" I thought you gave up on me, Captain." said female voice.
" You ? I'll never do that to my only friend " laughed the captain.
" Thank you, I guess ??" replied the voice.
" So where do we stand? Can we get this giant in the air ?" He asked in a curious manner.
" We can't. The engine is down, the propeller is jammed and few of the circuit boards are fried. Most importantly the ship is running on back-up power. We are on low fuel and solar panels are damaged. So we need to fix that as well. Even if we repair the panels, without any fuel, it will take at least three days to charge the batteries so we can fly."
" Is there any good news? " The captain was sarcastic. He began to walk towards the cockpit . The ship was slightly dark because most of the lights were switched off. There wasn't a lot of damage inside. He expected it, as the ship was built that way - one of the toughest spaceships ever built. The majority of the damage was near the engine side. The ship seemed to be fine inside . He wandered around the vessel evaluating the damage.
" NOVA show me the internal damage " said Captain
NOVA is the Artificial Intelligence who controls the ship and also the personal assistant of the capitan.
" If we exclude the engine room the damages are minimal. They knew exactly where to shoot."
" Apart from that there isn't anything to show Capitan, the shields have absorbed the impact. Except for the cracks, there's very little damage. Just few misplaced items. " Reported NOVA
" Then why did you make me eject? I would have been safer if I had been inside !! " said Captain
" I'm sorry captain, but it's protocol." Replied NOVA
" One sad news though, your garden is messed up. The vases are broken. There is dirt all over the floor. I told you to bolt it down. But you didn't listen " NOVA continued
" You want me to bolt down a vase ?" His raised his eyebrows
When he reached the cockpit, it was filled with dust due to cracks and holes in the windshield. Nothing else was damaged. He picked up a metal box from a cabin below the table in the middle of the cockpit. And took a few packs with some kind of fluid inside. He opened them and carefully applied this liquid in the cracks and holes in the glass. It took less than 2 minutes for the liquid to work. The damage to the glass disappeared, the glass looked like new.
" Hey NOVA, How much power left in the back-up power supply ?" Asked the captain
" That depends Captain. if based on the current consumption it will last for 14 hours and 17 minutes. " NOVA replied.
" How much energy will be used if I use the vacuum in the entire cockpit to clear it of dust?" asked the captain.
" About 2% of what's left " said Nova
" Then do it, get the dust out and seal it off from the rest of the ship. Provide oxygen only while I'm inside."
" So what do I do ? Where do I start ? " He asked NOVA
" Solar panels first, without power, nothing can be done. Its irrelevant to fix anything else before the panels. If there is no power, nothing can work. " Said NOVA
" Do your thing " he left the cockpit. After he left the pit, the door closed
" Alright captain " A couple of little cleaning bots entered the cockpit before the door closed. NOVA opened a few air shafts and started sucking all the dust from the air. And the bots began to clean up all the dust and the debris off the ground.
When he left the cockpit, he went to his room. There were no damages there. He sat there and felt so relieved. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment. Then opened the closet and picked up another suit, and put it on.
He opened a little cabin under his bed and picked up a box. Inside the box, there was a watch, a pair of lenses and a pair of earphones in a small box and a helmet. He picked up a pair of contact lenses and the earpieces then put them on and strapped the watch around his wrist. Then he turned it on and activated NOVA in the two and synchronized then left the room.
After that he went to another part of the ship and climbed a small ladder with a toolkit he picked up along the way. When he arrived at the top, he walked toward the panels. There was glass pieces shattered over the roof.
" Show me the damages " he asked NOVA while looking at the panels. Nearly 70% of the ship's roof is covered with solar panels. but it seemed very different from the normal ones, in color and size. The crash definitely affected the panels. They were shattered and damaged.
" Well, Captain, 17 of them are shattered really bad. Four of these are broken but still working. And a few have minor damage, which requires no replacement. " Replied NOVA
" What about circuit damage ? " He had a follow-up question.
" No big deal, few wires burned and some connections lost. We can fix that in no time " Said Nova Said Nova
" That was a hell of a shot... " he looked upto the sky "anyway let's fix the panels first. NOVA open compartment 213." Said Wayne
" Ok captain " NOVA replied
A roof lair slid to the side and a large box emerged from it. He opened it, it was full of replacement panels. He began to remove damaged ones. The removal of the panels took longer than he thought. It's almost 5.20 in his watch.
"Can I finish it in time ?" He Asked NOVA
" Negative Captain, maybe in 5 or 6 hours based on your current speed " NOVA replied.
" I'm faster than that " He replied quickly
" You Wish Captain, you wish " NOVA said in a sarcastic Way.
" What about drones, can they be helpful ? " He asked with curiosity whilst throwing out the damaged parts of the ground.
" I do not recommend it, it is possible to repair the roof with the drones, but it will take more energy. And drones are not at full capacity to do so. We can send them for scouting and finding supplies." Suggested NOVA
" Well... Activate three drones and send them to reconnaissance, within a three-mile radius. The Mission is finding other life forms. Observe and report. " He has instructed NOVA.
" Ok Captain "
Suddenly, a small shaft opened next to the tail of the ship and three drones exited. And in an instant, they flew to different directions.
He stared at them while they were leaving the ship.
" How long it will take them to cover the specific area ? " He asked
" In about 30 to 40 mins " answered NOVA
"Finally !!" shouted the captain, because he finished removing the old panels.
" Captain, you might want to rest. I've detected four wounds in your body, three of which are level two ; one in your abdomen, one in your shoulder, and one in your finger. Plus a Level 6 leg injury. " Said NOVA
" I know, but this is no time to relax " insisted the captain.
He tried to pick up a new panel, but it was heavy so he slowly dragged it into one of the vacant slots. And connected the wires to the ship's power system. Then he started working on the bolts and screws.
It took nearly twenty minutes to repair one. Then he went to pick another panel.
Suddenly he heard some noise from behind. He quickly turned around, but found nothing. He told NOVA to scan the area. But couldn't find anything. There were no heat signature or any movements. Neither her nor him could find anything there.
" What was it captain ? " asked NOVA
" Nothing, I thought I heard something... probably the wind." He continued his work.
All of a sudden he felt a little pain in his neck, like a needle piercing his skin, pulled it out, it was a dart. He began to get dizzy.
" What's happening?" He asked NOVA
" You are poisoned, captain. Your vital signs are slowing down, you are about to faint.Try to get into the ship as quickly as possible " NOVA replied .
He started to walk towards the door, but his vision was fading and he felt like his legs are getting heavier. He knew he couldn't make it inside. So he told NOVA to lock down the ship. Now he's down to his knees. seconds later he fell onto the roof, his vision went black, and he lost consciousness.