When in Roche, Dodge... Dodge Quick!

[RC 212]

Location: Roche

Two brand new L-HARCS.

Using about half his loans, the parts from Zorlac Jack had purchased them and had them installed. Which finally solved his power problem. The AT-360 was shaping up becoming a fine vessel indeed. So far she had a Main fuel tank for the engines, which burned spun tibbana. she had a Main generator which gave full power to the engines a fuel pumps.

With the additions of the L-HARC's Jack had been tempted to put the extra power into shields and weapons but thought better of it. The first L-HARC he slaved directly to the Manuever thruster systems. Direct lines with 100% power was a boon. It enabled in theory the vessel to travel at full speed, fail-safes off and run the thrusters at full blast.

Except Jack had a little trick up his sleeve. On top of the standard Arcenau schematics, four thrusters each ata wing he had installed twenty additional thrusters, giving the vessel unmatched manuevering in the void. Yes it was amazing. Twenty P-w702 Ion Manuevering Jets. The same he had installed on the Kessels Pride.

Ten were mounted upon the bottom, and another ten mounted along the top. In theory the Vessel could flip end over end, stop on a dime and reverse on a dime. It could do everything.

In theory.

 

[RC 212]

Jack stared into the asteroid fields. Long ago a legendary battle had occurred here. The Dark harvest Battle of Roche asteroids. It was a perfect testing ground because on top of the asteroids, there was tons of debris that had never been scavenged. It was an extra challenge for him a crucible of sorts. If his vessel could make it through this, she could make it through anything.

"Alright Dak, here goes, fire up the secondary generator and main. Engines full straight ahead. Ready on the guns."

"You need the last generator for that?"

Jack scratched his head and coughed.

"I knew that kid. That's ok I was testing you."

"That's a load of crap Skip, but I gotcha!"

All three generators whirled to life, generating mega kilowatts of power and pushing it into the systems.

"Alright now full speed."

Jack wasn't quite ready and as they lurched ahead, like a bullet from a gun his hand slipped on the yoke and he curse, mashing the starboard bottom thrusters hard, trying to flip end over end away from the asteroid. The crazy part was it worked, and hell the flush of high speed adrenaline hit his veins like Spice hit an addict brain.

"Allright!"

"Damn right kid, punch it again, let's dodge some asteroids!"

 

[RC 212]

Dak slammed the throttle once more. Once more they plunged into the field and it took all of Jacks skill and cunning to dodge the maze of asteroids. He felt each one in his gut, tracked each movement with his mind, traced each angle with his eye. He was loving it, feeling at home. This was his domain now, his asteroid field. They came full bore onto the nearest hunk of asteroid, and Jack slammed the bottom thrusters.

The Vessel rose, straight up on a level plane, clearing the rock just as another sailed in from the right. Wit seconds to spare the seasoned spacer hit the main right thrusters, and top thrusters manuevring them in a roll and then a dip away from it. They were still flying full speed, taking all of Jacks concentration to dodge.

"Go ahead and blast some junk kid. You need the practice!"

"Look out!"

"Wholly kark, I see it, hold on!"

This one was a complicated manuever. It was a backwards roll into an upward climb. Jack felt the roar of the engines an reveled in it. Just as they climbed upwards he hit the downwards thrusters, bringing them straight down at blinding speed towards the face of the asteroid. A test.

"Full Ray shields kid, hold your butt-hole shut!"

"Whoa!"

The shileds activated an Jack was met with disappointment....

 

[RC 212]

There wasn't much to the shields to begin with. Dak had used the final generator to power the weapons but hadn't a chance as Jack plunged them purposefully into the asteroid. In theory, that was the key. And theory failed as they bounced across the hard surface and Jack took a huge hit to his pride, feeling the vessels hull bounce off the flying rock and watching the shield gauge drop.

He had slammed the reverse thrusters, located on the bottom to try and stop dead, but they hadn't responded with the type of love he wanted. They were sluggish and not working quite right.

"That wasn't funny Jack."

Jack? The kid only used his name in dire distress. Jack own Jaw was clenched shut, morbid at the notion that he wasn't as invincible as he thought he was.

"Yeah your right kid. Let's get the hell out of here."

Which another thought occurred to him.

"Turn power into the thrusters, see if the third generator helps at all."

Which it didn't. As soon as Dak redirected the kilowatts of power the thruster lines blew. How did Jack know? Because he had no thrusters now and his jaw clenched even tighter.

"Well kark kid. I might have just gotten us killed."

"What!"

"Yeah we just blew the thrusters."

"I got it, just keep us level."

Both brows shot up and Jack whirled on the kid, eyes blazing into him.

"You tellin' me this whole Karking time you've been mechanically minded boy!"

"How you think I got away after I killed that Cartel boss."

Jacks jaw dropped. Possibly the only time it would ever drop for the rest of his life. So it was true. The innocent Dak was a stone cold killer?

"Yeah, I hotwired a speeder. Got far before I got swept up by Johny law. We'll talk later just keep us alive!"

Dak fired to the engine room as Jack was left with his mouth open and barely coherent.

 

[RC 212]

Dak the small scrawny toon from Dantooine. turned out he was quite the mechanic and Jack was betting life and death on him at this point. The Vessel was getting hammered from all sides, asteroids buffeting off the shields, tossing them awry in the chaotic waters of the void. Jack tried his best to keep her in line as Dak scrambled about the small engine compartment.

Dak was a natural. In ten minutes he had severed and replaced every power line to the thrusters. Jack was lost, trying to keep the asteroids off the ship. The small amount of thrust left he was alternating. Between bursts of speed and complete stops he managed to dodge quite a few asteroids. Except the shields were grounded out now. The next blow was death blow, and Dak was only half finished calibrating his thrusters.

Proximity alarms blared and Jacks eyes showed dread. Horrible dread.

"Dak I gotta jump!"

"No dont do it. Thirty seconds!"

"We got thirty seconds before we become dust kid! I gotta jump get out of there!" Jack roared over the din as alarms blared across the bridge. His eyes tracked the mega mother asteroid. Whirling directly at them, kilometre at a time.

"Dak!"

"Hold on!"

"Get out kid!"

"No!"

"KARK IT DAK MOTHER-"

there wasn't even time to finish. The death knell was upon them. Dak's seconds were up and for the most split second ever Jack was torn. Risk Dak's life and definitely live, or gamble on the kid and definitely die. Tears pooled in his eyes. He knew it was going to be rough. Not for him but for the kid, who was about to be knocked out cold.

"Sorry Dak... I .... I love you."

BAM! Jack hit the hyperdrive without reserve. As the lever slammed back a thousand routes flashed inside his mind. Vectors and speed's, different angles. It all came together a split second before the hyperdrive kicked in. There was a whirl, there was a flash. Dak hit his head, thrashed against the main engine block.

A single tear dropped from Jacks face to the deck.

The Vessel leapt into hyperspace....

 

[RC 212]

Seconds ticked, then minutes. Jack was firmly in shock, appalled at the reaction he had just had.

The kid was in there somewhere, body unconscious collapsed at the bottom of an engine compartment.

"KAAAAARRRKKK!"

He slammed the lever, reverting hard and hit his own head on the dash. Blood, lot's of blood began t flow. But the Underworld has toughened Jack into a Razor sharp instrument. No amount ot bludgeoning was going to stop him. Nothing stood in the way between him and his Dak. Dak his beloved first mate, snatched from an orphanage, taught to smuggle. Perhaps the only living being that knew his full past.

As the vessel reverted Jack hit the release on his harness, rabid like a dog and rushed to the engine compartment. A second tear streamed down his fae, soul torn in two.

"Dak, dak!"

There was silence and then suddenly he saw a grin flash from the shadows. The kid stepped out from the compartment, and pulled himself up by his own strength, coming face to face with the captain.

"Aww Jack you little baby, you've gone soft."

Jack felt a mighty wave of relief wash over him, coupled with the urge to smack the kid as hard as he could. For a second he raised his hand ready to backhand the kid. But then paused.

"You Karking Animal Dak."

"Fixed it, jump back!"

"you have got to be fething kidding me kid. I thought you were dead."

"You think you're the only force user here Skip? How you think I survived till you found me?"

"Well Kark me. Godamn kid get up here."

Both hands grabbed the kid by his tunic, ripping him up through the deck and grappling onto him.

"I thought I lost you."

"Oh, said you loved me?"

Jack paused for a second, stony complexions returning. Bur the kids grin was too much, he broke, cracking into a wild grin.

"Damn right kid. How would you like to be my son. Officialy. A
Raxis?"

"A Raxis,whoa!"

"Can it puke, c'mere!"

Jack grabbed the kid, drawing him close in an embrace that would shame a wookie.

"Wanna know something awesome."

"What."

"I calibrated the thrusters.One second before your stupid shebs jumped."

"Get the feth out of here kid. Really?"

"Really."

"Hell yea.... c'mon get up here...... son!"

 

[RC 212]

"Soooo." Jack said as he slammed the hyperdrive once more rocketing into the asteroids for the final time.

"We will be good?"

"Solid," Dak replied.

And Jack was rewarded with the beauty of Daks work. As the ship moved through the asteroids he hit the thrusters, engaging them to dodge asteroids as they went. Up down and and all around they flew, like ravens in the storm, solid and manuevering around every incoming possible. Jack was elated, watching as they flipped, juked and rolled freely this way and that among the fields.

"This is good work kid. Real good work."

"Check my style!" Dak roared, depressing both finger on the triggers of the blaster cannons. Scrap was turned to shrapnel as the blaster cannons reaped a hole in the nearest piece of debris, sending shards of shrapnel spiralling towards them.

"Whoa chill kid, we only got so much juice!"

Jack dodged again rolling right away from the incoming and hitting the thrusters to bounce above yet another asteroid. It was pure heaven for the spacer.

"You thinking what I'm thinking kid?"

"Another test, stop on a dime?"

"You betcha."

Daks face broke between a scowl and then a grin and he nodded, long hair bobbing in the cockpit.

"Let's do it."

 

[RC 212]

The thrusters fired once more, another barrel roll into a dead stop and then a straight plunge down. Jack whooped in joy, letting it all out. Daks work held up. As they plunged full speed by the thrusters down to the asteroid he felt the surface approach with steadfast speed. Seconds before impact he hit the upward thrusters, slamming the pedal clear to the floor.

And what was this?

It held and he whooped again as they pushed off a literal second from hardcore impact. The Roche test was complete.

"Did you see that Dak!"

"Hells yea! Lets roll!"

Jack smirked, envisioning the clear blue skies of Tatooine, his favourite hiding space and hit the Hyperdive lever, kicking the hyperdrive into over drive. In fact the hyperdrive was one of the last things to be upgraded. That and the armor, when he could get some.

"Don't get used to blasters kid. We gotta install that Silk Holdings drive. That'll eat the power up from the third L-
Harc."

"Hmm."

"Yeah kinda a bummer. But I figure what I got planned for this ol' girl? Will be so much better."

"I'm just here to follow your lead skip, you aint' led us wrong yet."

"Aye I try,"

And they were gone, flashed into the void of hyperspace....

 

[RC 212]

Location: Tatooine

As if to boast they came in hot. Jack plunged the ship straight down feeling euphoria wash through his veins at the thought of the danger. And very real danger it was as they were bleeding altitude and faster than one could count. Jack fired the upper thrusters as if in great defiance to laws of gravity and plunged them down to the starport at terminal velocity.

"We're coming in hotter than two two bantha's knocking boots in a wool sock kid. Standbye for thrusters!"

The L-Harcs were already powered up, spinning in massive droves and humming their slow tune across the deck. But Jack blocked all that out, letting pure animal instinct mixed with the force take over. It was madness, something no man dared to do.

"How far you think we can go?" Jack jested, knowing full well how comfortable h was with the prospect.

"Ten feet above ground!"

Jacks eyebrows shot up and he almost balked at the idea. Ten feet above ground level before they hit the inertial dampeners and reverse thrusters. It was ludicrous, but for some strange reason he was willing to bet his life upon it.

"Then watch this."

And the feet counted down, twenty, fifteen, and then ten. Jack slammed the reverse pedal to the floor. And theory? Well theory worked. There was a brief moment of Zero G and a lurch so hard Jack though he might bust a vein. And then they were halted exactly nine feet above the ground. Still pretty good.

"One foot of bleed kid, you're real good at guestimates."

The familiar stony visage took over as gently guided the craft the last six feet down onto its legs. Then there was thump and they were firmly planted on the ground.

Jack hit the kill switch, powering down everything and leaning back in the seat.

"Well, we made it kid. Go ahead and hit the brothels if you want. I'll save you, one free pass."

As if in answer Dak was gone, and Jack was left to gloat behind the wheel...

 

[RC 212]

Jack opened another page in his Captains log, this time sober as a Jedi.

<<Start>>

<<Flew to Roche and back with the new L-Harcs. One slaved to thrusters only which solves my power problem. Loans did me real good, got everything I could want with money left over. Got two L-Harcs, One Hypermatter tank, One spun Tibbanna tank as well as the main generator. Almost didn't make it through Roche, but Dak is pretty good with syncing systems.

Long story short thrusters perform optimal, even with after-market problems and kinks. Ship has registered at a .50 speed and manoeuvrings. Will attempt to optimize but I'm satisfied. Last instalments include Silk worm Hyperdrive package and a change of armaments. The Last L-HARC will be slaved for hyperdrive only.

That leaves me with missiles and minimal shields. Though I'm pretty solid I can get some mean armament on this baby. Arecenau made her a true modular beauty. That's all for now, Raxis out>>

The log shot out to his two latest investors by default

[member="James Justice"] [member="Anija Betna"]