Codename Hellgate

All was quiet on Galenova, no chirping alarms or emergency alerts, only the occasional tweets and beeps from doors opening when the on-duty crew members changed compartments. A cycle had passed since Helga had ordered the change of direction and little had changed to warrant concern. The blip retained its course, and the crew busied themselves with preparing for the salvage operation.

Lieutenant Deni Sloan began rigging the engine with parts borrowed from the Moa Lander. Her plan was to override the system’s fail safes to allow energy transfer from any source. If everything went as planned, it would force a slight boost in thrust. “We only need it to be functional,” were the only stipulations Helga had given when she asked about cannibalizing parts from the shuttle.

The officers were taking a break inside the lounge, all except Lieutenant Deni Sloan. Helga sat listening to Ina’s and Xiomara’s banter, while replying to Jun Sunchar’s occasional questions about being a Seeker. The ensign was curious but never to the point of being annoying, and Helga appreciated she was self-aware enough to space the questions out. They all had questions, but Jun was the only one brave enough to ask.

Embracing the crew’s eccentricities had its benefits, Helga found. The grieving Valina Dex was back to form, being loud and aggressive, the way they knew her. She assumed this was Quentin’s doing. There was no better sergeant in her mind: an overprotective brother-in-arms and a staunch professional.