Yggdrasil met Kit on the empty bridge and quickly took the pilot's seat when the Kitsune gestured sharply at it.  The green man looked over the large panel covered in controls with a certain amount of concern as Kit leapt up into the co-pilot seat.

"Never done any piloting?"  Yggdrasil quickly shook his head so Kit pointed out the basics.  "That one is the thrust.  Push it forward and don't let up.  The sooner we get out of this nebula, the better."  He pulled up the Nav computer, cursing and snarling when he couldn't figure out how to get it to show him what he wanted.

Yggdrasil quietly pointed out an alternative and Kit reached over to mess with that instead.  He finally managed to make a scan and bared his teeth.  "Looks like we're most of the way through.  Go ahead and push the engines so we get out of here sooner."

"And the stow-away that was harassing you in the engine room?"

Kit glanced over his shoulder and sighed.  "Has followed me and brought a friend.  Keep us moving.  I'll deal with the electro-eaters and find out where Tava and the moron wandered off to."

Yggdrasil nodded as Kit hopped off the co-pilot seat and skittered back across the bridge, sliding under the pair of fizzling electrical storms to hurry back down the corridor.  He cast a glance over one shoulder to make sure both were following him before putting on any significant speed.  Both had redirected.  And didn't appear to float very quickly.  He would easily be able to outrun them.

Foregoing his usual short cuts, he trotted down the corridors, checking to make sure the creatures were still following him on his way to the infirmary.  He wanted to check on Jornea first.  And it turned out to be a very good thing.

A third electro-eater was slowly hovering up to Jornea's sleeping form.  Kit grumbled and quickly dug into a nearby electrical panel.  He ripped out the wires he needed and set them to sparking.  The electro-eaters quickly decided the larger output of energy was better and converged.  Kit took the moment to slide over to Jornea to look her over.  She appeared to be alright.

He couldn't stay with her for long though.  The creatures were soon finished with his distraction.  He rounded them up and was off again, heading for the galley next.  Then he would check the cargo bay.  And if he still hadn't found the missing crew he would have to check quarters.

Kit's ears perked forward when he heard voices in the galley and hurried forward, leaving his herd behind to have a little more time to warn the captain of the invaders on her ship.  He skidded to a halt just inside the door and slapped his paws over his snout instead, muffling a sharp bark of laughter.

"Oh Spirits if only I had time to video this for blackmail."

Tava and Kartk had apparently succumbed to the strange effects of the nebula as Jornea had.  The two of them had pulled out various cups and plates to stage a pretend tea party.

"Scone?"

"No, thank you.  I'm quite happy with my cake.  Would you like sugar for your tea?"

"Just a little cream I think."

Kit glanced over his shoulder to where the creatures were catching up, wishing once more he had a little more time.  His ears flicked back, then forward again as he eyed the two Humans.  "Please keep doing that until I get finished saving our asses."

Then he was hurrying down to the cargo bay where he could keep the creatures busy.  He found a fourth on his way there and added it to the rest of the herd.  Once in the cargo bay, he managed to reach up to open up a com link to the bridge on his way past.  He made a loop before coming back to the com and calling into it.

"We almost out Doc?!"

"Indeed.  Another ten minutes or so.  Have you located the rest of the crew and verified their safety?"

Kit managed an affirmative answer before he had to rush off and make another circuit of the cargo bay.  On his way around he thought of something and quickly tugged out the vest he had been working on to go with the VR game.  He listened to Yggdrasil inquiring about his own health as he worked at reversing the work he had put into it recently.  The vest sparked and crackled as he finished a circuit at full power.

The creatures went to hover around the vest as Kit took the opportunity to go back over to the com.  "I'm fine Doc.  Just figuring out a way to avoid running in circles for longer than necessary."

"A worthy endeavor.  Have our uninvited guests deigned to depart?"

Kit checked the vest with the four electro-eaters around it.  The battery on the vest was draining fast.  He doubted it would continue to hold their interest for much longer.  Sure enough, with a crackle and a final pop, the vest went dead.  "Are we exiting the nebula?"

"We are."

The electro-eaters sparked a little, seeming to fade in intensity.  They continued to dim, until they were so insubstantial they were hard to see.  They abruptly floated towards the aft of the ship, fazing right through the bulkhead and back towards the nebula.  Kit let out a breath of relief.  "They left."

"Wonderful.  Please awaken Jornea so I can release this task to a more experienced individual."

Kit chuckled.  "Sure thing Doc."  He scurried up onto the catwalk and higher, darting into a passage that would take him almost directly to the galley.  "But first..."

In minutes he was back in the galley and dropping out of the passage.  His ears flopped back in disappointment when he found Kartk and Tava putting the dishes back in the cabinets where it all belonged.  "Damn it!"

Tava spun, brows lifting, then quickly smoothing as she realized who it was.  "Kit!  I'm so glad you're okay.  Where's everyone else?  What happened?"

Kit growled with a bit of temper.  "I missed the opportunity of a life time is what happened!"  He sighed, tugging his vest straight and brushing off his hakama.  "The nebula is my guess as to what happened.  The electro-magnetic frequency must have been bad for you two and Jornea.  The three of you sorta checked out of reality for a bit.  Doc and I held down the fort though."

"Oh.  Thank you.  There wasn't any damage to Athena was there?"

Kit shrugged, turning to wander back towards the infirmary.  "Nothing I can't handle."  He took another shortcut and arrived in the infirmary just as Jornea was sitting up, holding her head.  "Feeling okay?"

"Feeling like someone scrambled my brains.  What'd I miss?"

Kit hopped up to sit next to her, swinging his feet idly.  "Just some electro-eaters and a hilarious bit of insanity from Tava and the moron.  I can fill you in later.  Doc would like you to save him from the dreaded chore of flying."

Jornea stiffened, insulted.  "How can he not like flying?"  She shoved to her feet and made her staggering way to the bridge.  Kit could only smile, shaking his head and hopping up to get back to the engine room.  Best to start on those repairs before they became a bigger problem than they already were.