Ask The Collision Speculation

[Aska Ryun]

”Mayday! Mayday! This is cargo freighter Nexus Four! We are under attack and have suffered extensive damage! I repeat, we are under attack!”

“Captain! They’re flanking us on our port side! Five fighters in formation!”

“Bank left and decrease altitude! Slide underneath their trajectory! Divert power from the engines to the rear deflectors!”

“The planet’s gravity will pull us in, sir! With the damage to our primary thruster, we won’t be able to build enough velocity to pull us back out!”

***STATIC***​

​

Aska continued to listen to the brief distress call over and over on her StarPods, cigarra hanging from her lip as she sat on a bench just outside the main port. A mysterious benefactor had put out a call for an investigation team, one that didn’t have the same moral high ground as that of any official party, after his best Smuggler and crew went down. When the news reached her ears she had immediately begun packing. Normally when these sorts of ‘side gigs’ cropped up, the clone would give Covax a sharp kick in the ribs to get his attention but this was a special instance. Not only was her normal partner unavailable for service but neither Shane nor Aska were adept at piloting enough to entertain the slim chances of survival against what seemed to be a highly skilled pirate crew. No, instead she opted to put the call out to one of the best damn pilot’s she had ever met.

It felt like a lifetime ago that Aden Archer had been given the privilege of sitting at the controls of Night Terror, pulling not only the ship but her crew out of a ravenous black hole’s influence. Malheion was nothing short of a nightmare world but the credits it had earned them once they departed her surface made it all worthwhile. Aska hoped that the payday they had earned then would influence Aden’s choices now. It was really all she could offer. She had no information on what was being transported or who had shot the ship down. All she was given was the recording, the estimated crash site coordinates and a count of five crew members being on board. Oh, and the repeatedly mentioned need for… discretion. Huffing as she thought back to the message, Aska took a last draw of her cigarra before throwing it the ground and stopping it out with the toe of her boot. Discretion was a non issue. It was expected. Always.

Leaning back in her seat and scanning the surging crowd of arrivals as they spilled out into the street, the clone dug her hand into a bag of crisps at her side while carefully watching for that familiar face. Having been here for quite some time now, she would pull out her dataphone and close the app replaying the recording before switching to her own personal playlist, boredom consuming her.

@The Good Doctor​

 

[Aden Archer]

Aden too heard the recording once times when he was contacted about this. After the last time he tried saving someone from the goodness of his heart, he nearly ended up in the crossfire between a wanted smuggler and a military warship on patrol. He got the kriff out of dodge when that happened. So when he heard it, he dismissed it especially since there wasn't a reward up front or any indication that they were carrying anything of value.

But when Aska contacted him, a person who he hasn't heard from in a long time, his opinion changed. He was more... inclined. Since the Malheion job payed well and with Aska contacting him... this will most likely be worth it in the end. So, why not?

Ahead of time arriving, he would play the recording a few more times, seeing what he can piece together. It wasn't much unfortunately. Whoever attacked that freighter knew what they were doing and were well trained to do it. Pirates, not the rag-tag kind either.

Aden would at the starport, wearing an brown-space leather aviator jacket and wearing sunglasses, having arrived not too long ago. After making his way through the main area he would look around and see where his contact would be. Aden was told to be discrete. Aden is a veteran pilot but he isn't galaxy-wide famous or anything so he isn't recognizable by the crowds going about their day, but to Aska he would be recognizable.

The spacer would then see her on the bench, waiting for him. He would go over closer to her, a bit of distance away for 'discretion' but not too much. Aden would lean against a pillar close to the bench, acting naturally looking towards the ships while at the same. "Got your message" he would say to Aska just loud enough to where she can hear, hopefully through the StarPods in her ear.

@Tulos

 

[Aska Ryun]

There were very few things in the known galaxy that could sway Aska’s attention from her beats once she found the vibe. There she sat on the bench, feet tapping in time with the beating bass whilst her fingers traced back and forth in the air ahead of her only stopping from time to time to snag another crisp from the bag at her side. All the while, her eyes remained closed as she lost herself in the music. She neither saw nor heard Aden approach so as he leaned on the pillar to her side, he remained a stranger at first. She didn’t hear his words so his introduction went unheeded.

It seemed most, if not all, of the people living today possessed some form of a ‘sixth sense’ and it was only this that broke the clone from her trance. Shortly after Aden made his introduction, she couldn’t help but feel like she was being… not watched, but observed and a lifetime of experience had told her that such a feeling was never good. One eye opened, hesitant to completely lose the vibe she had found, when she spotted the man leaning on the pillar. Now, she hadn’t seen Aden in a long time. Years, in fact. Nevertheless, after a moment of inspection she became certain this was the man she had sent for. Pulling one of the pods from her ear, Aska leaned back in her seat and shut her eye once again for one final moment of relief before work began.

”There’s my fly guy,” she responded, plucking another crisp from the bag at her side. ”Not the easiest man to track down, are ya? Not that it matters, I suppose. You’re here, after all,” With a deep breath, the clone finally opened her eyes and pushed herself up from her bench whilst leaving the bag of crisps behind. She turned into the starport and again down a corridor, certain that Aden knew to follow. As she walked, she continued speaking whilst facing forward. Once they departed, they could breathe a bit easier knowing they were on the move. When it came to investigating an attack, there was never a moment to waste. ”We don’t have much to start off on but I made sure my ship was prepped for takeoff. Unless you’ve got a different source of transportation you’d prefer?” With the final words, Aska cast a querying glance back at the pilot. This was, after all, his area of expertise and why she called on him.

@The Good Doctor​

 

[Aden Archer]

Aden smiled when they exchanged words. "Yeah, I'm here. Nice to see you again. It's been a long time." he said. Aden would then follow her into the corridor. Although along the way Aden would pick up the crisps that were left behind and discard them in a trash can nearby.

She said her ship was ready to take off and was prepared for what could be a long search. "Are you still flying the old Night Terror?" he playfully snickered. Aden reminisce for a moment, remembering having flown that ship for the Malheion job. The ship was a good ship and it served the three well. It most likely will again. It's a sturdy ship that has enough firepower, decent speed and agility and a turret. It should be fine. If it is the Night Terror, then that will do "That will do" Aden flown here in the Bravebird II, which would be Aden's second choice.

Aden would crack his knuckles, mentally preparing himself for the job. "What leads do we have?" he would ask before they would get started. She said they don't have much, but maybe she has something.

@Tulos

 

[Aska Ryun]

With Aden’s agreement, Aska started towards the hangar bay that housed her ship. In recent months, it served as more of a home than anything else and it pained her to see it as such. The ship was designed and modified for so much more so knowing that it would be brought back into action again delivered a smile to her face.

”Not a damn thing,” Aska responded as she punched the access code into the bay door. ”-outside of the estimated crash site given the last known trajectory of the Nexus before it stopped transmitting. The best we can do is find the wreckage and search it for clues,” she continued before the door slid open to reveal the Night Terror.

”We find the ship, find the black box and secure any cargo that might still be inside,” she continued as she approached the cargo ramp, casting a sly grin back towards Aden. ”Of course, anything we find was obviously ‘already salvaged’ by the attackers and we can split that 50/50,”

Entering the ship, it was impossible to miss its state of cleanliness or rather lack of. Clothes were strewn across the main hold with empty bottles of rum littered amongst them. Aska continued on, offering no apologies for it’s grubby condition. Everything still ran properly and was kept up to date but the clone had little patience for cleaning. A part of her still missed Ali for numerous reasons but her cleanliness was chief amongst them.

As she entered the cockpit, Aska motioned for Aden to take the controls as she plopped down into the co-pilot’s chair, lighting a cigarra and plucking another bottle from beside her. ”Punching in the coordinates now so if you’re ready, let’s get this show on the road,”

@The Good Doctor​

 

[Aden Archer]

Aden saw a glimpse of a smile on Aska's face, she still is flying the Night Terror. So they have a last known trajectory, but that's it. Aden nodded in response to what Aska knows and what the job is. It looks like they have to make do with their wits once they reach the coordinates. "Deal" Aden agreed with their splitting of anything they find fifty/fifty.

The Night Terror is messy, clothing empty bottles. Aden doesn't know how people can stand to fly, live, or spend a significant amount of time in such a mess. Aden would turn his eyes away trying to not let the mess distract his attention.

Now at the helm, in the pilots see, Aden would look upon the controls, they are slightly different than before, he can see some new additions. Aden's eyes would find something on the controls in particular, he would look back to Aska. "Wait, the Night Terror has a stealth drive now?" his eyes widened. That is impressive, Aden hasn't flown a ship that had a stealth drive on it. If it was stolen, it must have took a lot of work to get it, if it was purchased, Aska must have big credits. She is a Legend of Shaddaa though. Either way, it was a big feat to have one. But knowing this, it may come in handy. Maybe.

"Alrighty" he said Aden would do the usual pre-flight checks. "Now we have lift off" the Night Terror would ascend and then be on it's way.

---

Later​

The Night Terror has traveled a great deal by now. "We've closed in on the last coordinates." but looking through the viewport nothing is there, he would slow down the ship's speed to better spot foreign objects.


"Can't see anything out of the ordinary, can you?" Aden kept the ship steady. Unbeknowst to him, he is indeed closing in towards the objective. But as far as Aden knows, it's going to be a needle in the haystack, as they say.

@Tulos

 

[Aska Ryun]

Most of the trip was spent in minor conversations. What have you been up to? What have you accomplished? Aska relayed how much of her recent years had been spent in the outer rim, beyond the scope of galactic affairs on assignments she elected to not divulge details. Aden would, hopefully, in turn share some of his exploits. After all, while some mercs worked for glory and nothing more, others simply enjoyed the tales of their colleagues rather than those who boasted about them.

The coordinates would lead them to the moon of a system unknown to her. It didn’t matter. So long as the celestial body had a breathable atmosphere, she was content exploring unknown frontiers. As she pulled up the scanner, she realized that this was going to be much more complicated than she had expected. The crash site, while a distance away, was safely contained in an atmosphere unwelcoming to sentient life. Their temporary explorative gear would give them a short time to search their landing zone but not much else.

”Not visually,” Aska replied plainly as she scoped the surface below them. Crags and canyons, winds whipping at unimaginable speeds. This moon was, in lack of a better term, a waste land. ”There’s so much… fog… dust…” the clone added, squinting as she peered into the abyss.

Yet just as she felt as though she had picked apart smoke from fog, a massive gust of wind swept against the ship’s broadside. Even a pilot as skilled as Aden would find it beyond his capabilities to control. On and on it pushed, away from the estimated crash site, before pushing the Night Terror into the surface. Steel drug on rock, momentum sent anything unsecured flying forward. Yet in the cockpit, Aden and Aska remained unharmed due to their restraints.

”Malheion all over again,” the clone groaned in Aden’s direction as the ship finally came to a halt. She couldn’t blame him for what happened, for the freak accident of nature. And they were both now in a situation that certainly spelled near certain death. ”Not gonna say I’m keen on dying on some wild moon, though. You have any ideas?” she asked while staring the red light on their radar that indicated the crash site a click west. Was her ship even flyable? Had a random message from across the stars been her ultimate demise?

@The Good Doctor​

 

[Aden Archer]

Minor conversations indeed made the trip less boring and routine. What has Aden been up to? He would reply that he continues to do jobs here and there, still drifting in space, thinking about settling down. The usual. What has he accomplished? Aside from minor jobs, flying in the battle above Kashyyyk and most notably was bombing the Zann Consortium shipyards on Kowak, taking down two corvettes in starfighters/bombers for a whole bunch of money from a mysterious employer there. Aden would welcome what the Legend of Shadda shared.

Now unto the moon. it was foggy and Aden was fighting against very strong winds, it was rocking the ship and Aden had to fight against it. Then suddenly a picked up a particularly strong wind hit the ship's boarside just as it appears they were closing in and then they were spiraling towards the ground. "Kriff" he said. "Going down, brace for impact" Aden would be gritting his teeth, frantically trying to pull and and get the craft stable and keep in the air, but it was too no avail..

"Ugh" Aden groaned. At least Aden had his seatbelt and harness on, and his helmet. Aden wondered what the heck happened how some wind caused an expert pilot like Aden to force him to the ground . "Unfortunately" it was indeed Malheion all over again, Aden would take off his helmet. Anyways, ideas on what to do. "Well..." Aden would also check the radar, and see that the blip is west. "Well, we can check and see what supplies we still have intact. We still have our weapons with us right? Whatever we do it's best we stick together." he affirmed. It is a wild moon, it could be very dangerous, most likely is given the weather. The flora and fuana might be as well. "Well, we can start moving to and investigate the crash site then work on the ship.. Or we can see about getting the ship fixed and then investigate the crash site."

Aska is the boss here, so Aden will derfer to her

@Tulos

 

[Aska Ryun]

With the huttball in her court, Aska leaned back in the copilot's seat and weighed her options. Ideally, getting the ship into running order would save them the hassle of trekking out into the unknown on foot. How long it would take and the degree of the damage would be the ultimate dictators in their situation. Casually leaning to her right, stifling her frustration, the clone began running diagnostics on the Night Terror.

”We’ve got a shot power coupling on the right thruster and the air scrubbers need to be purged. Picked up too much dust on impact,” Aska replied plainly. She had the parts required to perform the repairs but patience ran thin. For a moment she contemplated leaving Aden to the repairs while she set out in search of the first crash site but she quickly dismissed them. Aden was right; exploring alone was a recipe for disaster but the clone was never known to be a patient woman. ”Kayto,” she called out through the comm system, summoning her droid to the cockpit.

”Yes, Mistress?”

”You and Aden’s T7 unit are going to make sure the Terror is repaired. Purge the scrubbers and replace the damaged coupling. In the meantime,” the clone turned to face her partner as she stood from her seat. ”There’s no sense in us wasting time. We’ll keep our transponders active. Once the ship is repaired, the droids can swing in and pick us up,”

Aska, now suited in her custom armour along with one of the ships portable breathing apparatus’, descended the ramp onto the crag surface of the moon. In the distance she could hear the screams of creatures native to the strange environment though they didn’t sound to be potentially dangerous. That, of course, would only be told with time.

”We’ve got two hours of oxygen and the crash site is probably about a quarter of that away. Let’s not waste any time, yea?” Aska commented, her voice slightly distorted by the mechanism vacuum sealed to her jaw. For better or worse, their adventure truly began now.

@The Good Doctor​

 

[Aden Archer]

Aden would then turn towards his astromech droid "T7, you heard her, get to work" he said, to which his droid would beep in affirmative. Aden usually forgets he has an astromech droid. It's useful, but Aden prefers doing most tasks himself, repairs, usually mounting him in a slot of a fighter if need but not much more than that.

Aden is wearing his flightsuit along with his sealed helmet, gives plenty of oxygen as well. Two hours is about right. He too heard the sounds of the local fuana as they advanced. "Right" he said, he doesn't have to be told twice.

As they would proceed, there a particularly distinct how. "That sounded like it was close" Aden said, lookng around to see if whatever made that was around, but it wasn't. Aden would had his blaster carbine that was slinged over him pulled up and now he would be actively holding it with both arms. Nothing in the vicinity, Aden would press on.

But out of the shadows in front of them, four wolf-like aliens would come out from the shadows. They would slowly walk, growling, snarling, dripping acidic salvia. They would slowly circle in front of the two, as if sizing them up. These are no doubt wild predators. Aden saw that two of them were circle towards him slowly, and the other two were eye Aska.

Not wanting them to get any closer, and seeing the wolves attacking them is inevitable, Aden took initiative, starting quickly aiming and firing with his blaster, able to hit one in the front, greatly wounding it, the other would then start going after Aden with speed.

@Tulos

 

[Aska Ryun]

As the pair crossed the alien landscape, Aska soon realized that the trek to the crash site would not be a simple one purely by the route alone. Much of the area around them was cliff faces and rocky outcroppings, with the coordinates showing that where they were headed were at a higher altitude than where they had been forced to begin. Any distractions could prove dangerous as much of their oxygen would need to be used and preserved for travelling alone, should the Night Terror not be repaired in time. As such, when the howls of the beasts echoed around them, the clone’s anxieties spiked.

”I think you’re right. Keep your eyes on a swivel, Archer,” the clone replied, her own attention sweeping the tops of the cliff faces that ran to each side. While she could see nothing for now, Aska understood the mind of a predator. They had likely already been spotted, hungry eyes observing the pair of stranded explorers as they intruded in this creature or creatures home. It didn’t take long for them to reveal themselves and as the clone finally laid eyes on the ‘wolves’ once they stepped from their cover, a grimace formed.

As the pack separated in hopes of dividing their prey, Aska kept her attention glued on the pair of canines that had too selected her. Though her SE-45 was already drawn, her left dangled at her side by the holster of her DX-2 so as the creatures leapt to action, her secondary was drawn and firing. Blasts of yellow and blue peppered into the closer of the two hounds, dropping it’s corpse to the ground in a smoking heap though the creatures were fast. Faster than she had anticipated, the second narrowly missing purchase with it’s snapping jaw as it slid past the woman as she turned her torso to avoid it’s attack. Drips of saliva would fall from it’s lips and land on the clones chest plate, slowly eating away at the material.

”Nice doggy… Good dog,” Aska coaxed as she turned to face the creature fully, its angry growls filling her ears.

@The Good Doctor​

 

[Aden Archer]

Aden might have gotten one of them, the one he hit although not down, would be reduced to a limp, and survival instinct would dictate to it to try and run away. These creatures were really and fast though, Aden tried firing a few more shots at the remaining one charging at him but the creature was zig-zagging and moving with speed, Aden's shots would hit dirt and the creature would leap upon him, knocking him down. Aden could feel sharp claws cutting into his flight jacket and pinning him down. As the creature was about to bite into him with it's acidic maw, Aden would raise his carbine. The alien predator would bite into the rifle instead, surely rending it useless as it would be punctured and having acid ruining it.

Now that he's bought himself some time, he would keep one hand holding the rifle and quickly with his right hand grab a pistol from his holster, now pointing at the creature's chest, he would fire not once, not twice, but three times. After a wimper, the beast would die.

Taking a deep breath he would slowly rise. "Kriff" he would mutter. He would see he has some red and different colored blood on his person, and some of the acid burn a little of his armor as well. The red blood is his he knows. Discarding his useless carbine, he would turn towards Aska's direction, weapon leveled ready to assist.

@Tulos

 

[Aska Ryun]

Eyes locked with the beast as it began to circle around it’s prey. These wolves, much like any predatorial canine, were opportunistic hunters. Seeing as how three quarters of the pack had been eliminated and it was the last surviving member, it perhaps should have found logic in retreating. Instead, it only grew frustrated at the loss of it’s family.

”I really should start carrying around a bag of kibble,” the clone groaned before firing on the agitated beast. Yet even as skilled as she was, the creature moved like the wind. It’s leathery skin was a blur as it circled around behind Archer, forcing Aska to cease firing so as to not hit her partner when she noticed-

”Shit! You’re blee-” Aska called out to Aden before the wolf slammed into her back and forced her weapons from her hand, it’s jaw snapping at her neck as she pushed against it’s chest with her forearms. A large stream of acid saliva dripped from it’s mouth and landed on her forehead, burning into her flesh. The beast was too strong for the clone to reposition her arm and utilize her repulsor. If she attempted it, it would overpower her other arm and clamp down on her jugular. Instead, she was pinned and left at it’s mercy.

@The Good Doctor​