Private A Crash Landing

[Marina DeVoe]

"Oh, good morning to you also Mila..." Marina turned to welcome her fellow castaway.
"Yes, slept like a bear in hibernation, I were so exhausted." She said scooting over to make room for Mila to sit.
"I didn't think of waking you yet, as I know how exhausted you were. Figured on letting you get an extra hour or two.
Anyway, since you're up and all...
Sit.
Lets have breakfast together."

TK had managed to fix them breakfast.. proteins, carbs...coffee and all. Marina enjoyed her eggs in the morning and her droid had certainly prepared two for her with toast and a side of porcine (bacon strip).
Of course there was cereal, fruits and some spreads for the toast which then popped out of the toaster. Of course they were for Mila as Marina was already spreading some butter on hers.

be de beep beep...her droid seemed to relay something for Marina to ask.

"TK didn't know your preferred diet... do you eat eggs and porcine, Mila?
He can cook some up for you too.
or if you want, you can tell me what you normally have for breakfast and TK will see if we have any ingredients to make it." She informed her new friend and guest. Of course Mila was her guest now too, besides being stranded on this system. But since the Mariner was well stocked they might as well eat and restore their energy levels for they had a lot to do today and then some to get the ship space worthy, much less off the ground.

De de de Beep beep... her droid then informed Marina.

"Seriously?..
Oh that's the best news to wake up to, TK.." She beamed, looking over to Mila.

"TK has a surprise for us. But eat first...then I'll show you."

 

[Mila Uhlesifa]

"TK didn't know your preferred diet... do you eat eggs and porcine, Mila?
He can cook some up for you too.
or if you want, you can tell me what you normally have for breakfast and TK will see if we have any ingredients to make it." She informed her new friend and guest. Of course Mila was her guest now too, besides being stranded on this system. But since the Mariner was well stocked they might as well eat and restore their energy levels for they had a lot to do today and then some to get the ship space worthy, much less off the ground.

"Oh I'll eat just about anything. Little known fact, we Twi'lek have several stomachs, so we can eat basically anything." She says with a happy smile. "So really, anything TK is able to make, or has made, is more than fine. I cannot tell you how grateful I am for your hospitality and kindness. So thank you, thank both of you."

While they ate she decided to converse. "So what do you do for a living Marina?"

 

[Marina DeVoe]

Had this poor girl been denied the basic essentials...as Marina were picking up clues that Mila had not grown up in a bountiful environment.
"Come on...stop that. We're in this together and what I have there is no second thought of sharing it with you. " She replied, not getting into the girl's personal life...at least not yet.
Marina was certainly curious, but she could not pry and risk making Mila uncomfortable.
Maybe perhaps later at some point when they were closer to knowing the certainty of their efforts in getting off this system that they would have time to share.

But it were Mila's initiative that came to that pass...what kind of work did Marina do?

"Hehe... Ok..what is it that I do for a living...hmmm...
You know, there is really a simple explanation to such a complex question really.
Uhm but first...." She turned to TK. " Can you whip up the same for Mila?...and could you flip over a few blueberry flapjacks (pancakes)?"
Her droid beeped an acknowledgement and got busy preparing what Marina asked.

"Ok..so what I do for a living..." She then turned to Mila and the question at hand.
"I do little of work really." Yep, it were a complex question that seemed to have a complex answer. But in reality it were not that complicated an answer. Still, it were a bit difficult to explain it with just a mere job description as she had none.

"This ship... it were a graduation present from my grandfather....against my dad's wishes to be exact.
Anyway I do occasionally help transport and deliver goods as per my family's off world interest corporation...Cetril Enterprises. It's a shipping and transport company.
You could say I lend a hand sometimes rather than work for them.

I am a Duke's daughter of one of the Greater Houses of Alderaan. Currently my so called job is an internship to my queen...Queen Faith Organa
I were educated to take my place alongside my mother and sister as Duchess of House DeVoe. Being that my sister Katie currently has earned that title, I were given liberties, again with my grandfather's support, to pursue my dream of exploring the galaxy. Hence my grandfather commissioning this refurbished Loronar scout vessel to meet my specific needs." Of course it were highly modded and exceeding all original design specs, including the hyperdrives.

"Little of working, but I at times go on campaigns...mostly to defy the sith and FO regimes.
I help those whom are oppressed, are caught behind enemy lines... I bring them aid, medical supplies and often evacuate them from battle torn systems.
It's one of the least things that I do. Sometimes I feel it is not enough.
Of course my father opposes my getting involved and endangering myself...my grandfather on the other hand; He believes in me." Marina's eyes seemed to sparkle thinking of her grandfather.

Be de beep beep... her droid came over with Mila's eggs and crispy bacon...and two plates of hotcakes..fruit filled.

 

[Mila Uhlesifa]

Had this poor girl been denied the basic essentials...as Marina were picking up clues that Mila had not grown up in a bountiful environment.
"Come on...stop that. We're in this together and what I have there is no second thought of sharing it with you. "

She smiled gratefully at Marina. "Thank you."

"Hehe... Ok..what is it that I do for a living...hmmm...
You know, there is really a simple explanation to such a complex question really.
Uhm but first...." She turned to TK. " Can you whip up the same for Mila?...and could you flip over a few blueberry flapjacks (pancakes)?"
Her droid beeped an acknowledgement and got busy preparing what Marina asked.

"Ok..so what I do for a living..." She then turned to Mila and the question at hand.
"I do little of work really." Yep, it were a complex question that seemed to have a complex answer. But in reality it were not that complicated an answer. Still, it were a bit difficult to explain it with just a mere job description as she had none.

"This ship... it were a graduation present from my grandfather....against my dad's wishes to be exact.
Anyway I do occasionally help transport and deliver goods as per my family's off world interest corporation...Cetril Enterprises. It's a shipping and transport company.
You could say I lend a hand sometimes rather than work for them.

I am a Duke's daughter of one of the Greater Houses of Alderaan. Currently my so called job is an internship to my queen...Queen Faith Organa Faith Organa
I were educated to take my place alongside my mother and sister as Duchess of House DeVoe. Being that my sister Katie currently has earned that title, I were given liberties, again with my grandfather's support, to pursue my dream of exploring the galaxy. Hence my grandfather commissioning this refurbished Loronar scout vessel to meet my specific needs." Of course it were highly modded and exceeding all original design specs, including the hyperdrives.

"Little of working, but I at times go on campaigns...mostly to defy the sith and FO regimes.
I help those whom are oppressed, are caught behind enemy lines... I bring them aid, medical supplies and often evacuate them from battle torn systems.
It's one of the least things that I do. Sometimes I feel it is not enough.
Of course my father opposes my getting involved and endangering myself...my grandfather on the other hand; He believes in me." Marina's eyes seemed to sparkle thinking of her grandfather.

Be de beep beep... her droid came over with Mila's eggs and crispy bacon...and two plates of hotcakes..fruit filled.

"Oh my. You're a busy bee aren't you." She commented. "Well I wish I had known I was in the company of nobility, I'd have dressed more appropriately."

This was said mostly as a joke, but in all honesty this revelation was a tad intimidating, but she also knew that Marina had been friendly enough and clearly wasn't one to flaunt her nobility. She looked almost sheepish now. "Well, you kind of put my work to shame. I design weapons for the Confederacy. Shipboard weapons, fighters, bombers, bombs, tanks, cannons, guns, chemical weapons, anything that can kill something, that's what I make."

"I'm afraid my upbringing is far less prestigious. I was born to a small farming family, I don't even remember which planet it was. I... left when I was about fourteen." She said somewhat hesitantly.

When TK brought her some food she smiled at him and said, "Thanks TK."

She began to eat, politely but quickly.

 

[Marina DeVoe]

Her heart sank when Mila said she couldn't recall the planet she were from.
Marina only knew this to mean she had a difficult childhood.

Of course, she kept her mouth and comments at bay, for there was no room for any of that at the moment. What her friend needed was an ear of understanding.
So Marina opened her heart and took in what Mila told her of her past. true, it were far and away from the life Marina had growing up. Even at 25 years of age, she had no motive or desire to leave her home, her parents, siblings and Alderaan for that manner. All that completed Marina.
But Mila...Mila had been on her own since she were a young teen. Marina couldn't imagine being without family so young.

Tk soon broke up Mila's account by bringing them the pancakes and Mila's breakfast of eggs and bacon.

Marina had barely touched hers, so when Mila took to consume her breakfast, Marina followed suit.
Of course Marina wanted to hear more of her friend's life..how she managed to live...find shelter and food. But she couldn't pry. Mila would tell her in good time.

And of the weapons?... that could explain how the poor girl had made a living from the Confederacy.
The Confederacy...yes, she recalled the Confederacy. They had turned a blind eye to her own home world of Alderaan...on many occasions.
Sith....
The Confederacy were controlled by a sith. It were the only reason Marina could figure out since they had not come to their aid when TSE had razed her world more than once.
No, Marina didn't care at all for the Confederacy...not at all.

Wait-
Well, not all of the Confederacy. There had been two from that faction that did come to Alderaan's aid...only they came a bit too late in the game. many thousands of Alderaanii had already been forfeit.
But two did come and these two she never forgotten... Muad Dib ... Karlie Lynn Destat
They had come when the entire Confederacy didn't.

Marina gently placed her hand on Mila's giving her a reassuring smile. Mila were like those two whom she fondly remembered. Maybe not all of the Confederacy were under the sith's spell. She weren't judging Mila, then it went to mean she couldn't judge all of the Confederacy either.
"Mila... whether we make it off this system or not...we shall always remain friends."
This were true, as Marina's best friend had been a bounty hunter in the underworld when they met.

 

[Mila Uhlesifa]

Marina gently placed her hand on Mila's giving her a reassuring smile. Mila were like those two whom she fondly remembered. Maybe not all of the Confederacy were under the sith's spell. She weren't judging Mila, then it went to mean she couldn't judge all of the Confederacy either.
"Mila... whether we make it off this system or not...we shall always remain friends."
This were true, as Marina's best friend had been a bounty hunter in the underworld when they met.

Mila smiled and gently gripped her friend's hand in thanks. "I appreciate that Marina. I'm glad I'm not alone on this planet."

Mila had no idea of the overlords of the Confederacy. She just knew that they saved her, and that she wanted to repay that debt. So she designed weapons for them. Now she just wanted to get back to them. So she quickly finished her meal and stood up.

"I'll go see if I can't make a list of the components we need to repair the comm unit." She said to her, picking up her plate and taking it to the sink, and quickly cleaning it and her fork before heading off to the communications unit, "Let me know if you need anything else from me just let me know and I'll help however I can."

 

[Marina DeVoe]

"Sounds like a good plan for the day..." Marina nodded before finishing up the remainder of her breakfast and followed suit.
Although TK had come around in time to scoop up her plate before Marina had time to do so herself upon getting up.

"TK..." Marina tugged at her plate, but the droid wasn't having it.

"Come on...you're making me look bad.." She said giving the plate another good tug, but to no avail. TK had the mechanical advantage..dura-steel grip.

"I said...let go!" She softly shouted under her breath still wresting with her plate, before Mila disappeared around the corner.

Sure enough, her droid did let go, sending the utensils on the floor.
"Arrrg... what's wrong with you?" She asked picking them up.

de we beep be beep... Tk replied that he had always done the dinnerware... did his duties change?

"Marina looked to where her friend had disappeared from before replying. " Yes. No more cleaning up behind me...that includes doing dishes."

de beep bee be beep... he inquired if she were slumming again.

"Shush!...yes, I'm slumming. That includes not doing my bed either.."

De de beep... it were already done.

"Arrg... starting now. Understand?" she kept her voice down so as not to let her friend know how she were normally pampered by her ship's mech-droid.

"er.... wait.
Here. " She handed him the plate. "...just do this one task, then no more domestics."



An hour or so shortly after....

"Oh wow... you managed to defrag the program?" Marina kneeled down checking over the ship's part's printer.

de do... the droid's reply was no.

"What do you mean no?...didn't you just make this sprocket?" She took the item out of the printer. It were perfect as she examined it.

de be beep de... TK1213 went on to explain that the programs had been totally wiped. What he printed was done manually...or rather by his own recount as to what that component should look like.
He had taken scan measurements and worked the printer manually.

Tk then went on to inform her that any components they needed to make had to be engineered, trace them out in holograms and then he could measure them before duplicating the holograms into working 3-D components.

"Shoot... you know I can't do that. At least not the intricate parts like electronics."

De be de beep beep... Her droid agreed, but he also stated that Mila could, as she seemed to have a natural talent in understanding electronics and engineering.
Marina's droid suggested that she ask Mila to design the needed components in rendered holograms and that he could then manually work the printer to produce them.

"Awesome..." Marina got back up before patting her droid's dome. " I knew you weren't meant for the scrap yard.." She teased of course, before heading off to ask Mila.



~ ~ ~ ~

Marina found Mila messing around with the Mariner IV's main long range antenna sub-hub...getting the axis of the antenna to track properly. She watched the young twi'lek a minute as she got the servos to work.
"Nice... really didn't think we'd get it to track like that...I mean not so soon. I thought it would take a couple of days. " Marina said as she approached closer, examining the repair. It was working like new.

"Anyway...wanted to relay some news to you. It's bad and maybe good.
TK stated that the printer's files have been trashed. But he managed to print out a sprocket for the ramp's retractor. Only that he did it manually.
he said that maybe you could render some parts in hologram and that he could then replicate them in 3-D with the printer.
I...
I thought I'd run it by you. I mean, if you can't design them ..we'll figure something else." She hated to press Mila. It would probably be too much for her friend to take on...rendering parts in holograms and then installing them too.


Mila Uhlesifa

 

[Mila Uhlesifa]

"Sounds like a good plan for the day..." Marina nodded before finishing up the remainder of her breakfast and followed suit.
Although TK had come around in time to scoop up her plate before Marina had time to do so herself upon getting up.

"TK..." Marina tugged at her plate, but the droid wasn't having it.

"Come on...you're making me look bad.." She said giving the plate another good tug, but to no avail. TK had the mechanical advantage..dura-steel grip.

"I said...let go!" She softly shouted under her breath still wresting with her plate, before Mila disappeared around the corner.

It was an amusing sight, a droid wrestling with its owner over who did dishes. Mila giggled as she left, not thinking any less of her new friend for it, her being worried about it was just cute really.

Either way, she went to the comm unit and accessed its inner circuitry via one of the access ports. There was a joke about why mechanics hated engineers, because the parts that broke most often were always the hardest to fix and the hardest to reach. She didn't really understand this too much until now, sure she'd had to repair stuff before, but that was usually on prototypes that could easily be disassembled partially to allow for repairs or observations. This wasn't that.

The only saving grace was that it wasn't the parts that were hardest to reach that needed fixing, nope, all of the parts needed replacing. Hooray.

But regardless she got to work, she just loved solving problems and this was the jackpot. Sure it could take a couple of months, maybe a few aneurysms, but she could get it done.

Marina found Mila messing around with the Mariner IV's main long range antenna sub-hub...getting the axis of the antenna to track properly. She watched the young twi'lek a minute as she got the servos to work.
"Nice... really didn't think we'd get it to track like that...I mean not so soon. I thought it would take a couple of days. " Marina said as she approached closer, examining the repair. It was working like new.

Okay, do it could have been worse, much worse. At least the tracking circuitry was still working, she had to do some basic wire repair or replacement but nothing that was any real trouble, even more lucky was that it could still connect to the program chip so that it knew how to track properly. But still, getting the tracking antenna up and running took the better part of two hours, despite its ease of repair, it still took time.

"Well lucky for us, the tracking systems weren't as damaged as the rest of the circuitry, so it wouldn't have taken that long anyway. There might be a few kinks to work out with the rewiring but overall this should be repaired by sundown. The rest of it though..."

"Anyway...wanted to relay some news to you. It's bad and maybe good.
TK stated that the printer's files have been trashed. But he managed to print out a sprocket for the ramp's retractor. Only that he did it manually.
he said that maybe you could render some parts in hologram and that he could then replicate them in 3-D with the printer.
I...
I thought I'd run it by you. I mean, if you can't design them ..we'll figure something else." She hated to press Mila. It would probably be too much for her friend to take on...rendering parts in holograms and then installing them too.

Mila blinked and thought about it, "I could technically do it, but many of the parts that need replacement are fairly complex. Maybe not the most complex stuff I've worked with but still complex and there's a lot of them. I can do it, but it'll take time, which could leave us here for quite a while. That on top of printing time, material gathering, actual repairs and unforseen complications, I can see this taking us the better part of a year. Maybe more, maybe less." Mila said grimly. "Unless we find a quicker alternative."

 

[Marina DeVoe]

Marina's jaw dropped...did Mila say a year?
A year here?..on this planet?

"Oh wow..." The blonde uttered as she took a step backward and slumped into one of the chairs.
"I... I was hopping we'd be up and passing stars by the weekend..."

beep beep beep..her droid happened to be passing by and overhear Marina. Yes, TK were chuckling...finding his master's optimistic fantasy quite amusing...even for a droid.

"Why you little tinker toy!" Marina shouted as she picked up one of the electronic do-das and hurtling at her droid. "You're not funny!" Of course by the time she did, TK had passed out of view in the corridor.

Per-Plink... bounced the circuit board in the hallway with a few pieces chipping off.
"Oh fodder... please don't tell me that was one of the salvageable ones.." She then said, realizing she hadn't given it any thought at all in how she reacted.

"Oh shoot...sorry about that. just that THAT SILLY DROID IS GLUTIN TO BE TAKEN APART AND USED FOR SPARE PARTS, IF HE DON'T WATCH HIMSELF!..." of course she wasn't serious. It was just marina venting her frustration. She loved TK and would rather use critical ship parts to keep him running than to loose him. But TK was in perfect working order and her ship currently seemed dead in the water...or on land rather.
Still, a year...even months seemed like a lifetime.

There had to be another way to get her ship up in space and make a jump. There just had to be.

"Full repairs are going to be out of the question then.
I mean...
Well, what I mean is; not all of the ship needs to be back in operation.
Communications; yes.
Hyperdrives; yes.
Life support...no. not for the entire ship, no.
Sub-light engines: no." Marina leaned forward on her chair..she were brainstorming.

"Hear me out...
1...We can condense life support to forward cabins and cockpit only. That saves a lot of energy and work in sealing up the damaged hull.
2... We don't need sub-drives to take off... we can configure booster rockets that'll lift us up vertically up and into open space. Then we can eject/detach them.
We do need to get the Mariner IV's retro thrusters working so that we can maneuver for a jump." Marina was just trying to come up with ways to cut down their stay here on this unknown planet they were stuck on.

"If we have to...we can strip the Mariner of all unnecessary gear, fixtures and anything that'll lighten us for a lift off...using boosters...you know?"



Mila Uhlesifa

 

[Mila Uhlesifa]

"Hear me out...
1...We can condense life support to forward cabins and cockpit only. That saves a lot of energy and work in sealing up the damaged hull.
2... We don't need sub-drives to take off... we can configure booster rockets that'll lift us up vertically up and into open space. Then we can eject/detach them.
We do need to get the Mariner IV's retro thrusters working so that we can maneuver for a jump." Marina was just trying to come up with ways to cut down their stay here on this unknown planet they were stuck on.

"If we have to...we can strip the Mariner of all unnecessary gear, fixtures and anything that'll lighten us for a lift off...using boosters...you know?"

She thought. "Actually, we don't even need to take off. If you know someone who can send us help, all we need to do is contact them. So we just fix this up and our problems are solved. No need for life support since this planets Atmosphere is breatheable. And once we make contact we can be extracted and come back for the ship with some proper replacement parts. Only problem is that basically the entire unit was totaled. The tracking antenna here was the only thing that was halfway intact. Inertia really bites, especially when you're talking about light speed. So we'll need to manually replace basically every part. We can use the materials but they have to be completely remade as though they were new. So essentially, we have to build a communication unit from scratch. It's possible, but it will take a long time, especially since we have to individually design each component manually, which is also more prone to mistakes. So we don't need to leave the planet with the ship, we can come back and fix it later, and if not I'll do my best to replace it for you, what we need is to get help."

 

[Marina DeVoe]

"I didn't mean doing away with life support here. I was thinking once we construct basic makeshift boosters to lift the Mariner IV off and into space, that we would reserve life support to just the forward cabins and cockpit. The extra power saved could be used instead to power the ship's current retro thrusters to maneuver us to a 'Point of Entry' so that we can make a jump." Marina explained.as the reason she thought of diverting the ship's power.
But power was not the only problem in this equation. They had to figure out where they were before they could open up communication or take off.

"I know it make take some time for me to properly measure the stars, but knowing where the center of the galaxy's singularity is, would make it possible to both know where we are and where we are aiming to go. Then I can calculate where that point of entry is, for us to make a jump." She continued.

The two girls were coming up with viable ideas...brainstorming as to the many avenues possible for them to get off the planet.
But they had also to figure out where they were, in relation to where they wanted to transmit. In order to make use of the sub-space transceiver Mila and her were intent on remanufacturing, they'd need to know their own location...otherwise they would be aiming/transmitting their antennae into the void.

"Also, if we eliminate the holograhic generator from the radio, we can cut both time and resources. We can transmit sub-space frequencies at a longer broader range if we don't use holographic generation...what do you think?" Sure, they would be cutting a lot of corners, but Marina was certain that Mila could construct a much less sophisticated means of communications.
And Marina was also certain that she could manually calculate a jump coordinate...once they were above the planet.

 

[Mila Uhlesifa]

"I didn't mean doing away with life support here. I was thinking once we construct basic makeshift boosters to lift the Mariner IV off and into space, that we would reserve life support to just the forward cabins and cockpit. The extra power saved could be used instead to power the ship's current retro thrusters to maneuver us to a 'Point of Entry' so that we can make a jump." Marina explained.as the reason she thought of diverting the ship's power.
But power was not the only problem in this equation. They had to figure out where they were before they could open up communication or take off.

"No no, I know what you meant. And it's certainly viable, but it is most likely going to take longer than just calling for help. See the confederacy likes to have some semblance of order, and so they have an emergency frequency that all ships run by the confederacy, and even other factions, are always monitoring. I'm thinking we simply send out a distress signal and get someone else to get us off the planet. If we can't get attention then we can certainly do what you suggest but it's more time consuming and much more risky." She explained. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not discrediting your plan, in fact I'll probably get to work on making that happen too as a plan B, but we can't count on a ship this damaged to work on spare parts manually printed with scrap metal. It violates almost every rule of safety in the book."

"Also, if we eliminate the holograhic generator from the radio, we can cut both time and resources. We can transmit sub-space frequencies at a longer broader range if we don't use holographic generation...what do you think?" Sure, they would be cutting a lot of corners, but Marina was certain that Mila could construct a much less sophisticated means of communications.
And Marina was also certain that she could manually calculate a jump coordinate...once they were above the planet.

This she pondered. "You my friend have the makings of an engineer. Have you ever considered giving it a shot? You might be pretty good at it with logic like that."

 

[Marina DeVoe]

"Yea?...you think?" She looked over her companion, eyeing her a minute, not sure if Mila were joking or serious.

"Haha, shut up." She laughed, giving her friend a gentle push. "Now you're making fun of me." Marina continued, blushing from the compliment.

Not many people Marina met outside her close circle took her serious. Of course, her easy go-lucky personality were the reason. She weren't anything like most hard core pilots who had skirted fate piloting through FO and sith occupied space and blockades. To Marina, those ventures had risen out of necessity and not for glory.
Marina never bragged, nor spoke of her accomplishments. She just thanked her deity Berkana for being there as her co-pilot through those trials.

"Hey.
Jut just the same...thanks." she then smiled.
They were both in this together and both needed to put their heads together in figuring their best chance at seeing their home world again. Well, at least Marina wanted too see her beloved Alderaan again.

As for her companion, Marina hoped that Mila would maybe come to Alderaan with her, if for just a short while and see if she would make it her home too. That is, if they managed to get off this planet.
She knew Mila had left her home world when she were quite young... much too young really, to be about the galaxy on her own.
There was much she wanted to know of Mila's life. But Marina didn't want to impose, push her companion in talking about some aspects of her life that perhaps were too difficult to reveal at this time. There was something quite sad that Mila seemed to mask... Marina had sensed it. The girl had been hurt somehow.
She would have to let Mila come out on her own and reveal it, if she wanted too.

"Aherm..." She cleared her throat as she did her thoughts on the matter of Mila's past...for now at least.
"...anyway, it's just that I tend to pay attention to people...engineers, mechanics. I kinda learned how they go about finding the means to solve the impossible. Kinda get the feeling that nothing is impossible...only when one gives up.
If we can get our communication to work and transmit some distance, then that would be our most viable plan." She nodded.

"If not... then we both need to make the decision whether to chance a risky makeshift ascension into space.... or make a home here."

She knew Mila was right about taking a big risk in trying to lift off with spare parts and makeshift thrusters. They would be literally be sitting on a potential bomb...or fall back crashing to the surface if they didn't achieve escape velocity.

 

[Mila Uhlesifa]

"Yea?...you think?" She looked over her companion, eyeing her a minute, not sure if Mila were joking or serious.

"Haha, shut up." She laughed, giving her friend a gentle push. "Now you're making fun of me." Marina continued, blushing from the compliment.

She giggled and said, "no, not at all. It's creative solutions like that that make an engineer. You may not know the ins and outs of technology, or at least not an expert, but you put forth an idea in a difficult situation that would make it survivable and even probable. With some studying and a little experience I imagine you would do great in engineering. It certainly pays better than mechanics." She said with a giggle, "I should know, I do both."

"Aherm..." She cleared her throat as she did her thoughts on the matter of Mila's past...for now at least.
"...anyway, it's just that I tend to pay attention to people...engineers, mechanics. I kinda learned how they go about finding the means to solve the impossible. Kinda get the feeling that nothing is impossible...only when one gives up.
If we can get our communication to work and transmit some distance, then that would be our most viable plan." She nodded.

"If not... then we both need to make the decision whether to chance a risky makeshift ascension into space.... or make a home here."

She nodded too, "well, there are a couple of things. Even if we do make a home here, that doesn't mean that we can't still be found. So we might make a slightly more permanent living space, have a small farm for food, but that doesn't mean that we won't be able to leave. It just means it will take longer."

She smiled at Marina. "So we will get you home eventually, I promise you that."

 

[Marina DeVoe]

"Haha...being a mechanic was pretty much far from my mind when I were dreaming of touching the stars...." She replied, remembering how close those stars and crescent moon were yet just a bit out of reach.

~Memory~
Marina were of course barely a year old, and as much as she stretched and stretched on her tiny little toes, those stars on the mobile bellowing out a melody she had known for like forever already, were simply too high for her to reach.
Then came Teddy...still not high enough.
Bonzo on top of teddy....almost there...
Her bottle on top of Bonzo... YAY!
Marina remembered her joy and excitement as she held on to the star and the moon...slowly spinning her playpen around and around... in truth it were her spinning about screeching with laughter.
Aherm...of course her nanny DEV quickly snatched her up from orbit and held her up... up over her head and took her around and around the nursery like Marina was flying ~

"But it were something I needed to know before my father would allow me to fly...with permission.."
Marina of course had started to take one of the family speeders by the time she could reach the controls...with a pillow under her smart little ass. She were 6, when to the surprise of the family security personnel, the little rascal took off from the house hangar. The little spitfire gave the DeVoe's security staff, DEV and her father a good run for fright. She was a natural! In flying of course.
It were evident by the time she were 12 that no one could keep her grounded. So her father gave in and had her go through not only flight sessions, but navigation and then ultimately mechanical skills. If his daughter wished to fly on her own, then she needed to know how to maintain and do upkeep on flying vessels.

"I think I were 13 when I could take out a speeder without anyone freakin out. But yea, I had to know the mechanics of not just flight, but of the vessel's workings. It has come in handy quite a few more times than I would wish my family to know...hahaha." She were finding it easy to talk with Mila.
And Mila took her serious, despite the fact that she were from one of the greater houses on Alderaan. Many people assumed she were a spoiled snob or something untrue like that.

"Thanks Mila. " She replied to her friend promising to get her back to them.
"I know you will help me see them soon. " Marina knew Mila wasn't just saying that to keep her hopes up. Mila was truthful. She had been truthful and not sugar coated the damages incurred and what it would take to get them repaired.

"Speaking of family... I would wish it very much if you would stop for a visit when we're off this rock. I know you'll love Alderaan. It is quite beautiful." The offer of course was sincere, but it had a tinge of hope that maybe Mila would like it enough to maybe see it as home too.

 

[Mila Uhlesifa]

"Haha...being a mechanic was pretty much far from my mind when I were dreaming of touching the stars...." She replied, remembering how close those stars and crescent moon were yet just a bit out of reach. "But it were something I needed to know before my father would allow me to fly...with permission.. I think I were 13 when I could take out a speeder without anyone freakin out. But yea, I had to know the mechanics of not just flight, but of the vessel's workings. It has come in handy quite a few more times than I would wish my family to know...hahaha."

She smiled at her friend's words, "yeah, it takes a bit of knowhow to travel through space, you never know when you'll need to make quick patch jobs. You don't need to be a professional, but you should know the basics. And right now I bet we're both glad you know a thing or two."

"Speaking of family... I would wish it very much if you would stop for a visit when we're off this rock. I know you'll love Alderaan. It is quite beautiful." The offer of course was sincere, but it had a tinge of hope that maybe Mila would like it enough to maybe see it as home too.

She smiled at the thought, "yeah, I'd love to meet your family. They sound delightful. I look forward to seeing Alderaan, and maybe you could visit Naboo sometime? It's where I'm based."

She sighed, "oh I'm really going to get it from Vemric once I get back."

 

[Marina DeVoe]

It were good talking about their home. It gave them a concrete reason to pool their knowledge in getting off this planet.
But wherever they had crashed upon, so far it didn't seem hostile...nor were there any signs that it were inhabited.
then again, they had for the most part remained within the scope of both vessel's crash sites. There hadn't been any time or even thought of exploring the planet. Their main focus were in getting off and into some familiar sector, as the stars above were unrecognizable..no matter at any given perspective. It were necessary to get their communications up, even if it were to scan the skies for familiar resonance. Every star system had a kind of tone, and a nav comp, coupled with their trans comm could pick up and decipher what star system was what. This in turn would create a star map based on their location. Simple astrophysics, but without getting their transmitter and nav comp working, they were all just jumbled stars in the night sky.

"Naboo... yes, Naboo..." Marina took a minute to reminisce.
"It's natural beauty is what inspired the architects for my planet's reconstruction. I mean, there were countless holo-vids and full rendered 3-D mapping of ancestral Alderaan to use as a model for terraforming the new Alderaan, but those recordings lacked life. really as they were mostly documentation of the planet that were found in Coruscant's archival data base. Then of course many Alderaani survivors that were off world during the genocide...." She paused, getting her focus back and keeping her tears at bay.

" Aherm..." Clearing her throat, she continued. " It were systems like Naboo which filled in the missing parts, the inspiration of bringing an otherwise lifeless world to life".

"I've been to Naboo on several occasions and every time I get a sense of familiarity...like... well, like Naboo being kind of related in some way." Marina's otherwise solemn features brightened up, her smile broadened thinking of Naboo.

"Yes, I would love to visit Naboo again with you.
We will make it so...pinky promise?" She then extended her hand, with her pinky ready to clasp on to Mila's.

 

[Mila Uhlesifa]

Aherm..." Clearing her throat, she continued. " It were systems like Naboo which filled in the missing parts, the inspiration of bringing an otherwise lifeless world to life".

"Wow, that's actually really cool, I didn't know that. I really look forward to seeing Alderaan. I really can't wait to meet your family either."

"Yes, I would love to visit Naboo again with you.
We will make it so...pinky promise?" She then extended her hand, with her pinky ready to clasp on to Mila's.

Mila giggled and hooked her pinky in Marina's. "Pinky promise."

She released her friend's finger and went back to fixing the comm unit. It was best if she kept up with it. "Would you like to learn some engineering? It's a golden opportunity to learn."