Leaning slightly, she peered at the lever and the markings beneath it. It was numbered from 1 to 5 with the addition of the letters "R" and "N". The numbers were probably related to one of the measurements on the main status console, but the two letters held no meaning at all for her. It was currently in the positioned marked with a "1", which struck her as odd since the vehicle was not moving. Perhaps, she reasoned, the lever had little to do with the vehicle's motion, but served some other purpose. Very little about this archaic conveyance, she decided, made much sense.
She gripped the level by the obvious handle and pushed, first one direction and then another. She wanted to see what changes, if any, happened to the functioning of the vehicle. The level remained stubbornly in place, although it wiggled just tantalizing enough that Devereux suspected that it would move if done properly. What might happen if she actually got it to move, though, she had no idea.
Looking over the main status console again, she looked for something that might be large enough to be a small screen. On a shuttle, the on-board computer could provide operating instructions if they were needed. In this ancient vehicle, there was evidently no such assistance. Her frustration level was rising, along with the heat inside the vehicle. She knew there must be environmental controls, as their earlier travel had been comfortable, she also had no idea where they were located or how to work them. Giving in to her growing displeasure, she slammed her open hand against the handle of the lever. Although the mechanism vibrated sharply, she succeeded only in it making a sharp metallic sound and bruising her palm.
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