Exploration Fleet (Treasure and Appletree)

Eamon heard the communication and grumbled to himself in annoyance. "Of course I am secured. I am trying not to be! If you could just move around..." He kept mumbling and grumbling to himself as the beam finally shut off and the pod drifted back until it angled to where Eamon guessed Kalukan could see him. Thanks to the sun shield tinting on the windows, he couldn't see in, but he knew Kalukan could see out.

"Yes, I am here!" Eamon shouted pointlessly, waving a hand. He pointed to his leg. "I am stuck! Stuck!" He tried to mouth the word clearly then pulled a little on the trouser leg. He could only hope Kalukan got the point.

~~

"Have you gained visual contact yet, Kalukan?" Frayne asked over the comm system. "Please report."
 
“Affirmative Sir. The ARM seems to be in place, though I can’t tell how securely. Eamon also appears to be doing well. I believe he is attempting to communicate something…”

Kal trailed off as he directed the pods sensors to zoom in on the engineer, trying to figure out what Eamon was trying to tell him. A quick scan of his vital signs showed nothing, but that could also be due to the pod not being synced with the human signature and thus giving faulty readings. Kal frowned, zooming in even closer and this time catching the gesture Eamon was making towards his leg. With his attention directed to the problem, it was easy to see.

“Captain, Eamons suit has caught in the ARM fixation. He appears to be stuck.”

Switching the comm line, he asked Eamon, “Is it possible to unscrew the ARM to free yourself while preserving the ARMs position?” He assumed there was something hindering the engineer from doing just that, but couldn’t tell what it was from here.
 
"Stuck? How can he be stuck?" Frayne asked himself more than Kal. He shook his head with a quiet sigh. "See what you can ascertain. If it is a simple solution, fix it. If it is more complicated, contact me. I need to inform the Jepison that we will have to delay docking until we have sorted out this... issue. Captain out." He severed the link and quickly called the other craft. The sooner he told them what was going on, the sooner he could have the line open for Kal and Eamon.

~~

"Oh, unscrew it? What a novel idea! I wish I had thought of that. Oh, wait, I did!" Eamon muttered to himself as he tried to think of how to tell Kal what was going on. He held up the screwdriver - that wasn't what it was called here, but that was what it looked like to him - and tried to mime the fact that it was broken. He could screw stuff in, but he could not unscrew anything. That put a real damper on trying to get free. He needed a new one, one that would unscrew. He could only hope Kal would at least understand the part about needing a new screwdriver. And quick. This position was starting to get really uncomfortable, and he still feared tearing his suit.
 
Kal didn’t bother responding, both because Frayne cut their connection before he could and because he was busy trying to decipher sign language. It became quite obvious from Eamons reaction that Kals first thought that unscrewing the ARM without losing or damaging it was not the problem at hand. Neither had Eamon lost his tools to the depths of space, seeing as he was clearly still holding it while gesturing wildly.

The turning motion of his hand, still half engulfed in excess sleeve, was clearly alluding to the fixation of the ARM, though Kal couldn’t quite decipher why Eamon was sometimes shaking his head emphatically and sometimes not.
Fearing the worst, he asked, “Is your suit damaged? Would unscrewing the ARM jeopardise its integrity?”
 
Eamon heaved a sigh. As if he didn't have enough problems with properly communicating already. He used the fingers of one hand to pull at the sleeve of his suit then made the "OK" sign. His suit was fine. He pointed to the screwdriver floating patiently by his head and slowly and deliberately shook his head. He needed a new driver to fix this! He pointed to the driver again, hoping to underscore what he was talking about then pointed to Kal and finally pointing to the main craft. He needed Kal to go get a new driver for him. He'd add please when they could talk.
 
Kal frowned, leaning closer to the screen, as if that would help him decipher this impromptu round of charades. The suit was ok, that message was clear. He thought he got the rest too, but didn’t actually know what tool Eamon was using, or where the engineer might have stashed a replacement, since he was pretty sure the one floating around in space was the one from the toolbox all crew had access too, even if most of them rarely had a need to. Thankfully, with him hovering basically across from Eamon, the pod was able to show him a good enough magnification of the little screwdriver for Kal to memorise its shape.

“Just to be certain, you need a new tool to free yourself?” At Eamons vigorous nod, he added, “Alright, I will be right back,” before switching comms once again.

“Captain, I am sorry to disturb you, but Eamons tools seem to be malfunctioning, which is the reason for his predicament. I need to leave him to get him a replacement. Could you spare a few of the ship's sensors to monitor his condition? The pod is unable to do so at a distance. He says his suit's integrity is intact, but I would prefer not to leave it to chance. Also, are you aware where Eamon keeps his spare tools?”
 
Eamon sighed in relief. Finally! His message was understood! He started packing up his tools to be carried back into the ship. As soon as this dratted bolt released him, they were done and he could go in. He just hoped Kal could find the spare kit. He always kept a spare around for just this instance. It was an expensive "just in case," but he felt it was justified, and now he was being proven right!

~~

Frayne paused his conversation with the captain of the craft Jepison to speak with Kal. "Yes. They should be in the cupboard in the main hall to the right of the entrance to the engine room. All spare tools and parts will be there. Be careful. I will do what I can to monitor him from here."
 
“Thank you sir. Again, apologies for disrupting you with this.”

Kal turned the pod and flew back to the hangar entrance. This time he could not speed through the docking process, as he would have to exit the pod rather than just pick something up. The few moments that the ships automatic controls needed to register his approach and initiate the sequence felt like hours, the slow move into the hangar and the wait for air and gravity to be restored like days. All the while, his brain was cooking up more and more disastrous scenarios that could be happening while he wasn’t around to help the stranded engineer. Frayne's sensors could only monitor, if something were to happen… He cut that thought off before it could truly manifest.

The moment the pod started to open, he was squeezing his way out, almost toppling head over heels to the walkway in his rush. The door to the main ship was kind enough to open before he bounced against it. Dashing down the corridors, he made it to the specified cupboard and grabbed the large tool box. It would be faster if he just brought Eamon the whole thing rather than search for the specific screwdriver and possibly get it wrong.

Back to the hangar he went, dropping the case in front of the pod and vaulting back into the cockpit. Several mashed buttons later and the case was in his grasp and the hangar reopening, again at what seemed to the harried Kal an absolute snail's pace. As soon as he was back outside, he reactivated comms, “I will be with you in a moment.”
 
Back
Top