"So what you're telling me is we're effectively trapped here?"
Razmir stared at the hologram depicting the system they were in overlaid with information about hyperlanes, ship disappearances, and gravitational anomalies. If he read it correctly—and he often didn't, simply lacking the kind of mind required for data analysis—the map was indicating that each safe, known hyperlane leading into and out of their current system of residence had seen a major increase in ship disappearances, hijackings, and mysterious accidents which gradually increased in frequency until those hyperlanes had been declared completely off-limits for reasons of public safety.
"Yes," Yeza replied with a conflicted sense of pride.
She had compiled the map on a hunch after the first few disappearances. Raz and the others had thought it a waste of time before. Spacers went missing all the time around isolated colonies in Wild Space. It really wasn't that out of the ordinary. More often than not it was a pirate crew or some strange new disease accidentally picked up on a frontier world.
But Yeza had insisted on delaying their departure until she had figured out the pattern behind the disappearances—she had insisted there was one—and the rest of the crew had reluctantly obliged her suspicions.
"There's an eighty-six percent chance that our ship gets disappeared if we take that hyperlane. It goes up to ninety-three if we take that one, and basically a hundred percent for this one," Yeza continued.
"Eighty-six doesn't sound too bad," Carver cut in from the back of the room, where he'd settled down to clean his oversized repeating blaster.
"Eighty-six percent is lower than your odds of seeing the yellow face of a chance cube on the first roll in a Hutt's casino," Yeza said.
"Okay that's...a lot worse than I thought," Carver said. The Defel's usual bravado faltered as he spoke.
Red dots appeared on the entry and exit points of hyperlanes as it updated in real-time. Yeza likely had it hooked up to the holonet where it scraped the net for any mention of "hyperspace accident" or something similar.
"Do we know for how long this will last?" Razmir asked, opening the cargo manifest on his datapad.
"No idea, Raz. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to when or why anyone who travels these hyperlanes ends up a news story," Yeza explained.
"Got it," Raz said.
Cardinal stepped up next to him. The towering human was remarkably quiet for his size.
"You're trying to figure out how long we can last on the supplies we brought?" Cardinal asked. The strange circumstances didn't manage to make him lose the tranquil quality his voice had.
"If I'm right we have about enough for three days. Four if we ration properly," Raz replied.
Hutt's breath, he thought. Why'd these mystery disappearances have to start up right as our luck on job offers had finally picked up?
Raz studied the map again. The hyperlane leading back toward Alliance space had become a large red mass of warning reports. It seemed entirely unlikely they'd be making it back within their latest employer's timetable.
"Perhaps we can trade with the locals?" Cardinal spoke in a thoughtful tone. "I'm sure they could use the power packs in the weapons we don't use. We can always get more at one of our emergency holdouts."
"Hey!" Carver called from the back. "Those are my guns!"
"It's a good point," Raz called back. He was pretty certain Carver was gesturing inappropriately behind his back in response.
"If we're quick the local government will likely still have some surplus left," Cardinal continued. "Want me to take Carv and Beak for a supply run?"
Raz considered it a moment, then a smile crept up to his lips.
"Raz?" Cardinal asked, the concern in his tone indicating he was guessing at the reason for Raz's smile.
Razmir ignored his friend and turned to Yeza.
"You said governor Pellan had mentioned a large warehouse at the edge of the city?"
"Yeah, it houses a trading post responsible for a majority of their stocked supplies. Why?" Yeza eyed him with suspicion.
Raz' smile deepened.
"Raz, hey, we can trade with-" Cardinal began, but Razmir cut him off with a gesture.
"I think I want to add 'interim despot of a no-name mining colony' to my resumé," Raz grinned.
Razmir stared at the hologram depicting the system they were in overlaid with information about hyperlanes, ship disappearances, and gravitational anomalies. If he read it correctly—and he often didn't, simply lacking the kind of mind required for data analysis—the map was indicating that each safe, known hyperlane leading into and out of their current system of residence had seen a major increase in ship disappearances, hijackings, and mysterious accidents which gradually increased in frequency until those hyperlanes had been declared completely off-limits for reasons of public safety.
"Yes," Yeza replied with a conflicted sense of pride.
She had compiled the map on a hunch after the first few disappearances. Raz and the others had thought it a waste of time before. Spacers went missing all the time around isolated colonies in Wild Space. It really wasn't that out of the ordinary. More often than not it was a pirate crew or some strange new disease accidentally picked up on a frontier world.
But Yeza had insisted on delaying their departure until she had figured out the pattern behind the disappearances—she had insisted there was one—and the rest of the crew had reluctantly obliged her suspicions.
"There's an eighty-six percent chance that our ship gets disappeared if we take that hyperlane. It goes up to ninety-three if we take that one, and basically a hundred percent for this one," Yeza continued.
"Eighty-six doesn't sound too bad," Carver cut in from the back of the room, where he'd settled down to clean his oversized repeating blaster.
"Eighty-six percent is lower than your odds of seeing the yellow face of a chance cube on the first roll in a Hutt's casino," Yeza said.
"Okay that's...a lot worse than I thought," Carver said. The Defel's usual bravado faltered as he spoke.
Red dots appeared on the entry and exit points of hyperlanes as it updated in real-time. Yeza likely had it hooked up to the holonet where it scraped the net for any mention of "hyperspace accident" or something similar.
"Do we know for how long this will last?" Razmir asked, opening the cargo manifest on his datapad.
"No idea, Raz. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to when or why anyone who travels these hyperlanes ends up a news story," Yeza explained.
"Got it," Raz said.
Cardinal stepped up next to him. The towering human was remarkably quiet for his size.
"You're trying to figure out how long we can last on the supplies we brought?" Cardinal asked. The strange circumstances didn't manage to make him lose the tranquil quality his voice had.
"If I'm right we have about enough for three days. Four if we ration properly," Raz replied.
Hutt's breath, he thought. Why'd these mystery disappearances have to start up right as our luck on job offers had finally picked up?
Raz studied the map again. The hyperlane leading back toward Alliance space had become a large red mass of warning reports. It seemed entirely unlikely they'd be making it back within their latest employer's timetable.
"Perhaps we can trade with the locals?" Cardinal spoke in a thoughtful tone. "I'm sure they could use the power packs in the weapons we don't use. We can always get more at one of our emergency holdouts."
"Hey!" Carver called from the back. "Those are my guns!"
"It's a good point," Raz called back. He was pretty certain Carver was gesturing inappropriately behind his back in response.
"If we're quick the local government will likely still have some surplus left," Cardinal continued. "Want me to take Carv and Beak for a supply run?"
Raz considered it a moment, then a smile crept up to his lips.
"Raz?" Cardinal asked, the concern in his tone indicating he was guessing at the reason for Raz's smile.
Razmir ignored his friend and turned to Yeza.
"You said governor Pellan had mentioned a large warehouse at the edge of the city?"
"Yeah, it houses a trading post responsible for a majority of their stocked supplies. Why?" Yeza eyed him with suspicion.
Raz' smile deepened.
"Raz, hey, we can trade with-" Cardinal began, but Razmir cut him off with a gesture.
"I think I want to add 'interim despot of a no-name mining colony' to my resumé," Raz grinned.
