Private A Ratchet-Wrench and some TLC

[Kain Aldore]

Kain sat in the audience arms cross as the laps were made a smirk on his face his bet was solid the girl on Flare-6, next to him sat a Trandoshan who was chuckling the two seemed to be having a generally good time the Trandoshan tiled his head and took a sip from his beverage

"Kain I'm telling you she's gonna lose unless this turn becomes the most beautiful thing I've seen, you put Credits in the wrong place pal."

Kain just nodded towards his friend in the seat next to him. Typically visiting friends on Coruscant wasn't on the list of priorities, but the entirety of Balarac was pre-occupied and he had nothing better to do than catch up with Coruscant dealings. He had run this circuit to get off Coruscant and visiting was just the thing he needed after dealing with fleet management for the last several weeks in a row. The bet was solid, until that blue light flashed and the smirk fell from Kains face, The speeder lost traction and sped off into a spin towards the wall, the Ooh of the crowd echoed and he knew it was over, standing and looking to his friend

"Huh... Well Brix you've robbed me blind twice today it seems, Have your people load the converters on my ship, I'm off to wallow in my loss"

Saying their goodbyes the thought of the crashed swoop popped into Kains mind. That poor girl was cheated, he had seen the Tractor clear as day and a few other probably did as well but unless they were on the upper levels, no one would give a damn. Making his way out after the crowed he stopped going down to his speeder and grabbing a tool set, then without a second though turned back to the arena making his way past pit crews and racers even passing up the cheater. before arriving at the section meant for the Flare-6.

"Excuse me miss"

Kain stood at the opening looking a bit like a lost puppy, or to some like an Idiot. The massive toolbox in ono hand and a look of concern on his face as he waited for Nykoria Tallis to respond.

 

[Nykoria Tallis]

"It isn't happening. It can't be. It must all be a dream. Can I just wake up from this?"

The woman stood over the wrecked bike, arms crossed. Her red leather jacket, pristine at the start, was now left with scratches from the fall. The white helmet's opaque visor cracked, but still did its job and concealed the racer's identity. Even the skin color was hidden by the gloves on her hands. Thanks to that, a photo would hardly show the despair of the rider. But anyone nearby would feel how hard the woman must've been hit by that undeserved defeat.

But the racer's damage—rather superficial at first glance—couldn't compare to that of her black Flare-S. There was more than paint damage and even dints and bruises (those were in abundance). The main problem was that the front forks had been twisted in the collision, and now looked slightly sideways, like a broken nose. But the rear had taken most of the damage, and one of the repulsors was clearly totaled. The paint had gone off completely at the bottom rear part of the bike, that had been scratching ground while "Shooting Star" had been pushing it towards the finish line on front repulsor alone.

Obsessed with these observations, the racer was caught off-guard by this new arrival. She flinched on hearing the voice and turned around to see who else had come to gl... "Hold on, this one ain't gloating."

The man who stood before her apparently had something else in mind. The cracked visor peered at the new arrival, the racer no doubt studying the stranger. "Hi," the reply that followed a few moments later wasn't hostile, but nor was it too cheerful. Which probably made sense, given the circumstances. "You looking for something?" the visor briefly shifted towards the toolbox that the scruffy-looking blond had brought along.

Kain Aldore

 

[Kain Aldore]

The look of concern stayed as Kain's eyes fixed to Nykoria Tallis hidden figure, he could clearly see the scratches and marks across her body, his initial worry went from the bike to her, but she was standing tall so the only thing hurt might be her pride, and he could somewhat help with that. Holding up the tool box so it was in full view Kain took a step inside

"Yeah Actually, you, well your Swoop at least, I was watching the race and I saw what Chuckles did back there, I just so happen to be a pretty good mechanic with some time on my hands so I thought... ya know why not offer my assistance"

His gaze drifting towards the speeder. He had seen the crash in person but it definitely didn't look this bad from the seating, no doubt the other racer contributed to a good portion of the damage, repulsors were easy to fiddle with on this model since they were out in the open, what concerned him were the turbo thrusters and directional thrust nozzles, to top if off the power cell sits behind the repulsors, and he cant exactly replace the parts for that, If it had been damaged in any way they'd have to buy a new one. Turning back to her as the look of concern morphed to a giddy smirk he was failing to suppress, Kain was looking forward to this more than he should have been.

"My name's Kain." Holding his empty hand out and looking into the cracked visor of the rider In front of him "I'll do what I'm able to and I wont charge a dime"

He honestly didn't mind helping repair the bike working on machines was always a way of relaxing for the man, and with nothing better to do than kill time till Brix loaded his Converters why not help someone who needs it, that's why he joined Balarac in the first place, but at the same time he did have ulterior motives and they might have show, at first he bet on her during the race out of pure randomness, but as the event went on he couldn't help but wonder, and this was a good way to see if his suspicions were sound, or if he was simply grasping at straws.

 

[Nykoria Tallis]

There was something different about the new arrival. He sought to help, and the Zeltron, for all her experience and empathy, couldn't feel any ulterior motives behind it. There was just... genuine concern? Curious, the woman tilted her head as the man introduced himself and proceeded to inspect the bike. The man radiated strange enthusiasm about the wrecked vehicle. Something that Nykoria herself hadn't experienced in a long while. Not since her brother had left Coruscant and left his prized Flare-S in her not-so-tender care.

"Kori," the woman replied, as her visor followed the unlikely mechanic. She even stepped to the side to give the man more room, her back leaning against the wall. "A mechanic offering assistance free of charge... What's the catch, Kain?" The voice of the woman wasn't overly cautious; in fact, the higher tone was indicative of a smile under the helmet. A certain uncertainty, genuine concern, and enthusiasm were contagious.

Even if the offer sounded too good to be true, the racer was content with having the stranger work his magic... At least for the moment.

Kain Aldore

 

[Kain Aldore]

"Kori, well its nice to meet you"

He got closer to the Swoop and set the tool box down. Kain needed to decide where to start, the nose job would be a pain to fix easy enough for him though that would wait best to make sure the Flare would actually run again without new parts, power cell it is. Thinking about her reply Kain cocked his head, How bad would it sound if he said the reason he was there was to check on her, please he didn't know her, definitely couldn't come out and say he knows about that and accuse Nykoria on the spot, Kain wasn't even sure he could be right about that theory, best to play dumb in the situation, or was it, Kain hated jumping through hoops and on more than one occasion he was know to speak his mind, he might as well do both.

"Well, being a mechanic isn't my day job, and if I can help without buying new parts, why not try."

Kain slipped out of his jacket, to reveal the flight suit suspenders that dipped down into his belt line, with them the Black lightsaber and blaster holstered to the straps, playing it off like they weren't there. He usually kept them hidden but if he was going to be working he needed the suspender straps off and he saw it as a good way to test the water, dropping them off his shoulders Kain opened the tool box slipped on a pair of black gloves then moved to the swoop, halting just before he touched it and looking back towards Nykoria Tallis .

"I gotta gut her unfortunately, if that's alright with you of course?"

 

[Nykoria Tallis]

"Likewise, Kain," the woman replied, still leaning against the wall. The man's hesitation with the reply didn't elude her; but nor did his confusion and honesty. Kori's face was still concealed, but seeing how she didn't say anything, it appeared that the racer was satisfied with the answer. Even seeing the blaster and—wait, is that a lightsaber?!

The man's next question remained in the air for a while, the woman behind the visor clearly processing something. "Y-yeah, sure, go ahead," she replied a couple of seconds later, with an indecisive shrug. "Can't get worse than it already is, huh?" Kori tried to make it sound like a joke, but there was quite a lot of resignation in her voice. She wouldn't be able to bring the swoop to a mechanic on her own; so any shot at repairing it was better than nothing.

"You always come packing for any occasion?" this time the joke was more genuine, referencing both the man's toolbox and the assortment of weapons he had on his person. The cracked visor of the white helmet remained focused on the blond at all times, head slightly tilted.

Kain Aldore

 

[Kain Aldore]

A smile to reciprocate, It was hard to judge a hidden face, but still he waited for an answer or a sign, grabbing a torque wrench and looking back at the bike before he heard the reply, Showtime Kain first reached up making sure the bike was off, last thing he needed was for his hand to go numb or in the worse case scenario have it crushed. Kain then heard her remark, letting out a slight concerned chuckle as he felt around making one last check before he started to really worked the bolt

"Trust me you'd be surprised at what kind of shape a swoop can end up in after a crash. luckily structural damage is the worst part to deal with, long as it isn't engine parts can be patched up if its not too severe"

a few more movements and the reinforced chassis dropped off reveling the Repulsorlift engine, the Chassis flap was dented badly and he feared for the worst, but by the wills the reinforced part seemed to have done its job, the engine for the naked eye was intact, a few bolts had been sheered off and a good amount of gravel made its way into the main output, the turbine for the engine was lodged in place by a stray piece of chassis.

"You're lucky these Flare models are like bricks, the engine survived, now I wont know for sure till I clean it out but a little CPR and just possibly voilà"

Moving the engine aside on a dolly he the started at the Fuel cell which was his major concern. Nykoria Tallis remark about his mini arsenal caught him off guard letting out a genuine laugh with his arm elbow deep reaching for the fuel cell.

"No.... usually its the toolbox I leave on my ship" He said in a joking tone, but it wasn't a lie, lately his tool box mostly collected dust unless something on his own ship was acting up. t

 

[Nykoria Tallis]

As the rugged mechanic started working on the bike, Kori stepped forward. It felt wrong to have the stranger tinkering with the bike while she was just leaning against the wall. "Here's hoping," the woman replied to Kain's remark about being able to patch up superficial and hull damage. "CPR, huh? If that proves to be enough, I'll consider myself lucky."

Kain's joke evoked a muffled chortle from under the helmet, as the racer hunkered down by the bike, taking a look at a particularly nasty dint, careful not to interfere. "Guess it is a lucky coincidence that you had it with you today." With the mechanic preoccupied, and Kori having nothing better to do, small talk could be just as good of a choice as anything.

Kain Aldore

 

[Kain Aldore]

Watching the racer step forward he couldn't help but wonder why she was still in the uniform, Kain had hit something blocking his access to the compartment he could take fare of that later, but it was a red flag, if the cell was leaking they didn't just need to stop they needed out of the room , he couldn't pull it out and Kori seemed curious about the process so he might as well indulge the habit and teach her something while they idled

"I need to get to the Fuel cell, but somethings in there and I can't get my hand past" Kain pulled his arm out and stepped to the side "Well Kori, think your hand could fit"

he wasn't about to tell her that an exposed fuel cell could go off like a thermal detonator if not take care of, but he was aware and had already taken precautions, the chance of it going off was zero. he stood up taking a look the the central Repulsor, that was totaled, they'd need a new one, luckily Brix owed him several favors, he picked up his data pad keying in some information before setting it back down. Kain then slid under the front fork and stabilizer looking into the intake manifold to where Nykoria Tallis would be reaching.

 

[Nykoria Tallis]

To say that Kori wasn't tempted to take off parts of her racing gear would be a lie. Especially the helmet and the gloves. The full gear was a little too warm and uncomfortable, making the world feel detached and her body a little sweaty. Yet the woman resisted that urge. For all the drawbacks of her racing attire, it concealed Kori's face and race. Which could come in handy, seeing how the race was only partly legal. Association with the crowd like that wouldn't do anything good to her resume.

So the Zeltron was caught off guard when Kain asked for a hand; figuratively and literally. It took Kori a few seconds to make the call—she was very reluctant to stain her gloves. But on the other hand... Well, she had reasons both for and against getting involved. "Left the dirtiest stuff for me, huh?" the racer replied half-jokingly, as she finally did put her hand and then the arm inside the opening.

It would take some fumbling around, but eventually Kain would see the gloved hand next to the fuel cell... And going past it, following the manifolds towards the fuel pipe. "Is that it?" the woman asked from under the helmet, oblivious to the fact that she got to a wrong part. "Remind me what I'm doing to it again?"

Kain Aldore

 

[Kain Aldore]

Kain could sense the hesitation of what he could guess, in fact it was probably about the outfit, he understood the reservation and the hesitation.

"Hey, if I'm gonna fix this baby for free I might as well teach you a thing or two so don't have to come back"

Grabbing a socket Kain began fixing it to his wrench while watching Nykoria Tallis reach in and head in right in the direction, she was a natural.. almost, just as she was about to put her hand directly on the disable fuel cell she blew right past and grabbed the fuel line instead.

"Yeah you.." Kain suppressed a giggle "No you just past it, your close though, move back ever so slightly and you should feel it, its shaped almost like a small Ingot of metal" Watching her gloved hand aimlessly move around while Kori tried to find the the correct object remined him of his late father and some of the same lessons he was taught at a younger age.

"Once you have a handle on it, your gonna give it a tug away from the socket, then turn it clockwise just slightly and tug out again, it should come loose like a bottle cap and you can pull it out"

Typically this would be easy enough but with the piece of metal blocking his hand, what little view their was had also been obscured, and her helmet probably wasn't helping.

 

[Nykoria Tallis]

"Mmhmm," the woman would nod if she didn't have her arm in the innards of the bike. The man had a point, and it'd be rude not to help him help her. But a reaction was a reaction, and the Zeltron couldn't help it. Kain's amusement and fond memories, even unexpressed ones, were worth a potentially ruined glove... hopefully.

With his guidance and a little more fumbling, Kori finally managed to grip at the right ingot. Luckily, her and Kain's "clockwise" aligned, so she did manage to follow the instructions. Unluckily, the cell was definitely bigger than Nykoria's hand. She tried pulling her hand back up the way it came, but the soft metallic clank indicated it was a no go. That was a predicament: either drop the cell and pull the hand out, or keep the cell and remain stuck until it can be removed some other way. "Ermm... What now, boss?"

Kain Aldore

 

[Kain Aldore]

Imagining what it was like to try and struggle that cell out with all her gear still made his head hurt, he barely liked gloves, but piping hot engine oil was never a healthy part of skin care routine. Kain could see the battery, having her go after it was much easier than pulling the intake pipes out.

Though that may just need to happen the blockage was preventing the removal of the cell, but getting it loose was the hard part, and she had solved his problem he needed to be sure the metal shaving didn't nick the cell. Shining a torch down the intake manifold he could see it, and luckily Acid wasn't leaking all over the place, it even seemed to be functioning with indicator still holding a blue hue.

"Typically you'd pull it out and check for a breach and this white paste leaking out of it, but it looks clear, go ahead and set it down if you'd like, and you can take your hand out too."

Getting up off the floor, he grabbed a pair of pliers and made his way to where Kori was "Now that I know the shaving isn't lodged in the cell I can safely pull it out of the chassis" Squeezing the tool in his hand Kain knelt down next to Nykoria Tallis and the opening "Unless you'd like the honor's"

 

[Nykoria Tallis]

Kori was lucky she had opted to keep the helmet on. Otherwise, Kain would've been treated to a broad range of the Zeltron's facial expressions as he mentioned the leaking white paste. The racer tried to push away the thought of her gloves getting stained and ruined. Hopefully, the friendly mechanic wouldn't notice that inner struggle.

"As if I have a choice," the woman replied rather cheerfully to Kain's "if you'd like". Not setting the fuel cell down meant dropping it unattached inside the swoop... Or keeping it in her hand and staying stuck. So while Kain grabbed the pliers, Kori struggled to put the cell back in its place and secure it. Without a clear line of sight it was a challenge. So when Kain knelt down next to her, the woman was still moving the cell around. She had only just found the housing, and was busy securing the cell.

"Perhaps it'd be best if I didn't wreck this thing further," she continued in the same tone, finally removing the hand from the vehicle and inspecting the glove. "Or else that fuel cell might end up with a breach." She still remained by Kain's side though, in case the mechanic needed her help further.

Kain Aldore

 

[Kain Aldore]

"Yeah... probably for the best that we don't turn this into a combustion engine"

A smile slid onto Kain's face before going prone and reaching his arm into the opening. Some clanking, frustrated facial expression, and cursing the bike under his breath he got a good grip. After a slight motion the sounds a metal quickly sliding and a small thud he pulled his arm out plier in hand, between the teeth was a small chunk of foreign object not much bigger than a credit

"And I present to you our culprit" Placing the piece of metal In front of Nykoria Tallis as he stood up and moved to the air compressor "That's taken care of, but now I'm going to go ahead and fix that dent and bent nose. while I'm tending those you can use the compressor to eject the gravel and dirt that's clogging up the intake, you use it a bit like a blaster, just point and squeeze and when your done roll it on over."

Turning it on Kain rolled it over to the engine sitting right behind her, he then moved to the front of the bike and hovered his hands over the plating inspecting just how much energy he needed to use for this task. too little and he wouldn't be able to pull out the dent, too much and he'd lodge the thing into the ceiling, or worse he'd end up tear a hole in the plate. She had seen his lightsaber so there was no real point in hiding it anymore, using the force for this might be a bit excessive, but it was the only way he'd be able to fix it in the moment.

The plate began to rumble on the table his hands completely steady above it, Kain's face formed the look of concentration and after a second the plate went entirely still the sound of creaking metal followed by a loud suction sound and just like that he had fixed the dent in the chassis.

"ahh, take that... sure as hell don't teach that at the academy" After pumping his fist and having his moment of celebration he then proceeded to wait for Nykoria so they could refit the engine in place and then fix the nose.

 

[Nykoria Tallis]

After a slight delay, the Zeltron under the helmet nodded with a quiet "Gotcha." Truth to be told, she had never worked with such devices before. Kain's explanation did help, but Kori still took a few extra moments before engaging the blower and pointing its business end at the intake. To a point, it did feel like using a blaster. And despite it all being work, the Zeltron had to admit that it was a cool kind. She even took an extra pass with the compressor, "just to be sure".

Then the sound of metal drove her attention. The air compressor turned off; the helmet's visor stared at what was unfolding between the woman. That being, the folded metal of the chassis. "Blast," the woman mumbled; her face still concealed, but her voice giving away every little bit of awe of seeing the Force in action. "You bet they don't."

For a moment, she even forgot that she was supposed to roll the compressor over. Realizing that, the racer turned on her heels and pulled the device to where the mechanic wanted it. "Never seen a Jedi mechanic working their magic before." Surely he had to be Jedi, right?

Kain Aldore

 

[Kain Aldore]

watching Nykoria roll the device back in his direction. Kain started Inspecting the Nose he wiped It down down checking for and fractures along the structure, anything too significant and they'd need to weld it, luckily it just seemed to be off kilter a fix that was easy enough as the previous one.

After Nykoria Tallis rolled it too him Kain picked up the nozzle and cleared off the engine mounts making sure there was as little debris left as humanly possibly.

"Just a mechanic actually. I left the order... what feels like a lifetime ago."

The nose was an entirely different case than simply un-denting something, the risk was much higher and his force abilities were always bit more of a brutish, but the weight of the bike should compensate, the likely hood of any major issues was low.

Reaching his left hand out he took hold of the body, then with his right Kain aimed just to the side of the bend. Instead of pushing Kain took two steps forward with a slight amount of pressure and a little resistance, he walked the stabilizer bar, control shaft, and control vane back into alignment. He then let go and once again ran his hand town the length of the nose checking for any fracture he might have caused, but after a clean bill of health he stepped back letting out a breath of relaxation.

Moving over to the Repulsor Engine inspecting the work Kori had done before rolling it over and putting it back in place, he refitted the platting and put everything back in its correct position before reaching up to start it, but before he touched the ignition Kain looked at Nykoria then the nose

"Kori the honor is all yours" Kain was positive it would start with no issue he backed up sitting on an adjacent table to give Nykoria some space.

 

[Nykoria Tallis]

Could it be? Was the job truly done? For a while, the woman didn't reply to the invitation; the visor remained fixed on the repaired swoop. Gloved hand gently stroked the once-bent metal. There were still signs of the collision; the marks on the metal; damaged paint. But the swoop looked very much like its former self.

Throwing one leg over it, the racer slid onto the seat, her hands on the handlebars again. A deep breath under the helmet followed. It was now or never. The right hand moved from the handlebar to the ignition. Click. For a split-second, the engine coughed... But then it whirred to life, sending its power to the still-functional repulsors that kept the bike afloat. A familiar soft bump upwards and the fact that the swoop hasn't turned upside-down yet meant that everything in the remaining repulsors was at least aligned properly.

In short, the bike was serviceable, and could at least be hauled back home. Turning off the engine, the racer turned her visor towards the man who had arrived in the nick of time to help her out. "Thanks, Kain. I owe you one," she replied.

Kain Aldore

 

[Kain Aldore]

Kain Knew it wasn't perfect, and he wished there was more he could do for her, but with his current equipment he wasn't brave enough to tamper with the lift system.

Leaving the table Kain started to gather his things, He then turned to watch her mount the bike and press the ignition, and as the machine puttered back to life he let off a smile, she definitely couldn't race in its current condition, but he had muscled out most of the issues. Kori then turned it off and gave him a look under her helmet, followed was her slightly muffled voice.

"hey, don't mention it. I'm always happy to help" Kain pulled the suspender straps back up and slipped into his jacket. "Oh.. hey Kori, careful with the force"

The tool box floated up into Kains hand and he walked towards the exist, giving a smile to Nykoria Tallis and waving as he walked out.

"Oh and if you need anything, give me a shot on the holo-net."

 

[Nykoria Tallis]

Careful with the force? That sure could be interpreted in different ways, coming from a Jedi. Whether you left the Order or not, Jedi was shorter and more convenient than "trained Force-sensitive". Regardless, he must've meant something else. "Yeah, sure," she replied rather casually. "I've learnt my lesson. Hopefully, won't be wrecking this bike again."

She was interrupted by the sight of the toolbox levitating towards the man as he prepared to take his leave. Again, thanks to the helmet, Kain wouldn't be able to see how astounded she was by a technique that was common for any Jedi. "Holo-Net, got it," she replied quickly, but only when the man was already gone.

With a sigh, the Zeltron cast a glance at her bike. At the very least, she now had a chance to take it back home without calling a tow-speeder. Maybe even eventually repair it to a workable state. But that was a problem for another day.