[indent][indent]Back out amongst the sprawl she had time to dwell on Ruce’s recruitment post. She wasn’t surprised he hadn’t consulted her beforehand, it was exactly the type of thing he’d do. Plus, they both knew that, had he asked her about her feelings first, she’d have made them perfectly clear. [color=6ecff6][i]We fly just fine, why the fuck do we need anyone else cluttering up the Valkyrie?[/i][/color] Ruce had always been the type to ask forgiveness rather than permission. [i][color=6ecff6]Fucks sake…[/color][/i]

She needed a drink but who knew how long this hypothetical 3 day D.T will last, and she needed to get back to the Valkyrie and get her fixed up. She pulled out and cast her IMP again, switching once more to outgoing comms.

[color=6ecff6][center]Chief,

Before you get too balls deep in booze or whores, make sure you find us some new fucking plating panels for the hull.

Tes[/center][/color]

The more she thought about it, the more she realised that her mood wasn’t perhaps the best for socialising. She pondered briefly just how long it had been since she got an opportunity to ‘socialise’. [i][color=6ecff6]Another time perhaps.[/color][/i]

She rode the turbolift back up to the docking bay and got off at the floor that held the Valkyrie. Whilst the ship itself was unassuming for the most part, she couldn’t help but glance around at the other vessels docked around her and think that Valkyrie had a certain [i]je ne sais quoi[/i] that the other polished, more expensive, newer ships lacked. Perhaps she was biased but, as she walked under her hull, once again allowing her hand to trace the contours of the ship, she realised she didn’t care. She caught sight of the hull damage around the rear landing gear and found her mind dragged back to Ruce and her the embers of her anger fanned back to life. She got to the access platform and rode it back up into the cargo bay.

[color=6ecff6]“Hello, gorgeous.”[/color] She said. [color=6ecff6]“D’ya miss me?”[/color]

She went over to the control module and let her hand hover over the life controls. A simple, two button array allowed the access platform to be operated from the inside only and she ought to send the life back down so Ruce and whatever band of reprobates and morons could get back in. She allowed her hand to hover a little longer before simply walking away, leaving the lift up. [color=6ecff6][i]Really mature, Tes.[/i][/color] She thought to herself but carried on walking.

She made her way to the front of the cargo bay and tossed the carry case up over the railings, letting it clatter onto the gantry above, before climbing the ladder herself. Picking the case up, she headed onto the bridge. Reaching the damaged coolant pipe, she put the case down. At both ends, where the pipe met the wall and ceiling of the cockpit, there were stop valves which she closed at the same time. With a twist, the pipe came away from the fixtures and she tossed it aside. She wouldn’t throw it away. [color=6ecff6][i]You never know.[/i][/color] Kneeling down, she opened the lid of the carry case and uncoiled the new pipe and fitted it in place of the old one, finally reopening the valves at either end to a soft hiss of freshly injected coolant. [color=6ecff6]“Happy days.”[/color] She said, before retrieving the old pipe, leaving the bridge and heading for the engine room.
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