Shiny New Supplies

[Ranooki Reese]

Ranooki had been busy overseeing new equipment being delivered to the main warehouse at the Republic military base in Thani. The Navy Captain was still Chief Mechanics for Rogue Squadron, since Darksun had offered her the post, as she had worked with him on a couple different squadrons since returning from her assignemnt aboard the Azrael. Yet, she still made sure when on Telos to do her best to help keeping things running at the equipment warehouse.

They had recently received new generation tools and assorted droids that would help all mechanics do their job better. She had already familiarized herself with them all, used to tinker and be hands on more than reading manuals. Where she had grown up, manuals were in short supplies when it came to mechanics.

She had passed a memo to a few other mechanics and engineers who served either in the Navy or the Army and had invited them for a session at the warehouse.

[Hector Thymes]

Hector Thymes entered the warehouse with a skip in his step, his days as a New Republic Cadet seemed to be shaping up as of late. His fellow mechanics have finally stopped hazing him and giving him the brute work and he had even managed to succeed in an official front line mission. Of course Hector wouldn’t call himself a veteran, one battle, and that was only to steal cargo from the Empire, wasn’t really something he wanted to brag too much about. In fact he was thankful he made it out alive and was able to get back with his gang at the warehouses.

It wasn’t much later after his return that a message was passed around to the other mechanics about some new tools and droids arriving. There was some excitement in the air after that but many began to scoff when they read who the memo was from. Ranooki Reese was part of the NR Navy, and Hector had only met her once... upon his registration in to the Army. She wasn’t really a bad person... just intimidating and many of Hectors friends felt that she would take the best stuff for her own team... however nobody wanted to stand up to her. Hector seemed to be the only one wanting to go, with a few jokes and laughs, and some pats on the back, the others wished him luck.

With some nerves, and a lot of intimidation, Hector walked into the warehouse feeling insecure as he approached the Captain.

“So I heard we’ve got some new toys to play with?” Hector teased, hoping to break the ice and give the woman a laugh. “Ah, thanks for the invitation Captain Reese.” He added, making sure there was some form of respect given.

[Ondraeya]

Newly appointed to the deputy commander's command vessel, Ondraeya headed to the appointment in the supply hangar. She assumed it was to assess some new equipment, but the brief description didn't give her much to go on and the other engineers also assigned to the command vessel didn't give her much either. Jealous, that's what it was, she presumed.

Stepping from the military speeder, Ondraeya moved from the parking lot and into the large hangar-like warehouse. Amidst full shelves, crated supplies in neat rows and barrels, she noticed Hector whom she had met some time back. They had worked through the introductions and then went for lunch afterward and being male, the Hapan had gotten used to his company.

"Morning ma'am," she nodded to Ranooki, then glanced to Hector. "Long time, no see."

[Ranooki Reese]

Ranooki chuckled when she recognized Hector's voice. "Yep. Shiny new toys!" She replied with a grin. "Good to see you again, Cadet Thymes." She had been the one to officially accept him. For what she had heard, he was proving to be a very good asset as Army mechanics. That was good to know.

When a woman she was less familiar with, though recognized from the file as engineer Ondraeya, joined them, she nodded to her. "Good morning, Lieutenant. I'm Captain Ranooki Reese."

She gestured towards some of the crates. "Thanks for joining me for this session. We recently received new generation omni tools and upgraded cooling units just to name a few. These will be used both by Army and Navy. The Thani warehouse will supply to the on world base as well as ships currently docked here."

[Hector Thymes]

“Ditto.” Hector replied back to Ondraeya, giving the Hapen a smile. He hadn’t seen her since the time she brought the shuttle in to be fixed up. “How’s the ship holding up?” He asked.

The cadet then focused back on the Captain as she explained what was in the crates and how they were to be used for both the Army and Navy’s use. Hector rubbed his hands together, needless to say he was excited to pry one open and look for himself.

“Sounds like a blast. Where’s the crowbar?” He asked searching around the warehouse for something to get started with.

[Ondraeya]

Nodding as the captain introduced herself, she glanced again to Hector, "Yeah, it's fine. Admiral wouldn't know the difference anyway," olive eyes returned to the captain as she began explaining the new tools that they would have available and she had recalled reading something about them in a tech brief not that long ago. Chuckling at Hector's enthusiasm, she then pointed to the access panel on the face of the plastisteel crate.

"Nowadays they have codes that do that for you, saves the crate for later use. Unless a Wookiee gets ahold of it, that is." She turned her attention back to Rannoki as her face melted into a more serious demeanor. "I've read that the omni tools are used mostly for the cooling units and for condensers. That right?"

[Ranooki Reese]

Ranooki chuckled at Hector's remark about the crowbar. "Crowbars are useful with our older crates that we still use for used parts that can still be fixed in last resort. These new toys have high tech crates thankfully."

She grinned because opening crates with crowbars could feel good. She was just weird like that. "Thanks, Lieutenant." She replied to Ondraeya as she opened the crates and then the blonde produced the new omni tools.

"True about the cooling units and condensers. These new ones come with a few add ons that can make them work with some small generators and batteries. That makes them useful to bring alone when traveling light to the battlefield."

[Hector Thymes]

Hector shrug his shoulder, “just an expression.”

He moved over to another unopened crate and typed in the security code for it to open. The omni tools were pretty impressive, and he was eager to give them a try. He actually wished he had some of these on hand before his off planet mission. It might have made capturing those transports easier. Still would have had to dealt with getting shot at.

“So, do we get to test them out as well as look at them?”

[Ondraeya]

Stepping closer as Rannoki opened one of the crates, she admired the small controls on the side and recognized how simple they would be to use. Especially for new recruits not totally familiar with every tool that they would have in their toolbox. No doubt these would be kept in the shop's storeroom and signed out when in garrison, though. She assumed so, anyway.

Admiring the omni tool now in the captain's hand, she noted a few unique things about the shiny device. "It's even got an adjustment for crimping connectors. Huh." Olive eyes rose to eye the blonde. "It's nice that designers finally listened to us for once."

[Ranooki Reese]

"One I use very literaly here, be sure of that Cadet." Ranooki replied with a grin. Crowbars could be very practical and she hadn't stopped using them, as not every crate came with the access panel.

"Isn't it amazing that they finally listened to us? I often want to strangle some designers, but not this time!" She let both Thymes and Ondraeya start to check the omni tools.

"Hell yes that we're going to test them out. I ain't going to just be all theoretical on you two."

She gestured to a couple of machines nearby: one speeder and what looked like a control console from a destroyer. "These can benefit from the use of thes omnitools for the diagnosis and then we can check some of the new wiring together. We have a new universal wire that resist heat better than before and is easier to split when need be."

Having known that Thymes was army and Ondrayea in Fleet, she had tried to give them something to work with that would prove useful given their experience.

[Hector Thymes]

“I call the speeder.” Hector said, the moment his eyes rested on the equipment Reese had procured for them. He was ready to get to work, with the new Omni tools by his side, he’d upgrade the speeder to an entirely new level.

“Just as long as I can take it out for the ride once I’m done.” He smirked. Hector then approached the bike and began to fiddle with the dials of the tools, experimenting and learning how they work as he went.

[Ondraeya]

Taking one of the tools and several adaptors, Ondraeya moved to the large control panel for the ship and recognized the controls immediately. Turning on the main power, she began assessing the issues that may have been programmed into it and once her slender fingers danced over the controls, she began making a mental note of the problems that she found. Appreciating the way the trainers in tech school had shown them to troubleshoot every problem, eliminating the easiest things first, then working through the logical systems to find the root problem.

Isolating the main power, she moved to the back of the panel and carefully began taking measurements and soon narrowed down one of the problems that the control panel was having. Losing herself in the task at hand, the rest of the supply warehouse and those in it faded away.

[Ranooki Reese]

"Sure thing, you can take it out for the ride. It's part of a new batch Army received. I heard they're going to be tested soon." Ranooki replied to Thymes, before shifting her attention towards Ondraeya.

She let them work with the new tools for as long as they needed. She offered input and advice as she went back and forth between them. They were both skilled and knowledgeable. It was reassuring to see people like that work in the military.

[Hector Thymes]

The new tools were amazing, it wasn’t long before Hector completely forgot where he was. In his own mind, he was back in the garage on Chandrila, working on his own speeder, with the guys loitering around, talking about some upcoming race, or past race, girls and equipment. A smile came to the cadet’s lips at this memory, at how everything was normal, peaceful. Sure, he got this way in the hanger too, but it was different in an army. Somehow.

Captain Reese was nearby too, which was a little nerve wrecking at first, but the Captain proved to be even more knowledgable than he in some areas, and especially with the new tools. She helped him whenever something fell off, or didn’t fit.

Ondraeya too seemed to be lost in her own world Hector noticed when he took a break from his speeder and looked up at her. Maybe he should try asking her out to the bar sometime... though his last attempts at hitting on her didn’t go quite as plan. Still, Hector was willing to try again.

“Any plans tonight Ondraeya?” Hector called out hours later into their tutorial project.

[Ondraeya]

Having replaced several parts and realigning a pump, Ondraeya soon realized that someone was talking to her as olive eyes glanced up from the open control panel in the back of the tester. "What," she replied, brow furrowed a bit after being interrupted. And by a male, to boot. She had gotten used to being part of the New Republic military and even though she was born and raised on Hapes, cultural differences didn't just fade away. Hector was a nice guy, she had been around him long enough already to see a few amiable qualities in the man, but her mother expected better from her.

The query finally settling in, she buried herself back into the guts of the console, "Surprised you don't already have someone from the dorm you go to the enlisted's club with."