Providence snuggled into the blankets with a relaxed sigh.
"Yeah, I had to brace myself against the wall and floor to get the back of the pipe sealed. It was a real bitch."
"If it isn't as bad as your hands it should heal soon. Would you like some of the ointment for it?" Jorg inquired as he turned back around.
"No it's fine." Providence said.
"We'll take some." Dagaa and Madhava said at the same time.
Providence smiled at them.
"Hey this salve is neat, it forms a little layer like skin." Providence marveled as she examined her hands. "My mother would have loved to have this when I was getting scraped up as a kid."
Dagaa grinned at the image of a tiny Providence with wild red hair jumping out of trees and generally giving her mother fits. Then again she was giving him fits now.
"Yes it's a mother's best friend. Little warriors can be quite a handful. It has a host of great uses. It can even be used as a liquid suture for deeper injuries. It was invented during the war and has been a life saver. Although many warriors refuse to use it unless in dire need." Jorg nodded his head towards Dagaa and Madhava.
"I bet. Men can be such stubborn patients." Providence reached a hand out and touched one of the scars on Madhava's chest.
"Hey! I would have been a perfect patient." Madhava defended himself. "Vigdis didn't believe in such medical advancements."
Dagaa grimaced. His friend wouldn't be as scarred if the deceased Scelus Cadi leader had cared more about his people's wellbeing. Granted Dagaa had a few scars of his own, but he'd always been able to treat the worst ones and the injuries to his face.
"It makes me sad that you had to suffer, when something could've prevented it." Providence frowned.
"None of that." Madhava soothed her crinkled brow. "I am fine."
"Ha!" Providence said as she pointed at him.
Dagaa laughed at how she'd turned the tables on them. They were a stubborn lot.
"Well I think you are going to be fine. The salve will wear off and may need to be reapplied, but the skin should be mostly healed by then." Jorg instructed.
"Great. I feel tons better already." Providence smiled, her green eyes beaming at them.
"I imagine not being wet and cold helps." Dagaa shook his head. Poor Providence had looked so bedraggled as she came out of that hole in the hull.
"Yep now I'm starving." Providence added.
Dagaa nearly forgot they'd missed first meal and now with all the excitement it was well past mid meal.
"I need to return to the control room but how about you and Madhava eat, get changed and maybe rest?" Dagaa suggested.
"I'll be good as new with some dry clothes and something in my belly." Providence said.
Half an hour later Madhava and Providence entered the control room with a tray full of food. Providence had on a fresh jumpsuit and her long red hair was brushed and plaited into something she called a braid.
"You need to eat too." Providence said as she set out a dish in front of Dagaa, and then sat to eat beside him.
Providence tapped on the screen of a communicator she brought as she poked bites into her mouth.
"What do you have there?" Dagaa asked.
"I asked Tytus to load some videos of the basic repairs that might be needed to the ship. I think it might be good to know." Providence said as she watched the vid display.
"You are probably right if you are the only one who can fit in those damn tunnels." Dagaa shook his head frustrated at the grim prospect.
"Yeah, you know I'm betting the Jurou Biljana took or traded for this ship. I don't think they could fit in those tunnels either."
"Probably right." Madhava agreed.
"I fear what else they neglected to maintain." Dagaa frowned.
"Well that’s all the more reason I should try to get up to speed with all this." Providence tapped on the screen.
Thankfully when Dagaa communicated with the other ships, no one had reported any major problems. Only one of the other ships was a former Jurou Biljana vessel, but the other three Cadi vessels had been repaired with suspect parts they'd gotten from the reptile merchants.
Dagaa smiled as Providence got lost in watching various repairs that had been recorded on this and other Cadi ships. The day grew late and soon it was time to turn in. Dagaa was more than ready. The day had been more exciting than he'd expected on their voyage to the Toufik planet. This kind of excitement was exactly what worried him about bringing Providence on this mission, and yet if she hadn't been here, things would have been much worse for him and his crew. Dagaa had to admit that his little mate was right. Having her at his side was proving to be vital in so many ways.