The Report

"Sorry, Vega." Command spoke through the tablet. "That's a no. She's too banged up."

"I thought that might have been the case. What's the damage?"

"Less than we thought, more than we hoped. There's the obvious stuff like the damaged armor plating. We'll need to replace the ones on her arms and chest."

"I'm sure Cerviel won't complain too much about some more battle scars. What else?"

"She has three burned-out motors in her right arm. Four others throughout her frame are damaged. We'll have to replace five in total. All of them will need recalibrating. There's also a bunch of melted cables. We're assuming the flame pillar is the cause of that."

"That doesn't sound too bad."

"That's not the problem, Vega."

"Sorry?"

"I don't think you understand how close you came to dying. According to the technicians, Cerviel should have been immobile after the flame pillar attack. They're having a difficult time explaining how she functioned at the end. The technicians estimate four days just to get her to turn on again."

"Then how could she move well enough to defeat the marquis? She seemed to work fine."

"We don't know. We'll have to thank our lucky stars that she pulled through."

"I see." I made a mental note to add something to my evening prayers.

"Look, I'll be blunt." Command sighed. "We appreciate everything you're doing for us. Everyone knows Asbestos would have been destroyed many times over if it weren't for you and Nova, but you can't go on like this. Our resources are running low. I don't know how many more times we'll be able to repair Cerviel. I know the evacuation ships are only a two weeks out, but we won't be able to make it at the rate you're sustaining damage. You have to be more careful."

"It's difficult when all hell is breaking loose."

"Then why does Valoel have only a fraction of Cerviel's damage?"

"Ehh..."

"That's including the missiles you fired into his back."

"That was an accident."

"We know. Nobody is blaming you, but the fact still stands."

"Nova was fighting with a sniper. So it stands to reason he wouldn't receive as much damage."

"He fought alongside you at the end." I couldn't think of an immediate response. "Like I said, I'm not trying to sound ungrateful. Drawing the marquis' fire like that probably saved several domes. We can repair Cerviel this time. The technicians are working around the clock to do that, but we can't keep it up. I'd hate to shutter Cerviel because we don't have enough parts. I'm sure you wouldn't like that as well."

"I agree." I sighed. "I'm sorry."

"Hmm. I'm guessing you've had a similar chat with Nova not too long ago."

"Breakfast wasn't as fun as it usually is."

"I'll bet. We're just looking out for you. Normal people your age would be worried about completing their studies, not saving a colony from Hell."

"Doesn't change our circumstances."

"No, it doesn't," admitted Command. "Say, I have some free time this evening. Do you want to grab a bite to eat? Just get away from it all?"

"Nova's bringing his girl over, so yeah. I'd like that."

"Don't want to share your feminine privilege with another?"

"Not in the mood to keep up pretenses. See you at Quasar's at seven?"

"Too fancy. What about Rockgut?"

"I'm not feeling that bad."

Command laughed. "I think beer would do you better than wine at this stage. See you at seven."

"See you then."

The earpiece clicked when Command dropped the connection. Be more careful. Easy to say in hindsight. I blew out my breath. Memories of the battle replayed in my thoughts. Maybe I would have fared better if I hadn't dropped my sword. It would have given me some range when attacking the marquis. But range wasn't the issue. Cerviel sustained only a bit of damage due to close-quarters combat with him. Maybe I drew too many of the minions to me? Would Nova have been able to handle more of them? But then the colony might have suffered some more damage.

"Ugh!" I furiously scratched my head. "This is leading me nowhere!" I was thankful to be alone in the house. I didn't need anyone else commenting on the wisdom of my actions. "I should probably get out a bit as well," I said out loud as I peered at my alarm clock. Nine-thirty. Father Alcor would be performing his priestly duties, and I had little doubt Nova was busy wooing Mira next to ailing patient. "Should follow their example before I think myself crazy." I grabbed my jacket hanging over my chair as I headed for the door.