9 - The Ship

(A/N: SEE .org/wiki/Class_M_planet for Class definitions... yes, I'm relitively knowledgible as far as the original and next generation goes)

"Warning! Engine number two disabled during jump!" The computer's voice warned as Eli's gunship Jumped-Out, "unable to generate enough power to escape gravitational pull of planet!"

"Shit." It was a simple statement, that effectively condensed all of Eli's emotions into a single word. They had Jumped-Out into an unknown system, with an unknown planet pulling them in, and an unknown environment on the Class-Q planet below them. The only benifit in the situation, was that because of its current location in its orbit, the Class-Q planet was quite similar to a very warm Class-M; or at least it would stay that way for the next week or so as it slowly approached the point of it's orbit which brought it close enough to the sun to vaporize all liquid on the planet.

"Incoming!" The computer warned as it detected a micrometeor shower heading directly for the ship.

Eli gritted his teeth when he saw no way to avoid the shredding of his ship and punched out the protective glass encasing what he'd jokingly nicknamed the 'Oh Shit Handle', the Emergency Cabin Seal handle. As he grasped the yellow and black striped lever, he looked almost griefstriken as he looked at his insturment panel. "Godspeed, Computer. I pray that you survive."

"And you as well Eli."

Eli yanked down on the handle, causing hardened plate-steel to encase the cockpit and surrounding storage and work area. When he turned, he saw Samus standing at attention, saluting the place where Eli's insturment panel was on the other side of the reinforced metal. He grinned morbidly, feeling slightly less foolish about having shown concern for his NavCom's well-being. Eli instantly felt the need to use his hands, so he moved over to the wall where his suit was stored.

Silently watching, Samus once again began to feel useless. She moved across the table from the younger hunter, "need a hand with anything?"

Eli sighed as he pulled out his tools, "no."

Sensing that his 'no' might actually mean 'yes', Samus pressed "Are you sure? I'm pretty handy."

"No," Eli's tone was depressed and cynical as the sound of small high-velocity impacts began plinking against their protective shell, "you 'helped' enough today."

"Hey," Samus' tone was slightly comforting as she placed a pale hand on Eli's shoulder, "I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused you. Everything you've done for me is really appreciated."

Eli flicked a pair of tinted eye-guards to samus as he pulled a pair over his own eyes. He didn't say anything as he began fusing the holes from his battle with the security robot back when his life seemed much simpler.

"Eli..." Samus withdrew her hand. She'd never spent much time with people, but she'd never been so completely snubbed by somebody who'd already done so much for her. Rejection was a relatively new feeling for her, she'd dealt with it numerous times in a proffessional setting, but never in a personal one.

Eli looked up at Samus, looking at her squarely in the eye.

Neither of them even moved for nearly two whole minutes.

"Look," Eli finally broke the silence, sounding much closer to his normal self then before. He removed his goggles as he spoke

When he didn't complete the thought, Samus nodded sharply to show she was listening. It caused some of her white and black hair to shake loose.

Grappling for words, Eli Trace set his tools down and sat down against the wall. "As much as a lie as my mind thinks it is... I don't regret helping you at all. Ever since I heard of you, I've looked up to you. I've dremt of even just being in the same system at the same time, let alone anything as wild as we've already been through... I'm happy I got mixed up in this, I really am..." Eli couldn't really connect anything else yet.

"And I'm glad to have met you too," Samus suprised Eli by sitting next to him and saying such things. "If I hadn't rescued you, I'd be in the middle of a GF raid on one of the few remaining strongholds of the Space Pirates. I'm pretty sure they would just wait until they were sure they'd have the upperhand before I'd find myself under fire from both sides of the battle...Its also been a long time since I've had someone I could truthfully call my friend."

Eli blushed, although not entirely sure why. "Same for me."

Samus smiled honestly as she looked at Eli.

Eli blushed madly as he returned the smile, realizing that it was his crush on his heroine causing his reactions. He thought to himself, "get real. She's like ten years older than you are."

Samus tucked herself back into a corner, "I'm guessing from what I saw on the insturments that it'll still be over ten hours before the gravity pulls us all the way down to the surface." She wriggled and laid her head against the metal as she curled up into a ball. "I'll be asleep out of your way until we land."

"It'll be a bumpy landing, you want me to wake you as we approach the ground?"

"That'd be nice," Samus closed her red eyes, "Good night."

"g'night," Eli responed as he set back to work on his suit.

After five or so minutes, Samus heavy breathing, almost bordering on a soft snore, filled the space. Eli thought to himself for a second, then moved to a compartment on the wall. Opening it, he pulled out a blanket and a small pillow. He walked over to samus and as gently as he could, he covered her up and manuvered the pillow between the wall and her head. A slight smile crossed the womans face as she slipped further into sleep.