Public Minefield

[Viken Dobson]

"Space rocks. Oh joy...." Viken muttered under his breath as he clipped on the helmet of his armour and turned on the H.U.D. display. Already the suit's readouts started to come through and he double-checked to be sure that the life support systems were at max. And then came the readouts for the jetpack, an ever important part of this spacewalk operation. All seemed normal.

~Check. Check. Viken to Bluebird.~

~Gotcha loud and clear, Viken. All systems are linked. You two should be good to go once she's suited up.~

~Understood. I'll be waiting in the docking bay. Viken out.~

The clang of his boots on the metallic floor of the Y-8 sounded a bit more tinny through the helmet's speakers than he had figured they would. All of this was to be noted and logged, for this operation had two purposes. One was to mine the asteroid field and gain a lot of ores for MandalArms. The second was to test out the marine armour in open space conditions. Everything was to be recorded for research purposes.

The asteroid field was deep in neutral space and far from any conflicts. The added bonus of new wars being declared was that pirates and mercs tended to turn their attention to war instead of what anyone else was doing. That left ample opportunity for companies like MandalArms to replenish their resources and expand their production.

With the arrest of his father Arken Dobson by Heath Valhoun , the rumours were quickly circulating over what direction the Empire would be taking. Severus Dobson had so far kept out of the public spotlight and Viken had hoped that it was due to disinterest in taking over their father's legacy. That gave MandalArms more influence in the eyes of the Royal family and with that came more profit.

Politics and business were never his forté. Viken preferred engineering and working on the latest of MandalArms designs. There were quite a few top secret projects in the works, and even something as mundane as this operation was all a part of it.

"Come on...where is she?..." What was it with women and taking so long to get dressed?

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori was busy in her thoughts, going over a variety of things which caused her to not get suited up so quickly. She had a variety of roles and for once her titles weren't just fancy name plates on a desk. They actually meant something. Not to say that she really meant something at all to anyone, but the roles that she had sure did.

~Viken is ready for you, Captain.~ A hint of impatience was heard in Arla's voice over the intercomms. She had her own plans for this mission which she had kept entirely to herself. Not even Dorthea Dobson was aware of them, which made it all the better.

"Be right there..." Lori snapped her attention back to the prsent and slipped the helmet on over her head and switched it all on after securing it. The armour felt different than the Rebel Ops armour that she was used to. This one was a bit clunkier and heavier, yet she was sure that that would all change once they hit zero gravity. ~Be there in a minute, Viken.~ She slipped on the jetpack and checked the fuel gage before rushing down to the docking bay, her bootfalls echoing loudly as she ran. There were times in which Lori was quiet and sneaky, but this wasn't one of them.

She spotted Viken Dobson once she reached it and gave him a little wave before grabbing the cable attached to a crate carrying their drilling equipment. ~Arla, we're ready to go. Seal the airlock and open the bay door.~

~Yes, Captain. Sealing the airlock in five....four....three....two....one.~. Once the airlock was sealed the gravity was shut off and the two inside began to float. Lori turned on her jetpack and waited until the bay door was open before she exited out of the ship with the crate in tow.

Ahead of her lay the asteroid field of which they were going to mine. It was a bundle of ores ripe for the picking, and they were quick to take on the opportunity before anyone else.

~Care for a race, Viken?". Before she'd even get an answer, Lori took off towards the nearest asteroid, leaving Viken in her wake.