Private Through the Hangars

[Rynar Solde]

Rynar reached out and placed a hand lightly on Vael's shoulder, voice calm but carrying the weight of experience.
"I don't like the Sith," he said quietly, "never have. Their occupation before the rise of the Mandalorian Empire… it left scars. I saw it firsthand, and it hurt, especially during my time in self-exile. But I've learned to forgive them. Not because what they did was right… but because carrying that weight only drags down the soul."

He let the words settle for a moment, then gestured toward a section of the deck beneath the passageway.
"Now, if you're up for a bit of hands-on work, there's a spot below deck you might want to check out. A few wires, some fuses, nothing catastrophic, but the panels are tucked under the floorboards. Enough space to move, but last time I went in there without my armor, I got a nice little concussion from smacking my head on a pipe. Cramped, yeah, but manageable."

Rynar gave a faint, dry laugh.
"Just thought I'd give you the heads-up before you dive in. Makes the Vigo feel… cozy, but in a way that keeps her running right."

Deanez Vael Saren

 

[Deanez]

Dean had watched the exchange quietly, one hand still resting on Cupcake's scruff as the nexu happily worked through her treat. When Vael spoke, she shifted her attention to him, her expression composed and open, the faint edge of tension from earlier easing out of her posture.

She straightened slightly, brushing a bit of fur from her sleeve.

"Actually," Dean said calmly, her voice steady and thoughtful, "there are a few things we could use another set of eyes on."

She glanced briefly toward Rynar, a small, familiar look passing between them, then back to Vael.

"The Vigo runs well," she continued, "but she is old in places where it matters. We keep her flying because we know her systems inside and out. That also means we are very good at compensating for problems instead of always fixing them properly."

There was no self-criticism in her tone. Just honesty.

She gestured lightly down the corridor.

"The auxiliary power couplings near the aft junction have been temperamental," Dean explained. "Nothing dangerous. Yet. But they fluctuate under heavy load, especially when we are running shields, engines, and scanners at the same time."

Her brow lifted slightly.

"I would prefer to correct that before it becomes a real problem."

She folded her arms loosely, thoughtful.

"And the sensor calibration could use refinement," she added. "Rynar has improved the range. I optimized the processing speed. But we have not had time to fully harmonize the two."

A faint, almost wry smile touched her lips.

"We tend to fix things quickly when we are in the field," she admitted. "Not always elegantly."

Her gaze softened a little as she looked back at Vael.

"So if you are willing," Dean said quietly, "having someone who enjoys careful, methodical work would be… appreciated."

Cupcake padded over and sat at Dean's side, tail flicking once, as if endorsing the offer.

"And," Dean added, her tone lightening just slightly, "if you manage to improve something without triggering three other repairs in the process, Rynar will probably consider you a personal hero."

She glanced at him briefly, the corner of her mouth lifting.

"I might too."

Rynar Solde Vael Saren

 

[Vael Saren]

Vael was visibly excited to be given so many things to work on, almost uncharacteristically so for the normally stoic Way-following Mandalorians. Not only was this an opportunity to pay back his newfound friends for their aid and hospitality, it was allowing him very intimate access to a starship he had never laid his hands on before. Under his helmet, he was beaming.

"As I said," he repeated, "Wherever you need me. All I ask for is some time to grab my tools from my ship." Without waiting for an answer, he went off. He came back minutes later, a large toolbox in tow. Now completely focused on the tasks at hand and functionally mute in his single-minded movement, he turned his attention to the first problem listed: those "temperamental" auxiliary power couplings.

He watched them for a moment, listening to their hum and watching as the electricity arced intermittently. He could see why they would react to such a heavy draw. Internally, a few pieces had become misaligned - likely just the wear of travel. That was an easy fix, and one they had probably done more than once. The more substantial culprit was the wiring connecting the pylons of the couplings both to each other and to the ship overall. While they did not show any major signs of their age, these cables were still a few cycles obsolete. It was likely that they simply could not keep up with the power fluctuations. Luckily, he had a large bundle of miscellaneous wires in his toolkit. It took some searching, but he was able to find more up-to-date hardware. It was not bleeding edge by any means, but it should hold the couplings together much better than the older ones. After a solid hour of maintenance, Saren pulled himself up from the power junction, a satisfied sigh escaping his lips.

"That's one problem that should be taken care of," he said, "The wiring you were using with that coupling, while still capable, was meant for lower draw and older engines. I took the liberty of replacing them with something that should be able to handle your higher output. If you could show me to your sensor array, I'd be more than happy to take a look at that as well."

Deanez Rynar Solde

 

[Rynar Solde]

Rynar had been leaning against a crate, arms folded, watching Vael disappear into the ship's guts with that quiet, hyper-focused energy tech-types always got.

He glanced sideways toward Dean.
Low voice. Half a grin.
"So," he murmured, "how long d'you think it'll take before he gets frustrated with all our… creative solutions and punches something?"

It was meant as a joke.
Rynar expected sparks. Swearing. Maybe a request for spare parts duct-taped together with hope.
Instead, Vael's voice carried back through the bay.

"That should take care of the first issue."
Rynar blinked.
He straightened.
Vael kept going, talking about outdated wiring, higher output tolerances, replacements.

Rynar's jaw slowly dropped.
"…Wait."
He pushed off the crate.
"You didn't just patch it."

Vael explained calmly, like this was the most normal thing in the world.
Rynar stared.
"You updated it?"
His hand lifted, pointing vaguely toward the couplings, disbelief bleeding straight through his voice.


"You... you made it better?"
Cupcake chose that exact moment to chirp from above, the tone so smug it might as well have been laughing.
Rynar groaned and waved her off.
"Don't start," he told the droid. "I don't need commentary right now."

He scrubbed a hand over his jaw, then looked back at Vael, shaking his head once in quiet amazement.
"…Okay."
He cleared his throat, posture easing as the shock faded into genuine appreciation.
"Listen," Rynar said, nodding toward him, "when you're done saving our ship from itself, if you want a drink, it's on me."

Vael Saren Deanez

 

[Deanez]

Dean had been standing just behind Rynar, arms folded loosely across her chest, watching Vael work with the same quiet scrutiny she brought to most things. She had expected competence. She had not expected initiative. And certainly not at this level.

When Vael finished explaining the rewiring, her gaze shifted from the couplings to him, measuring him with a steadiness that felt almost tactile.

"You replaced the pylons' feed lines entirely," she said, not accusing, simply confirming the fact. "Without asking."

There was no edge in her voice. Only assessment. A weighing of choices and consequences.

She stepped forward and crouched beside the junction he had been working in. Her fingers brushed lightly along the newly installed cabling, tracing the route with practiced familiarity. She checked spacing, anchor points, insulation seals, and the subtle tension in the lines. She followed the path up toward the coupling housing, eyes narrowing slightly as she mentally ran through draw tolerances and stress points.

For a long moment, she said nothing.

Then she leaned back on her heels, exhaling through her nose in a way that was almost approval.

"It's clean," she said at last. "Better than what we had. You accounted for fluctuation bleed from the primary engines."

She looked up at him then, her expression steady but no longer guarded. Something in her posture eased, just a fraction, but enough to be noticeable.

"That was not a cosmetic fix."

Rising smoothly, she wiped her hands on a cloth at her belt. She gave Rynar a brief sidelong glance, the kind that carried an entire conversation in a single flicker of her eyes. It said, plainly, we're keeping him.

Then she turned back to Vael.

"The sensor array is aft, port side corridor," she said. "Panel three-seven-A. It misreads depth when we push through dense debris fields. Lag spikes during wide-spectrum scans."

She tilted her head slightly, studying him with a new kind of interest.

"If you can improve that without tearing out half the housing, I will be impressed."

A faint pause followed, subtle but intentional.

"And thank you."

The words were simple, direct, and unadorned, but from Dean they carried weight. She did not offer gratitude lightly.

Cupcake padded over then, sniffed Vael's boots with great seriousness, huffed once in what could only be interpreted as approval, and settled nearby like a small, furry overseer.

Dean stepped aside, gesturing toward the corridor with a quiet confidence that made it clear she was not relinquishing command, only granting access.

"Come on," she said calmly. "I want to see how you think."

It was not a challenge.

It was an invitation. And from her, that meant something.

Rynar Solde Vael Saren