The Doctors Orders

[Keanu Shan]

Nar Shadaa, a den of scum, the centerpoint of all the crime in the galaxy, long controlled by the Hutts; here ,in the dark armpit of the universe, Keanu had found opportunity when there was none to be had. By curious chance Keanu had stumbled upon, or was stumbled upon by, a strange man.... one [member="Dr. Cage Freeland III"], a borderline insane Doctor with an insatiable desire for excitement. The Doctor had hired Keanu and two others; [member="Eladia Alken"] a young woman, a traveler, someone with incredible mechanical inclinations; and [member="Kendall Ginn"] a Weequay "gun for hire".

Keanu led the way towards the exit. "Hey Kendall, meet us back at Dohms' Space Dock landing bay A 34". Turning to the other two "This way to my humble abode". Keanu made his way onto the street, the doctors comment regarding his "rustbucket" of a ship. The doctor didn't know about his ship but still, little did the doctor know how correct he was. Mechanically the ship was quite sound, however, it did not by any means appear so sound. "Doctor, I have a quite fine infirmary on the ship, well stocked with Galactic Republic Navy nothing fancy but it will do".

 

[Kendall Ginn]

Kendall left for the streets, taking another path from the rest of the group, the sound of Keanu's comment on his infirmary was quickly drowned out by the bustle of the grimy streets surrounding them. This wasn't the nicest place on Nar Shadaa, but it was far cleaner and safer than the lower levels of the cities. This was the setting on the planet Kendall most commonly visited, it wasn't caked with scum, but he could still go around without bringing too much attention to himself, unlike the parts more controlled by the top dog crime rings. A particular time to travel the streets though, as Kendall was on the most urgent and important of mission...shopping. Not the time to complain, not like it ever was for Kendall, he always lived in the position to be put on errands.

Things would change soon, is what the Weequay told himself, for now he was a lackey, a tool for those in power, and on top of that he was poor. This new opportunity given to him by, uuuuh, he had just called his employer suit thus far. Well the opportunity given by suit would be distracting, and he could make some credits on top of some new friends. Friends were hard to come by, and valuable if you can attain them, he was reminded of this by the vicious and untrustworthy denizens of the Nar Shadaa markets. This train of thought led him down to where he could buy their supplies, Kendall is experienced enough to carry himself in a way that avoided trouble on these streets, so he got here with no opposition.

Time to buy, he listed what they needed in his head, snow gear, survival gear, and whatever else were his instructions. For once the Weequay gets to browse knowing he has the capability to buy.

 

[Keanu Shan]

"Well..... here she is, lady's and gentlemen, may I introduce the Stellar Vulture" said Keanu ,with excessively dramatic flair, as the trio entered the docking bay. "Come right this way and I'll give you the grand tour of my humble ship. Now I'm sure you're wondering how I was able to afford such a yacht well let's just say, sometimes you have to splurge a little....you know taste the finer things in life". The "Stellar Vulture" was of course, most emphatically, NOT one of the finer things in life , in fact Eladia and The Doctor had probably never seen such a decrepit looking ship (unless their travels had included the ship breaking yards at Kuat, or the wreckage littered wastes of Jakku). Looking on as his team members eyes fell on his ship was a source of great amusement to Keanu. The aptly named "Stellar Vulture" was a hulking mass of a ship, an ancient survivor of the "Wayfarer Class" bulk freighter, it prominent feature being the large, box shaped cargo module attached the side of the decidedly asymmetrical ship. The ships was in a state of disrepair that would make even the most seasoned starship refitting crew blanch. The surface of the ship was pock marked with mini craters, scorching, and dents. The paint peeling was at such a late stage (combined with the rampant rust) that a significant quantity of particulate paint/rust had gathered beneath and around the ship from the impact of landing. Adopting a playful, mock conciliatory tone, he turned to Dr Cage "It does actually fly, sure she got a few spots to show the age but, it's just enough to show character" as he said this a flake of rust and paint about the size of a dinner plate was suddenly swept off the side of the cargo hold, by a gust of wind, crumbling into a snow of dust. Coughing, he paused adding in his native Corellian drawl "Ok...... she is about due for a paint job, but then? Then, she'll be like new." Come on inside. "Blue! Open up I'm home! " he yelled walking towards the ship. The starboard side gangway creaked and groaned, yawning open the ramp stuck for a second about a foot off the ground, then with a grinding noise opened the rest of the way clanging onto to the deck. Keanu began making his way up the ramp to the interior where a patchwork, hybrid astromech unit (of an indeterminate number of donors) awaited.

[member="Dr. Cage Freeland III"], [member="Eladia Alken"], [member="Kendall Ginn"]

OOC: (see the link in my signature for the external view, I will update it to include deck plan too, when I get the chance).

 

[Eladia Alken]

Eladia smirked as Keanu introduced his ship as a "yacht". She certainly had seen ships in better shape than the Stellar Vulture, but his ship had a certain amount of character surrounding it. She placed her hand on the surface of the ship and some of the paint flaked off, she turned to Keanu and shrugged sheepishly, "Sorry."

Eladia followed Keanu and the doctor up the ramp and into the ship. "So Keanu, how fast can this ship of yours go?"

[member="Keanu Shan"] [member="Kendall Ginn"] [member="Dr. Cage Freeland III"]

 

[Dr. Cage Freeland III]

“If this is character, then the dead and rotting have more character than all of us” Cage said disgustedly.

He had an idea that the ship was going to be worn-down, shabby, and certainly not up to his standards, but this, this, he thought, was unbelievable. Just then, a clump of rust and paint fell from the ship and disintegrated. We’re all going to die, before I even come close to the planet. He was seriously rethinking his choice to hire cantina scum, and to not use his yacht.

When the gangway finally touched down after a belabored effort, much like grandma trying to walk up the stairs, he followed the others in disbelief. Eladia didn’t seem to mind the ship at all – little surprise there, he thought, considering what little interaction they had. She seemed, somehow, to go along with anything and everything with a kind of witty, enthusiastic vigor. Something that both repulsed Cage, but also intrigued him.

While Keanu, his supposed expert pilot, was doing his best to lighten the situation and soften the letdown, most of which escaped Cage, he pushed a clump of dust – or was it rust? – off the gangway with his foot as he made his way up, frowning in the process.

Responding after Eladia, Cage said, “Forget how fast it can go, can it go at all? And if, by some miracle it can, how the bloody hell is it going to get us to that planet and back?”

For a moment, Cage hoped the weequay would bring back space suits, having little faith in the stability and functionality of the so called ‘Stellar Vulture’.

[member="Kendall Ginn"] [member="Keanu Shan"] [member="Eladia Alken"]

 

[Keanu Shan]

http://wiki.greyveil.com/images/2/25/WayfarerMainDeck.PNG

"Yeah it'll go.... not fast by any means, but she'll do what we need it to do". Keanu chuckled at Cages reaction obviously he was disgusted at the ship but then again wasn't the doctor full of disdain for everything? "You'll be happy to hear the med ward should meet even your exacting standards, being supplied and updated several years ago at the expense of the Galactic Republic to meet Naval Regulation. To set your mind at ease let's take a look at that first". Keanu proceeded to lead them on quick tour of the "Stellar Vulture". The med bay was very well stocked with fairly up to date equipment even including a Naval-issue medical diagnostic computer. The crew quarters had mostly been converted to storage but could be easily emptied so that the members of the party could have individual rooms. As they toured the ship the group would have noticed that the interior (while it did show signs of great age and wear) was in good repair and the living quarters were very clean. "It's a little large for one person but, I manage" said Keanu ,with a grin. They exited the living quarters after a tour of the bridge. "Besides the droids help fill up the space wth some life". As they walked about the ship Keanu introduced the many astromech units by name explaining that each had assigned duties and programmed specialties; "The droids are named by their color, Red is Engineering, Gold is Piloting, Black is Nav and Astrogation, Blue is my long time companion in the fighter (oh did I mention? I have a fighter), Orange is weapon system and shield management, Violet is Flight Deck and Fueling, and Patch just does.....I'm not sure what he does, I think he just wanders around doing whatever he feels like, oh and there's Lifter who is currently broken. So, yeah I kinda got a droid zoo but, can't complain they keep me sane, the Nav droid is REALLY good at sabaac so I don't recommend trying your luck."

Keanu ended the tour in the hangar, "Here she is, my pride and joy" he said motioning towards an old Y-Wing Fighter, which despite its age and patina was in pristine operating condition, it had been upgraded over the years to reflect modern advancements in weapon, engine, and shielding technology. "And here in the bow section of the hangar is our secret weapon, four separate Assault Cruise Missile Launchers each launch holding six missiles capable of destroying or disabling ships many time our size. (The salesman told me 4 of these missiles will destroy a Frigate so I guess theoretically I've got enough firepower here to destroy a Star Destroyer, though in reality we'd be slag before we got the second salvo off)".

Keanu turned to the two, "well we've got work to do you can choose your rooms, the berth to the starboard of the bridge is mine and is off limits. Other than that make yourselves at home. Well get down to assigning ship board action stations later". Addressing Eladia he said "feel free to make use of the workshop here at the aft section of the hangar for your technical pursuits, just remember to put thing back where they were. I'm particular like that, actually come to think of it that goes for everything here". " I need to go see to the fueling of the ship" and with that Keanu strolled off to begin preparations, he had a busy day ahead of him he thought as he focused on the necessary arrangements.

[member="Eladia Alken"], [member="Dr. Cage Freeland III"], [member="Kendall Ginn"]

 

[Eladia Alken]

Eladia followed Keanu as he gave them a tour of the Stellar Vulture. He showed them the med ward and her thoughts drifted elsewhere. This was all so unlike her, meeting three random strangers in a bar and agreeing to accompany them on a dangerous mission was something she couldn't say she did often. It was going to be dangerous, albeit exciting, but definitely dangerous. Eladia wasn't sure she was all that concerned about the danger of it all, she had spent so much of her life hiding. She was done with that chapter of her life, now was the time her excitement, she decided she wouldn't let anything stand in her way.

Eladia snapped back to reality when she realized that Keanu and the doctor had started walking again, she ran to catch up with them. Keanu showed them to the crews quarters, the Stellar Vulture may be rusty and a little dinged up, but he certainly kept his ship clean.

"Fascinating." Eladia murmured to herself as Keanu listed of the droids and their different responsibilities. She recited the colors to herself, she would definitely want to examine them closer. Their tour ended up in the hanger and Keanu appeared to be beaming with pride. Eladia whistled, "You sure do like your weapons, I don't blame you, these are incredible.

Her ears perked at the mention of a workshop. As Keanu walked away Eladia turned to the doctor, "You are free to first pick of the rooms, I am going to make myself aquatinted with the workshop." With that she turned and meandered towards the workshop. Once there, she unloaded her tools and started fiddiling with her blaster-turned-tazor from earlier in the day. She smiled to herself, it was so funny that just that morning she was sitting in a shady cantina on a planet she was unfamiliar with, with no clue of what she was going to do with herself. Now she had three new aquatinces, a job, and was about to set off on an exciting adventure. Maybe things were looking up for Eladia...

[member="Keanu Shan"] | [member="Dr. Cage Freeland III"] | [member="Kendall Ginn"]

 

[Dr. Cage Freeland III]

Despite Keanu’s surety that his med ward would meet Cage’s standards, considering it was a fully functional Galactic Republic naval med facility, as Cage walked around the room, he wasn’t very impressed. “Granted, this is a lot better than I expected, and lightyears better than I thought it would be after seeing the outside of this rust bucket, but I wouldn’t say it meets my standards – which are far higher than that of the Galactic Republic.” As he was taking note of what the ward had, and more importantly, didn’t have, he said, “I shall have to do a full inspection of all the equipment, run it all through its paces. I’ll send for my equipment soon".

He walked out of the room, ready to continue the tour.

Along the way, they were introduced to a myriad of droids, so many droids, he thought, and yet not a single med droid. I’ll have to change that. Cage new what it was like to share a ship with a bunch of droids, his own yacht had many – though most were service droids. He preferred the company of droids over people, they always made more sense to him.

In the hanger, looking up at the worn, but updated Y-Wing Fighter, then over to the Assault Cruise Missile Launchers as Keanu directed their attention, Cage said, “Good, this mutt has some bite. We’re going to need it.”

When the tour ended, Eladia turned to him, “You are free to first pick of the rooms, I am going to make myself acquainted with the workshop”. “Works for me” he said, then to both, “I’m taking the aft most room on the starboard side, they’re all peasant lodgings, but at least I’ll be closest to the med ward.”

He turned to Keanu and handed him another bank card, “use this for the fuel, as is part of our agreement.” He walked away, and said loudly, “if anyone needs me, I’ll be in the ward trying to elevate it beyond standard Republic regulation!”

Once he got to the ward, he would send for a list of medical equipment and supplies from his yacht. Some would just be extras, some more expensive upgrades to the supplies that were currently stocked, and some would be additions, like the general med-droid and the specialized surgical-droid. After that, he would double check all the supplies, and put all the equipment through its paces. Suffice to say, he was going to be in there for hours.

[member="Keanu Shan"], [member="Eladia Alken"], [member="Kendall Ginn"]

 

[Keanu Shan]

Sometime later, after fueling the ship, Keanu returned to the Hangar workshop. Eladia was working intently on some gizmo with the help of "Patch" who had rolled up earlier to enthusiastically assist in holding tools (and spot welding if necessary), He watched them for a few moments before stepping up to the work bench."Well, the tanks are full and "Red" is double checking the diagnostic scan I ran on the engines so we can go whenever Kendall gets back. I see "Patch" is making friends already". The droid was currently shining a small light onto the gadget as Eladia worked. "You ever done anything like this before? Taking on a dangerous job I mean".

Keanu mulled over what he knew about the group in his mind, trying to get an idea of who might be relied upon in a tight situation. When the cards were down who, if anyone, could he trust? Dr. Cage, he knew, would sacrifice anyone he deemed expendable (or not "mission critical") if it furthered his goals. Cage was ruthless, the kind of man who was hard to out smart. "Who knows what goes on behind that smug, self-righteous face" he thought.

What about Kendall? Keanu didn't have much of an opinion on him, having hardly spoken a word to him. He seemed like a solid guy though, at least he didn't have an openly unstable personality. Still, Keanu would be wary until knowing more. Weequay's tended to be loyal to whoever supplied their paycheck (or so he had heard), that was worth keeping in mind if anything ever happened to change relations with the Doctor.

And Eladia? Again a bit of an unknown. She had pluck though and was game for anything. From what he could gather she seemed decent enough, could almost certainly be trusted, but was she tested? What Keanu had seen indicated a streak of naïveté and yet she here she was..... obviously she had survived a dangerous galaxy this long. "How'd you end up on Nar Shadaa, if you don't mind me asking, you don't exactly have that "crummy low life" air about you that most local denizens have........ me, I'm from Corellia borne into a military family, joined the CDF then after a some odd jobs on the edges of legality I ended up in Republic Navy, served for a while with them. Last couple years since the......destruction" Keanu paused, painful memories flooded in threatening to overwhelm "ahem......well been running freight lately but that's getting dangerous these days for lone ships with no crew to speak of ......." Keanu's paused thoughts tracing back though the past.

[member="Eladia Alken"], [member="Kendall Ginn"], @Dr.Cage Freeland III

 

[Eladia Alken]

Eladia sat at the workbench with Patch working on her newest gadget when she heard footsteps approach the door. She handed Patch a screwdriver and pointed to what she needed him to do, then she looked up to see Keanu standing next to the table. Eladia smiled and grabbed a rag to wipe her hands as Keanu explained that they were ready to go whenever Kendall got back. He then asked her if she had ever taken on a dangerous job before. She mulled over his question for a second, she hadn't ever done something like this before. In fact, she had never taken on any sort of dangerous job before. Eladia had always had to fend for herself and find money in whatever ways she could, usually though fixing things for people.

Eladia took a breath and answered Keanu, "No, I have never done a job like this. This is all kind of new to me to be honest." She paused to give Patch a few more instructions before she continued. "I was born and raised on Courscant, I believe the Doctor and I led very similar lives in our childhood actually. When I was 14 my two younger siblings were murdered." Eladia felt her eyes burn with tears but she continued on. "My father was partially to blame for their murder so I ran away. I lived in the Coruscant slums for a couple years and fixed things for people to make money. She refrained from telling him that Jedi had approached her and told her that she had the force. She didn't even know how to use it so there was no point. "Anyway, after a while I realized that I hadn't done anything with my life, the only planet I had ever seen was Coruscant. So I pulled out a map of the galaxy, closed my eyes, and picked a planet at random, it turned out to be Nar Shadaa, so I went. Then I walked into a dingey cantina and met you and here we are." Eladia smiled.

It felt strange to tell someone about her history, she hadn't done that before. But she was positive she could trust Keanu, he didn't seem like the type to backstab someone. She felt the same way about Kendall and the Doctor, they all seemed to have honest intentions.

[member="Keanu Shan"] | [member="Dr. Cage Freeland III"] | [member="Kendall Ginn"]

 

[Kendall Ginn]

Kendall had been going around his most familiar shopping center in the area of Nar Shadaa. So far he'd focused on the winter gear that was prescribed, getting heavy insulated clothing for each of them. He made sure that each of them would allow decent mobility as well as keeping them alive long enough to accomplish the mission. He took note that they'd be going through a crashed ship, which would most likely have a good amount of it's metal surfaces coated in ice, and so he bought boots designed for moving on ice, and even a couple ice hooks for those that would be moving in the more precarious areas. He also got flares and flashlights in case they went in the night. He bought them all rations and canteens to have in case they ended up stuck for awhile, and finally the last thing he was expected to get was weaponry. Kendall wasn't sure what weaponry was needed by what the crew already had. Either way he had a...sort of friend that could get him what he needed. He'd done jobs for the fella but didn't usually have the credit's to buy his product. Kendall took some detours through the back alley's of Nar Shadaa, going places that most wouldn't bat an eye at to find the dealer. There was a guard stationed outside the door at the inconspicuous building, and Kendall was quickly recognized and let in. Entering it was a simple desk with a Rodian sitting behind it, Kendall's eyes darted to the door behind him which he knew lead to all the fire power.

The Rodian addressed Kendall, speaking in his native tongue, luckily Kendall could understand some of it. "Kendall. I dont remember having any business with you today."

"Well pal, this is a patron visit. Need to pick up some weapons, what do you think would do good for about 4 people going in a icy tundra, and spelunking i guess." The Rodian was surprised by Kendall's reasoning but began thinking and went in the back to rummage through what he had. He eventually came back with a few things. The first he laid out carefully on the counter. "Dealing with ice, someone better hold onto this, flamethrower, heavy duty. Beside that I have some basic stuff that your types could handle, assault carbine, blaster rifles, these should do fine for a standard job." Kendall looked over the weapons, they were in good condition, and the flamethrower made sense. Besides that he didn't get much specification so he'd just grab the basics as his supplier suggested, he pulled out the card and handed it to the Rodian. "I'll take em, you got a good way to carry em?"

Kendall eventually walked out with all his supplied packed onto him, he convinced the Rodian to lend him a guard to help him carry as it was getting a bit unthesible to carry it all. They began walking and soon enough...

"Hey Weequay! We got unfinished business!" Kendall turned to see the Kaleesh that he had fought with earlier, before entering the cantina to begin this charade. "You ain't getting away this time!" He quickly approached Kendall. He thought that the rest of the crew were probably waiting on him, so not spending much time here. Having been getting accustomed to the weapons he just bought, Kendall dropped his bag and raised the Carbine he'd bought, firing it off to dispatch the Kaleesh before he'd even have time to realize how dead he was about to be. As the body collapsed Kendall stood for a second and started chuckling. "Ohhh you messed with the wrong guy with a gun!" He laughs to himself as he picks the bag back up and heads back to the hanger he'd been told. The guard doesn't question it much, and follows.

Eventually reaching the Hanger Kendall let's the guy go by the door, taking all the supplies in, hardly, but successfully carrying it all to the ship. At this point he looks over his future transit. "Hey! Let me in! I'd knock but I don't think the old bird could handle that kind of abuse!" He yelled in to the occupants, cracking at the state the ship was in.

[member="Keanu Shan"][member="Dr. Cage Freeland III"][member="Eladia Alken"]

 

[Dr. Cage Freeland III]

After receiving the equipment and droids he’d sent for from his own ship, thoroughly checked it all, then told the two med-droids to recheck, Cage slipped back into the suit jacket he’d removed while running the tests.

Pointing at both med-droids, he says, “While I’m gone, I want you both to run independent diagnostics on your own programing, and each other’s, then collaborate the results and fix any discrepancies. I can’t afford any errors.”

“Yes, sir” announced both droids crisply. Yeah, he liked droids much better.

He was beginning to feel the pressure of the time sensitive nature of this job. Hell, he wasn’t even sure Eladia had been able to break through the encryption and find out, at the very least, where they were even heading. That’s precisely what he was on his way to find out.

Cage approached the workbench where he found Eladia and Keanu chatting. Considering anything he had to say much more important than anything they were talking about, whether or not he happen to be paying them a hundred thousand credits each, he broke in, “Eladia, did you unencrypt the data-chip? Or do we have the misfortune of being grounded in this trash-heap even longer?” Then, turning to Keanu, “Has Kendall returned from his little shopping trip? We need to get moving, if indeed this ship does actually move.”

[member="Keanu Shan"], [member="Eladia Alken"], [member="Kendall Ginn"]

 

[Keanu Shan]

Dr Cage interrupted Keanu and Eladias conversation with a query as to the status of the video decryption. Keanu grinned at mention of the "trash heap" that was his ship. "Has Kendall returned from his little shopping trip?" continued Cage, "We need to get moving, if indeed this ship does actually move". Keanu put on his best deadpan face and Corellian drawl as he turned to Cage "Well.....about the ship Doc, umm there's the small matter of a hyperdrive, it's arriving next week". Keanu waited that to sink in just long enough for the Doctor to realize what was said but not long enough for him to blow a gasket "naw,I'm just kidding .....we're all ship shape as it were. As for Kendall...." Keanu's pager beeped "Ah here he is now, just got back". Speaking into his wrist comlink he told "Blue" to open the door for Kendall. "I'm gonna go see what kind of goodies "Wrinkles" picked out for us .........don't tell him I said that". With that, Keanu swaggered out of the hangar and across the ship to meet Kendall.

"Very nice, very nice, who gets the flamethrower?" Inquired Keanu ,as he lovingly patted the barrel of the weapon, "this should be everything we need, ya did good. Oh, by the way I was wondering...you ever run a turret before? I'm trying to get an idea what everyones battle stations will be if we get into a sticky situation enroute". Keanu helped Kendall load the supplies into the Rec room so that they would be readily available. "I'll be on the bridge getting things ready for launch".

Keanu walked to the bridge, sat down at the conn, and hit the intercom button a couple taps on the mic to make sure it was working "Ahem...... Ladies and Gentlemen, this is you Captain speaking, welcome aboard the "Stellar Vulture", its a pleasure to be riding along with you today. We will be leaving shortly, so if you have any final needs, please inform me by hitting the Green button on the nearest intercom station". On today's itinerary will be a launch into orbit and a guided audio tour of the numerous wonders of this lovely planet, Captain Shan signing out". Keanu chuckled at his speech, turning to "Gold" his astromech he ordered him to have engineering bring the reactor online and prepare for engine Ignition sequence. Hitting the intercom again Keanu added "once we get to orbit I suggest we have a meeting in the conference room to discuss the mission". Well.... it looked like Keanu's luck was beginning to turn, he just hoped the job would go off smoothly.

[member="Eladia Alken"], [member="Dr. Cage Freeland III"], [member="Kendall Ginn"]

 

[Kendall Ginn]

Kendall had laid out the equipment after being let in, despite the ships state it seemed functional, the amount of droids were a bit much but Keanu didn't seem to have anything else in the way of a crew. He asked who the flamethrower was for, and Kendall eyed the weapon. "Well I'd have to say that is decided by the man who provided the funds. speaking of, hope the amount i spent wasn't too much for the man."

At the question of his ability on a turret Kendall looked up in thought. "Can't say I'm that experienced with it, ill take a look and see if i can get acquainted, I'm a quick learner" He finished moving everything in with Keanu until he left for the bridge. At the same time Kendall went to the manned turret to take a look. He had never done much in the way of active turret manning, but he was familiar with the mechanics of one and when the situation arose he'd be ready to pilot it.

[member="Keanu Shan"],[member="Dr. Cage Freeland III"],[member="Eladia Alken"]

 

[Keanu Shan]

"Engine master switch on, fuel light green, pumps are on. Spool up engines, and prepare for ignition". Keanu and his team of droids worked in fluid symmetry borne of years working together, working on the command bridge was especially active as Keanu and two droids had to manage 6 sub stations at once. Keanu would have liked to have modified the flight systems to put all essential controls at one station, but it had been a while since he had been in possession of a large amount of extra funds."Tower, This is Stellar Vulture notifying you of liftoff for orbital launch, over". The ground control tower responded with an affirmative and sent a flight path and to the pilot console. "Ok Red" Keanu spoke into his com-link as he sat at the Pilot Station, "Ignition in 3, 2, 1. The humming of the spooled up engines turn to a rumble as the fuel was injected into the engines, rapidly ionizing and being thrust out the nozzles. "Ok Gold, activate repulsors...." the Stellar Vulture lifted into the air with a shuddering groan as the old ship's frame flexed ever so slightly under its weight. Keanu suddenly remembered he had passengers aboard, he had been about to rotate into high angle ascent without turning on artificial gravity, which was his custom as it gave him more feel of what the ship was doing. "Red, activate artificial gravity". Keanu hit the intercom button "Ok we have liftoff we're going for orbit", with that Keanu pushed forward the throttle the rumble of the engines turning to a roar as the ship went into a steep high-angle climb fighting against the planet's pull. A few minutes later "Black" the Nav droid chirped that stable orbit had been achieved. Over the intercom; "Standing by for coordinates, when ever ready".

[member="Eladia Alken"], [member="Dr. Cage Freeland III"], [member="Kendall Ginn"]

 

[Dr. Cage Freeland III]

Not waiting for a reply from Eladia, Cage hastily said, “Never mind, it can wait for the meeting.” He turned away and walked briskly for the exit, “Meet us in the conference room, or whatever you plebeians call it, ASAP”, he yelled over his shoulder. He was beginning to prefer that mode of communication.

With no one-else wearing dress shoes, he made a distinctive clanking sound as he walked toward the meeting room. For a moment, Cage felt the difference in angle and pull of acceleration, as the Steller Vulture thrust toward orbit, but as soon as the sensation appeared, it vanished when the artificial gravity engaged.

“These barbarians don’t even know how to engage artificial gravity and inertial dampeners before liftoff”, he grumbled.

Entering what passed aboard ship for a meeting room, he sat at the head of the table, facing a large monitor. “All personnel, your presence is required in the… meeting room to discuss mission critical information. Don’t be late,” Cage commanded over the com.

[member="Keanu Shan"] | [member="Kendall Ginn"] | [member="Eladia Alken"]

 

[Dr. Cage Freeland III]

Once everyone had finally filed into the meeting room, the captain being late, Cage assumed, because of something or rather having to do with piloting the ship into orbit, he stood up, smoothed his suit, and inserted a shiny data chip into the port set in the table’s edge. A blue tinted hologram of a world emanated from the table’s center and on the large screen behind it, coordinate details, star chart overlays, and various other forms of information about the planet scrolled across the screen.

Cage began slowly pacing back and forth behind his chair, “One of Keanu’s droids, I can’t for the life of me remember which one, attempted to use the transport ship’s launch point, its scheduled route, and a timestamp pulled from the video to calculate the mystery planet’s location. However, the information derived from this procedure made no sense. Indicating the transport went extremely off course after going silent. So, the droid used the video to compare star charts combined with the planet’s obvious climate, to calculate its identity and location. Which, proceeded to nearly overheat its rather underpowered processors for some time. However, the trashcan did, finally, manage to identify the planet in question.”

Cage paused for a moment to press a button bringing the words Hoth up on the big screen. “My mission takes us to Hoth, currently under the control of The First Order.” He pushed another button, putting the end moments of the video on screen but this time the video was highly enhanced to clearly reveal the identities of the squawking creatures on the periphery of the camera. Tauntauns.

“Other than our destination, I do suppose, based on Keunu’s earlier questions, that you’ll be wanting more information. I can’t tell you much about the current situation, since I don’t enquire into my customer’s lives – that’s their business – and I have little interest in it. However, Dack Horn, as I mentioned, is a high ranking official on Corellia, who also happened to take an interest in selling The First Order a powerful new weapon, developed by the Corellian military. A weapon, at least as claimed by Dack, that could turn the tide heavily in The First Order’s favor against the bordering Galactic Alliance. As far as I can tell, he took this unassuming transport to Nar Shadaa to avoid suspicion and remain anonymous to outside interests. Maybe he was selling the weaponry to a third party on Nar Shadaa, I really don’t know. Obviously, that’s not what happened, the transport ended up on Hoth which is where we must go to potentially save the man’s life.”

Cage turned the monitor off and the hologram disappeared. “Do you have further questions?” he inquired, “Or much more preferably, do any of you have a plan, or any information to add?”

[member="Keanu Shan"] | [member="Kendall Ginn"] | [member="Eladia Alken"] |

 

[Kendall Ginn]

Kendall had seated in the conference room, and listened to the Doctor's new developments.

"Hoth eh? First Order might be trouble if we make too much noise, but then again the area it's landed in looks pretty desolate. As for a plan, I don't think there's much other planning to due as a result of that lack of inquire. All we know is we find a man in a snow crashed ship. So we fly up, investigate, and get out, to put it in the simplest light." Kendall cracked his neck slightly while stretching and turning over to Keanu. "How well can your ship deal with the conditions? in case it gives us a short time frame?"

Going into First Order territory wasn't the nicest prospect, but at the same time Kendall's not afraid too. He just felt more comfortable staying in neutral space, where there wasn't a looming force telling him what to do, and what was expected. The mission is a good opportunity, that's for sure. If all goes well it'd be excellent to have the name of someone as well 'stocked' as the suit on file, and if he were to be impressed Kendall could very well gain his assistance in future endeavors.

[member="Dr. Cage Freeland III"],[member="Keanu Shan"],[member="Eladia Alken"]

 

[Keanu Shan]

"We're going to need a cover story" noted Keanu, "If we get boarded in First Order space they're gonna be looking for any excuse to shoot us as spies. Based off a quick analysis of the data about this planet, traveling under the guise of being big game hunters should be a good enough cover, we have the equipment. The story would go something like this; you Doctor would be the rich doctor out for a good hunting trip, with your hired pilot (that'd be me), Eladia can pass as my mechanic, Kendall..... you will be our expert hunting guide. I suggest we study up on the native species of the planet, well at least you two" said Keanu, pointing to Cage and Kendall. "There is a large, ferocious, native creature known as a Wampa; they will fit the bill as our quarry of choice". Addressing Kendall, Keanu said, "As far as the ship goes we shouldn't have any issues if we keep the ship warmed up and running. If we need to stay for an extended period someone will need to wait in orbit, as I don't think the Vulture would fare too well once night falls...... I can see a lot of complications taking that route".

Keanu paused, then added " ........ I would like to make it clear for everyone involved, that in the matters pertaining to the ship, and it operation (in and out of space) that I am sole commander and authority on such matters. While I will obviously respect the opinions of our employer" a nod to Cage "I have first, a responsibility for our safety and survival. Doctor I would appreciate it if you acquaint yourself with the operation of the turrets so that (force forbid) the need should arise you can assist in the defense of the ship". Rising Keanu said "If that is all, I will plot our course".

[member="Eladia Alken"], [member="Dr. Cage Freeland III"], [member="Kendall Ginn"]

 

[Dr. Cage Freeland III]

Kendall was first to speak once Cage finished. He offered up more of the – fly by the seat of your pants – option than anything else due to the lack of intel. Which, even Cage had to admit, was more or less what they were forced into. They didn’t know if the black ship would be waiting for them right out of hyperspace, or hell, they didn’t even have any reason to think Dack survived a planetward tumble from orbit. They could all be risking their lives for nothing – and that almost made it more appealing.

Keanu, who so far appeared the most detail oriented among his newly hired crew, especially when it came to planning, something Cage guessed was related to his military training, suggested the crew adopt a cover story in case of First Order contact. Hunting Wampas, they were supposed to say. Which inevitably made Cage the wealthy snob who couldn’t get his jollies off unless he was playing tough guy blasting unsuspecting game from a secure distance. In some ways the story wasn’t that far off, but of course, in others, it couldn't be further from the truth. “A fine idea” he said, with a rare admission, “as far as The First Order knows, we’re going to Hoth to put holes in some hairy savages and collect a few heads.”

Keanu started marking his territory -- the ship. Cage almost rolled his eyes. It was, of course, no surprise that Keanu would attempt to retain as much authority over his rust-bucket of a ship as he could. “Yes, of course” Cage said, barely concealing his sarcasm, “you get control of this flying trash heap.” He didn’t have any issue supposedly giving Keanu full control over everything involving the ship because he knew what really mattered when the chips were down, backs were firmly pressed against walls, and chaos reigned. Credits. And everyone knew who held all the credits.

“l’ll take a look at the turrets, I’ve been training since I was old enough to point a blaster, but I hope I can figure out the advanced complexities of your weapons” he scoffed sarcastically. “In the meantime,”, he said to Keanu, “get us to Hoth as quickly as possible, we’ve already wasted too much time.” Then, turning to Kendall, “let’s go see what you bought, shall we.”


[member="Kendall Ginn"] | [member="Keanu Shan"] | [member="Eladia Alken"]