Chapter 66 Apology.
The results of the battle were not what Andrew had expected, but the situation was still better than he feared.
Thanks to the Kraken, they avoided fighting the last group of ships, and even though this saved the station from suffering more damage or even being destroyed, it also prevented them from getting any more treasures from the pirates.
In this case, the danger and reward were going hand in hand.
-I have a full repair rapport if you want to hear it.
Lanarine said, an hour after they powered up the station.
-How bad is it?
Andrew asked, knowing that the previous rapport was not complete.
-If we want to repair the damaged modules, it will take around four days, the drones we lost are being replaced as we speak and some of the damaged ones are in good enough condition to repair them.
The atmospheric loss was minimal, and the same goes for water loss, other than that we are in good condition.
-Thank you, we won't repair the modules so you can start detaching them and turning them into resources.
The merchant arrives tomorrow so We will simply buy new ones.
Andrew said.
-But that's for later, now simply go get some rest, you to Ilia.
He added, looking at both women.
They simply nodded and went straight to their modules, leaving Andrew alone in the command center.
Andrew also didn't stay up for long as the stimulant was wearing off and he also needed to get some rest.
However, before that, he needed to do a few things, first of all, was to move the ships from the previous battle to the same asteroid, their predecessors were now resting at.
And the next one was to deal with Tarina and Runir.
He told them to wait for his summons but he had forgotten about them in the heat of the battle.
Andrew wanted them to join the other ladies on the minimal control settings, but he hesitated about lowering it for now.
These two were more like fanatics than anyone he had ever seen and they were even capable of defying the chip control for a time.
So he decided to leave them in the current settings and later ask the others about their opinion on the subject.
Right now the only thing he could do was order them to get some rest before getting some himself.
The next day they all woke up late, courtesy, of the need to sleep off the stimulant's effects on their bodies.
Iliana warned them about it, so they were not surprised in the least.
There was always a price to pay for overexerting one's body, thankfully the stimulant was a weaker one so the price was limited to just sleeping a bit more than usual.
The first destination for all of them after the morning activities was the medical module.
Aelita was about to finish her treatment, and they all wanted to be there, though they had different reasons for that.
The only two people not present were Tarina and Runir, as their presence would at most make the whole thing awkward.
When the timer finally finished and the progress bar reached 100%, the solution was drained from the tank.
Andrew brought some towels and a bathrobe for Aelita once she got out of the tank.
It took a few more minutes for the girl to regain consciousness.
-Welcome back.
Andrew said wrapping a towel around her to dry her up.
She smiled seeing him.
-How long was I in the tank?
She asked.
-160 hours, you were in much worse condition than I was.
He said, helping her wear the bathrobe.
-If you ever hide something like that from me again, you're going to regret ever being born.
Andrew tried to sound stern, but he could not hide his happiness, at the fact that she was finally healed.
-I'm sorry, I was afraid, that I would be changed, by the tank.
Aelita apologized.
-You wouldn't.
Iliana chimed in.
Only then did Aelita notice the two women.
-Andrew showed me, your scans and the genetic data.
It clearly states, that there are no abnormalities, so you are what your people should all look like.
She continued.
-That's nice to hear, but then why does everyone else look so different?
The Cheroni asked.
-I have no clue, I would need a blood sample of another Cheroni, or even better, a whole one to get to the bottom of this.
The doctor said, shrugging.
Then it was Lanarine's turn.
She came in front of Aelita and bowed before her.
-I know that you most likely hate me right now, but I want to apologize, for my actions.
The geologist said with all the sincerity that she could muster.
-I don't hate you, but it might be a while before I'll trust you again if ever.
Aelita said.
-I understand, and I deserve no better.
Lan said sadly.
-I also need to apologize and thank you at the same time.
Ilia said also bowing her head.
-If you drugged him with the medication I sent you, he would be badly hurt if not outright dead.
She explained.
-I suppose that was not your intention?
Aelita asked.
-No, the idea was to put him to sleep for a few days, not to kill him or damage his body.
She explained.
-I should be angry at both of you, but since everything turned out alright, I'll just let it slide.
Aelita sighed.
-Also, I would like to have some food and a shower before we talk any more.
She added.
-Right this way.
Andrew said with a grin.
He noticed that she had changed a lot after the treatment.
-Wait a moment.
Iliana stopped them from leaving.
-I want to scan you, just to be sure that everything is alright.
She said quickly.
Aelita agreed, in the end, it was better to be safe than sorry.
The scan gave her a clean bill of health.
Compared to her scan from before the treatment it was like heaven and earth.
-Alright let's go get you some food and a shower, then we can catch you up on the recent events.
Andrew said taking the girl to their module.
Iliana stayed behind to analyze the scan results while Lanarine went to do her job at the command center.
After a long shower, Aelita got her first meal after a week while Andrew explained everything that happened while she was in the tank.
To say that she was surprised at all the things she missed because of her treatment, would be an understatement of a year.
She was happy to get more ships top research, but not so much about the betrayal of the two ladies she still considered friends not long ago.
-Then what are you planning to do with the student?
She asked when Andrew finished the story.
-My plans didn't change that much, but I'm considering telling her the truth and convincing her to just submit without a fuss.
He answered.
-It's not like she has a choice in the matter, either she submits now or you will come for her later.
Aelita said after thinking it through.
-Yes, and I prefer the first option because I have no clue, how much time we have before this federation comes knocking.
Before that happens, I want this whole system under my control and if possible, a fleet to protect it.
-Well, you can always keep them in check by getting that holly woman of theirs and using her as a hostage.
Aelita suggested, surprising even herself.
She had no idea why she thought of that, and it was not the first time since she got out of the tank that her thoughts surprised her.
-That's the idea if they come before we are ready for them, the other one is that I want you, Lan, and Ilia, to send messages to your people, warning them about this federation.
With any luck, some of them will believe us which might get us some allies, or at the very least make it more difficult for the federation to grow.
Andrew explained his plans.
-This might work, but I have no idea if any of my people will listen to me.
Aelita said while thinking about the whole thing.
- Whatever the case, it's worth a shot.
Andrew said, hoping that at least some of the people from the four races would listen.
After the meal, Aelita wanted to see the state of the station after the battle.
Surveying it all in the command center she agreed that swapping the damaged modules with new ones was the better choice, she also promised to install the hydroponic upgrades as soon as she could.
The only decision that, raised a bit of complaint from Lan and Ilia, was turning their stations into resources, the same went for Runir's and Tarina's stations, after they were stripped of weapons and modules such as hydroponics, research modules, and anything else that could prove to be useful.
At least the two of them had no say in the matter as they were still in a high level of control.
With all of this decided, Aelita wanted to see the crates Andrew opened while she was being treated, she even got angry that he didn't translate the writings before he opened them.
-What if there was something dangerous in there?
She scolded him.
-Calm down there was nothing like that in any of the crates so far so why would there be anything like that in these?
He argued back.
Not that it helped him much as he still had to apologize and promise her to never open a crate without the translation again.
Andrew even told her what was in the crates, to calm her down, but her interest was piqued when he mentioned the containers with a liquid metallic substance inside.
They went into the storage module, and Aelita translated all the writings.
The riffle-like things turned out to be stun rifles, capable of immobilizing the target for up to an hour.
They were too small to be used by Andrew but by coincidence, they were a perfect match for Aelita so she took two of them for herself.
The other things turned out to be exactly what he told her they were.
But when she translated the writings on the containers with the metallic substance, they were both speechless.
-The drawing on the crate stated "Nanites", while the writing on the containers explained that these were raw nanites, which could be programmed to perform any task.
Unfortunately, they didn't have the equipment to use them, but there were a lot of things they could trade for, and if there were any left then the price of even one container would easily reach a few silver credits and they had two crates filled with them, each one containing fifty containers.
-Andrew, Aelita, the merchant ship is on its way ETA 25 minutes.
Lanarine informed them, while they were closing the lids on the crates.
-On our way.
Andrew said to his communicator.
-Let's see how that elf reacts to these treasures.
He said while grinning, making Aelita smile in amusement.