All seemed normal and well within the cockpit area of The Punisher. Battlelord Vincent Brujah had taken up a call to provide transport to Togruta member of Clan Plagueis back to Plagueis space. The trip had gone without issue to this point. Taking a moment to relax, Vincent pressed a button on the command console of the ship.
“Frank, let our Togruta friend know that we will be entering Plagueis space within the hour.”
“Understood, Master Brujah.” a droid voice responded through the comm.
Vincent took a deep breath, reaching his arms over his head to stretch. His glossy black armor clinked as his arms stretched out. He couldn’t wait to get back to Seraph and the comfort and privacy of his Quaestor’s chambers. He had taken on many missions recently, in an effort to ensure the stability of House Caliburnus prior to his last day on the job as the leader of the great house, and he couldn’t help but feel the need to relax.
Without warning the ship rocked violently. Looking out the window, Vincent saw a fireball consume the starboard engine as the ship dropped out of hyperspace. Red lights flashed consuming the cockpit and warning beacons rang out.
“DT, what the hell was that?!” Vincent asked.
“I don’t know!” the droid brain returned. “We’ve hit something with the right engine.”
“What was it?!”
“I can’t tell, the damn sensors are down. Hyperdrive is down. The motivator is out and the core is unstable. We have to get this thing on solid ground before it turns into a complete meltdown.”
Pressing the same button as before on the console, Vincent spoke.
“Frank, we’ve had a collision with some kind of space debris. You and the passenger buckle in. We’re going to have to make an emergency landing.”
Surveying the area out of the cockpit window, Vincent noticed a system nearby. He pointed to it.
“There. I don’t know what system that is, but it will have to do for now. Get us down there, DT.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice.” the droid brain responded.
The Punisher quickly entered orbit of the nearby system. As they grew closer, Vincent could see that this planet was completely covered in ice. The Sith spotted a giant crack in the icy surface of the planet that served as a canyon of sorts.
“DT, try to get us somewhere in that canyon if we can find a spot to land. It will be too cold and windy on the surface. We need shelter from the element.”
The ship spun as it tried to maneuver on only one engine, but the droid was able to pilot it into the canyon. They found what looked like a cave in the canyon, and DT-A1 piloted the ship in that direction. With a loud screech, the ship contacted the icy stone and slid.
“Reverse thrusters, DT!”
“I know!”
Sliding on the ice, the ship finally came to a stop as it softly touched a large stony wall. Vincent reached to the passenger seat, grabbing his helmet and placing it on his head with a hiss. He spoke once more, his voice deepened by the modulator inside of his helmet.
“DT, do what you can to get things under control. Put out a distress beacon in all directions.”
“You got it.”
The ship went silent as the remaining engine and systems powered down. Exiting the cockpit, Vincent quickly made his way to the passenger area of the ship, where he was greeted by his assassin droid, Frank and Adept Tahiri Thorn Morte Tarentae, di Plagia.
“My apologies for the rough and unexpected landing. It seems that we hit some kind of debris in the hyperspace lane, and it has taken out one of the engines and our hyperdrive. We’ve powered down systems to prevent any further damage, and DT-A1 is working to send out a distress signal. In the meantime, if you’re within contact range for anyone that might be able to help us off this frozen wasteland, now would be the time to contact them. It's going to get really cold, really quickly.”
