Chapter 22

Crank left his room in a foul mood. That mood did not improve as the day went on.

For one thing, the secondary power core required more maintenance than expected. They discovered a tiny fracture in the diamond chute, which meant repair involving more than a simple exterior patch. To fix it, they'd have to evacuate all the energy. Not a rapid process given they couldn't waste any power and had to wait for it to drain naturally. Only once they'd used up all that energy could they weld the crack shut, sand the unit smooth, then do a full cleanse before refilling it. All that meant they basically had only one power source for the next week or so. Not ideal on a ship this size with an upcoming mission.

That put him in a bad mood.

The fact that Solanz saluted him and stuttered, "Ss-s-ir," when he stomped into view aggravated him.

But the biggest reason for his ill humor was in his cabin.

Doing nothing.

At all.