The communication device was, mercifully, undamaged after the destruction of the AEP and the crash landing it had to go through, now I just needed to take it back to my own coffin and store it until I was ready to use it.

"We are in luck Rickshaw," Cai said before I could set off back toward my own landing site and start hunting for the other pieces we needed. "I am detecting the signature of an intact life support system nearby. It can be scavenged and stored until we are ready to use it in construction of the emergency communications device. It is several meters to the northeast."

Following Cai's directions, I found what he was talking about and could only shake my head at what I was expected to do. The life support system wasn't some small pocket-sized piece of tech, it was nearly as big as I was and much heavier, enough that I knew I wouldn't be able to lift it alone.

"What do you expect me to do with this Cai?" I asked as I carefully put the large box that was the comms device on the ground. "I know we need it but I don't think I can carry it alone. Definitely not while carrying the comms box."

"Do not worry, Rick," Cai said. "First, you need to cut the wiring from the system and set it aside for our later use. Then, you must open the filter guard and remove the waste product. That will act as a neutral binding to connect the wires together and allow power to flow between them all."

"Great so I need to steal the wires like my cousin George does and then I need to scoop out the gunk inside the filter so we can rig it all together," I summarized to myself. "Sounds right?"

"Yes, it does" Cai responded as I started to walk toward the defunct and barely entact system.

"Can I use my laser torch?" I asked, didn't want to blow myself up like my uncle did when he tried cooking meth. That's a different story though and my mother hadn't spoken to him in years anyway so she wasn't too torn up about it.

"You will have to," Cai answered as I pulled the first group of wires out so I could cut as close to the base of them as I could get. "Perhaps you might lower the power output though; use only two fingers rather than three. It will still cut through the wires."

"So why didn't I use this while fighting the Hellhounds?" I asked him while aiming carefully to avoid hitting my leg with the very hot and likely painful laser.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

"Do you think that you would have been able to draw a line on them before they injured you with their stingers or claws?" Cai asked in answer.

"Guess you're right," I admitted. "Still would be cool to have a laser sword or a plasma gun though. Sure would beat having to use metal bullets and weapons."

"Plasma is a volatile substance that is not so easily contained within the matrix housing neccessary to make use of it within a projectile weapon," Cai told me. "None of the races allied with the Wardens of Life is capable of producing such a device; if we were, perhaps the Scourge would have been removed long ago. As for the idea of a 'laser sword,' are you not aware that the light neccessary to burn through a living organism such as the Scourge would leave shallow wounds upon their bodies and serve only to anger them even more?"

"What do you mean?" I asked as I concentrated on removing the third group of wiring; this was actually pretty easy.

"I mean that light cannot pass through an object or organism without first burning through it and none have been able to condense light into such a powerful laser using a power source small enough to carry."

"Guess that means that you really can't believe everything you see on tv," I mused as I finished cutting through the last of the wiring clusters. "Now what do I do with these? Slather them in gunk now or take them back to the landing site first?"

"Taking them back to the landing site will serve you much better than applying the waste product here and now," Cai said.

"Okay then, how do I carry the 'waste product?'" I asked him as I started wrapping the wires together and putting them in my pack.

"I would not worry about that now," Cai told me. "A method to store and transport the waste product can be worried about later as we approach the time we need it most."

"Great then point me in the direction of home and we can be on our way," I said as I stood and grabbed the comms box and readied myself for the hike back.

"You are facing the correct direction," Cai said. And so we set off.

Back at the coffin I had come down in, I dropped off the comms box inside it where it should be safe and set up the shelter the aliens had given me before they sent me down to this planet. Cai tried to instruct me on what to do but it was difficult to have someone without arms tell you what buttons to press and so that took even longer than it should have.

Once the shelter was set up I crawled inside; they had chosen the size and design based on a simple camping tent so it looked like a triangle and had barely enough room for me and my helmet. I had questions for Cai and I intended to get those answers now while I was still fresh enough to know I needed them rather than later when I might forget something that might be important to ask.

"Alright Cai, here's what's going to happen," I told him as I tried to lay comfortably on the hard ground. "I'm going to ask you questions and you're going to answer without any complaining, get me?"

"I understand, Rickshaw," he said. "You may ask me whatever you need to, I am here to aid you in all things you require."

"Great," I said, "first things first then, how do I take this suit off? I need to pee."