Captain Coruscant and the Hirsute Avenger

[Kes Akiena]

Finding Anauri Rabeak was usually an easy enough task, made simple due to the ease of comms. Of course, on the rare occasion that a quick call failed, Jovan's chief engineer could many times be found in the main engineering bay. It was a strange warren of small offices, work bays, and short hallways that connected each overstuffed alcove. In the last few weeks Kes had made sure that Anauri had been fed a steady diet of supplies and parts to further facilitate the ease of repair to the station's systems; or at least, in so much as he could. There were times when he'd had to send refurbished materials, but repair items were repair items, and Kes knew that the Nehantite mechanic was resourceful.

The inspection was a scheduled event, though informal at best. As it was, the redhead suspected his presence wasn't exactly seen as good luck. Despite his attempts and successes at getting his engineers what they needed, he had to wonder if they saw him at times as a hindrance. Which was why he mostly stayed away. He kept his interactions limited to the strict schedules and paperwork. Sometimes he stepped in to try and smooth over and explain why some parts weren't able to be delivered, but those times were - thank the gods - few.

Stepping off the lift that had brought him to engineering, Commander Akiena paused mid-stride for a moment. He stuck one hand behind his back as the other came up to run fingers through a rather surprising mane of red hair. It was getting a bit too long; he'd have to have it trimmed.

He'd not have to wait long, he knew that much. Chief Rabeak was always a punctual individual, and had never failed to disappoint.

Jovan's Chief Engineer would be along shortly, and then the two men would be off to inspect his handiwork.

[Anauri Rabeak]

"Of course it's not working! That's why there's a ticket for it! Because it's not working! That's why you're assigned to it!" An angry voice roared from one of the offices, followed by a furious hammering of keys. The voice began to cool, though the stress underlying each word was palpable. "Look, if goes up, but not down, that means there's something wrong with the the lower motor. This is basic engineer stuff, standard for most any planet; I shouldn't have to explain this! Get back in there, test the control circuits, and figure out where it's failing, got it? Good. Gonna be out of pocket for a while, late for an inspection with the boss-man. You got any more novice questions, ask Gradoona. I'm sure she'd love to talk your ear off about 'em."

The end key clacked painfully beneath his blunt clawtip as Chief Engineer Anauri Rabeak crushed it to end the holocall with one of his newest engineer transfers. Critical thinking used to be part of the job, he recalled. Maybe kids these days were too reliant on looking up quick answers on the holonet whenever they encountered an issue. Or maybe he was just getting old. With a deep breath and sigh to calm his nerves, Anauri imagined it was likely healthy amounts of both. Taking up his cap, the brown-furred Nehantite tugged it onto his head and pulled at the lapels of his uniform jacket - the only piece of actual Jovan uniform kit he was wearing - as he stepped out of his office. Kes should be down any time, and.... he was already there. Crap.

The well-practiced smile covered any worry on Anauri's face as he strode forward, his boots thumping along the durasteel diamond-plate flooring, and he gave a quick salute. "Commander, sorry to keep you waiting. Had a, uh, fire to put out," he said. Garfife, he hoped this inspection would be quick.

[Kes Akiena]

Kes smiled up at the Nehantite, affording an understanding nod.

"Not to worry, Chief. Seems that all we've been doing lately has been putting out fires."

Which was the unfortunate truth. It seemed as though ever person on Jovan had been caught up in tamping down unruly sparks and flares, and the Commander was certainly no exception. Not for the first time did he wonder if being promoted and placed in charge of a space station was a clever punishment in and of itself. It wouldn't surprise him, but he was damned if he would give in and request transfer. No, he was determined to stick this tour out; he'd seen tougher times, after all. Hells, he'd been through the Vandelheim Campaigns. He would be able to survive this.

With one hand stuffing itself into his front pocket, the redhead gave a nod, gesturing with his free hand to the stretch of corridor that intersected their current position.

"Lead the way."

[Anauri Rabeak]

No comments on being out of uniform, no comments on his lack of decorum on the comms, and no comments about main engineering still being a bit of a wreck, with a few of Anauri's own blaster bolt scorch marks still on the walls. Good, Anauri thought to himself; if Akiena was choosing to overlook all that, it likely meant he was on a tight schedule and wouldn't take up too much of his time. Cursory inspections by commanding officers were the best sort, especially when the work being inspected truly could have been better if there had been more time or better parts to use.

Natually, Anauri voiced none of his relief, instead showing his commanding officer out of engineering and into a lift up to the main docking ring. "It's been nonstop work, but we've got four of the six main docking bays working at what the Alliance would consider fully-functional levels," he announced, the same words he used in one of his reports, he was sure. "I'd personally like to see a few things improved, but those can wait. The fifth docking bay is nearing completion and should be ready to pass its final tests before week's end. Bay six, though..."

The pause was palpable, and the Nehantite tugged at the hem of his jacket while chewing over the correct words to say. "In my opinion bay six is in such a bad state that for now we should abandon any efforts to fix it, and focus on other issues around the station. It's never worked well from the start, and with the damage it's sustained it's become a drain on our resources. We could be just fine with five operational bays for a while. I know the Cizerack want all six up and running, but after I've lost seven engineers experienced with this station, I simply don't have the manpower to handle bay six at this time. Hell, bay five was a nightmare and a half, and you had me, Gradoona, and the most experienced among us heading that one up. That's where we're headed now. I can show you everything that's wrong with six when we get there."

[Kes Akiena]

He took it all in with a nod, digesting the Chief's words in silence. The strain was evident enough in Anauri's tone, and his words left little doubt that he'd been stretched to the breaking point and beyond; yet still somehow managed to cling to some semblance of operational ability. It reminded Kes of himself. At least now he didn't feel so alone in being pulled into every which direction. The powers that be had apparently deigned he be sent through the ringer of every imaginable trivium, and he'd weathered it with his own brand of... well, whatever it was that he weathered most things.

"I'd appreciate that."

If Anauri could show him without actually having to show him, all the better. Spire six - he knew well enough already - was a galactic disaster zone. It was repairable, but the damage was extensive enough to warrant a bit more of a crew than what they had available right now.

He was more than willing to fall in line with his Chief Engineer's opinions on the matter. If six had to be out of working order for the foreseeable future, then that was what would happen.

The two rounded a corner in the corridor.

"And we'll shut down six until we're able to get to it."

[Anauri Rabeak]

"Thank Garfife," Anauri breathed a sigh of relief. "I've only been assigning a skeleton crew to six, anyhow, mostly to determine the full extent of the damage."

A paw reached for the inside pocket of his jacket where it fished around momentarily before the Nehantite's face fell. His tablet was safe and sound, just not in his pocket where it was supposed to be. He could see it in his mind's eye, sitting on his desk, recharging, awaiting his instruction to cancel the little scheduled work on six. It would have to wait until after the inspection tour, Anauri sighed, paw slipping back out of his jacket. So much for being on top of things.

In the spectrum of bosses and commanding officers, Anauri had certainly experienced far worse than Commander Akiena. While difficult for the Nehantite to read due to their limited interaction, Anauri got the impression that as long as things were running smoothly and heading in a positive direction, Akiena was fine with it. Yes, there had certainly been arguments over the availability of parts, repair timelines, excessive overtime pay and the like, but the Chief always felt like Akiena was doing his best to support the team, and Anauri really couldn't ask for more than that. They didn't exactly have a relationship outside of work, neither party had ever seemed to express interest in one, and that suited Anauri just fine. In his experience, the closer you got to your boss, the trickier it became to deal with them with the going got rough. No, professional discourse was the way to handle things, and it had suited the both of them just fine, as far as Anauri was aware.

Reaching the lift to spire five, Anauri punched in the override maintenance code, the fur on his left paw short and patchy around traces of stubborn scars which even bacta would not heal from the burns he sustained. "Figure just a few more days and we can bring in the Alliance safety inspectors," he said, waiting for the massive lift door to open. It did so with near silence, the forty-foot wide durasteel panel folding down with such a smooth operation that even the Nehantite smiled. A creaky, groaning door was no way to enter into a space station, as far as Anauri was concerned, and he'd paid special attention to ensuring the mechanism worked as well as it possibly could. Beyond was the lift floor, still covered with protective vinyl sheeting so that the engineering crews would not scuff or dirty it with their tools or loaders, and the walls were covered with quilted shop blankets for much the same reason.

"After you, Commander," he waved a paw into the empty lift. "You'll get the luxury of seeing bay five with virtually no one there. Can't say I know when that'll happen again."

[Kes Akiena]

It was certainly a strange thing to hear, just as he suspected it was a strange thing to say. Five was often in the running for being the more busy of the spires, and Kes had on more than one occasion needed to staff extra personnel to handle the flow of arrivals and departures. All things considered, it wasn't a particularly bad problem to have. Well, it was when they were needing the spire, but Kes was already holding the clamor back, fending off the daily rants from captains and irate passengers alike who detested having to wait. He'd actually gotten rather good at deflecting each insult fired his way, though his method of dealing was usually a curt nod, an 'I'm sorry', and a swift termination of the comm. Of course, things were often enough made more annoying when they called back.

It was one of the reasons he looked forward to time away from his office, and if that meant taking care of a few inspections, then so be it.

Kes stepped onto the lift, both hands now going to bury themselves in his pockets.

"Peace and quiet in five; Never thought I'd experience that."

A rueful shake of his head, and he rolled his shoulders a small bit, enjoying the feeling of not being sat behind his desk.

[Anauri Rabeak]

"You want dead silence aboard station, you should check out six," Anauri chuckled. Behind them the lift doors slid down, while the airlock gate panel folded back up, and the lift began its ascent. The low hum of electric motors could not be fully silenced, but they were at least smooth and steady as the lift picked up speed, gliding effortlessly to the main docking bay lobby at the peak of spire five. There, the lift doors opened with a pleasant, well-oiled woosh, and docking bay five burst into view.

Three clamp-lock style boarding docks jutted off of the lobby for use by large craft which could not enter a bay, but the most stunning view lay directly ahead. The gleaming expanse of the docking bay floor seemed to reflect the stars just beyond the reach of its force field to keep in the station's atmosphere. Large pieces of industrial equipment stood around the lobby along with toolcarts and scaffolding, while half a dozen members of the engineering staff worked tirelessly at access panels, or finishing structural welds. Anauri stepped out first, the thump of his boots echoing in the domed chamber of the main lobby, and he smiled. "Welcome to bay five. Probably the best she's looked since she was new."

Pride was carried not only in the Chief's words, but in everything about his stance. Paws on his hips, tail swaying just so, and a toothy smile turning up his muzzle, Anauri appeared every bit the proud father looking at his baby. With a grin, he nodded to a small personnel cart hovering nearby. "Ever stood at the very edge of a docking bay, Commander? If not, you're missing out."

[Kes Akiena]

Well," his eyes scanned the area all around him, devoid of any bodies except those of Anauri's workers.

"... I just about got sucked out of a hull breach once, if that counts."

An experience that he would never forget. That horrible, frantic feeling of clutching for dear life to the closest stable handhold that would keep him from being pulled out into space was something that would stay with him until he died. Of course, the circumstances leading up to that disaster were very much different than things now.

A pause, and his features brightened once more into his customary grin.

There was a distinct scent of freshly welded metal, industrial adhesives, and cleaning agents that mingled together, but if his last trip to five was anything to go by, this new smell was much preferred. He could still see in his mind's eye the mangled struts and inner bulkheads, twisted into shapes that defied normalcy. Scorch marks and destroyed droid parts had been all around, as well as the sobering presence of white sheets; some covering bodies, others covering only parts of bodies. It had been carnage, and the worst part was that it'd not been the only spire hit.

Anauri and his crew had worked tirelessly to right the wrongs, and Kes could see the Nehantite's pride as if it was hanging from his shoulders like a billowing cape. And frankly, he had every right to be proud. Him, his men, and their work had gone above and beyond the call of duty.

One hand came out of his pocket to give the Chief a congratulatory pat to the shoulder.

"Let's go take a look, then."

[Anauri Rabeak]

In a time of hard work and endless factors of frustration, the simple joy of gliding a personnel cart across a freshly polished docking bay floor forced Anauri's grin from ear to ear. The docking bay itself was finished, with all remaining work being done inside the domed "lobby," so the farther the pair rode into the bay, the quieter their surroundings became until an eerie silence fell over them, broken only by the staccato whine of the small carrier's anti-grav engine being slowed to a stop a few meters from the force field separating them from the vacuum of space beyond.

The thud of Anauri's boots echoed through the massive docking bay as he eagerly stepped free of the small hover-carrier, and he wasted little time stepping up to the very edge of the docking bay, close enough to feel the static electricity of the force field tickling his nose as he stared out at the sprawling canvas of stars beyond, as if they were diamonds strewn across a sheet of black velvet. And there he stood, marveling at the view, tail swaying slowly behind himself, brushing idly against the floor in a sweep of content satisfaction.

"I still remember my first look at a starfield," he announced. "I was sixteen, and it was through a plate of polymer glass, not even transparisteel; a tiny portal window on the ship which took me from Nehantish to the orbital shipyards. It was blurry, and scratches in the surface made the vision hazy, but I knew in that moment it was what I wanted to see all the days of my life. Later that day I got to see it through a big picture window on the main orbital platform. Sure, the stars are in different places now, but the feeling hasn't changed. This must be how Garfife sees the universe and all of creation."

[Kes Akiena]

The view was gorgeous to be sure, but his peripheral attentions were still halfway focused on the space behind him. On the finishing touches still being applied and polished. It was nice, to be secure in the knowledge that Jovan was slowly stepping back towards normal operational standards. It was a steady pace, and while not fast it was certainly thorough. After all, he'd much prefer the job done right rather than risk more time spent repairing shoddy work. Or worse, have to deal with an accidental death due to quick fixes that didn't really fix the problem. And a hell of a problem the spires had become, nearly blown away in the first wave of the attack.

Kes kept his smile, though it was tempered. He blinked, letting his eyes wander over the myriad of stars before him. They glittered like diamonds, set in a blanket of black velvet.

"It's certainly a view."

The story Anauri told was heartwarming, and explained a small bit about why he was on Jovan. After all, when one loved the stars, why not live aboard a space station?

"I don't remember the first time I saw the stars. I was probably very young; too young to remember properly, at least."

Another few moments passed before he pivoted slightly, affording the Chief a sweeping gaze that tracked back to where they'd come from.

"Everything seems in order, Chief." The smallest of sighs as he reveled - at least for a moment - in the knowledge that the influx of angry calls to his comm would slow... hopefully.

"I'd say as soon as you see fit, we can open five back up and start easing the congestion around the other spires."

[Anauri Rabeak]

Anauri stood there a moment longer, something compelling him to linger in the beauty of the universe unfolding before him, and the near silence of the empty docking bay. It could not last, however, and the tug upon the strings of his commitments pulled Anauri away and back to the personnel transport for a quick glide to the lift. "Technically it's not up to me when we can open. Alliance safety inspectors are due in a few days. Until they give the OK, five stays a ghost town."

It was an unfortunate choice of words, and the Nehantite regretted them immediately, but it was too late to take them back. The thought of speeding along the remainder of the way in silence weighed upon him until rescue was found in the waving arms of one of his engineers. "Hmm, hold on, Commander, let me see what's up, here."

The personnel cart banked left before whirring to a halt before a female Rodian standing next to an access panel. The moment the cart stopped, Anauri was off.

"What's the matter, Turgasso?" Anauri asked.

"Chief, Chief, we've got a problem here," the Rodian replied. "I can't get the door to docking lock two to work. It's got power, it works on manual control from the direct panel, but it won't open from anywhere else in the system, including a signal from a docked ship."

Anauri neatly slipped a penlight from his jacket pocket, stepping forward to examine the panel. The parts were new, and it should be working. "You've tested power coming in, right?" A nod from the Rodian confirmed his faith in her. "Hand me the meter, there. Let me take a look."

As if Commander Kes Akiena didn't exist, Anauri threw himself fully into his work. Connections were checked, continuity tested, and relays tripped, with each test successful until at last the digital meter in his paws squaked from signal overload, followed shortly by a small shower of sparks. The Nehantite ducked backward, arm raised to cover his face as he'd been trained, but no further pyrotechnics followed.

"Well, damn it," he growled. "Damn it damn it damn it. Brand new panel, already defective. Take it out, Turgasso, we can't repair that, it needs replaceent. Kill the power first, obviously."

"Obviously, sir," the Rodian nodded. She then paused, hesitant to speak in front of the station's commanding officer. "But, if I take this out, docking lock two won't be functional. Do we have another panel in stock?"

The chewing of his bottom lip did not bode well for Anauri's reply, until at last he nodded. "Technically, yes. I'll get it for you tonight and you'll have it first thing in the morning. Until then, see what else you can do here. Let's not give those inspectors any reason to question our work, got it?"

The Rodian smiled. "Yes, Chief. I'll get on it right now."

The digital meter was set back on Turgasso's tool cart, and Anauri boarded the personnel lift once more, causing it to rock slightly before delivering himself and his commander to the lift door. "Well, there goes my night..." he grumbled as the lift doors opened. "We've got another one of those panels, yeah.... but it's in six."

[Kes Akiena]

He'd given Anauri a strange, sideways look at first. He understood that the safety inspectors had to make their way through, but even after them, Chief Rabeak had the final say. If there was something that was OK'ed, yet didn't pass muster for Jovan's Chief Enginner, then Kes was more likely to trust the Nehantite. It wasn't a matter of not trusting Alliance inspectors; it was more a matter of trusting a man that took a particular sort of pride in his work. And the look that the redhead had sent Anauri's way conveyed as much without having to rely on any actual words.

Leaning back against the barely-cushioned seat, Kes idly watched the Chief as he worked to suss out whatever problem the Rodian had found herself confronted with.

All things told, it wasn't a long stop, and Anauri was back in the driver's seat, ringing them once more to the lift door.

"I don't see why you can't use what's in six," he replied while sliding from his seat to stand on the deck.

"It's going to be out of commission for a while, so no need to let good parts go to waste."

A strange thought then, and Kes lofted a single eyebrow as he looked to the Chief.

"If you need help, I'm available."

Anything to keep him away from his office and the never-ending comms demanding first docking rights.

[Anauri Rabeak]

As the lift arrived, Anauri cocked an eyebrow at his commanding officer, though he waited to speak until they were both aboard and the doors were shut. "You... haven't actually been to six yet, have you? Since it happened, that is."

While one of the lesser-used spires, six had taken the greatest amount of damage in the attack, leaving it so broken that force fields were in place throughout areas in order to maintain pressure inside the rest of Jovan station. Among the engineers there was the running joke that it would be faster and easier to simply cut it off and install a new docking spire than it would be to try and fix it, but as there were no other Imperial space stations to pillage, they were stuck with repairs and reconstruction.

"It's not pretty. The main lift only goes halfway up before the power draw is needed to run shield generators instead. We've installed some temporary service lifts, but there's still going to be some climbing involved," Anauri explained. "All told, it's probably going to take two hours total to get up there, remove what we need, and get back down here. Sure you've got that kind of time to spare, Commander?"

The lift arrived with a soft deceleration to a full halt, and once again the doors folded down in near silence. When the interior doors parted, all the sounds and smells of the station flooded in, destroying their temporary tranquility. Reaching for his comm stick, Anauri grunted, "Anyone slacking off in Main Engineering, get me my toolkit and bring it to spire six immediately. And if anyone ate the last koiboberry donut, I'm going to be very cross with you."

[Kes Akiena]

Kes didn't really feel the need to answer the query about his time; after all, he was a man who - in this moment - wanted to simply be away from his normal day's activities. There were only so many angry calls and impatient growlings sent his way that he was willing to endure before simply choosing to vacate his office. It'd been a conscious decision, made with the sort of finality a man has for the gravest of choices in his life.

And perhaps venturing to six was a partial excuse for escape, but he figured that it was viable enough. After all, when all one had to go off of were reports and word of mouth, sometimes an actual good look was necessary. He knew that six would be down for the count for a long while, but curiosity and a desire to be away from the madness of angry pilots was a strong one. It was necessary. It was vital. It was a trip that would hopefully give him time to salvage what was left of his patience and sanity.

In the end, and owing to the fact that they were in private, he opted to answer the question posed to him. Kes rolled his shoulders before looking sideways to the Nehantite.

"Honestly?" a tired sigh as his eyes went back to looking ahead.

"... I would like to avoid going back to the command hub for as long as possible, and if all I can get is two hours, then I'll take it."

[Anauri Rabeak]

"Heh, let me guess, the XO is riding your ass pretty hard, these days?" The words fell out of Anauri's mouth with a chuckle before he could even think to stop them. Immediately he winced before his ears burned with embarrassment and he tried to look straight ahead and professional. In civilian engineering you could get away with a crack like that, but in the military? Not so much. The Nehantite had grown so used to the amount of leeway he was given in his role as the contracted civilian head of an Alliance engineering team that he had forgotten his place, reverting to his own, far less formal style of management and speech. Certainly not something one wanted to do in front of their boss when a mid-year review was coming up.

"Ahem, sorry, that was... uncalled for," he apologized quickly. "But I know the feeling. The week after the attack I was off my ass on painkillers and still trying to keep everything running straight with organizing the teams and the workload, all while having to pull my own weight. As a young sparky I used to wonder what the hell my bosses did all day. Now I sometimes wish I could just go back to having a simple fix list for the day, get it done, clock off and go home for the night."

Out of habit he reached up to tug on the brim of his old mechanic's cap, adjusting its fit. The cap, like himself, appeared a good twenty years past its prime. It was simple, perhaps not made as well as it could have been, and certainly not what one would consider stylish compared to the new caps that fresh Nehantite engineers wore, with their snazzy colors and moisture-wicking fabrics. But it was Anauri's, and seemed much a part of his body as his own fur, as he was seldom seen without it, even in several formal staff meetings. Perhaps it was a badge of honor he felt for his role on the station, perhaps it was his way of reminding the others that he wasn't military like they were, or perhaps he was simply so accustomed to wearing it that he forgot it was even there. The adjusting tug might as well have been a scratch at some random itch, for all his body cared to think about it.

A chuckle returned to the chief engineer as a thought crossed his mind. "Garfife help this station if something happens while we're both up there. Then Garfife help us sort their mess out when we get back!"

[Kes Akiena]

Hearing Anauri speak of those first few days following the attack was like hearing himself describe his own experiences. Like his chief engineer, Kes had had to stretch himself thin despite the need for a recovery that had been marred by meetings, debriefings, depositions, inspections, and of course visits with Doctor Vek. Those had always been... interesting. But thank the gods he was here now; away from the constant nagging and harping.

"It would be a price worth paying," he grumbled mostly to himself.

But, there was something else that tugged at him, and the redhead chided himself for not broaching the subject until now.

"Samus told me, by the way, about how you helped him. He spoke very highly of you," a strange pause as Kes made a semi-surprised face.

"He doesn't shower praise very often, so when he does I generally take note."

A hand came out then, an offering that was more than a signature on paper or a writ of appreciation. Even back in the days of the old Rebellion, a man's handshake was the uttermost binding thing that he could give. It was used in so many way; to seal a deal, to express congratulations, to offer kinship... to thank.

"Thank you, Anauri."

[Anauri Rabeak]

The offered hand gave Anauri pause, causing him to consider if he was worthy of such thanks. He had been an engineer, a soldier, then an engineer once more before life necessitated a return to soldiering for a short time. It had been no conscious decision, no weighing of options to take up a gun and fight back, so thanks did not seem in order. Still, he let his own paw take that offered hand, his pads rough and calloused, the fur between those pads worn short bristly from decades hard work, and his grip was strong, almost engulfing the hand of his admittedly small commanding officer. A nod, a solid shake and it was done.

"A man protects his home and his family," came his reply. It was matter-of-fact, as if no thought had to go into it at all. In the moment, none had. Jovan was his home, Engineering was his family, and both were threatened. Paternal and survival instincts had kicked in and no amount of logic or reasoning could have altered the path Anauri had taken.

A smile worked its way up his muzzle as he let go of Kes's hand. "I hope this means I'm not in trouble for keeping an unregistered fully-automatic blaster rifle in my toolbox, then." His laugh was enough to expose his teeth, and that missing molar on the upper left side, under an old, faded scar on his lip.

[Kes Akiena]

Kes couldn't help but return the smile, infectious as it was.

"Well, I don't think you'll find yourself in trouble mostly," he looked away, "... though I think in the future it would be nice to know how big of a punch my men are packing."

A reassuring pat to the Nehantite's shoulder.

"All under the table, of course."

There was a small bit of silence, as the redhead cast a suddenly worrisome look upward.

"About how far of a climb would you say it is?"

[Anauri Rabeak]

How big of a punch my men are packing... all under the table, of course. The words hit all the wrong notes inside Anauri's head, combined with that pat on his shoulder, and he began to wonder about his CO's intentions in getting him alone somewhere. Thankfully memories of the other day at the Tea House, and talk about Kes and a certain Cizerack officer there reminded him that Kes wasn't the tail-raising sort, and he let it go at that.

"Lift will take us halfway before we had to route the power to shield generators," Anauri replied. "And looks like my tools have just shown up."

Right on schedule, Mayael appeared, jogging to the base of spire six with a canvas tool bag. The Chief accepted it with a nod before sending her on her way, and punched in the override code to engage the lift doors. Unlike five, the main door folded down with an agonizing groan, and a sharp shudder nearly two thirds of the way down caused the door to hang up before dropping a good foot or so back into its normal arc before clanging against the durasteel plate floor. The doors themselves sounded little better, but Anauri boarded without hesitation. Waiting for Kes to join him, the Nehantite smirked and said, "It's a Hamad-4. Our version of the Kang-4 Heavy. Little lower rate of fire, but increased accuracy and better stopping power. You clear us some time on the range, I'll let you go through a mag, if you want."