Ask Yavin IV Additional Unscheduled Maintenance

[Brienna Lanaamer]

“Well, what’s wrong with it?” Bri stood, hands on her hips, staring up at the large starship in front of her. A small droid rolled up to her side and offered a lengthy series of beeps and chirps as way of response. The Jedi interrupted the droid before it could finish, sounding slightly exasperated, “wait, wait, wait, we both know you’re smarter than me,” the droid had no apparent facial features, save for a few flashing lights, but it was obviously pleased by its human partner’s comment. “So leave out the technical stuff,” the Jedi continued. NL-142 replied with a few more beeps, at a slower pace and lower tone. Brienna narrowed her eyes and wondered if the droid was mocking her. She shifted her position from looking at the ship to looking at the droid. “Oh,” came a rather depressed sounding solitary word reply.

The ship in question was Brienna’s 3-Z light freighter. On reentry on to Yavin, she had noticed a particularly annoying sound coming from the ship’s engine room. The Jedi had hoped it was nothing, or something minor, but unfortunately NL seemed to think major repairs were required to the compressor or capacitor, lest they both wish to end up floating aimlessly in the dark cold of space. Thinking back to a recent mission, Bri pondered that attempting to fly repeatedly through dense gas planets may not have been the best idea. Shaking the thought from her head, she looked down and asked, “Can you fix it?” NL replied with what could be described as the droidspeak equivalent of a scoff, lamenting it’s own lack of dexterous arms and hands.

It was a cooler day on Yavin, but Bri felt the general humidity of the forest on a sunny day slowly start to affect her. Ships were parked in the caves that doubled as hangers, but, they had all been full on Bri’s arrival, forcing her to land in one of the more flat, open areas near the Jedi temple. “Well, you’ll have to walk me through it then,” the Jedi replied to the droid, which seemed amenable to the suggestion with a nod of its ‘head.’ Bri folded her arms over her chest and let out an outward sigh, displeased with the day’s detour that had been placed in front of her.

@Rhogar

 

[Drastus Drahr]

Drast was on another one of his daily runs, this one was much longer than previous runs so he had resorted to removing his training vest and had it tucked into a pocket on the joggers. He'd check his chrono, ninety seconds ahead of his goal. Perfect. He didn't seem to notice the woman and her droid working on their ship, just noticed that he had company at his finish line. Reaching the finish point, about six meters away from Bri, he would slow down to a stop and nearly double over in exhaustion.

Due to a recent interaction, he had gone back to maintaining his hair and facial hair, with the sides and back shaved and the dreads tied up top. Tattoos and scars covered most of his exposed torso, arms, and legs. After a few deep breaths, he'd straighten his stance and unclip the water canteen from his weighted belt. Taking a long pull from it, he finally seemed to notice the ship for what it was and the pair nearby.

"Hey, how's going?" he'd yell out with a friendly grin, his voice was strained a touch with exhaustion. Grabbing a towel from the weighted belt, he'd begin to wipe some of the sweat and grime away from the run, taking a few steps closer as he did so. "Take it the hangar is full up, eh?"

@ModernMarvel

 

[Brienna Lanaamer]

Bri turned her head and torso as she heard someone call out to her. The lush green grass provided a soft sound, but every so often a twig snapped or dry leaf was stepped on which signaled the arrival of a visitor. NL had rolled away, probably to continue its diagnostics, leaving Bri alone with the new visitor.

A quick glance up and down the young man was enough for Bri to acquire the necessary information. He looked young, and had a number of tattoos adorning his torso and arms. The signs of physical exertion were clear to spot as he wiped his face down with a towel. Probably a Padawan.

The Jedi Knight turned to face the newcomer and offered a friendly sigh in response. "I'm doing alright. My ship on the other hand....." she placed her hands back down on her hips with a laugh. Evidence of mechanical exertion was clear to spot on Bri. Her hair was tied up into a messy pony tail, and a few streaks of grease were marked on her cheeks. She had removed her outer tunic, leaving her wearing just a light tank top, tucked into a pair of tight brown pants. Standard Jedi issue leather boots completed the ensemble.

"Unfortunately, it was," Bri added, "and the sun is starting to get a little warm," she looked skyward, squinting her eyes.

@Rhogar

 

[Drastus Drahr]

He would finish wiping away the sweat on his torso and arms before replacing it with the black training vest, which he pulled on to at least cover some of the bare skin. It's not that he was ever nervous or embarassed, he just did it as a type of respect thing. The woman he was talking too was definitely young, though maybe a few years older than him and she definitely towered over the other girls.

As she laughed, he'd even join in. "Oh yeah, I bet she's seen better days. What'd ya do to her?" he asked, genuinely interested in the answer. His arms would cross briefly as he took a casual stance now within a meter of her, his eyes drifting from her to the ship. At her comment about the sun, he'd reach down for his canteen of water and offer it to her. "Here, still cold." he'd say warmly. "Been at it for awhile?" he'd nod to the ship as he asked.

@ModernMarvel

 

[Brienna Lanaamer]

Bri looked over sheepishly at the Padawan. “Well, it turns out that flying a ship through clouds of unknown gas floating in space isn’t the best idea. When I was on approach here, the engined started to make a rather annoying sound. NL here says it’s something wrong with the compressor,” she paused, raised an eyebrow and looked slightly confused at her ship, “or capacitor?”

At this point NL had noticed its human partner engaged in conversation with a fellow Jedi and ceased its own checks, rolling over. It caught the final snippet of Bri’s sentence, and offered a quick interjection of beeps and chirps that it was indeed the capacitor causing the issue. The Jedi offered a knowing glance to the Padawan, illustrating the droids’ superior starship knowledge.

“Thanks,” Bri smiled, taking the canteen and wiping the brim with the bottom of her tank top. The cool water tasted pleasant under the warm sun. “Longer than I’d care to admit,” the Jedi added with a self deprecating laugh. “I’m Brienna by the way,“ she introduced herself, handing the canteen back. “Bri,” came an additional reply, indicating her preferred nickname.

@Rhogar

 

[Drastus Drahr]

Drastus didn't know a whole lot about flying, except when either his Master or Max would let him fly their ships, albeit at their own risk. It's why he liked his pod, easy to handle, fast, it could really do some damage. Space flight was a whole other beast though. So when she started going on about bad gases in space and compressors and capacitors he knew he was at the limit of his actual usefulness in that regard. That was more talk that Xiann would be good at. "Oh yeah, I guess moving through bad gasses could have a bad effect on just about anything." he'd say with a smirk. He even offered a half-bow at the droids knowlege. "All hail LN, Robotic All-father. May we fleshy sacs quake in your magnitude." he'd say with a laugh.

"Yeah, no problem, Bri. Name's Drastus, most people call me Drast, though. Granted, it garners some looks, though no relation." He'd scratch his chin. "I don't have much knowledge of ships, but I got two pair of hands and the ability to use tools, if you two need help."

@ModernMarvel

 

[Brienna Lanaamer]

"That's probably the truth," Bri replied with a slight laugh. The Jedi was under no illusions about her abilities as a pilot. Something her droid was very frequent to remind her about. "Oh, don't get him started, he's insufferable," she added, somewhat sarcastically, looking down at the droid. At that point, the droid proceeded to launch into a lengthy and rather animated assessment of Bri’s flying skills, or lack therof. The Jedi cut the droid off before it could get too far. “Ok, ok, I think he gets it NL,” she replied, sounding slightly annoyed by the droids eagerness to turn on her. She returned with a somewhat embarrassed glance back at the Padawan.
"Nice to meet you, and I appreciate the offer." Bri nodded, looking back down at the droid. NL rolled away, as she turned to Drast, "I think we're supposed to follow him"

The two walked to the reverse side of the ship, where NL began another series of beeps and sounds. "Right, so the capacitor should be behind this panel here." Bri jogged over and grabber her tool box, returning shortly. She turned to Drast. "Can you unscrew this panel? I'll hold it in place so it doesn't fall on you once its loose."

@Rhogar

 

[Drastus Drahr]

Drast would join her in the laugh. "Yeah well..." he'd speak a little lower so only she could hear while the droid was mid-rant. "Aren't they all?" Returning his attention he would nod in agreement with the droid. "Oh yes, I can't believe she did that." When Bri spoke up again, he felt a little bad that she seemed embarassed, but he would just offer a thumbs up. "Sure thing, lead the way."

"Right. The capacitor." Drast would say with a frim nod. He had no idea what a capacitor even was, but the droid did and that's all that really mattered. "Unscrew the panel? Are Wookies hairy? Of course I can do that for ya!" He'd take the screw driver and set to work removing screws, all the while he was cautious of the panel just suddenly falling, so when it came free he would help with the removal. "So.. How long have you been a Knight?"

@ModernMarvel

 

[Brienna Lanaamer]

Bri nodded, chuckling slightly at Drast’s apparent eagerness to help with the ship repairs. The Padawan helped to build unscrew the panels, which loosened the large durasteel plate. After it was unlocked, the Jedi used an assist from the Force to help carefully lower it to the ground without crushing or falling on anyone (or droid). With the new compartment now opened, a better view could be seen into the inner-mechanical workings of the ship. A mess of colorful wires and strangely shaped metallic objects.


NL offered a few more steps of direction, by way of beeping along as they worked. Bri turned her head back towards the Padawan after hearing his question. “Oh, I guess it’s been a little while now. About 10 years.” She paused momentarily realizing the quickening passing of time in her memory. “Yeah, I can’t believe it’s been that long. How about you? When did you join the Order? I’m not on Yavin too often, but I don’t think I’ve seen you around before.”


Removing a few more parts in the way, Bri reached her hand into a newly opened crevasse and unlocked a medium sized piece with a metallic knock. The cylindrical shaped object was obviously in disrepair, with black charring covering its entirety. “Ah. I don’t think it’s supposed to look like that.” The Jedi dropped the capacitor on the ground. NL rolled over to observe. The droid did an electronic equivalent of sighing in frustration.

@Rhogar

 

[Drastus Drahr]

Plate removal? Easy. Deciphering various wire colors and other random things? Not so much. Didn't help he couldn't understand the droid. So, he did what he did during all things he didn't quite understand: smile and nod. He'd also adopted hack for the things he didn't know, fake it til ya make it.

"Ten years? Wow. I thought you were only a few years older." He'd smirk. "Didn't think you were an old timer." He said with a laugh, even swatting LN on the back as he did so. "Ohhh don't kill me."

Settling down from his laugh he'd give her question a thought or two. "Three.. maybe four years now? I got here late. Due to how other Padawans on Kloss treated me, we didn't spend much time there. My Master pulled me off the streets, gave me a second chance at living a good life. How about you? Grow up in the Order? Or a wayward soul?"

He would grimace as he saw the capacitor. He wasn't sure what they looked like naturally, but he was fairly sure they weren't suppose to be charcoal fried and extra crispy.

@ModernMarvel

 

[Brienna Lanaamer]

Bri looked over at Drast with a sideways grin as he joked about her age. It wasn't something that she would feel offended about, and realized that the Padawan was simply jesting with her. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up" Bri replied, sounding sarcastic. "I've been around the proverbial galactic block a few times." That wasn't to necessarily say that she felt like a Jedi veteran in any way. One of the aspirations that she always held in her own Force journey, was the continuous pursuit of knowledge. There was never a bad time to learn something new. NL tilted its head in confusion as Drast swatted it.

The Jedi nodded solemnly as Drast gave a short explanation of his history. Especially at the mention of Ajan Kloss. Bri didn't want to pry too much but replied with a nod, "well I'm glad you found your way here," meaning it in the both figurative and literal sense. She was of the opinion that it really was never too late to start a journey with the Force, stepping and travelling with the Light.

"I guess a little bit of both," Bri added. "I arrived on Ajan Kloss when I was just a young teenager, and pretty much grew up there from then." She didn't really like talking too much about her own personal past, but added, "I'm originally from Chandrila."

Both Bri and NL looked back down at the capacitor. "I guess our next step is to try and find a spare until I can find a new one. Aren't there some spare parts piles nearby?" she asked, to no one in particular.

@Rhogar

 

[Drastus Drahr]

Her laid back approach to his jest just made Drast laugh that much more. He had needed a distraction. "Oh, I can only imagine. I think I've done more traveling the last few weeks than in the rest of my life combined."

"Thanks.. Chandrila? Never been. Is it pretty there?" He asked as he tried to think of the best way to remove the capacitor. "I'm from Corellia.. Came up in some of the wrong crowds.. by the time I got here, I couldn't really read. Between being illiterate and covered with tats at sixteen.. it doesn't really buy you a whole lot of favor." He'd say with a laugh. "But.. my Masters are getting me through it.."

At her question, he'd look back towards the hangar. "Uhhh.. I think there is. If not, we could ask the Hangar Master, I'm sure."

@ModernMarvel

 

[Brienna Lanaamer]

Drast was right on the first point. The life of a Jedi was definite one of travel. From one corner of the Galaxy to the other, Outer Rim to the Core. It was one of the things that Bri appreciated the most. Getting to see new places, meet new and interesting people. What's not to like? Even more, getting to learn about the mysteries of the Force, and its connection to the Galaxy.

Bri looked into the forest on Yavin as she recalled memories of her childhood on Chandrila. She did enjoy it. It was calm and peaceful. The planet had a tranquility to it where she had first discovered and felt her connection to the Force. "Yeah," Bri nodded, "its nice" with a smile. It was evident by Drast's comments, that they had experienced quite different upbringings. She recognized the fortune that she had experienced in her youth, and that countless others were not as lucky. She looked over as they began to walk away from the ship, "I've been to Corellia a few times. That sounds like it must have been quite rough. Have you been assigned a dedicated Master yet?" Bri was curious if it was someone that she may know.

"Let's go check out the main hanger. I bet they've got some spare things lying around," she nodded.

@Rhogar

 

[Drastus Drahr]

"Hmm.. it's nice." Drast parroted her thoughts on Chandrila. "That's good. Is it like a jungle world? Or is it more modern like Corellia?"

As they walked together towards the main hangar, he'd ponder her words. "Not all of Corellia is bad.. And the Senator there was cleaning up a lot of the bad areas.. Just, ya know. Life, the Force, whatever you want to call it. My father would say it was the will of the Old Gods." He'd say with a shrug. "Truthfully it's just a matter of perspective. I do, Master Indy Sati. She took me as her student after Kloss fell.. My old Master died there during the fighting. But, I tag along with Councillor Tionson quite a bit too."

@ModernMarvel

 

[Brienna Lanaamer]

"I guess kind of in between," Bri described as they walked. "Its pretty temperate, with rolling plains and decent sized cities. Hanna is the capital. That's where I'm from. I think most Chandrillans understand what it means to live along side nature. There are a fair amount of reserves and parks." The Jedi reflected silently for a moment. It had been a while since she had returned to her home planet. The memory of a warm summer breeze flowing through her hair always stayed fresh in mind, no matter how long she had been away. Something Bri had learned travelling the galaxy was what meant to feel like being at home. Ajan Kloss had felt like home once. Yavin, not so much. Yet, hopefully.

Bri nodded sagely as the Padawan mentioned the intricacies of planetary development and perspective. She didn't understand too much about Corellia, other than its vast shipyards. "As long as there are those that can make it better," the Jedi added with a slight smile. Bri was aware of Indy Sati, but didn't remember yet having the opportunity to meet her.

"I'm sorry to hear about your old Master, I imagine that must have been a challenge to go through," Bri added quietly. They walked for a few more minutes before reaching the main hanger for Jedi related ships on Yavin. "Let's see," the Jedi paused, tapping her chin, "I think the junk pile is this way," she pointed to her right.

@Rhogar

 

[Drastus Drahr]

"Really? It sounds pretty, hopefully one day I get to see it. You miss it? I love cities but.. nothing beats training in the woods, hearing nature. Too quiet for me to live in, but visiting regularly, I could do that." He'd say with a smirk.

He'd just nod in agreement with her assessment of Corellia. He didn't want to dwell on it, truthfully, and she could likely sense there was more pain associated with the planet.

"Yeah.. so am I. She saved my life and though I know, I wouldn't have made a difference.. I wish I could have. Her death hit me hard and uhh.. I wasn't in a good place after it. Master Sati realized it.. she took me under her wing without needing to, helped me heal. Her and Master Tionson, whether they realize it or not have helped me find purpose." He'd say softly with a shrug.

When they reached the junk pile, Drast would dive right in, pulling out parts and showing them to the droid. He had already forgotten what the capacitor looked like, or, maybe he just liked the exasperation from the droid as it kept yelling the droidspeak equivalent of no to him. It even tried to point.

@ModernMarvel

 

[Brienna Lanaamer]

You miss it?

The question made Bri pause for a moment. It generated a complicated set of emotions in the Jedi. The short answer was yes. The relationship between the people on the planet and the nature, the temperate weather, friendly locals, and of course, her family was there. Unlike many of her Jedi colleagues, Bri was not orphaned or alone in the Galaxy - her parents, and extended family still lived in Hanna. That was a slightly more complicated relationship, however. Bri realized that she had taken too long to respond to Drast and quickly replied, "Yeah, I think I do. You'd probably like it. Like I said, its a good mix of urban metropolis and nature."

Bri offered a reassuring nod and pat on the shoulder of the Padawan as he described a brief history of his former Master and the fallout from what happened on Ajan Kloss. The Knight had known Jedi colleagues who had joined the living Force that day, but none were as close to her as what Drast described. I don't even know how I would have felt if I lost my Master when I was still training as a Padawan.

Trying to sound a little more positive, Bri nodded with a smile. "We've all got a purpose here. I think that's the constant journey of a Jedi. I'm glad they were able to help you."

Drast seemed to be taking a scattershot approach to finding a temporary capacitor, which seemed to be annoying NL. The repeating scene made Bri laugh. "Hold on NL, we'll find it eventually," the Jedi responded to reassure her droid. Despite lacking both arms and legs, it was still attempting to help by grabbing pieces with its extendable arm, and rolling them away. It muttered, or beeped, a comment in a low tone which was another exasperation at Bri's flying skills, which had put them into this exact situation.

"How about this one?" Bri suggested, holding it up for the droid to observe. It shook its head in a negative response. The Jedi sighed.

@Rhogar

 

[Drastus Drahr]

If Drast noticed there was a long pause, he didn't speak on it. At least not yet, that was a second meeting type of thing. "Yeah? That sounds pretty great." He mused. "If I ever do go, I'll make sure I reach out and get a list of places to see from ya."

He would offer a smile at the pat. He appreciated the acknowledgement and the glazing over of his experiences at Kloss. "Yeah, same here. Hopefully, its a good purpose, yeah? I'd hate to be eaten by Ewoks or something and have that be my final end game." he'd add with a laugh.

Drast was having quite the fun teasing the droid. And, like all things, he felt it was his job to improve the lives of those around him with laughter, which he seemingly accomplished, today. Gaze drifting to the droids little arm thing, he'd follow when LN started to jab excitedly and when he reached, he watched that head nod in approval until he almost ruined the servos. With a smirk to Bri, he'd grab something next to the capacitor. "This one?" If a droid had a breakable heart, he was sure, LN's just broke.

@ModernMarvel

 

[Brienna Lanaamer]

"I'd be happy to help," Bri nodded with a smile. Truthfully, she hadn't been back to Chandrilla in a long time, and even wondered if anything that she could recommend was still there. It spawned an idea in her mind.

The Knight laughed heartily at Drast's joke about getting eaten by ewoks. "Something tells me that that seems like a highly unlikely way to go. If you're here, it must definitely be for a good purpose," she smiled reassuringly.

Bri watched the small scene unfold with the Padawan and NL. It made her smile, though she did worry for Drast's future safety. "I'll warn you from teasing him too much. He's got a surprisingly long memory for that stuff." Through the Jedi's description, it sounded like she spoke from obvious experience. The droid remained still for a moment, though evident to tell that it agreed with its partners warning. Bri dug a few more minutes in the pile.

"Ah-ha! How about this one, NL?" Bri hopped down the pile in a few steps and brought the part closer to the droid to analyze. It rolled over and buzzed for a few seconds, seemingly satisfied with the part, though added in beeps that it was only a temporary fix, and they would need a brand new part for a permanent repair. "I'll take temporary!" Bri grinned in triumph.

@Rhogar

 

[Drastus Drahr]

"You kidding me? I'm sure storm troopers thought their day would go much different on Endor." Drast would respond with a laugh. "Ya think your armor and walkers are going to keep ya safe then boom, snack time." He'd offer a shrug. "All I know, is if I can go through this life and make a few other lives better, I can chalk it up as a win."

"Well, I would hope NL realizes that he's my new buddy and I only do it, because I like him so much." he'd offer a smirk back to Bri. "So was what happened to the ship his revenge? And he just blamed your piloting? Or was it something else?"

He was about to reach for the actual capacitor when Bri jumped down to grab it and he quickly withdrew his hand. He watched the exchange briefly, noting the satisfaction of the droid and then trudged his way from the parts pile. "Huzzah, you got the capacitor, well.. third hand capacitor. You think you're going to have to buy one off world?"

@ModernMarvel