. Cathy knew exactly what he was thinking.
“The station passed the event horizon a couple of minutes after we left. They’re all gone.”