Station Situation: Part 2 of ? (Repairs at a Cost)
*Automate Repair Station*
Trixie stared at the panel that pulled out of the self automated repair station. Archer seemed calm and simply walked towards the panel and looked at it. He came to a stop just an arm's length away from it, but looked back at Trixie giving her a reassuring smile. These humans baffled her. In the short time she had known humans she had seen a variety of emotions and behaviors from them. These ranged from kind and open, to downright hostile and xenophobic.
Archer seemed to be a good balance of both. He wasn’t xenophobic by any means, but he was reasonably cautious when need be. He was also open and kind to Trixie and her crew. Even after Lyra’s abhorred behavior Archer still found it amusing somehow when the teal unicorn squeed like a fangirl at a concert.
Despite this interaction Archer remained as calm and collected as he always been. Trixie took a chance and approached the panel and looked over it. It was a small transparent panel that was free floating with various details about construction and repairs for the Hydra and what it would cost to do the repairs.
The first one was the most costly and it would require giving up several key components to the station as payment. Parts they couldn’t spare. Then there was 50 kilos of dry plasma, doable but still a bit costly so trixie put a hold on that one. The last was asking for several kilos of biomatter.
Trixie looked over to Archer who was just standing by. Waiting for her to make her decision. It wasn’t hard for Trixie. She chose to give the station the biomatter. It was easy enough to procure since they had so many dead. Trixie made a mental note to talk to Octavia about it later if need be, but otherwise she decided for the betterment of her crew this should be kept secret.
“Please select your inquiry and method of payment to begin the repair process.” The panel said once again.
Taking her hoof Trixie and hovered over the biomatter option. Not pressing it initially she looked at Archer with a concerned look on her face. She Only knew him for a few weeks at best, and she didn’t completely trust him on some random station she knew could be dangerous. Seeming to sense her unease feelings, Archer stepped around the panel and stood next to Trixie and crouched beside her.
“What’s wrong?” He asked.
“Trixie doesn’t like this situation. It makes her fur stand on end.”
Archer nodded empathetically.
“I understand your concern, but trust me the repairs will make it all worth it. If you’re willing to pay the price for it,” He said with slight serious tone at the end. “I know you plan to give one of your crew to the station as part of this payment, but can you live with that?”
Trixie kept her hoof over the panel for another two second count. She breathed in synch with the seconds counting, one then two, and then she pressed the button on the panel with the payment option for biomatter. Having made the selection the station panel retracted and the display on the center 3D imager changed into a long list with times and dates for when the repairs for the ship would take place and where.
“Thank you for your selection. A repair log has been transported to your ship,” The station automated voice said. “Please, ensure that all areas undergoing repairs are vacated and properly sealed while the repairs are underway. The crew has now full access to the recreation hall and commodities. Please enjoy your stay.”
Off to the side a slide door opened up right from where Trixie and Archer were standing. The station panel was now completely retracted into the station and sealed. Trixie, not wanting to stay contacted the Hydra vis her PDA. After informing Octavia of the manifest log and repair schedule Trixie turned to Archer once more as they head down the airlock back to the bomber.
“I can live with the choices I make Captain Archer. The universe is a cruel place. We learn that in the Academy. Officers are the ones who make the tough choices not the crew.” Trixie explained.
“Why’s that?” Archer asked. “If the crew doesn’t know what the Captain is doing how can they hold them accountable?”
Drawing open the hatch Trixie slipped into the bomber and was followed closely by Archer. Once both were in Trixie sealed the hatch and brought the bomber online. After detaching from the station the bomber flew over the dorsal section of the Hydra, where Trixie saw the arms from the station beginning to tank some of the outer parts of the hull off. She brought the bomber to the Enterprise a few kilometers out from the station.
Attaching to the docking airlock on the Enterprise Trixie released the hatch and allowed Archer to leave the bomber, but used her magic to tug at his pant leg before he got completely out. Looking back from the hatch he looked directly at Trixie in the eyes. They were pained eyes. Eyes that he’d seen for years himself. Something in his mind told him that she lost someone like he lost his father.
“Trixie once had a family, I lost them when radical terrorists bombed one of our railway systems on my homeworld. Trixie was back in the Academy then, and was just about to graduate when she heard the news.”
She wiped her eyes trying to hide the tears that were forming in them.
“Trixie became Captain to make the decisions that no other could make. So, that the ones under me wouldn’t have to suffer like I did. It was a naive and silly notion, but Trixie want’s to make a difference in the galaxy. Trixie want’s to make sure no one loses their loved ones like she did.”
Archer gave a long pause giving what she said some thought. Getting out he stood by the hatch with his hand in so Trixie wouldn’t close it on him.
“I understand what you mean.”
Trixie looked at him in surprise.
“Years ago my father, helped a man on my world develop one of the first warp drive engines. He died of a disease not long afterwards. So, believe me I know what you mean by not wanting others to suffer as we have,” Archer said letting go of the hatch. “Keep in touch. I’d still like you and your officers to join me for dinner on my ship.”
“Trixie will hold you to that.”
Smiling the two shook hand and hoof before Trixie sealed the hatch and Archer sealed the airlock on his ship side. The Hydra bomber then detached and flew off back to the Hydra once again. As the repairs started to happen section by section Trixie managed to get back to her own quarters to find Octavia sleeping in bed. The grey mare was out of her uniform and laying on her belly on the bed with the covers just covering her from the waist down.
Trixie smiled at Octavia snoring away. Trixie unbuttoned her uniform top and slid it lazily off her shoulders and threw it into the dirty clothes hamper nearby the bed. Trixie removed her belt and jumpsuit with her boots afterwards. She unclipped her disruptor and placed it by her bed and gave it a gentle tap as it rested on the small nightstand. Trixie then went to the shower and took a nice cold shower cleaning days of grime, oil, and other nasty ship fluids off herself.
The cold water was almost therapeutic for her. It gave her aching back time to ease up and relax itself while she gave deep thought to her parents and what her last encounter with them was like. She remembered the dinner she had with her mother, father, and older sister. It was just weeks prior to her graduation and Trixie was at the top of her class in engineering. As a celebration her family took her to dinner at her favorite restaurant in Ponyville on her homeworld.
It was the best night of her life, but only because it was the last time she spent with her family.
After the bombing of the railway system she lost her mother and father, leaving her sister and herself as the sole survivors to the Lulamoon name. After their deaths Trixie all but cut off contact with her sister after a huge falling out with her at their parents funeral.
Trixie sobbed silently in the shower glad that the sounds of it would cover her tears and not wake Octavia in the room. A short while after she cried herself out of tears in the shower Trixie exited and dried herself as she went to bed. Once completely dry she threw the towel on the floor completely ignoring it and slipped under the covers beside Octavia.
As she settled in the sudden slight disturbance stirred Octavia awake. The grey earth pony’s eyes fluttered open rom her deep sleep. Her vision was slightly hazy at first, but it quickly cleared up as she blinked and rubbed her tired eyes. This was the first “good” sleep Octavia had since they left dry dock. Turning slowly over she came face to face with Trixie who had fallen asleep right as she hit the pillow.
Octavia shook her head with a tiny smile on her lips at the slight snoring Trixie made while she slept. Wiggling closer Octavia pulled Trixie’s head and let it rest against her fluffy chest and rested her chin over Trixie’s forehead with a gentle kiss. Trixie instinctively nuzzled the mares chin with her nose in her sleep making Octavia giggle lightly before falling back to sleep herself with Trixie in her arms.
As the next few hours went on, ponies and changelings aboard the Hydra left the designated areas for repairs. The stations massive arms extending over centralized areas would detach entire bulkheads of the ship, and disintegrate it in a blue light, like the materials were dissolving to tiny molecules. The arms would then create a wide triangular intense beam that wiped out any debris from the halls while smaller arms removed massive areas of the ship's hull and the superstructure.
From the station’s recreation area Enterprise Engineer Charles Tucker was with Lt. Commander Pinkie Pie watching the repairs go over the Hydra.
“You know, when Enterprise was here last I told the Captain that it would take the boys at Jupiter Station 3 months to repair Enterprise like this,” Tucker said, reminiscing with a glass of wine in his hand and Pinkie had a milkshake. “It even got rid of this annoying squeaking noise in one of the floor panels. *whew* This station is amazing. Wish Starfleet had something like this.”
Pinkie slurps a huge gulp of her milkshake then licking her lips with her huge pink tongue. This made Tucker give the pink pony a slight look of disgust as she giggled and nodded in agreement with him.
“I totally get what you mean! Our ship would have taken us a month maybe more to repair! That is if there was nothing wrong with it after all the current problems we found.” Pinkie said wonderingly, tapping her chin.
Tucker quirked his brow in confusion and looked down at his pony friend. “What does that mean?” He asked.
“Well, if I’m honest, the Hydra had problems from the start since we left dry dock,” Pinkie said slurping up the last of her milkshake and throwing it in the waste unit behind her.
Tucker looked as she casually tossed it over her shoulder and it flew perfectly into the waste disposal unit at the opposite end of the room. Everyone there, both human and pony, clapped and cheered at the amazing display. Pinkie bowed politely a few times for the crowd before she turned back to face Tucker and the ship.
“Yeah, when we left Drydock,” She started to say as if nothing happened moments ago. “We tried to use our ion cannon and nearly destroyed ourselves. That was just the start of our troubles. Systems started breaking down all over the ship and we ended up using a years worth of spare parts in a week. It was awful.”
Pinkie slumped over the railing like a ragdoll and her mane slightly deflated. This made Tucker look at her with concern.
“Is that, is that normal for you to do?” He asked pointing at the pony.
“Is what normal?” Pinkie asked suddenly reinflating to normal.
Tucker said nothing. He just slowly turned away from the confused pony and continued looking out the window. He stared off into the distance when he noticed something odd. Some of the stars were disappearing and reappearing in their place. Tucker pulled out his communicator from his shoulder pocket.
The small silver device intrigued Pinkie who tried to use the railing with her front hooves to see like a curious cat would. Tucker ignored her as she tried to look at his hands as he flipped the silver top of his communicator up and made it beep, signaling Enterprise.
“Tucker to Enterprise.”
“This is Entreprise.”
Tucker knew the voice was to Hoshi the Enterprise Communications officer Hoshi Sato. A kind person and a linguist specialist. She cold learn almost any language if given enough time. With one exception, but that was a story for another day. Tucker narrowed his eyes to try and focus out at the distance where he saw the strange occurrence.
“Enterprise, do you read anything off the sensors?” He asked.
“Nothing as far as we can tell. Why? Is something wrong, Commander?” Hoshi asked over the communicator.
Tucker shook his head, not realizing that Pinkie was now atop his head looking down at his small communicator. “No, I thought I saw something, but… I guess it’s nothing. Sorry to bother you Hoshi.”
There was a slight giggle over the comm. “No problem Commander. We’ve all had a rough week. Just try to relax and take it easy. Okay?”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Tucker replied.
“Good, we’ll let you know if anything comes up. Enterprise out.”
After the communicator cut out Tucker flipped it closed and put it back in his arm pouch. Pinkie leaped off his head without him noticing much to the surprise of everyone watching. As they continued to watch out the window Tucker felt an odd lurching in his stomach. Something wasn’t right. He could feel it. There was something out there, and if there was one thing Tucker always could count on it was his gut. It almost never failed him before.
Deeper in space far off from the station a small group of three Klingon birds of prey were hovering just within an asteroid field. They were powered down for the most part but the lead ship had its weapons on standby. The three ships observed the Enterprise and Hydra that was within the repair station.
On the bridge of the lead ship Captain Duras was sitting in his command chair on the bridge of his ship. He observed the two ships, specifically the Hydra that was in the middle of its repairs.
“Have they detected us?” Duras asked one of his crew.
The Klingon directly behind him responded, “No sir. The human vessel is orbiting the station, and shows no signs of detecting our process.”
“Good,” Duras growled. “This time we’ll finish them. Contact Captain Sal Mogh and Captain Trell. Tell them to prepare for battle. We’re going to attack them now.”
With a low sinister growl Duras’s crew prepared their ship for combat. The three birds of prey completely powered up. The lights from their engines lit up, their weapons came to life, the torpedoes were armed and ready to launch. The three birds of prey spread into a wide area several kilometers apart and formed a line and made a straight charge for Enterprise and the station the held the Hydra.
Duras smiled with his jagged sharp teeth. He patted his chest with a powerful fist feeling his chances of getting back at the humans and ponies was at hand. This was his moment of glory, and nothing short of a miracle would save the humans and ponies from his vengeance.
