Riptide

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

The alert for the ten-minute warning to the next hyperspace jump point blared. It was an incessant ring that awoke Kaile from her own slumber, jerking in her seat as she sat up.

A small grimace cut her features, mused hair a limp topknot at the side of her head with strands of hair feathering along the sides of her face. Reaching over the console, she gave a toggle a flip to shut it off. By now Kurt would have been stirred from his slumber, at least one would hope with all the racket that alarm made.

"Hey," came her soft greeting, the palms of her hands used to rub the sleep from her eyes.

"Ten minute warning."

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Kurt's eyes popped open almost instantly. He wasn't quite awake at the same rate, but he was at the very least alert. Bright blue floated over half a dozen controls as he tried to assess where they were, what was going on, and if he needed to actually do anything.

He quickly found the answer to all three questions.

They were in the core now, within reach of their destination, about to drop out of hyperspace, and no he didn't need to do anything. Hyperspace was pretty much any pilots dream, you plotted a destination, pressed a button, and then the ship took care of the rest. That was mostly because hyperspace was pretty much just going in one massive straight line. A lot of people assumed that it was something more fancy, but the reality was you basically just shot yourself through space as fast as you could without ever turning.

Not very elegant.

"Okay." He yawned. "I'm up."

Kurt had another ten or so minutes before anything truly needed his attention, but it was best not to be sleepy when you were traversing through the core.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

Her chuckle came bubbling forth and she shook her head at him. Kurt had an affinity of being able to pop awake fast when he wanted. That is, when he hadn't been drinking too much or knocked up on spice. That brought up the memory of Bazaar and the chaotic, pod-racing hilarity that ensued. At the very lead they came away with a neat shiny that Kurt had collected for her.

"Sure?" she inquired, wagging her brows at him before she bent down to press a kiss on his forehead. "Want some caf?" something to perk him up.

"Going to grab some for myself as well."

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

"Nah that's alright, makes me jumpy." That was the last thing he wanted here in the core.

"Be careful." Kurt warned. "Not sure what we'll hit when get come out of hyperpsace."

For all he knew they were dropping out in the middle of an asteroid field, or worse, an armada. They still had no real solid idea of waht was even going on in The Core, and for all they knew various Planetary Defense forces were currently slugging it out deciding who would be the biggest and baddest now that the One Sith were gone. Of course he doubted that was the case, but...well it was best to be prepared rather than sitting around like idiots.

"Might have to do some fancy flying." He smiled.

There was confidence in that smile, it was meant to be reassuring.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]


"As long as there ain't no barrel rolls or anything that will prompt me to spill hot liquids on my person," Kaileann began, reaching over to ruffle his hair. " Then I reckon you'll be fine." she teased, feeling the short forelocks of silk tickle her fingers as she ran through it one more time.

"Didn't catch any sort of patrol while I was looking. So should be good." but it went unsaid that anything could happen. Leaving her blanket behind on her chair, the strawberry blonde made her way towards the ladderwell.

"Need anything just get me via the comm."

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Kurt nodded, scooting up in his seat so that he could actually reach the controls. His eyes slowly folded over everything, making sure that there were no alerts or alarms going off. A part of him was always paranoid that The Messa was about to explode, but there was good reason for that. All of the upgrades and modifications they had thrown onto the ship had made her a bit...unstable.

They could handle it of course, but...well it made him a bit twitchy.

The Messa was quite literally half of his life. It provided him with home, work, and a passion. If he were to lose the ship...he would lose a part of himself. So maybe he was right to be paranoid, maybe he was right to just be a bit too careful at times. The feeling wasn't there when it mattered, when The Messa really needed to fly Kurt pushed it to the very edge of what was capable, but oddly enough when they were just cruising around he felt weary of pretty much everything.

Shifting slightly Kurt began to flip several switches on the control board.

Lights began to flicker on, the droning sound of the heater kicking in as the cockpit was flooded with a bit of warmth.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

That felt good. Every second that the heater brought forth a bit of warmth was great for Kaileann. She had the terrible habit of walking around barefoot. Didn't matter where she was at, she would not wear any socks whatsoever. In her mind, socks were there just to prevent her from wiggling her toes and they always ended up bunching uncomfortably.

Another cup of tea and some pretzels to snack on and the Lorrdian was quickly humming away. Since Kurt was taking care of piloting them to the Deep Core, she figured she could pass the time by working on the Hyperdrive and reactor shield. In the weeks before Kurt had found her on Corellia, he'd blown the main hyperdrive and sent shrapnel everywhere. In light of that Kaile had used some salvage and a few upgrades to try and prevent that from happening again.

Well the flying shrapnel part rather than the hyperdrive blowing up. There was no way for her to jiry rig it so it wouldn't happen. Not with all the after products and adjustment she made.

But I can at least make sure it won't kill us during the explosion.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

As usual, everything with The Messa was perfectly fine. He and Kaile maintained this ship better than most crews in the Navy could even do. It was impressive really, all the more so because they did it with less money and resources than...well pretty much any military in the galaxy. Their home meant a lot to the both of them, and keeping it in pristine condition was the best way to show their ship the love.

So to speak.

[Coming out of hyperspace in two minutes] Kurt said over the communications systems.

He didn't want Kaile to be unprepared for the sudden stomach lurch that was rushing back into real space. Kurt had always hated that feeling, even after years and years of piloting. It was just such an unnatural process that Kurt couldn't help but feel a bit...strange whenever dropping out of hyperspace. LIke going down in a turbo-lift but about a thousand times worse. Of course, it could be helped a little if you braced for it. As Kurt was doing now.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

There was the two minute warning.

Leaning in close, Kaile pressed a finger to the comm console by the galley door. [ Got it! ] came her singsong voice. Certainly a little bit chipper than before. Now she had a plan. Once they were done with this delivery, she would make an appointment with another doctor. Have it doubled checked. Of course, the Lorrdian didn't catch that she was already making small gestures over her flat belly. A rub here, a pat there.

In her mind she was already pregnant. The confirmation of it all was just the last cincher in proving the point home.

Moving towards the lounge, Kaile plopped herself onto the acceleration couch. Once they came out into real space, it would have a bit of a kick to the Messa. Better to be sitting down than toppling while standing.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

They dropped into real space, the odd surge in his belly kicking in almost immediately as they transitioned out of hyperspace. His stomach lurched for a second, his eyes closing for an extra long blink as he struggled to contain himself. A moment passed, and then he was good.

Kurt’s eyes opened, field of view immediately filled with the sight of dozens, if not hundreds of broken and half destroyed capital ships.

”WOAH!” The boise screamed from his mouth as he jerked the controls to the right, pulling The Messa away from a large piece of floating debris.

His eyes popped open as they nearly hit another, then another.

With an expert hand Kurt guided The Messa through the field of broken starships, dodging pieces of broken capital ship until finally they were a bit more into the clear. He let out a sigh of relief, though they were hardly out of danger. Before him dozens more dead ships floated around, each one ripped and torn apart by turbo-lasers and missiles.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

Kaile hadn't been expecting the sudden lurch. A bit of a shift? Yes. Getting tossed around abruptly to the left as the Messa swung right? Nope!

She barely had time to grab a hold of the acceleration couch, half tumbling onto the ground beside it. Her knee connected to the floor, sending shards of pain up her leg as steel struck bone.

"Gorraaam it!" came the curse, wincing as she slung herself to sit beside the couch. "Owwww." tears stung her eyes, but at the very least she hadn't broken flesh. It would bruise something fierce though, and likely swell up too.

"Everything okay?!!" she called up, waiting for the ache to pass so she could make her way up.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

"YEAH." Kurt sounded half sarcastic as he yelled down at Kaile, though in reality his voice was just filled with panic.

"There's a lot of debris!" Somehow he managed to calm himself. "I think there was a battle here."

And by the looks of all the trash floating around, it had been between the One Sith and the...One Sith. He frowned slightly as he scanned the wreckage all around them. Not a single ship originated from the Republic, the Alliance, Mandalorians, or any other faction. All of them, every single vessel was from the One Sith. Kurt marveled for a few seconds, then realized that it made complete sense. The Sith had likely turned on one another, warlords seeking power.

"Get up here and strap in." Kurt commanded Kaile.

There was no telling what other kind of fancy flying he'd have to do, and he didn't want Kaile flying around.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

There was another shudder as the Messa banked.

"Whoa!!" Kaileanna cried out, trying to make sure that she didn't fall over onto her face again. Okay, not exactly what she was expecting. What the heck was going on?? A bit of panic rose in her breast to match sudden alarmed tone that Kurt had given her. If he wanted her to come back up and strap in then it meant it was rather serious.

"Damnit." scurrying towards the ladderwell, the Lorrdian did her best to maintain herself upright. It didn't help matters that her knee was still smarting from the pain.

"Coming up!" she yelled out, one hand clasping the first run. Here's to hoping Kurt doesn't bank hard to avoid debris and I go sailing off back to the ground.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Kurt tried to keep the ship as steady as possible.

His eyes darted from debris to debris, broken hull to broken hull. This battle must have been utter chaos. There were dozens of capital ships here, each of them broken or blasted into tiny bits. Kurt tried to count them, but quickly failed as he realized that there were simply too many. He frowned, slowly shaking his head.

The One Sith had never truly succeeded in naval engagement, at least not while he’d been in the Navy. They had lost every single number, but in the end it had never really mattered.

The Sith had one thing over the Republic, over everyone at the time, numbers. Slave Labor and national corporations made the production of starships cheap, fast, and easy. The One Sith had abused that to the T. Their fleet had been massive, their ships powerful, and their resources seemingly endless. Kurt knew what those fleets had looked like, and if two of them had fought in this system...it couldn’t have been pretty. ”The Sith turned on one another.”

Kurt explained as Kaile made it into the cockpit.

Directly ahead of them lay a massive starship, the broken corpse of a One Sith Immortal.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

Shock radiated from the Lorrdian's visage, barely noticing the mused tangle of strawberry blonde hair that framed her face. Eyes wide and almost bulging, Kaile took in the sight of the massive ship graveyard; for a graveyard it was. It was the closest thing that she could even compare it to. The mangled, wrecked bodies drifting along. the last ghostly remnants of a violent space battle.

When the massive Immortal ruin floated up ahead, Kaile gave a small gasp. "I can't believe it." she shook her head, jaw dropping only to close. On any other given day, she'd have said that this was the perfect place to start a salvage hunt. But with everything, right now Kaile wasn't sure.

It felt off. Wrong, somehow.

"So many folk died here." she murmured quietly, feeling a shiver crawl up her spine.

"Crazy how power can make folk turn on each other."

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

That was and understatement really. Whoever had conducted this battle has tossed away the lives of thousands, perhaps millions just to see them elevated a smidgen. He had no idea what had happened of course, but it was pretty clear that it was a civil war of some sort...or that's what it appeared to me. He frowned for a moment as they drifted through the graveyard, his eyes wandering over different vessels and starships until finally he shook his head.

"We'll get out of this in a sec." He was more saying it to himself than to Kaile.

The debris lined the edge of the system, likely because whatever fleet had lead the assault had jumped into place here and had been ambushed by their attackers. It was a typical and simple strategy, one that Kurt had learn of during his time in the Navy. He frowned as they passed beneath the massive Immortal-Class Dreadnought, his heart tightening for a moment as he tried to ignore the looming shadow that hung over their head.

"Creepy." He said to himself. "There."

His finger went up as he pointed towards a distant planet.

So far the fleet had been their only surprise, not so bad.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

"What do we know about the planet?" she asked him, watching the small beige sphere. It was really out in the middle of the Deep Core. Honestly, there was something about this that didn't seem right. The ship graveyard. How there was little to know about the planet itself. Not to mention all of this debris reminded Kaile of who would typically take advantage of such cover: reavers.

"I'm going to check our scanners." in hindsight, Kaile thought that perhaps expanding their sensors somewhat would be a nice thing to have. The only issue being that they literally had no more room to spare.

"I don't like flying in dark like this." she told him, biting her lower lip nervously. Swinging over to the sensor array, Kaile scanned the area for anything out of the ordinary.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

”Not much.” Kurt admitted with a slight shrug of his shoulders. There wasn’t much information about anything in this part of space. The Core was as unexplored as Wild Space, or the deep core anyway.

”Clearly the Sith thought it was important thought.” That thought made his stomach drop slightly. ”We’ll be alright.”

For a second Kurt didn’t exactly sound so sure, but as The Messa continued to drift through space he allowed himself to relax a bit. This was his element, this was space, flying, it was his job, he could do it. Taking in a deep breath the Courier focused himself a little bit, letting them fly towards the distant planet as Kaile spoke once more. ”Maybe some better scanners.”

Kurt said quietly, hinting at what they might need to add to the ship in the long run.

Sensors were rather important, and The Messa wasn’t really all that well equipped with them. They quickly closed the distance between themselves and the looming planet at the center of the solar system, passing into the gravity well within just a few minutes.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

"I was thinking of that," Kaile admitted, responding to the pilot but not willing to pull her attention from the scanners.

"We're made to fly fast and nimble... but it won't do us much good if we can't see what's out there until we are right on their faces." a rather hard reality check. Okay, so along with the hot tub, the water reclaimer, and the rest of the shields -- need to beef up the sensors.

"I don't even know if we have enough room." she mused, unless we got into the cargo space. That would limit how much they'd be able to carry for any shipments. Which, to be fair have been small goods up until now, but one never knew if Kurt had to deliver something larger.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Sensor arrays weren’t small.

Their very nature meant that they took up a lot of space. The good thing about the though was they werent very heavy either, usually just having a wide surface area. The idea of adding new ones wasnt too painful, especially considering that quite a bit of The Messa was still mostly empty.

Like the wings on the front of the ship.

It was an idea worth considering in all honesty. So far they had done well enough without many sensors at all, but that didn’t mean they could keep going like they had been. For all he knew they had just been lucky so far.

All luck ran out eventually.

”Alright hang on.” Kurt told Kaile as he pressed the ship forward and ducked down into the atmosphere. For a moment The Messa shook violently, and then slowly it began to even out as they passed towards the planet.