Orlan spoke up, “When Tenric needed a replacement ship for his Headhunter, he managed to get the ARC in a rather under-the-table round-about way. Anyway, it had already been totally stripped, and was just a display piece. We repaired the flight control systems and droid socket; we also installed four medium laser cannons, taken from a pair of Y-Wings. We wanted to install a Y-Wing ion cannon turret too, but that would have taken too much internal space, which Tenric needed to utilize for his bounty hunting. The power core, shields, and hyperdrive are all stock ARC components.”
“What about the proton torpedoes?” queried Orrell.
“Well, the magazine is still there. But at the moment the system is non-functional. We are still trying to locate a replacement targeting computer; it looks like someone took a blaster pistol to the factory once.”
After that, the group sat in silence while Orlan communicated with Soma orbital control. Just a few minutes later, the converted cargo ship and its fighter escort were clear of Soma’s gravity well, and were clear to navigate. They set a leisurely course for the Soma asteroid belt, and began a careful and detailed sensor sweep of the entire solar system, but especially their approach lane to their asteroid base. Kr-Ant could even feel Tenric reaching out in the Force, looking for any potential spies.
Orlan swiveled his pilot’s chair partially around to look back at his two passengers, “Our defensive network isn’t completely operational, nor as heavy, as we’d like. So, we’re very careful every time we dock. It’s not that we’re doing anything illegal out here, but we just value our privacy, for the moment. Once we get everything running to our preferences, we’ll slowly and carefully spread the word. Most contacts will be pre-screened by Tenric, if he’s available.”
As they entered the asteroid field, Dale brought the ship’s shields up to full power, and began navigating a winding route, with Orlan calling out times and distances. For almost fifteen minutes, they slowly cruised through the tumbling rocks. The deeper they got, Kr-Ant noticed that the smaller and very abundant debris appeared to thin out, only to be replaced larger asteroids. Then they were passing between three exceptionally large moonlet fragments, and began to curve around to the backside of a fourth. Only once their line-of-sight to Soma III was broken, did a series of docking lights begin flashing in the bottom of a crater, connected to a large crevice.
Landing parallel to the surface, and apparently on a massive elevator, they began to drop down into the massive asteroid. Dale spoke up, “Once this place and been strip-mined and tunneled, the gravity field was radically altered. Apparently, the durelium ore acted as a sort of gravitic stabilizer. Now, we actually have two different styles of docking bays: this one, parallel to the surface, and several that are perpendicular. Basically just flying straight ‘down’ into a hole. It kinda messes with your perspective for a while. One of our first tasks was to completely map out the internal gravity shifts and place warning marks in those sectors.”
“Most of our repair bays have very limited gravity, which is great in moving larger pieces around – no danger of dropping anything expensive and breaking it,” Orlan added. “Though we did install some gravity plating in the labs and living quarters.”
“Is it too much to hope that it’s not Soma standard G’s?” Orrell tentatively asked.
Orlan and Dale chucked, “We currently have it set at one standard G, though we can crank it up if you like!”
Orrell vigorously shook his head.
As the elevator finished descending, Orlan flicked several more switches at his control panel, and waited for the appropriate responses. “Okay, looks like we’re good to go. Outer hatch closed and secured, the atmospheric shield activated and stable, and the inner bay has pressurized. Welcome to the base of operations for Gambit Inc.! Would either of you care for a tour?”
A couple hours later, the five of then returned to the common room for a meal, to find Tenric already there, hungrily devouring a couple nerf stakes. After the meal, the Jedi and the engineers split up. Dale and Orlan took Orrell down to the main hanger to begin work on the Z-100, while Tenric showed Kr-Ant one of the low-gravity ship bays, “Interested in some low-G sparing? Since the Jedi holocaust, I’ve had a hard time finding lightsaber sparing partners. I also come here to meditate.”
Orrell and Kr-Ant stayed at the asteroid base for almost three weeks. A custom hyperdrive was designed, built, and finally installed, while Tenric and Kr-Ant spoke at length of their separate Jedi experiences and training. They each learned a few things from the other. Kr-Ant, the older, spoke at length of life as a proper Jedi padawan at the temple in Coruscant. He explained that the surviving Jedi would have to make some changes, and break with some traditions and thoughts that were thousands of years old. Or else the Jedi order might be completely extinguished, and the Sith would lead the galaxy to chaos and self-destruction.
Tenric spoke of his plans, and experiences in finding and rescuing a few Jedi. So far, all had been young padawans or knights, from small planets in the outer rim regions. By far, Tenric's biggest news was regarding his encounter with A'Shared Hett on Dantooine. Tenric had been quite 'out of the loop', and so most of Kr-Ant's news was more of a recent history lesson of the Jedi and the temple on Coruscant. Disappointingly to both, neither had any idea the current status of Masters Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi. The last confirmed sighting of Yoda, had been on Kashyyyk. There were rumors that the pair had been spotted together on Coruscant at the Jedi temple shortly after the clones had turned on the Jedi, but again, there was no proof.
After a few days of power testing within the repair bay, Kr-Ant, Orrell, and Dale went for a test flight. They made several hyperspace jumps, of varying duration and speed. After some fine-tuning at one point, they made a two-jump return to Soma III space, and returned to the asteroid field. The next couple days were spent downloading and reviewing the hyperdrive and its computer readouts. The hyperdrive was completely removed and thoroughly inspected, too. No problems were spotted. In fact, the fully custom hyperdrive was operating at a much cooler temperature than they had initially calculated. Apparently, they had been able to obtain much purer durelium ore that they thought possible. Anywhere else, the cost of comparable materials would have been prohibitively expensive. Dale later commented, “I guess it always helps to have an inside line!”
Almost a month after having first arrived on Soma III, Orrell and Kr-Ant were making final preparations for departure. Just before boarding the prototype, Kr-Ant stepped aside and spoke with Tenric. “Keep in touch. If you need any help, you can reach me through Orrell. Watch your back. I have been seeing reports of wandering bands of vigilantes hunting for any Jedi survivors, and even simple force-sensitives. These truly are dark times.”
The two Jedi clasped hands firmly, “May the Force be with you, Jedi Knight Starkindler.”
“And with you, Master Jooraw.”
Nodding once more, the Jedi Master and his engineer, boarded their prototype starfighter, and carefully departed the asteroid workshop.
From a small observation deck on the surface near the docking bay, Dale activated his comlink to the departing Z-100, “Orrell, try not to burn out this hyperdrive, too. The next one’ll cost ya! A lot.”
“Ha! Yeah right! And you try not to get suckered into buying any more stripped and useless hunks of junk!
Before Dale could rise to the defense of The Second Chance a pair of moonlet sized asteroids tumbled close by and when they had cleared the small ship was gone.
Tenric clapped Dale on the shoulder as they turned to leave the observation deck.
"Don't worry Dale." He offered with a wink to Orlan, "I have a feeling you'll get another chance."
===============================
END....Roll Credits and Fade to Black.......
Monday, February 8, 2010
Gambit Inc. Part VIII
“SomaIII seems to be a sort of Force-well. The currents that run through the Force mix here in what seems to be a unique way. Using the Force for personal things is only marginally more difficult than in the wider galaxy in my experience. Reaching outward in any way, however, such as moving objects or sensing others thoughts, presence, or feelings, is difficult at best for those new to it.”
Tenric leaned forward conspiratorially before continuing.
“You must find the place where the two main currents in the Force meet. There you will find a small calm center, like the eye of a storm. Place yourself in that space and then reach outward towards each current. Allow them to flow through you, use you as a conduit. When you have achieved this the static will abate, for you will have become a living antennae through which the Force can easily flow.”
“Lose that balance and the static will return. SomaIII seems intended by the Force as a place of balance. Stray to far to either side here and you will find yourself in darkness.” Tenric looked away as he finished.
The veiled warning was not lost on Kr-Ant. A Jedi frustrated by the static could easily be tempted to reach out wildly for it. The Dark Side usually claimed such seekers after power. As he met Tenric's gaze once more there was a new note of respect in Kr-Ant's eyes. Something in Tenric's presence rippled as he spoke of the dangers of the darkness. Kr-Ant realized his new friend must have first hand knowledge of the dangers...and had chosen to hold to the light. Here on his home turf Tenric's balanced mastery of the Force made him a formidable Jedi indeed. Out in the wider galaxy, without the need to work through SomaIII's static, Kr-Ant sensed Tenric's control would rival even those who had once sat on the High Council……
…Meanwhile, Orrell had opened up the Z-100’s hatch and was giving Dale and Orlan a thorough tour. “At twenty-two point six meters long, she’s obviously larger than most modern fighters and interceptors. With a standard crew requirement of two, the controls can be set-up for a single pilot. There is also sufficient interior space to allow for up to three more crew stations, depending on the mission requirements. Of course, this would necessitate the removal of the long-term mission crew-support equipment and bunks. There is also an interface docking socket for an astromech droid.”
After they had finished their review of the interior, Orrell moved them outside again, and they began walking around the exterior, first heading aft along the port side.
“My design theory is that by building on a larger frame, I can have more room for power requirements. Obviously a larger ship needs more thrust, if it’s to have any chance at competing or even excelling in combat conditions. As you can see, I chose a multiple engine layout, as opposed to much larger engines. With six separate engines the weight is more than a similar craft would be with say, just two or three huge engines. This is partly to provide back-up systems, and more importantly, these sublight engines are readily available. They only need some minor modifications to tweak their performance in this application.”
“But why this particular engine arrangement?” asked Orlan. “Wouldn’t you rather have the engines inside the main hull, for protection?”
Orrell nodded, “Usually, yes. But here, I have designed the two engine pods with the ability to swivel on the z-axis. This significantly assists the Z-100 in maneuverability. Of course, I have heavily armored these swivel joints. And I mean heavily! Unshielded, they can withstand up to two direct impacts from any standard starfighter-scale warhead, be it missile, or torpedo. There are also additional maneuvering thrusters located at various points along the hull.”
Orrell continued, “Also, if an entire pod is damaged, and the crew is unable to rotate it back to a standard flight position, the pod can be ejected. The remaining pod will still have sufficient thrust to power the ship. Flight specs will then be at no more than sixty percent. Emergency measures can overdrive the remaining engines up to one hundred and twenty-five percent, though not for extended durations, of course.”
Dale and Orlan nodded.
“With this current configuration, between the sublight engines, shields, power core, and energy transfer, the Z-100 can pretty much out-fly and outlast at least eight-five percent of the production starfighters out there right now, both old and new. Anyway, what good is a fast and maneuverable ship without a healthy dose of weaponry, eh?” The engineers laughed at this, each with their fair share of experiences with fighter pilots wanting bigger and/or more weapons.
“A ship this size could normally physically carry more than what I have currently installed, but that would divert power from the engine systems. So, up top, you can see a heavy dual laser cannon turret, with both remote and manual targeting. Between each engine pod and the central fuselage, I have two medium ion cannons and a concussion missile launcher with twelve missiles. And along the center-line on the mid-ventral, I installed a single proton torpedo launcher, with a maximum capacity of twenty torpedoes.”
Dale’s jaw dropped, “That many? Wow, that’s quite a punch this baby has!”
Orrell grinned, then shrugged, “Well, she could, or rather she did. We barely survived our test flight, due to some Imperial interference; hence, our accidental visit here. Our torpedo magazine is completely empty, and the missile launchers only have a couple warheads left in each. But, I’m not looking for weapons. What we really need is our hyperdrive repaired. Unfortunately, it may even be beyond repair.”
Dale and Orlan glanced at each other, and nodded subtly. With a wink to Orrell, Dale commented, “Like we said back at the cantina, I think we can arrange something. But first, can you make orbit, or will you need a lift? Better yet, we’ll haul you up. Soma security is used to seeing our transport in the asteroids, and I don’t think I want to attract too much attention to our little operation just yet. Our base is already set up and operational, though we have yet to actually do any major work for outsiders so far. You’ll be our first.”
“Sounds good. How soon before you want to leave?”
Orlan replied, “How’s about in forty minutes? We need to get some supplies, and file our flight plan with orbital control. We have some friends with the quarantine security, and with no one else ‘impounded’, we can easily land outside the hanger here, and move your fighter into our cargo bay, and be gone without attracting any attention.”
The three engineers chatted for a few more minutes, and then Dale and Orlan departed the hanger to make the necessary arrangements. Tenric too, departed shortly after, to run a few errands of his own, before prepping his own ship for departure.
Exactly thirty-nine minutes later, Orrell’s comlink beeped twice, signaling that Dale and Orlan were landing outside. Kr-Ant opened the hanger’s main door, and Orrell used the hanger’s small transporter to move the prototype fighter outside. By the time the fighter had exited the building, Orlan already had the ship’s cavernous cargo bay opened up, with a large ventral cargo elevator lowered to the tarmac. It was a tight squeeze on the elevator, but they managed to get the Z-100 stowed without incident.
The Second Chance had once been part of the Republic’s diplomatic cruiser fleet, but it had been sold off at the height of the Clone Wars. It’s once distinctive crimson hull had been blasted clean of most paint, exposing the dull grey of its bare hull metal. Before the sale, the interior had also been almost completely gutted; even the modular diplomatic pod and the extensive communications suite and its and array were gone. Since purchasing the aged starship, Dale and Orlan had retrofitted the main three decks into a massive cargo hold. Only the fourth, and topmost, ‘spinal’ deck, had been refit to accommodate a skeleton crew. And with the assistance of a couple astromech droids, the starship was once again space-worthy, though not in such a prestigious role it had once known.
As Second Chance lifted off and made it’s way through the upper atmosphere along the planetary exit traffic lane, a much smaller ship joined formation just off the bow. Glancing out the cockpit window, Kr-Ant nodded imperceptibly, feeling the Force-presence of Tenric. It was rather disconcerting to see the particular craft that Tenric was currently piloting though. The last time Kr-Ant had seen one, a squadron of them had been trying to murder him; an ARC-170 fighter/bomber.
Before Kr-Ant could activate a comm channel, Tenric’s voice could be heard over the cockpit speakers, “I thought this might get your attention. Though most people just look at it as a war relic now; almost a collector’s item!”
Kr-Ant frowned and grunted softly, “Sure.”
Tenric leaned forward conspiratorially before continuing.
“You must find the place where the two main currents in the Force meet. There you will find a small calm center, like the eye of a storm. Place yourself in that space and then reach outward towards each current. Allow them to flow through you, use you as a conduit. When you have achieved this the static will abate, for you will have become a living antennae through which the Force can easily flow.”
“Lose that balance and the static will return. SomaIII seems intended by the Force as a place of balance. Stray to far to either side here and you will find yourself in darkness.” Tenric looked away as he finished.
The veiled warning was not lost on Kr-Ant. A Jedi frustrated by the static could easily be tempted to reach out wildly for it. The Dark Side usually claimed such seekers after power. As he met Tenric's gaze once more there was a new note of respect in Kr-Ant's eyes. Something in Tenric's presence rippled as he spoke of the dangers of the darkness. Kr-Ant realized his new friend must have first hand knowledge of the dangers...and had chosen to hold to the light. Here on his home turf Tenric's balanced mastery of the Force made him a formidable Jedi indeed. Out in the wider galaxy, without the need to work through SomaIII's static, Kr-Ant sensed Tenric's control would rival even those who had once sat on the High Council……
…Meanwhile, Orrell had opened up the Z-100’s hatch and was giving Dale and Orlan a thorough tour. “At twenty-two point six meters long, she’s obviously larger than most modern fighters and interceptors. With a standard crew requirement of two, the controls can be set-up for a single pilot. There is also sufficient interior space to allow for up to three more crew stations, depending on the mission requirements. Of course, this would necessitate the removal of the long-term mission crew-support equipment and bunks. There is also an interface docking socket for an astromech droid.”
After they had finished their review of the interior, Orrell moved them outside again, and they began walking around the exterior, first heading aft along the port side.
“My design theory is that by building on a larger frame, I can have more room for power requirements. Obviously a larger ship needs more thrust, if it’s to have any chance at competing or even excelling in combat conditions. As you can see, I chose a multiple engine layout, as opposed to much larger engines. With six separate engines the weight is more than a similar craft would be with say, just two or three huge engines. This is partly to provide back-up systems, and more importantly, these sublight engines are readily available. They only need some minor modifications to tweak their performance in this application.”
“But why this particular engine arrangement?” asked Orlan. “Wouldn’t you rather have the engines inside the main hull, for protection?”
Orrell nodded, “Usually, yes. But here, I have designed the two engine pods with the ability to swivel on the z-axis. This significantly assists the Z-100 in maneuverability. Of course, I have heavily armored these swivel joints. And I mean heavily! Unshielded, they can withstand up to two direct impacts from any standard starfighter-scale warhead, be it missile, or torpedo. There are also additional maneuvering thrusters located at various points along the hull.”
Orrell continued, “Also, if an entire pod is damaged, and the crew is unable to rotate it back to a standard flight position, the pod can be ejected. The remaining pod will still have sufficient thrust to power the ship. Flight specs will then be at no more than sixty percent. Emergency measures can overdrive the remaining engines up to one hundred and twenty-five percent, though not for extended durations, of course.”
Dale and Orlan nodded.
“With this current configuration, between the sublight engines, shields, power core, and energy transfer, the Z-100 can pretty much out-fly and outlast at least eight-five percent of the production starfighters out there right now, both old and new. Anyway, what good is a fast and maneuverable ship without a healthy dose of weaponry, eh?” The engineers laughed at this, each with their fair share of experiences with fighter pilots wanting bigger and/or more weapons.
“A ship this size could normally physically carry more than what I have currently installed, but that would divert power from the engine systems. So, up top, you can see a heavy dual laser cannon turret, with both remote and manual targeting. Between each engine pod and the central fuselage, I have two medium ion cannons and a concussion missile launcher with twelve missiles. And along the center-line on the mid-ventral, I installed a single proton torpedo launcher, with a maximum capacity of twenty torpedoes.”
Dale’s jaw dropped, “That many? Wow, that’s quite a punch this baby has!”
Orrell grinned, then shrugged, “Well, she could, or rather she did. We barely survived our test flight, due to some Imperial interference; hence, our accidental visit here. Our torpedo magazine is completely empty, and the missile launchers only have a couple warheads left in each. But, I’m not looking for weapons. What we really need is our hyperdrive repaired. Unfortunately, it may even be beyond repair.”
Dale and Orlan glanced at each other, and nodded subtly. With a wink to Orrell, Dale commented, “Like we said back at the cantina, I think we can arrange something. But first, can you make orbit, or will you need a lift? Better yet, we’ll haul you up. Soma security is used to seeing our transport in the asteroids, and I don’t think I want to attract too much attention to our little operation just yet. Our base is already set up and operational, though we have yet to actually do any major work for outsiders so far. You’ll be our first.”
“Sounds good. How soon before you want to leave?”
Orlan replied, “How’s about in forty minutes? We need to get some supplies, and file our flight plan with orbital control. We have some friends with the quarantine security, and with no one else ‘impounded’, we can easily land outside the hanger here, and move your fighter into our cargo bay, and be gone without attracting any attention.”
The three engineers chatted for a few more minutes, and then Dale and Orlan departed the hanger to make the necessary arrangements. Tenric too, departed shortly after, to run a few errands of his own, before prepping his own ship for departure.
Exactly thirty-nine minutes later, Orrell’s comlink beeped twice, signaling that Dale and Orlan were landing outside. Kr-Ant opened the hanger’s main door, and Orrell used the hanger’s small transporter to move the prototype fighter outside. By the time the fighter had exited the building, Orlan already had the ship’s cavernous cargo bay opened up, with a large ventral cargo elevator lowered to the tarmac. It was a tight squeeze on the elevator, but they managed to get the Z-100 stowed without incident.
The Second Chance had once been part of the Republic’s diplomatic cruiser fleet, but it had been sold off at the height of the Clone Wars. It’s once distinctive crimson hull had been blasted clean of most paint, exposing the dull grey of its bare hull metal. Before the sale, the interior had also been almost completely gutted; even the modular diplomatic pod and the extensive communications suite and its and array were gone. Since purchasing the aged starship, Dale and Orlan had retrofitted the main three decks into a massive cargo hold. Only the fourth, and topmost, ‘spinal’ deck, had been refit to accommodate a skeleton crew. And with the assistance of a couple astromech droids, the starship was once again space-worthy, though not in such a prestigious role it had once known.
As Second Chance lifted off and made it’s way through the upper atmosphere along the planetary exit traffic lane, a much smaller ship joined formation just off the bow. Glancing out the cockpit window, Kr-Ant nodded imperceptibly, feeling the Force-presence of Tenric. It was rather disconcerting to see the particular craft that Tenric was currently piloting though. The last time Kr-Ant had seen one, a squadron of them had been trying to murder him; an ARC-170 fighter/bomber.
Before Kr-Ant could activate a comm channel, Tenric’s voice could be heard over the cockpit speakers, “I thought this might get your attention. Though most people just look at it as a war relic now; almost a collector’s item!”
Kr-Ant frowned and grunted softly, “Sure.”
Gambit Inc. Part VII
Before Tenric could continue, Kr-Ant spoke up again, “Where are my manners? Let me tell you a little about myself, first. I had a traditional upbringing at the Jedi temple on Coruscant. When the Clone Wars began, I had been a full Jedi Knight for several years already. I love piloting, and volunteered for any mission that let me have that freedom. Anyway, I was soon attached to Master Plo Koon’s squadron, and accompanied him on several missions. I was granted the rank of full Master only months before the attempted invasion of Coruscant, and given command of my own fighter wing of clone troopers. At that same time, the Delta-7 Aethersprites were replaced with the newer Eta-2 Actis. The Eta-2’s didn’t have shields, but were smaller. That’s wasn’t enough to convince me, so I managed to retain my Delta-7; I even made a few modifications to the shields and weapons, as many of the Jedi did to their personal craft.”
“Our primary task was hunting for General Grievous. When news of Master Kenobi’s success on Utapau reached us, we adjusted our course and joined Master Plo Koon on Cato-Neimodia. When Order-66 was initiated, I saw his Delta-7 get hit. In the confusion, and my own concentration, I lost any Force-sense of him – there is a rumor he may have survived. I managed to make it to orbit and my hyperspace ring, and barely survived to jump to hyperspace – that’s a story all its own! Well, I made it to Commenor, and that’s where I met Orrell.”
Tenric appeared thoughtful for a moment before he spoke.
“I would be very interested in seeing your Delta-7. My master flew one of his own, but I have not seen one since he left me to take up his role in the Clone Wars. Though from your choice of words I suspect you may no longer have the ship.”
Another thoughtful moment and he continued.
“Now it seems my manners are lacking. Until this past year I had only been out of the system twice. Once, near the end of the Wars my master took me to meet Master A’Sharad Hett in a nearby system. We sparred as a test of my mastery and Master Hett pronounced me more than ready for the trials.”
“My next trip out-system was about three years later to search for my master’s body and saber. I ended up on the wrong planet by the will of the Force and there met with a group of fugitive Jedi. Master Hett was among them. They were pursued by a powerful Dark Jedi and a contingent of clone troops. Vader himself even showed up.” Tenric shuddered at the memory. “We were separated and I did what I could to ensure their escape…” Here Tenric trailed off and Kr-Ant could tell the memory was painful.
Trying to give Tenric a way out Kr-Ant asked what he had been aching to ever since meeting the native Jedi.
“Tenric. Can you tell me about the strange Force-static in this system and especially here on SomaIII? It is hard to focus, hard to sense things.
A small smile of gratitude crossed Tenric’s face as he accepted the change of topic.
“Our primary task was hunting for General Grievous. When news of Master Kenobi’s success on Utapau reached us, we adjusted our course and joined Master Plo Koon on Cato-Neimodia. When Order-66 was initiated, I saw his Delta-7 get hit. In the confusion, and my own concentration, I lost any Force-sense of him – there is a rumor he may have survived. I managed to make it to orbit and my hyperspace ring, and barely survived to jump to hyperspace – that’s a story all its own! Well, I made it to Commenor, and that’s where I met Orrell.”
Tenric appeared thoughtful for a moment before he spoke.
“I would be very interested in seeing your Delta-7. My master flew one of his own, but I have not seen one since he left me to take up his role in the Clone Wars. Though from your choice of words I suspect you may no longer have the ship.”
Another thoughtful moment and he continued.
“Now it seems my manners are lacking. Until this past year I had only been out of the system twice. Once, near the end of the Wars my master took me to meet Master A’Sharad Hett in a nearby system. We sparred as a test of my mastery and Master Hett pronounced me more than ready for the trials.”
“My next trip out-system was about three years later to search for my master’s body and saber. I ended up on the wrong planet by the will of the Force and there met with a group of fugitive Jedi. Master Hett was among them. They were pursued by a powerful Dark Jedi and a contingent of clone troops. Vader himself even showed up.” Tenric shuddered at the memory. “We were separated and I did what I could to ensure their escape…” Here Tenric trailed off and Kr-Ant could tell the memory was painful.
Trying to give Tenric a way out Kr-Ant asked what he had been aching to ever since meeting the native Jedi.
“Tenric. Can you tell me about the strange Force-static in this system and especially here on SomaIII? It is hard to focus, hard to sense things.
A small smile of gratitude crossed Tenric’s face as he accepted the change of topic.
Gambit Inc. Part VI
Part III: A Promising Future
The ride to the spaceport was filled with the ongoing enthusiasm of Orlan and Dale for the prototype. Orrell fielded question after question about design and capabilities and good-naturedly answered what he could. Tenric, for his part, sat still letting his friends’ enthusiasm wash over him. He wanted to share their sense of fun but couldn’t. Too much rested on his learning the visitors’ affiliations and his thoughts were tainted with the possible need for violence. Remaining quiet Tenric kept his essence closed down so as to not tip his hand to the Jedi sitting next to him. Kr-Ant felt ‘clear’ in the Force and the currents Tenric had learned to see so well showed no real danger, but still...
Despite the frustrating and peculiar Force static on this planet, and possibility of making contact with another Jedi, Kr-Ant maintained a calm exterior and exuded the same within the Force. Given all the Jedi that had been betrayed even after the so-called Purge, Kr-Ant had learned, mostly from the experiences of a few other survivors he had met since that fateful day, to have patience and proceed with caution.
As the speeder passed through the quarantine security checkpoint, both Jedi could easily pick up on Dale’s excitement, though he hid it well on the outside, at first. Since Soma III evidently received so little unexpected traffic, the Z-100 had been placed in secure hanger number one. The decision to rent a secure hanger had been mostly to forestall any additional unwanted questions, related to the clearly new but heavily battle-scared fighter. The fee had been haggled over for just a few minutes, and only for appearance’s-sake. Thus, the group didn’t have far to travel once inside the quarantine compound.
As Kr-Ant exited the speeder and began entering his security clearance at the main entrance, Dale couldn’t sit still any longer, and jumped to the ground. Orrell chuckled, sighed, and then joined him on the tarmac. Orlan and Tenric only stepped down once the main hanger door began to slide upwards.
The interior was completely dark and silent. As the main door slid upwards with a quiet machine-hum, Dale could slowly make out a dark shape at the back of the immense hanger. Only once the door was halfway up, could the group make out the form of the prototype fighter.
As the small group entered the hanger, Kr-Ant initialized the interior lights and activated the door controls, closing it behind them. While he waited at the entrance for the door to seal again, the others proceeded towards the fighter. Only Tenric remained behind. Once the hanger security system had reinitialized, the two Jedi moved to a small seating area with several comfortable chairs and couches, and small tables. Seating themselves, Kr-Ant gently asked, “So, tell me about yourself. Where and when did you get your Jedi training?”
Tenric paused before answering. If Kr-Ant and Orrell were Imp sympathizers then telling them about himself wouldn't matter much since they'd both soon be dead. On the other hand, if they weren’t then being honest would open the possibility for a real friendship to begin. The currents were roiling around Kr-Ant and seemed to indicate the Jedi was trying hard to acclimate to the Force-Static on Soma III. His skill was apparent, though, as they were beginning to sort themselves into a natural pattern around Kr-Ant with a precision that spoke of high discipline. Making up his mind and taking a deep breath Tenric released his will to the Force and met Kr-Ant’s gaze. As he did this he allowed his full Force presence to emerge.
Caught off guard by the sudden emergence of Tenric’s Force presence Kr-Ant was nearly shocked into a defensive attack. Until now, Kr-Ant had had a tough time sensing much of anything from this unfamiliar Jedi. Tenric’s body language had shown him to be on edge, almost jumpy. One moment he was trying to read Tenric and the next he was nearly smothered by Tenric’s expanding Force presence.
Now, Kr-Ant began to feel as though he were walking into deeper and stronger waves of emotion. And not just a single emotion, but a full spectrum, from anger and fear and suspicion, to hope and peace and calm. But to Kr-Ant, it appeared that the ‘negative’ end of the scale was the stronger, though he was unable to get any clearer sense of what exactly was the root cause, and if it was normally part of Tenric’s personality, or something deeper that may eventually be cause for some defensive action. Considering what he had personally experienced in the last several years, Kr-Ant had gotten into the habit of taking up a strong defensive posture, be it physically, or within the Force. Despite their unfamiliarity and this strange planet and its affect in the Force, Kr-Ant decided to maintain a neutral calm, and let this young Jedi make the first move.
“Please pardon my rudeness,” Tenric said flatly, “but I would prefer you answer a question for me first.” Having said this Tenric let out a deep breath, raised his eyes to meet Kr-Ant’s and waited for his reply. He seemed to glow for a few moments until all else seemed to fade.
Kr-Ant suddenly noticed two things simultaneously; the first being that both Tenric and the immediate vicinity seemed in sharper focus, and the second was that there was definitely a hostile undercurrent in the other’s presence.
Kr-Ant held Tenric’s gaze as his mind raced for a response. There was still no tremor of warning in the Force especially now that the static had gone...then he realized what was happening. Tenric must have developed a way to cancel the static in their immediate area. That meant he wanted Kr-Ant to be able to sense the extremely guarded caution. Feelings so strong they were bordering on hostility. But why? Why would Tenric want Kr-Ant to know his feelings when he could easily hide them?
The answer was simple enough that Kr-Ant felt almost ashamed he hadn’t seen it immediately. Tenric was giving the outsider Jedi an opportunity to either justify or dispel the feelings of potential hostility towards him. It was a test of not only Kr-Ant’s intentions, but of his character too. If he chose to meet simple unfriendliness with aggression instead of with acceptance he would be showing his true Jedi ‘colors’ as it were. He knew now he was facing a Jedi who was both wise and a servant of the Light side.
Kr-Ant relaxed, “By all means my friend. I apologize for my bluntness as it is not often nowadays that I meet a fellow Jedi.”
“Thank you; you have just answered it,” Tenric said as the hostility faded from his presence. Both men relaxed visibly as they realized how close they had come to a confrontation.
The ride to the spaceport was filled with the ongoing enthusiasm of Orlan and Dale for the prototype. Orrell fielded question after question about design and capabilities and good-naturedly answered what he could. Tenric, for his part, sat still letting his friends’ enthusiasm wash over him. He wanted to share their sense of fun but couldn’t. Too much rested on his learning the visitors’ affiliations and his thoughts were tainted with the possible need for violence. Remaining quiet Tenric kept his essence closed down so as to not tip his hand to the Jedi sitting next to him. Kr-Ant felt ‘clear’ in the Force and the currents Tenric had learned to see so well showed no real danger, but still...
Despite the frustrating and peculiar Force static on this planet, and possibility of making contact with another Jedi, Kr-Ant maintained a calm exterior and exuded the same within the Force. Given all the Jedi that had been betrayed even after the so-called Purge, Kr-Ant had learned, mostly from the experiences of a few other survivors he had met since that fateful day, to have patience and proceed with caution.
As the speeder passed through the quarantine security checkpoint, both Jedi could easily pick up on Dale’s excitement, though he hid it well on the outside, at first. Since Soma III evidently received so little unexpected traffic, the Z-100 had been placed in secure hanger number one. The decision to rent a secure hanger had been mostly to forestall any additional unwanted questions, related to the clearly new but heavily battle-scared fighter. The fee had been haggled over for just a few minutes, and only for appearance’s-sake. Thus, the group didn’t have far to travel once inside the quarantine compound.
As Kr-Ant exited the speeder and began entering his security clearance at the main entrance, Dale couldn’t sit still any longer, and jumped to the ground. Orrell chuckled, sighed, and then joined him on the tarmac. Orlan and Tenric only stepped down once the main hanger door began to slide upwards.
The interior was completely dark and silent. As the main door slid upwards with a quiet machine-hum, Dale could slowly make out a dark shape at the back of the immense hanger. Only once the door was halfway up, could the group make out the form of the prototype fighter.
As the small group entered the hanger, Kr-Ant initialized the interior lights and activated the door controls, closing it behind them. While he waited at the entrance for the door to seal again, the others proceeded towards the fighter. Only Tenric remained behind. Once the hanger security system had reinitialized, the two Jedi moved to a small seating area with several comfortable chairs and couches, and small tables. Seating themselves, Kr-Ant gently asked, “So, tell me about yourself. Where and when did you get your Jedi training?”
Tenric paused before answering. If Kr-Ant and Orrell were Imp sympathizers then telling them about himself wouldn't matter much since they'd both soon be dead. On the other hand, if they weren’t then being honest would open the possibility for a real friendship to begin. The currents were roiling around Kr-Ant and seemed to indicate the Jedi was trying hard to acclimate to the Force-Static on Soma III. His skill was apparent, though, as they were beginning to sort themselves into a natural pattern around Kr-Ant with a precision that spoke of high discipline. Making up his mind and taking a deep breath Tenric released his will to the Force and met Kr-Ant’s gaze. As he did this he allowed his full Force presence to emerge.
Caught off guard by the sudden emergence of Tenric’s Force presence Kr-Ant was nearly shocked into a defensive attack. Until now, Kr-Ant had had a tough time sensing much of anything from this unfamiliar Jedi. Tenric’s body language had shown him to be on edge, almost jumpy. One moment he was trying to read Tenric and the next he was nearly smothered by Tenric’s expanding Force presence.
Now, Kr-Ant began to feel as though he were walking into deeper and stronger waves of emotion. And not just a single emotion, but a full spectrum, from anger and fear and suspicion, to hope and peace and calm. But to Kr-Ant, it appeared that the ‘negative’ end of the scale was the stronger, though he was unable to get any clearer sense of what exactly was the root cause, and if it was normally part of Tenric’s personality, or something deeper that may eventually be cause for some defensive action. Considering what he had personally experienced in the last several years, Kr-Ant had gotten into the habit of taking up a strong defensive posture, be it physically, or within the Force. Despite their unfamiliarity and this strange planet and its affect in the Force, Kr-Ant decided to maintain a neutral calm, and let this young Jedi make the first move.
“Please pardon my rudeness,” Tenric said flatly, “but I would prefer you answer a question for me first.” Having said this Tenric let out a deep breath, raised his eyes to meet Kr-Ant’s and waited for his reply. He seemed to glow for a few moments until all else seemed to fade.
Kr-Ant suddenly noticed two things simultaneously; the first being that both Tenric and the immediate vicinity seemed in sharper focus, and the second was that there was definitely a hostile undercurrent in the other’s presence.
Kr-Ant held Tenric’s gaze as his mind raced for a response. There was still no tremor of warning in the Force especially now that the static had gone...then he realized what was happening. Tenric must have developed a way to cancel the static in their immediate area. That meant he wanted Kr-Ant to be able to sense the extremely guarded caution. Feelings so strong they were bordering on hostility. But why? Why would Tenric want Kr-Ant to know his feelings when he could easily hide them?
The answer was simple enough that Kr-Ant felt almost ashamed he hadn’t seen it immediately. Tenric was giving the outsider Jedi an opportunity to either justify or dispel the feelings of potential hostility towards him. It was a test of not only Kr-Ant’s intentions, but of his character too. If he chose to meet simple unfriendliness with aggression instead of with acceptance he would be showing his true Jedi ‘colors’ as it were. He knew now he was facing a Jedi who was both wise and a servant of the Light side.
Kr-Ant relaxed, “By all means my friend. I apologize for my bluntness as it is not often nowadays that I meet a fellow Jedi.”
“Thank you; you have just answered it,” Tenric said as the hostility faded from his presence. Both men relaxed visibly as they realized how close they had come to a confrontation.
Gambit Inc. Part V
‘The taller one then is the one I sensed’ Tenric thought to himself as the wary one made a subtle movement with his hand and nodded as his companion’s posture stiffened in response to the sign. Slowly they both began to scan the crowd in a seemingly offhand manner. Neither Dale nor Orlan seemed to notice, as both seemed involved in whatever conversation was going on. From Dale’s body language and focus he could tell it concerned business. Orlan’s obvious excitement and gestures told him it involved a ship with ‘special’ needs.
Warily Tenric continued to watch from the shadows, one hand resting close to his blaster. The two strangers stood out like transponder beacons to his eyes. He exhaled noticeably and dipped his head slightly, sending out the merest wisp of a Force-tendril. There was an almost immediate reaction from the tall one, who returned his attention to the doorway. After a few moments he once more began his scrutiny of the patrons and Tenric relaxed somewhat.
He kept to the shadows near the doorway and pushed his Force presence as far down as he could. Whoever he was, he was definitely a Force-user, and a well trained one at that. He seemed to already have mostly adapted to the static that the planet generated in the Force. The evening was going to be more interesting that he had planned. Tenric realized he almost had to be a Jedi to react so quickly to the small Force tendril Tenric had sent out. Whether he served the Dark or Light was what concerned Tenric. His hopes of a Jedi underground would vanish if Dark Jedi became aware of SomaIII this early. With a mental sigh Tenric resigned himself to finding out…and ensuring that, if they were on the wrong side, neither of the newcomers ever left SomaII.
“Sure. I think we’re about done here anyway.” Orrell responded with a glance at Kr-Ant.
“Uh, yeah.” He added a little distractedly, “We can go check her out…sounds like a good idea.”
The group rose and headed out. Kr-Ant was still trying to locate the Force tremor he’d detected a few moments ago. It had been there and then vanished again. Someone was watching them, he knew it, but just couldn’t pin it down. He was attuned enough to know the person was in the cantina, but nothing else. Broadening his scan he caught a blip near the door again. It wasn’t a presence as much as it was an absence, a calm spot in the static. The watcher must be near the door, and be a Jedi.
A stranger emerged from the shadows near the door as the four men were about to step out into the street. He was almost completely shrouded from Kr-Ant’s Force senses even though he stood right in front of him. Kr-Ant’s hand was slowly reaching for his hidden light saber, when the stranger spoke, “It’s okay, I’m with Dale and Orlan. They were here tonight to meet with me. My name is Tenric Starkindler.” Stepping closer to Kr-Ant, he nearly whispered, “I know who you are, and we need to talk.” Kr-Ant nodded imperceptibly.
Dale spoke up, “Tenric! Glad you made it buddy!” Pumping Tenric’s hand enthusiastically he went on, “Kr-Ant and Orrell here are gonna be Gambit Inc.’s first customers!”
Orlan interrupted and offered, “I saw you two walk here. Would you rather ride back to the port?” He pointed to a beat-up cargo land speeder off to the side.
“No arguments here!” Orrell quickly responded, thinking of his aching legs and feet. Kr-Ant nodded his agreement. He was wary of Tenric. Though obviously a local, and a trained Jedi, he was dressed like a spacer or bounty hunter. Still There was no warning in the Force, as far as he could determine, and he could learn a lot from a Jedi who had grown up with this Force static.
Warily Tenric continued to watch from the shadows, one hand resting close to his blaster. The two strangers stood out like transponder beacons to his eyes. He exhaled noticeably and dipped his head slightly, sending out the merest wisp of a Force-tendril. There was an almost immediate reaction from the tall one, who returned his attention to the doorway. After a few moments he once more began his scrutiny of the patrons and Tenric relaxed somewhat.
He kept to the shadows near the doorway and pushed his Force presence as far down as he could. Whoever he was, he was definitely a Force-user, and a well trained one at that. He seemed to already have mostly adapted to the static that the planet generated in the Force. The evening was going to be more interesting that he had planned. Tenric realized he almost had to be a Jedi to react so quickly to the small Force tendril Tenric had sent out. Whether he served the Dark or Light was what concerned Tenric. His hopes of a Jedi underground would vanish if Dark Jedi became aware of SomaIII this early. With a mental sigh Tenric resigned himself to finding out…and ensuring that, if they were on the wrong side, neither of the newcomers ever left SomaII.
“Sure. I think we’re about done here anyway.” Orrell responded with a glance at Kr-Ant.
“Uh, yeah.” He added a little distractedly, “We can go check her out…sounds like a good idea.”
The group rose and headed out. Kr-Ant was still trying to locate the Force tremor he’d detected a few moments ago. It had been there and then vanished again. Someone was watching them, he knew it, but just couldn’t pin it down. He was attuned enough to know the person was in the cantina, but nothing else. Broadening his scan he caught a blip near the door again. It wasn’t a presence as much as it was an absence, a calm spot in the static. The watcher must be near the door, and be a Jedi.
A stranger emerged from the shadows near the door as the four men were about to step out into the street. He was almost completely shrouded from Kr-Ant’s Force senses even though he stood right in front of him. Kr-Ant’s hand was slowly reaching for his hidden light saber, when the stranger spoke, “It’s okay, I’m with Dale and Orlan. They were here tonight to meet with me. My name is Tenric Starkindler.” Stepping closer to Kr-Ant, he nearly whispered, “I know who you are, and we need to talk.” Kr-Ant nodded imperceptibly.
Dale spoke up, “Tenric! Glad you made it buddy!” Pumping Tenric’s hand enthusiastically he went on, “Kr-Ant and Orrell here are gonna be Gambit Inc.’s first customers!”
Orlan interrupted and offered, “I saw you two walk here. Would you rather ride back to the port?” He pointed to a beat-up cargo land speeder off to the side.
“No arguments here!” Orrell quickly responded, thinking of his aching legs and feet. Kr-Ant nodded his agreement. He was wary of Tenric. Though obviously a local, and a trained Jedi, he was dressed like a spacer or bounty hunter. Still There was no warning in the Force, as far as he could determine, and he could learn a lot from a Jedi who had grown up with this Force static.
Gambit Inc. Part IV
….Kr-Ant and Orrell returned to the bar about fifteen minutes early, the two off-worlders ordered some food and non-alcoholic drinks, and retired to a booth on the far side of the bar, with a vantage point of the door and most of the room. Orrell literally sagged in his chair, happy to be off his aching legs and feet.
…They conversed in hushed tones. Not that such behavior was out of place here in The Shaft, but strangers were. Not many came to SomaIII for any other reason than mining, racing, or smuggling. Ragün ran a tight ship and, though there were stares and sideways glances in abundance, no one made any trouble or challenged them. Not yet, but perhaps later. Paydays were always fight days since that was when the miners and local ‘croppers were able to get drunk enough to forget about Ragün’s Rules.
Kr-Ant and Orrell were barely half-way through their spicy meal when they were suddenly joined by two strangers, who brought their own chairs with them. “I understand you’re in need of a hyperdrive. And with some unusual specs, too. Where’d you get your last one? Is it still in one piece?” A moment’s pause and then, “Oh, right, sorry. I’m Orlan, and this is Dale.”
Not sensing anything malevolent through the Force, Kr-Ant extended his right hand to the two new arrivals, “I’m Kr-Ant, and this is Orrell. Any technical stuff can be directed to him, I’m just the pilot,” he said grinning slightly.
This got a snicker and a knowing wink from Dale. After several minutes of polite conversation, each side feeling the other out, it became quite evident to all four that they were definitely going to get along. Kr-Ant and Dale discussed some of the finer points of asteroid field navigation while Orrell and Orlan ascended into computational wave functions and interstitial hyperspace geometry.
After a while, Orlan commented cheerily, “I’m pretty sure that we can help ya out, Orrell. Though, it may take a couple weeks, if you want a suitable replacement, and not just some retro-fitted off-the-shelf piece of junk.”
The engineer glanced over at his Jedi partner, who shrugged, “It’s your ship, and your call. I have the time.”
Orrell smiled, “Actually, she’s your ship, or will be once everything is fully operational, again.”
Kr-Ant’s jaw dropped slightly, “Uhhhhh…….are you sure? She’s a pretty amazing fighter, to say nothing of the fact that she’s a one-of-a-kind prototype!”
That last bit clearly grabbed the attention of Orlan. Trying hard, but unsuccessfully to hide his excitement, he blurted out, “A prototype? You never said you flew here in a prototype, and a fighter on top of that, Orrell! Can I see her?” The other three around the table chuckled at the engineer’s enthusiasm.
The noise died down a bit as Ragün approached the stage. Holding the microphone in one of his meaty hands and smiling, he announced proudly. “The Shaft is once again proud to welcome our very own local sensation The Town Criers!”
As the bar erupted into a cacophony of applause and cheers the group moved from their table in the corner to the small stage. They were a popular local fusion band consisting of a Toydarian, Human, Rodian, and a droid that had been specially modified with holo-projectors and synth nodes. Along with their lead singer, an Ithorian, they made for a highly unusual, but talented, quintet. They had even been asked to Nal-Hutta to give selected performances. If they had had the good fortune to live anywhere near the Core they would undoubtedly have been given a lucrative recording deal, but this was SomaIII and such things were far away.
Amidst the sudden burst of light and sound that heralded The Criers’ opening number Tenric slipped in the open doorway and stepped into the shadows off to one side. All eyes were on the group as they went through their, signature, musical introduction. All eyes except those of the taller of the two people sharing a table with his friends. Just as the shadows claimed Tenric the taller one’s head snapped toward the door and his eyes narrowed. His companion, somewhat shorter and thicker, noticed the movement and tipped his head slightly in a questioning gesture.
…They conversed in hushed tones. Not that such behavior was out of place here in The Shaft, but strangers were. Not many came to SomaIII for any other reason than mining, racing, or smuggling. Ragün ran a tight ship and, though there were stares and sideways glances in abundance, no one made any trouble or challenged them. Not yet, but perhaps later. Paydays were always fight days since that was when the miners and local ‘croppers were able to get drunk enough to forget about Ragün’s Rules.
Kr-Ant and Orrell were barely half-way through their spicy meal when they were suddenly joined by two strangers, who brought their own chairs with them. “I understand you’re in need of a hyperdrive. And with some unusual specs, too. Where’d you get your last one? Is it still in one piece?” A moment’s pause and then, “Oh, right, sorry. I’m Orlan, and this is Dale.”
Not sensing anything malevolent through the Force, Kr-Ant extended his right hand to the two new arrivals, “I’m Kr-Ant, and this is Orrell. Any technical stuff can be directed to him, I’m just the pilot,” he said grinning slightly.
This got a snicker and a knowing wink from Dale. After several minutes of polite conversation, each side feeling the other out, it became quite evident to all four that they were definitely going to get along. Kr-Ant and Dale discussed some of the finer points of asteroid field navigation while Orrell and Orlan ascended into computational wave functions and interstitial hyperspace geometry.
After a while, Orlan commented cheerily, “I’m pretty sure that we can help ya out, Orrell. Though, it may take a couple weeks, if you want a suitable replacement, and not just some retro-fitted off-the-shelf piece of junk.”
The engineer glanced over at his Jedi partner, who shrugged, “It’s your ship, and your call. I have the time.”
Orrell smiled, “Actually, she’s your ship, or will be once everything is fully operational, again.”
Kr-Ant’s jaw dropped slightly, “Uhhhhh…….are you sure? She’s a pretty amazing fighter, to say nothing of the fact that she’s a one-of-a-kind prototype!”
That last bit clearly grabbed the attention of Orlan. Trying hard, but unsuccessfully to hide his excitement, he blurted out, “A prototype? You never said you flew here in a prototype, and a fighter on top of that, Orrell! Can I see her?” The other three around the table chuckled at the engineer’s enthusiasm.
The noise died down a bit as Ragün approached the stage. Holding the microphone in one of his meaty hands and smiling, he announced proudly. “The Shaft is once again proud to welcome our very own local sensation The Town Criers!”
As the bar erupted into a cacophony of applause and cheers the group moved from their table in the corner to the small stage. They were a popular local fusion band consisting of a Toydarian, Human, Rodian, and a droid that had been specially modified with holo-projectors and synth nodes. Along with their lead singer, an Ithorian, they made for a highly unusual, but talented, quintet. They had even been asked to Nal-Hutta to give selected performances. If they had had the good fortune to live anywhere near the Core they would undoubtedly have been given a lucrative recording deal, but this was SomaIII and such things were far away.
Amidst the sudden burst of light and sound that heralded The Criers’ opening number Tenric slipped in the open doorway and stepped into the shadows off to one side. All eyes were on the group as they went through their, signature, musical introduction. All eyes except those of the taller of the two people sharing a table with his friends. Just as the shadows claimed Tenric the taller one’s head snapped toward the door and his eyes narrowed. His companion, somewhat shorter and thicker, noticed the movement and tipped his head slightly in a questioning gesture.
Gambit Inc. Part III
Part II: An Unexpected Party
It was crowded in the Shaft as Dale and Orlan arrived and took a table along the outer wall. Payday was always crowded as the miners had fresh credits to spend on drinking and other, less innocent, vices. Dale spotted a table of Dure-Lite’s enforcers across the cantina and nodded to point them out to Orlan.
“Some of your old friends?” He asked sarcastically.
“Nope.” Orlan responded without a second glance, “My friends at Dure-Lite are all in the R&D areas. We never trusted or liked the muscle since they report only to the Administrator and he holds everyone’s leashes.”
In the weeks after the race Dale and Orlan had met here often and gotten to know each other well. Tenric had been right about them. They clicked in many ways and kept each other honest in the areas they differed on. They quickly decided to actually go ahead with the plan to start up their own ship customizing business and had launched ‘Gambit Inc.’ with a good deal of fanfare.
Tenric’s interview had indeed elicited Dalba’s forgiveness and his mention of the “…Engineering wizard who’s innovative approach to design and power distribution will revolutionize travel in the galaxy,” had actually brought business offers to Orlan within days of the airing.
Together they had located and claimed the abandoned asteroid base Tenric had told them about. It had needed a lot of work, but possessed a solid infrastructure along with good shield generators. The first influx of investor credits had purchased a pair of Byblos Drives Sentry Security platforms and funded the construction of one of their Asteroid hangar bays. The conversion had drained every credit of investment capital they had garnered in the last year, but everything was finally ready.
Dale had used his credits to bolster Orlan’s and together they had managed to outfit the new base with the minimum necessary equipment. They had a few customers lined up already, Dalba among them, and knew it would only take one winning racer out of their bays to bring in more business than they could handle. Tonight was a celebration. Gambit Inc. was set to go into business with the start of the next work cycle and free time to while-away in the Shaft would be non-existent for the foreseeable future.
“I wonder if our friend will show this evening.” Orlan offered as a way of broaching the subject they both wanted to talk about.
“If he got the message he’ll be here.” Dale replied matter-of-factly.
“Think the last year has changed him?” Orlan asked sounding a bit worried.
“Nah!” Dale sounded almost offended. “Not him. Remember he has both a reason and a plan behind his new career.”
“Yeah, but the stories….” Orlan trailed off not wanting to antagonize Dale. He knew how close he and Tenric were.
“Stories are just that, stories.” Dale answered, “You know he needs to build a reputation in order to accomplish what he wants to, besides I am sure he hasn’t killed anyone who didn’t have it coming.”
“Yeah, I guess.” Orlan sounded unconvinced. “Its just that…” He trailed off again. He wasn’t sure how much Dale knew or suspected.
“Look.” Dale said defensively, “I’m telling you he won’t become one of them, he’s just using them. Hell he’s smarter, faster, and more skilled than any of them.”
Orlan didn’t want to say it, but that was exactly what he was concerned about. Tenric had practically admitted to him that he was one of the outlawed and hunted Jedi when he had explained his plan after last year’s race. Dale had grown up here on SomaIII and had little experience outside his sphere of interest. Orlan had been educated on both Corellia and Coruscant and had seen the Jedi up close several times. He didn’t believe for a minute that they had really betrayed The Republic as Palpitane claimed. He was, however, worried that the life Tenric had been living this last year, and the choices he had needed to make, might have turned him to the Dark Side.
Orlan had done a good bit of research over the last year. Old holo-vids, news-flimsies, and in-depth reports had contained a lot of info on the Jedi from decades past. Along with the footage from last year’s race he was now more convinced than ever that Tenric was one of them. That meant his ‘uncle’ had been as well. Tenric had told them he wanted to assist refugees by way of his new life as a bounty hunter, and Orlan was sure those refugees would be Jedi. The New Empire’s Forces were actively hunting down and exterminating them everywhere. It made him both nervous and excited to be a part of something so dangerous.
“Hello-oo! Come in Orlan, are you there?” Dale said mockingly, waving his hand in the air in front of him.
“Oh, excuse me Dale, I am sorry.” Orlan responded.
“Look we open for business with the next cycle. You’ve spent the last year off somewhere in your head with all the planning. Tonight, at least, join the rest of us and forget tomorrow.” Dale scolded.
“You’re right Dale.” Orlan nodded, “This isn’t the time for worries.” With that he lifted his glass and drank deeply.
As he set his glass down the server droid approached and stopped next to Orlan. While the droid delivered two frothing Hutt-Busters a small panel slide aside to reveal a holo-projector. With a bluish flicker it came to life.
“Orlan,” the diminutive holo-figure of Ragün said from their tabletop. “There are two off-worlders looking for some specialized repairs to their hyperdrive.” The droid deposited a small data chit on the table. “They seem ok and should be by shortly. Thought you and Dale could use a little start up business. I’ll have the droid alert you when they come in and you can decide. This round’s on me guys. Good luck.”
With that the screen went dark and the server droid whizzed away on its rounds.
“What was that all about?” Dale asked
Orlan didn’t answer right away. He was scanning the specs and parts listed on the datachit with a growing interest.
“Here we go again!” Dale commented sounding slightly annoyed.
“Oh. Sorry. Ragün seems to have found us out first customer.”
Dale listened and as Orlan filled him in it seemed to him things were definitely looking up….
It was crowded in the Shaft as Dale and Orlan arrived and took a table along the outer wall. Payday was always crowded as the miners had fresh credits to spend on drinking and other, less innocent, vices. Dale spotted a table of Dure-Lite’s enforcers across the cantina and nodded to point them out to Orlan.
“Some of your old friends?” He asked sarcastically.
“Nope.” Orlan responded without a second glance, “My friends at Dure-Lite are all in the R&D areas. We never trusted or liked the muscle since they report only to the Administrator and he holds everyone’s leashes.”
In the weeks after the race Dale and Orlan had met here often and gotten to know each other well. Tenric had been right about them. They clicked in many ways and kept each other honest in the areas they differed on. They quickly decided to actually go ahead with the plan to start up their own ship customizing business and had launched ‘Gambit Inc.’ with a good deal of fanfare.
Tenric’s interview had indeed elicited Dalba’s forgiveness and his mention of the “…Engineering wizard who’s innovative approach to design and power distribution will revolutionize travel in the galaxy,” had actually brought business offers to Orlan within days of the airing.
Together they had located and claimed the abandoned asteroid base Tenric had told them about. It had needed a lot of work, but possessed a solid infrastructure along with good shield generators. The first influx of investor credits had purchased a pair of Byblos Drives Sentry Security platforms and funded the construction of one of their Asteroid hangar bays. The conversion had drained every credit of investment capital they had garnered in the last year, but everything was finally ready.
Dale had used his credits to bolster Orlan’s and together they had managed to outfit the new base with the minimum necessary equipment. They had a few customers lined up already, Dalba among them, and knew it would only take one winning racer out of their bays to bring in more business than they could handle. Tonight was a celebration. Gambit Inc. was set to go into business with the start of the next work cycle and free time to while-away in the Shaft would be non-existent for the foreseeable future.
“I wonder if our friend will show this evening.” Orlan offered as a way of broaching the subject they both wanted to talk about.
“If he got the message he’ll be here.” Dale replied matter-of-factly.
“Think the last year has changed him?” Orlan asked sounding a bit worried.
“Nah!” Dale sounded almost offended. “Not him. Remember he has both a reason and a plan behind his new career.”
“Yeah, but the stories….” Orlan trailed off not wanting to antagonize Dale. He knew how close he and Tenric were.
“Stories are just that, stories.” Dale answered, “You know he needs to build a reputation in order to accomplish what he wants to, besides I am sure he hasn’t killed anyone who didn’t have it coming.”
“Yeah, I guess.” Orlan sounded unconvinced. “Its just that…” He trailed off again. He wasn’t sure how much Dale knew or suspected.
“Look.” Dale said defensively, “I’m telling you he won’t become one of them, he’s just using them. Hell he’s smarter, faster, and more skilled than any of them.”
Orlan didn’t want to say it, but that was exactly what he was concerned about. Tenric had practically admitted to him that he was one of the outlawed and hunted Jedi when he had explained his plan after last year’s race. Dale had grown up here on SomaIII and had little experience outside his sphere of interest. Orlan had been educated on both Corellia and Coruscant and had seen the Jedi up close several times. He didn’t believe for a minute that they had really betrayed The Republic as Palpitane claimed. He was, however, worried that the life Tenric had been living this last year, and the choices he had needed to make, might have turned him to the Dark Side.
Orlan had done a good bit of research over the last year. Old holo-vids, news-flimsies, and in-depth reports had contained a lot of info on the Jedi from decades past. Along with the footage from last year’s race he was now more convinced than ever that Tenric was one of them. That meant his ‘uncle’ had been as well. Tenric had told them he wanted to assist refugees by way of his new life as a bounty hunter, and Orlan was sure those refugees would be Jedi. The New Empire’s Forces were actively hunting down and exterminating them everywhere. It made him both nervous and excited to be a part of something so dangerous.
“Hello-oo! Come in Orlan, are you there?” Dale said mockingly, waving his hand in the air in front of him.
“Oh, excuse me Dale, I am sorry.” Orlan responded.
“Look we open for business with the next cycle. You’ve spent the last year off somewhere in your head with all the planning. Tonight, at least, join the rest of us and forget tomorrow.” Dale scolded.
“You’re right Dale.” Orlan nodded, “This isn’t the time for worries.” With that he lifted his glass and drank deeply.
As he set his glass down the server droid approached and stopped next to Orlan. While the droid delivered two frothing Hutt-Busters a small panel slide aside to reveal a holo-projector. With a bluish flicker it came to life.
“Orlan,” the diminutive holo-figure of Ragün said from their tabletop. “There are two off-worlders looking for some specialized repairs to their hyperdrive.” The droid deposited a small data chit on the table. “They seem ok and should be by shortly. Thought you and Dale could use a little start up business. I’ll have the droid alert you when they come in and you can decide. This round’s on me guys. Good luck.”
With that the screen went dark and the server droid whizzed away on its rounds.
“What was that all about?” Dale asked
Orlan didn’t answer right away. He was scanning the specs and parts listed on the datachit with a growing interest.
“Here we go again!” Dale commented sounding slightly annoyed.
“Oh. Sorry. Ragün seems to have found us out first customer.”
Dale listened and as Orlan filled him in it seemed to him things were definitely looking up….
Gambit Inc. Part II
Only then did he glance out the cockpit transparisteel viewports. Despite his Jedi training and experience, what he saw caused his heart rate to increase, and he swallowed quickly.
“At least we’re alive, still.”
Without taking his gaze from the scene outside, Kr-Ant replied, “Glad you’re back up and running, too. Strap in and help me with the diagnostics.”
Floating forward, Orrell pulled himself down into his seat beside Kr-Ant. Activating his own consoles, the most urgent alert flashed at the top of the damage readout. “Considering that asteroid field out there, I’d say we were pretty lucky. Aft hull armor is indicating a puncture, aft of the hyperdrive initiator, and the coolant lines have been pinched. The back-up hyperdrive appears okay, but the nav comp is still running its orientation computations. Which is odd. We must really be out in the boonies.”
Kr-Ant let Orrell ramble on, while he slowly steadied the heavy fighter’s multi-axis wobble. Gently easing in the maneuvering thrusters, the spinning slowed, and then stopped. Out of the right side, the Jedi suddenly spotted something that he had not noticed before, despite his force attenuation. “Okay, so where are we? I’ve got no threats on the sensors, but I’m bringing the combat systems online.”
“Nav comp still can’t make up its mind. That’s definitely not Gamorr; according to the calculations, we are further out towards the rim.”
“Well, let’s check it out. There’s something a little…..off, with this place.” And grabbing the throttle and control stick, Kr-Ant eased the throttle up slowly, and began picking his way through the massive asteroid field, to the planet floating beyond.
As they finally cleared the field, and passed near to a cluster of larger asteroids, four small fighters suddenly surrounded them. At the same time, a stern voice came over the common frequency, “Unidentified craft, you will power down your weapons, and follow us. Do you copy?”
Activating their comms, Kr-Ant replied, “Affirmative. Mind answering a few questions though?” While waiting for a response, Kr-Ant dumped all canon weapon energy into the shield secondary capacitors, effectively boosting them to two hundred percent of normal.
“We are Soma III security, and you will follow us down to the planet for processing,” was the terse reply.
Orrell commented quietly to Kr-Ant, “Processing, eh. I’m not sure I like the sound of that. At least we have a nav reference point now. I’m plotting an emergency hyperspace route out.”
“Wait,” the Jedi replied. “Just…..wait. There is some sort of force static around this planet. I can’t sense anything specific, either people or other biologicals. It’s definitely there, just that I can’t focus.” Glancing over at his companion, he grinned, “It would make a great place for Jedi to hide.”
*****
Processing merely entailed a brief and polite questioning period by the Dure-Lite port authorities, and then the two newcomers were free to leave. Returning to the small quarantine space dock, and their damaged prototype, Orrell began compiling a list of parts and things to do.
Grunting every once in a while against the heavier gravity, “I’m not sure what we can find here, but I’ll repair what I can. I can’t repair the main hyperdrive though; it’s melted beyond repair. I’ll need you to track down a replacement. Here’s a list of the minimum and maximum specifications that you’ll have to watch.”
Kr-Ant nodded, “Watch your back. I need to observe more of the locals to refocus my force senses, I think. I should only be gone a couple hours. Keep your commlink handy, in case either of us gets into trouble. Though, it looks like we have this spaceport pretty much to ourselves.”
“Good luck. Or should I say, ‘May the force be with you’?”
“It always is, even here.” And with that, Kr-Ant force-flipped over the permacrete security wall, and was gone. Orrell turned back to the heavy fighter, and began opening access panel after access panel, and reaching into his secret creation, making what repairs he could.
*****
As he wandered the streets, Kr-Ant passed another small building, when he unexpectedly detected a brief flash in the force. Careful to control his reaction, Kr-Ant stopped near a shop window, and scanned the area behind him both visually in the window’s reflection, and with the force. Gently at first, until he narrowed his search area. It was definitely coming from that building; it appeared to be a simple bar. And then, as quickly as it had appeared, the sensation was gone. Not just damped down or smothered, but completely gone.
Attempting to dampen his own force presence was difficult in this strange force static area, but he felt confident he was mostly successful. Only then did he turn around and slowly make his way towards the bar. Casually letting his left hand hang loosely near his hidden light saber, Kr-Ant stepped up to the door, and entered the darkened interior.
Glancing around causally before settling on a seat in the middle of the bar, Kr-Ant observed that most of the patrons were more concerned with their respective drinks than any newcomers, be they familiar or stranger. Requesting a simple water to start off with, Kr-Ant asked the bar tender if he might know of any reputable local starship parts dealers, or mechanics, and then specified he was looking for a hyperdrive replacement for a small ship.
After a moment’s silence, the bar tender grunted, “Maybe, but……..”
Kr-Ant silently slid several credits and the hyperdrive specs as provided by Orrell, over the counter casually. As the bar tender just as casually glanced down, Kr-Ant noticed his right eyebrow rise up just a little bit. Good, it was obviously a sufficient amount, but not too much to raise suspicions.
“Come back in a few hours, and I’ll see what I can come up with.”
Kr-Ant then ordered a mild local brew, and a short while later, left the darkened interior of the bar.
Returning to the small partitioned section of the spaceport the same way he left, he informed Orrell of the bartender’s comment.
“Well, I might as well come along with you, just in case there’s nothing exactly matching my specs.”
“Sounds fine. We still have about two hours, so we might as well get some more work done. What’s the ship’s status?”
*****
“At least we’re alive, still.”
Without taking his gaze from the scene outside, Kr-Ant replied, “Glad you’re back up and running, too. Strap in and help me with the diagnostics.”
Floating forward, Orrell pulled himself down into his seat beside Kr-Ant. Activating his own consoles, the most urgent alert flashed at the top of the damage readout. “Considering that asteroid field out there, I’d say we were pretty lucky. Aft hull armor is indicating a puncture, aft of the hyperdrive initiator, and the coolant lines have been pinched. The back-up hyperdrive appears okay, but the nav comp is still running its orientation computations. Which is odd. We must really be out in the boonies.”
Kr-Ant let Orrell ramble on, while he slowly steadied the heavy fighter’s multi-axis wobble. Gently easing in the maneuvering thrusters, the spinning slowed, and then stopped. Out of the right side, the Jedi suddenly spotted something that he had not noticed before, despite his force attenuation. “Okay, so where are we? I’ve got no threats on the sensors, but I’m bringing the combat systems online.”
“Nav comp still can’t make up its mind. That’s definitely not Gamorr; according to the calculations, we are further out towards the rim.”
“Well, let’s check it out. There’s something a little…..off, with this place.” And grabbing the throttle and control stick, Kr-Ant eased the throttle up slowly, and began picking his way through the massive asteroid field, to the planet floating beyond.
As they finally cleared the field, and passed near to a cluster of larger asteroids, four small fighters suddenly surrounded them. At the same time, a stern voice came over the common frequency, “Unidentified craft, you will power down your weapons, and follow us. Do you copy?”
Activating their comms, Kr-Ant replied, “Affirmative. Mind answering a few questions though?” While waiting for a response, Kr-Ant dumped all canon weapon energy into the shield secondary capacitors, effectively boosting them to two hundred percent of normal.
“We are Soma III security, and you will follow us down to the planet for processing,” was the terse reply.
Orrell commented quietly to Kr-Ant, “Processing, eh. I’m not sure I like the sound of that. At least we have a nav reference point now. I’m plotting an emergency hyperspace route out.”
“Wait,” the Jedi replied. “Just…..wait. There is some sort of force static around this planet. I can’t sense anything specific, either people or other biologicals. It’s definitely there, just that I can’t focus.” Glancing over at his companion, he grinned, “It would make a great place for Jedi to hide.”
*****
Processing merely entailed a brief and polite questioning period by the Dure-Lite port authorities, and then the two newcomers were free to leave. Returning to the small quarantine space dock, and their damaged prototype, Orrell began compiling a list of parts and things to do.
Grunting every once in a while against the heavier gravity, “I’m not sure what we can find here, but I’ll repair what I can. I can’t repair the main hyperdrive though; it’s melted beyond repair. I’ll need you to track down a replacement. Here’s a list of the minimum and maximum specifications that you’ll have to watch.”
Kr-Ant nodded, “Watch your back. I need to observe more of the locals to refocus my force senses, I think. I should only be gone a couple hours. Keep your commlink handy, in case either of us gets into trouble. Though, it looks like we have this spaceport pretty much to ourselves.”
“Good luck. Or should I say, ‘May the force be with you’?”
“It always is, even here.” And with that, Kr-Ant force-flipped over the permacrete security wall, and was gone. Orrell turned back to the heavy fighter, and began opening access panel after access panel, and reaching into his secret creation, making what repairs he could.
*****
As he wandered the streets, Kr-Ant passed another small building, when he unexpectedly detected a brief flash in the force. Careful to control his reaction, Kr-Ant stopped near a shop window, and scanned the area behind him both visually in the window’s reflection, and with the force. Gently at first, until he narrowed his search area. It was definitely coming from that building; it appeared to be a simple bar. And then, as quickly as it had appeared, the sensation was gone. Not just damped down or smothered, but completely gone.
Attempting to dampen his own force presence was difficult in this strange force static area, but he felt confident he was mostly successful. Only then did he turn around and slowly make his way towards the bar. Casually letting his left hand hang loosely near his hidden light saber, Kr-Ant stepped up to the door, and entered the darkened interior.
Glancing around causally before settling on a seat in the middle of the bar, Kr-Ant observed that most of the patrons were more concerned with their respective drinks than any newcomers, be they familiar or stranger. Requesting a simple water to start off with, Kr-Ant asked the bar tender if he might know of any reputable local starship parts dealers, or mechanics, and then specified he was looking for a hyperdrive replacement for a small ship.
After a moment’s silence, the bar tender grunted, “Maybe, but……..”
Kr-Ant silently slid several credits and the hyperdrive specs as provided by Orrell, over the counter casually. As the bar tender just as casually glanced down, Kr-Ant noticed his right eyebrow rise up just a little bit. Good, it was obviously a sufficient amount, but not too much to raise suspicions.
“Come back in a few hours, and I’ll see what I can come up with.”
Kr-Ant then ordered a mild local brew, and a short while later, left the darkened interior of the bar.
Returning to the small partitioned section of the spaceport the same way he left, he informed Orrell of the bartender’s comment.
“Well, I might as well come along with you, just in case there’s nothing exactly matching my specs.”
“Sounds fine. We still have about two hours, so we might as well get some more work done. What’s the ship’s status?”
*****
Gambit Inc.
GAMBIT INC.
This story is a sequel to "Tenric's Gambit" and takes place about 1 year afterwards.
I want to thank Jedi Ranger for his suggestion that we work together on a story. His storyline and characters fit nicely into Tenric's and I think the result is great.
As always I/we both look forward to and appreciate your comments and feedback.....
================================================================
Setting: The Somantus Asteroid Belt, Soma III & The Shaft / about 1 year after the events in “Tenric’s Gambit”
Part I: A Chance Encounter
“Get us out of here!”
“I’m trying but that last ion blast scrambled our hyperspace nav-comp in the middle of its calculations. It’ll take at least four minutes to reset! I guess we won’t be coming back to Bothawui any time soon; the Imps are everywhere!”
“We don’t have four minutes! And I seriously doubt we have one!”
The heavy fighter suddenly banked sharply to starboard, and even more suddenly, reversed course. The new heading took them straight at the pursuing Carrack-class cruiser.
“Are you crazy? They’ll get a tractor lock on us in no time!”
“Not if I have anything to say about it. Give me seventy percent of the shields forward, twenty aft, and throw the rest to the engines. I need more speed!”
The heads up display quickly indicated the instructions and been completed, and their relative speed indicator scrolled upwards another fifteen percent, clearly redlining the six brand new sub light engines. Suddenly four golden flares sprouted from the sides of the cockpit, and screamed forward towards the onrushing cruiser. And just as suddenly, the Z-100 prototype was surrounded by stretching star lines, and then the swirling blue and white vortex of hyperspace encompassed it completely.
*****
Orrell Varsin glanced up at his Jedi companion, and the prototype’s pilot, Kr-Ant Jooraw. “So, where are we going?”
The only immediate response was a simple shrug. Then, “What’s the status of our systems?” Only then did Kr-Ant return the engineer’s gaze.
Shaking his head, Orrell replied, “Tough to tell without actually putting down for a physical inspection, but the computers read most systems at one hundred percent. The nav computer is back on line, but could really use a proper tuning at a verified nav buoy. The sub light engines appear fine; shields and weapons are okay, though we are down four missiles.” It looked like the engineer was about to say something else, when his data pad beeped, and he held it up to read the display.
“I don’t need to force to know that expression, nobody would. What’s wrong?”
Still not looking back up, Orrell replied, “It appears that our primary hyperdrive sustained some damage in the battle, and is beginning to overheat. There is a short somewhere, and the hyperdrive coils have been overcharged. Wherever we are headed, we’re going to get there in a real hurry. If we don’t explode first.”
“Well, our last heading puts us on a rough course for Gamorr. Should we shut down the hyperdrive? This is the longest blind jump I’ve ever made.”
“That’s what’s really got me worried. I can’t, I’ve tried. All the safeties and overrides are scrambled or fused. Only a gravity well can stop us now. Unless……….” The engineer trailed off and began furiously entering calculations into his console.
Before Kr-Ant could inquire, their tiny world suddenly became total chaos. Both were thrown forward to the cockpit access hatch and were pinned there. At the same time, sparks began arcing from the hyperdrive computer at the aft of the compartment, and acrid smoke filled the air. What first started as a high-pitched squeal rapidly increased to a howling scream. Both men were unable to cover their ears or noses, as they were still pinned by a high gravity field. Had Orrell wanted to cover his face from the smoke, it would have been a pointless gesture, as he couldn’t breathe yet from the impact on his back.
As quickly as it started, it was all over. When they could breathe again, nearly every light and computer was not operational. Thankfully, it appeared that the basic systems still functioned, as they still had atmosphere, and the scent of incinerated electronics and hardware was quickly dissipating. But the artificial gravity had failed, too.
Grabbing a nearby rail, Kr-Ant steadied himself, and activated a ceiling emergency light. Spotting Orrell floating near the aft bulkhead, the Jedi gently reached out with the force, and pulled the motionless engineer to him. There was a small gash on Orrell’s forehead, and some slight swelling and bruising. Half closing his eyes, Kr-Ant released his grip and placed both hands on Orrell’s head. Gently nudging a tiny current in the force, Kr-Ant encouraged the engineer’s cells into a rapid healing state. Opening his eyes, Kr-Ant released Orrell to floating about the interior again, and turned to the cockpit hatch.
Hitting the release pad, the hatch slowly opened - a sure indication that main power was indeed offline, but at least the power cells were functioning as designed. Leaving the hatch open, Kr-Ant seated himself into the pilot’s seat, and began resetting the systems. The remote breaker resets operated normally, and the main reactor slowly returned to full power. Overriding the artificial gravity, Kr-Ant brought the rest of the primary systems online, and began an automatic diagnostic scan.
This story is a sequel to "Tenric's Gambit" and takes place about 1 year afterwards.
I want to thank Jedi Ranger for his suggestion that we work together on a story. His storyline and characters fit nicely into Tenric's and I think the result is great.
As always I/we both look forward to and appreciate your comments and feedback.....
================================================================
Setting: The Somantus Asteroid Belt, Soma III & The Shaft / about 1 year after the events in “Tenric’s Gambit”
Part I: A Chance Encounter
“Get us out of here!”
“I’m trying but that last ion blast scrambled our hyperspace nav-comp in the middle of its calculations. It’ll take at least four minutes to reset! I guess we won’t be coming back to Bothawui any time soon; the Imps are everywhere!”
“We don’t have four minutes! And I seriously doubt we have one!”
The heavy fighter suddenly banked sharply to starboard, and even more suddenly, reversed course. The new heading took them straight at the pursuing Carrack-class cruiser.
“Are you crazy? They’ll get a tractor lock on us in no time!”
“Not if I have anything to say about it. Give me seventy percent of the shields forward, twenty aft, and throw the rest to the engines. I need more speed!”
The heads up display quickly indicated the instructions and been completed, and their relative speed indicator scrolled upwards another fifteen percent, clearly redlining the six brand new sub light engines. Suddenly four golden flares sprouted from the sides of the cockpit, and screamed forward towards the onrushing cruiser. And just as suddenly, the Z-100 prototype was surrounded by stretching star lines, and then the swirling blue and white vortex of hyperspace encompassed it completely.
*****
Orrell Varsin glanced up at his Jedi companion, and the prototype’s pilot, Kr-Ant Jooraw. “So, where are we going?”
The only immediate response was a simple shrug. Then, “What’s the status of our systems?” Only then did Kr-Ant return the engineer’s gaze.
Shaking his head, Orrell replied, “Tough to tell without actually putting down for a physical inspection, but the computers read most systems at one hundred percent. The nav computer is back on line, but could really use a proper tuning at a verified nav buoy. The sub light engines appear fine; shields and weapons are okay, though we are down four missiles.” It looked like the engineer was about to say something else, when his data pad beeped, and he held it up to read the display.
“I don’t need to force to know that expression, nobody would. What’s wrong?”
Still not looking back up, Orrell replied, “It appears that our primary hyperdrive sustained some damage in the battle, and is beginning to overheat. There is a short somewhere, and the hyperdrive coils have been overcharged. Wherever we are headed, we’re going to get there in a real hurry. If we don’t explode first.”
“Well, our last heading puts us on a rough course for Gamorr. Should we shut down the hyperdrive? This is the longest blind jump I’ve ever made.”
“That’s what’s really got me worried. I can’t, I’ve tried. All the safeties and overrides are scrambled or fused. Only a gravity well can stop us now. Unless……….” The engineer trailed off and began furiously entering calculations into his console.
Before Kr-Ant could inquire, their tiny world suddenly became total chaos. Both were thrown forward to the cockpit access hatch and were pinned there. At the same time, sparks began arcing from the hyperdrive computer at the aft of the compartment, and acrid smoke filled the air. What first started as a high-pitched squeal rapidly increased to a howling scream. Both men were unable to cover their ears or noses, as they were still pinned by a high gravity field. Had Orrell wanted to cover his face from the smoke, it would have been a pointless gesture, as he couldn’t breathe yet from the impact on his back.
As quickly as it started, it was all over. When they could breathe again, nearly every light and computer was not operational. Thankfully, it appeared that the basic systems still functioned, as they still had atmosphere, and the scent of incinerated electronics and hardware was quickly dissipating. But the artificial gravity had failed, too.
Grabbing a nearby rail, Kr-Ant steadied himself, and activated a ceiling emergency light. Spotting Orrell floating near the aft bulkhead, the Jedi gently reached out with the force, and pulled the motionless engineer to him. There was a small gash on Orrell’s forehead, and some slight swelling and bruising. Half closing his eyes, Kr-Ant released his grip and placed both hands on Orrell’s head. Gently nudging a tiny current in the force, Kr-Ant encouraged the engineer’s cells into a rapid healing state. Opening his eyes, Kr-Ant released Orrell to floating about the interior again, and turned to the cockpit hatch.
Hitting the release pad, the hatch slowly opened - a sure indication that main power was indeed offline, but at least the power cells were functioning as designed. Leaving the hatch open, Kr-Ant seated himself into the pilot’s seat, and began resetting the systems. The remote breaker resets operated normally, and the main reactor slowly returned to full power. Overriding the artificial gravity, Kr-Ant brought the rest of the primary systems online, and began an automatic diagnostic scan.
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