Chapter Twenty-Two

“If you say so. Anyways, I was just trying to figure out the very same thing.” You say with a defeated sigh. You weren’t able to fix it and you can’t fix it, and right now that makes you feel like a failure, like maybe you lost more than just parts of your memory back on the Sandarians ship.

“Wait, so the Admiral has you back?” She says bursting with glee.

“Seems like it.” You snort as you hold your hand out for her to take. Pulling Gidget up you both walk back into the main engine room. Gidget looks around like she’s searching for something and when she didn’t find whatever that was she jumps in front of you, her nose inches from your own as she cocks her head to the side with confusion.

“Where’s Helena?” GIdget sure has a lot of questions.

“The Admiral has other plans. Once we get through the next solar storm, Helena will be taking a team down to Planet Feln.” You fill her in on the reasoning for Helena’s mission. You’re sure it wasn’t confidential information and even if it was, you’re sure that Gidget is one of the few who won’t go around spewing rumors.

She just excitedly, her eyes beaming with joy as she claps her hands like a monkey banging imaginary cymbals. “Sounds exciting!!” She screeches.

“Usually Helena is close by so when I didn’t see her, well…” With a roll of your eyes you wave her detective snooping away, “Ya, ya, ya. Zip it pip squeak.”

During your time on Titanus, Gidget was the only other person you would confide in. She knows all about your boulder size crush for Helena. “Is she ok?” Gidget asks, her orange eyes softening in worry.

You wave her question off. “She’s perfectly fine. She went to get a team together. Tonight though, she promised some pampering time.” The beating of your heart pounded faster as you think of later, when you get to have Helena all to yourself again.

Gidget walks over to the Storm flux and hums under her breath.

“We’ll need to figure out a temporary bandaid for it. Just enough to get through the next storm.” Both of you stare at the device or a moment, neither coming up with an idea.

Gidget breaks the silence first, “Think Helena could find something on Feln?” Your head tilts as you ponder the question. Sure, Helena is smart, but she wouldn’t know what to look for. Maybe someone should go with them when they go planetside.

As if Gidget was mirroring your own thoughts, “Maybe one of us should go down and get the tool while they do, well whatever it is they do.”

“I think you're right...but who would go?” You question.

Gidget places her hands on her hips and stares straight at you. You groan inwardly. Hefting the large wrench of your shoulders, the cold bumpy steel resting on your skin, you sigh up at the interweaving piped ceiling.

“Guess It’ll have to be me, huh?” Who else would it be. You’re the only one who knows the machine inside and out, who better to go down and find what's needed to fix it.

“You built the darn thing! Of course it should be you!” Gidget giggled, her porcelain blue skin glowing with her excitement.

“Fine. I’ll run it across the Admiral. First, we need to figure out the flux, then I’ll talk to the Admiral about it.” Gidget nudges your shoulder, rubbing grease on you in the process, a playful grin flashing her pearly whites.

“You should also talk to Helena about it. Also, you’ve got sludge on you, you should have Helena take care of that, too!” Like pincers on a crab you pinch Gidgets skin for her goading.

“Ow! What was that for!?” She jumps, rubbing the sting away.

“Haha, we need to focus, Gidget. Time is not in our favor.” The Pallenterian frowns as she shakes her head. We both hunkered down in front of the flux and started pulling panels and wiring.

“What if we place this converter between both those points, here…” She points one blue finger at a spot between the spike casings, then her finger dragged across the machine to land on another, “and here?”

“Hmm, that could work. We have to be careful, though. Each point has to have full contact and has to be able to handle the energy that’s absorbed. If it can’t hold then this will backfire...badly.” The Pallenterian beams at you with confidence that ebbed over to you filling you up with the same confidence. You’ve always loved Gidget’s way of tackling any challenge that comes her way and her optimism flows from her instilling the same optimism in others.

“You’ve taught me better than that. Of course it’ll hold.” She says matter of factly. “I hope.” She mumbled the last part.

“Well, only one way to find out.” The ship's interior lights dimmed, casting shadows throughout the engine room. Your eyes immediately went towards the shadows, your mind imagining hulking Sandarians crawling out from the dark pools.

“We’re approaching the storm.” Gidget says as she looks up at the lights. A serious complexion visible even with the low visibility. Though the overhead lights may have dimmed considerably, at least the power source from the engines gave off a faint blue hue to the room that provided some light.

Residual storm particles disrupt the power of most ships. It’s completely harmless and usually just causes minor malfunctions. However those minor malfunctions can prove dangerous depending on the situation. The comms become unreliable, the navmaps have limited range, so when you have an armada chasing you, that’s the worst scenario.

“Alright, I’m going to report back to the Admiral. Can you finish up here?” Gidget does a lazy salute but winks.

“Of course. I’ll be good down here. I’ll keep it working for now.” She stands from her crouched position.

“I’ll be seeing you, Gidget. Don’t bust my machine.” You wink back, your voice light as you joke with her.

Gidget pounces on you and squeezes you in another bones crushing hug. “I’ll keep watch down here. You look a little worn, why don’t you go rest up after reporting to the Admiral.” It wasn’t a question and some more time spent in bed would be amazing as the usual exhaustion began its routine creep into your systems. With a final wave you drag your weary body down to the bridge.

It was a quiet walk. A walk to gather your thoughts. So much has happened in such a small amount of time. Not to mention your laden with anxiety knowing that a Sandarian war fleet is right on your tale. A cold shiver ran down your spine as a icy chill slowly pricked your skin. Your heart started beating at a quick, intense pace that had you gasping for breath. You frantically clawed at your neck trying to breathe.

“Wha---” A heavy pressure crushed your chest. You heaved for air but it came in wheezing gasps. Struggling you slowly shimmied along the wall, your eyes wide and as they darted about looking for someone, anyone.