{"id":591,"date":"2020-06-06T05:00:24","date_gmt":"2020-06-06T05:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/?p=591"},"modified":"2020-06-10T12:09:01","modified_gmt":"2020-06-10T16:09:01","slug":"chapter-21-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/chapter-21-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 21"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cHow go repairs?\u201d I asked Liam as I arrived on the Virginia<\/em>\u2019s bridge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI really wish you\u2019d stop asking that every two minutes!\u201d he hissed. \u201cWe still don\u2019t know the extent of the damage!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c…Very well,\u201d I sighed. Emily finally caught up to me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRest! Now! Doctor\u2019s orders!\u201d she snapped. I opened my mouth to protest but she grabbed my arm and dragged me to the Virginia<\/em>\u2019s sick bay. \u201cNow lay down!\u201d she ordered as she pointed to the bed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI can\u2019t do that!\u201d I insisted. \u201cNot while Hiro\u2019s doing god-knows-what to the Sources while on Foundation Prime!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t command a damn thing while crashing into walls!\u201d argued Emily. \u201cThis whole thing is stress-related and, as the resident doctor, I\u2019m prescribing rest!\u201d I didn\u2019t move. \u201c…Look, I get that Hiro managed to snatch victory from us,\u201d she sighed, \u201cand I get that you feel responsible, but we can\u2019t exactly achieve victory if you\u2019re fighting fatigue. Now, please, get some rest.\u201d I stayed for a minute, then sighed before finally lying down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

I breathed a sigh of relief when she shut her eyes. \u201cMajel, make sure she gets, at least, an hour of rest,\u201d I ordered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAlarm set for one hour,\u201d reported Majel. \u201cBy the way, Hiroki\u2019s on the bridge.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ll meet him,\u201d I replied. I headed off to the bridge and found him working on the Communications console on the lower level. I headed down and cleared my throat. That got his attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhere\u2019s Megumi?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTaking a much-needed nap in Sick Bay,\u201d I reported. \u201cShe\u2019s been stressing out about this whole thing that she\u2019s practically crashing into walls.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNot surprised,\u201d muttered Hiroki. \u201cShe\u2019s not too happy with what X-PO did either.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDid this ever happen before you came to America?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOnce, in school,\u201d replied Hiroki. \u201cShe said something that could have been put into better words to a friend and almost lost that friend. Her studies weren\u2019t at their usual best during the time she stressed about it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHer friends are her power,\u201d I guessed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you want to use an anime trope, then yeah,\u201d confirmed Hiroki. \u201cAnything that risks the bond, she freaks out about it. Hence the emotional collapse after Hill Valley. She felt guilty for fracturing that bond. Now, she feels betrayed that the same mistake has been made.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, stressing about it won\u2019t do her any good right now,\u201d I affirmed. Just then, Liam came up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s up?\u201d asked Hiroki.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRight now, the amount of studs needed to fix this thing,\u201d replied Liam. \u201cThe warp core needs restabilizing, the threshold between exterior and interior dimensions is just being held together with the equivalent of duct tape, the weapons need shoring up…\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGive us the short version,\u201d interjected Hiroki. \u201cCan this be fixed in any reasonable time?\u201d Liam winced before shaking his head. \u201c…Damn,\u201d sighed Hiroki.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry, guys,\u201d muttered Liam, \u201cbut the damage Heather gave us was only patched up. The repairs were just supposed to hold until we could get it to a decent shipyard. That recent fight really stressed the Virginia<\/em> to the point of it not going anywhere until it\u2019s fully fixed. Flying this thing now will only serve to turn it into our tomb.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll right, thank you, Liam,\u201d I sighed. Tanisha, Chell, and Elphaba beamed onto the bridge after Liam gave his report. \u201cHow\u2019s Vorton?\u201d Chell signed her answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCould be better,\u201d translated Tanisha. \u201cSome of the systems are shot.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t say it\u2019s ALL bad,\u201d countered Elphaba. \u201cWe feared the Gateway\u2019s systems were totally fried, but some functions, like basic life support, are still operational. However, a good chunk of the stabilization programs that require the Keystones to power are hurt a bit and require a fair amount of work.\u201d Chell signed again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNot to mention,\u201d translated Tanisha, \u201cthe security programs are subpar now, considering the recent invasion. On top of that, power distribution needs work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMaybe…maybe we can reroute power to…\u201d I guessed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cChell and Elphaba are being needlessly optimistic!\u201d interrupted Tanisha. \u201cI got the whole damage report from Lukas! This isn\u2019t something we can slap some duct tape on and call it a day! Some of the systems are tied solely to X-PO\u2019s presence on Vorton! With him gone, the seven person limit on the Gateway is back! We ALL can\u2019t go to Foundation Prime without Megumi\u2019s power! Now that things are damaged, trying to bypass them would be next to impossible without X-PO!\u201d Hiroki kicked the pilot\u2019s chair in anger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHey, don\u2019t take it out on them!\u201d I snapped. \u201cNONE of us are happy this happened!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe knew we scrambled them!\u201d hissed Hiroki. I only guessed he was talking about Hiro.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat, Vorton\u2019s new coordinates?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cExactly!\u201d replied Hiroki. \u201cHe somehow managed to deduce that we would try to scramble the coordinates if we wanted to be any safer! So he waited until we were vulnerable and so self-assured of our victory! With him having all five Sources now, we don\u2019t stand a…\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe didn\u2019t know Vorton\u2019s new coordinates until yesterday,\u201d interjected Elphaba.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c…Nani?\u201d asked Hiroki.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA Tarlaxian ship did some scouting during the space battle,\u201d explained Elphaba. \u201cThe only reason he could find us was because we didn\u2019t shield the Sources\u2019 energy signatures properly. He still had a fix on them. Originally, just after the Vortech Wars, he went to Vorton\u2019s old coordinates. He only just found it yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c…I repeat, WHAT?!\u201d yelped Hiroki.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Sources gave off an energy signature that drew him in like a beacon,\u201d elaborated Tanisha. \u201cHe must have kept records on them. We didn\u2019t account for that and didn\u2019t think to shield them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c…Megumi will be kicking herself again and stressing out after her nap when she hears about this,\u201d muttered Hiroki.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, not telling her will only make it worse,\u201d I declared. \u201cI\u2019m going to tell her what we\u2019ve discussed.\u201d Hiroki was about to object when I put my finger to his lips. \u201cDoctor\u2019s prerogative,\u201d I hissed. I turned to return to the Sick Bay when Lukas came onto the Bridge, cheering in his native German. \u201c…Okay, what\u2019s got you so happy? And I mean happy in the borderline lunatic asylum sense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMeine Freunde,\u201d (My friends) he began, \u201cTarlax came through! While After Academy can\u2019t spare any ships, they don\u2019t even have a shipyard, the Tarlaxian fleet that helped us was just a fraction of their full might! Just 1\/32nd<\/sup> of the Tarlaxian Imperial Navy!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat was over 800 ships that helped us yesterday!\u201d yelped Hiroki.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019re making more ships to replace those that were lost,\u201d continued Lukas, \u201cand have a backway into Foundation Prime that can overtake Shocker Rift! At current projections, they\u2019ll be arriving there within three days! We can use our shortcut to get there a day ahead of them!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSubarashi!\u201d (Wonderful!) cheered Hiroki. \u201cA chance of victory! Liam, how long will it take to fix the Virginia<\/em>?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWith things as they are and with Tarlaxian Engineers helping me,\u201d mused Liam, \u201cas well as Lukas, Moon-kyung, Lacey, and Dell, five hours at minimum.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGet to it!\u201d directed Hiroki. \u201cWe need this ship ready for battle soon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAye,\u201d obliged Liam. He turned to Dell. \u201cAll right, let\u2019s… HOO MONY TIMES DAE AH HAE TAE TEEL YE?! TH’ REIT TOOLS FUR TH’ REIT JOB!\u201d He stomped off and told Dell off as they got to work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think I\u2019ve seen him so happy,\u201d I chuckled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

I woke up an hour later. Emily and Hiroki were sitting there with big grins on their faces. \u201c…Did I miss the beatdown on Shocker Rift?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo, it hasn\u2019t happened yet,\u201d replied Hiroki. \u201cBad news first, we found out how they figured out our position. We didn\u2019t think to shield the Sources, so they tracked it easily.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNot to mention, we don\u2019t have the original shortcut since, without X-PO\u2019s presence on Vorton,\u201d continued Emily, \u201cwe can only throw seven people there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c…Original shortcut?\u201d I asked, picking up on what she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s where the good news comes in,\u201d replied Emily as a smile crossed their features. \u201cShocker Rift is taking the normal, three day route. The Tarlaxians found a way for us to get ahead of them and arrive a day early!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019re also sparing more ships to help us in case we have another space battle,\u201d supplied Hiroki. \u201cWe\u2019ll be ready to go in about four hours now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNow THAT\u2019S something to wake up to!\u201d I cheered as I leapt from the bed. \u201cWe leave once everything\u2019s ready.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGot it!\u201d replied Hiroki as he headed off to relay my decision. I stretched to get rid of any sleepiness. After that, I turned towards the door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAh AH!\u201d called Emily. I stopped in mid-step, my foot still off the floor. There was a bit of a tense moment. \u201c…Okay, you\u2019re cleared for duty,\u201d chuckled Emily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHar har,\u201d I grumbled. I then left the Sick Bay and headed off to Main Engineering to find Liam and Dell arguing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019re all hardhat and no cattle!\u201d snapped Dell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCannae ye say anythin’ ‘at ISNAE related tae Texas?!\u201d snarled Liam, his accent coming in thick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou just ain\u2019t doing it right!\u201d argued Dell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI’ve bin thes ship’s engineer lang afair ye sit fit oan thes hin’!\u201d ranted Liam. \u201cAh ken whit aam daein’! Ye cannae jist smack th’ weapons systems wi’ a wrench an’ caa it a day!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHey look, buddy, I’m an Engineer. That means I solve problems,\u201d replied Dell. \u201cNot problems like \u2018What is beauty?\u2019, because that would fall within the purview of your conundrums of philosophy. I solve practical problems. For instance, how am I going to stop some big mean mother-Hubbard from tearing me a structurally superfluous new behind? The answer: use a gun, and if that don’t work, use more gun.\u201d He then indicated the blueprints for the Sentry. \u201cLike this heavy caliber, tripod-mounted, little ol’ number designed by me, BUILT by me, and you’d best hope… not pointed at you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGentlemen,\u201d I called. The two men yelped and jumped two feet in the air.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDon\u2019t scare us like that!\u201d protested Dell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI trust things are going well?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe\u2019s trying to add Sentries to the outer hull!\u201d snapped Liam. \u201cYou can\u2019t achieve that by whacking the weapons systems with a pipe wrench!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s worked fine as frogs\u2019 hair for me!\u201d snapped Dell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHave you ever been on a spaceship before?!\u201d argued Liam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGentlemen!\u201d I shouted. Both men turned to me. \u201cNow is NOT the time. Look, Dell, save the Sentries on the hull until AFTER we beat Shocker Rift. Liam, you DO realize the wrench is coated in self-replicating, self-destructing nanites?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow in Sam Hill did you know that?!\u201d yelped Dell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLukas gave me the results of the time he examined the wrench,\u201d I explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c…That boy\u2019s more invasive than the Medic!\u201d hissed Dell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cKill him later,\u201d I directed. \u201cLook, the nanites are programmed to upgrade any piece of technology when enough metal is absorbed and they\u2019re struck with enough of an impact to shake some off the wrench.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey tend to shut off and destroy themselves quietly once they\u2019ve done their job,\u201d continued Dell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c…Do you even have enough metal to fulfill the kind of upgrades you\u2019re proposing?\u201d asked Liam. Dell opened his mouth…then realized he didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDarn,\u201d he muttered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLike I said, just focus on getting basics up and running,\u201d I replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll righty then,\u201d answered Dell. He and Liam then went back to work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

\u201cGreat Leader Hiro, Sir,\u201d called my Sontaran Adjutant as he brought the people I wanted to meet into my Ready Room, \u201cpresenting Ambassador Hell and Metalran, Sir, as instructed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSplendid,\u201d I praised. \u201cThat will be all, Tunk.\u201d The Sontaran left and I addressed my former boss and Tarlaxian ally. \u201cSo wonderful that you could bolster our numbers back to their original size.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe aim to please,\u201d replied Metalran as he bowed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMaybe YOU do,\u201d grumbled Ambassador Hell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt looks like he does,\u201d I answered. \u201cI know, deep down, you wish to please, so why not…?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBefore you speak and try to incorrectly guess my motives,\u201d interrupted Ambassador Hell, \u201clet me tell you this: I don\u2019t like the fact that you managed to usurp our Great Leader, I don\u2019t like the fact that you\u2019ve expanded Shocker to ideas above our station, and I don\u2019t like you! You place your emotions above the needs of Shocker! You constantly obsess over a child! You manage to keep us from our goals of conquering our planet! Quite frankly, you are the most inefficient leader Shocker has had and should have stepped down!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c…Well, since you wish to be unpleasant to me, it\u2019s only fair I\u2019m the same way to you,\u201d I growled. \u201cI don\u2019t like you. You say I obsess over a child when you obsess over one man. You never expand your thoughts to long-term goals, only short-term ones. You say I place my emotions above Shocker\u2019s needs, yet you constantly waste resources to defeating the Kamen Riders. To be blunt, Ambassador, the Great Leader made a mistake in pulling you from our American branch and making you the leader of our armies. Hence my usurping him. Now, if we\u2019re all done being unpleasant with each other, I\u2019d like for us all to get back to work. Dismissed.\u201d The two left the Ready Room and I sat down, wondering what would happen if Ambassador Hell met with an…accident.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cHow go repairs?\u201d I asked Liam as I arrived on the Virginia\u2019s bridge. \u201cI really wish you\u2019d stop asking that every two minutes!\u201d he hissed. \u201cWe still don\u2019t know the extent of the damage!\u201d \u201c…Very well,\u201d I sighed. Emily finally caught up to me. \u201cRest! Now! Doctor\u2019s orders!\u201d she snapped. I opened my mouth to protest […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":477,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[96,104],"tags":[261,69,13,12],"class_list":["post-591","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-kamen-rider-vortex","category-kamen-rider-vortex-movie-chaoters","tag-dell-conagher","tag-emily-saunders","tag-hiro-adachi","tag-megumi-hishikawa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/591","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=591"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/591\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1145,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/591\/revisions\/1145"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/477"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=591"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=591"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=591"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}