Private Comets & Credits

[Aeshi Tillian]

Judah Dashiell
SUARBI SYSTEM- BEYOND THE FIRST MOON

Rumors abounded about the treasures that lay hidden within any star system, especially one colonized more than a thousand years ago by refugees from the Corporate Sector Authority. It was a system that survived through the Clone Wars, the Galactic Civil War, and all the subsequent conflicts.

There's a space station in the gas giant, said the ancient smuggler who had taken up shop on the corner outside the captain's hall down in Yumfla. I saw it myself, decades ago, evading an Omega Protectorate patrol. Must have been a massive thing. Maybe even an Empress size, from the pre-Gulag days.

Even Aeshi had been intrigued, as had half the city. It was absurd, of course. How could a station withstand the gravitational forces of the gas giant, let alone the atmospheric pressure for more than four hundred years? Comets got sucked into the gas giant all the time.

But the words had a ring of truth to them that found Aeshi guiding the Requiem on an inward course, deeper toward the gas giant. She'd reached out to some old contacts about the rumor. She wasn't equipped for a salvage mission of that size, but she couldn't resist the chance at finding a long-forgotten station.

"This is Tillian in the Requiem," Aeshi said over the comm, staring into the light radiating from the giant. "I'm headed toward where the smuggler claims to have last seen the station. Anyone have some reads?"

 

[Judah Dashiell]

Aeshi Tillian

The gas giant loomed large in his viewport, dwarfing much of the surrounding darkness of space out. Yet the space port, at least from this angle, seemed fairly unbothered.

It had been risky to put the station in such a position. However, he saw the advantages to such a placement. If it has been involved in the mining trade at one time it was invaluable. Question was, did it even exist anymore?

Message crackled across the comms. A fellow salvager out on this excursion.

"Hmm. Nothing yet." Judah flipped though a screen on his dash. "Last reports had it offline. I don't think we will get anything until we're closer. I doubt it's giving off any strong signatures."

 

[Aeshi Tillian]

Judah Dashiell

"I've not seen anything," Aeshi replied in the comms, tapping the sensors in thought, "There might be ways to recalibrate the scans for common alloys." She reached over and adjusted the calibration on the sensors, narrowing the range to focus on the gas giant. "It had to have to been giving off something for the old guy to find it."

Unless he wasn't telling the truth, which was always possible. But she had a feeling that wasn't the case. There had been something in the words. It had felt real, with conviction. But that didn't always mean anything.

Something pinged on the sensors. "Hang on. I've got something.." She eased back on the throttle to study the readouts on the displays. "Durasteel anyway, although I can't get a real fix on its size or location."

 

[Judah Dashiell]

Aeshi Tillian

Judah tried to stretch a little while sitting in the pilots chair while the other salvager was running scans. He had been hunched over the controls for far too long on this trip. Finding something, anything, to get out and look at would be an improvement. This was the less glamorous part of salvaging, finding the items you were actually looking for.

A surprising amount of work.

"Durasteel? Could be floating piles of junk..." A hand came up to scratch his beard. "Let's see what I can pull up."

Judah went silent, trying to get a better read on any metals in the area. He felt anything given off by the gas giant could interfere with the instruments, especially if there was some type of flare going on.

"My scanners are picking up a large reading but shape or any idea as to what remains a mystery."

 

[Aeshi Tillian]

Judah Dashiell

"Could be junk," Aeshi agreed, squinting at the display, "But that could still be enough credits to make the fuel worthwhile." She adjusted her course heading and marked the readings on the navigation chart. Aeshi nudged the throttle forward and arced toward the readings.

The scans took time for the sensors to work their out to the object and back, although there was a challenge regarding gas giants. High-density gases could mimic any material, throwing them off.

"Getting a bit more definition-" Aeshi replied slowly as the new scans came back to the ship. "Moving to try and get a visual."

She pushed the throttle forward even further, feeling the pressure push her back against the seat. Wisps of frozen gas streaked past the viewport, sending shadows flashing through the bridge from the distant star.

She stood slightly in her chair, hoping it might let her see further, even though she knew that didn't work in space. "I've got something, at least. Big shape, indistinct."

 

[Judah Dashiell]

"Maybe a Star Destroyer? I haven't seen the bones of a large capital ship in awhile. That would make some sense given our location."

They were crossing past the gas giant now, eager to see what lay ahead in comparison to what their scanners were picking up.

What he saw next mildly surprised him ; a space station. It wasn't the first time he had seen an abandoned space station. The location was more the surprise.

It was prime real estate. Judah was shocked a mining company hadn't capitalized on the opportunity.

"Scanners say it's abandoned. Seems...odd. This area is rich in resources."

Aeshi Tillian

 

[Aeshi Tillian]

Judah Dashiell

"A Star Destroyer would be nice," Aeshi admitted after consideration. "Maybe salvage some of the spare components and sell them to the ship refitters."

She could just make out the glow of Judah's thrusters in the distance, illuminating the wisps of frozen gas and vapor that made up the bulk of the gas giant.

The comms came through and Aeshi found herself standing up to stare through the viewport, trying to get a better view.

"Oh, I see it," Aeshi replied after a moment, shading her eyes with one hand. "That must be the station. And that's a good question. Maybe there's enough data left in the logs to give us a sense of its course and trajectory. Could be it was caught in some kind of gravitational current that took it too deep within the planet for most salvagers or droids."

Most, of course, was the keyword. The old man had been a bit of a daredevil in his youth and certainly desperate enough to plunge deep into the gases. "But you're right- it is odd. I'm going to broaden the scanner spectrum to see if I can pick up anything else."

 

[Judah Dashiell]

Aeshi Tillian

"You go ahead and scan, I'll fly closer. Best let the old guy go first, if something goes wrong folks tend to feel less bad. Long life and all."

Judah wasn't overly concerned about getting caught in a gravitational pull or some kind of gas. His scanners were running and he planned on not getting that close. Not yet anyway. His eyes were old and he needed to get closer to inspect for damage ; carbon scoring, knocked off plates, missing viewports. Anything that would give an idea on what actually caused the station to be abandoned.

Vessel drifted closer, lights trained on the station.

"I don't see signs on a fight. Looks like maybe it was hit by space trash or a wayward asteroid. Nothing that would cause a major station to go offline or cause mass abandonment."

 

[Aeshi Tillian]

Judah Dashiell

"If I died, I doubt anyone would either be surprised or bothered," Aeshi replied dryly, but eased back on the throttle, letting the velocity decrease as Judah's ship raced ahead, getting closer to the station.

"That is interesting," Aeshi replied, adjusting the scanner's parameters as she attempted to get any clarification. "So, no particularly serious signs of damage then?"

She bit her lip in thought and considered. "Maybe they tried to hide the station? Or something internally?"

That was the danger of salvage. If the life support systems were compromised or contaminated, there was no telling what might be in the station there.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

"I mean, not to get philosophical but if any of us died would it bother the galaxy at large? I highly doubt it."

Judah slowed his vessel down as both of them ran scans. As eager as he was to dive in and start exploring this mystery, his luck typically meant that something bad was bound to happen. Any minute now enemies should come pouring out, ready to blast him into little bits. Or maybe pirates. Pirates seemed to be everywhere a salvager wanted to be.

"I can see someone wanting to hide the station. Could be a host of reasons why too. Super weapon. Secret laboratory. Stolen."

Scans seemed normal. He began to increase his speed, headed in to dock.

"One way to find out."

Aeshi Tillian

 

[Aeshi Tillian]

Judah Dashiell

"That's the spacer's lot for you," Aeshi agreed over the radio, glancing over her should to check the energy readouts on the display console. All systems were green. "And I'll come in behind you."

She nudged the throttle forward and moved in tighter to the other vessel. "Well, hopefully, whoever hid it isn't around to be mad at us for finding it."

Aeshi doubted it, but that was certainly possible, and it wouldn't necessarily be sentient. Droids, security systems, and anything like that could still be lethal.

"Seeing any changes as you get closer?"

 

[Judah Dashiell]

Aeshi Tillian ||

"Hmmm...no, not really. Still a bit further away."

Judah glanced between his scans and taking in the station. He squinted closely before making a 'hmph' noise to himself. Carbon scoring. It didn't necessarily mean a battle but in his opinion it wasn't a good sign. Perhaps something more nefarious than they suspected has happened to the station. Yet he didn't see any gaping holes, nothing that would indicate a major battle.

As his vessel drew into the hangar lights flicked on, illuminating the spacious hangar. He could make out some disabled droids and various tools and work equipment. Nothing out of the ordinary yet.

"Looks like life support is still on, lights just fired up as I entered the hangar. Droids look deactivated."

 

[Aeshi Tillian]

Judah Dashiell

"Well," Aeshi said after a moment, her lips pursed in thought. "If the station was kind enough to turn the lights on for us, I suppose that's practically a welcome mat, isn't it?"

She nudged the throttle forward even further and sent the maneuvering thrusters to adjust the angle, coming in with a clear view of the hangar and Judah's ship.

"I can see if my ship's computer can get in touch with the droid." It was a long shot, especially at this range. She'd practically have to be in the hangar. She leaned over and typed a series of commands into the console. "I'll have to get close."

Close enough to be in danger but not close enough that she could run away. That was always the challenge. She cut the throttle and let the velocity carry her closer to the hangar at a slow deceleration, watching the proximity sensors chime off the diminishing distance.

"If I blow up... well, good luck." Aeshi said dryly.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

"You're very dramatic. If anything the droid would assassinate us first. Then blow up the entire station."

Judah flipped through various controls on his vessel. Going into standby mode was likely the best option at this point. He wasn't sure if they would need to get out in a hurry and now wasn't the time to test for quick responses.

The old salvager put on a breath mask - he wasn't sure of the amount of oxygen on the station yet. Lights were not an indication of any form of life support.

He was wandering down the ramp as the other had pulled more into the hangar. Judah was making an immediate line for the deactivated droid. Best to see if they could power it on.

"So far,so good on the ground here. Not sure about oxygen quality. Got distracted by this droid."

Aeshi Tillian

 

[Aeshi Tillian]

Judah Dashiell

"Dramatic, you say?" Aeshi replied, lips twitching with irony. "What else would you call diving into the outer layers of a gas giant in search of a legendary lost space station?" But she eased the controls to guide her closer regardless. "And that is certainly possible. I'll let you go first, then, in case the droid does decide to assassinate us and blow the station."

"I read on the atmosphere," Aeshi replied, grabbing a breath mask from next to the command console and draping it over her neck before heading down the boarding ramp. Her boots echoed in the empty hangar as she hopped down to the deck. Oxygen whistled through the mask and she headed after the Judah, following him towards the deactivated droid.

"I don't know much about droids, in all honesty. What can you tell about it?"

 

[Judah Dashiell]

Aeshi Tillian

"What can I tell you about this droid?" Judah pretended to stroke his beard through the oxygen mask, stepping back to look at the deactivated droid at a different angle. "No carbon scoring. Relatively decent condition. Some type of droid for labor, nothing protocol. Also, going out on a huge limb and I'm going to say..."

A dramatic pause.

"That is droid is currently deactivated."

A grin was flashed in her direction as he moved in closer to try to switch the droid on.

"Enough about the droid. Looks to me like whoever left did so in a hurry. Lots of things still in this hangar that I would have expected those coming across this station to take. The 'verse can be rough and salable items are worth dragging aboard. Maybe no one wanted to risk getting this close."

 

[Aeshi Tillian]

Judah Dashiell

Aeshi stared at Judah. "Deactivated- you don't say?" She rested her hands on her hips and shook her head in disapproval. "So much for a salvager's know-how when it comes to machinery, I guess. I'm just an explorer."

She picked her way carefully through the hangar, pausing to study the piles of debris and leftover junk. She slid the lid off one durasteel crate and gave a low whistle. "Military grade rations. Well past their expiration date, though, so not worth much- but an interesting combined find to have on a station with a labor droid."

Aeshi moved toward the hangar's walls and gently knocked one hand against it. "What do you think- a place like this have secret panels in the hangar walls?" Perhaps hidden companionways or storage compartments, place where you could quickly slide illicit cargo in while taking a break from the formal unloading.