At the sight of that two dimensional video he was no longer part of an isolated crew, he was in the middle of civilization. It was a chaotic, cramped, busy place, and it looked like it would be far too easy to become lost. "Some place," he whispered as he looked back to his console.
"You said it," Captain Valance replied.
A large, clear space came into view; it was blocked off by shipping containers and scrap metal walls on all four sides. There was a two level, closed hangar at one end and three cleaner looking shipping containers placed at the other. In a sea of cramped vessels and narrow makeshift buildings it must have taken a herculean effort to reserve.
The Samson was to land first, and if they weren't careful she'd never take off the ground again. Finn re-checked his calculations and nodded to himself. Time to present his idea to the Captain, they were beginning to reduce altitude. "Sir, I know you haven't had time, but I sent something I've been working on to your console."
"The landing instructions? I saw them, Finn. I don't like the idea, but I think you're right. Landing starboard side first might twist two of our main beams back into shape if I manage it. Are you sure about the angle?"
"Yes sir. One thing though, we'll lose a few mounting points. If we want to rebuild the Samson we'll have to find a way to repair or replace the fittings, considering they're high density fibre frame-"
"We'll be rebuilding her. If we're lucky we might be able to find scrap from a similar model. We'll find another way to rebuild if we don't. Tell the crew we're about to set down."
Finn looked for the ship wide intercom switch and found it after a moment. "We'll be landing in a few seconds, so get away from major frame fixtures and seal your vacsuits. Set for high impact in case something snaps or comes loose."
"Good enough. All right, touching down."
As soon as the Samson touched the ground sections of the ship's frame turned red, indicating critical stress levels. They were touching down without landing gear. Finn couldn't help but be reminded of Ashley as he remembered the term she used for it; 'a belly flop'. Even as he listened to the groaning metal in the ship behind him and watched as the main beams of the lower hull indicated they were stressed to twisting he found himself hoping she was all right.
A loud screech and explosive pops sounded throughout the ship as the port side beam tore free of several frame mounts. It was hanging free of the exterior hull for at least twenty meters. He prayed the starboard side would fare better, and to his surprise, it did. The stress on that beam was extreme but more evenly distributed, resulting in the desired twisting and reshaping. When the Samson came to rest the port side beam read as almost completely straightened.
"I need everyone on the Samson to check in. All other vessels are clear to land." Captain Valance said into his comm as he locked the pilot controls. He was out of his seat and beside Finn at the engineering console in seconds. "How did we do?"
"The lower port beam is almost completely straight, to within half a degree, and I think it's still strong enough."
Captain Valance performed a quick scan and nodded. "You're right. It's not showing much fatigue, she could bear the load twice the mass of what the Samson is build to haul."
"The other one's shot though, and the port side dorsal beam is still twisted two point three degrees."
"And bent point four degrees in the middle." Captain Valance stared at the structural hologram quietly for a moment before continuing. "We'll have to replace them both."
"You're really going to rebuild her, Captain?" Finn knew it would be a lot of work, but his name would be engraved on the vessel's hull forever if he was part of the team who directed the reconstruction.
A silent message on the Captain's comm unit from Crewcast informed him that no one on the Samson was injured and he sighed, he actually sighed with relief. It surprised Finn to no end, he knew Jacob Valance cared about his crew, but he still wasn't used to seeing emotional reactions. "Let's go topside and take a look at our new home," Captain Valance said quietly.
Finn and the Captain's copilot followed him to the upper hatch in the main hallway behind the bridge. With a twist and a yank of an overhead handle a set of collapsible stairs dropped down and locked into place. The outer hatch came open only after Captain Valance pressed his shoulder to it. Finn suspected it would be even more difficult to close properly.
They were the first to stand atop the Samson and look across the seemingly endless sea of ships ahead of them. The wind was warm, and carried the smell of ozone tinged with trash. The sun was disappearing behind Kambis, turning the horizon a deep red and yellow. Hundreds of thousands of lights glimmered in the makeshift city all surrounding them, and there was such a variety of ships that it was dizzying. He used to love watching them come and go from the port on his home world, and thought he had seen every shape and style. That couldn't have been further from the truth.
The wind on his face was pleasant as well, it had been a while. The smell was something he'd get used to, living so close to refineries during his childhood had conditioned him to ignore most of the offensive odours such technology put out. Just being in atmosphere again was nice for a change, but he knew he'd miss being on a ship, in transit before long.
"You know the Triton never felt like my ship. I knew how to run her, and I think I even got to know her secrets well enough, but she never felt like mine," Captain Valance said quietly. "She never felt like home."
Finn didn't reply, didn't know what to say. Instead he looked at the man from out of the corner of his eye. He looked weary, but still had a sureness, a bearing that left no doubt that he was in command about him.
"We're going to repair the Samson because without her we don't have an anchor. I don't want you to think about anything else, Finn. If Price were here you'd be working with him, but you'll have to make do with the people we have instead. Don't worry about what it costs, just tell me what you need. I'll find a way."
"Yes sir." Finn couldn't think of a moment in which he was more proud. At the same time, he knew the work ahead would be difficult, but it was important, and if it went well he’d be remembered for it. "When I'm finished it'll be as though you put her back together with your own hands."
“Good. I’ll work on getting our people back. Watching the Samson fall apart over the last few hours has reminded me of something, something I should have remembered before half the crew who landed with us in the Dower Wastes left us. People are what we need now. Not the ones who left, not just anyone, but the people we’ve come to know, come to trust. More than anything else, the qualities those people bring with them will determine how this all works out. Remember that when you choose your build team.”
Chapter 30
Ashley was able to get a handle on most of the ship systems with Larry's help, and was happy that all non-essential machinery had been deactivated. Much of the rest of the machinations aboard the Triton were being maintained remotely from the Engineering Control Deck, which had come under siege again. Soldiers were trying to cut into the vault like substructure from the deck above, and according to Larry, who she still regarded warily, they were making moderate progress. It was only a matter of hours unless someone interfered with their work.
“Why don't you slow them down?” Ashley asked off handedly as Zoe climbed into her lap. Even her favourite game couldn't keep her occupied forever, especially when she looked so tired. For a moment Ashley considered trying to make the youngster at home in the chair beside her, but thought better of it. The little fair haired nafalli wasn't too difficult to work around, and she had seen how Iloona's younger children were with her. Nafalli young liked to cling to their elders, and for the time being, Ashley was Zoe's choice.