“Harry set course for home and try to figure out what the hell went wrong with the FTL system.”
“Sir, we still have some more tests to do,” the lady at the weapons station said.
Jake got up from his chair and, with a smile, said, “Find us a good cluster of asteroids; that should also test the shields.” Jake then left the bridge in the capable hands of Harry. As he left to check on a very important piece of equipment, moments later Jake was standing in front of his quarters.
Jake pushed the intercom button on the wall, connecting him directly with the bridge. “Harry, send out the fighters for their shakedown and get someone to wake me in three hours.” He then entered his quarters and unsummoned his battle armour, before stepping into the adjacent washroom.
“So what do you think Aaliyah and Erica were doing in here? They kept coming out more tired and sweaty than before. Also, what do you want to do for two or more days as we get slowly back to the planet?”
“About what those two were doing, I have no idea. Also, I'm going to do some more alchemy. What about you?”
“Definitely going to bug a lot of people and maybe even put my runabout up against some fighters; that could be fun,” Jake said before remembering something important. “Are you getting royalties on all those weak versions of Potion X being sold?”
“Short answer: yes, I am making a shitload of profit on that one. The split is 80/20 with the Lady Death, and she is doing all the work.” Jake's mouth went wide in shock. “So just to clarify, she does all the work and you still get 80% of the profits?”
“Yes.”
“Money bags.” Jake laughed as he climbed into the shower.
On the bridge
“Okay, everyone, let's complete as many... Jamie, plot a course; Fred, send out the fighters; and Ours, go down to main engineering and see if they have any idea of what happened to the sensors and if they had the same issues down there. Also, tell them to fix their bloody intercom; the ship is brand new and they're already broken it.”
What the hell happened? The system worked well beyond my expectations, but not being able to see would mean every time the ship enters FTL, it would run the risk of either exploding or running into an object. I'm just glad we checked our path before we tried it.
“Harry, is there anything we can help with?” Erica asked.
“No, Lady Blake, this issue is just going to take time and I don't think it's going to be fixed by the time we get back. On that note, maybe there is one thing you could do, Lady Blake. I'm going to need a facility set up, someone who can remake the FTL engine, a ship to install it into, and a crew that is well trained in navigation and engineering. Other than that, no.” Erica and Aaliyah went to see Jake before they used their tokens to leave as technical, because Jake had made the whole solar system his; they could just use them to quickly leave back to their own territories: Erica to the moon and Aaliyah back to her capital city on the planet located in the K3251-5-5 system. The system designation was simple: A would mean it was in the first million universes to be integrated; as for the number, that was the order of when it was interrupted, and as for the last number, that was the sector of space it was located in and the planet number from the sun. So this would make Jake's territory K3252-103-3. Earth, on the other hand, has not received a designation as it hasn't finished its integration yet. But let's just say it won't be designated with a single letter.
Jake
One day later, the Rusty Bucket was stopped again in an asteroid cluster. Jake was just coming up to the bridge from a good fight against two fighters at once; he lost badly, but that was to be expected. After all, he was using a runabout, not a fighter, and he had no skill in being a pilot, let alone a fighter pilot. Now, if the two were on the ground, Jake would have won. As Jake was thinking over the fight, he found himself standing at the bridge door, just staring off into the distance.
“Sir, is something wrong?”
Jake broke out of his daze and hit the button to open the door.
“Harry, what's the progress on the second test?”
“All ready, we should have overcome the heating issue for a quick burst from the main cannon. We added shielding to the barrel, but sadly they will need to be replaced after ten rounds.”
“How long does it take to replace?”
“Twenty-three hours or so.”
“We're going to need to find a better solution. Add this to your list, won't you?” Jake said with a grin, as everyone knew Harry's list was getting longer by the hour.
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
Jake slid into his seat and spun it forward. He then activated his console and changed the display to show the weapons and shield array diagnostics. “Okay, ready when you are, Harry.”
“Shields full power, prime main cannon for a five-round burst.”
The people on the bridge started chattering before the people in charge of the sections confirmed they were ready.
“All sections ready.”
Jake pushed the intercom on his seat. “All crew, brace for main cannon test.” Jake then released the button and nodded at Harry.
“FIRE THE MAIN CANNON,” Harry yelled. Moments later, the ship shuddered as anything that hadn't been stowed shifted or broke. This repeated four more times before it finally stopped, and Jake's rattling eyes could finally see again. Jake looked over at thechaotic scene. Harry was slumped over in his seat, and most of the others with weak vitality were in a bad state. He found a group of people huddled together. Jake pushed the intercom button.
“If anyone is capable of moving, help those worse off get to sick bay and administer first aid.”
Jake let out a breath and checked on Jayne; he continued the intercom directly with his private room. “Jayne, are you okay? Do you need assistance?”
The intercom crackled, then her soft voice spoke. “I am fine, husband. I will be heading to the sick bay to provide assistance.” Jake replied with gratitude that she had been spared from the mayhem of what had just happened, but he was curious as to why.
Getting up from his seat, he walked over to Harry, lifting his body off the console. Jake fed him a potion and let him rest as he moved on to the rest of the injured. After five hours and four potions, Harry finally awoke, followed by most of the others on the bridge.
“How are you feeling?” Jake asked.
“Like I've been hit by a ship.”
“Yeah, I think there might be another thing you need to add to your list.”
“Fuck that list; I'm starting a new one. Who cares that the washrooms on the lower decks don't work when the main cannon may rip the ship apart?”
“You might be right. I haven't been able to check for damage yet.”
Harry looked around the bridge until his eyes landed on two individuals standing nearby.
“If you two have time to stand, you have time to work. Gather up a team and run a full sweep for damage inside and out.”
The two left the bridge before Harry turned back to Jake. “You know every time I work with you, I almost die.”
“Yeah, but look at what we have made: a ship that can fit in a storage space; a ship that, although it doesn't work at 100%, just look at it.”
Harry looked around, then back at Jake with a grin on his face. “And I hope to make more things like this in the future.”
An hour later, Jake was running the data recorded through an analysis program to figure out what happened the moment the cannon fired. “Anything on your side?” Jake asked Harry, who was over at the weapons station. “The powder is a bit more expensive than we calculated, but that shouldn't have caused the issue. I'm starting to wonder if it is the projectile. I will need to go through all the data when we get back.”
“What about the shields? Has anyone looked at the data on them? Also, I'm getting sick of all the rocks hitting us. Activate the point defence system already, would you?” Jake said.
The next moment, the PDS roared to life, sending thousands of projectiles downrange; the blackness of space lit up with red tracers.
“Now that's a sight to behold,” one of the bridge crew said as he gazed through one of the viewing windows. The rest of the crew looked up to view the fireflies as they zipped past. Jake let this go on for a while, as the crew needed something to cheer them up; even Harry was watching the show. Jake sat there and waited for his analysis to finish before getting up and leaving the bridge. On top of his console was a three-word message:
Take a break.
Only after a good half hour did Harry look around the bridge, resting his eyes on the sign. Then he looked at the clock and back at the window. “You five stay here; the rest of you go rest up. It's going to be a long few days.”
Jake walked down the hallway from behind the bridge to the aft of the ship. By the time he reached the door he was looking for, he still hadn't mustered up the courage to enter. He stood in front of the double door for a good minute before pushing it open. The room was full of the scent of blood and the wails of the injured. Then there was something Jake had never seen until now. There was a blue glow hovering over the heads of the lifeless. Going over to his blood-covered wife, Jake asked the question he had been dreading the answer to.
“How many?”
Jayne looked up at him, a tear welling up in her eye. “Too many. Eight dead, fifteen in a critical condition, and I have lost count of those with minor injuries; some even have soul damage.” Jake thought it over before saying, “I can use the skill Demonic Hand to heal soul damage and calm the people here.”
“I will take you to the worst of them,” a man said from behind them. Jake followed the man to the first bed; it was a young girl, no older than sixteen. She was in a catatonic state, the same as the others in this small side room. He laid a hand on the girl's head and activated the skill. Moments later, the girl's eyes snapped open before slowly closing again. Jake turned to the man and said, “She will be fine; she is just asleep now. Are these all the ones with soul damage?” The man nodded, then checked on the girl. “Are you two close?” Jake asked.
“Yes, sir, she is my sister.”
“Well then, stay with her if you want, but there are a lot more people that need help,” Jake said as he walked to the next person. Jake continued this until everyone with soul damage was healed and out of danger. Jake, on the other hand, was so tired he almost collapsed as he exited the room, only being caught by his beautiful wife. “Let me take you back to rest, husband.” Jake was just about to refute her words when his eyes went dark. Threedays later, Jake woke up; beside him was a very naked lady pressed up against his skin. Jake turned his head and gave his wife a kiss before asking an important question.
“Where are my pants?”