Austin went on the last repair visit as an extra pair of hands.
Tie Kuang ran the crew. His shoulder was strong enough for light work now, and he kept the heavy lifting with Chonker and the riggers. Austin’s palms were healing under clean bandages.
Their first stop was the Orion anchor, where a backup cable had begun to sag.
Austin reached for the turnbuckle, then stopped. Tie was already giving the job to a young rigger.
“One turn,” Tie said. “Lock it so vibration can’t undo it. Tell me what the gauge reads before and after.”
The rigger did the work. Austin held the light.
At the Crab Nebula, Yuan Shi had found a gap around a power-box door. Instead of confessing a crime, he showed the local crew how to cut a new seal and explained why dust inside the box could start a fire. The local crew kept the spare seals afterward.
At Sector Fourteen, Xuan Ming taught two apprentices to test transformer oil. Austin drank tea with the station cook while they argued over the readings.
