"Damn. Always makes me sad to see a ship come to it's final end like that," Viridian commented as he took the ship down till it could park atop the Harrier.

"It put up a helluva fight, though, didn't it? Aslan weapons, by the sensor read-outs. Anyone else confirm that there were three different Aslan ships involved in the battle?"

"Kira, want to do the honors? First one in?"

Kira's lips pressed into a thin line as Viridian assessed the damage. "Yeah, it's a real shame," she agreed, her voice tinged with a mix of sorrow and respect for the fallen ship. "But at least it went down fighting, and that's more than most can say."

As the ship settled on top of the Harrier, Kira swiftly geared up, making sure her sidearm was secure and her torch fully charged. "Looks like those Aslan ships were relentless. Three against one is never a fair fight," she muttered, shaking her head.

When Viridian offered her the chance to be the first one in, Kira flashed a grin. "You bet," she replied with a gleam in her eyes. "Always up for a challenge and a little adventure."

With her Gauss pistol securely holstered and her torch in hand, Kira approached the Harrier's access hatch. As she pried it open, the darkness within seemed to beckon her, promising secrets waiting to be discovered. She took a deep breath and stepped into the shadowy depths of the Harrier, eager to uncover its hidden treasures and pay homage to the brave souls who had fought and died within its hull.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:04, Sun 26 Mar 2023.

Curious about the other ship nearly as much as the Torsk, Ghent was watching from a feed and listening in on the team’s frequency. “Given it’s similar to the Vultan, it might make good as salvage parts for it; might want to identify what can be used and if the structure is strong enough, it might make an interesting base or supply stash,” he suggested over the comms. Who knew what secrets either ship held, but Ghent was more interested in going through Redthane’s stateroom and surveying the bridge.

He and Collyn would eventually inspect the entire ship, but first things first. “Careful in there, Kira,” he added before continuing with their evaluation of the Torsk.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:08, Sun 26 Mar 2023.

Rayjay familiarizes himself with the Mercifuge's weapons purely out of gunner instinct before providing whatever assistance was needed with the lasers to help free the wreck from the ice. "Indeed... truly a cryin' shame. Now it could be made to fly again, some day, and it would certainly be nice to 'ave anot'er 'Arrier in t'e fleet, but t'at'd require us runnin' across some long-lost cache of 'Arrier parts, so for now it makes more sense to strip what we can as spares for t'e Vultan. But I do recommend we all say a silent prayer for t'e mighty vessel and its brave crew." Rayjay said before bowing his head and rubbing his hands together in some sort of ritual or warding gesture before taking a deep breath then letting it out.

"Now wit' t'at out of t'e way, let's see what our long dead cousins left us t'is day." He said before double checking his own suit and weapons. "Ladies first of course, t'ough do try to keep ya'r wits about ya', no tellin if t'ose big pussies might 'ave left long lastin' surprises."
This message was last edited by the player at 00:22, Sun 26 Mar 2023.

Kira stepped up to the door of the Harrier, checking her helmet seal. "Ready when you are, Ingrid and Rayjaynul. Let's see if we can find any data storage or anything else of value. And if it looks like there's nothing worth salvaging, we can always sell the location to scrappers. But who knows, maybe there's something worth finding in there."

She moved forward, determined to uncover every secret the Harrier had to offer. As she did so, she couldn't shake the feeling of melancholy that settled in her chest. For all its destruction, the ship had once been a thing of beauty and power, and now it lay shattered and broken, its crew long gone.

The crew may be long dead but they weren't quite gone.

Dropping through the old Harrier's dorsal hatch to the deck below, Kira had no problem spotting the body halfway down the hallway to the rear of the ship. It was still wearing a boarding suit and looked like it'd been cut in half by a turret laser.

Numerous holes and breaches in the walls, bulkheads, deck and ceiling stood mute testament to  the ship's fate. There were sufficient gaps to see onto the bridge and spot three more bodies still in their chairs.

The weapon's locker on the port side had been blasted away, and while you could now exit the ship that way, you'd have a lot of invasive ice to clear away.

Kira's voice crackled over the comm. "We've got bodies here. Poor bastards."

As she made her way through the damaged interior of the Harrier together with Ingrid and Rayjaynul, her torch beam illuminated the broken walls and twisted metal that littered the passageways. The ship had taken heavy damage, with blast marks and gaping holes in many of the bulkheads and ceilings.

She passed by a collapsed section of the corridor, where twisted metal and shattered glass had spilled out into the walkway. Further down the hall, she came across a partially melted doorway that led to one of the ship's staterooms.

Kira paused for a moment to survey the damage, taking note of the partially destroyed equipment and the thick layer of soot that coated everything in the room. She continued on, making her way towards the bridge.

As she approached the door, Kira noticed the deep scoring marks on the walls and ceiling, the remnants of a fierce battle that had taken place on the Harrier. She pushed aside the debris that had blocked the entrance and stepped inside.

The floor was littered with broken glass and debris, with several overturned chairs scattered about. Kira could see the remains of the ship's crew, still strapped into their chairs, their lifeless bodies a grim reminder of the tragedy that had occurred.

Despite the grim scene, Kira remained focused on her mission, searching through the wreckage for anything of value. She carefully examined the consoles and control panels, salvaging any usable components she could find.


This message was last edited by the player at 23:48, Sun 26 Mar 2023.

"We found a wing of 144 messed up Harriers on Drinax," Viridian informed the others via comms while remaining on the Mercifuge. "What we couldn't salvage for the Vultan we turned over to the commander of Grand Fleet of the Starguard. Considering the damage the Aslan did to them, though, I doubt if more than a dozen will ever fly again... or at least not until the Drinax tech factories get up and running again."

"By the way, don't hold your breath on that--it's also one of our projects down the line."

"This looks like a different model; the Vultan was a different model that those other Harriers... next up the line, we think. Could this be yet the next step?"

In spite of not having been on the Vultan very long, Kira had been able to get a good sense of what was 'missing'--mainly the luxury items. If the ice didn't damage it all, some of it should be salvageable.




The opulence isn't here that's on the Vultan, but it's close. Drinax definitely liked its style.

Using his personal experience to guide him, Rayjay checked the most likely places one would squirrel away valuables, while also checking any of the usual access panels for functional electronics components or parts, as well as checking the storage areas for spares of either. "If I was a Drinax Captain, where would I 'ide t'e good stuff..." He said to himself while tapping the bottom edge of his face plate as he wandered to a fro, careful to avoid any obvious dangers such as floating unknown chemicals or debris choked passageways.

"Don't suppose eit'er of you are any better wit' electronics or mechanics t'an me?" He asked the pair over their local comms. "Some of t'ese circuits or boards might be good, but I can't for t'e life of me tell. And same goes for most of t'ese parts as well, doesn't 'elp t'at t'ey're almost all frozen over or t'rough." He said lightly tapping on what he hoped was part of the life support and poorly positioned fuel line.

All the while he checked the usual spots navy personal preferred to secret away their valuables, under bunks, the undersides of drawers, as well as checking the drawers for false bottoms, inside air vents, and even behind wall panels, particularly those nearest the bunks. All the while narrowing down the possible locations one might put the ship's pay chest, starting with the Captain's quarters of course and working his way down the list from there.

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OOC: Check the Missile Bay ... Check the Missile Bay ... I can barely contain myself ... check for leftover Missiles ... Find out if there are any Missiles aboard ... We need more Missiles ... Go check for Missiles ... Hurry, hurry, hurry! ... Misssiles, missiles, missiles ... go look now! ... MISSILES!!!!!!!!!!!
^_^

Kira, staying relatively close to Ingrid and Rayjaynul, focused on searching the various areas of the Harrier. She recalled the layout of the Vultan and used it as a guide, knowing that this ship might have some similarities.

In the upper deck, Kira carefully examined the command area and the crew living spaces. She paid close attention to staterooms and common areas, trying to find items that could be of use to the crew without needing disassembly.

As she moved through the ship, she came across a collection of novelty bobble-head figures on a shelf in one of the staterooms. With a slight smile, she picked one up and gave it a gentle tap, watching the head wobble back and forth before continuing her search.

As she explored the lower deck, Kira discovered a small stash of board games and holographic entertainment cartridges hidden in a corner. The sight of these familiar games from her own childhood brought a nostalgic smile to her face, as she imagined the Harrier's crew gathered around for a friendly competition during their downtime.

Kira's search continued, and while the circumstances surrounding the Harrier were undoubtedly tragic, she found solace in the small details that reminded her of the shared humanity between her own crew and those who had once called this ship home.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:53, Tue 28 Mar 2023.

Alas, there aren't any missiles. It looks like they'd all been fired before the missile bay took a direct through-and-through.

Ingrid manages to find 1 SU and 2 RUs but it's the TU that boggles her mind! When she getsto the engineering section where the Jump Drive is, there's some damage but sitting atop the array is a small electronic device. At one point, it had wires running across the array, most of which have been damaged.

The device is so incongruous in multiple ways that Ingrid just stands there and stares at it, trying to mentally hammer some sense out of it.

She finally realizes that it's a prototype... maybe even a prototype of a prototype! The engineer who cobbled it together certainly had to be a genius! Perhaps a desperate one. Double feedback phase inverter! And you get a jump booster!

If she can install it on the Vultan, that would give the Harrier Jump-3 capability!

She's been recording the whole time, of course, but now she starts making more detailed scans from every angle.

Better defrost it before trying to move it. She's pretty sure she doesn't have the tech savvy to build a new one from scratch.

Did the Scholar's Tower know about this? Did Zhouth download that data?

Kira, having wrapped up her own search, meandered over to Ingrid in the engineering section. She cocked her head with curiosity as she took in the sight of the peculiar device that Ingrid had stumbled upon.

"Well, ain't that a pretty bit of tech?" she said. "Valuable?"


OOC: yes, I know - no helmets and Ingrid is blonde, but the AI wasn't playing ball ;)

OOC: Remember to keep the AI dumb or else wind up beneath Skynet's thumb lol.
Also did I find any CUs Star? 9 using 2d6+3. Broker + Int. Success?

Looking through the doors, Rayjay would begin to notice the intact wall panels, light fixtures, and even floor tiles as also being valuable in their own right, at least some of it anyway, collecting what he could before reconvening with the rest of the group. "Any finds?"

Nice scene just the same!

"If it works, yes, very valuable to us," Ingrid answers. "Extends our range to Jump-3 without needing a larger ship or requiring more fuel. Not sure about that last yet. This Harrier didn't seem to need it."

"Long term, we'd have to give it up to realize any profit from it. Not sure I have the talent to develop it into a prototype, though."

"We'll have to laser some of this equipment to heat up the area. It looks to be screwed into place rather than glued. It'll be easier to remove that way."

"Mercifuge... gonna need a size 5 buffer box for transport."

In reply to Ingrid Gustavdottir Sigar (msg # 18):

OOC: taking into account the capabilities of Mercifuge (look up Vulture-class Salvage Hauler, Pirates of Drinax - Book 3: Ships of The Reach) we're gonna be taking a lot of this ship with us.  Whatever we don't salvage for use on Vultan will be broken up & crushed for scrap material.  Hell, we can probably make good coin on the scrap from that hull right here, down at the port on Pallindrome.
   And we could always use a few more coldsleep tubes ^_^
   Has anyone managed to check the new Harrier's Cargo Hold?  Or, for that matter, the Cargo aboard Janal Torsk?  Hell!  Did we even bother to check Mercifuge's Cargo Hold?!

ooc- no, we didn't look yet.

The Mercifuge cargo hold was empty as Miria was expecting to pick something up on the way out. Torsk was expecting to do the same.

The Harrier has no cargo in the hold. However, Ingrid does detect a faint radioactive trace in the hold.


Rayjaynul did manage to locate 1 CU.


Once the buffer box gets passed down, Ingrid, Kira and Rayjaynul set about removing the jump booster. It takes about 4 hours.

"Well I managed to find a few pristine wall panels, tiles, and light fixtures myself. Not sure 'ow much use t'ey will be but wort' somet'in' I'm sure, even if only as replacements or spares." Rayjay added, clearly not as impressive as a more powerful jump engine, but few things are.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:12, Sun 02 Apr 2023.

Kira takes the opportunity to get to know her new crewmates better, telling them a bit about her background and her time as a pirate.

"So, back on Thalassa, I grew up hearin' stories 'bout the stars, right? I knew I was meant for somethin' bigger than just stayin' on that island. My mom, bless her heart, tried to teach me the old tales and songs, but all I could think about was flyin' off to some far-off place."

Kira pauses for a moment, a nostalgic smile on her face. "Joined up with the Scouts first, hopin' to see the universe. But y'know how life has a way of throwin' curveballs at ya. Ended up hitchin' a ride across the stars when my ship got all banged up."

She chuckles, recalling her past exploits. "After that, I figured, why not give piracy a shot? Found a crew, made a name for myself as a gunner and pilot. Made some good friends, some not-so-good friends, and a whole lot of enemies. But hey, that's the life of a pirate, right? You take the good with the bad, and you keep on flyin'. Ain't nothin' like the freedom of the open sky and a ship full of adventure."

She returns her focus to the task at hand, her hands steady as she works. "So, what about you two? How'd you end up on this merry crew?"

Once the jump booster is removed and transferred, one last sweep of the Harrier is made before Mercifuge begins salvaging the entire ship. Getting rid of all that now-useless space lets the salvage fit into about 30 tons.

It takes 4 days to finish the salvage, and when it's done, there's no sign the Harrier was ever there.

"Retirement wasn't for me, so when t'e captain wandered t'rough my port of call, old acquaintance t'at 'e is, I impressed myself upon 'im and 'is desperate need for a seasoned gunner such as myself, and fellow Navy man to boot. Now 'ere I stand." He said with a chuckle, as he lamentably saw the salvage arms go to work, destroying a piece of history all in the sake of fortune. He'd have to pour out a drink for the old harrier after he got his share.

Ingrid paused for a second before responding to Kira. "I guess you and I are about as different as different can be. I never wanted to leave Tizon. A home, a husband who would love me and a few kids is all I ever wanted out of life. But, when you are your father's only immediate relative... I figured this crew would help me get done, um, something done. Something very important."