Stars Align

[Clea Larson]

When she came back to her senses, the first thing that caught Clea's attention was the smell of smoke. "What the frell?" She muttered under her breath as she forced herself back into an upright position. She groaned as she pushed herself off the floor. The last thing she remembered was going to check in the cargo bay and leave the flying to Loros, her copilot. They had just reached the Bovo Yagen system. They had been sent to retrieve some durelium for the Jaemus shipyards, that were extraced from the Tava Yagen asteroid belt. A mission more routine than that would have been impossible in her book; or so she had thought.

"Loros!" The human-Zabrak hybrid yelled across the large freighter. Alarms were roaring all across the craft. She rushed to the cockpit but found the door sealed and she could feel that the ship was falling towards wherever it might land or drift. She didn't know how it was possible as they were far enough from the damn asteroid belt. She had heard spacers talk about rumors that some were now running amok in the system and at its fringe but she hadn't believed it. Hell, Loros should have kept his eyes open in the first place. They were the only two aboard, since the mining complex was going to help them load, and the people at the Jaemus shipyards would help them unload.

The freighter didn't have a bloody escape pod and she didn't get why Loros wasn't answering. She grabbed her datapad and connected it quickly to the ship's system, trying to get a visual in the cockpit, thanks to planetary forces' regulations. Her mouth fell open as she saw her copilot sit dead, his blaster fallen by his side. What had happened? She couldn't comprehend it and frankly she had zero time to waste.

Not sure what option she had, she thought quickly and then went for the large drill that was normally for mining purpose. Without hesitation, she went to use it against the door to the cockpit.

She wasn't going to go down without a fight.

[Clea Larson]

The blaring alarms were giving her a headache but she had other things to do than trying to silence them. The cockpit door eventually gave way into shattered pieces. Clea rushed into the room and gave no second look at her late copilot. She couldn't allow herself to be blinded by her anger at his foolishness. She could respect one's choice to end their life, but not when it put other people in jeopardy. That was cowardly criminal and she had thought better of her fellow soldier. She slammed a few controls to get attempt to stabilize the ship again. With visual ahead at last, she saw that they were closing in on what must be Trellar Yagen, the jungle world of the system. That was just her luck. It was one of the few inhabitated planets around there but it was far from crowded and if the ship was going to crash into the middle of nowhere, it was no surprise no contact had been established with them. On a normal planet, local air controls would have already reached out to them - for she had checked that the com channel was ready for use - or sent a patrol.

One of the engines wasn't responding anymore and stabilizing the ship was about mission impossible at this point. She felt it hard when the freighter entered atmosphere. The situation was a mess and there had definitely been a bad hit with a loose asteroid after Loros had ended his life. She had been thrown into a wall and knocked out for a while, but now she wondered whether several hits might have occured, depending how long she had been out.

The high canopy of the jungle trees kept looking bigger and bigger outside the viewport as she struggled to ease what was going to be one mean landing. She refused to call it a crash as long as she was flying the ship. It was hell and there was only so much she could do, but she gave her everything in maneuvering the freighter.

It eventually collided with high trees and got tangled in large wild vines, which only slowed the descent so little. After what felt like an eternity but must not have been more than a minute, she finally hit the ground. The noises the ship made, some mechanical howl, was no good omen, but right now, Clea allowed herself to take a few deep breaths.

[Clea Larson]

The moment of respite didn't last long as Clea smelled smoke and fire. Pursing her lips, she grabbed the fire extinguisher at the back of the cockpit and sped through the hallways of the freighter to find where this was coming from. Thank the Maker, it wasn't in the engine room, but it was one of the heater unit in the sleeping quarters that had exploded for whatever reason during the crash landing. Clea felt worn out and in a violent state of anger as she cleaned up the mess. Once fire was no more, she decided to go outside and see exactly where the heck the ship was at the moment.

Macrobinoculars on her person, the military scientist managed to open the hatch and lower the boarding ramp half way. The damp and hot air outside assaulted her right away. She liked heat but there was only so much she enjoyed. This bloody jungle wasn't paradise for certain. She was in the middle of nowhere, which meant that the first thing she should do was assess everything that was in need of repairs on the ship, and do what she could with her supplies. At least, she always made sure to have food and water for an extended flight. Sometimes it made others laugh and she got called paranoid, but in moments like this, she was grateful for her quirks.

From the corner of her eye, she saw some wild lizard trying to climb up the ramp. Without hesitation, she reached for a nearby branch and pushed him away with it. Climbing back inside, she secured the hatch once more, ensuring it was locked, and she double checked the direct area so no local creature had joined her as special guest.

[Maggewetok]

Waking on the bed of layered leaves and furs, Maggewetok felt as if she was back home again, the yarmait's warmth from the central hearth smelling of her mother's cooking and the safety that she felt back then. Hazel eyes opened to see her host and healer, a Bovorian local who had taken her in and helped take care of the alien human. Crouched before the collection of brass pots, steam rose up from the soup which the male was becoming famous for and Maggie knew she was going to have to get the recipe before she left. Stretching with her right arm, her left still braced, the Alliance agent had spent a week here already and was starting to get restless.

"Ah," the high pitched, kind voice greeted. "The wingless one is awake."

Chuckling, Maggie let her right arm fall as she turned her attention back to Yuran. "Morning. Something smells good," she stated and pushed herself up to sit on the rounded, comfortable bed. Light from the window to her right and above also allowed in the birdsong echoing in the large forested jungle, humidity also becoming the norm while here.

"Yes, almost done." Yuran stood, his gangly legs and arms covered in a very thin, light brown fur, the small wings running from each wrist and around his back matched the darker brown, leathery ears which radiated out and back from each side of his head. "You shouldn't move so much," dark eyes took in the braced left arm. "That won't heal right."

"It's fine, thank you. I've been healing well with all your roots and berries, I can tell. I've had plenty of broken bones over the years."

The sloped, bird-like head angled downward a bit. "I'm sorry to hear that."

Maggie grinned lightly, "Broken bones heal stronger than they were before, actually. I've had plenty to know."

Nodding, he grabbed two bowls and began ladling out enough in each, handing one with a spoon to the eager brunette. "Eat, then we'll look at the wingless arm."

Eating like a hungry predator, she loved this soup and almost hated to leave his company. As they sat and enjoyed breakfast which was made up of a collection of fruits, vegetables and tiny bits of meat in a modest broth, the thunder of a passing ship over the village caught their attention, tops of trees breaking and fell to the jungle floor, some smaller branches hitting the porch and roof of Yuran's home. Rising, the Bovorian looked out through the window as his mouth fell open a bit.

"What is it," Maggie inquired.

"Another visitor."

[Clea Larson]

Before Clea began going through all the material issues she would need to work with, she had to take care of Loros's body. She had seen death before so it didn't shock her. What brewed deep in her was her violent anger at his selfish way of leaving. Couldn't he have ended his day without putting her life at risk as well as a mission for their employers? It was disgusting really. Sighing, she went to check the cold vault, meant for some volatile materials that was sometimes transported. She would have to make his body fit in there, because she knew that her superiors would investigate the situation and would do an autopsy. She muttered and cursed because her own career would be sullied by that until everything was sorted out. That infuriated her but she had to take care of everything she could.

Carrying the lifeless rigid body to the compartment, that was no small feat even for the half-Zabrak. Once it was secured, she went back to the cockpit and tried to see if the communication worked, but technical problems occured and she would need to find a way to quickly fix it or find some locals. She had caught glimpses of villages farther away but she had crash-landed in the middle of the jungle, so she wouldn't walk to wherever until she had a list of needed parts for the repairs.

[Maggewetok]

Trekking through the dense jungle, avoiding murky ponds and using simply made foot bridges constructed on pilings with wooden slats and a dried fern of some type, Maggewetok followed Yuran and two other male Bovorians toward the crash site. Easy to follow, the trail through the treetops and soon, the fallen, broken trees themselves guided the small party to the ship. Half buried in mud and earth, the vessel still smoked and the Alliance agent knew it was going to take a lot of work to get this thing out of here. But, first they needed to see if anyone was still alive within. Lopsided, the starboard side was raised enough to allow the ramp to open and as they split up, the dark haired human moved to it, noticing soon the footprints in the dirt. Someone was alive and now holed up inside.

"There's at least one alive," she announced to the male hunter, his spear well crafted.

Gazing at the ship, the alien sniffed at the air, "Chased off a releet," Yuran informed, licking his lips.

Nodding, Maggewetok then moved to the closed door and knew she couldn't knock loud enough for someone to hear her. Scanning the ground around them, she soon found a large rock and moved to it, picking up the rough, circular object, then returned to the ship's hull and pounded on the entry. Hopefully someone would hear that. Her pistol holstered, she backed away and waited a moment.

[Clea Larson]

Clea had all the tools she would need aboard the ship, but she needed two new cooling units and some spare parts to fix the propulsion. That would require to get to one of the nearby villages and pray that they had what she needed. She wasn't worried about doing the repairs herself and she had money to pay. What bothered her was to fix the communication system as soon as possible, so she could contact both the Jaemus Armed Forces and also the mining company she was supposed to be visiting for business right now.

She was sitting in the hallway, tinkering with the communication system when she suddenly heard a loud noise against the hatch she had closed earlier on after giving a quick look outside. She pursed her lips and pushed herself back to her feet. Grabbing her blaster, she headed to the boarding ramp, to lower it done, weapon in arm and ready to dodge, just to be on the careful side. It had been a kriffin long day and she didn't need other issues piling up.

[Maggewetok]

A long quiet moment was soon interrupted by the whine of servos which now could only get the ramp lowered most of the way, but enough to see up inside. Crouching, Maggewetok tossed the rock aside knowing it would be of no use now, especially if they were armed. Moving to the opposite side of the escape pod, also crouching with his spear, Yuran gazed up within, keeping enough of himself under the cover of the hull of the vessel to keep from being shot.

"Anyone hurt," the Bovorian's higher toned voice called up. "We're not enemy, unless you shoot first."

Appreciating his grasp of Aurebesh, Maggewetok's right hand remained on the handle of her pistol, just in case.

[Clea Larson]

Clea was tired and was relieved when the people who were there seemed unwilling to harm her. "Bruises and some cuts, but I'm alright. Ship's not so much." The athletic woman said, lowering the boarding ramp fully, as well as her weapon.

"Didn't expect to see locals that deep in the jungle. Hope I didn't damage any of your lands." She said genuinely, never happy to damage ecosystem, even though she hadn't had much choice.

"Was on my way to the Tava Yagen asteroid belt for work, but my comm system's damaged."

[Maggewetok]

Hazel eyes scanned the vessel from her perspective and could tell that this ship had suffered a few more things other than the communications suite, though if that was the case this pilot was amazingly lucky. When she mentioned being lightly wounded, that regained Maggie's attention and prompted her to move closer to the opening and gaze up within. "You at least have emergency power then," she inquired, knowing that would help getting the ship out of the mud. Crouching, both now appeared to the girl and no doubt gained some interest from her, Maggie mused.

"We have only minor things in our shop," Yuran informed, then motioned to the dark haired Saami. "Her ship is in fine condition though."

"I may be able to fly over here and help get you pulled up to set your landing gear at least," she gazed passed the brunette. "You alone?"

[Clea Larson]

"I was checking something in the cargo bay when the ship hit an asteroid. When I got back to my senses I did what I could to maneuver the ship but I could only do so much when crash landing." She was a very skilled pilot but wiht how things had gone, that had been a difficult mess.

She observed the two strangers as she could see them with greater clarity. "I can make do with some pieces. As long as I can get to the asteroid belt's station, I'll be good." She looked at the woman and nodded. "That'd be helpful, though wouldn't be able to communicate with you with how my com system is still down."

She sighed at the question, her shoulders slightly sagging. "Yeah... My copilot gave up on me and the mission." She said cooly and tiredly.

[Maggewetok]

The communication issue could be taken care of easily enough, she mused and glanced to the local Bovorian. "I can communicate with Yuran on his comlink," she stated, then turned hr attention back up to the stranded girl. "Then he can pass it on to you, if you don't mind him coming aboard." Hearing that her companion had given up and the sadness in the woman's voice definitely revealed a bit more about the situation and she could relate to losing help in a time of need. But, this particular day and time she could help someone else, hoping that the woman wasn't a Force user that might at some point, discover that one of her rescuers was an agent.

"Don't worry, we'll get you out of here," Yuran informed politely, his higher pitched voice echoing up the rampway.

Once they established that part, Maggewetok began the long trek back to the village to get her own ship.

[Clea Larson]

Clea pondered on that for a moment, but thought it was a sound option. She was grateful for the strangers' assistance and after the day she'd been having, it was a welcomed change of pace. "Sure thing. Please come aboard. I'd be glad to get out of that muddy swamp. It'll be a start." She beckoned Yuran to follow her and closed the boarding ramp afterwards. Catching sight of a local nasty thing, she carefully killed it and put the remains in a container to be on the safe side.

She then led the way to the cockpit and went through what she could do with the still responding controls, so she would do as much as she could to help the woman to get her ship out of its predicament. The engines were in poor shape, but she would be able to give a little boost when pulled.

"Thanks for your help. Didn't expect to find anyone that close."

[Maggewetok]

Climbing the ramp into her own ship, Maggewetok closed it behind her, knowing none of the creatures that lived here needed a ride to any other world. Having acquired the freighter not that long ago, she had paid for the new transponder code and then ensured that the mechanic didn't pass that on to anyone else. His unfortunate end no doubt discovered a day or so after she was long gone, the agent once learning from the Imperial trainers long ago knew how to cover her tracks. Sitting in the pilot's seat, she began going through the startup sequence, the pleasant village high in the trees very comfortable and inviting. Wishing she could stay longer, the native of Belsavis was also realistic, home wasn't something that she could enjoy for a long time, if ever. Rising into the air, the freighter banked to starboard and roared from those Bovorians now wishing their ancestral wings still worked. A walk that had taken nearly an hour was easily traversed in minutes with the vessel as she quickly found the burned and broken path through the jungle to the wrecked ship.

"Yuran, I'm here. Going to need you and the other two to link these magnagrapplers to her ship so I can help lift her."

"Okay," he replied, his voice still a bit grating.

Putting her YT into hover mode, she hurried back to the cargo bay and found the four cables, then lowered the cargo bay ramp. Linking one end of each to her ship, the repulsors at the bottom of the ship working overtime to keep the ship steady, Maggewetok then dropped them to the locals on the roof of the other ship below. Pointing out where the cables needed to go, she waited for them to carry out the order, then raised the cargo bay ramp once more. "Get inside with her and I'll fly us to a drier spot near the village."

"Okay," Yuran yelled, the blast of air coming down from her ship nearly drowning out his voice.

Making her way to the cockpit once more, she waited for his confirmation that they were inside, then revved her ship and slowly began raising the crashed vessel. Straining under the weight as well as the mud not wishing to let go, she finally felt the lurch as the freighter below her was freed, allowing her to then rise and slowly make their way to a clearing near the village.

[Clea Larson]

Clea had been satisfied with the little push she'd be able to have her own ship's engines give - not much but enough to help she hoped. For now though, she powered things back down as not to push her luck too far. When the woman said that she was here to Yuran, who was by her side, Clea went outside with him again, to help him take care of the cables. It wasn't the first time she had to go through this, though normally she was aboard the ship that would do the lifting.

When they got back aboard, she waited to feel the ship be stuck in the lifting process. She pursed her lips and then hit the bit of power she could give with her stuck craft. With combined efforts - though mostly from the other woman's freighter - she could finally be freed. She maneuvered her ship and followed lead to where she should land in a drier spot. That was a first step in getting back into the swing of things after an insane day so far. She'd eventually get some rest but she could handle a lot before it took a toll on her, which was blessing in such a situation.

[Maggewetok]

Once the cables were free, she guided her freighter not far to the east of the newly freed vessel. Lowering back to the ground, she went through the power down procedure, then let the ship rest once again as she made her way to the ramp and exited. Locking up, she angled her course underneath the Ulu and headed to the trio of Bovorians exiting.

"The wingless one has done a good thing," Yuran grinned, his pronounced beak-like nose shadowing most of his thin lipped mouth in the center. "She's going to need some time to repair the vessel, but hopefully our warehouse has what she needs."

Nodding, Maggewetok knew she already owed the local a lot as well. "Thank you. I'll help as I can and see you this evening."

Grinning wider, the three tall, gangly aliens turned and headed toward the village buried within the trees nearby as the dark haired agent made her way back up into the ship they had just vacated. "Knock, knock," she called out and listened for activity to guide her steps.

[Clea Larson]

Once she had landed on a drier spot, Clea thanked Yuran for the help as he exited her ship. The military then ensured to go through what was needed in terms of parts. She had already worked on establishing part of the list prior to meeting with the locals, but she wanted to be ready to take care of the repairs, starting with the comm system. She should have reached the asteroid belt mining outpost a few hours ago. And her superiors back on Jaemus probably wondered why the heck they only got radio silence from her. She wasn't looking forward having to explain this mess but it wasn't as if she had a choice in the matter. But first things first, and in her case it was fixing the ship.

When she heard the other woman aboard the ship again, she called out. "I'm in the cargo bay, second on the left in the hallway." It was a secondary one, where smaller pieces and containers were stored compared to the main one right at the boarding ramp. "I didn't expect to find help so quickly." She added with a tired grin when the other brunette joined her. "Planning to make the basic repairs that'll get me to the mining compound in the belt. From there I can see if I need more while I stay there for work during a week."

[Maggewetok]

Following the echo of movement, Maggie passed a host of fallen items on the floor, having been pushed aside as the owner had to tend to bigger things right now. Turning left, she entered the cargo bay and noticed even more crates and other things tossed around in the crash. Picking her way through the tangled mess, she listened to the girl's concerns and could definitely understand. "If I can help, just let me know. I know a bit about repairing ships, though not a full on mechanic by any stretch," she grinned, finding a suitable crate to lean against as she surveyed the damage to the hull and attached lines and piping.

"What ever happened to your friend? I know you mentioned he left you, but," hazel eyes drifted to the pilot, arms crossed.

[Clea Larson]

"I hear you. I'm not a full on mechanics either but I learned to run diagnostics and handle some repairs during military academy. It's come handy more often than not." She added, before finishing to input something on her datapad. "I'll mostly need some new wires and two small cooling units for the main repairs. As for the comms system, it'll just be a few small spare parts."

When asked about her copilot, she tensed a bit and felt anger swamp her again. "He killed himself while I went to check something in the cargo bay. Our ship then hit an asteroid and I was knocked out. When I woke up, I found out what happened and did what I could not to fully crash the freighter."

Frankly, she didn't want to share that insane story but she didn't see the point in lying. "Have no freaking clue whatsoever. We've served together on several missions for Jaemus Armed Forces in the past two years. Frelling mess."

[Maggewetok]

Brow raised in surprise as her mouth fell open a bit. Though Maggie had been around death most of her life, she still wasn't totally comfortable with it when it happened to someone that could've avoided that end. "Sorry to hear that," she offered. "Never easy to lose a friend." Adding any more to that would allow Clea to know more about her than was comfortable, so she then began looking around, arms falling back to her sides. "I may be able to help with the com system. Let me go see if Yuran's found any parts that you needed."

Turning to leave, she motioned to the chaos in the cargo bay, "Maybe let you organize some of this so you have room to work." Heading back out, the agent took stock of more possible damage as she headed to the ramp, knowing she had seen several things on the outside when they first found the wreck. At least the freighter still had hull integrity. Outside, she glanced toward the upper boughs of the immense trees and walked toward the base of the nearest and soon noticed the two locals that had gone with them to find Clea and her ship, one carrying several small boxes in his right arm. Slowing her pace, she knew they would be joining her any moment.