Private Engines and Old Ghosts

[Lily Rhodes]

The Star Port on Dressel was hardly what Lily would call bustling, but it still had a steady flow of off-worlders and traders passing through. In comparison to the last few weeks, the change of pace was more than a welcome reprieve.

She had planned on making her way back to Jaibrek in the Firefist to visit Velok, but the flickering power surges had forced her to ground sooner than she’d like. She’d pulled half the engine room apart, cursing the entire time trying to locate the bad coupling, before she’d found the panel underneath the ship that had been blown away in one scrap or another…maybe it was the evacuation of Moorja?

She couldn’t remember.

Some haggling with the locals for replacement couplings and a freshly machined panel that cost far more than she had wanted, now all she had to had was fit the damn things. Simple right?

Lily adjusted the angle of the hydro spanner trying to get a better grip when the circuit shorted, the jolt of electricity snapping up her arm. She withdrew her hand sharply, dropping the spanner, the ache setting deep in her shoulder as a stream of curses rolled off her tongue. She swung a frustrated kick at the toolbox at her feet which did nothing but add insult to injury.

She heaved a frustrated sigh dropping to the floor cross legged, resting her elbows on her knees and digging the heels of her palms into her eyes. She was exhausted, she was angry and above all she just wanted something to go right for a change.

“Just one fething day…” she muttered to herself. “That's all I’m asking for.”

Darth Empyrean

 

[Darth Empyrean]

The irony of another friend of Velok of Toola being on this port was lost on them both as Empyrean wandered through the docking area, oily jumpsuit masking a body made for war. He was greasy, he carried a beaten up set of tools he stole at the last place he docked, and he had more that a few cuts on his knuckles from prying too hard on a stuck bolt. He hadn't missed being a mechanic, but there was a joy in applying his engineering skills on things more managable. He did, afterall, design the greatest starship in the galaxy - the Mors Mon.​

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What was a few hyperdrive repairs to that? Surprisingly, harder than he cared to admit. Half of the galaxy used outdated equipment with no replacement parts within three sectors. Instead, he was forced to custom make half the things he used to repair stuff, and while he didn't care about the profit margins considering his vast hidden network of wealth, it was cutting it a bit too close to not be annoyed. Afterall, he promised himself he wouldn't dip into his rainy day fund, so all the credits he had for the nights meal were in his pocket... If only he could get another quick job, he might eat steak tonight.​

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He heard a sling of curses within the port he passed by, forcing him to come to a stop and reverse his steps to glance in. Lily Rhodes sat on the ground, obviously at her wits end. Empyrean didn't know who this was, nor did he all together care that much - but a job was a job.​

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"Need some help?", he said with a grease smudged grin.​

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"I'm still taking jobs tonight if you got a few creds."​