Fic: Putting It Back Together Again - Torchwood - PG 13 (6/7)
Author: Book_Junkie007
Pairing: Ianto/Gwen, Tosh/OMC, team
Rating: PG 13
Wordcount: 2594 words
Warnings: Set between End of Days and Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang.
Notes:
It took a village to write this fic, so thanks goes out to:
- karaokegal and veritas6.5 for being absolutely fabulous betas
- @kaddison_ on Twitter for sharing her experiences in Nepal and making sure I had Kathmandu accurate
- @CCTerry_ for listening to my rants and giving me feedback on scenes I wasn't sure about
- @AsphyxiaPallida for cheering me on
- @Miss_T2011 for reading things over, giving me feed back, and cheering me on
- My boyfriend for helping me figure out machinery, which I'm useless at
- Everyone on Twitter, LJ, and in real life who have put up with me babbling about this fic for the last six months. I love you all. <3
Disclaimer: I don't own Torchwood as I am Canadian. I kind of live in the wrong country. :P
Summary: Sequel to It All Falls Apart
Set during the four months between End of Days and Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang. The team is still coming to terms with Jack's abandonment, while Gwen, the new head of Torchwood, is also dealing with the fact that Rhys is truly gone. The Prime Minister's phone call to the remaining members of the team takes them, along with Benjamin Stratford, a new recruit, to the mysterious Himalaya to see if the Yeti is real, and if it needs their help getting home.
Master List
Toshiko opened her eyes and thought about the alien activity she had detected the day before. After two weeks of hiking with the team, they had finally found traces of alien activity, though she had almost acquired acute mountain sickness. She was ecstatic, because it meant there were new things to learn and problems to solve. She considered the best way to find the Yeti as she drank the spicy tea, which was starting to grow on her, and got herself dressed for the day.
She took a notebook with her to breakfast, and started writing down ideas. She looked up from her notebook when she felt someone sit beside her. It was Benjamin.
“All right?” he asked. “What are we doing today?”
“Fine, thanks. Still trying to figure out the best way to find stronger traces of alien activity. I’m going to have to talk it through with Gwen.”
“Ah, I see.”
They sat in comfortable silence until the others joined them and breakfast was served. Toshiko waited until everyone was done before trying to catch Gwen’s attention.
“Yes, Toshiko?” Gwen asked.
“I’ve been thinking about the best way to find the Yeti and I have a few ideas.”
“What are they?”
“I’m thinking that if each member of the team trek to specified points and take readings, I’ll be able to create a map which should show us the most probable location of the Yeti. We’ll then be able to go from there.”
Toshiko watched as Gwen appeared to be turning her suggestion over in her mind, looking for problems which may arise. “Excellent. Good job, Tosh.”
Toshiko grinned and began to work out with the others who would trek in which directions to take readings. It was decided that the team would trek in pairs to check the readings and then let Toshiko know, so she could plot the next location.
The next two days were full of recording readings and marking locations on maps. Toshiko fell into the rhythm of looking on the map for patterns, which she found soothing. After lunch on the second day of seeking for patterns, she felt someone standing beside her and looked up to see Benjamin, again, shifting from foot to foot. He looked confused about something, but appeared to have made up his mind.
~TW~TW~TW~TW~TW~
Benjamin was feeling nervous. He wanted to ask Toshiko if she would like to share a sleeping bag with him, but the more he thought about it, the less likely he thought it could work. It wasn’t just sharing a sleeping bag, there were problems such as trying to figure out in which tent they would sleep, what the others would say, and sorting out how it would work in the morning. It wasn’t worth it, he decided. It was best to ask her out for coffee once they returned to Cardiff.
~TW~TW~TW~TW~TW~
“Hey, Tosh?” Benjamin asked.
“Yes, Ben?” Toshiko answered, slightly distracted by trying to sort the pattern on the map in front of her.
“Can I sit...?” Benjamin sat down beside Toshiko when she nodded. “How’s it going so far?”
“Well, I think. Still haven’t quite figured out the pattern, but it’s getting clearer.”
“Can I help?”
“Sure.”
Together they plotted and bounced ideas of patterns off of each other. Toshiko began to relax and laugh a bit while she worked, which usually didn’t happen. She found she liked the feeling of it. When Gwen and Ianto came back with their readings, Toshiko began to feel confident that they actually would find the Yeti. It wasn’t so far away, only a few hours hike, and they could trek back easily if need be.
After supper Toshiko presented her findings and revealed the approximate location of the Yeti to the group and ideas were discussed on how they were going to approach it.
“Benjamin and I think we have found the Yeti.” Tosh spread the marked up map on the dirt near Gwen, while Ianto and Owen came around to get a better look. “It’s either here or very close to here,” she pointed.
“How far of a trek is that?” Gwen asked, trying to figure out the distance markings Toshiko had written on the map.
“Not far, just an hour or so. If we get up early, it’s an easy trek there then we can sit and wait for it to appear to take additional readings. I’ll be able to load the information onto our database and try to figure out a way of communicating with it.”
“All right. Tosh, you should go, and you should take someone with you. I don’t want you to run into trouble and not have someone available to help. The others will be further behind for backup.”
Toshiko nodded. “Would I be able to take Ben with me? He helped me with the patterns, and it would be a good way to show him more of the work Torchwood does.
“That’s fine,” Gwen agreed. “Ben, are you okay with accompanying Tosh?”
“Yes,” Ben nodded.
“Excellent. Owen, Ianto, and I are backup then,” Gwen said.
Toshiko went to bed with a smile on her face.
Toshiko woke up the next morning and was excited about the work for today. This was it, the reason why they had trekked for two weeks in uncomfortable conditions, the same food every day, twice a day, and improper loos. Once they helped this alien, they could go back to the comforts of Cardiff. Toshiko was looking forward to it. She’d enjoyed her time in Nepal, but now she wanted to spend time in her own bed.
Toshiko and Benjamin hiked side by side to the coordinates extrapolated from the readings. Gwen, Ianto, and Owen were behind them for backup in case something went wrong, although Toshiko hoped that wouldn’t be the case. She found a spot amongst the coarse shrubs and made herself comfortable, Benjamin beside her, waiting for the Yeti.
After a few hours, the creature came into view. Toshiko gasped. It was a large, humanoid-like mammal, it was taller than she had expected, and it looked like all the descriptions collected from the internet and the people at Rum Doodle were true.
“Is this it?” Toshiko heard Benjamin ask, very softly in her ear.
“Yes,” she murmured back, and got out her scanner as quietly as possible to begin recording.
They spent several hours observing the Yeti and recording its actions. It was a large, humanoid creature, several feet tall, with shaggy cream hair all over its body. It moved more gracefully than Toshiko was expecting, picking needles off of trees, and smaller branches. The sounds it made were quiet grunts, but Toshiko thought that was because of the work it was doing, not because that was how it communicated. When it finally moved off to another spot, Toshiko let out a quiet sigh. They could return back to base camp and eat. She nudged Benjamin to stand, and together they hiked back, meeting up with Gwen, Ianto, and Owen along the way.
After supper, plans for approaching the Yeti were discussed.
“Even if we don’t spook it, we can’t communicate with it,” Owen pointed out. “I don’t think it speaks English, or even Nepali, even if it has lived on earth for fifty years. Not much of a chance to learn from your surroundings, when people think you’re a mythical creature, or when the native language is Nepalese.”
“Using the readings I received, I can create a specialised communication device. I brought a generic translator along for just this purpose,” she reassured him.
“Thanks, Tosh,” Gwen said.
The next day was spent modifying the translator to the specifications of the creature. Because the creature was a humanoid, Toshiko went through the Torchwood database and found possible ways for how it communicated. Using that information, she extrapolated a possible way the alien would speak, and put the translation settings to colloquial UK speech, so it could be easily understood. Toshiko quietly worked on it all day, only stopping for lunch and the mugs of tea that Benjamin brought her. By suppertime the translator was ready, and she showed it to Gwen after they had finished their meals.
“Are you sure it works?” Gwen asked, turning the machine over to look at it.
“Yes, I’m sure,” Toshiko said. “I modified it so we’ll be able to understand the alien easily, and it will be able to take the language it’s using and translate it into English.” Toshiko continued to explain more about the device.
Gwen appeared to be listening patiently and at the end of Toshiko’s discussion, she smiled. “Thanks, Tosh. How do you propose we get close enough to the Yeti to communicate with it?”
Toshiko thought for a moment. If they went in with firearms, it might attack, but if they didn’t take guns, they could be killed before there was a chance to react. A small group to start with would be best.
“I think there should be two of us making initial contact with the Yeti, and I think it should be Benjamin and I. We were closest to it when taking the recordings, so it may recognise us as friendly. Gwen, if you, Owen, and Ianto could stay well back until we call you, that would be great, thanks.”
Gwen was silent for a few moments, presumably turning everything over in her mind. “That will work,” she said finally. “Just let us know as soon as you run into trouble.”
“Thanks, Gwen.”
The next morning found Toshiko and Benjamin sitting quietly at the spot they had been in just a couple of days before, waiting for an appearance of the Yeti. Just before noon, the large, humanoid creature came into the clearing and sat down on a large rock. Toshiko quietly got up and headed toward the alien. She moved quietly, slowly, not wanting to spook it. She felt her heart race a bit more, and it reminded her of why she had taken a job with Torchwood in the first place. Part of it was because she didn’t want to be locked up forever, but a bigger part was because she wanted to see the world and learn from it. She received a thrill from meeting new aliens, learning about them, and even if they weren’t all good (Mary came to mind), they at least reminded her of her humanity and the fragility of life. She stood quietly in front of the Yeti, but out of arm’s reach, and waited for it to notice her. When it saw her, it startled as if it were going to run away. Toshiko quickly typed into the translator.
“Hello, I’m Toshiko Sato of Torchwood Three. We mean you no harm, we just would like to help you.”
The Yeti began to speak, not in grunts or screeches, as Toshiko had expected, but in a language which almost sounded like Nepali. Toshiko watched as the translator quickly spelled out in English what the Yeti was saying.
“I am Baxu. Why do you think I need help?”
“Hello, Baxu. I think you need help because you aren’t meant to be here. Earth isn’t your home and we have come here to help you find a way to get home.”
Toshiko watched as the Yeti seemed to study her out of its clear blue eyes. Probably trying to decide whether it can trust me, Toshiko thought.
Finally it nodded. “Very well, come along. Is this all of your group?” he asked, nodding to Toshiko and a bit behind her, where she assumed Benjamin was.
“No, there’s three more, including our leader and her second-in-command.”
“Ask them to come along too.”
Toshiko turned around and softly called for Owen, Ianto, and Gwen, and watched while they came into the clearing, guns pointing down, but still available if need be.
“Hello,” Gwen said, as Toshiko typed it into the translator. “I’m Gwen Cooper, commander of Torchwood Three. This is Benjamin Stratford, Owen Harper, and Ianto Jones. What’s your name?”
“I’m Baxu. Will you really help me?”
“We can try. It’s what we do. Why can’t you go home?”
“There’s something wrong with my traveling ship. Can you fix it? I can’t,” Baxu shook its head sadly.
“Tosh is a genius with machines, she can fix it,” Gwen reassured Baxu. “Where is your ship?”
“This way,” Baxu said, and began to walk, expecting them to follow.
Toshiko looked at Gwen, who nodded, and the whole group began to follow the alien.
After a bit of walking, they came across a ship-like metal shape. It was smaller than Toshiko had been expecting, with an odd grey-green metal hull. It looked to be big enough for only one person, with strange thrusters and fins. It didn’t seem like a space ship, rather a small personal aeroplane. Toshiko would like to take a closer look at it, and had a feeling she would be able to examine it further in the next couple days.
“This is your ship?” Toshiko asked Baxu who nodded. “Can I touch it?” She watched as Baxu nodded again.
Toshiko walked slowly around the metal ship, running her hands over the smooth surface wherever she could reach, and checking it for any damage. She also took out another scanner, and recorded readings of the outer skin of the ship.
The scanner beeped and she looked at the results. “The outside is travel worthy,” she reported, “so whatever’s wrong is inside. May I take a look inside?” she addressed Baxu.
“Look as you will,” Baxu responded. “I would like to go home. I’ve been on this planet for far too long.”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
Toshiko ran scans over everything inside. It seemed to be rather comfortable, more so than she had expected. There was a beep when she ran it over the flight panel.
“Got it!” she called as she looked at the read out. “There’s some broken wiring.”
“Can you fix it?” Toshiko looked over and saw Gwen beside her.
“Should be able to. We brought all that equipment along for a reason.”
“Okay, good. You’ll let Baxu know?”
“Yes.”
“Thanks, Tosh.”
After explaining to Baxu what was wrong with its space ship and assuring it that she could probably fix it, Toshiko and the rest of the team hiked back to base camp. They promised to come back the next day and help.
Toshiko spent the next two days fiddling with the alien wiring and mending broken connections, with Benjamin helping her. After everything was tested, and Baxu was reassured that the repairs would make it possible for it to get back to its home planet.
Toshiko stood with the rest of the team at a distance from the space ship and watched as Baxu climbed into the cockpit of his ship. It appeared to be fiddling with dials and adjusting things to its satisfaction. It turned the engine over and Toshiko listened with satisfaction as the engine hummed. She had had no doubt the engine would work, and she had fixed the wiring so an occurrence of Baxu crash landing wouldn’t occur again for a long time.
Baxu appeared to give some sort of shake of his head, and the ship began to lift off. Toshiko watched as the ship exited the atmosphere then turned away, following the rest of the group.
Toshiko hiked back to base camp with a spring in her step: tomorrow they would be able to hike back down the mountain and go home.
Section 7
Pairing: Ianto/Gwen, Tosh/OMC, team
Rating: PG 13
Wordcount: 2594 words
Warnings: Set between End of Days and Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang.
Notes:
It took a village to write this fic, so thanks goes out to:
- karaokegal and veritas6.5 for being absolutely fabulous betas
- @kaddison_ on Twitter for sharing her experiences in Nepal and making sure I had Kathmandu accurate
- @CCTerry_ for listening to my rants and giving me feedback on scenes I wasn't sure about
- @AsphyxiaPallida for cheering me on
- @Miss_T2011 for reading things over, giving me feed back, and cheering me on
- My boyfriend for helping me figure out machinery, which I'm useless at
- Everyone on Twitter, LJ, and in real life who have put up with me babbling about this fic for the last six months. I love you all. <3
Disclaimer: I don't own Torchwood as I am Canadian. I kind of live in the wrong country. :P
Summary: Sequel to It All Falls Apart
Set during the four months between End of Days and Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang. The team is still coming to terms with Jack's abandonment, while Gwen, the new head of Torchwood, is also dealing with the fact that Rhys is truly gone. The Prime Minister's phone call to the remaining members of the team takes them, along with Benjamin Stratford, a new recruit, to the mysterious Himalaya to see if the Yeti is real, and if it needs their help getting home.
Master List
Toshiko opened her eyes and thought about the alien activity she had detected the day before. After two weeks of hiking with the team, they had finally found traces of alien activity, though she had almost acquired acute mountain sickness. She was ecstatic, because it meant there were new things to learn and problems to solve. She considered the best way to find the Yeti as she drank the spicy tea, which was starting to grow on her, and got herself dressed for the day.
She took a notebook with her to breakfast, and started writing down ideas. She looked up from her notebook when she felt someone sit beside her. It was Benjamin.
“All right?” he asked. “What are we doing today?”
“Fine, thanks. Still trying to figure out the best way to find stronger traces of alien activity. I’m going to have to talk it through with Gwen.”
“Ah, I see.”
They sat in comfortable silence until the others joined them and breakfast was served. Toshiko waited until everyone was done before trying to catch Gwen’s attention.
“Yes, Toshiko?” Gwen asked.
“I’ve been thinking about the best way to find the Yeti and I have a few ideas.”
“What are they?”
“I’m thinking that if each member of the team trek to specified points and take readings, I’ll be able to create a map which should show us the most probable location of the Yeti. We’ll then be able to go from there.”
Toshiko watched as Gwen appeared to be turning her suggestion over in her mind, looking for problems which may arise. “Excellent. Good job, Tosh.”
Toshiko grinned and began to work out with the others who would trek in which directions to take readings. It was decided that the team would trek in pairs to check the readings and then let Toshiko know, so she could plot the next location.
The next two days were full of recording readings and marking locations on maps. Toshiko fell into the rhythm of looking on the map for patterns, which she found soothing. After lunch on the second day of seeking for patterns, she felt someone standing beside her and looked up to see Benjamin, again, shifting from foot to foot. He looked confused about something, but appeared to have made up his mind.
~TW~TW~TW~TW~TW~
Benjamin was feeling nervous. He wanted to ask Toshiko if she would like to share a sleeping bag with him, but the more he thought about it, the less likely he thought it could work. It wasn’t just sharing a sleeping bag, there were problems such as trying to figure out in which tent they would sleep, what the others would say, and sorting out how it would work in the morning. It wasn’t worth it, he decided. It was best to ask her out for coffee once they returned to Cardiff.
~TW~TW~TW~TW~TW~
“Hey, Tosh?” Benjamin asked.
“Yes, Ben?” Toshiko answered, slightly distracted by trying to sort the pattern on the map in front of her.
“Can I sit...?” Benjamin sat down beside Toshiko when she nodded. “How’s it going so far?”
“Well, I think. Still haven’t quite figured out the pattern, but it’s getting clearer.”
“Can I help?”
“Sure.”
Together they plotted and bounced ideas of patterns off of each other. Toshiko began to relax and laugh a bit while she worked, which usually didn’t happen. She found she liked the feeling of it. When Gwen and Ianto came back with their readings, Toshiko began to feel confident that they actually would find the Yeti. It wasn’t so far away, only a few hours hike, and they could trek back easily if need be.
After supper Toshiko presented her findings and revealed the approximate location of the Yeti to the group and ideas were discussed on how they were going to approach it.
“Benjamin and I think we have found the Yeti.” Tosh spread the marked up map on the dirt near Gwen, while Ianto and Owen came around to get a better look. “It’s either here or very close to here,” she pointed.
“How far of a trek is that?” Gwen asked, trying to figure out the distance markings Toshiko had written on the map.
“Not far, just an hour or so. If we get up early, it’s an easy trek there then we can sit and wait for it to appear to take additional readings. I’ll be able to load the information onto our database and try to figure out a way of communicating with it.”
“All right. Tosh, you should go, and you should take someone with you. I don’t want you to run into trouble and not have someone available to help. The others will be further behind for backup.”
Toshiko nodded. “Would I be able to take Ben with me? He helped me with the patterns, and it would be a good way to show him more of the work Torchwood does.
“That’s fine,” Gwen agreed. “Ben, are you okay with accompanying Tosh?”
“Yes,” Ben nodded.
“Excellent. Owen, Ianto, and I are backup then,” Gwen said.
Toshiko went to bed with a smile on her face.
Toshiko woke up the next morning and was excited about the work for today. This was it, the reason why they had trekked for two weeks in uncomfortable conditions, the same food every day, twice a day, and improper loos. Once they helped this alien, they could go back to the comforts of Cardiff. Toshiko was looking forward to it. She’d enjoyed her time in Nepal, but now she wanted to spend time in her own bed.
Toshiko and Benjamin hiked side by side to the coordinates extrapolated from the readings. Gwen, Ianto, and Owen were behind them for backup in case something went wrong, although Toshiko hoped that wouldn’t be the case. She found a spot amongst the coarse shrubs and made herself comfortable, Benjamin beside her, waiting for the Yeti.
After a few hours, the creature came into view. Toshiko gasped. It was a large, humanoid-like mammal, it was taller than she had expected, and it looked like all the descriptions collected from the internet and the people at Rum Doodle were true.
“Is this it?” Toshiko heard Benjamin ask, very softly in her ear.
“Yes,” she murmured back, and got out her scanner as quietly as possible to begin recording.
They spent several hours observing the Yeti and recording its actions. It was a large, humanoid creature, several feet tall, with shaggy cream hair all over its body. It moved more gracefully than Toshiko was expecting, picking needles off of trees, and smaller branches. The sounds it made were quiet grunts, but Toshiko thought that was because of the work it was doing, not because that was how it communicated. When it finally moved off to another spot, Toshiko let out a quiet sigh. They could return back to base camp and eat. She nudged Benjamin to stand, and together they hiked back, meeting up with Gwen, Ianto, and Owen along the way.
After supper, plans for approaching the Yeti were discussed.
“Even if we don’t spook it, we can’t communicate with it,” Owen pointed out. “I don’t think it speaks English, or even Nepali, even if it has lived on earth for fifty years. Not much of a chance to learn from your surroundings, when people think you’re a mythical creature, or when the native language is Nepalese.”
“Using the readings I received, I can create a specialised communication device. I brought a generic translator along for just this purpose,” she reassured him.
“Thanks, Tosh,” Gwen said.
The next day was spent modifying the translator to the specifications of the creature. Because the creature was a humanoid, Toshiko went through the Torchwood database and found possible ways for how it communicated. Using that information, she extrapolated a possible way the alien would speak, and put the translation settings to colloquial UK speech, so it could be easily understood. Toshiko quietly worked on it all day, only stopping for lunch and the mugs of tea that Benjamin brought her. By suppertime the translator was ready, and she showed it to Gwen after they had finished their meals.
“Are you sure it works?” Gwen asked, turning the machine over to look at it.
“Yes, I’m sure,” Toshiko said. “I modified it so we’ll be able to understand the alien easily, and it will be able to take the language it’s using and translate it into English.” Toshiko continued to explain more about the device.
Gwen appeared to be listening patiently and at the end of Toshiko’s discussion, she smiled. “Thanks, Tosh. How do you propose we get close enough to the Yeti to communicate with it?”
Toshiko thought for a moment. If they went in with firearms, it might attack, but if they didn’t take guns, they could be killed before there was a chance to react. A small group to start with would be best.
“I think there should be two of us making initial contact with the Yeti, and I think it should be Benjamin and I. We were closest to it when taking the recordings, so it may recognise us as friendly. Gwen, if you, Owen, and Ianto could stay well back until we call you, that would be great, thanks.”
Gwen was silent for a few moments, presumably turning everything over in her mind. “That will work,” she said finally. “Just let us know as soon as you run into trouble.”
“Thanks, Gwen.”
The next morning found Toshiko and Benjamin sitting quietly at the spot they had been in just a couple of days before, waiting for an appearance of the Yeti. Just before noon, the large, humanoid creature came into the clearing and sat down on a large rock. Toshiko quietly got up and headed toward the alien. She moved quietly, slowly, not wanting to spook it. She felt her heart race a bit more, and it reminded her of why she had taken a job with Torchwood in the first place. Part of it was because she didn’t want to be locked up forever, but a bigger part was because she wanted to see the world and learn from it. She received a thrill from meeting new aliens, learning about them, and even if they weren’t all good (Mary came to mind), they at least reminded her of her humanity and the fragility of life. She stood quietly in front of the Yeti, but out of arm’s reach, and waited for it to notice her. When it saw her, it startled as if it were going to run away. Toshiko quickly typed into the translator.
“Hello, I’m Toshiko Sato of Torchwood Three. We mean you no harm, we just would like to help you.”
The Yeti began to speak, not in grunts or screeches, as Toshiko had expected, but in a language which almost sounded like Nepali. Toshiko watched as the translator quickly spelled out in English what the Yeti was saying.
“I am Baxu. Why do you think I need help?”
“Hello, Baxu. I think you need help because you aren’t meant to be here. Earth isn’t your home and we have come here to help you find a way to get home.”
Toshiko watched as the Yeti seemed to study her out of its clear blue eyes. Probably trying to decide whether it can trust me, Toshiko thought.
Finally it nodded. “Very well, come along. Is this all of your group?” he asked, nodding to Toshiko and a bit behind her, where she assumed Benjamin was.
“No, there’s three more, including our leader and her second-in-command.”
“Ask them to come along too.”
Toshiko turned around and softly called for Owen, Ianto, and Gwen, and watched while they came into the clearing, guns pointing down, but still available if need be.
“Hello,” Gwen said, as Toshiko typed it into the translator. “I’m Gwen Cooper, commander of Torchwood Three. This is Benjamin Stratford, Owen Harper, and Ianto Jones. What’s your name?”
“I’m Baxu. Will you really help me?”
“We can try. It’s what we do. Why can’t you go home?”
“There’s something wrong with my traveling ship. Can you fix it? I can’t,” Baxu shook its head sadly.
“Tosh is a genius with machines, she can fix it,” Gwen reassured Baxu. “Where is your ship?”
“This way,” Baxu said, and began to walk, expecting them to follow.
Toshiko looked at Gwen, who nodded, and the whole group began to follow the alien.
After a bit of walking, they came across a ship-like metal shape. It was smaller than Toshiko had been expecting, with an odd grey-green metal hull. It looked to be big enough for only one person, with strange thrusters and fins. It didn’t seem like a space ship, rather a small personal aeroplane. Toshiko would like to take a closer look at it, and had a feeling she would be able to examine it further in the next couple days.
“This is your ship?” Toshiko asked Baxu who nodded. “Can I touch it?” She watched as Baxu nodded again.
Toshiko walked slowly around the metal ship, running her hands over the smooth surface wherever she could reach, and checking it for any damage. She also took out another scanner, and recorded readings of the outer skin of the ship.
The scanner beeped and she looked at the results. “The outside is travel worthy,” she reported, “so whatever’s wrong is inside. May I take a look inside?” she addressed Baxu.
“Look as you will,” Baxu responded. “I would like to go home. I’ve been on this planet for far too long.”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
Toshiko ran scans over everything inside. It seemed to be rather comfortable, more so than she had expected. There was a beep when she ran it over the flight panel.
“Got it!” she called as she looked at the read out. “There’s some broken wiring.”
“Can you fix it?” Toshiko looked over and saw Gwen beside her.
“Should be able to. We brought all that equipment along for a reason.”
“Okay, good. You’ll let Baxu know?”
“Yes.”
“Thanks, Tosh.”
After explaining to Baxu what was wrong with its space ship and assuring it that she could probably fix it, Toshiko and the rest of the team hiked back to base camp. They promised to come back the next day and help.
Toshiko spent the next two days fiddling with the alien wiring and mending broken connections, with Benjamin helping her. After everything was tested, and Baxu was reassured that the repairs would make it possible for it to get back to its home planet.
Toshiko stood with the rest of the team at a distance from the space ship and watched as Baxu climbed into the cockpit of his ship. It appeared to be fiddling with dials and adjusting things to its satisfaction. It turned the engine over and Toshiko listened with satisfaction as the engine hummed. She had had no doubt the engine would work, and she had fixed the wiring so an occurrence of Baxu crash landing wouldn’t occur again for a long time.
Baxu appeared to give some sort of shake of his head, and the ship began to lift off. Toshiko watched as the ship exited the atmosphere then turned away, following the rest of the group.
Toshiko hiked back to base camp with a spring in her step: tomorrow they would be able to hike back down the mountain and go home.
Section 7