The power of the sun at my fingertips!

"Welcome back, new girl," April said with a chuckle as Pinga clambered down the ladder. They were alone on the engineering deck—June having gone off-watch, and May still asleep before hers.

"Does it ever get frustrating, being stuck here all the time?" Pinga asked timidly, coming to stand behind April and noticing how tight her pink halter top was, emphasizing an impressive bust. The rainbow-haired beauty shook her head.

"Nope! It’s no different from the bridge bunnies—and we’ve got the same perks," April said, tapping her keyboard with a single blue nail. A rich baritone voice flowed from the speakers, singing in a language Pinga didn’t recognize, barely audible over the hum of the ship’s systems. On one monitor, a movie was paused mid-frame: a naked woman rising from a lake, clearly at a pivotal moment.

"We can watch movies, snack, relax…" April continued, popping a lollipop into her mouth and offering one to Pinga. "And if you're really pent up, there's always Danny the Dragon. Just remember to wipe him down after," she added with a mischievous glint.

Pinga hesitated, but curiosity got the better of her. "Danny the Dragon?"

April stood up, her clear platform heels clacking softly as she hip-bumped Pinga aside. The sway of her pink hot pants was practically hypnotic, revealing just enough to tease. With a coy glance over her shoulder to make sure Pinga was watching, she crossed her ankles and bent over, straight-legged, to open a drawer.

Blood rushed to Pinga’s face.

"You should always bend like this if the Captain is watching", April instructed her.

Out came a red-and-black rubber dragon, sleek of head, with a tail that curled upward provocatively.

"Say hi to Danny," April giggled, placing the toy in Pinga’s hands. It was surprisingly light, its smooth texture oddly pleasant.

"I… I don’t understand," Pinga began.

April laughed and took the statue back, setting it on the floor. "Suction cups on the feet. Keeps him steady. You can ride his head, his tail—or both if you’re feeling brave," she said, tapping a hidden button. The whole thing began to buzz.

Finally, Pinga understood. Her face turned crimson.

"It’s—it’s a sex toy? And you use it here?"

"Of course!" April winked. "When the Captain hasn’t given you attention in a while, Danny becomes your best friend."

"Aren’t you worried someone might walk in?" Pinga asked before slapping her own forehead. "Never mind. Stupid question."

"She learns!" April crowed, peeling Danny off the floor with a twist and putting him away.

"Alright. Enough fooling around. Let’s get to business," she said, switching gears smoothly as she pulled up a schematic on her screen. "We call it the reactor, but it’s actually multiple reactors working together. This one’s the breeder reactor—tritium in, deuterium out. The main reactor fuses deuterium-deuterium in magnetic containment. Over here—generator one, generator two, and the backup."

Then she glanced at Pinga. "Hey, are you even paying attention?"

"Sorry… it’s just a lot to take in," Pinga admitted.

April frowned. "Let’s rewind. Do you actually know what nuclear fusion is?"

"Uh… it powers stars? And most ships?" Pinga offered.

"It doesn’t power all ships, but sure." April pinched Pinga’s skinny thigh lightly. "I meant beyond kindergarten level. No point teaching you technical stuff if it’s all flying over your head."

Pinga swallowed. Was this a test—or another dose of blunt honesty?

"Alright. Honestly? I understood none of it. I never spent much time in school. I know fusion is strong and dangerous, that’s about it. But I’m a fast learner—I can still be useful."

April smiled. "Don’t worry, I’m not some mega-bitch who’ll kick you out for not being a physicist. The other girls barely understand how this works either. I just wanted to know what I’m working with. So, since you’re not gonna join Engineering, let’s drill you on basic stuff for emergencies, okay?"

She stretched in her chair, her long legs up in the air before bouncing back upright.

"Okay! Scenario one: all three of us engineers are dead. The Captain sends you down here to shut everything down safely. First step?"

"Uh… sit at your station and check the monitors?"

April leapt up and nudged Pinga into her chair. Pinga could feel the heat from the seat and smell the older woman’s fruity perfume.

"Great start. Pull up the control panel—press that key," April instructed, her blue-nailed finger pointing the way.

For the next few hours, April drilled her hard, throwing increasingly difficult failure scenarios at her. Pinga struggled at first, but repetition helped—and by the end, her head was swimming, but she’d learned a lot.

When May finally slid down the ladder in her silver pumps, pleated miniskirt flaring dramatically, she found Pinga wiping sweat from her brow, grinning with pride as April patted her on the shoulder.

"That was good, new girl. Really good. You’re learning fast."

Pinga beamed—until May opened the drawer above Danny’s resting place and pulled out a large binder labeled: EMERGENCY PROCEDURES.

"Or," she said dryly, "you could just follow the instructions in here."

Pinga stared at April, mouth open.

April winked. "Where’s the fun in that?"

"And on that note—my watch is done!" She gave Pinga a surprise kiss on the lips—tasting of strawberries—and vanished up the ladder in a blur of pink.

May crossed her arms, eyes narrowing.

"You better still have brain cells left, new girl. The engine’s the most important thing on this ship."

It might have sounded intimidating—if she didn’t look like a stripper pretending to be a schoolgirl, her white blouse open enough to show the lacy purple bra lifting her impressive bosom.

Pinga sighed. It was going to be a long day.