Private Repair Job

[Jacen Nimdok]

The Outrider II was malfunctioning. Something in the engine, judging by the weird noises it was making. Forced to dock at a hole-in-space station, Captain Levi had been unable to find a local repair job "reasonably priced" enough for his liking—they had blown a sizeable chunk of the money from their last gig on a Zeltros bender—and nearly threw a fit. Eventually Judd just went and hid in his quarters, unwilling to be bothered.

That left Jacen, the young tech-savvy whippersnapper of the crew, to look on the Holonet for mechanics. There were plenty out there posting ads, though many were obviously scams and the best ones knew their worth. He scoured the listings, searching for someone cheap yet skilled, finally settling on one Anse Baenshaol.

“Yeah, the engine’s making weird noises,” he told the gearhead over comms. “It’s a, uh…” He pulled the comlink away from his mouth while he shouted over his shoulder, “Levi, what type of ship is it again?... A YT-2400 light freighter. Vintage. I know antique parts are hard to find, but I doubt the engine is as old as the ship… It's in Hangar 247. I'll meet you when you get here.”

Anse Baenshaol​

 

[Anse Baenshaol]

Chandler's Rift was one of the most seedy and unpredictable spaceports Anse knew of. So long as you didn't start the trouble or showed yourself to be a coward, you were mostly left alone. It was one of the best places he knew for work when pickings were lean elsewhere. If one understood the value of silence, you could even score a bonus or two. He'd parked himself down for a few days, mainly to refuel and resupply. One of the things he liked best about this little hole was you could find just about anything you wanted providing you also didn't look too closely at all the merchandise in some of the shadiest areas.

The Lopar considered himself to be an honorable sort, but not so inflexible that he was willing to stick his nose where it didn't belong because of rigid morals or principles. He helped people who had the courage to fight for themselves, he would not be some white knight. Which was why his reputation here was fairly solid. He'd been coming here for years and the few incidents he'd been part of had marked him as someone who only got involved if the need for help was legitimate or the situation forced him to because he couldn't walk away for some reason. Which just so happened to be why this particular merchant was a favorite. As he looked over what the butcher had for sale he got a ping.

He fished out his communicator taking a look. He'd been flagged for work and the meet up was in about ten minutes on the southern side. A grin flashed across his face, said client looked to be a young man, a teenager. This was going to be an interesting encounter. He ran a hand through his hair considering the best way to get there. He ultimately decided that a run would be the better option as he saw one of the shuttles packed to bursting. He was only six minutes away. He asked the butcher if there were any short cuts and started to move. He arrived at the location about four minutes early, which allowed him to take a look around.

Anyone looking would see a man who was quite tall, standing at six foot six were he barefoot. He had a lean and lithe build, like a dancer or martial artist and carried himself with the ease and confidence of a trained fighter. Watching how his body moved, it would be easy to tell that he had had some kind of military training for he lacked the typical bounce to his step most had. He was wearing good quality leather and linen, there were a few tools and a couple weapons on his person. All in all Anse looked like someone who had no issue handling himself, but didn't stand out in any particular way to attract any pickpockets. There was a grace to his movements that spoke of non-human lineage, but nothing that really spoke of just 'what'. He smelled of leather, of the scents of his occupation and soap, though if someone had a particularly keen nose they might catch the scent of fur and something very canine.

His attention went to the ship first, a thoughtful expression on his face. He hadn't seen a model like this in years, but from the look of things it was in good condition. He approved, he liked people that took care of their machines. Checking his Comm he looked around to see if anyone fit the picture of his client, he didn't see anyone which likely meant that the younger man was either in the ship or elsewhere. He took a casual walk around and under the ship checking over the exterior without touching. A sound saw him tilting his head, someone was in the ship, so he headed over to the hangar door and called into the opening. "Someone called for a mechanic?"

He did not venture a single step upon the ramp, he simply took up a position in view with his hands visible, but thumbs hooked into his pockets. Last thing he wanted was to be mistaken for an intruder and attacked.

Jacen Nimdok

 

[Jacen Nimdok]

"Someone called for a mechanic?"

Jacen materialized at the top of the ramp, peering down at the mechanic. The hologram posted on the Holonet didn’t really do him justice—or perhaps it was simply because his scent didn’t carry through the digital realm. He reeked of leather and fur, which made him seem far more rugged and rustic than the charming man with model good looks posing stiffly for the holocam. Jacen was reminded of Midvinter, a proudly primitive world where tall, muscle-bound men grew their hair and beards long and dressed in garments of skin rather than synthetic textiles.

“I called,” he said, descending about halfway down the ramp. “You must be Anse Baenshaol. I’m Jacen.” Jacen looked like any other lanky, pale teenager, his body in an awkward stage where it was clear he was still developing. But his stance was not that of an ordinary boy, and his scent gave away that he was not as Human as he seemed. There was a burdened regality to the way he walked, as if he were royalty in exile; he wore his plain gray sweater and black trousers as if they were princely garb. His smell was deeply alien, mixed with the iron tang of blood.

“A malfunction forced us to stop here. Looks like it’s the engine, but we’re not sure. We had a gizka infestation not too long ago, they got into some of the wiring. Otherwise, we don’t know what the problem is.” With a small close-lipped smile, he took a step to one side and made an inviting gesture. “Please, come in.”

Anse Baenshaol​

 

[Anse Baenshaol]

The scent of blood brought a thrill, yet also wariness. Anse tilted his head to the side a hair, breathing deeply and staying firmly where he was as the younger man came down the ramp. His blue eyes became more hazel as Ogrimm’s instincts hit strong. However Anse shoved both those instincts and his wolf back as he gave the young man a measuring look. It wasn’t every day he found himself in the same space as another predator, even if he didn’t know what Jacen was, he knew enough to know that much. Still, strength and experience would play a big part in a fight, if he thought that would be happening. His other reason for being wary was expecting a trap, though he was a teenager he was perfectly capable of killing. The scent of blood had brought a second where part of him thought of any crew, but it was just part of the kid’s normal scent.

He kept his body relaxed and a calm expression throughout all of this. Long used to his other half occasionally taking a measure of his control. If Ogrimm had thought there was a problem, he wouldn’t have backed off so easily. The mention of the pests brought a nod to the tall man. His accent would be hard to place, certainly not something common, but he was easily understood and it was pleasant to the ears. “Aye tha’ be some kind of menace alright. She be your ship or do ye have permission to start her up? Be needing to have a listen. First standin here, then inside. If ye don’t mind, can just either or, but th’ best is both.”

The reasoning behind his request was because the sounds change and he wanted to take a walk under and around the ship as he listened. Pests like that could have caused a number of problems that caused a domino effect or the problem could be wholly unrelated. If there was a wiring issue, he’d smell it. “Ye be pretty lucky, I be th’ only one in these parts to have a near top o’ th’ line fabricator on my own ship. A classic like this would either need custom or salvaged parts, but I be able to simply see one made new.”

Jacen Nimdok

 

[Jacen Nimdok]

The accent that emerged from Mr. Baenshaol's mouth was unexpected, and Jacen had to follow along closely to understand everything he said. "Captain Levi's indisposed, but yes, I can start it up. Wait here."

He went back inside the ship, straight to the cockpit, and fired her up. Immediately the rattling noise of the engine could be heard from outside, slightly muffled through layers of durasteel. Clearly this was a mechanical issue, not software.

Anse was already invited in, so he could simply walk up the ramp while the ship was running to hear it from the inside. There was a faint smell of something burnt. The interior of the Outrider II was like any other freighter. Jacen had hid all obvious signs of criminal activity, but they did have stolen goods in the cargo hold. Levi was convinced they could fetch a better price elsewhere, which was why he was in such a hurry to leave.

Emerging from the cockpit after turning off the engine, Jacen nodded gratefully. "That's good to hear. Any idea what the problem is yet?"

Anse Baenshaol​

 

[Anse Baenshaol]

Walking around outside and then within the interior, Anse picked through all the auditory information. When Jacen turned up and asked the question Anse nodded. “Ye still got some damaged wiring in places, but tha’ will be an easy fix and I be willing to do it or simply mark the places I be smelling the issues if ye would rather I not be poking around.” He was offering a measure of privacy because if he went pulling open panels to get at the interior spaces he might run into things him and the others of the crew might not want anyone seeing. “However, silence is something I be known for so ye would not have to worry. As for th’ engine…” He thought about it. “Could be something got inside or, could be something simply came loose. I’ll have to open th’ engine and find out. Once I know th’ issue, I’ll grab th’ things I need, I be docked a couple ships down. Ye be welcome to follow and check out my ship if you be interested.”

He understood that some people were kind of twitchy about letting some stranger take a look around and then wander off out of sight. This particular spaceport did have security, but mainly to protect the interests of the owner and their people, rather than to take the word of a guest and seize property and people due to such pesky things like laws and such. Anse was law abiding for the most part, at least in the general sense that he followed the laws of where he was at. Such things tended to be determined by whatever government was at play in whatever sector he was in. Where they were at, had no overarching government, so the ‘laws’ were determined by who ran the spaceport.

It didn’t hurt he was more than happy to simply show his clients what their money was buying in terms of the services he could supply. He was proud of his work and had nothing to hide, so he didn’t.

Jacen Nimdok

 

[Jacen Nimdok]

Jacen side-eyed Anse as he spoke of silence. Clearly the mechanic had inferred something about his employers, and was trying to prove his trustworthiness. “I imagine you see a lot of things you shouldn’t, working in a place like this,” the boy commented.

Clearly some of the chewed up wiring had not been fixed, but Anse seemed to think that there was more to it. Jacen let him into the engine room, pondering his offer to follow him back to his ship. “Have you got something there that I’d be interested in?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Anse Baenshaol​

 

[Anse Baenshaol]

Anse flashed the younger man a grin, but said nothing else. He had seen his fair share of things, both at this particular spaceport and among some clients he’d had in the past. He followed the kid’s lead and when they got to the engine room he took a look. “Have you had to have th’ engine repaired or replaced?”

He pulled out a small flashlight and took a more detailed look as he went. “I can fabricate most things if I have th’ schematics for it. My main job is salvage, so it be easy enough to source materials. If ye be needing replacement tools, other such small things or be needing a few things copied and fabricated by way of custom tools, can do tha’ too. Might have a few things I could be selling, but I be good at selling th' skills I have with fixing and salvaging, not so much anything else, though I do know the value they be worth.”

He stepped back with a frown. “Start her up again while I be in here, just need to see how all th’ parts work. Something be a bit off, but till I see how its working with th’ rest I won’t be a hundred percent on it. My suspicion is that someone cheapened out on parts for th’ engine and one be about to fail. If it be the part I suspect, ye be incredibly lucky.”

Jacen Nimdok

 

[Jacen Nimdok]

"No." The engine was the same one the ship came with, Levi had been clear about that.

Anse explained that his main gig was salvage. Jacen predicted the route the rest of the conversation would take and gleaned that he meant to try and sell some parts. "Well, I'm not especially well-versed in that… I am interested, though." Knowing how to fix ships had struck him as a worthy skill, but he didn’t exactly have access to a teacher while cavorting across the stars with a pirate crew.

He returned to the cockpit to start the engine once more. This time, the machine gave a labored cough and began spewing black smoke.

Anse Baenshaol​

 

[Anse Baenshaol]

Anse could tell the engine had had repairs, but hadn’t known if it was an original engine. Well, that explained a few things, he got out of the way of the smoke with a cough and moved back outside to wait to see if the kid would follow him while he mulled over everything.

It was clear to him someone did a trash job of the repairs. One thing he never did was cut corners and cheat people. Of course he had a feeling that whoever their last mechanic was, might be in for a rough encounter once he was done fixing the problems. He pulled out a small device and started typing on the holo-console. He’d have to remove all the shoddy work, so while he waited on Jacen he started getting the replacement parts queued up in the fabricator. By the time he got his tools and everything taken out, all the parts would be ready.

His jaw was tight as he typed, tension in the air around him and in the lines of his body, even in how he stood. Anse was upset. More than a few times he’d shake his head, an occasional growl. Even if he disliked a client, he had too much pride in his work to do work like this. Oh, he might have sabotaged a ship or two, but not like this. The most that would happen was the ship would stall out in say, a chase, but only because he got hired a bounty hunter or law enforcement to do so. He stayed out of beefs between cartels as much as possible, meaning he’d repair their ships, he would not help them in their power struggles. And he charged through the nose, usually said price was more than enough to back people off, but those paid by the government typically had deep pockets if they were that desperate.

Yet the work didn’t strike him as personal enough, it struck him as being a habit. Meaning, this crew wasn’t the only one with subpar parts and work. When he was done, he shoved the device back in a pocket and ran a hand through his hair letting out a frustrated breath then shook his head as his hand dropped back to his side. It was garbage like this, that really chewed his tail good. It didn’t matter that he was going to benefit, in his eyes this never should have happened at all.

Jacen Nimdok

 

[Jacen Nimdok]

“Crap,” Jacen muttered upon smelling the smoke. Waving his hands before his face, he hollered back at Anse, “I take it that’s a bad sign?”

The mechanic sure seemed pissed. Jacen didn’t need the Force to sense that Anse wasn’t happy about whatever was going on with the engine. “Well… Can you still fix it?” the boy asked, hoping this didn’t mean the whole thing was screwed.

It was amazing how quickly the little vampire prince had adapted to his new life. Being a fugitive had cut him off from his bank accounts, and he had no choice but to learn the hard way what it was like to go without. But he still would prefer to not have to live hand to mouth—and if they had to buy all new parts, it would certainly put a dent in the crew’s funds.

Anse Baenshaol​

 

[Anse Baenshaol]

Anse turned to regard the young man with a nod, though there was a growl in his voice when he answered. “Aye, I be able to fix it, but I also be wanting to have chat with th’ mechanic tha' caused this mess.”

He looked towards the ramp and towards the engine. “They went cheap on parts, there were quite a few tha’ I noticed made of low grade materials. They’d have looked fine, but tha’ would have changed over time with heat and strain. Usually this would require a new engine, but I be able to fabricate th’ parts so it be much faster and cheaper. Ye just need to pay me what you can afford eh? I be willing to do installments, providing ye have something ye be willing to put as collateral. Can also take someone on as an extra hand for a time too, been thinking about sniffing about for an apprentice.”

He’d thought a time or two about children, but he just hadn’t had that in the cards with any of the relationships he’d had in the past. He had plenty of years for all of that, but he was serious about taking on an apprentice. There were times an extra hand would have been incredibly helpful. Not to mention the conversation and company. His droids were amusing, but they were not the same as another person and he felt that missing companionship keenly. “As for what decided to give and try to choke us both? Tha' be th' lubricant intake or it be one of th’ parts tha' moves it through th' engine. I couldn’t see cuz all th' black, but either way, it be a mess. Ye be coming with me to my ship or no lad?”

Jacen Nimdok