Chapter 10: Plan for Reconstruction
Red walked into the hangar where Slippy was repairing an Arwing. "Hey, Slippy, are you doing okay there?"
"What? Oh, I'm just making repairs. Hey, I wanted to thank you for that training session. I really did better in that last battle."
"Glad to hear it. Um, how long should these repairs take?" Red asked.
"I don't have a lot of supplies, so it should take quite a while."
"But what if you had all the right supplies?" Red asked.
"Oh, I could get it done in maybe one or two days. Why do you ask?"
"There is a small planet nearby where I had a mission about a year ago. I have a friend there who can probably get you some better supplies, free of charge."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm certain of it. Also, I want to see how the planet itself is doing. I haven't been there in a while and the place could either be prosperous or chaotic."
"Well, let's hope it's prosperous, because these Arwings are really beat up."
"What's the damage on my fighter?" Red asked.
"It's as bad off as any of the Arwings. I was surprised how you programmed it to fight by itself."
"Yeah, I had that feature installed a while ago. It was a hassle to get, but it was worth it. It's very useful, but I learned that it should only be used for emergencies."
"Well, that certainly was an emergency. About that planet you were talking about, how close is it?"
"I'm not exactly sure, but it's close enough. We need to set the Great Fox's path for it now before we drift too far away."
"Sounds like a plan." Slippy stopped working and left the hangar with Red. They headed towards the control room.
On their way, they ran into Fox and Krystal in the hallway.
"Hey Slippy, I thought you were making repairs," said Fox.
"Red told me there's a place where we can get better supplies."
"And where exactly is that?" Fox said looking at Red.
"It's a small planet with an association to Corneria. It's not a very well-known place. In fact, it doesn't even have an official name. Most of those who live there own small businesses, hotels, restaurants, and other things of that nature. A while ago during the Aparoid war, the place was being threatened and I became part of the resistance to help protect it. While I was there, I met a dog named Joe and we became friends. He's a bartender at a small bar, and he has many connections to others on the planet. I could probably convince him to get some supplies for us."
"Well great, then let's go!" Fox said cheerfully.
"Red and I were going to set up the coordinates for the Great Fox," said Slippy.
Krystal spoke for the first time in this conversation, "We'll join you."
Slippy led them down a large section of the hallway and into a room which contained many computers, including ROB who was sitting in a corner.
"Uh, which one of these computers is the ship's navigator?" Red asked.
"Actually, I think ROB is," said Fox.
Slippy walked over to one of the many computers. "But we need to find the coordinates of the planet." The computer monitor that Slippy was looking at was showing a map of the space surrounding the Great Fox. Slippy pressed one button and the screen showed 4 different nearby planets. Slippy asked, "Red, which one of these is it?"
Red walked over and looked at the monitor. He recognized it almost immediately and pointed at it, "It's that one. I'd recognize it anywhere"
Slippy pressed two more buttons and the computer zoomed in on that planet. They could all see that the planet was about half covered in water, it was about the same size as an average moon or an asteroid, and its landscape similar to Corneria's. The land was dotted with several large cities.
Red pointed out a specific city located on the equator and said, "That's where we need to go."
Slippy zoomed in on the city, "ROB, set the Great Fox's coordinates for that city."
ROB replied, "Affirmative, setting coordinates. Arrival time is in approximately 2 hours."
"Perfect!" said Red, "I'll set it up so that we have clearance to land there."
Everyone left the room and Slippy went back to the hangar so that he could document exactly what he needed for the repairs.
Red stopped in the middle of the hallway, pressed a button on his watch, and spoke into it, "This is Red, calling for the Commander."
A robotic voice answered back, "Red: authorization confirmed. I'm transferring your call to the Commander."
A few seconds passed and the Commander's voice came in, "Hello, Red. Are you having any problems?"
"No, sir, I just need someone to give the Great Fox clearance to land on that planet I visited last year."
"Well which one was that?"
"The BDC, sir."
"Oh, that place? Why do you want to go there again?"
"If it helps get the mission done, and if it's within your power, you're supposed to assist me."
"All, right. All, right. I was just asking, no need to be rude."
"Uh, sorry, I went through a lot yesterday."
"Okay, I'll transfer your request over to someone who can help you."
"I'm glad you could help," said Red.
The commander grumbled as he the gathered some data, which included the Great Fox II's specs and some legal info and transferred it over to the corresponding personnel. "Okay, that's all set. In a few minutes, you should get a call confirming your authorization to land."
"That's what I need to hear. Thanks, Commander." Red hung up the call.
His plan was in motion. The next step for him was to find his friend once they reached the planet. It wouldn't be too hard of a job; it's just another task that will benefit his team, he would think. Some might think that he's overworking himself right after recovering from the battle, but he rarely felt the need to settle down for too long during a mission.
It's just another task, he would think.