THE PLANET ROON, UNIVERSITY OF RUDRIG ARCHAEOLOGICAL DIG...
Trini Halrixien, freelance grad student adventurer, stood in the center of a barren plateau, peering down at a datapad. She plucked a stylus from behind one ear, using it to make a notation.
Behind her, a massive repulsortruck rumbled past, kicking up a cloud of dust that made the little Amaran cough. Turning to see the huge vehicle, she jogged alongside it, shouting up to the being driving it.
"Hey! Is that the heavy cutting equipment??"
It took a moment for the driver to notice the diminutive creature running alongside. The Rodian waved down at her when he did, however, held out a datacard, which Trini jump to snag and slot into her datapad.
"Yup! Here's the shipping manifest! You folks want it over by the pit, right?"
Trini, briefly scanning the document that flashed up on her screen, nodding and flashed a thumbs-up to the driver.
"You got it!" She called, still jogging. "You staying to watch us crack this thing open? I doubt you'll ever get the chance again!"
The repulsortruck slowed to a halt at the edge of a vast pit, a few dozen meters across and partly covered by a grid of elevated catwalks. The interior of the pit was covered by a similar projected grid of white lines, the web of a high-resolution scanner. On the catwalks, various droids and organics walked around, taking notes on datapads or monitoring equipment.
In the center of the pit was a length of gleaming metal, exposed to the air after long millennia but still shining like new. It was slender, and gracefully tapered.
"You're really gonna cut into that thing, are you?" Commented the Rodian, shaking his head. "You science types ever consider there's a reason someone went to the trouble of burying a ship?"
Trini, staring down at the tapered metal object, shook her head, putting her hands on her hips.
"Frankly, I'll risk it." The Amaran replied. "As far as we know, this is the best preserved example of an Agorander-era rocket anywhere. It might give us clues as to just what was going on in the years after his empire collapsed."
The Rodian shrugged.
"Hey, all I know is this is the part in the holodrama where the scientist declares that everything will be fine, right before the monster gets loose. You folks be careful, alright?"
Trini, still absorbed by the ship, waved dismissively.
"Of course, of course... look, it'll all be fine. It's just an old ship, what could go wrong?"
The driver sighed.
"I wish you wouldn't put it like that..."
Behind her, a massive repulsortruck rumbled past, kicking up a cloud of dust that made the little Amaran cough. Turning to see the huge vehicle, she jogged alongside it, shouting up to the being driving it.
"Hey! Is that the heavy cutting equipment??"
It took a moment for the driver to notice the diminutive creature running alongside. The Rodian waved down at her when he did, however, held out a datacard, which Trini jump to snag and slot into her datapad.
"Yup! Here's the shipping manifest! You folks want it over by the pit, right?"
Trini, briefly scanning the document that flashed up on her screen, nodding and flashed a thumbs-up to the driver.
"You got it!" She called, still jogging. "You staying to watch us crack this thing open? I doubt you'll ever get the chance again!"
The repulsortruck slowed to a halt at the edge of a vast pit, a few dozen meters across and partly covered by a grid of elevated catwalks. The interior of the pit was covered by a similar projected grid of white lines, the web of a high-resolution scanner. On the catwalks, various droids and organics walked around, taking notes on datapads or monitoring equipment.
In the center of the pit was a length of gleaming metal, exposed to the air after long millennia but still shining like new. It was slender, and gracefully tapered.
"You're really gonna cut into that thing, are you?" Commented the Rodian, shaking his head. "You science types ever consider there's a reason someone went to the trouble of burying a ship?"
Trini, staring down at the tapered metal object, shook her head, putting her hands on her hips.
"Frankly, I'll risk it." The Amaran replied. "As far as we know, this is the best preserved example of an Agorander-era rocket anywhere. It might give us clues as to just what was going on in the years after his empire collapsed."
The Rodian shrugged.
"Hey, all I know is this is the part in the holodrama where the scientist declares that everything will be fine, right before the monster gets loose. You folks be careful, alright?"
Trini, still absorbed by the ship, waved dismissively.
"Of course, of course... look, it'll all be fine. It's just an old ship, what could go wrong?"
The driver sighed.
"I wish you wouldn't put it like that..."