Work Log: GRG|_.:j:._ContractPart_NLCuAsFi

[Tenseiken]

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CAMERA ACTIVE

FEED SAVING TO DRIVE CMXVIII

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"Alright. Earl, scan the wreck from the outside. Then compare the results to our structural surveillance scanners."

"Sure capn, gimme a minute thou. Stuff's weiad."

The GRG|'s tech was interesting to say the least. From what Rell saw, it would keep the wreck in one piece. The integrity itself didn't go up, but there were far less vibrations. The shielding seemed to keep everything inside it comparatively still while also preventing lesser impacts entirely. This could work. But first, they would need to check if the tractor beams could still move the vessel. He opened a comm channel to the engine room and gave a few commands before grabbing his crutches and forcing himself up.

"Capn, wha..?"

The question hang in the air. Rell was sick of not pulling his weight. He patted the concerned looking pilot on the shoulder. "Out."

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Despite the pain, Rell felt good. It finally was his turn at the controls again. This was his job. He was responsible. But it also had to be his ass on the line if things went wrong. He opened a voice channel to the engine room. "Mikhael, we're about to start. Link the dummy relays up now." After a short reply, sounds of scuffling and a barked confirmation, he pushed a few buttons, made some last adjustment and pulled a small but relevant circuit breaker.

The tractor beam fired. A power surge went through the ship, knocking out a few lights here and there. The coffee machine in the next room sounded like it tried to brew fifty cups at once. Someone would have to clean that up later. The panel showed that dummy relay circuits I through V, as well as VII and IX had been fried. Good. That was 4 less than expected and they still had a few dozen in place. The wreck started to drift towards the frigate. He opened a channel to the other Junkers. After a brief moment of consideration, he added the GRG| vessels to the comm. "This is Rell Harrow. It's working. Quickly now!" With that, three other salvagers activated their equipment. The wreck shifted slightly as it was caught in the artificial gravity well. "Okay. Tamed Kerberos, Dignified Beast, get into formation and stay behind us. Keep your generators primed and ready, in case we need to suddenly descelerate the wreck. The rest stays here and continues work on the husk. If you lose too many dummy circuits, take the whole set offline and replace it completely. Repairs take too long. Just slot in new sets. I'll pay for them if need be." His shoulder seized up as he tried to reach for the flight controls. A heavy but gentle hand grabbed his wrist.

"Capn, 's 'nuff now. We go' 't from hea."

Rell sighed. Earl was right. He took his crutches and moved back to the command chair. "Accelerate until we reach impulse speed and do a last set of scans. If everything is alright, coordinate with the others and get us up to cruise." He sat down and tried to relax his shoulder.

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A while later, they reached the nearest trade lane ring. Desceleration had worked wonderfully. They would bring the wreck to the Manchester gate via New London and Cover. People there had been informed about the convoy, or so he hoped. But first, they'd need to wait here. Luckily, they only had to sit still for a few minutes. A hand full of fighters and two bombers left the lane. Their scouts had arrived. One of them pinged the Harrow.

"The route is clear! No known threats from here to Neverland! Over!"

Rell adjusted his comms to only include the Congress vessels. Whoever this person was, their overly cheery tone annoyed him already. "Good to hear, pilot. Please move ahead. Have someone patrol near the most common interception points. Pay any pirates to leave us alone or, even better, to leave the system for a while. Things are too fragile here already. If anyone shoots at the wreck, the whole thing might just fall to pieces. And we can't leave Ingolstadt hanging. Harrow out." And with that, it was time to begin the third most risky phase. After some more adjustments to the comm, Rell sat up. "Okay. The route is clear. We will now begin the trade lane sequence. Frigate captains, link up at least four additional sets and bring the tractor beam generators one level higher. Scale the used output to 3.5 above recommended and be ready to adjust as necessary. To the liners, set your generators to the same level, keep output at 2.5 and activate. We have to keep this thing stable but if it leaves the lane, we have to be able to slow it quickly without breaking too much. Zoner vessels, please stand by in case we need help. Your equipment isn't overclocked, but it might just make the necessary difference if thigns go awry. Rell out." And with that, their journey through the New London system continued.

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It had been a few hours since. The lane transitions had worked surprisingly well. Whatever the Zoners were doing with those shields, it was working. His hopes for the husk they left with the repair crews were rising. Before him loomed the Manchester Jump Gate and the second most risky part of the journey. It was time to see if the wreck could survive a jump across multiple light years. If it could brave a gate, it might make it through a hole. "Zoner vessels, we are ready to proceed."

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FEED SAVED

DRIVE CMXVI FULL; SWITCHING TO DRIVE CMXIX

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<span style="font-family:Lucida Console"><span style="color:#33CC00">*personality core activated*</span>
Science consists of stating the obvious and linking the facts. </span>