Chapter 10: Spaceman
Kai stood before the airlock, a surge of adrenaline-like tingling going through his metal frame. "Hey, Seraphina, can you hear me out here?" He reached for a glass cabinet on the wall and pulled out a small, disc-like device. "What's this?"
[Yes, Master. You now have a direct comm link to me throughout the ship and its vicinity. As for that, those are maneuverable gas jets. It uses Compressed hydrogen and oxygen for zero-gravity flight.]
Kai's eyes widened. "Cool! So, uh, how do they work?" He grabbed a few more discs, a grin spreading across his metal features.
[Simply twist the upper and lower halves in opposite directions to activate. You can attach them to your feet, hands, or back for propulsion.]
Immediately, Kai twisted one of the discs. It split apart with a satisfying whir, magnetically clamping them onto his ankles and a third to his back. He anchored himself with a metallic rope on his back, then announced.
"Okay, Seraphina, I'm ready. Open the outer airlock."
[Master, before you venture outside, I recommend taking a handheld plasma cutter and a portable scanner. I cannot access your senses as I don't have the authority, so those will provide valuable data on the impact area. The cutter will prove useful for repairs.]
A flicker of relief washed over Kai as he grabbed the pen-like plasma cutter and a baseball-sized scanner, tucking them into a makeshift belt fashioned from alien skin. "Good thing she can't read my mind", he thought. "I can't let her know I'm human."
Standing before the gaping airlock, he shouted, "Seraphina, I'm all set. Open the hatch!"
The inner doors groaned open, revealing the true airlock, a small chamber with an external door. A flicker of nervousness pierced his excitement. "Hang on... why didn't I see any spacesuits?"
Seraphina chuckled as she replied.
[Xerions evolved on a planet with extreme gravity and radiation. Master. Their metallic bodies were designed to withstand extreme conditions. You won't need a suit.]
Accepting the explanation, Kai focused on the outer door as Seraphina's voice filled the airlock.
[Initiating Airlock sequence. Depressurizing the airlock… Be cautious, Master. Even with the tether, floating away would be...unfortunate.]
As she said it, the air in the chamber hissed away, creating a vacuum. With a groan, the external door slid open. Kai's metallic feet, anchored to the floor by the ship's artificial gravity, became weightless as he began to float.
A pang of fear tickled the back of his mind – the yawning vastness of space was terrifying, even with the tether.
Grabbing onto a corner of the doorframe, he released a puff of steam – a metallic imitation of a breath – and used the force to propel him out into the inky void.
The silence was absolute. No hiss of air, no background hum of the ship. His optical sensors adjusted to the overwhelming darkness, making his vision clear in fraction.
Tethered to the airlock by a thin metallic cord, he felt utterly insignificant. It was a lifeline, yes, but it didn't quell the rising vertigo, the fear of being cast adrift in the uncaring expanse of space.
On behind was, the colossus, monstrous yet beautiful and breathtaking for any tech lover.
"Seraphina," he croaked, the sound swallowed by the void. "Guidance?"
[Proceed due east approximately 360 meters]
Seraphina's voice, crisp in his ears via the comms, was a reassuring anchor amidst the swirling emotions.
[The primary impact zone should be visible within that range.].
Kai swallowed hard, feeling a metallic tremor in his limbs. He activated the gliding discs at his ankles and back with a thought. They hummed to life, and with an awkward lurch, he propelled himself outwards.
"Easy there..." He muttered, forcing his attention back to the task. A slip of the concentration activated the jets at full power, propelling him toward the colossus. He spun uncontrollably, but saved himself at the last moment – thrusting feet and hands forward, he countered with a blast of reverse power.
"Phew, a bit of a learning curve…" he gritted out. Cautiously, he maneuvered closer to the ship, occasionally using its surface to bounce himself forward – awkward, but better than pinwheeling through space.
As he approached the thruster, the debris field thickened fragments of metal and rock drifted into the void. The closer he got, the worse it looked.
After a five-minute flight, he reached the impact zone. Ahead, large chunks of metals floating around colliding with each other and a massive asteroid was embedded in a mangled mess of ion thrusters, Its impact had ripped through the thruster's protective shielding and stabbed the thruster walls.
Kai's eyes widened as he saw shimmering streams of something leaking from the damaged machinery, painting the eerie darkness with light.
"Whoa...Seraphina, are you seeing this?" Kai shuddered. "The asteroid must've shattered on the shielding, but we still lost a chunk of thruster. Aside from those leaks, though, I don't see major damage... I'm firing up the scanner for you to take a closer look."
[Affirmative, Master. Activate by depressing the buttons on both sides of the device.]
Kai fumbled with the scanner, his metallic fingers clumsy in the zero-gravity. Finally, it whirred to life, spinning and emitting a web of blue light as it floated toward the impact zone.
The sheer scale of the damage was staggering – a field of debris larger than many football pitches littered the void.
Kai rubbed his metallic cheek thoughtfully, eyeing the scraps of the colossus scattered around.
"Hey, Seraphina," he said, "I think it's smart to salvage what we can. No idea how long we'll be stuck out here, and it's never wise to waste resources, right?"
[Master is right. It would be wasteful to leave these parts adrift in this remote region where resupply would be difficult.]
After a slight pause, she added.
[I've deployed some still-functional drones. They'll gather the scraps and any other usable materials within range... umm, master]
Seraphina's voice trailed off, a hint of tension creeping in. "What is it? Did something happen?" Kai asked, unease prickling at the back of his neck.
[the thing is…after getting the live Scans, it revealed multiple leaks in the thruster region. The leaking substance is critical and dangerous. You need to seal those breaches immediately.]
Kai's eyes followed the glittering river. "Don't tell me those shiny things are the leaks?"
Seraphina urgency in her voice, says.
[Those are exotic ion particles. They're made highly energized within the specialized F.T.L drive system. We can synthesize more, but they are highly radioactive. However, the more concerning is the leak of cryolumboid fluid, a crucial coolant. a line near the thrusters has ruptured!]
His panic warred with determination and cut off her explanation. grabbing a sizable chunk of metal. "Show me where. If it's that bad, I need to fix this now. I don't want to become a space popsicle."
[You need to Head south, below the damaged thruster. You'll see a buildup of ice – that's where the pipe ruptured. The power's down, so I can't stop the flow. You'll need to weld it shut. And please... if at all possible, don't let the cryolumboid touch you.]
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nekrom1
nekrom1 Creation is hard, cheer me up!
Creation is hard, cheer me up!
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