“You're funny.” The captain said, then she shook her head. “I won't give military weapons to a private courier company.”

“It didn't hurt to ask.” I said with a chuckle.

“Do you have any other bright ideas that I can steal and implement?” The captain asked.

“I have tons of ideas; but, we should get to work instead.” I said.

“Does that mean what you know can't be used right away?” The captain asked.

“You're very astute.” I said and bowed my head slightly to her.

“Then we need to talk at length after all this is done.” The captain said and walked around the large table to hold a hand out to me, except that it was the metal claw and not her actual hand. “It was a pleasure meeting you.”

“Likewise.” I said and took the offered 'hand' without hesitating.

The captain smiled for a moment, then she caught her breath as the small amount of Presence inside of her swelled up. She looked down at her claw and looked back at my face.

“It seems your mechanical arm is more a part of you than you thought.” I said.

“I... I can almost...”

“When we talk at length later, I'll try and teach you how to do that better.” I said and rubbed my thumb on her claw. She looked down at my hand and then back at my face again. Her normal hand reached up and touched the blast shield over my eyes, then she let her hand drop and I let her claw go.

The captain turned to Uzahne and the others. “I'll show you to your offices now.”

“Thank you.” Uzahne said and glanced at me. “Hunter?”

“Everyone told the truth.” I said. “I've got to get back to my ship.”

“Be careful.”

I nodded. “Goodbye... ah... madam co-president? Co-governor? Co-leader?”

Uzahne chuckled. “It's too soon to decide who's who or what our official titles will be.” She said. “Once this crisis is over, we'll have lots of time to figure things like that out.”

“Good luck with that.” I said to her and looked at the other two, then at the two guards. “Good luck to you all.”

“Thank you.” They all said, except for Ahaen who huffed.

I left the meeting room and took the lift back to the deck with the ship on it. I saw the hallway had the new government officials' luggage and supplies scattered all along the walls. I made it to the ship just as Kitch and his team came out of the main hatch with the last of it.

“Ha! Six minutes!” Kitch almost yelled and the team cheered.

“Those porter pansies don't have anything on us!” A woman said and shared a weird hand slapping and elbow knocking handshake with the man next to her.

“We'll get the trolleys of equipment.” A man said and slapped another on the shoulder, and the two of them jogged by me and over to a set of double metal doors. One entered the code and the doors opened into a large storage room filled with equipment. They pulled out two tall metal boxes that were covered in a mesh of something like wire. They were filled with space suits, portable airlocks, power packs, plasma cutters, and tool kits. The doors shut and locked and they pushed the trolleys over to the main hatch.

I was impressed that they could pack all of that into the two trolleys, then they opened the mesh and took everything out of the two trolleys and put it into the ship. I didn't do anything except watch as they worked like a well-oiled machine and they had both trolleys emptied in barely ten minutes and came back out.

“Okay, we're gearing up.” Kitch said and they went to the door across the hallway from the storage room, and I could see them going into another room inside that one. It was a locker room, so I turned away and entered the ship. I went to the cockpit and told Rhubin what had happened in the meeting.

“Bwahahaha!” Rhubin laughed. “You asked for missile launchers! Ha ha haha!”

“And reloads.” I said, and he laughed harder. “Where's Luxea?”

Rhubin pointed down and I looked at the floor, and surprisingly, I saw two women squeezed into the maintenance space that was a foot under the floor's surface.

“How did they...”

“There's apparently an access panel on the floor under the center hatch that goes up to the shuttle.”

“You're kidding.” I said, and he shook his head. “I studied the schematics for this ship and that wasn't on it.”

“I said the same thing, and Luxea laughed at me before telling me that engineering schematics are different than normal schematics.” Rhubin said, with the last bit in a slightly higher pitched voice.

“Okay, I need the engineering schematics.” I said.

Rhubin pointed at the display in front of the other chair. “She said to bring up the last command.”

I sat down and did that, and found the engineering schematics. My eyes widened as I looked at the entire superstructure of the ship. Junction boxes, wire bundles, computer banks, support members and their important seam welds, various crawl spaces, the reactor housing for both the primary and secondary reactors, and even the hidden weapon mounts. It was essentially the skeleton of the ship and its nervous system with every electrical connection that it had to everything.

“Good god.” I said and moved the three dimensional model around. “Okay, she's totally right.” I said and chose the crawl space under the floor. It highlighted and showed where it exited and where it had access to. “This is amazing.”

“She said you'd like it.” Rhubin chuckled. “I couldn't make sense out of it at all.”

“Well, I'm not an engineer, so I have no clue what all these numbers and calculations mean.” I said and pointed. “Seeing the real structure of the ship, though... not the generic version that normal people get to see that I thought was the real structure... now that's really something.”

Neither of us said anything as I kept examining the schematic and then I looked at specific spots to see that it was practically the same, except in much greater detail. In some cases, it was slightly different, so I marked them in a separate file. I did that so I wouldn't forget about them and could ask Luxea about the differences later. The time we needed to wait for departure seemed to pass quickly. The search and rescue team getting changed, and Luxea and the other woman in the crawl space, finished their tasks at the same time. I walked over to the main hatch and waited for the SAR team, then opened the hatch so Kitch and the others could walk in without having to stop.

“Thanks.” Kitch said. I pointed to the living room and he nodded. They all followed him, and I walked over to the access hatch in the floor that was in the middle of the ship and opened it, then gave both Luxea and the woman a hand crawling out.

“Thanks.” Luxea said. “We got it all installed and ran separate power and cables for data collection and storage to keep it completely separate from the other computers on the ship.”

“We still have to adjust the chip readers to accept the new signals, though.” The woman said. “Luxea can do that while I get changed.”

“The others are in the living room.” I said and pointed. She nodded and went there.

“I'll get Rhubin.” Luxea said and stepped to the closest intercom panel and touched the button. “Rhubin, get your butt to the living room.” She said and let the button go. “He'll be here in a minute.”

I chuckled and she laughed. Rhubin met us in the living room and we had a meeting with everyone and discussed the best way to handle getting them to a wreck and what to do once we got there.

“I think you should get into the cargo bay and depressurize.” Rhubin said.

“What? Why?” Kitch asked.

“I'm going to assume we're not always going to get a hatch to dock to, normal or otherwise.” Rhubin said. “That means you're going to have to cut into the ship.”

“As long as we have some kind of external hatch, we're good.” One of the others said. “That's why we have so many portable airlocks with us.”

“Are you cutting into the ship before or after applying it?” I asked.

“We don't know yet.” One of them said. “We'll find out when we get there.”

“Can you fit a full-size plasma cutter inside a portable airlock?” I asked, and a couple of them exchanged glances. “I'm just wondering how this all works.”

“Well, depending on the situation, we would find a decompressed area and cut our way in. We can choose to seal it later if necessary; but, usually we just suit everyone up and bring them back.”

“That's almost exactly what I did.” I said. “I used a hatch into an airless area and used a portable airlock to get into the next area with air, gave the survivors spacesuits, then brought them out to the shuttle.”

“You did all of that and you've never rescued anyone before?” Kitch asked, surprised.

“He also cleared away the debris and damage that was in the hallway.” One of the men I had rescued said. Kitch had let him join his crew. “I don't know how he did it; but, he did and it was clear enough for us to get through without any danger.”

“Okay, I'm starting to see why they want you to help.” Kitch said. “I'll split my team between the cargo hold in decompression and here by the main hatch. When we get to the first wreck and see what the situation is like, it'll only take half as long to adapt.”

“Sounds good.” Rhubin said. “Make sure you hold on to something while I'm flying.”

“We know the drill.” One of the women said. “We've been on some wild rides.”

“Damn straight.” The man beside her said. “Remember that training exercise out past Granal's moon?”

“Oho! Do I ever! That was a blast!” The woman exclaimed.

“Can it.” Kitch said and looked at me. “I assume you're suiting up to come with us?”

“I was hired to help search, so I have to.” I said with a smile.

“Can you see this?” One of the men asked from behind the group and gave me a rude gesture.

“Do you touch your mother with that hand?” I asked, and he looked surprised.

“How many fingers am I holding up?” The other woman in the group asked with her hands behind her back. I didn't even turn my head when I spoke.

“Two on each hand, index and middle fingers.” I said and she gasped.

“What color underwear is she wearing?” The man beside her asked, and she growled and punched his shoulder. “What? It's a valid question.”

“I don't use Presence to look at women like that.” I said. “They deserve their privacy just as much as men who wear underwear with spaceships on them.”

Everyone was quiet for a moment, then they all burst out laughing.

“You've got little ships on your ass!” The woman said and slapped his backside through his spacesuit. “Quick! Evasive manoeuvres!”

“Ha ha.” The man said, his face red.

“All right, that's enough joking around.” Kitch said and looked at me. “Grab a spacesuit and join the decompression team in the cargo hold.”

“I'll be right back.” I said and ran to the center of the ship and climbed the ladder, then entered the shuttle and grabbed the spacesuit I had used a few times. I checked it to make sure that it had plenty of air and water, got dressed, then went back down into the ship. I went to the cargo area and entered, and there were three other people there with a portable airlock ready and waiting to be deployed. One of the men handed me a belt with two tiny thrusters on it, so I put it on and nodded. The other man started the decompression process and the cargo area was cleared of air in only a few seconds.

“I love efficient systems!” He exclaimed and laughed, then we felt the ship release the docking clamps.

“Yeah, that was fast.” The woman said. She had been the one I was asked to look at her underwear. The man with the spaceship underwear wasn't here, though. “How much did this shop cost?”

“I have no idea.” I said, and she looked at me with wide eyes.

“I thought it was yours.”

“It is my ship; but, I didn't buy it new.” I said. “I inherited it and retrieved it from long term storage not that long ago.”

“Oh.” The woman said. “I'm sorry.”

I heard the sadness in her voice and gave her a smile. “It was twelve... almost thirteen years ago when they were murdered.” I said and she caught her breath. “I'm still not over their deaths.”

She reached out and touched my arm, then she turned off her suit com and stood up on her toes and touched her helmet visor to mine. “What color is my underwear?”

“Do you really want me to look?” I asked after turning my own suit com off.

“I get the feeling that you're the type of guy that doesn't do things casually.” She said. “I'm the same way.”

“You're a type of guy?” I asked with fake surprise, and she laughed.

“Now I really want you to look.” She said, and her voice went serious. “My name is Tessa.”

“I've promised my first time to someone else.” I said right away.

Tessa opened her mouth to say something, then she smiled. “I definitely want you to look now.”

I chuckled and even though I didn't have to actually duck my head to look to see them, I did it for her benefit. “Black lace with frills.” I said, and she nodded her head slightly. “They look nice.”

“Only nice?” Tessa asked, and I could hear the teasing in her voice.

“I'm sure they would look a whole lot better on my bedroom floor.” I said to tease her back, and she raised her eyebrows at me.

“That...” Tessa stopped talking and sighed. “You shouldn't invite a woman to bed like that if you're not going to follow through with it.”

“If you don't mind waiting for about six months...”

“We might not be alive in six months.” Tessa said. “SAR crews get the highest pay and it's also the riskiest job to have.”

“Because you intentionally go out to put yourselves in danger.” I said, and she nodded. “I guess I should have asked for hazard pay, too.”

“You...” Tessa shook her head. “You're only getting paid for shipping and delivering cargo?”

I nodded.

“By the Goddess, I want to see how good my underwear would look on your bedroom floor, too.” Tessa said and stepped back to end our private conversation, then she turned on her suit com. I turned mine on as well and we heard Rhubin say that we were approaching the first wreck. Luxea couldn't find a hatch anywhere, so it was our job to start this time.

“Let's do this.” The man that gave me the belt said as he stepped over to the large cargo doors and hit the button to open them. We all watched as the wreck floated closer, then it stopped about twenty feet away. Before I could say anything, Tessa took two steps and jumped, flipped herself forward, then landed on the wreck as her boots locked her into place. She held a hand out to become an anchor point, and the man who opened the door hopped out and floated over to her. She grabbed his arm and pulled and he turned over and put his boots onto the wreck.

The other man picked up a plasma cutter and eased it out to him, and he caught it and stuck it to the wreck. A portable airlock was next, and Tessa caught it and held onto it. A power pack and a container that looked like a fire extinguisher was floated over next, then the man waved for me to jump.

“I'm staying for equipment transfer until we get an entrance.” He said.

“All right.” I said and hopped out. Tessa held a hand out to me to do what she did for the other guy, and since I didn't want to show off, I took her offered hand and eased myself down to the wreck.

“You're a natural.” Tessa said.

“This is only my second time trying to rescue people.” I said and concentrated on the wreck under my feet. “There's air behind this bulkhead.”

“You can see air?” Tessa asked, surprised.

I chuckled. “No, I use Presence to detect it and can feel the difference.”

“How does that work?” Tessa asked.

“I can give you a speech on Presence later.” I said. “I don't see any people within my detection range.”

“We can't cut into an air pocket without causing a blowout.” The man with the plasma cutter said.

“I can; but, I don't want to waste a portable airlock to find out that there's no one here to save.”

“Don't worry about that. Potential lives are worth more than an airlock.” Tessa said, then smiled. “Are there any airless compartments nearby?”

“Give me a minute.” I said and started to duck walk away from her, using the heel to toe method. I stopped about forty feet away and pointed down. “As far as I can tell, it's airless and it looks like the hatch in the room is closed.”

“We'll have to risk a slight blowout to...”

“Okay, it's closed and locked.” I said after using a Presence Hand to do it. I drew my Light sword and set it for normal length, width and intensity, then plunged it into the side of the wreck. I held in my laughter at their shocked expressions and muffled gasps. They stared at me while I quickly cut out a huge eight foot high and ten foot wide hole from the wall, then I used Presence Hands to pull it out. I moved it aside, increased the intensity of my Light sword and dragged it across the end of the cut out section, which melted it to the outside of the wreck and secured it.

“If I had a penchant for cursing, I'd be yelling my head off right now.” The man with the plasma cutter said, almost in disgust. “I guess I'm out of a job.”

I chuckled. “I can do some things as long as it doesn't endanger anyone; but, I don't have the kinds of experience that search and rescue crews have.” I said. “I cut through lots of wires and support structure here. I know I can't do that on anything except a wreck.”

“I guess that would be a limiting factor for you.”

“Right. I don't have to preserve anything, so cutting through is the best option right now.” I said. “Who knows what the next wreck is going to be like.”

“All right.” Tessa said and looked back at my ship and the man standing there at the cargo doors. “We'll be back for spacesuits if we need them.”

“I'll be here hoping you need them.”

Tessa nodded and walked over to me with the same duck walk and carried the portable airlock with her. The man with the plasma cutter was right behind her and they walked over to the hole I had cut in the hull.

“Okay, that was a little excessive.” The man said and we all stepped inside. “Next time, limit yourself to the size of the largest person on the team.”

“What if we meet a really fat survivor?” I asked, and that made them all laugh.

“We can worry about that if it ever happens.” Tessa said as she mounted the portable airlock over the hatch inside the room. She activated its functions and it welded itself to the wall around the hatch, then she inflated it. She stepped inside and pressurized it, then unlocked and tried to open the hatch. “Hunter, what did you do to this thing?”

“Hm? Oh, just a second.” I said and turned the handle with a Presence Hand and opened the hatch. “I tightened it to make sure the air didn't come through.”

“Did you just move that with your mind?” The man asked, surprised.

“Technically, yes.” I said.

“By the Goddess.” He whispered. “You can see through walls and move things with your mind.” He said and looked at me. “What else can you do?”

“I can fly in zero gravity.” I said, and he laughed.

“We all can!” He said and tapped his belt buckle, then carried the plasma cutter inside the airlock. He cycled through and then I went next.