He had understood the problem from the get-go, but the chief engineer insisted on a further elaborate explanation as to how the creatures bite had indented the rear hull displacing rings six and seven, pushing them beyond critical alignment and affecting the ship’s ability to gate. Avery’s eyes narrowed from impatience and stress, “So can we gate or not?” There was nothing he could do here and he had other critical duties to perform. Repairing the hull and realigning the rings required a major dockyard, so why the engineer insisted on holding him here, he had no idea. A man of few unnecessary words, the chief engineer narrowed his gaze in return, with his bushy eye brows separating from his mop of wild black hair just enough for his short thick forehead to become visible as stared at Avery as if here were a simpleton. The chief engineer chewed his tongue, something he did when pensive, which hollowed his cheeks to an unnatural degree and making his pale face appear more gaunt than usual.
