Private Footprints in the sand

[Jesse Organa]

Seren Gwyn

Etain looked at her. "Hey it wasn't so bad, I saw the secrets of the universe and who did this to us and how to save the galaxy... but then I woke up and forgot it all." She was laughing though and Ru looked at her and at Jesse. "We have reinforced the raft before with carapace and have something that will work as an anchor so you can reach them." He said it with a nod of his head though as Jesse was going and looking at the raft that they had been using and there was hooks and lin that they would be able to use to wrap it around and secure it. Etain had planks that would be able to function as tracks to be able to be used to reduce the resistance of dragging the ships to the shore. "We got this." Jesse said it while she was checking.. and we'll have to make due without your alcohol induced revelations."

 

[Seren Gwyn]

Seren followed the conversation with quiet amusement while the others inspected the raft and the assortment of hooks, lines, and wooden tracks they had devised. It was impressive, really. Less than a day earlier, they had been fighting for their lives against creatures that should have overwhelmed them. Now they were discussing salvage operations over breakfast as though this had always been the plan.

Etain's dramatic lament about losing the secrets of the universe earned the faintest smile from Seren.

"You know..." she began thoughtfully, tilting her head ever so slightly. "I could probably retrieve those memories from your mind." She paused just long enough for the words to settle before adding, "...Nah, I'm joking." Another beat passed, her expression perfectly composed as she finished, "Or am I?"

For perhaps the first time since they had all met, there was unmistakable mischief hiding behind Seren's otherwise calm demeanor. It lasted only a heartbeat before she glanced toward the raft again, as though she had said nothing unusual at all.

"Either way," she continued smoothly, "I think recovering the ships is a considerably safer plan than relying on alcohol-induced enlightenment."

A small smile returned.

"And if the universe truly wished to reveal its secrets, I suspect it would choose a method that produces fewer headaches."

Jesse Organa

 

[Jesse Organa]

Seren Gwyn

"Such secrets would require sacrifice and there are no virgins or volcano's here to appease for them." Etain said it and Jesse looked at her. "Well good thing for that." She was moving with Ru though and getting some of the supplies while Etain got up and had the paddles that they would be able to use and she grabbed some of the weighted belts that they had made to be used. Jesse was loading it up as she motioned to Seren with an arm. "COme on, we are up." She said it while moving into the raft and Ru was getting Etain into it. Guilia moving towards the small gate they had built and it would allow them to get out and go. "We'll work on the other fortifications while you are out, bring back something good."

 

[Seren Gwyn]

A faint smile lingered on Seren's face as Etain mourned the loss of her alcohol-fueled enlightenment. Whether the woman had truly uncovered the mysteries of the universe or simply discovered an exceptionally creative hangover cure was still very much open to debate. Judging by the others' reactions, however, this was hardly the first time such revelations had appeared and disappeared overnight.

"I suppose we shall have to endure without your cosmic wisdom," Seren replied, stepping toward the raft as Jesse waved her over. She took hold of the supplies nearest to her, helping secure them into place before climbing aboard with practiced balance. "Though if inspiration strikes again, perhaps try writing it down before the next drink."

Once seated, she took a moment to look over the raft itself. The reinforced carapace, the heavy anchor, the lines, and the wooden tracks all reflected the same pattern she had been noticing since their arrival. Every problem became an opportunity to build something better than what had existed before. It was an impressive way to survive.

Her amber eyes drifted toward Guilia as the gate opened before finally settling on Jesse. A small smile appeared. "We'll do our best. If there is anything useful left in those wrecks, we'll bring it back." She glanced once toward the jungle beyond the shoreline before adding with quiet optimism, "And perhaps today the only things trying to sink us will be the waves."

Jesse Organa

 

[Jesse Organa]

Seren Gwyn

Serena gave a nod of her head as the raft was going through the gate and it got closed as Jesse was there with Etain and Ru and Seren. Jesse grabbed one of the paddles as she was able to see many parts of it. Ru had the other and was going as Etain pointed. "We'l follow that trail." SHe said it while pointing but also reached down as she grabbed an air bladder and pulled the rrope with wire they had set up. Ru looking at her when jesse was taking it in. "She set up guide lines with anchors and bladders. To not get lost when we are looking for different areas. We marked our exploration grid by grid and where we were able to see more or gather some equipment on the shore for Gulia and Ginger."

 

[Seren Gwyn]

Seren watched with quiet interest as the raft slipped beyond the gate and into open water. The guidelines stretched ahead of them, each buoy marking another section of coastline they had already explored. She found herself genuinely impressed. It was methodical, organized, and practical. Rather than wandering aimlessly each day, they had slowly transformed the surrounding waters into a map they could understand.

Her amber eyes followed the line disappearing beneath the surface before she looked toward Etain. "That is actually rather clever." There was no hint of surprise in her voice, only sincere appreciation. "It means every trip builds upon the last instead of beginning from nothing." She rested one hand lightly against the edge of the raft as the gentle swell carried them forward.

"You'll know where you've searched, where supplies remain, and where it isn't worth spending time again." Looking ahead toward the distant wrecks, she allowed herself a small smile. "It also means that if we discover something useful today, everyone who comes after us will know exactly how to find it again." Her attention returned briefly to the guide rope before settling on the horizon. "I like systems that make tomorrow easier than yesterday."

Jesse Organa

 

[Jesse Organa]

Seren Gwyn

Jesse and ru were paddling as Etain spoke from the front of the raft and looked back at Seren. "YOu sound surprised, I might be hot, spoiled, rich, hot, an afternoon and midday drinker with a trophy husband I won in a bet.... but I did graduate from The military academy on Cardia with top honors and nine marriage proposals." Jesse was just looking at her and laughed to that as she turned to look at Ru and he made a show of his mucles to play along and get a better laugh. "I really am a trophy, she only uses me for my body." Jesse couldn't stop laughing as they continued on and she looked at Seren. "THe guides will help but it will be a benefitwith more marking and explains what they do all day."

 

[Seren Gwyn]

Seren blinked once as Etain listed her accomplishments with absolute confidence, each new descriptor somehow sounding more improbable than the last. By the time she reached "trophy husband," Seren found herself looking toward Ru just in time to watch him flex dramatically in support of the claim.

A quiet laugh escaped her before she could stop it.

"You know," she said thoughtfully, "I was prepared to question at least half of that statement." Her gaze shifted between Etain and Ru. "Now I am only uncertain about the exact number of marriage proposals."

She settled back against the side of the raft as it continued following the guide line, her attention returning briefly to the floating markers stretching across the water.

"Though the system itself is difficult to argue with." She nodded toward the buoys and anchored lines. "It tells a story. Where you've been, what you've recovered, and where effort is still worth investing. It is the sort of planning that saves time, energy, and probably lives."

A small smile lingered as she looked back toward Jesse.

"I am beginning to understand what all of you do every day." There was genuine appreciation in her voice. "It isn't simply surviving. You're slowly turning an unfamiliar place into a home."

Jesse Organa

 

[Jesse Organa]

Seren Gwyn

Jesse looked at her. "You keep doing that, talking like you are not really here or part of the group. Disassociation is something that might have resulted from the trauma of the crash." She said it while paddling and Etain led more of the way. Ru laughed a little though as Etain was leaning over but she had the wire for the moment and was looking down. "We have it set up for that but also to be something practical. No system, just a process that is needed. We don't want to keep going over the same place and some of the smaller islands and sandbars we have managed to fin and use for otherr caches we would be able to bring in. If we could organize it right, make smaller fallback locations or lures if Mugen was looking at it."

 

[Seren Gwyn]

Seren was quiet for a moment after Jesse spoke. The observation caught her just enough that she looked away, following one of the guide lines as it disappeared beneath the surface before finally giving a small nod. "Sorry," she said with a faint, almost sheepish smile. "Bad habit, I suppose. I have a tendency to step back and analyze things as though I'm writing a report instead of living through them. Old instincts."

Her gaze drifted around the raft, taking in the guide lines, the supplies, and the familiar faces surrounding her before she smiled a little more warmly. "You're right, though. We've built all of this together. I should probably stop describing our work as though I only arrived yesterday."

Jesse Organa

 

[Jesse Organa]

Seren Gwyn

"Good." Jesse was looking at her as Etain got them to the end and another bladder. THe floating there for a moment when she stood but was pointing down. "The light is almost right to see it but it is about twenty feet down to the ship." She said it and Jesse was looking at it as she went towards it. "And how far to shore?" Ru was looking at it. "Far enough we will need to recover the boars and rotate them to keep going. With these here you will get about eighteen feet of movement. The wire we have will be strong and we can get it around, one it is on the boards we can reel it in slowly for a time." He said it and they just needed to get it close enough to get it opened and search around not fully to the shore but they might be able to use it. If they could get several of them they could make shore breakers as additional protections.

 

[Seren Gwyn]

Seren stepped carefully toward the edge of the raft, following Etain's gesture as she peered through the remarkably clear water. At first she saw only shifting patterns of light dancing across the surface. Then, as the sun reached the proper angle, the outline of the wreck slowly emerged from the depths. The hull rested quietly on the seabed, worn by the water but still largely intact. Twenty feet was deep enough to complicate recovery, yet shallow enough to make it possible with patience and planning.

She listened while Ru explained the system they had devised, her attention shifting from the submerged ship to the floating bladders, the guide wire, and finally the wooden boards stacked aboard the raft.

"It makes sense," she said thoughtfully. "Trying to drag the entire weight at once would waste far too much effort. Breaking the recovery into smaller stages lets the equipment do most of the work instead of relying solely on strength."

Her gaze returned to the vessel beneath them.

"If the hull is still structurally sound, it may even help us." She considered the angle it rested at before continuing. "The less it twists while being pulled, the less resistance we'll fight. We only need to bring it close enough to salvage it, not beach the entire thing today."

A small smile crossed her face as she looked between Jesse and Ru.

"One ship becomes materials. Two become resources. Several..." Her eyes drifted toward the shoreline in the distance. "...become another layer of protection around the settlement. I'd say this is well worth the effort."

Jesse Organa

 

[Jesse Organa]

Seren Gwyn

Jesse gave a nod of her head to that. "If there is power and some system there, we might be able to expel the water from it. Some of the ships have the means to be able to do it. With it being sealed and only the outer areas. IT would help with some buoyancy." She said it while being there but she stood up and breathed for a moment. Taking a breath in, then she expelled... Then she was breathing in again and holding it before expelling. the air for herself. SHe brought more air into her lungs when she lept down into the water with a moment. She focused the force into her lungs to maintain and hold it. SOme of the cord with her so that she would be able to bring it down and she descended down towards the seafloor.

 

[Seren Gwyn]

Seren watched Jesse disappear beneath the surface, following the trail of bubbles as they descended toward the wreck resting on the seabed. She leaned slightly over the edge of the raft, her amber eyes tracking the faint silhouette until the water and sunlight swallowed it from view.

"A barrier would accomplish something similar," she observed, glancing toward Ru and Etain. "At least for breathing. A properly maintained Force barrier can hold a pocket of air around someone's head for a surprising amount of time."

She gave a small shrug, the thought offered more as an observation than a suggestion.

"Though Jesse seems to have this well in hand."

Rather than immediately diving after her, Seren remained aboard the raft for the moment, keeping her attention on the guide rope disappearing into the depths.

"I'll wait to see if she needs another pair of hands before joining her."

Jesse Organa

 

[Jesse Organa]

Seren Gwyn

Etain looked at her for a moment. "Does she know that?" She said it and looked down while not moving it but she was moving the planks for a moment. but she was there and looking over the area. "The trip to shore will be easier." She said it as she was getting a second line and dove in starting to move. With bladders to keep the line above water and metal that had been polished to be reflective and visible from under the water in the sunlight that they were using. Ru remaining there while he was tying bladders that would be able to be used for markers and anchors. Meanwhile jesse moved around under the water and there wasn't major damage. The engines were burned out but she wasn't finding massive tears which gave her some hope. The other was getting the wires and cords around the vessel and then around the struts for the landing gears.

 

[Seren Gwyn]

Seren glanced toward Etain, the corner of her mouth lifting into a faint smile before she gave an easy shrug.

"Probably not," she admitted. "Though knowing Jesse, she would insist on proving she can hold her breath longer anyway."

She watched the second line disappear beneath the surface with Etain before turning her attention back to the raft. There was little sense in standing idle while the others worked below. Moving carefully across the deck, she knelt beside the recovery equipment and began checking the reels, ensuring the lines would pay out smoothly once tension came onto them. One by one she positioned the submerged planks along the edge, spacing them evenly so the ship would have the easiest possible path once it broke free from the seabed.

"If they've managed to secure the cables properly," she said while giving one of the reels a final inspection, "the rest becomes a matter of patience. Better to move it a little at a time than risk tearing the landing struts free."

Satisfied that everything was prepared, she rested one hand lightly on the first reel, her attention shifting back toward the water as she waited for the signal from below. When it came, she intended to make certain the recovery began as smoothly as possible.

Jesse Organa

 

[Jesse Organa]

Seren Gwyn

Ru was looking at it all and securing the line from Etain as she swam to shore on the side. Then he grabbed two bladders for air and breathed in deeply before he jumped into the water and was using the weight of the planks to pull him down instead of wasting energy. His breathing focused and ready before he started positioning it on the seabed. Looking back up and pulling to get a second one to fall as he took a brief hit of the air aand could stay down there. LEaving Seren to man the raft when on the shore Etain came up and ground an anchor in the sand to hold it steady while she was setting more lines with the trees so that they could use it as a reverse pulley system and reduce the strain.

 

[Seren Gwyn]

Seren watched the operation unfold without feeling the need to interfere. Everyone seemed to know their role, each movement building naturally upon the last. Jesse worked below securing the wreck, Etain established the anchor points ashore, and Ru descended to position the submerged planks that would ease the ship's journey toward land. It was less like a collection of individuals and more like a machine whose parts had learned to trust one another.

Left aboard the raft, Seren shifted her attention to the recovery lines. She gathered the slack carefully, making certain nothing crossed or snagged against the others before feeding it neatly back through the reels. Every so often, she glanced beneath the surface, following the faint vibrations that traveled up the wire whenever one of them adjusted something below. They were making progress.

Her hands rested lightly against the first reel, ready to lock or release it the moment tension came onto the line. She checked each bladder in turn, ensuring they remained properly positioned to keep the guide rope visible while silently calculating how much strain the cables would experience once the wreck finally began to move.

"Everything is ready up here," she called toward the shoreline, loud enough for Etain to hear over the gentle movement of the water. "As soon as they give us the signal, we can start bringing her in a little at a time."

Satisfied there was nothing more to prepare, Seren settled into patient watchfulness. This stage no longer required hurried movement. It required careful hands, steady attention, and the discipline to let preparation do the hard work.

Jesse Organa

 

[Jesse Organa]

Seren Gwyn

Etain looked from shore as she was checking all of it. She allowed the moment to remain there and wondered but she could see the bladders being pulled down. The air in them not being taken but as they were being pulled down from being tied in place she was adjusting and focusing on pulling to make the lines taut but not snapping them. Focused and ready as Ru came up for a moment and stood there on the beach. Jesse surfacing a moment later as she waved an arm and got into the raft for a moment. her hands coming out and she breathed in and then outwards rotating and slowly working on the force to turn it and put it on the pieces.

 

[Seren Gwyn]

Seren watched the bladders dip beneath the surface as the lines gradually came under tension, each one sinking just enough to show the weight below was beginning to shift. From where she stood aboard the raft she could almost picture the operation unfolding beneath the water: Jesse guiding the cables into place, Ru positioning the submerged planks, and Etain keeping the entire system aligned from shore. It was an impressive balance of preparation and patience.

As Jesse surfaced and climbed back aboard, Seren immediately moved toward the nearest reel. She waited until she saw the subtle hand signal before easing the brake just enough to let the cable take up its strain without jerking. The line tightened with a low groan as tension spread through the recovery system, the raft giving the slightest tug beneath her feet.

"Everything's taking the load evenly," she observed, more to confirm it aloud than to direct anyone. Her attention remained fixed on the line as Jesse began manipulating the wreck with the Force. Seren adjusted the reel in small, measured increments, careful not to fight the movement below while ensuring the cable never went slack.

When the first faint vibration traveled back up through the wire, she allowed herself a small smile.

"I think it's moving."

Her hands remained steady on the mechanism.

"Slowly is exactly how we want this."

Jesse Organa