One Man's Trash...

[The Kyzer]

The Outer Fringes of the Pyrshak System

Aboard the HWK-290 Light Freighter Hopskip

​

They had just exited hyperspace at their destination when the hyperdrive gave out. The Jedi Master sitting in the pilot's seat cursed slightly, and muttered, "Again? Really?"

The Hopskip was an aging ship Von Raythe had "appropriated" from a band of pirates she'd met several years ago. She'd donated it to the Enclave on Arbra, but no one ever bothered to use it. Some said it was because the ancient freighter belonged to the icy Master Explorator, but in truth, no one trusted the kriffing ship. It was falling apart, and Von was tired to repairing it. Even with the newly replaced parts, it only barely ran.

"Arai," Von said to the young man sitting in the copilot's chair, "Could you plot a course to Manaan and fly it for me? Frakking hyperdrive motivator is shot, again."

While the young man had only been with Von a short time, she knew that he had grown accustomed to the old freighter's quirks, or at least she hoped he had. Either way, his Jedi records detailed that he was an accomplished pilot. Hopefully with their combined skill, they might just make it to Manaan in one piece.

 

[Kartikeyan]

“Some fine death metal you got here.” Arai said in a leveled tone but Von knew him well enough by now to know he was joking and being sarcastic as he sat in the co-pilot seat beside his Master, Von Raythe.

Staring out into the vastness of space, he did not need to look at the displays to know that the hyperdrive finally gave out. The Hopskip was an old beat down ship that Von thought could be useful to the Order. As if! The freighter hull crocked and groaned with age and no longer had its former gentleness. They had both known it was only going to be a matter of time, but Arai was actually surprised they had managed to get this far into the Pyrshak system.

When Von asked to Arai to pilot while she go repair the motivator, the padawan was glad to finally be useful since their trip started. Taking third rate hyperlane routes for precaution had them compelled to the Hopskip for four and half days now. He was already plotting and charting in coordinates at the navi computer. Manaan was not that far, the aquatic planet a blue dot in the obsidian background of space. At their current rate and speed, it still was going to take them another three days to reach the planet.

“Aye cap’n,” Arai took control of the yoke, feeling the shaky vessel vibrate his fist lightly. Arai didn’t mind the vessel at all, but he certainly did wish they could have gotten a better ship. Resources for the Jedi were limited and funds still in short supply, and right now that couldn’t be helped given their situation. They had to make do with what they had and manage what they could afford, specifically in these times where information is more appreciated than credits. "Let's hope we can get the hyperdrive back."

 

[The Kyzer]

Von pulled open the maintenance hatch, only to receive a small cloud of smoke to her face. She quickly waved it off and hopped in. A trail of smoke emerged from the hyperdrive, and Von cursed. Clearly the cooling unit was malfunctioning, or completely faulty. Von opened the access panel and she thanked the Force. It was only a bit of faulty wiring which had burnt out, instead of the entire unit.

The Jedi Master hopped out of the maintenance area and fetched her tools. She returned a minute later and disappeared into the ship's innards again. After replacing the faulty wiring, Von restarted the cooling unit, and was answered by a soft hum. Von wiped her forehead of sweat, and smiled. At least this time it wasn't bad enough to require stopping at a repair dock.

Re-entering the cockpit, Von plopped into the empty co-pilot's chair as Arai had taken over as pilot.

"Alright, start it up again," Von declared, "It was just the cooling unit, but if it does burn out, I've friends on Manaan."

Then she looked at the technical displays at her station again.

"Well, power her up slowly," Von then added, "I'm reading some minor fluctuations here and there in the reactor. A full-system blowout could be exceedingly detrimental to our health."

Von knew that Arai would catch her dry humor, and smiled at her own joke. In the event of a total failure, at best they would be dealing with having to make the trip using the sublights and back-up fuel cells. At worst, Von, Arai, and the entire Hopskip would become a rapidly expanding cloud of superheated gases made up of basic elements.

 

[Kartikeyan]

While Von went to go make repairs to the bucket of bolts known as the Hopskip, Arai kept occupied by flying straight ahead into empty space, deeper into the Pyrshak system. With the course set to Manaan and no other ship within range of the sensors, he leaned back into the chair and got comfortable. Ever since he became the apprentice to the Master Explorer, Von Raythe, his training has become much more of a challenge. His mind and body were pushed in all kinds of ways. Sleep felt to last only for a few minutes. His skin was sometimes in shades of red where he received physical wounds and practice saber burns along his body. He made sure to be extra focused when they used their actual lightsabers.

Today, however, Arai was healed up and refreshed from a good sleep. He dreamt of being back on Tython, breathing in the force enriched air, running through the wilderness and exploring the vast mysterious of his home world. This has been the closest to the planet he has been in a decade. Arai took these as a signs that it wouldn’t be long before he returned and speaking of return…

Arai turned his head slightly to watch his Master flop down into the copilot seat. The news about the cooling unit was one of his predictions. He didn’t bother to touch the hyperdrive control until she warned him about the fluctuations in the reactor and it was just like Von her to make a joke on their lives. Though, it helped to lighten the seriousness of the situation.

"Of course Master, we would not want to catch a cold when the life support goes out. Assuming we don’t blow up into space particles that is." He said while powering up the hyperdrive very slowly and extra carefully. "We might just have to rely on our sublight engines until we reach Manaan. Think your friends could loan us a better ship? I doubt this old girl has the strength to make it back to the enclave."

 

[The Kyzer]

"Loan us?" Von replied with a slight chuckle, "Doubtful, but they might provide us with the opportunity to pick up a new one."

One of Von's old friends, Qualo, had left a message on her secure holo-mail account regarding a prospective salvageable ship on Manaan. The details had been a bit vague, but after she verified that it was, in fact, Qualo and that he wasn't in danger, the Jedi Master had decided it was time to visit the ocean planet. Plus, it would be a good experience for her Padawan.

"And think of it this way," the Jedi Master continued, "if we DO get atomized, at least we won't have to deal with any more of Master Novan's bad jokes."

The famed Shadow Keeper was infamous for his bad, dry jokes; a trait which had rubbed off on Von. Meanwhile, the ancient freighter finally entered hyperspace for a couple seconds at a low-speed, then dropped out a lightsecond away from Manaan. She quickly shut down the hyperdrive, and began running through pre-entry checks.

"Alright Arai," Von declared with a smile, "We're not dead yet, so you might as well try and land us. Hopefully the repulsors don't give out again."

 

[Kartikeyan]

“Even better,” Arai said smirking, delighted to hear the word new and hope for a better ship. “I call dibs on piloting that one too.”

The Hopskip was not to his liking at all, no wonder his Master didn’t want to fly. Arai didn’t mind but this was just sad. When Von continued with her own joke to mock the Shadow Keeper, Larik Novan, quality of humor, Arai let out a scoff laugh while watching the star’s stretch out before his eyes. “And I won’t have to deal with yours either Master.”

In to hyperspace they went, but only for a few seconds much to his relief. Through the canopy a giant blue marble took up much of the front view ports. This was the first time Arai had seen Manaan not through a hologram. He decreased in speed slightly as the planet grew in size as the vessel came closer. He could see the canyons below the ocean planet just from its orbit, so beautiful and clear these waters looked from up here. Arai made a mental note to thank his master for bringing him before she warned about the repulsors.

“Don’t worry Master,” Arai grinned. “I’m up for a swim.”

Arai flew the Hopskip down into the Manaan towards the only surface city on the entire planet, Ahto City. While making his approach to the city’s center, Arai realized it was far larger than he had first imagined it to be looking at it from space. He brought the freighter in slowly towards landing zone L3-NW and into hanger bay 42 as his entry course told him. Arai was in the midist of bringing the light freighter down nice and ease into the hangar when the repulsors finally gave out and the ship instantly dropped.

Thankfully they had been a couple of meters above the ground before the Hopskip decided to be a further disappointment to them. Luckily he had been strapped in or else he might have hit his head on the ceiling. Yeah right, he was too good to let that happen and his hands were still gripped around the yoke. His face betrayed nothing of his heart wanting to beat out his chest from the suddenness of the repulsors going out right when he was almost there. “Well… we made it, let go.”

Arai smiled as his master and unstrapped himself from the pilot’s seat. He stood up and stretched his arms up and outwards. He had been sitting too long and comfortable that he might as well have been sleep for most of the trip, but no one could sleep when Master Von wanted to make horrible jokes while lecturing. Sometimes he wished he had a practice saber to smack her with it, but that was an inside joke for him. She might smack him with one instead if she knew how he felt about her driest of jokes.

Unlike usual, Arai was not dressed in the clothing of a Jedi. Today he wore a plain gray t-shirt, dark blue jeans, and black boots. The twenty four year old apprentice was a lean man, recently gained a little more muscle from Von’s training. The black long-sleeve jacket he brought was almost too small for him because of his recent growth, but he brought it along anyway.

Arai reached over to grab his leather jacket resting on the back of the copilot chair and slipped it on. It had a little extra weight to it due to storing his lightsaber in an inner pocket. Reaching into the right side pocket he pulled out a pair of black shades and wore them over his eyes. His other gear rested in a gray backpack with white and blue graphic designs in a chair in the back.

“We can finally get out of this cursed ship Master.” Arai smiled lightly at her then turned to leave the cockpit.

 

[The Kyzer]

Von knew it was only a matter of time before that repulsor she'd bought on Tatooine gave out. She'd just hoped that it wouldn't happen while the Hopskip was still in the air. That moment of free-fall made her stomach do a triple back-flip before they slammed to the landing deck.

"So did you practice that landing?" Von teased her Padawan while she peeled herself out of the co-pilot's seat. For once she wasn't wearing her battle armor, and the Jedi Master felt vulnerable without it. Now, this wasn't to say that she didn't bring it along with her, but Von figured that a slimming black top and matching cargo pants and boots would be a bit more subtle. That said, the Jedi Master carried her primary lightsaber in a pouch on her belt behind her back, as well as a recently acquired FWG-5 pistol in an under-shoulder holster. Using her Force skills, she altered her appearance to that of a young adult human female.

Descending the ship's main ramp, Von approached the customs officer, a rotund little Selkath, and presented her trading license.

"Well, Mrs. Ankolos," the Selkath said after a moment of examining her forged license and surveying her and Arai, "We have a strict policy against conflict. I urge you to store any weapons on your ship, but technically you may keep them. However, I must tell you that any public disturbances will be dealt with quite harshly."

"Of course, Inspector," Von replied pleasantly, "We'll be sure to keep things civil, but I fear that I would rather have my pistol and not need it than the opposite."

The fat Selkath nodded slightly before turning toward Arai.

"Well, good day then. Enjoy your time here, Mr and Mrs. Ankolos."

Von smirked slightly and proceeded to hook her arm in Arai's in a loving manner. The male Selkath left with a shuffle before the Jedi Master turned to her Padawan.

"OK, my friend said that he would meet us in a nearby cantina. Let's move."

"Why thank you, Inspector," she answered.

 

[Kartikeyan]

“I try to make it a habit to practice everything you teach me, Master.” Arai said looking back at her with a sly smirk before he disappeared out of the cockpit. He retrieved his backpack and strapped it over his shoulders, inside contained several things he thought would be needed on this trip, but the most important was probably the Enviro-Suit and rebreather mask. While returning to the cockpit to see what was taking his Master so long, Arai found her using the force to alter her appearance. In her stead was a beautiful Caucasian woman wearing the clothing that once belonged to Von.

“Nice look, but I miss the pink already.” He said smoothly as he followed beside her in step to the exit ramp. It was good to finally be out of the ‘Deadskip’ and into the fresh, slightly salty air of Manaan. A bulbous Selkath dock officers was waiting for us at the bottom of the ramp. Arai took in a deep breath and blew into his role as Dan Ankolos. He handed the officer his false licenses along with Von, then listened as he explained the typical policy speech to them.

“Galaxy can be a dangerous place Officer,” Arai began as Von finished explaining her reason for carrying her firearm. Still, it kept the suspicion of them being Jedi low. “Even while on a honeymoon.”

When the Selkath gave them the all clear, Arai held out his elbow as his wife hooked her arm around his given them the impression of a happily married couple, and whispered her find’s location in his ear. He gave a slight nod while smiling at the Selkath. “We shall and I’ll make sure to keep my wife under control.” If such a thing is impossible.

Arai proceeded to walk with disguised Von held at his side, taking in the beautiful sight of Ahto City while he could. As the home planet of the Selkath, they were everywhere but he also spotted other races like Humans, Ithorians, Rodians, and Twi’leks all socializing and attending to their daily duties and activities. Given the recent events that happened here to form the Manaan Alliance, things sure seem peaceful but Arai could sense a hidden anxiety throughout the air. Nearby beings had suspicious glances but were harmless for what he could feel through the force and kept on traveling until he came across the first Cantina his eyes could find and went in.

“Do you see your friend?” Arai asked his Master while scanning through the room, getting a look of each and everyone’s face.

 

[The Kyzer]

As they walked through the massive city, Von idly surveyed the emotional atmosphere and was slightly dismayed. Everyone had this paranoid aura, like the entire galaxy was out to specifically get them personally. It was a true crime against existence.

The cantina they were looking for was in decent repair, and was all that shady as some of the other bars she'd visited before. It was mainly a large circular room with a circular bar in the middle and a stage for a band on top of it.

"Yes, I see him," the Jedi Master replied, and began approaching a male Selkath sitting near the back of the large room. He was covered in jagged scars, with a massive one covering his left eye, which was a sickly milky color.

The Selkath in question noticed the two strangers approaching him and subtly slid his left hand toward the blaster on his hip. Von quickly projected an image of herself into his mind, and her contact palpably relaxed.

"I didn't even recognize you, my friend," the scarred Selkath announced, standing up from his chair and extending his hand, "How have you been?"

"I've been better, Denota," Von answered, extending her own hand and shaking his, "So I heard you have a line on a possible ship for me?"

"You could say that," Denota replied with a hearty laugh, "It's in great shape, and would only require a week or so in drydock to repair."

The Jedi Master's smile vanished and her voice grew steely.

"What's the bad news, chum for brains?"

"It's underwater. Shallow water, though. Sunk during the Siege."

"Real shallow, or Selkath-shallow?"

"Two-hundred and fifty meters."

The Zeltron-hybrid cursed slightly before smirking at her friend.

"It had better be a good ship, Denota."

Denota produced a datapad from beneath the table and slid it toward Von and Arai. It contained the schematics for a Sho'sen-class Mandalorian Dropship. Von let out a low whistle as she began to flip through the manufacturer read-outs. When she got to the images of the actual ship, the Jedi Master sighed slightly.

There was clear damage along the hull just behind the cockpit/bridge. It looked like it had taken a direct hit during the near-suicidal dive to the water's surface, and had sunk like a brick after making contact with the immense ocean.

"Arai, I'll need you to return to the ship and facilitate repairs," Von declared after a moment, "Looks like I'll be taking a swim."

 

[Insoulent]

"How long you want!?" the Rodian salesclerk asked, smacking the back of the Bounty Hunter's head. He didn't really know why he was being hit, but considering this Rodian was the only vendor who would even speak to him, he didn't say much else. Manaan had been very secluded from galactic events for a while, setting up a defense fleet around itself to keep the Imperials out. Even getting in the system made it relatively hard to do, background checks and high fees to deter refugees of the war from entering or the massive Imperial fleet at the edge of their system.

"I need it for a few hours. What is this exactly?" the man questioned, looking at the small two-man bubbled vessel that poked out of the water. "This Mon Cal sub, very expensive. One day...five thousand credits. Half now, rest later." the vendor said, as the Bounty Hunter turned to look at him. "Five thousand...don't you think that's a little too much?" the man said, as the Rodian simply grinned, flashing a diamond tooth with a gold trim around it. "No such thing as too much, buddy. Who else sell to you, huh?" the Rodian said in a chuckle. The man was right though, the other aquatic species that called Manaan home didn't have a problem of removing the human from their place of business.

Only a few days ago had Von Raythe made contact with the Jedi Knight to assist her in retrieving a certain ship one of her contacts had proposed. She would meet with her contact while Arkantos fetched a transport that could help haul them off. Considering Arkantos already had a forged identity, and a steady line of credits at his disposal, he was a prime candidate to help her. Still, the people of Manaan weren't exactly the friendliest of people, and he didn't expect them to be. For now, he had to rely on the help of one of the few non-Manaan vendors in the entire city. "Alright, five thousand credits. Half now, half once I return." he said, as the Rodian nodded. "No worries buddy, insurance included, eh. Come." the Rodian said, pulling the human to the back of his office and out of the large pool area where the submersive was held.

After the exchange of credits and some datapad sign-offs, the man was given the access codes for a full-day rental. Arkantos had brought no weaponry along, opting to not scare any of the locals by brandishing a weapon so openly, as the planet was widely known to be very peaceful. Plus, he didn't really think he'd be running into any real powerful opposition.

He slid into the cockpit of the submersible craft, tapping a few buttons. Truth be told, he had never driven one, but the controls were very similar to a regular space craft, with a few exceptions. Still, he was mostly familiar with the controls. The ship descended into the pool, which led to a single tunnel large enough for the craft to fit in. Taking the sub through the tunnel only led to the outskirt of the city. He pulled his datapad out, looking at the direction of their supposed meet spot, a small cove at the edge of the city known as Lover's Point, a popular attraction for the young couples in the city to...show their affection to one another, the perfect spot for the group to meet. Public, yet still had an air of discreteness.

It wasn't an awfully long ride, but he figured that Von would be waiting there for quite a while, unless she ran into some of her own problems. Still, Arkantos had no problem playing the waiting game.

 

[The Kyzer]

Denota looked upon his friend with kind eyes, which was an unusual thing for a Selkath to do toward an outsider, as they entered a small warehouse that he owned. His mind was drifting toward the past, a rather common occurence these days, when Von began speaking to him again.

"How can we lift it?" the Jedi Master asked in slight exasperation, "It weighs several times that of any submarine we'll be using!"

"I've already come up with an answer for that, young one," the Selkath replied with laugh. It was always an object of slight humor for him that Von was so much younger than he, yet it had always been her that watched out for him. Denota turned and walked over to a large crate that had been delivered earlier today. He opened it and pulled out what looked like an elongated deflated balloon.

"Oceanic salvage tubes," the Selkath explained, "You just fill it up with air, and they can lift nearly two tons each."

"We'll need a lot of tubes, Denota," Von replied with a smirk.

"I've got a lot of tubes, Von," the aging sentient replied with a wide smile, "And I've already calculated the number you'll need. There's that and more to spare in this chest here, and it's neutrally-bouyant so it won't mess with your submarine's maneuverability too much."

"Thanks Denota," Von said with a slight grunt as she began hauling the crate into the small speeder Denota had loaned her for the day.

"It is not a problem, my friend," the Selkath replied with a slight amount more gravity than one might reasonably expect. Von climbed into the speeder and, after a short wave of farewell, she gunned the engines toward the rendezvous point. She had messaged one of her Infiltrators, Arkantos Rajax, a few days back, requesting that he meet her here, along with the mission she had thought up. She wasn't pleased with his choice of location for their meeting place, but she had to admit that he was right. The Lover's Point was a rather discreet place even though many visited it regularly.

Denota watched the Jedi Master blast off in a hurry as he remembered the first time he'd met Von Raythe. She'd been quite a bit younger then, and had looked it, as he recalled. It was during the Siege. He'd been fighting along with the Alliance Remnant troops as the Imperium slowly advanced through Ahto City. He could still see the blood-red sky and smell the acrid stench of ionized atmosphere from blaster bolts and high-explosives. A fire had broken out in one of the city sectors, and he'd realized that it was where is home was. His wife and children were still in it, so he'd convinced his commanding officer to allow him to scout out the damage, which would also allow him to rescue his family.

He'd found them trapped beneath a massive slab of duracrete that had once been their ceiling. A stray blast had ripped it down, but he thanked the life-giving sea that his family was still alive. His two children, a twin boy and girl, were only four years of age at the time, and were crying softly while his wife, their mother, tried to calm them in her best soothing voice. Denota tried to lift the slab, but was too weak. He'd turned to run for help when a searing pain had erupted from his left shoulder. A similar agony burst from his right hip as he looked to see an Imperial Stormtrooper pointing a smoking blaster rifle at him. He began to plea for his life, but it was clear that this particular trooper wasn't interested in taking prisoners.

Denota could still hear the blaster bolt sometimes when he closed his eyes, but it was always followed by a soft hum and sudden zap. He remembered opening his fear-ridden eyes to see a tall pink-skinned woman in a pilot's uniform standing between him and the Stormtrooper, holding a pale-blue energy sword. He belatedly remembered that they were called lightsabers and were wielded by the Jedi when the woman had cut down the Stormtrooper with a pair of short slashes. She'd turned around looked upon the injured Selkath with those deep grey pools that had reminded him of growing storm clouds. The Jedi woman had magically moved the slab of permacrete and freed his family. They were about to run to escape when his daughter had run the wrong direction in fear.

The young Selkath girl had barely made it to the ruined home's front door when she'd slammed into a metal boot. Denota could remember the sudden blast of fear that seemed to cut him apart like a knfe to a fish when he saw a huge man in swirling black robes pick up his child with one hand. A crimson energy blade had appeared in his hands and was angling to bury itself in his darling child's flesh when the pink woman had interfered again. She swiftly cut a blazing line in the dark warrior's arm, causing the outer half to fall to the ground along with the young Selkath it had held. The dark man's scream of pain was cut short when a second slash sent his head rolling along the ground.

"Run, and don't look back," the woman had ordered, and the Selkath family obeyed. Denota's right eye glistened with a forming tear as he watched his savior drive away. He had never forgotten her actions that day, nor did the rest of his family, and they never would. Even his young daughter still remembered the "blue-haired pink angel with the ice sword" that had cut down the "bad man in black".

---

Von barely made it to Lover's Point before Arkantos arrived in his recently rented submarine. She sighed when she looked it over.

"You do realize that there are creatures out here that can eat that thing for a light lunch, right?" she called out to the other Jedi.

 

[Insoulent]

Arkantos tapped through the controls of the submarine. The ship itself was a survey ship, at least that's how it was marketed. If it was one thing the Mon Calamari knew it was ships. This particular ship had a concentrated sonic cannon, dangerous to just about any living creature though more specifically aquatic ones. It also held a single missile in it's launcher, though Arkantos wasn't exactly sure if the Rodian who sold him the sub knew, or maybe it had been why the damned thing cost so much, considering weapons were so frowned upon on the planet itself.

Other than that, nothing really aided the ship in terms of technology, considering shields rarely had any effect against living-breathing aquatic giants. Still, the ship seemed relatively quick and agile underwater, which would hopefully get him out of any thick spots. He stepped out of the ship, after parking it at one of the designated areas, only to find Master Von stepping towards him. He grinned and nodded, "Size matters not, Master Von." he said, his words echoing the famous Jedi Master Yoda, "Besides, with the Force on our side, I doubt there's little we can't overcome." he added, turning back to his ship. He knew she was right, Force or not, but since they were Jedi, and two very talented ones at that, Arkantos had confidence they'd be able to do it.

"So what's the deal, how are we going to do this? We can't just Force Pull it out the water, can we?" he said, hoping so. Though, he had a bit of a weakened trait when it came to Force powers, considering he spent so much time not really using or practicing it thanks to the Sith forcing them into hiding.

 

[The Kyzer]

"Well," Von said with a slight shrug, "We probably could just yank it out with the Force, but there's a couple minor issues with that. First is that it might put too much stress on the frame, and I'm not 100% what kind of condition the insides are in. Secondly there's the fact that it would undoubtedly bring every Sith agent here in record time."

The Jedi Master then laughed a little bit at the thought of all of the Jedi Hunters that would be practically salivating at the thought of capturing her and her comrade.

"We will have to admittedly use some Force control during our target's ascent to the surface, but that's just a risk we'll have to deal with," the Jedi Master continued before pointing to the crate attached to her landspeeder, "Those are what we're going to use to lift it out."

She casually walked over and rechecked the crate's contents, showing one of the long yellow deflated tubes to Arkantos in the process.

"The major downside to these is that one of us is going to have dive alongside the sub," Von sighed when she pulled out a large rebreather and two oxygen tanks, and set them down beside her, "and since you know how to pilot that rather shiny piece of shark-bait, I guess I'll be the diver. Just go slowly please, both down and back up. I'd really hate to get decompression sickness."

Von then casually unstrapped the crate from the landspeeder and carried it down to the submersible. Though it was admittedly quite heavy, Von easily hefted the unwieldy object even without the Force with her super-dense musculature. While she was sure that Arkantos knew of her bio-engineered gifts, it would still be a little unnerving watching the woman lift an object that was slightly larger than she was.

"Could you help me attach this thing?" Von called out with a laugh, "I can't quite see where I'm going!"

 

[Insoulent]

He was a bit relieved they didn't have to rely on their Force power, the most obvious reason that Von touched. He was also glad that she brought some things to help with the ascension of the sunken space-safe. He assumed they filled up with air, capable of lifting the ship. The idea behind it was simple, then again maybe they were underwater jets or something to make it faster.

Seeing her lift the rather large crate was nothing short of an astonishment, though he knew - as many other Shadows did, of Von's powerful biotech. He quickly rushed back ontop of his submarine, guiding the heavy crate onto the side of the ship. Unlike the Zeltron-hybrid, he had no enhanced power, and struggled. He wasn't embarrassed much that a woman was stronger than he was, growing up in a Mandalorian society, it was almost expected. Still, he was slightly embarrassed he was having such a hard time. After a strong heave and push from his legs, he was capable of pulling the crate ontop the sub, though the human was now on his back, slightly exhausted. "That's a damn good work out." he said inbetween pants, leaving a grin on his face.

"You can head in the ship, do whatever you got to do, I'll finish up here." he said as he sat up, looking over to his side at the crate. He pressed a small lever on the top of the sub, revealing a small shaft where straps were located. He pulled the straps out from their small concealment bay and tossed them over the crate. He walked around and secured the crate onto the sub through a few more series of straps. Luckily for Von though, they were controlled by magseals, and could be removed through a simple button. She wouldn't have to struggle much underwater, at least not too much. After he was done outside, he made his way into the sub.

"Are we all ready, Master Von?" he mentioned, as he walked into the vessel. The inside was rather plain. A circular common area and kitchen, and a single restroom and bedroom at the back end of the vessel that led to the escape hatch where Von would more-than-likely be exiting from. The layout was quite simple, as the driving controls were located at the front. Still, he was sure the Shadow Keeper would have something else to say about the modest ship, had she not, he'd certainly be surprised.

 

[The Kyzer]

Von smiled softly to hide her growing fear and began to enter the submersible. Many didn't know this, but the Master Explorator well and truly hated confined spaces, and the idea of being trapped in a metallic can that she suspected could be swallowed whole by some particularly vicious sea monster with millions of tons of water between her and freedom.

"I could get you a job at a friend's doing that all day," Von commented with a growing smirk as she disappeared into the vessel, "Really get your biceps in shape. Might attract some female attention."

Von sighed heavily as she looked around the underwater-traveling vessel. There was a restroom but she couldn't quite change into her diving equipment in that cramped space. The meager bedroom was out as well. The bed took up nearly all of the space. So the Jedi Master had to undress in the common-area. She then donned the base-layer of her armor, which was mainly just an upgraded ThinSuit, and was just trying, in vain, to zip it up behind her when Arkantos entered the submarine.

"Almost," Von answered, acutely aware that her body shape wasn't hidden in the slightest by the exceedingly thin layer between her skin and the rest of the world, "I'm having some issues with the seal. Could you help? I mean, if I'm going to be some oceanic monster's breakfast, I'd like to be fully covered at least."

 

[Insoulent]

"Oh," he paused, looking at the woman still dressing up for her excursion into the blue abyss, "...sure." he blurted out as he walked over to help her finish her clothes. While he was not an overly sexually driven man like others of his species, he appreciated a nice body. Certainly Von Raythe filled all the boxes and then some for attractiveness. Being a Zeltron helped her cause too. He wasn't nervous around a woman, he had his share of short flings coming up in the Cartel, but it didn't stop Von from being very well endowed and attractive. "I mean you're basically asking to be eaten." he added as he sealed the suit up, and stepping back a few paces to get another look.

"Your lightsaber, can you even use it underwater?" he questioned as he made his way to the vessel's controls. Within the next few moments, the ship descended into the blue ocean that covered Manaan. Arkantos didn't really like piloting the ship, but Von did have the right attitude: better inside it than out.

"Hell, how are we getting this off-world anyway. I mean, you think we could break it down by parts, get it cargo'd off-world? Piece by piece. I could pick up the tab no problem. I don't know how hard it is to smuggle things out of here, but I'm sure there's a few smugglers that do business on the planet." he spoke, driving the duo down into the depths of Manaan's ocean. "Think you could input our co-ordinates. Don't want to be going halfway down in the wrong direction n'all."

 

[The Kyzer]

"Please," Von said with a smirk, "I'm far more deadly than any sea creature on this planet. And yes, it does work just fine underwater, bifurcating cyclical-ignition pulse emitter and all. I've learned that it pays to be prepared for anything, even making fish filets underwater with a lightsaber."

She laughed at her own joke while following her comrade into what she suspected was the submersible's cockpit. She sat down in what she suspected was a co-pilot's seat, but simply refused to touch any of the controls. The Jedi Master thought that they looked a bit similar to that of a light freighter, but knowing her luck she'd press a button and cause the sub to explode.

"There's actually a small dock here on Manaan that's willing to fix it for us," Von replied with a smile, "Well, at least they're willing to fix her up enough to be able to fly again. From there I was planning to take her to Sullust, or Bakura if I can reach it, and getting a full repair and refit done. However, I'm not sure if it's really feasible anymore."

The Master Explorator saw the small rudimentary navcomputer and entered in the coordinates, along with the depth as well. A small map of the surrounding ocean floor appeared and gave a better depiction of the stricken vessel's location. Von's stomach heaved when she saw that it was partially hanging off of a sea-cliff over a huge trench. The depth of the trench made her head spin a bit.

"That said, what are your thoughts on repairs?" Von asked, "I admittedly don't know if we can really trust the vessel to be safe here, even for just basic repairs. Is there anywhere you know of to hide it and fix her up?"

 

[Insoulent]

"The Cartel has plenty of shadowports across the Outer Rim. I'm sure I can find a place to dock it there and do the major repairs without much trouble." he answered, and he knew just the one to repair it. "If the ship can make it to Attahox, I can pull in a few favors to get the Cartel to do the rest of the work." he explained. Having connections with pseudo-powerful and rich criminals had it's perks, certainly. "That's even if it's still salvageable.." he muttered as the ship's console came to life and descended into the depths of Manaan's ocean.

The ride lasted longer than the Jedi Knight had expected honestly, but having Von as a partner made it easier to make things rush smoother. The two weren't the best of friends or anything, but they had certainly built a casual and friendly companionship, having fought together and all. "All systems clear." he muttered as the vessel's floodlight turned its attention across the descended vessel across the expansive trench.

"No signs of life near-by, but I got the weapons primed either way. You're good to go, I'll keep an eye out here. Com channel 95.06." he told the Jedi Master. At this depth, just because the sensors didn't pick up anything, didn't mean nothing was there. Creatures underwater had a tendency to be quite dramatic and unpredictable, even among sentient species that lived in water. There was a reason beings feared the sea, in many ways it was much more dangerous than space was.

Arkantos wasn't too familiar with the fauna of Manaan, but all across the Galaxy - in deep water there was always massive predators lurking for their next meal. He had faith and first-hand knowledge that Von could handle herself, but under water, both the Jedi were quite out of their element.

 

[The Kyzer]

Von chatted along pleasantly with Arkantos during the lengthy dive to the wreckage, having grown to like him as a comrade and friend. When the submersible's lights found the dropship, the Jedi Master's heart fell into her stomach. It looked positively ghostly, like some ancient behemoth that had been slain millennia ago yet hadn't decomposed. The damage behind the bridge was still easily visible, and Von had long decided that it was the best place to enter the fallen starship. Of course, that fact didn't make her feel any better about this little mission of hers at all. She was beginning to regret even coming here, but since Arkantos and she had put in such effort already, there was no backing out. She needed something from this forgotten foe, and by the Force she was going to get it.

"Com channel 95.06, got it," Von replied as she got out of her seat and walked to the sub's tiny compression chamber. She sealed the door and donned her oxygen tanks and rebreather. The Jedi Master checked her seals again before punching a large button near the outer-door. Water began to flood the tiny room, growing more and more pressurized until it was even with the outside. The process took about twenty minutes. Finally, Von opened the door and exited the sub. It was pitch-black everywhere beyond the sub's lighting, but Von could navigate easily with her enhanced vision and the Force. She swam up to the top of the sub un-clipped the crate from its restraints. It's neutral buoyancy allowed her to carry it down to the gunship and place it on the surface of the vessel. A pair of magnets held it in place while Von entered the gunship's interior. It became apparent that the death-dealing blow had actually hit the bridge itself. Emergency systems must not have been activated since the bridge crew would have been swamped within a second or two.

One can only imagine her surprise when she saw an eerie red glow from inside the bridge of the dropship. It came from a rather heavily crusted emergency light that slowly flashed on and off.

"Arky, this thing's still got some power in it," Von said over the comlink with a small amount of worry. She honestly doubted that there was enough power to lift the ship by its own volition, which would have made her job easier. The problem she saw was that some parts of the submerged vessel might be flooded with radiation or worse. The reactor itself might be compromised, which could really be a problem if it was exposed to raw atmosphere. Sighing heavily through her rebreather, Von hit a switch on a silt-covered control panel and hoped for the best. A cloud of disturbed silt blinded her for a few minutes, but she was far more concentrated on the sudden hum that filled the ocean. When the silt cloud finally settled again, Von could see a small diagnostic display running on a small barnacle-covered monitor.

"It's not enough to fly, or even lift itself out of this watery grave," Von reported, "but the reactor's still intact. Looks like all of the crew abandoned or were washed out when it sank. Looks like just about every system is ruined other than the power core, and even that's on its last legs. Alright, bring the sub in close. I'm going to need an air tube to blow these salvage tubes up."

Von then swam out of the wreck and began extracting a few salvage tubes at a time before swimming back into the breach. For the next twenty minutes or so, Von simply swam back and forth between the crate and various chambers of the dropship. She attached every tube in a long strand so that she'd be able to inflate them all simultaneously, or as close to it as she could get.

 

[Insoulent]

Hearing the news of the ship still having power was good, in a sense. Still, Von was sure the ship was on it's last run of life. That'd only make trying to get it repaired to be an even bigger pain in the ass. Worth it? Well, that was yet to be seen, but the vessel was of Mandalorian design. He had seen a few in his time training as a warrior. And being a Mandalorian, sort of gave Arkantos the incentive to preserve it.

He maneuvered the vessel, allowing Von to fill her contraptions to pull the ship out of the water. Arkantos in the meantime pulled small arms on the side of the vessel, using them to help Von speed things up. However the mechanical arms were slightly clumsy, he managed to at least speed things along a little bit.

Nearing the end of their work however, a blip within the sonar of the vessel went off. "Von, sonar's picking something up. Closing in fast. Two more showed up. Unless we're making our way out now, you should hide." the man instructed, sliding his hands to work across the vessel's commands. First, he fired on the only real weapon's system in the vessel which happened to be the missile system. Next he followed the more pacifist tool of a sonic cannon. Arkantos knew one of the few oceanic predators on Manaan were the Firaxan, which were more well-known, but there were countless of oceanic life that lived on the planet. Squids, he thought, would be the worst for them. Either way, neither Von nor Arkantos were aquatic humanoids, and despite whatever technology they had with them - if even a little water flooded them, they were screwed.

Pulling the vessel away from Von's location, he awaited whatever was reaching closer to them, hopefully pulling attention from the vulnerable Jedi Master, towards the only functioning vessel underwater. He only hoped the small sub could handle the pressure.