ELROOD SECTOR: Episode Three: Wheelin', Dealin' and Fishin'
Posted: Sun Oct 29, 2023 2:01 pm
Approaching the planet Korad, Elrood Sector, aboard the Nova Kestrel
It had a been a long week for the team of NRI Agents....
First, they had patched up all of the surviving Grey Griffins (and themselves) after the fight with the Scourge Pirates and then they had returned to Elrood to drop off the Griffins for more long term rest and recovery. RMC leader Jameth thanked them sincerely, but now they had to travel to the world of Korad to find the missing Griffin ship; The Wayfarer; apparently in the possession of a crime lord named 'Slythor'; and with it, the coordinates to the mineral rich world of Alluvia....
As they came out of hyperspace near the planet Korad and took in the site of the blue-green world with a ring around it; each of the NRI Agents remembered what they had been told of the world of Korad.....it was a combination garbage dump and scrap yard. A cloudy, rainy world with not much food-producing land; most of the world had been used over the centuries to dump garbage on as there was little life on the wet rock. A few enterprising and/or desperate types had set up salvage businesses over the years and later, many old ships had been dumped into the orbit of the world where other enterprising desperate types had set up new salvage and scrap yard businesses. Along with a few other refugees or criminal types, that was about all the world had to offer and Jameth and the RMC had little good info on the world.....
As the Kestrel got closer to the world, the Rebel-turned-New Republic Agents realized the 'ring' was composed of dust and rocks, but rather of tens of thousands of old ships, fighters, shuttles, etc., etc. If the Wayfarer is in this ring, it could take months if not years to find it! As they got to the edge of the cloud, a quartet of small, highly-maneuverable small craft popped out of well-hidden locations inside the ring of junk and the comms light flashed inside the cockpit of the Ghtroc Freighter as someone was hailing them. Kael answered the comms as Professor Clark, standing behind the pilot and co-pilot team of Kit and Kael realized the small craft were modified versions of the Verpine Asteroid 'Hoppers' he had been in on a mission for the Alliance a few years back!
The voice that came over the comms channel was undoubtedly that of a small, blue-furred, schnauzer-like race called the Squib that most of the NRI Agents had encountered before and almost to a man they all groaned in annoyance.....
"HEY THERE BIG, FUR-LESS ONES WITH PALTRY NUMBER OF MARBLE ROLLING AROUND YOUR NOGGINS! YOU BE ENTERING THE TERRITORY OF THE MOST HIGH EXALTED LEADER SLYTHOR, YOU BET! SO, EITHER MAKE YOUR BID FOR HOW MUCH YOU BE PAYIN' TO DEAL WITH HIS HIGH EXALTEDNESS OR GET READY TO BE EATIN' LASER BLASTS YOU NOT FIND TASTY, YOU BET!"
As the squib pilot was speaking, the four Hoppers were shifting to cover the Nova Kestrel from four different directions and Kael could tell by looking at the sensor scope that the Hoppers, though small, were VERY maneuverable and had strong shielding and a Medium Laser cannon welded to the belly of each vehicle and they were all powered up and aiming their way.....
(I love this picture!)
[imgurl=]https://th.bing.com/th/id/R.705829d3b1e ... ImgRaw&r=0
It had a been a long week for the team of NRI Agents....
First, they had patched up all of the surviving Grey Griffins (and themselves) after the fight with the Scourge Pirates and then they had returned to Elrood to drop off the Griffins for more long term rest and recovery. RMC leader Jameth thanked them sincerely, but now they had to travel to the world of Korad to find the missing Griffin ship; The Wayfarer; apparently in the possession of a crime lord named 'Slythor'; and with it, the coordinates to the mineral rich world of Alluvia....
As they came out of hyperspace near the planet Korad and took in the site of the blue-green world with a ring around it; each of the NRI Agents remembered what they had been told of the world of Korad.....it was a combination garbage dump and scrap yard. A cloudy, rainy world with not much food-producing land; most of the world had been used over the centuries to dump garbage on as there was little life on the wet rock. A few enterprising and/or desperate types had set up salvage businesses over the years and later, many old ships had been dumped into the orbit of the world where other enterprising desperate types had set up new salvage and scrap yard businesses. Along with a few other refugees or criminal types, that was about all the world had to offer and Jameth and the RMC had little good info on the world.....
As the Kestrel got closer to the world, the Rebel-turned-New Republic Agents realized the 'ring' was composed of dust and rocks, but rather of tens of thousands of old ships, fighters, shuttles, etc., etc. If the Wayfarer is in this ring, it could take months if not years to find it! As they got to the edge of the cloud, a quartet of small, highly-maneuverable small craft popped out of well-hidden locations inside the ring of junk and the comms light flashed inside the cockpit of the Ghtroc Freighter as someone was hailing them. Kael answered the comms as Professor Clark, standing behind the pilot and co-pilot team of Kit and Kael realized the small craft were modified versions of the Verpine Asteroid 'Hoppers' he had been in on a mission for the Alliance a few years back!
The voice that came over the comms channel was undoubtedly that of a small, blue-furred, schnauzer-like race called the Squib that most of the NRI Agents had encountered before and almost to a man they all groaned in annoyance.....
"HEY THERE BIG, FUR-LESS ONES WITH PALTRY NUMBER OF MARBLE ROLLING AROUND YOUR NOGGINS! YOU BE ENTERING THE TERRITORY OF THE MOST HIGH EXALTED LEADER SLYTHOR, YOU BET! SO, EITHER MAKE YOUR BID FOR HOW MUCH YOU BE PAYIN' TO DEAL WITH HIS HIGH EXALTEDNESS OR GET READY TO BE EATIN' LASER BLASTS YOU NOT FIND TASTY, YOU BET!"
As the squib pilot was speaking, the four Hoppers were shifting to cover the Nova Kestrel from four different directions and Kael could tell by looking at the sensor scope that the Hoppers, though small, were VERY maneuverable and had strong shielding and a Medium Laser cannon welded to the belly of each vehicle and they were all powered up and aiming their way.....
(I love this picture!)
[imgurl=]https://th.bing.com/th/id/R.705829d3b1e ... ImgRaw&r=0