What Is a Slave Without a Master?

It was serval more minutes of tense maneuvering through the rocks before they were finally approaching the object. Alex dropped her speed down considerably, and as they crested over a particularly large asteroid Eta let out a startled gasp.

Floating in front of them was the vast outline of a ship. Her trusters were dark as she rolled slowly, and despite the shadows it was clear the entire front end had been pulverized. But as Alex's docking lights settled on it, they threw the scars across the front of the Type-7 into sharp relief. The extent of damage suddenly becoming clear to see. To Eta's horror she could make out a spiderweb of cracks over the single-story high canopy. But the lights revealed another thing, the name 'Tula's Wing' stenciled in clear text along her flank.

"Jesus... I thought you said these were durable?" Alex asked as she glanced over at her comms panel, noting grimly that it was displaying no nearby contacts. Eta pointed at the ship before them.

"Yes they're derelict, but they're still in one piece. Could the Peregrine take that much damage and say the same?"

"...point taken," Alex said for the second time today.

"Miss Alex... may... I please request you to bring us as close as you can to the cockpit... and turn off your lights?" Eta asked, her voice all of a sudden sounding tentatively hopeful. Alex raised an eyebrow but said nothing as she slowly brought them in. The bulk of the giant ship looming over them and once again cast in shadow as Eta stared intently forward.

"The canopy is cracked, but it hasn't shattered," she noted. "That material is very resilient. It will still be airtight. And look!" she exclaimed excitedly, pointing forward.

"They still have emergency power!"

She was pointing at the faint lights that could barely be seen illuminating the doorway at the rear of the cockpit.

"So they have some power, but no comms," Alex mused, trying to think of a way to make contact if anyone was still alive inside.

"An unfortunate combination," Eta admitted as she continued to study the front of the ship intently. Alex pursed her lips as her eyes traveled over her console. As they drifted over her targeting display, she noted the distance between the two ships: the number triggered something deep in her memory.

Before the canopy two panels retracted, and her twin laser cannons extended forward before locking into position. Their barrels swiveling around automatically to track the silent ship as Eta let out a squeak of surprise.

"Miss Alex! What exactly do you intend to do?!" she asked in alarm.

"You ever read those stories where you throw a rock at your lover's window, and hope the noise gets their attention?" Alex asked with a chuckle.

"I'm going to do that. But not with those," she added, nodding towards the visible cannons. She toggled something on her control stick before lining up a shot. A second later Eta heard a gentle hissing sound somewhere beneath her, which abruptly cut off as a blur launched forward from below the Peregrine. The single small missile darted through the black, taking an erratic path as it spiraled in on its target. Eta held her breath, her eyes wide in confusion. But as the missile impacted against the hull of the Tula's Wing... it bounced off harmlessly. Spinning off into the distance without exploding.

Eta twisted around to stare at Alex, who glanced back with a grin as she retracted her guns.

"You... knew it wouldn't detonate," Eta said slowly, catching up.

"Exactly," Alex chuckled. "There's a minimum arming distance."

"To prevent it from exploding too close to yourself," Eta finished, not sure if she should be impressed or concerned. Alex nodded, still grinning.

"All I did was make a nice loud thunking sound for them."

Eta let out a breath as she quickly composed herself, before both woman focused their attention on the door from the Type-7's cockpit. And only moments later a wave of relief passed over them as it slid back. In the gloom they could make out a few figures cautiously entering, before waving excitedly as they spotted the Peregrine floating before them.

"Holy shit, they're alive!" Alex exclaimed as she gently rolled the ship side to side as a greeting.

"Okay..." she continued, thinking aloud as her mind raced. "Looks like we're evacuating some miners. But... how the fuck do we coordinate that without their comms..." she muttered to herself. Eta was silent for a long moment, just processing the situation before a look of realization crossed her face.

"Miss Alex," she said suddenly, eyes bright. "Would... I have permission to offer my assistance towards your... job?"

"Sorry, what?" Alex replied in surprise, pulled out of her own train of thought.

"Would I have permission to offer my assistance," Eta repeated, her voice determined.

"I mean... yeah of course. But what are you thinking?" Alex asked as she caught up.

"Pilot's Federation Statute Y4549 states all ships must carry suits capable of sustaining life in space. Do... you have one?" her passenger asked intently.

"God you and Verity should be friends," Alex muttered to herself. "I mean.. yeah I have a Maverick Suit in storage. But hold on, are you... wanting to go out there?" she asked in disbelief. Eta pointed back at the damaged ship.

"The Type-7's communications antenna is located in the bulkhead above the cockpit," she said, indicating a spot absolutely savaged by damage.

"If I can get to their antenna, I can repair it. That would allow you to restore communication with the crew."

"Whoa, whoa..." Alex cut her off, gesturing outside. "Eta, we're in the middle of an asteroid field. The big rocks are far enough apart to work around, but there's still little ones floating everywhere."

Even as she spoke one bounced off the Peregrine's shields, leaving behind a blue ripple as it was redirected away.

"They're small enough ships don't give a shit. But they can still kill a person. And even ignoring that, the hull looks fucked. Like, you are incredibly skilled, but how can you fix smashed scrap metal?"

"It would be a risk, yes," Eta admitted. "But they appear slow moving enough I would be able to avoid them, especially... if I could ask you to keep a... look out for me while I focus on repairs? And as for those repairs: yes the surface is badly deformed from the impacts, but I only see a few spots where the damage fully penetrated the hull. Their antenna is demonstrably not functioning, but it's in almost certainly better condition than the exterior."

Eta was staring at Alex intently. The Commander recognizing the same determination she had seen on the woman's face as she proposed her idea during the interdiction. She couldn't help but enjoy seeing Eta shake off her docile nature, even for a moment, but that didn't mean she liked the plan.

"No," Alex said flatly. "Like... thank you for wanting to help. But you didn't sign up for this. I'm not doubting your skills, but it's too dangerous. We'll figure out some other way to contact them."

"I have a great deal of experience working on ships both in zero gravity and in the vacuum of space," Eta countered. "And you said yourself that you do your best to help others in distress. I want to do nothing less," she added passionately. Alex didn't respond.

"You came here to help. Please let me do the same, Miss Alex," Eta pleaded, shaking off more of her timidness with every word. The two women stared at each other for a long moment as Alex gritted her teeth. She turned her attention back to the silent ship in front of them, eyes traveling over the damaged surface as she racked her brain.

"That flat angled section above her cockpit..." she said slowly. "Is that the only area you would need to work?"

Eta blinked in surprise before turning and following Alex's outstretched finger.

"It would depend on exactly what I find when I begin to review the damage, but in all likelihood yes," she answered, not sure what Alex was thinking.

"How wide is it? Not the whole ship, just that flat section," Alex asked simply. Eta squinted as she did some mental calculations.

"Twenty or twenty two meters at the widest."

"How far apart are the Cobra's rear landing gear?"

Eta's eyes shot open, suddenly catching up.

"Eighteen meters."

Alex nodded thoughtfully, before turning back to her passenger with a stern expression.

"Here's the deal," she began. "Like I said, I have A suit. Only one. I wouldn't be able to come with you. I still don't want you going out in the open, but if I land the Peregrine ON the Tula's Wing, I can cover that whole area with my shield. You stay within the shield. Okay?"

A grin broke out across Eta's face, and her eyes were bright.

"And you felt my plan was too dangerous," she said before she could stop herself.

"Is that sass I detect?" Alex exclaimed with an amused expression. Eta's face flushed a deep red as she dropped her gaze.

"I apologize, Miss Alex. Yes of course I will stay within the shield as instructed," she murmured.

"No, no. Don't hide it!" Alex laughed. "It's fun to hear you opening up."

Eta glanced up tentatively. She was still blushing but she managed a nervous nod as Alex smiled back at her.

"So you get their comms online, I coordinate getting the crew onto the Peregrine, we get everyone home safe," Alex laid out. Eta nodded again.

"I also may be able to restore the broadcasting range enough Mr. Tom or Search and Rescue personnel will be able to more easily locate the Tula's Wing for a full recovery at a later time," Eta offered, trying to use the thought of the upcoming work to distract herself.

"Only if you can do it from within the shield. And... promise me you'll be careful out there?" Alex asked, a worried tone creeping back into her voice.

"I promise you that I will do everything within my power to complete this task, and return to you safely," Eta replied earnestly. Alex gave a slow nod.

"Then let's go," she stated simply as she grabbed her controls and pushed them forward.

"Flight Assist Off," Verity announced, and Eta felt all the Peregrine's automatic corrections cease. Alex had taken full manual control of the ship's movements as she began to match the slow spin of the Type-7. She let herself drift alongside, nudging them carefully as she tried to make sure the two ships were not moving relative to one another. It took several long moments of precise adjustments and corrections, but at last things seemed steady. She quickly fired her top thrusters, pushing them closer. Normally the ship would automatically counter the motion once she released, but this time Alex had to watch her controls intently, feathering her bottom trusters to slow their approach.

"Landing Gear Deployed," Verity confirmed as Alex made a quick series of last-minute corrections to ensure the gear didn't overhang the area she had to work with. A few flashes of blue light came from below them as her shields protested the other ship being so close but after another nailbiting moment there was a firm jolt through the ship as they touched down and her landing gear magnetically locked in place. The two ships now drifted as one.

Alex let out a relieved sigh as she reached for the landing gear control. She began to partially retract them, pulling the belly of the Peregrine closer to the Tula's Wing. Hunkering her ship down like a protective mother bird over her nest.

But at last Alex leaned back in her seat, letting out a long breath as the tension began to settle.

"Miss Alex. This time will you accept that I think that was a very skillful and impressive act of flying?" Eta asked with a wide smile. Alex laughed as she cracked an eye open.

"Okay I will admit that was pretty good," she chuckled to herself as she reached down and undid her harness.

"Now let's get you dressed. And Verity! Tell me if anything big enough to get through our shields gets too close," she called out as she pushed off towards the door with Eta close behind.

"Of course Commander."

It wasn't long before both women floated quietly in the cargo bay, carefully steadying themselves as the ships continued to roll slowly beneath them. Alex had dug her suit out of storage, and Eta had just finished fitting the grey and tan armour over herself. Layered on top of the base suit were numerous panels for protection, and straps to hold weapons or equipment. But the woman had instead wrapped her own tool belt around her waist.

Alex was behind her, attaching the small thruster array to Eta's back and ensuring it was all connected properly. When that was done, she floated around in front of her passenger and gently took the suit's white helmet in her hands.

"Are you ready?" she asked, feeling her own nerves rising despite not being the one about to go. Eta nodded.

"Before me is a task and I will do it to the very best of my abilities," she replied, her voice calm as she leaned forward towards the Commander. Alex raised the helmet and slowly lowered it over Eta's head. It clicked into place, and she worked her way around the neck, ensuring it was fully sealed. She heard a gentle hiss as the suit pressurized itself.

She floated back slightly and tried to look into Eta's face, but she only saw a reflection of her own in the helmet's mirrored visor. She wanted to say something meaningful, something important, but nothing came to mind.

"Just... be safe, Eta," she finally said, wrapping her arms around the woman and pressing the helmet against her shoulder. She felt the bulky arms wrap around her in return.

"Thank you Miss Alex. I will do my best," came the muffled reply. They separated and floated in silence for another moment: Alex realizing that despite Eta's determination she wasn't going to go without explicit permission.

"Then get out there. No sense keeping them waiting more," she said simply. Eta nodded again.

"Thank you, Miss Alex," she repeated as she turned and pushed off. Verity announced the cycling of the airlock as the slave carefully stepped inside. She looked around the small room, listening to the hiss as all the air was swept away from around her. And with it so was every sound except her own breathing and the blood pumping behind her ears.

A moment later a green light indicated the lock had been fully depressurized, and with a simple button the outer door slid open. Eta stepped up to the threshold, the safety of Alex's ship behind her, and the vastness of space in front. The airlock was positioned directly between Alex's two main thruster outlets at the fear of the Peregrine, and looking down she cast her eyes across the damaged hull of the Tula's Wing. A faint crackling noise appeared in her ear before Alex's voice came over the comms.

"Comms check. Can you hear me, Eta?" the Commander asked nervously.

"I can hear you, Miss Alex," Eta responded as she caught a blue flash out of the corner of her eye: the Peregrin's shields deflected yet another rock.

"I'm just identifying the safest place to land when I descend from your airlock."

"Well I won't distract you. But please don't go radio silent on me," Alex requested, her voice unabashedly worried.

"Oh course, Miss Alex," Eta replied with a smile as she stepped off into space. The door of the airlock closing behind her as she gave a quick burst from the top of the suit's thruster array to send her dropping down towards the Type-7.

"I've just began my decent. I should be making contact in just a moment," she murmured. She gave another quick burst to slow her speed just as Alex had done, before catching herself against the hull of the larger ship as her magnets locked in place.

"And I have landed safely," she announced.

"Glad to hear it," Alex chuckled in her ear. "You sound calmer about this than I am."

"A slave's duty is to serve," Eta replied as she picked her way between the gouges in the hull. She flicked on the lights built into the suit's helmet as she entered the shadow under the Peregrine's protective mass.

"If I think of this as just another service, I will manage."

"Hold on, you get nervous about using my furniture, but not about going outside a ship in the middle of an asteroid ring?" Alex teased.

"I..." Eta began, blushing inside her helmet. "I have experience working outside ships and in challenging environments. However you are my first experience being treated as something other than a slave in many years."

"Well if it takes too long to find an S&R office, you may end up getting plenty of experience," Alex joked over the comms. Eta caught herself liking the idea.

"How does the damage look from up close?" Alex asked after a moment.

"A great many impacts, all coming from the front. I am quite confident these were asteroid strikes, but many smaller ones at high speeds instead on a single large one," Eta said, still trying to push the thought from her mind.

"Huh... Okay I'm no miner..." Alex mused, voice distorting slightly over the comms line. "But isn't there a style that uses bombs to crack open asteroids? I know you're not supposed to be too close. Maybe they fucked up and launched a cloud of shrapnel into their own face?"

"Seismic charges," Eta confirmed as she nodded to herself. "Yes, I considered that as well. However, if my memory is correct, the Type-7 does not have a large enough mounting hardpoint to be able to operate a commercial Seismic Charge Launcher."

"Well, there goes my idea. I tried," Alex replied with a soft laugh.

"It was my first thought also," Eta reassured her as she approached one of the gashes through the plating and crouched down, trying to identify what, if any, wiring she could see through the opening. She spied a wire colour coded to communications and traced it over through another opening. When she reached the spot she thought it terminated she crouched down, and with a few quick flashes of a torch she pulled a hull panel free and gazed inside.

"My suspicions appear to have been correct, and we're in luck," she said, relief seeping into her voice. Before her she could see where an impact had indented the hull and pressed the material back into the antenna array. It had badly deformed the transmitter, but not irreparably.

"Their antenna was damaged but not destroyed. Please be patient while I repair the damage," she requested as she trapped the hull panel between her legs to keep it contained before leaning inside the opening.

Alex leaned back in her seat, letting out a long and tired breath as she rubbed her hands across her face. It wasn't that she doubted the capabilities of her passenger, far from it. But knowing Eta was out there, and not having line of sight had put an unfamiliar strain on her nerves. She realized just how little she was looking forward to seeing the woman disappear for good once they made it back to S&R.

She was lost deep in her own thoughts for a long while, absentmindedly counting the impacts against her shields. But just as she counted twenty-three, she was jerked back into the present by Eta's tentative voice coming across her comms.

"Miss Alex? May... I ask something of you?"

Alex shook herself, hoping she hadn't said aloud any of the things she had been thinking.

"Uh yeah, what's up?" she asked wearily.

"Can you look at your comms panel and tell me what you see?" Eta asked, a hopeful edge creeping into her voice. Alex raised an eyebrow as she glanced over at the list of contacts. She jumped as she saw the name of the Tula's Wing staring back at her. The signal was weak, but it was there.

"Oh wow, holy shit," she exclaimed in surprise as she wrestled her distracted mind back into gear.

"Eta, I see it! Fuck yeah!" she added more enthusiastically. Eta made a small self-conscious croak before answering.

"I am... glad to hear my repairs were successful. I do not believe the range will be very far in its current state, but you should have no trouble reaching them from this distance," she managed. Alex just nodded, her mind racing.