Borite / Sindal (Trojan Reach 2219)
Kesperziaiepr, Urien, Eirene
The Mine Expedition, Borite Countryside
019 (Harrier, Week 2, Day 4) 1105, Imperial
Five thousand credits for regular maintenance? Urien had heard worse offers before, but kept his loose mouth shut for once and accepted the work. The journey through the woods was peaceful for once - no longer bombarded by the flood of white noises that he had gotten acclimatized to in the Intent, the Solomani visibly relaxed. Astrid acted as she pleased, bounding through the long grass and often disappearing for hours on end only to return with her own lunch and dinner, though Urien was certain that a wildlife preservationist would weep at the ecological destruction of the planet's aviation population.
The party separated as they entered the box valley, with Kesper going with Earrod and Urien stuck around with Eirene. He didn't bother to engage her with small talk, even if there was several years worth of life to catch up to - he knew her to not be a pleasant conversationalist even at the best of times. Instead he put his energy towards the life support pumps. Earrod's crew had done a commendable job to mask the pumps with what tools they had, but there was a sense of pride in him that refused to acknowledge it. "Crude." he simply commented before going down into the bunker, torch out in case the lights weren't working.
He wished he had thought about wearing a full body suit, just in case of a gas leak. When the steaming cloud of ammonia hit his face he jumped back, swearing wildly and ran out of the bunker. Wiping his face and using his canteen to wash off the stench, he took a moment to settle down and reassess the situation. Or rather, the sabotage. The planet's history with raiders, keen on suppressing their technological development was well known to him. This had to be the work of those raiders - he just wished they hadn't resorted to bodily waste. Looking at Eirene and wondering if she too, had been as badly affected as he was by the gagging stench, Urien simply sat by the gnarled roots of a nearby tree, breathing in the fresh air.
After recomposing himself and wrapping his face with a piece of cloth, Urien returned to work as quickly as he could. He kept one of the damaged air filters in a spare bag, making sure to keep it sealed to avoid the smell from leaking. Maybe the good doctor could extract any leftover urine sample and give a clue to the saboteur's identity. He had a sneaking suspicion that it might have been one of the miners or mining officers. Maybe they were on a payroll - either way, he at least had proof of sabotage, in case anyone doubted him.
At each and every pump, he'd swear death threats to the saboteur. It kept his mind from thinking untoward thoughts, and reduced the stress from the disgusting work. "Dirty mother****ers!" he said at the next pump, angrily kicking the damaged air filter out of the bunker.
By the time they regrouped with Earrod on the fourth day, Urien was fuming. Even if he didn't get shot at, it was the mere indignation of having to work in the wake of someone's waste. It damaged his Solomani dignity, whatever there was left that wasn't soaked in ammonia. "Please," he pleaded from 'horseback' to Earrod. "Please tell me there is a hot bath somewhere on this planet."
Midway through their trek out of the valley, Urien heard Astrid's distinct mewing in a copse of trees. "Here girl!" he called out to her, but the cat refused to return. He could see her snow-white tail swishing in between the branches. She seemed to call him to come to her, almost yowling. Urien slid off the saddle and whipped out his shotgun, just in case there was danger ahead.
As he approached Astrid's position, he spotted the radar dish. Astrid, ever the explorer, jumped out of the bushes, licked her chops and stared balefully at Urien. There was no mistaking the purpose of the surveillance gear before him. He lowered his weapon and called out to Earrod, pointing out the dish. "Well, so much for your efforts, old man. I have to ask - how long ago was this mine set up? Because I think the Oghmans knew all about it, possibly from day 1."
He pulled out his signal jammer, tossing it in his hand thoughtfully. The man looked around, trying to identify any lookout positions in the nearby hills and woods. At the risk that they were being watched from afar, he called Astrid to him and turned back to their mounts. "We need to go back, quick as possible. We can come back later, I already have a plan to catch this rat of yours. As a betting man - your skies might have some unwanted visitors as well." He posited the next question to the Intent's crew. "Do you think they will jump the gun, or call in the cavalry?"