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Hulled

Copyright © 2014 by Timberwoof Lupindo

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Timber slowly emerged from the airlock on the side of the ship, his armored space suit catching the distant sunlight. Carefully he climbed the pawholds on the ship's hull, the tether trailing behind him.

"Ops, EVA. I'm outside the ship and proceeding to the point of impact."

"EVA, Ops. Establish video feed."

By regulation, all communications on the ship's intercom system were preceded by a phrase identifying whom the message was intended for and then the person speaking. It was tedious but it avoided mistaken identity and purpose.

"Ops, EVA. Video feed aye," Timber said, and turned on the video camera in his helmet. It started sending images back to the bridge.

"Video feed confirmed."

"I can see the impact."

"Confirmed."

Timber crawled along the pawholds to the impact hole.

"Ops, EVA. I'm at the impact site. This looks like it's about 2 centimeters across. It's on the hold as we thought. I'm going to stuff an expanding plug in it first, then weld a patch on the outside."

"EVA, Ops. Confirmed."

Timber retrieved a small sealant tube from his toolkit. He poked it into the hole as far as it would go, then pressed the actuator button on the end. It expanded to fill the cavity left by the meteor.

"Ops, that's expanded nicely. You could start to re-pressurize the compartment. I'll weld a patch on it from out here."

"EVA, we'll wait for you to finish your weld."

"Aye."

Timber sliced off the end of the expanding sealer and watched it float away. He stuck a domed patch in place over it. He fired up the welder and tack-welded the patch in four places. His visor automatically adjusted its opacity shield him from the bright light. Carefully he welded the patch all around its edge. It looked like a dimple on the surface of the ship ... one more battle scar that this ship had acquired in its long life.

"Ops, EVA. I've completed the weld and it's ready for inspection."

"EVA, Ops. Aye. We're all checking it here. Just move slowly around it, let us get a good look."

"That's some nice work there, Timber."

"Thanks."

"Okay, call that one done. Do a visual inspection of what you can see and head back inside."

"Visual inspection, then return aye."

Timber set the safety on his welder and stowed it on his tool belt. Planting himself with magnetic boots he stood up on the hull of the ship and surveyed the immediate area. He saw no more impacts.

"Ops, EVA. Ship's hull looks good here."

Something caught his attention overhead.

"What the... Helm, accelerate hard to port now!" Timber braced himself against the pawholds and waited for the acceleration.

"EVA, Bridge. Report."

"Incoming meteor. Hard to port. Now! Do it!"

"EVA, this is the commander. I'm in command of the ship--"

Timber saw the meteor strike the ship right through the center, then felt the ship shudder under him. He saw the hole emit dust and gas. His heart pounded as he issued the call.

"--And I issue maneuvering orders. What was that?"

"Rec room, EVA. Get in your trunks now! No time to explain!"

"All hands, Rec room. We've been hulled. All hands, emergency. We've been hulled. Get in your survival trunks now!"

Timber was relieved to hear that someone survived that. He held onto a handgrip and considered what to do next.

"Rec room, this is the commander. Report."

There was silence.

"Bridge, EVA. They're probably busy getting into their vacuum trunks. Or dying. You better get in one too, based on the size of what I saw hit us."

"EVA, commander. Why didn't you report it?"

"Bridge, EVA. I did report it, Tarkel. You better get in a vacuum trunk."

"EVA, commander. I'm in command here. I make the decisions."

"Bridge, Ops. He's right. Tarkel, get your ass into a vacuum trunk. You can tell us what to do from inside."

"Ops, I don't have to get into a trunk."

"Bridge, Ops. That's right, Tarkel, and you don't have to breathe either. Look, dumbass, the ship is leaking air and you don't have time to argue this. You know the drill. Get in or die."

"Okay. I'm in. But you better come get me."

Tiber had had enough of Prince Tarkel's whining.

"Tarkel, shut up. All hands, EVA. Cut the chatter. I need status reports. Start at the bridge and work your way back. Ranking officer in each compartment, tell me how many you know are safe."

"Bridge here. Pilot speaking. Three are locked in tight. All accounted for. Even His Highness."

"Ops here. Everyone's in a trunk. That's four."

"Galley here. Cook and cook's mate are safe and sound. Dinner's ruined. Thanks for the warning."

"Day room. All six of us got in trunks. There's a hole in the ceiling and in the floor."

"Bunk room. All four of us are sealed in. Some of us awoke with our sleeping pods locked. Care to let us in on what happened?"

"All hands, EVA. This is Timberwoof. I'm in an armored suit on the outside of the ship. I was sealing a minor meteor strike when the ship got hulled. By the size of it we took a pretty major hit. Thank goodness it missed everyone. Including myself I count twenty. Everyone is accounted for. Is anyone else in a space suit? Please report."

Timber waited for responses. He took a breath and thought of all the things he would have to say and do.

"I'm the only one in a suit. I'm taking command of this ship. All hands, stay in your pods. I will assess the damage and try to repair it and establish safe environment throughout the ship. I will keep you posted. Meanwhile, stay in your pods and keep calm."

As if they had any place else they could go. The whole ship was soon to be in vacuum.

"EVA, Bridge. Tarkel here. Who says you can take command of the ship just like that?"

"Bridge, EVA. Practicality dictates it. I'm the only one who can actually do anything. Ops, of you've got your datapad with you, get the ship to close off all the air supplies. If you don't, then coordinate with someone who can. I'm busy out here."

"EVA, Bridge. You're relieved of command. I order you to come to the bridge first and rescue us."

"Bridge, Galley. Tarkel, Your Highness, as soon as Timber secures the galley, I'll fix you a nice cup of shut the fuck up."

"All hands, Ops. This isn't helping. Timber, we're all good. Nobody's in distress; we can manage our own problems. Timber's gonna search the ship stern to stem, then report. The rest of us can follow along on our datapads. Galley, I'm gonna have some of that shut the fuck up now. Ops out."

"All hands, EVA. I'm at the outer impact now. Fuck all, that's big. I'm gonna stick two expanding sealers in here and hope it holds, then weld this. But I bet there's another hole on the far side."

"EVA, Bridge, stop--"

Timber cut off his radio receiver. The hole was too big for just one sealer, so he got two expanding sealers from his kit and stuck then in it. The escaping air tried to blow them out. He growled a bit, as he hated working with sticky tape in spacesuit gloves. He retrieved the sealers and jammed them into a nearby pawhold. From his toolkit he got the roll of sticky tape. He pulled off half a tail-length and tore it crosswise, then stuck the two sealers to it in the middle. This he maneuvered into the hole, then pressed the tape down to hold them in place. He pressed the buttons on the ends of the sealers and the expanded to fill the hole.

Timber turned the radio on.

"--Report you for failure to communicate."

"All hands, EVA. I've placed two sealers in the hole. I had to use some sticky tape; there was still air blowing out from there. It looks like it's holding. I'm going to try to weld this. Tarkel, I've got work to do. I can do the work or I can listen to you yammering. What do you want me to do?"

"EVA, bridge. Continue your work. Timber, I used the override and cut off his transmissions."

"Damn, he's gonna pissed off when I let him out."

"Take your time, Timber."

"Right. I'm welding it now."

Timber sorted through the toolkit for the largest patch.

"Damn. All hands, EVA. This hole is bigger than the biggest patch I've got. I can try to fit three patches on it, but what this wants is a bigger tool kit. I need to find the other hole and seal that up. Then I need to figure how to get more of us into suits."

"EVA, ops. I concur, Timber. How's your air?"

"Um. Checking. Ops, EVA. I've got enough air to find that other hole, patch it, and get back into the airlock. Barely. Then I'll have to recharge this suit."

"EVA, Ops. Negative. Go back to the barn and recharge first. If you cut it too close ... "

"Ops, EVA. I understand. I'm going back in. ... I'm approaching the airlock now."

Timber climbed into the airlock and closed the outer door. He sealed it, verified the seal, and opened the inner door.

"All hands, EVA. I'm cycling the airlock. Not that it matters: There's no air in the ship. Everyone sit tight."

Timber climbed down out of the airlock, then closed the inner door behind him and checked the seal.

Emergency lights were on in the suit locker. He checked the other suits: they were all in good repair and had full stores. Since the suit locker room had an airlock, it also had a bulkhead door capable of holding against a vacuum. He checked this door: it sealed.

"All hands, EVA. The suit locker is in good shape. We've got five more syits. Whatever else I find, if I can get you in here, you'll be good to go."

"EVA, Ops. Thanks, Timber. Where to next?"

"Bunk room."

"EVA, Bunk room. Garuff Here. Timber, I got a good look at the bunk room before I got in my trunk. We're in good shape. You can skip the inspection here if it will help speed you up."

"Bunk Room, EVA. You're on my way and it's no trouble at all for me to check you out."

Timber opened the hatch from the EVA room to the adjoining corridor. He entered the first compartment, the bunk room. He shone his lights on all the sleeping pods. Four were occupied.

"Hey, Garuff. Everyone in here okay?"

"Yeah, pretty much." Garuff turned his head across the way to the pod on the other side of the room. Timber looked. It was Fox Raskor. He was shivering.

"Fox, it's Timber. How are you doing?"

Timber adjusted his communications radio.

"Private channel, Fox. What's going on?"

"I'm scared."

"That's okay. I'm scared too. Everyone is. Are you warm enough? Your pod has power and air. Get comfy. Take a nap. We'll get through this."

Timber reached his arm out and placed it on the transparent surface of the pod.

Fox put his paw up against the window.

"Take care, Fox. I'll be back to check on you."

"Thanks, Timber."

Timber set his radio back.

"--The fuck is he?"

"Ops, EVA. Timber here. I had something important to tell someone."

"EVA, Ops. Give us a status report, please."

"Ops, the bunk room is secure. The pods are all in working condition. I'm headed for the rec room."

"EVA, Ops. Acknowledged."

Timber went through the other bulkhead door to the rec room. It was a mess. Debris from the impact had made holes in some of the furniture; they were lucky no one was sitting there when it happened. The exit hole was about where Timber had expected it ... and larger than the entry hole. A couch mattress had wedged itself against it and was slowing the air escape, but would not hold for long.

He scanned the room's survival trunks.

"EVA, rec room. Timber here. How's everyone doing?"

"We're all good, Timber. What's the news?"

"Bad news. The hole is bigger than I can seal up with anything we've got on the ship. There's a couch pad blocking it, but I do not want to remove it. Air out here is too thin; you'd pass out before you got into a suit. You guys are going to have to wait."

"Thanks, Timber. We've got movies and textbooks and shit. We're all good."

"All hands, EVA. You probably heard that. I can't fix the hole. We've got limited space suits and I need to recharge mine. We've got a critical orbital burn ahead that we need a bridge crew for. I can bring suits to ops and to the bunk room, seal you in, and get you air for enough time for you to suit up. But it's gotta be long-term wear. We can't pressurize the ship for long. Alternate ideas?"

"EVA, ops. Can we make the supply depot?"

"I don't know. Can we?"

"EVA, Nav. I'm on it."

"Ops, EVA. Okay. I'm heading back to the EVA room to recharge my suit and take care of some shit."

"Timber, something tells me you were being literal."

"Yeah. I didn't figure on this being an extended EVA mission so I didn't plug in. I think there's enough air for me to take care of stuff in the EVA room and get suited up again."

"All hands, Ops. If you haven't thought of this already, you should set yourself up for an extended stay. Diapers or plugs, your choice. Your trunks and bunks should have the supplies you need. But you have to do this yourselves. No crew chief to lube it up for you."

"Ops, EVA. While Nav is working the revised flight plan, draw up a roster of who gets a suit."

"EVA, Ops. I'm on it."

"Galley, EVA. Status report, please."

"We're good in here, Timber. Everything's off. There's nothing we can do to help anyway. We'll clean up when we get to port."

Timber took a final tour of the rec room. He stopped at each of the occupied survival trunks to check on its occupant. He put his gloved paw on the window, and the occupant inside put his paw up on the inside. He glanced at the bio-signs readout. The wordless exchange helped the woof relax. He nodded in his helmet. I'll come back for you, he thought.

Timber left the rec room through the corridor back to the EVA room. There he sealed all the doors and pressurized the compartment. When the pressure reached a level he could survive in--a high mountaintop on Woofheim--he unsealed his suit at the waist, then did his business on the toilet.

In the suit locker he found the parts that he hadn't used: a plug and a sheath. He lubed up the plug and worked it into his tailhole. When it was properly positioned he attached it to the receiver hose in his suit. He slid the sheath onto his cock and plugged that into its receiver, then pulled his armored space suit pants back on. He took one last opportunity to make sure everything was right, then sealed up the suit.

Timber opened a panel on the belly of his suit. From a panel on the wall of the EVA room he extended a cable; this he plugged into the receptacle inside the panel. Lights came on to confirm the connection. His suit battery was recharging; breathing gases and water were replenished and exchanged.

"Ops, EVA. I'm all plugged in to this suit now. I'm recharging it. If you don't mind I'm going to take a nap now."

"EVA, Ops. Confirmed. Sleep well. We'll wake you when we have the nav solution."

Timber lay down on the floor of the EVA room and closed his eyes. He tried to ignore the sounds of the mechanisms in the suit, all the whirrs and clicks as he breathed. He tried to get used to the plug in his ass; he'd have to put up with that for at least a week. But the ship was secure--as secure as it would get--and everybody was alive. Some were scared ... Timber was scared. Could they make it to the depot? He drifted off to an uneasy sleep.