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Chapter 29: The Price of Time

The hangar echoed with the sounds of welding and tools clanking against metal as Amanda Holliday circled Wilt, her practiced eye cataloging each point of damage. Adam stood nearby, his expression growing grimmer with each note she made on her datapad. Blush hovered at his shoulder, her crimson eye scanning alongside Amanda.

"Well," Amanda said finally, lowering her pad and fixing Adam with a direct stare. "Want the bad news first, or the really bad news?"

"Just give it to me straight," Adam replied, his voice tight.

Amanda sighed, running a grease-stained hand through her hair. "Your engine core's shot. Not just damaged - we're talking complete molecular breakdown of the containment matrix. That alone is a week's work, minimum." She gestured to the scorched hull. "Then there's these hull breaches. The Hive energy that hit you? It didn't just punch holes - it corrupted the molecular structure of the plating. We'll have to fabricate completely new sections."

"How long?" Adam asked, though his tone suggested he already knew the answer wouldn't be good.

"Two weeks minimum," Amanda replied. "Probably closer to three if we want to do it right." She held up a hand before Adam could protest. "And before you say anything - yes, we have to do it right. I've seen what happens when people rush repairs after Hive damage. Trust me, you don't want to find out your hull's been compromised while you're in the middle of a firefight."

Blush bobbed in agreement. "She's right, Adam. The corruption readings I'm getting... they're not something we can patch over."

Amanda moved to the ship's nose, pointing out the scoring along the sensors. "Your nav system's completely fried too. Whatever you flew through out there? It scrambled the quantum positioning array. We'll have to rebuild it from scratch."

"Three weeks," Adam repeated, his jaw tight. "The trail could go cold by then."

"Better a cold trail than a dead Guardian," Amanda countered. "Look, I know you've got history with this ship. She's carried you through centuries of battles. But right now?" She slapped the hull, producing a hollow, worrying sound. "Right now she's one bad jump away from falling apart completely."

Adam's hand rested on Wilt's scarred plating, centuries of connection evident in the gentle touch. "Anything you can do to speed it up?"

"I'll put my best people on it," Amanda promised. "But some things can't be rushed. Those hull plates? They have to be grown in a quantum forge. The engine core needs time to stabilize after replacement. Cut corners now, and you might not live to regret it."

"And the vacuum seals?" Blush asked, scanning a particularly worrying section of the hull.

Amanda's expression turned even grimmer. "Completely shot. We'll have to replace the entire atmospheric containment system. The good news is, I might have some salvaged parts that'll work. The bad news?" She gestured to the complex network of tubes and cables visible through the breach. "It's all got to be calibrated perfectly, or you'll be breathing vacuum the first time you hit turbulence."

Adam absorbed this information in silence, his centuries of experience warring with his urgency to continue the mission. Finally, he nodded. "Do it right," he said quietly. "We've waited centuries. We can wait a few more weeks."

"That's the smartest thing you've said all day," Amanda replied with a faint smile. She turned back to her datapad, already calculating material requirements. "I'll have a full breakdown for you by tomorrow. In the meantime..." She fixed him with a stern look. "Try not to get shot by any more Hive while I'm fixing your ship?"

"No promises," Adam replied, the ghost of a smile touching his lips.

As they turned to leave, Amanda called after them: "Oh, and Adam? Next time you decide to fly through a Hive energy barrier? Maybe don't."

The hangar's sounds swallowed any response he might have made, but Blush's amused chuckle followed them out into the Tower proper. They had three weeks to plan their next move. The question was: what would they find when they finally returned to the hunt?

Adam found the others gathered in one of the Tower's meeting rooms, their expressions turning expectant as he entered. Ruby caught his grim look and straightened in her chair.

"That bad?" she asked.

"Three weeks," Adam replied, leaning against the wall. "The Hive energy did more damage than we thought. Amanda says the hull's molecularly corrupted."

Yang's fist hit the table in frustration. "Three weeks? The trail could go cold!"

"Better cold than dead," Blake observed quietly, her ears twitching as she studied Adam's posture. "Amanda wouldn't delay without reason."

Adam nodded, his pale blue eyes sweeping over the newer Guardians. "Which means we have time to prepare properly." He pushed off from the wall, his voice taking on the tone of a veteran instructor. "Tell me - what do you know about the Crucible?"

Weiss tilted her head. "Lord Shaxx's combat arena? I've heard other Guardians mention it."

"It's more than just an arena," Adam replied. His hand unconsciously touched the hilt of his sword as centuries of memory surfaced. "The Crucible is where Guardians learn to truly wield their Light. Real combat, against other Guardians, without the fear of final death."

"Wait," Yang interrupted, leaning forward with interest. "We can fight other Guardians? Actually test ourselves against them?"

A ghost of a smile touched Adam's lips. "Full contact. No holds barred. Your Ghost can resurrect you if you fall, letting you learn from every mistake." His expression grew more serious. "In the field, one mistake means death. In the Crucible, death is just another teaching tool."

Ruby's silver eyes lit with understanding. "You want to train them."

"They're strong," Adam acknowledged, looking at Yang, Blake, and Weiss. "But raw strength isn't enough against what we're facing. They need to learn how their Light works with others, how to coordinate abilities, how to adapt when everything goes wrong."

"And the Crucible teaches this?" Blake asked, her tactical mind already working through the implications.

"The Crucible teaches everything," Adam replied. "How to move, how to think, how to die and get back up. I've seen Guardians enter it barely able to summon their Light, and emerge as warriors worthy of legend." He paused, memories of his own early days flickering behind his eyes. "Ruby found me when I was new, helped shape me into something more. But it was the Crucible that taught me how to truly fight."

Penny, who had been quietly listening, spoke up. "Lord Shaxx still runs the advanced combat programs. The ones designed for fireteam coordination."

"The Iron Banner training grounds are active too," Pyrrha added. "Lord Saladin's methods are... intense, but effective."

"Three weeks," Adam said firmly. "Three weeks to turn raw potential into refined skill. To learn each other's strengths, to cover each other's weaknesses." He looked at each of the newer Guardians in turn. "The question is: are you willing to learn?"

Yang's grin was fierce. "When do we start?"

"Tomorrow," Adam replied. "First light. Shaxx has already agreed to oversee your initial matches." His lips curved in a slight smirk. "I hope you enjoy his commentary. He's... enthusiastic about proper combat technique."

"That's one way to put it," Ruby muttered, though her eyes sparkled with amusement. "I still remember his reaction to my first Crucible match. I think they heard him cheering in the City below."

"Just... be prepared," Pyrrha added with a small smile. "Shaxx takes the Crucible very seriously. Every victory will be celebrated like you've won a war. Every defeat will come with a detailed analysis of what you could have done better." She paused, her eyes twinkling. "Actually, he might remind you of Professor Port a bit - if Port had lived for centuries and really loved watching people punch each other."

That got a laugh from Yang and a groan from Weiss. "Oh no," Weiss said, "Please tell me he doesn't start every match with a story about his younger days..."

"Only most of them," Ruby replied with a grin. "Though unlike Port, Shaxx's stories usually end with him headbutting a Fallen Captain to death."

"And the pain?" Blake asked pragmatically. "You said we'd be actually fighting."

"Is very real," Adam confirmed. "Death in the Crucible feels exactly like death in the field. But that's the point. You learn to push through it, to fight even when everything hurts. Because out there?" He gestured toward the stars beyond the Tower's windows. "Out there, you might not get a second chance."

The room fell quiet as they absorbed this. Finally, Weiss stood, her Warlock's robes rustling with the movement. "Then we'd better make these three weeks count."

"Oh, they'll count," Adam assured her, pushing off from the wall. "By the time we're done, you'll either hate me or thank me. Probably both."

Yang cracked her knuckles, Solar Light flickering between her fingers. "Bring it on, old man. Let's see what you've got."

Adam's smile was sharp with centuries of experience. "Tomorrow, young light. Tomorrow you'll learn exactly what the Crucible can teach you."

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