“...hand me that wrench...no, the other one.”

Diggs stared at the toolkit for a moment before setting down the tool he’d chosen and picking up another, holding it out to her for inspection. “That’s it,” Maggie grunted, wiping the sweat from her brow as he placed it in her hand. The muggy air was getting to her, which was the whole reason they’d asked her to help with repairs. Fiddler’s cooling system had gone on the fritz and it had taken them hours to track down the problem, hours in which the temperature had climbed steadily. The last time she’d checked they were at forty degrees, and until they got the system repaired that number was going nowhere but up.

She took a second to fan herself, struggling to breathe, before reaching into the bowels of the coolant system and attacking the bolt holding the malfunctioning subassembly. Once that was removed, they should have no problem swapping out the fried circuit board, allowing them to reboot the system and start venting off the waste heat. Murphy had appeared in spades this time; while the repair itself was simple enough, tracking it down had been the Devil’s own nightmare. What should have happened when the board went south was shunt control over to the backups, but instead it triggered a cascade failure throughout the computer network monitoring the primary systems. It wasn’t until they’d dealt with the aftereffects they could track down and attack the root cause.

...which was in the most inaccessible spot in the Engineering section. Fiddler’s captain had to shut down the engines while they effected repairs, otherwise, the excess heat would have cooked them alive. She’d crawled and wiggled and wormed her way into the mass of machinery, guided by the Chief Engineer, until she located the trouble spot. Diggs insisted on accompanying her, so with a stern warning of “Don’t touch anything” she’d put him to work as her gofer. He was still figuring out which tool was which but was picking up the basics. They were both stripped down to their skivvies to deal with the heat, as were the rest of the crew and passengers, and she’d already added another burn mark to her collection when she brushed up against a hot pipe.

Locking the wrench into place she struggled against the bolt. “Come on, you little bastard,” she snarled, putting as much torque on it as she dared, not wanting to snap off the head. If she had to drill the damn thing out, they’d be here another hour minimum, and they were all running out of clothing to remove.

Maggie felt the bolt give, managing a quarter-turn before it froze up again. “Damnit,” she muttered, setting down the wrench and massaging her arm before looking back towards Diggs. “Water,” she panted, as he handed over the plastic bottle. She drank deep, splashing some on her face and chest, before handing it back and picking up the tool for a second attempt. “Make sure you drink some too,” she reminded him, as she got back to work, straining once more against the stubborn bolt. Bit by agonizing bit she worked it loose until she could remove it with her fingers. Rust had caked the threads, something she’d have to address before reassembly.

“Pry tool,” she told Diggs, holding out her hand. That one he managed the first try. “Thanks,” Maggie acknowledged, wedging it in and popping free the retaining plate that held the circuit assembly. It landed beside her with a clatter, startling Diggs, but her attention was on the board she needed to remove.

“Maggie, how’s it going? I need an update,” the communicator squawked.

The Tinker groaned, grabbing the box. “I just got the plate off,” she snapped. “Give me ten...no, make it fifteen minutes, to swap out the board and soak the bolt before I reinstall the assembly. I’ll call you when it’s done.” She tossed the communicator aside, shaking her head. Zubin LaCroix was Chief Engineer on Fiddler, and he’d asked for her help. They’d never met before, but knew each other by reputation, and she’d checked in with him her second day onboard as a courtesy. His skills were solid, even if he was a fussy bitch. He’d asked if Diggs was her apprentice, and she hadn’t bothered to correct him.

“Hand me that jar,” she told the boy, pointing at the container holding the rust remover. A few minutes of soaking, plus rodding out the threads in the chassis to clean off the crap, and they’d be done. Diggs passed it over before she cracked it open and dropped in the bolt. A quick glance to make sure the chemicals were dissolving the rust, before closing it back up and setting it out of the way. “All right...let’s get that board out…”

She was just reaching up for the assembly when she heard the all-too-familiar groan of metal being pushed past its limits. “Diggs get clear!” she screamed...as a hundred kilos of machinery broke free and dropped on top of her.

The only reason she wasn’t crushed was because she was lying on her back with her arms raised, giving her just enough time to grab the hunk of metal as it came crashing down. Years of working with her hands, hammering out dents the old-fashioned way had given her greater upper body strength than most women, but a hundred kilos was still a hundred kilos. Maggie oofed as it landed on her chest, her biceps straining to push back even as the weight settled on her ribs, squeezing the air out of her lungs.

Oh, fuck...I’m gonna die her mind whimpered, though only a wheeze escaped her lips. Maggie pushed back against the block with everything she had, giving herself only a momentary reprieve, just enough to suck in a bit of oxygen before looking to the boy. Instead of escaping he’d stayed put, his scrawny arms joining hers to pull at the hunk of metal, only for his efforts to make no difference.

She had one chance to survive this, and it was a gamble. She still had just enough air in her lungs to get out a single message, so Maggie locked eyes with the boy and gasped “...get help…”, as the frame sank another half centimeter. She felt her ribs creak as Diggs shook his head, refusing to leave her side, as he twisted this way and that looking for something…anything...to save her.

A heartbeat later he darted away, and Maggie closed her eyes and resigned herself to what was coming, even as her brain howled for life-giving oxygen. If he got help in time…

Her eyes snapped back open as she heard a clunk next to her ear. Diggs was trying to wedge the toolbox underneath the chuck of machinery pressing down on her, but it was too tall by a couple centimeters at least. He slammed it again, frustrated and terrified it wasn’t working, and as they stared at each other, she knew it was the last moments they’d have.

I’m sorry, kid. I’d hoped to find your kin...and I wish you didn’t have to see this.

Diggs pulled at his hair as he tried to think of a way to save her...when in a flash he yanked open the toolbox, tearing through the widgets until he found what he was looking for, snatching out the crowbar and slamming the lid shut. Shoving the tip under the block pressing down on her he used the toolbox itself as a base, gripping the far end of the metal bar and throwing his entire body weight on it.

And to Maggie’s astonishment...she felt the block shift.

It wasn’t much...a millimeter or so...but the fact it budged at all gave her a renewed sense of hope. Her vision was blurring as she felt herself graying out, and Maggie knew she only had a few seconds left before she lost consciousness.

Then it’s now or never, she thought, as the Tinker drew in every bit of strength she still had...and pushed.

The block shifted a little more, enough to gulp down a mouthful of air, as their combined muscles trembled at the effort. Bit by agonizing bit the weight rose, Diggs’ face going red and his tendons standing out as the young boy gave it everything he had.

Another millimeter gained, and then one more, enough to give her some air, enough for one last hard shove. Her mouth went wide in a silent scream as Maggie felt the biceps tear...when the hunk of metal cleared the toolbox lid at last.

For a moment she feared Diggs was so focused on freeing her he’d miss the window, but she’d underestimated him yet again. With a war cry worthy of the Valkyries themselves he kicked the toolbox with his naked foot...budging it just enough to jam it under the machinery and take the weight off her at last.

Gasping for every ragged breath Maggie squirmed out from underneath the block, her biceps on fire as she freed herself. Diggs was beside her once he saw she was clear, tugging at her armpits to get her away from danger. The pair crawled and wriggled clear as she sucked in lungfuls of wonderful oxygen, before hugging the boy to her with clumsy arms.

“...thank you,” she wheezed, amazed she was breathing at all. He held her fiercely, and she could feel his hot tears splashing down her back. A couple of lifetimes later she pulled back, gazing at him as he sobbed in fear and relief. “You saved me,” she whispered, a ghost of a smile gracing her features, “you saved my life.”

His entire body trembled with both the adrenaline crash and overstressed muscles, but still he balled up his fists and feebly pummel her shoulders. His assault caught her by surprise, and her damaged arms could not fend him off, but through his anger and bawling he shrieked out his deepest fear. “...don’t go don’t go don’t go don’t go don’t go don’t go!”, before collapsing in a heap and mewling like a wounded kitten, curling in a ball and hugging his knees against his chest as he sobbed.

Maggie was a strong woman...tough, even. She’d been accused of being hard as iron, more than once...but hearing the child’s terror, someone who’d lost everything, fearing he’d be left all alone in a cold and uncaring universe once more...that was too much for even her to bear.

Tears flowed down her face like rain as she hugged him, while reaching for the communicator

News of the accident swept through the ship like an inferno. LaCroix and his crew descended on them within minutes, and soon they were hard at work finishing the job she’d started, welding new stanchions in place to prevent it from happening again. The circuit board she’d come to replace was almost an afterthought, as more and more people drifted into the engineering space to see the young hero. Even the Captain himself made an appearance, shaking Diggs’ hand, who clung to Maggie like a life preserver. He was unsure what to make of all the attention, though it was obvious he didn’t much care for it, and soon she yelled at the gawkers to quit lollygaggin’ and get back to work.

Blye and Prash soon arrived to check them out, with Kai and Rúna right on their heels. She was glad to see them, even the dour sergeant, and the redheaded corporal was a godsend for keeping the boy distracted while the Knights treated their injuries.

“...it could have been much worse,” Blye said at last, after finishing her examination.

“You’re tellin’ me?” Maggie snorted, wincing as the medic applied another cold pack to her arm.

“Well, besides the obvious, you didn’t suffer a complete muscle tear,” she explained. “That would have required surgery...the kind of delicate work that’s beyond me. You’d need a Primaire or a Deuxième at the very least.”

“...but you’re sayin’ I don’t need to get cut?” she asked, looking for confirmation.

“You shouldn’t, but you need to take it easy and let those arms heal. Cold packs, pain medication, physical therapy...and this.” She held up a hypo.

“What’s that?” she said.

“Medical Nanobots to repair the damage internally,” Blye answered. “Much less invasive than surgery, and it will shorten the healing time. Once the Valkyries’ medical detachment learned what happened, they offered anything you both needed to speed the healing process.”

“All right,” she nodded, though she was leery of the nanobots. “What about Diggs?”

The boy looked up at the sound of his name. “Three broken toes, I’m afraid,” she informed her, indicating his wrapped and splinted foot. “Nanos for him as well, but barring complications you should both make complete recoveries in no time.” She smiled down at the boy who had borne up under her ministrations with the same stoic manner he always had.

“Look at this, Maggie,” she heard from behind her, as LaCroix and another engineer came out from where the accident occurred. The second Tinker was lugging a toolbox...the very one the boy had used to save her life...and she gaped in shock when she saw it.

The lid was smashed, deformed into a sharp elbow where the weight had crushed it, and the body of the kit was crumpled. “If that had been your chest…” the man shuddered, as Maggie shook her head.

“Thanks, but I’ve already been closer than I ever wanted,” she grimaced. “I ain’t lookin’ to dwell.”

“Sure...I understand,” he agreed, before turning his attention to Diggs. “It’s a good thing you had your apprentice with you.”

Maggie and the boy studied one another for a moment. “Yeah...I reckon it was,” she said at last.