NOVPUBCarlos didn't lose consciousness but might as well have. An intense ten minutes had followed, leaving him upside down, clinging to the seat's safety belt once the chaos ended.
Except for a few flickering lights on the control desk, the bridge was dark, and Carlos only needed to look at the corridor stretching from it to see that the rest of the ship was in a similar state. Sizzling and deep noises also resounded everywhere, creating a symphony of damage and destruction.
For a moment, Carlos thought the hull would tear open, splitting the ship into unrecognizable debris. However, that stillness endured, slowly reassuring him about the vessel and crew's safety.
"I'll try to restart the systems, Boss," Blue's voice resounded among the darkness, his hooded figure vaguely visible due to the control desk's lights. "If they are fried, we'll have to switch to auxiliary power."
Carlos didn't reply. His brain barely absorbed those words anyway. He was too busy processing what he had just survived to care about the ship's systems, but more lights soon started to flicker, diverting his attention from the recent danger.
One by one, the artificial illumination inside the ship turned on and stabilized, dispersing the eerie darkness. The artificial gravity also returned, so Carlos' shoulders stopped pressing on the safety belt. The vessel was still upside down, but he could now sit comfortably.
The ship also started to turn. The artificial gravity prevented Carlos from experiencing most of that, but the screens above the control desk helped there. Blue was setting the vessel straight, preparing it to resume its flight.
"Hull integrity is down to forty percent," Blue announced. "We also have a leak of oxygen and various liquids in the living quarters. That one needs attention."
Carlos heaved a helpless sigh while a curse resounded in his mind. The internal damage sounded manageable, but repairing the hull would be expensive and would cut the trip short.
"I also burned a lot of fuel," The pilot continued. "We can still reach the rescue point, but we won't have enough for a trip back to the Colony if we waste too much time there."
Carlos unfastened his belt before rubbing his eyes. He didn't own the ship, but fixing the damage would still be up to him. His earnings would be cut in half, if not more, and he had the crew's salary to account for, too.
"I really hope they are all dead at the rescue point," Carlos cursed.
"We just received a new distress signal, Boss," Blue didn't hesitate to shatter Carlos' dreams. "Someone must be alive."
"Why can't people just die and let us plunder intact equipment?" Carlos cursed again. "No matter. Let's get this job done with and fly back to the Colony."
Carlos stood up, planning to check the ship and the mentioned leak, but a hooded figure casually walked past him, softly yawning while returning to her post. The recent chaos didn't seem to have affected Doctor White at all.
That was usually great. After all, specialists needed to have nerves of steel, especially in space. Yet, Carlos couldn't help but frown. The vibe around Doctor White was too casual, and she wasn't the only one in that mood.
Carlos glanced at the pilot's seat. Truth be told, Blue had done something exceptional. Surviving a sudden B-Class danger zone wasn't a small feat, but the hooded man had also salvaged the ship on top of that. That was the work of a legendary expert, especially considering the unsuitable vessel.
Nevertheless, despite the incredible feat, Carlos focused on something else. His frown deepened when inspecting the pilot's seat. Blue didn't have his safety belt on, which was fine since the danger had passed, but Carlos didn't recall seeing him wearing it.
'What am I even thinking?' Carlos mocked himself. 'He must have fastened it while I wasn't looking. How would he and Doctor White even remain in the seat otherwise?'
Carlos shook his head, wearing a faint smile. He pushed the issue aside, but his brain didn't forget it. It seemed his mind had found another problem with the matter but could only gnaw at his subconscious now.
The rest of the trip was quite busy, preventing pointless worries or thoughts. Carlos had much to manage, and fixing the internal damage was only the first step.
The rescue ship eventually reached its destination, where another smaller vehicle was stranded. The canopy was broken, and the vessel lacked sufficient fuel to keep the mana barrier active to restore artificial gravity. The crew could only seal itself inside the cargo area, waiting for someone to come to its aid.
That was Carlos' crew's primary job. The man took care of welcoming the crew aboard his ship, sending the survivors to Doctor White for a general check-up.
Meanwhile, some of Carlos' underlings entered the broken ship to salvage whatever they could. Rescue missions paid decently, but scalping and plundering brought nice bonuses, and Carlos was in deep need of those after facing the B-Class danger zone.
After rescuing the crew and salvaging anything valuable, Carlos ordered Blue to put the ship on a straight course for Dark Rock Colony, their temporary base of operations. Merth 290 was better and nearby, but the vessel probably wouldn't be able to get that far.
Also, Carlos had deals with the pilots on Dark Rock Colony. He earned a percentage of every client he brought there instead of Merth 290. After all, those he rescued needed a lift to return to more civilized areas, and there was nothing wrong with maximizing his income.
It took a while, but the damaged ship eventually reached the vast, floating asteroid with three dark, connected domes on its surface. Dark Rock Colony was quite big as far as colonies in space went, and Blue easily landed the cumbersome vehicle in its appointed hangar.
"Alright," Carlos announced once the whole crew and the survivors exited the ship and gathered on the Colony's black floor. "You are dismissed for the next twenty-four hours. Try not to come back drunk, beaten up, naked, or all the above."
A series of laughs resounded among the crew, but people slowly split up to head in different directions. Some crewmembers wanted to celebrate surviving the B-Class danger zone, even toasting to their pilot with a terrible sense of humor, but approaching him when he walked hand-in-hand with the scary Doctor White turned out to be impossible.
The two hooded figures stopped caring about the crew, calmly walking through the vast hangar to reach the passage for the next dome, where the residential area was. Eventually, they arrived at the building with their rented room and descended through its elevator.
That habitation was quite unusual. Despite its sturdiness, it was cheap since it stretched underground, using part of the asteroid as its surface. It also lacked proper illumination and running water, but the married couple didn't mind.
"Chigoilara might be less annoying to deal with than I initially predicted," The pilot exclaimed as soon as he sealed the room, starting to remove his hood, mask, and shades.
"Are the Orlats really that capable?" The Doctor asked, imitating the pilot while also checking on the few buckets in the room.
"Sadly, they are," The pilot sighed, long blue hair landing on his shoulders as soon as the hood fell. Removing the shades also added a bright, azure light to the dark room, which didn't stay alone for long.
"They are spiteful," Doctor White commented, white and red strands falling to her sides and back, reaching her waist as soon as she removed her hood. A white light also joined the blue glow when she removed her shades, and the two soon met.
"I also don't like seeing you playing along with them," Doctor White added before switching to the Niqols' language. "[Khan, you don't need to pretend anymore]."
"[Liiza]," Khan called, reaching Liiza to grab her by her waist. "[I'm fine, really. It's not the same as back then, and I'm having fun]."
Liiza pouted, but her hands went on Khan's hair. Her expression softened a little when her fingers met his braids, but she did her best to retain that mask.
"[The Orlats are the best spies and smugglers in the galaxy]," Khan said, leaning forward to dive into Liiza's neck, "[And it seems politics won't work with them. I just have to land there and make the situation clear]."
"[We]," Liiza corrected, her pout vanishing while warm kisses spread on her neck. She looked at the blue head under her, and her eyes half-closed at those long-awaited sensations.
"[We]," Khan confirmed, smirking when Liiza started pulling him deeper into her neck. "[Also, I have you. This time, you aren't my secret. Everything else is, while you are my truth]."
Liiza let Khan push her against the wall after those words. She even caught him sneaking a hand under her hoodie. Still, she pulled his hair with more strength before he could reach her bra, forcing him to leave her neck and look up.
"[Don't forget to kiss your wife first]," Liiza teased without giving Khan the chance to do anything about it. Her self-control vanished at that point, making her solve the issue on her own.
