Ask A Rough Start

[Neel Kant]

Neel was tracking a Keteerian smuggler along the Namadii corridor, when his sensors picked up on something. “That’s an SOS signal… Bee-A, hone in on the beacon’s frequency and see if you can amplify the signal,” he said to his droid as he angled the antenna towards where the signal was coming from. After some careful calibration and with Bee-A’s help, Neel managed to pin-point the location of the signal.

“That’s strange. It’s coming from beyond Esfandia… Who is doing what that close to the Unknown Regions?” he pondered. As he began to punch in the coordinates into his navicomputer, Bee-A let out a tense sequence of beeps and whistles. “Yeah, I know it could be a trap set up by the smugglers, Bee-A. But, it’s a risk we will have to take. What if someone is truly stranded out there?” he asked.

As Neel pulled on the hyperdrive switch, Eon’s Whisper lurched into the hyperspace, and a few moments later, they were right on top of whatever that was emitting the SOS signal. Neel was ready to perform evasive maneuvers if it turned out to be a trap, but he sensed no danger.

“Alright Bee-A. Let’s find out what’s emitting the signal. Start the scanners,” he said. He watched the screens keenly with his brows furrowed. “There!” he yelled pointing at the screen, upon noticing a spike. A startled Bee-A whined in binary before attempting to establish a communication link with the stranded transport.

“This is Neel from Eon’s Whisper. Is anyone there? I repeat…” Neel began transmitting, hoping to hear back. The bio-scanner aboard the ship had recently failed and he had not had the time to fix it yet. So, Bee-A couldn’t scan the transport for signs of life. But, Neel had a feeling someone was still alive in there, and he knew better than to not trust his instincts.

@Tiberius Rhem

 

[Tiberius Rhem]

The pilot droid which operated his temporary vessel laid inactive in the cockpit, small sparks fizzling from its exposed circuit. It was a situation he was advised could occur when he hastily boarded the ship with its operating machination in tow. But it was a risk he was willing to take to pursue his Lords murderer, a fellow Kilian Ranger turned 'Renegade'. Time was against his side and he did not have the luxury to gamble variables and what-ifs. All he knew was he had to reach the fleeing vessel before it was too far from his grasp. Despite his urgency and means to acquire the limited technology available on the backwater Planet, Tiberius of House Rhem was a heavy disadvantage.

The time it took to gather the necessary items to ignite his pursuit gave his fleeing former Ranger a comfortable head start. Secondly Tiberius had rarely left Kilia IV, let alone possessing the necessary skill set and experience to operate a Star Ship. For all intents and purposes his need for justice rest in the hands of an outdated pilot droid and an equally ancient vessel held together by various undesirable components. In his eyes he had no choice but to play the odds.

The first obstacle presented itself soon after leaving the Kilia System while in hyperdrive. In all honesty Tiberius did not understand the fault nor its cause. What he did know was that the ship immediately leaving hyperspace unscheduled bode ill tidings. He was swiftly thrown back against the ships durasteel hull, his back and metal creating a high pitched thud that echoed underneath the struggling ships engines "What the......" his body was then shunted forward immediately as the engines unexpectedly increased in throttle. The Ranger swiftly got to his feet and ran towards the cockpit "Report! What has happened to the vessel?" His eyes widened in shock as the droid surged, sparks spitting from its joints.

Immediately the ship underwent an emergency shutdown and provided backup power before sending a System wide SoS as per its programmed protocols. Any pilot or mechanic worth his salt would be able to redirect functions to essential systems in order to bring the vessel to a manageable state, however, technology to this degree was neither necessary or easily available so his skill set regarding the maintenance and use of star ships was non existent. Tiberius knew there was little he could do in this situation but that did not stop him pacing towards the engine bay in hopes of remedying this problem. Upon closer inspection his fears were confirmed, a sigh escaping his lips as frustration flooded his body. The repair and inner workings of a piece of equipment this intricate far exceeded his knowledge on the upkeep of his own inventory. Despite his upbringing and training, a curse bellowed followed by the irritated swing of his fist to solid steel.

4 cycles later...

The Kilian Ranger resigned to the fact that his pursuit was at an end. But it by no means dimmed his duty to justice. He WOULD find the coward....he was just unsure as to when. And the prospect his escapee had reached the wider galaxy put a damper on his spirits. He heard a voice but accounted it to his time in isolation aboard the ship. Then he heard it again. Immediately he ran towards the cockpit, a blue flashing light indicating an incoming message. His finger pressed the button, his hoarse voice in reply "Yes! Neel of Eon's Whisper. This is Tiberius of House Rhem, Ranger of Kilia IV" he was unsure that meant anything to the one who hailed him but it was an automatic response "I feared my beacon would remain unnoticed for time to come". The Kilian Ranger breathed a sigh of relief as he sunk into the Co-pilots seat, his eyes resting on the malfunctioned droid. He was off to a bad start.

 

[Neel Kant]

At first, it seemed as though no one was receiving his transmission. Neel started to wonder if he arrived too late. But he had an insisting feeling that someone was still in there. So, he repeated again. And this time, he got a response.

“Phew! Yes… Tiberius, I copy,” he replied with a sigh of relief. Neel was not familiar with Kilia or House Rhem, but these were details he decided to focus on at a later point. For the moment, he was simply glad that he was where he was when he was, and that he spotted the signal in time. Meanwhile, Bee-A had run some scans on the ship Tiberius was in, and things did not look great.

“It looks like you are running on auxiliary power, and your hyperdrive is busted. Even if we fix the power, without replacement parts for your hyperdrive, you are not getting very far on that thing,” Neel informed Tiberius. “I suggest you come aboard mine, and we can perhaps come back for your ship with the required parts… if the scrappers don’t get to it by then, that is,” he added. If Tiberius agreed, Neel would prepare to dock his ship to the transport.

“Brace yourself. This could be a bit bumpy,” Neel warned, as he manoeuvred his ship slowly to dock his exit hatch with the transport’s. Docking with smaller ships was surely trickier than with larger ones, but it was not something Neel could not handle. After a few thruster adjustments, Neel managed to sync the Whisper’s rotation and velocity with that of the drifting transport ship, and soon after that, he docked with minimal impact. He reached for the hatch and opened it once the connection was pressurized, ready to meet this Tiberius of House Rhem, Ranger of Kilia IV.

@Lydeck

 

[Tiberius Rhem]

There was little he could do to aid in any way with the boarding process. His knowledge on operating a ship was minuscule to say the least and all he could offer was an affirmation to Nells suggestion. "I welcome your invitation, and thank you for going out of your way to offer aid" the sector was a large place and rarely frequented by travelers. In fact, the few who touched down on Kilia IVs surface were largely slavers, bandits or criminals looking for easy pickings. Were it not for the Kilia Rangers they may have stripped its residents bare. The thought did cross his mind that he was in a similar position, but that line was quickly brushed aside as fast as it cropped up.

He watched as the Light Freighter skillfully maneuvered alongside his busted transport. Once the docking process had been completed he gathered the few belongings he brought with him, which was minimal. A few weapons, the clothes on his back and a busted protocol droid which lay in pieces due to its age, lack of maintenance and earlier incident. Tiberius paced towards the hatch and crossed his forearm over his chest while offering a gentle nod "You have my appreciation Nell of Eons Whisper" he dropped his salute slowly and inspected his rescuers features. He was somewhat surprised at his cerulean skin tone. Having been surrounded more or less by Humans his entire life, he was not accustomed to see beings vastly different to himself. Instinctively he withdrew his sudden surprise for fear of offense.

Tiberius looked at his few possessions "I wonder if it would be too forward of me to request transport to the nearest port, along with these items" his main concern was the protocol droid which displayed itself in separate parts amongst the ships floor. This was an item he could not do without if he needed to travel further than he intended. It would act as his interpreter and advise its temporary owner of nuances and laws in various Worlds if he needed it. Outdated as its modules were, it would be a far improvement on his own knowledge.