Page 14 of My Alien Bughead
A muffled yet derisive snort comes from down the corridor. Stamping down the urge to throw something at D’Aakh I say, “Alright. You have a fusion reactor. Simplified, you could say it gives off a lot of heat. That heat is then run through the power converters and turned into electricity.”
I pause to consider going into detail, then decide against it. Magnetohydrodynamic generation is not a topic a normal person can wrap their head around easily, human or otherwise.
“So, the Serramorphs didn’t touch the reactor, but they damaged the power converters,” Zarkan concludes. “I recall D’Aakh mentioning something about them. And without the power converters, the reactor can’t operate?”
“Exactly. This type of reactor has six converters and can operate with three or more. However, if less than three remain operational, the ionized plasma doesn’t have enough energy outlets thus building up heat inside the reactor containment chamber. Then, the security protocols either initiate an emergency shutdown or—”
“Boom,” Astra finishes. “Not good, even I get that. So, the reactor thingy is fine? We just need new cables for these converting things and we’re good?”
“It seems so. It’s a good thing, too. Replacing a damaged reactor core would cost you more than a new ship.” A lot more. “Everything else can be fixed or replaced easily, but the containment chamber… When that breaks, it’s off to the scrapyard.”
An indignant hmmpf sound comes from inside Zarkan’s datapad. “The reactor wasnotdamaged, so there is no need totalk about scrap yards,” Cai says, her words clipped. “Other than that, Ms. Nores’ theory seems to be correct. Before the reactor shut down, four of the power convertors were already offline and the fifth was malfunctioning. There was also damage to the power capacitors and the power distribution network in general. Since the sensors in this part of the ship went out even before the reactor did, we have to assess the exact damage manually.”
“That’s why we’re here,” I agree, looking in D’Aakh’s direction. Not casting a smug smile at him, that’s for sure. I do smirk, however, when our eyes meet, cocking my brow in challenge and daring him to dispute anything I’ve just said.
He can’t, because I’ve won this round. His glare darkens as he turns away without a word.
My smirk widens. Human: 1, bughead: 0.
“From what I can see, it seems that the repairs will be somewhat time-consuming but not complicated,” I add.
“Perfect,” Zarkan says. “We still need to strike a deal with the Serramorphs first. I don’t want to fix the ship only for them to take it apart again. Let’s continue forward and see if we can locate them.”
We keep walking. Whenever the corridor divides, we follow the path where more things are damaged. For long minutes, the only sounds I hear echoing around us are our footsteps.
Astra shudders. “It’s so quiet here. It’s creepy, like a monster is going to jump out and eat us all.”
“It would have to be a small monster to fit in here,” I say, grinning as I watch Zarkan struggle to squeeze his body through a particularly narrow section. A massive piping system protrudes from the wall here, leaving a gap barely two feet wide. Even sideways, Zarkan has trouble passing through, especially since his thick, lizard tail keeps getting in the way.
I pity the poor man. I might be a little on the taller and wider side for a human, but I never have issues fitting through alien-sized vents or ducts.
“It’s normally not this quiet, either,” D’Aakh adds, his voice surprising us all.
I turn abruptly to see him standing just a few steps away. He diligently avoids looking my way but the look he directs at Astra is almost friendly. It looks like he’s finished sulking for now.
D’Aakh gestures to the massive pipes. “The reactor doesn’t make any sounds, but the supporting systems do. They hum, whirr, buzz and gurgle. To be standing right here and hear nothing is…disconcerting. It’s like listening to a body without…” He pauses to clear his throat, his expression tightening into a strained grimace. “Without a pulse,” he finishes, his voice still sounding a little hoarse. D’Aakh’s hands tremble slightly and his eyes look glassy. Breaking out of his momentary daze, he quickly balls them into fists. “We should keep moving.”
I’m so taken aback by the change in D’Aakh’s demeanor, any snarky remark I might have offered dies instantly. It would be totally unwarranted after seeing the sudden torment in his eyes as he mentioned the lack of pulse.
Is that why he’s so bitter and hostile? Did he lose someone precious to him and is turning his pain outwards so he doesn’t have to deal with it? It would make sense.
Casting a side glance at Tareq and Zarkan, I’m hoping one of them might shed some light on the subject but both seem to be on high alert, listening carefully to something my human ears cannot catch.
“It’s not quiet,” Tareq notes, his hand finding the handle of his pistol.
“No,” Zarkan agrees, tilting his head in confusion. “But it almost sounds like…”
“A waterfall. Yeah.”
D’Aakh curses and this time, I join him. Hearing a waterfall inside of a spaceship is never a good thing. It means the pipes aren’t just leaking, they’ve cracked open and the water is gushing out all over the place. Usually, it’s not clean water, either.
Most of the fluids running through these pipes contain sewage and contaminated water ready for recycling. Or worse, they’re irradiated fluids used to maintain the reactor chamber temperature. The last thing this ship needs is to be flooded with shit. Or radiation. Radiation would actually be preferable. Easier to clean, anyway.
D’Aakh points toward the intersection further down the corridor. “Which way?”
Both Tareq and Zarkan point right, and D’Aakh takes off at a sprint. I follow closely behind, my mind busy recalling valve placements. If it’s coolant fluid, we can simply close off the damaged section. The trouble will be accessing the valves without getting a too high dose of radiation. If it’s sewage water…
I shudder at the thought of wading through someone else’s shit. That was not how I wanted to spend my day. I just took a damn shower not two hours ago!
