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“Wow. No wonder Thorac wasn’t concerned.” She gaped at the crew, clearly impressed.

Her eyes grew wider when the storage bay doors opened.

“How is that possible? Why isn’t the water pouring in?” Dumbfounded, she looked from the wall of water hovering outside the bay doors to him then back again.

“The environmental controls maintain the equilibrium.” He pointed to the molecular field array around the doors.

“Oh, so you mean magic.” She blinked incredulously at him. “Seriously. I have no clue why I asked. That is way beyond me. This is all so wild,” Elena laughed and shook her head in disbelief.

“Don’t feel bad. The Osivoire have advancements that my people don’t possess either,” he reassured her, recalling feeling out of his depth with some of the things he’d seen since meeting the Osivoire.

“Thanks, but I still feel a bit like a monkey banging rocks together and flinging its poo.” She smirked at him then turned back to the crew exiting the bay. “They’re just walking right into the creepy wall of water.”

He chuckled at Elena’s reaction then noticed Scala approaching.

“Once the team gets the cavern secured, would either of you like to assist with retrieval?” Scala pointed to the spare combat shell nodes hanging on the wall.

Payim laughed and turned to Elena. Given their discussion he couldn’t wait to see her reaction.

“Yes!” Elena blurted, and his eyes widened, slightly stunned by her eager response.

He studied her for a moment, curious if her sense of obligation was forcing her out of her comfort zone, but she looked genuinely eager to try something new.

“We’ll go.” He nodded to Scala.

“This way.” Scala led them to the wall. “Place the pieces of the shell where indicated, then press the back of your wrist. The shell will do the rest.” He pointed to the silhouette of a person wearing the shell.

“Have you worn one of these before?” Elena asked.

“Yes. I’ll show you.” Payim nodded. He grabbed the first nodule and placed it on his forearm, near his wrist. “It’s slightly sticky at first.”

“It won’t drill into my skin. Noted.” Elena grabbed the wrist piece.

They placed the nodules on their arms, legs, and then the last one at the base of their necks.

“Ready?” His finger poised over the sensor on his wrist.

“Yes.” Elena took a deep breath, then swiped the sensor and he did the same.

He observed her stunned expression as she watched the shell flow out from the nodules, extending over her skin. It was a disconcerting sensation the first time it happened, especially when the helmet formed. Thankfully she seemed to be coping well. It was amusing seeing her ensconced in the shell. She looked like a tiny Osivoire, but without the ridges. He smiled as she tentatively flexed her arms and bent her knees, testing the shell. She took a step that turned into an awkward hop.

“Holy shit!” She turned toward him, clearly in awe.

“That’s the power I was talking about. It won’t take as much effort to move,” he chuckled.

“You will have to be cautious with your own strength. You can inadvertently damage something until you get used to it,” Scala warned and led them toward bay doors.

“Well now I’m afraid to grab your hand,” she commented.

“You won’t hurt me while I’m also wearing this.” Payim took her hand, then with a grin, tugged her into the wall of water.

The current rushing by the exterior of the ship was noticeable, but inconsequential. They reached the tunnel entrance in no time. Elena moved her mouth, and he held up his hand to halt her, then touched both her ear and his, engaging the comms.

“What did you say?” he asked.

“I have no idea how I’m breathing,” she said as they entered the tunnel. “I thought it would be like a scuba mask or something, but this is just like an exoskeleton. I feel the shell molded to my lips, but I never felt it go into my mouth. It must be making a barrier like the ship does, keeping the water out.”

“Probably.” He nodded as they moved toward the lights coming from the team up ahead.