Video 001 | Week 78, Thursday

[sfoils]

[ The speaker looks positively average: brown hair, brown eyes, pale skin. His voice is composed despite the message. ] I am Commander Wedge Antilles of Rogue Squadron. [ He shifts closer into view, wincing in pain. But as quickly as it comes, it goes. He settles his expression back into neutrality. ] I've crash landed here and I'd appreciate help fishing out my snubfighter. Or at least getting my cargo and astromech out of it.

I don't have much in the way of payment, but there's three bottles of my world's best whiskey in there. [ And Kettch, Wedge remembers absentmindedly. ] Oh, and some food rations. [ Wryly. ] Unless you like cardboard, I wouldn't recommend them.

Antilles out. [ And the transmission ends. ]

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video;

[last_ofthe_jedi]

Wedge! [The high decibels of the excitement in Luke's voice cause the sound system of his communicator to clip slightly.]

Wedge hey! I can't believe you-- you crashed here? [Luke blinks a few times, trying to figure out exactly how unlikely that is. How did Wedge even get here from their home galaxy? Maybe it's not as difficult as he'd always thought.]

[Luke might look a bit different than he did the last Wedge saw him. He's actually a bit younger, and he's currently sporting a beard. Luke himself doesn't seem to be too confused over Wedge's slightly older appearance. He's been doing this pulled-from-different-points-in-time thing for a while. That and he already gave Wes a cane for his birthday as a joke a couple years ago.]

( Video )

[sfoils]

Copy, Rogue Leader. [ He says with a smile. ] Yeah, I crashed here. That's what I get for taking solo missions from Admiral Ackb—sithspit, when did you grow a beard? [ His hyperdrive must be more messed up than he realized. He's seeing things, like Luke looking younger. ]

[last_ofthe_jedi]

[Despite the heartache of knowing that now Wedge is stuck here with the rest of them Luke can't help but grin softly when he hears his old call sign. That sure feels good. At the notice of his beard however, Luke's grin fades a bit. He'd completely forgotten how different he probably looks.]

Oh! Uh, a few weeks ago. Long story. [Mostly having to do with depression and hiding from everyone after a very not-fun incident. Wedge will surely get to hear all about that later along with the weird time differences thing.] Look, uh... we'll get your ship out, don't worry about that. I can call some locals to help us. Wes is here too and I think he has access to some machinery.

You've obviously already found Edmund, the guy handing out comm devices. Did he, uh... explain anything? I mean about this planet in particular?

[sfoils]

[ Wedge's not altogether here yet thanks to the pain in his leg, but even so his senses are not so dulled that he can't pick up on his wingmate's change of demeanor. There's a story to this, the kind that means leaving won't be as simple as repairing one snubfighter and flying off into space. ] Wait, Wes is here? [ Mild-mannered as Wedge tends to be, he can't hide the surprise in his voice. Wes, Luke, both here?

This doesn't add up. He'd seen both of them not that long ago in Coruscant. ] Not really, no. [ And Wedge too much in a hurry to care for an explanation just yet. ] Listen, I got a shard of transparisteel stuck in my thigh and I'm going to need help removing it. [ Swimming with a wound leg, what a wonderful idea, Wedge. That salt sure hurt. ] I got a medkit in the X-wing's cargo.

[last_ofthe_jedi]

[Luke's eyes go wide and his tone has suddenly changed.] Woah wait, you're hurt? Nonono, forget a medkit, you've got to get to the hospital! You're going to want a doctor for that. [Though Luke can already hear Bones' voice in his head ranting about crazy space jockeys.]

[Then he realizes the problem with telling Wedge to get to the hospital on his own.] Alright hang on, where are you?

[sfoils]

[ Yes, Wedge thought of that. But 1) he didn't have a map of the place then and 2) he still doesn't know if the locals are friendly. You don't live this long by making assumptions.

But if Luke Skywalker says he has to go to hospital, that means the hospital must be safe. Wedge sighs in relief. ] Right outside Edmund's, sitting against the wall.

[last_ofthe_jedi]

Right. You stay there. I'm coming to get you. If Edmund offers to help, let him. He's a good guy and he'll look after you. Anyone else... eh, better just wait until I get there.

[Most people are friendly but some are strangely hostile towards 'outsiders' and Luke's trying to avoid giving Wedge the impression that this place is completely safe.]

Video:

[pepperspray]

Speaking frankly, the snubfighter itself is payment if you're willing to let people study its technology.

[A slender redhaired woman in the sort of clothes that say 'business wear' no matter what galaxy you're in is on the other end, eyeing Wedge with mild surmise and the sort of air of general competence that's similar to that of... well, a lot of the women of his acquaintance, really.]

A water landing's both good and bad. Did you get a sense of how deep it's down there? I haven't had to deal with this sort of recovery on Verdana, but back home my company has had the odd test demonstation go awry before.

( Video )

[sfoils]

[ The picture of competence given by Pepper helps Wedge out. ] Deal. I grew up in shipyards and I've been piloting X-wings for over a decade. I can tell you all about it.

Can't say my sense is accurate, but... [ Too busy trying not to die, and all. ] ...deep enough that the s-foils weren't sticking out of the water despite sinking side-first. The whole thing is 12.5 meters long, and the wings are about the same length.

If you can link to the astromech that's sunk with it, he'll give you more accurate numbers.

Video Forever:

[pepperspray]

You should be able to pull some depth charts from the local library without too much difficulty. If not, the local fishermen could be worth contacting -- they're also likely to be the people that will have the equipment needed for salvage.

[Pepper seems pleased at getting practical answers, even if her expression blanks for a moment at 'astromech' before being supplied with belated memories of Commander Skywalker's robot. She makes a note on a scratchpad, although the angle of the screen obscures what she's writing from clear view.]

I will warn that there are a few locals who are suspicious of outsiders -- there have been a few incidents over the past year, even aside from the whole notion of unkillable visitors from other realities... and I probably should check just how much you've been brought up to speed before dropping sentences like that.

( Video )

[sfoils]

Are those depth charts in datacards?

Don't worry, I'm used to dealing with people who are suspicious of me. [ His dry humor never makes strangers laugh. Still, it helps to joke to keep frustration at bay. Wes is right about that. ]

Unkillable visitors. From other realities. [ Wedge's enunciation should give away that no, he hasn't been brought up to speed. If speed is what we're talking about, he's the speed of sound to a hyperdrive's faster-than-light travel at the moment. ]

[pepperspray]

Ah. [Definitely not up to speed. Pepper is once again reminded of the thought of putting together a user manual for new arrivals... and once again finds herself focusing on the here and now instead.] Well, in that case I'll leave the primer on local data storage to someone else and see what I can do about the more existential questions.

[This raises another question, and she leans forward to peer at him through the video pickup.]

I happen to have a small cafe and bar, if you'd prefer your existential crises to be accompanied by alcohol.

[sfoils]

Alcohol sounds great right about now, [ Wedge winces. ] but I should get this injury looked at first.

I'll definitely take you up on that offer, though. You just made the grave mistake of offering liquor to a Corellian.

[Audio]

[nodavinci]

Congratulations, I think you're the first person who's managed to actually put down in the water.

[There's a faint, tinny edge to the wryly amused voice.]

We should be able to rig something up to haul you out. How far off shore did you go down?

( Video )

[sfoils]

I've had a lot of practice with rough landings. [ Oh, this thing functions as a commlink too? Wedge wishes he would've known that.

Then again, if he knew that then maybe Luke wouldn't have been so quick to rescue him. ] It'd say one or two klicks. [ A pause. ] That's kilometers.

[nodavinci]

What a strange unit of measurement.

[There's a moment's pause as Tony considers the topography.]

Shouldn't slip off the continental shelf, then. Good. Most of the really weird wildlife stays further out.

[sfoils]

[ Wedge supposes he could use himself as a unit of measurement. It'd be, what, a hundred or more Wedges from x-wing to coast?

Seems egotistical, though, naming a unit of measurement after himself. ] Well, that's good. I was worried large marine mammals might confuse her for one of their own.

[nodavinci]

Wouldn't be the first time a hydra's tried to mate with something it shouldn't.

[Serious, or really good deadpan? You be the judge.]

[sfoils]

[ Oh no, deadpan versus deadpan. ] I wouldn't be worried until the sea life develops ion cannons. I'll just give her a good clean-up before flying again.

video ;

[thisisafact]

[ the young redhead who responds is just finishing up one of her shifts at the hospital (the communicator bounces a little as she walks down one of the town's busier streets) and while she'd certainly volunteer to help anyone who needed it, a rogue squadron commander with a lost astromech is a particularly important cause. ]

What sort of conditions has your fighter crashed in, Commander Antilles? I may be able to provide assistance.

[ pulley systems and force nudging, to be exact. ]

[sfoils]

[ Wedge lists off the damage he noticed. He's well aware that the longer the snubfighter stays under the sea, the greater the risk of more malfunctions. ] Hyperdrive suffered a catastrophic failure and I'm pretty sure that's what sent me crashing down. Left-side s-foils scrapped a lot of water, but they were closed to minimize water. The impact did shatter one of the transparisteel panels in the cockpit.

Oh, and my astromech's still with the X-wing.

[thisisafact]

Then it is of the utmost importance that we retrieve both before they suffer irreparable damage. [ usually she wouldn't be the type to worry too much about a droid, but there's only so much time someone can spend around luke skywalker and r2-d2 before some sort of affection happens. ]

I could probably swim down to retrieve your cargo and droid, but I doubt I could manage a fighter using only the Force.

That should be 'but they were closed to minimize damage', thanks, phone!

[sfoils]

[ X-wing jockeys are fabled for their affection towards their snubfighters and Wedge Antilles, x-wing ace of aces, isn't an exception.

But an X-wing is replaceable. A person isn't.

The choice isn't easy, but it's the right one. ] Just the cargo and droid is fine. I'm not going to risk your life for what's quickly becoming rusty metal.

i got it anyway, no worries!

[thisisafact]

There may still be a way. [ it's her version of reassuring, even if it may not sound it. she'll need to see the situation first, how deep things are, if there are trees they can use. if the force is really with her today or not.

tenel ka finally stops, her video stabilizing. ]

If you can describe nearest which shore you crashed, I will go there immediately and do what I can.

[sfoils]

[ It is reassuring. Wedge wants to hold onto that. But he also doesn't want to get his hopes up. An x-wing isn't as valuable as a person, but he does feel like a part of himself just sunk into the sea. ] Near the port. I swam to the beach and was able to make my way into the town. I don't know exactly which shore it is. Sorry.